DonnRW

Progress has been slow, but I am finally finding time to work on the Aggie. As you can see in the pictures, I added filler to the first planking and have sanded it smooth. I am pleased with the result. You can see that I really applied a lot of filler (Timbermate), to the extent that the Aggie looked like she was in a full body cast. I waited a couple of days to make sure everything was completely dry before sanding. After sanding I used a foam brush to apply a dilute PVA solution, waited 24 hours and sanded with 400 grit sandpaper. Next on tap is to mark and cutout the gun ports. Given the fact that Caldercraft supplies a template for this task, one may assume that this will be a relatively simple procedure...it doesn't appear that is going to be the case. Nothing lines up exactly as it should....stay tuned.

It has been a long while since I last posted and for that I apologize. That said, I have been busy. When we moved into our new house, I had a really nice space to use as my woodworking shop, but the space required a lot of work (framing, insulation, sheetrock, painting, drop ceiling, plumbing and HVAC). I have completed all of that and I am happy to report that I now spend more time working "in" the shop than "on" the shop! I am now hoping to allocate my time more evenly between woodworking and shipbuilding.  Recent progress on the Aggie has been to complete the roundhouses and quarter galleries. I am just beginning to install the main whale, which will be followed by the second planking. I really appreciate those that contribute to this website; if it hadn't been for you guys, I would have been lost as to how to approach some aspects of the build. Caldercraft produces an excellent kit, but their "instructions" are limited.
 
 

I am back! Sorry to take so long between posts, but my wife and I purchased a new house so I have been busy packing, unpacking, etc., etc. Moving is never fun, but the older you get it becomes even less fun. That said, I have a new workshop (I also build furniture) and a new shipyard. Now that I have a workshop to work on, progress on the Aggie will slow...but, I will find time to work on her! Since my last post I did complete the first planking. I will be sanding, filling, sanding and filling. 
 

Mobbsie and Hennie, thank you for your comments! Knowing that both of you have beautifully managed the many challenges associated with building the Aggie, your encouragement is all the more meaningful. I have installed the inner bulwarks so I'll soon start with the outer planking...that is where the fun begins! 
 
 

It has been awhile since I last posted, I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season. Regarding the Aggie, I have been making slow but steady progress. At this point, I have completed planking the upper gun deck. Overall, I am happy with the result...that doesn't mean that I didn't experience any problems, I did. Fortunately, the areas that will be the most visible turned out well...the problem areas will be under the upper decks. After completing the planking, I lightly sanded the entire deck, used filler where necessary and sanded again. As you can see, I did install treenails. The method I employed was to use a small drill bit with a 3/4 turn. As you can see they showed up very well especial following an application of Golden Oak stain (Minwax). 
 

 

It has been a long while since I last posted and for that I apologize. That said, I have been busy. When we moved into our new house, I had a really nice space to use as my woodworking shop, but the space required a lot of work (framing, insulation, sheetrock, painting, drop ceiling, plumbing and HVAC). I have completed all of that and I am happy to report that I now spend more time working "in" the shop than "on" the shop! I am now hoping to allocate my time more evenly between woodworking and shipbuilding.  Recent progress on the Aggie has been to complete the roundhouses and quarter galleries. I am just beginning to install the main whale, which will be followed by the second planking. I really appreciate those that contribute to this website; if it hadn't been for you guys, I would have been lost as to how to approach some aspects of the build. Caldercraft produces an excellent kit, but their "instructions" are limited.
 
 

I am back! Sorry to take so long between posts, but my wife and I purchased a new house so I have been busy packing, unpacking, etc., etc. Moving is never fun, but the older you get it becomes even less fun. That said, I have a new workshop (I also build furniture) and a new shipyard. Now that I have a workshop to work on, progress on the Aggie will slow...but, I will find time to work on her! Since my last post I did complete the first planking. I will be sanding, filling, sanding and filling. 
 

It has been a long while since I last posted and for that I apologize. That said, I have been busy. When we moved into our new house, I had a really nice space to use as my woodworking shop, but the space required a lot of work (framing, insulation, sheetrock, painting, drop ceiling, plumbing and HVAC). I have completed all of that and I am happy to report that I now spend more time working "in" the shop than "on" the shop! I am now hoping to allocate my time more evenly between woodworking and shipbuilding.  Recent progress on the Aggie has been to complete the roundhouses and quarter galleries. I am just beginning to install the main whale, which will be followed by the second planking. I really appreciate those that contribute to this website; if it hadn't been for you guys, I would have been lost as to how to approach some aspects of the build. Caldercraft produces an excellent kit, but their "instructions" are limited.
 
