jfhealey

Thank you JJ. Start another Winnie - however good your first one is, and it looks great, they always come out better second time round. Chuck - Could you offer some advice on this point? Where the hull is painted white on the contemporary models was it the fashion to leave the underlying planking visible (in the sense that the lie of the planks could be seen) or to sand/fill the hull to a completely flat smooth surface?

Thank you Matt, JJ, Edward and Christian. I remain in two minds about W2. One day I look at it and think it's looking fine. Another day I look at it and I can see what is lurking under the white paint. I have placed my order for the chapter 3 and chapter 4 parts this morning so I guess I will build W2 up to that stage and decide where to go. I suspect it is going to take some time for Chuck to produce the parts for chapter 5 and however many chapters remain after that so I could probably start W3 and catch up. The thing is there really is no other model on the market I really want to build (apart from Syren's Cheerful) and I am determined to get the bloody thing right! Good luck all of you with your builds. I am following each with close interest and I share your trials and tribulations. All the best Fred

Thank you JJ and Rusty and for all the likes. I have finished planking the hull of W2 and it seems a good time to take stock. W2 is certainly a significant improvement on W1. That is mostly down to (a) much more accurate cutting and fitting of the bulkheads and frame (b) a better understanding of the way the model goes together and (c) more experience. But I am not completely happy. Here are my thoughts so far: 1.If I lived in the USA I would not hesitate to buy the Syren bulkhead set but the cost, here in the UK , with shipping, import duty, VAT and handling fees is prohibitive. It is clear that accurate cutting, especially of the slots in the bulkheads is vital. Any inaccuracy in the slots in the main frame results, I think, only in the bulkheads leaning either forward or back and that is easily picked up and corrected at the gluing up stage. Any inaccuracy in the slots in the bulkheads, either cutting or filing the slots to get a snug fit, results in leaning side to side that is much more difficult to spot and correct. 2.On W1 I filled the spaces between the bulkheads with balsa and then skimmed the entire hull with filler. In effect I double planked W1. It may look a bit amateurish but, the many faults with planking on W1 there are no dips or high spots. I single planked W2 and rather regret doing so. There are dips and high spots. No doubt if I were better (not more careful – I took a lot of care) at bevelling I would have achieved a better outcome. 3.If I were to build W3 - and I am seriously thinking about it – I would not only double plank it as I did W1 but also line it out (as Ben/Trussben has done). It looks like a lot of work but I am sure it is worth it. 4.I I am not convinced about the white painted hull on W2. I did it, frankly, because the planking was not up to scratch. So far it has only had two coats of paint. I will give it a good sanding and a few more coats and see what I think. I don't dislike it: the real problem is that I know why I did it: to hide my son calls one of those " only you know it is there, dad" problems but a real problem nevertheless 5. Everything needs a jolly good cleanup and some paint and varnish and then I will see what I think. Just at the moment I can't shrug off, when I look at the superb parts to come in chapter 5 and, no doubt, subsequent chapters, the feeling that if I brought together the best of W1 and W2 I would have a pretty good foundation for going forward. W3 is therefore quite tempting. The pictures below are W1. These are W2

Here is W1. It is rather gathering dust and I do not suppose I will ever finish it now W2 is underway. I can see now that I was hopelessly optimistic taking on a model of this size and complexity as a third build – but I learned a lot! The resin figures were nearly a disaster. I thought if I painted them with fairly random mix of browns, whites and yellows well thinned the pigment would run into the low points and bring out the highlights. I hated the result so painted on another coat. That made things worse so I painted them gold. At that stage they looked awful so I gave them a bath in nail varnish remover with acetone and they actually ended up looking quite good. I have never used weathering powder but I might try a bit of that. Here is the figurehead dividing his time between W1 and W2. P1000056 (1).MP4

I am quite well on with sanding the inside of the bulkheads. It is certainly a great deal easier with plywood lite than it was with the Baltic birch plywood I used on W1.

This was a disaster area on W1. It has come out much better on W2 You can see I sanded the profile of the lowest plank of the lower counter incorrectly and had to make good with a little wood filler – but that will be covered by the frieze in due course. Thank you JJ for your thoughts about how to tackle this tricky area. I did not put in the piece that attaches to the bottom of the stern frames and provides a glueing surface for the planks. I found it easier to heat bend the corkscrew curve into the planks so that they fitted without any pressure and then just cut a bevel before gluing to the lower counter. On W1 this area cost me several layers of skin off my fingertips struggling to get pieces to stay where I wanted them to go while the CA did its best.

