Worldway

Sometimes you need to step back and reassess. The soaking of the planks question I had was actually in the limited instructions. I found that soaking for any longer than 5 minutes was counter productive. Luckily this is the first layer so hopefully I'll be experienced by the time I get to the second layer. I think I have some minor build errors so far but hopefully they will eventually be hidden to all but the trained eye. I've put on my first row of planks. LET THE PLANKING BEGIN.

When planking the hull do you need to soak the planks first? I'm concerned that there will be a big turn at the lower stern and the plank may split. Or should I be sanding to reduce the radius?

I'm in, i'll sit in the back so i can leave room for the boys whos vision isn't the best.

Even when work gets in the way it's hard not to find a few minutes every day just for the odd tweak or rework. I've sanded the deck but still need a little more to do. The CA glue is still visible in spots. If anyone has any recommendations or suggestions I'm all ears. One mistake I made, because I assumed and didn't read the instructions, was that the stern deck was supposed to be planked with 0.6 mm Basswood. I just assumed that it would be the same as the main deck however I was wrong. It was supposed to be planked with 1.5 mm Basswood. I'm hoping this won't be a big issue. Perhaps someone could shed some light. If this may be a problem I could always add a layer of 1.0 mm Basswood. There were a couple of areas where the false deck didn't quite meet the Bulkheads. I added a filler piece so I was ensured of having a constant gluing / nailing surface. The step (or ladder as called in the instructions) between the main deck and the stern deck called for a piece of 1.5 mm x 4 mm Walnut. However, because my main deck had a slight curve and my stern deck was flat, I added filler material to cover the gap. I think it turned out OK and am happy with it. I just hope it doesn't cause me issues down the road. A couple of days ago I was reviewing the forum and saw a couple of book recommendations. I found them on Amazon and picked up used copies for very cheap. I'm getting Ship Model Building 3rd Edition by Gene Johnson ($1.88) and Historic Ship Models by Wolfram Sterling ($6.33). I was out of town yesterday and found a local hobby store. Spent over an hour in there looking at everything available. If I didn't have a family I would have spent a small fortune but my wife and kids need to eat.

I've sanded the deck trying to get rid of the visible CA glue. I don't want to sand too much as there is only 0.6 mm thick planks. I have to admit that I'm very happy with the results. I was embarrassed with my fist attempt. I've also installed the stair from the main deck to the upper deck. I had issues with it because of the curve of the deck however I think I've found a good solution and again am happy with the outcome. I will send pictures soon. My next task is to frame around the deck openings. Then it's on to planking the hull. I still need to do more research on the hull planking. This time I want to get it right the first time. Unfortunately, work is once again taking precedence so it will be a few days before I can get back to it.

Well I think things are progressing a little better now. I have finished planking the false deck, much better results. This time I used CA glue instead of carpenters glue and the look is a lot cleaner. It just needs some light sanding which I haven't done yet. I also managed to get a couple of the fish boxes done, a good fill in project while waiting for glue to set. The fish boxes are a little trickly for me with the small parts. I'm four in and have already found a couple of ways to make assembly a little easier. I'm sure by the time I build the last one it will look great. I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to spend over the next few days as I have to go out of town. I may not be able to get back to it for another week or so.

Well I undid and redid and think this time it's off to a better start. One problem I have is that I can't get the false deck to sit on bulkheads two and three. There is a gap of about 3 mm. Is this something I should be concerned about and, if so, does anyone have a recommended fix? I've tried gluing with carpenters glue and clamping and I've also tried using CA glue. Neither have worked. Speaking of which, I'm using Titebond CA Instant Wood Adhesive and am having zero luck with it. I tried gluing one of the fish boxes together with it and the joints didn't hold. Should I be using something different?

My false deck is not attached to the bulkheads. I can now see where this could be a problem. The instructions weren't very clear in that department. Having said that, I don't like the way the deck is turning out. I think I am going to spend some time carefully sanding the planks off. I'm assuming because the false deck is symmetrical I can simply flip it over and try again. Because I'll have to buy new planking, is there a wood better suited or more authentic than basswood? Also, can all previous builders reading this let me know if they noticed a shortfall of planking materials (I remember reading a couple of posts that mentioned it) or other materials. If I have to order more material I might as well do it all at once to save shipping charges. One thing I saw that I liked (and I apologize because I can't remember the builder) was the addition of tires on the side as bumpers. I think I'll do that as well. This weekend will be spent sanding and maybe building some sub assemblies such as the fish boxes and the stairs. I'll send current pictures later in the weekend.

Hi HOF, I would very much like to see your Practicum/Review and photos. I am learning my way around this forum and was about to submit a post with several questions but I deleted it by mistake. However perhaps your information would answer some of those questions. Attached are some recent pictures. I wasn't sure if it is best to plank over the openings in the deck then cut them out later or plank around them. Also, I don't know if it is necessary to plank completely to the edge of the deck or will that be covered by deck rails, etc. I'm not happy with the deck planking right now. I'm hoping that once the glue dries and it gets a light sanding it will look a lot better. I started by pencilling the joint on the lower deck but decided I didn't like it so I stopped. Now it looks silly with a line down the middle. And it turns out I really did like the effect and wish I had continued it. If it's all about learning from your mistakes I should be a pro by the end of this build.

I finally received my Mare Nostrum kit yesterday. It was nicely packaged and, as far as I can tell, damage free. I carefully opened the wrapping and inspected the items sent. The manuals don't look to be the best but I think I can work with them, besides there are a lot of previous builds here I can consult. Not wanting to waste any time I set out to install the bulkhead frames on the false keel. My first dilemma was to find a way to do this so they are at 90 degrees to the keel and horizontal. I borrowed an idea which I found on this site that used Lego blocks. They worked very well. Also, I used two spring clamps on the bottom of the keel to support the structure. They will do until I can find a more suitable mounting fixture. I am certainly open to suggestions. So far I have been using a very good carpenters glue. I feel that the joint will be stronger than using CA glue (I hope I used the right acronym). The carpenter's glue I am using has a high initial tack and sets in 25 minutes. I plan to take my time on this build and not rush things (like I tend to do that at times). If nothing else, this will be a learning experience for my next build. ​I'm looking forward to your comments (both positive and negative), your encouragement and your advice.

I tried to add pictures to a new build log I wanted to start. Every time I tried to add the pictures it looked like they were downloading fine but then I got an "Error 500" message telling me the download was aborted. I made sure the file sizes were under the max but other than that I'm not sure why this is happening. I was hoping someone can help me fix this.