 

It has been a long while since I last posted and for that I apologize. That said, I have been busy. When we moved into our new house, I had a really nice space to use as my woodworking shop, but the space required a lot of work (framing, insulation, sheetrock, painting, drop ceiling, plumbing and HVAC). I have completed all of that and I am happy to report that I now spend more time working "in" the shop than "on" the shop! I am now hoping to allocate my time more evenly between woodworking and shipbuilding.  Recent progress on the Aggie has been to complete the roundhouses and quarter galleries. I am just beginning to install the main whale, which will be followed by the second planking. I really appreciate those that contribute to this website; if it hadn't been for you guys, I would have been lost as to how to approach some aspects of the build. Caldercraft produces an excellent kit, but their "instructions" are limited.
 
 

Today I painted the areas around the barrel posts were the cannons will be mounted on the lower gun deck. Although very little of these areas will be visible (your will only see it when you look through the gun ports) the custom is to paint the area black. I painted more area than is probably necessary, but I wanted to be sure. With the painting done, it was time to mount the upper deck. As I understood the manual there are two options, 1) mount the deck as one piece and then overlay with 4mm planks or 2) cut the deck into two halves (longitudinal) and plank each half prior to installing.  My approach is going to be more of a hybrid. I tried to install the deck as a single piece, but the piece is large and thin, consequently, I was afraid it was going to snap. With this concern in mind, I elected to cut the deck in half. The next step will be to glue the halves in their respective locations and then apply the deck planks. I thought about applying the planks to each half before installing (as one of the options mentioned...the primary advantage being no obstructions to contend with), but I am not as confident that I can get everything aligned as well as the more "traditional" approach to planking. 
 

In many respects I am a relative newcomer to the world of model shipbuilding. I recently completed, as my very first build,  the HMAV Bounty (Caldercraft) and I am reasonably pleased with the end result. That said, it took me about eight years to complete the project; however in fairness to myself, the actual time spent actively working on the ship was closer to two years.  Following retirement, most of my time has been devoted to building furniture, however, I recently sold my house and shop so woodworking had to be temporally suspended. Given the fact that I wanted to keep my hands busy, I dug the Bounty out of mothballs and began building. It took me awhile to get back into the rhythm of working in a smaller scale, but I soon rediscovered how much I enjoyed tinkering with these wonderful old ships. 
 
Given my limited experience as a modeler, the wisest course of action would have been to choose a much less ambitious project than the Agamemnon. I totally agree; but having found this website and after reading the building logs of such Master Builders as Sjors, Mobbsie and others, I knew that my next build would have to be the Aggie! ("Aggie" or "Aggy", I am not sure which is correct...but, since one of my degrees is from Texas A&M University, I'll go with Aggie).
 
So, it is with this background in mind that I start this log. No doubt it will take me a very long time to complete this project and I am very confident that I will be calling upon the collective wisdom of this folks associated with this site to help me along the way. 

As you can see, I have the box with all of the necessary inventory, and I have started the build! Since I have never posted pictures before, I will close for now to be sure I understand the mechanics of the uploading process before I get too far ahead of myself.
 
Thanks,
Donn

Steve, glad to have you onboard here and really glad that your created NCWW, thank you! Donn

Sjors, I have been worried about you! I have been following your SOS build, but noticed that you were not posting with the same degree of regularity that I had become accustomed to with some of your prior builds. That said, I accidentally stumbled on on this ST building log so the mystery is solved...and I am delighted to know that you are well and happily building! I must admit, however, I do not know how you manage two major builds simultaneously...no doubt you are incredibly organized and patient. Cheers! Donn  

Sjors, I am currently working on the HMAV Bounty (CC) and I am strongly leaning toward the Agamemnon as my next build. That said, I started reading your blog a few days ago and have been totally intrigued with your craftsmanship. I'll have to admit that I have some trepidations about starting such a complicated build, but I am also excited about the prospects. Thank you for inspiring me, and I am sure others, with your work and words.
 