I am not convinced by the run off the planking. I wish I had lined the hull just as Ben (Trussben) has done. It looks okay on the side viewed head-on the planks curve upwards uattractively. I took a lot of care with the gunports which were untidy on W1 but I am sure there is a far better way of doing it than working by eye. Still, they are not too bad. Here are W1 and W2 together

Ben – I wish I had lined out the hull for planking just as you did. It clearly gives you the very best chance of a really good outcome. Best wishes Fred

The sheer on W1 didn't turn out well at all. I guess I miscut the bulkheads. I ended up with an unacceptable bulge just in front of the hance piece. The pictures above are W1. It looks worse in reality than in the photo and was a significant factor in my decision to begin W2. The picture below is W2. The sheer is absolutely flat – which is much better than W1 but not correct. The plans show a slight upward curve towards the bollard timbers. I had not twigged the relationship between the sheer and the wales. I think if I were to build W3 (aaargh!....... see below) I would put a temporary capping piece along the sheer and crosscheck the run of the wales before fixing anything.

W2 is coming along. For the most part I'm very pleased: it's certainly a big improvement on W1. And I can finally mix text and pictures. Thank you Greg and Meddo. The planking is about half done on the starboard side and 2/3 done on the port.

A lightbox to check the fit of your joints. Crikey! That's levels of precision I've never thought about let alone attempted to achieve. Superb work. Fred

Thanks chaps. I hope to finish planking the wales this weekend and then I will try inserting photos in text again.

Finally can someone please tell me how, having uploaded a picture, you can continue text. I can't figure it out. All the best everyone. Fred

On W1 the frames were out side to side and I used a bucket full of of car body filler to get things straight. I can see now,looking at all the other super logs, that that's for chumps. This is looking much better. I've added frames bf3 and bf4 however. The yellow tape follows the marks on the plan exactly and looks pretty good without any tweaking.

All done

W2 was supposed to eliminate the errors I made on W1 not introduce new ones I didn't make first time round. Still, the repair was pretty straightforward. I cut out the fillers with the razor saw, glued a 1mm strip on either side to replace the saw cut and glued them back in. They have not come out badly at all. Here two are done.

Here is the problem. I used the plan of the transom very carefully aligning the top of the stern frames to the plan. I should not have done. It is now clear to me that I should have aligned the "red line" with the sculpted part of the stern frames. Thus

And just as it all seemed to be going so well....... That is the chapter 4 deck clamp. The transom fillers are way too high. The deck beam will cut across the window.

Here are the transom fillers added

One of the problems with cutting your own bulkheads is, inevitably, and no matter how much care you take, that they will be less accurate then the superb laser cut frames from Syren. I had real problems with the stern frames on W1. Here, I am trying a different route. The vertical board at the back may look a bit low tech but it is there to position the frames accurately one to the other and at the correct angle. There is a 1mm sliver of wood behind the outer frames to give the transom some curvature.

That's looking superb JJ! I really admire your restraint leaving the sanding of the hull until all the planking has been done. I found the temptation to neaten things up a bit by sanding as you go irresistible even though it causes difficulties with the lie of adjacent planks. Keep up the good work Fred

That looks like really neat work Greg. This is a fun stage isn't it. Fred

Thanks chaps. Joe, I entirely agree with you. I can't shake off the "could do it better second time round feeling" and the Wnchelsea is such a super project it warrants another go. The Proxxon seems a really good bit of kit not that I have anything to compare it to. I have found the second set of bulkheads much easier to cut more accurately than the first. I think that is a combination of little more experience with the saw and using Plywood lite. I'm much more confident of a good outcome than I was at the equivalent stage with W1 but time will tell. All the best everyone Fred

Hi Greg May I offer a few thoughts about cutting your own bulkheads/bulkhead former? First, it is the cutting out of slots in the bulkheads that really matters. A little bit of "out" in the slot will mean a big "out" at the horns of the bulkheads. I found that out, to my cost, with my first Winchelsea build. For W2 I have printed an extra set of the bulkhead plans and I lay each bulkhead, as I cut it out, on a clean plan examining the cut out slot very carefully for accuracy before any filing. Next, I draw the centre line of the bulkhead on the clean plan, at deck level, measured between the two "horns" and I mark that on the cut out bulkhead. That line should then line up perfectly with the centre of the bulkhead former. Finally, I try fit and eyeball the "flow" of the bulkheads both from the sides for and aft and along the deck. Time spent here will really repay when it comes to the planking. I hope that helps. Good luck with your build. Fred