Donn  

Progress has been slow, but I am finally finding time to work on the Aggie. As you can see in the pictures, I added filler to the first planking and have sanded it smooth. I am pleased with the result. You can see that I really applied a lot of filler (Timbermate), to the extent that the Aggie looked like she was in a full body cast. I waited a couple of days to make sure everything was completely dry before sanding. After sanding I used a foam brush to apply a dilute PVA solution, waited 24 hours and sanded with 400 grit sandpaper. Next on tap is to mark and cutout the gun ports. Given the fact that Caldercraft supplies a template for this task, one may assume that this will be a relatively simple procedure...it doesn't appear that is going to be the case. Nothing lines up exactly as it should....stay tuned.

Indeed, I miss seeing work by Sjors and Mobbsie...both outstanding modelers, helpful contributors and gentlemen!

Indeed, I miss seeing work by Sjors and Mobbsie...both outstanding modelers, helpful contributors and gentlemen!

Indeed, I miss seeing work by Sjors and Mobbsie...both outstanding modelers, helpful contributors and gentlemen!

Indeed, I miss seeing work by Sjors and Mobbsie...both outstanding modelers, helpful contributors and gentlemen!

Progress has been slow, but I am finally finding time to work on the Aggie. As you can see in the pictures, I added filler to the first planking and have sanded it smooth. I am pleased with the result. You can see that I really applied a lot of filler (Timbermate), to the extent that the Aggie looked like she was in a full body cast. I waited a couple of days to make sure everything was completely dry before sanding. After sanding I used a foam brush to apply a dilute PVA solution, waited 24 hours and sanded with 400 grit sandpaper. Next on tap is to mark and cutout the gun ports. Given the fact that Caldercraft supplies a template for this task, one may assume that this will be a relatively simple procedure...it doesn't appear that is going to be the case. Nothing lines up exactly as it should....stay tuned.

Progress has been slow, but I am finally finding time to work on the Aggie. As you can see in the pictures, I added filler to the first planking and have sanded it smooth. I am pleased with the result. You can see that I really applied a lot of filler (Timbermate), to the extent that the Aggie looked like she was in a full body cast. I waited a couple of days to make sure everything was completely dry before sanding. After sanding I used a foam brush to apply a dilute PVA solution, waited 24 hours and sanded with 400 grit sandpaper. Next on tap is to mark and cutout the gun ports. Given the fact that Caldercraft supplies a template for this task, one may assume that this will be a relatively simple procedure...it doesn't appear that is going to be the case. Nothing lines up exactly as it should....stay tuned.

Sjors, I am currently working on the HMAV Bounty (CC) and I am strongly leaning toward the Agamemnon as my next build. That said, I started reading your blog a few days ago and have been totally intrigued with your craftsmanship. I'll have to admit that I have some trepidations about starting such a complicated build, but I am also excited about the prospects. Thank you for inspiring me, and I am sure others, with your work and words.
 
Donn  

Progress has been slow, but I am finally finding time to work on the Aggie. As you can see in the pictures, I added filler to the first planking and have sanded it smooth. I am pleased with the result. You can see that I really applied a lot of filler (Timbermate), to the extent that the Aggie looked like she was in a full body cast. I waited a couple of days to make sure everything was completely dry before sanding. After sanding I used a foam brush to apply a dilute PVA solution, waited 24 hours and sanded with 400 grit sandpaper. Next on tap is to mark and cutout the gun ports. Given the fact that Caldercraft supplies a template for this task, one may assume that this will be a relatively simple procedure...it doesn't appear that is going to be the case. Nothing lines up exactly as it should....stay tuned.

Progress has been slow, but I am finally finding time to work on the Aggie. As you can see in the pictures, I added filler to the first planking and have sanded it smooth. I am pleased with the result. You can see that I really applied a lot of filler (Timbermate), to the extent that the Aggie looked like she was in a full body cast. I waited a couple of days to make sure everything was completely dry before sanding. After sanding I used a foam brush to apply a dilute PVA solution, waited 24 hours and sanded with 400 grit sandpaper. Next on tap is to mark and cutout the gun ports. Given the fact that Caldercraft supplies a template for this task, one may assume that this will be a relatively simple procedure...it doesn't appear that is going to be the case. Nothing lines up exactly as it should....stay tuned.

Jobbie, I am So Sorry for taking so long in responding to your question. Since moving into a new house, I haven't had time to do much of anything other that try to get organized in our new space...it seems to be a never ending process. That said, thank you for your kind comments! Regarding the paint it is from Caldercraft and is their Admiralty Paint.