Zarkon

Hello all!! Thanks for the likes! Just a small update. Slow but steady, I am still planking the second deck. I think it's turning out pretty well for me! I'm taking my time with each piece. Each piece is taking me about 5 to 10 min from cutting to gluing. I haven't finished with drilling the nail holes. I wanted to get a few of the full length rows done before drilling the middle section. I will be filing the holes with dark colored filler. I have not done any sanding yet, and I won't until it's all placed. I am going to use the 4 butt shift system for the plank nails. Thanks! Jeff

I am not sure yet if I will copper or not. I have to say, I really like how yours is looking with the copper! Jeff

I am not sure yet if I will copper or not. I have to say, I really like how yours is looking with the copper! Jeff

Very nice work! Your copper plates look excellent! Jeff

So I have been making slow but steady progress. I have glued the frames and the inserts for the masts. I have to say, making and using this building board is very helpful! I made some squares using some spare wood: These actually did help a lot to make sure the frames were square against the false keel. I also fitted and glued the second deck ply pieces too. I then started to plank the deck with boxwood instead of the supplied deck planning wood. I know the wood is thicker, but I will adjust the gun ports add needed. I actually have more time tomorrow to plank the deck, so I hope to give am update tomorrow. Thanks! Jeff

Dry fit the false keel with the frames. Nothing is glued yet. Jeff

So, I decided to try my hand at making a building board for the ship to help make sure I can place the frames correctly and square. Super simple, but just has 1 job. The false keel isn't quite as straight as I would like, but I think this will help some while i place the frames, second deck, and the other supports. I like how the kit splits the false keel into 2 pieces instead of one. This helps to have a better chance of getting a straight false keel. I also made some squares to square off the frames when placing/gluing them. Once the glue dries on the boarding build supports, I'll take a pic of the false keel on it. Thanks! Jeff

Thunder, You are exactly right! The bulkheads are few and far between. It did make it difficult to plank. There were MANY more bulkheads with the longboat I made which made it easier to plank. Also, I did NOT make a rabbet. That would have made it much easier to plank. I recently just read some of Chuck's posts, and he mentioned that kits like this are near impossible to plank unless you make your own rabbet. With my redo, I will be making a rabbet. I need help to decide either to make one on the false keel itself, or glue on a rabbet strip to the false keel like on other model shipways kits. If I do the latter, I will have to make a new stem or modify it to fit. I haven't decided which I will do yet. I agree with you that if it were double planked, I could just finish what I had, sand it down, then plank a nice finishing layer. But, this isnt the case. I am honestly not beating myself up about my first attempt. I am just learning from it and doing it again, but better! I decided I don't want to paint it, and instead use natural wood. So, I will be replacing the basswood hull planks with boxwood, and maybe walnut. If you guys have some good ideas on what wood would be great for hull planking, let me know! Thanks! Jeff

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers about my son's condition. It truly warms my heart to know that everyone on this forum has been so generous and kind. My son is doing a LOT better, but is still on steroids so we have a VERY active 4 year old! Haha! Within the last month, I have completed a much smaller ship. The Model Shipways 18th Century Longboat. Very small kit! I enjoyed the build and the instructions, but I wasn't to much of a fan for painting. I painted it, but it made me realize I like natural wood color more than painting. Now I comeback to Hermione. I took a few days to see where I left off. 1) The aftercastle (part 34) was chipped and slightly broken. That is fixable. 2) The second deck planks were over sanded and some deep scratches on it from me using too low of grit of sandpaper. That came with inexperience. Also, there were a few places on the deck planks themselves that didn't fully cover the deck. 3) The hull planking. I feel I did a pretty good job starting the planking. But as I went up from the keel of the ship ... a) I noticed that I rushed it. Planks aren't sitting straight on the hull. b) The planks that meet the stem do not sit properly against it. To truly fix it, would require removing the planks and trying again. c) There are some planks that didn't bend all the way, so they stick up off the ship, the ends not glued to anything. Again, would have to remove these planks too. d) My wife came by while I was writing this, and said, "Can I be honest? This isn't your best wood working you have done". And I had to be honest with myself and I did agree with her. e) I also, somehow overused the wood planks that came with the kit and I don't have enough to finish the hull planking. So no matter what I decide to do, I will have to order more wood. What Bob Ross the painter used to say is true, "You do not make mistakes, you make happy accidents." And we learn from our accidents. In this case, it's true. After reviewing the current state of the build, it made me realize where I didn't bevel the planks enough, where I over beveled, and how I didn't follow the curvature of the hull very well. How I didn't take enough time bending and fitting the planks. etc etc etc. I think this is a great example of a beginner's oopies to which to learn from. Am I giving up? NO WAY! If anything, it makes me want to do it better. The only way to do that, is to scrap the planking and start over. I would like to re-do the deck planking too because the strips are thin (no issue with that), BUT I sanded them WAY too much. Getting the scratches out might thin the deck planks too much, so I would have to replace those deck planks. I wouldn't be happy with myself if I felt I didn't do the best job I could on the ship. I realized that yes, this ship is painted, but I would actually like to do a non-painted version.. I really like the natural wood look over the painted. I know this is super subjective, but if the finished ship is going up in my house, I would like it to look the way I want. I had some discussions with my wife about this ship and how I want to proceed (removing the planking and starting over, etc). After some talking to her about what I want to do with the ship, she and I agreed that it would be of my best interest to start over. But this time, slower and more carefully. This isn't a decision that I take lightly. I feel that I really goofed up, but in a good way. I am keeping what I already have done to compare it to what I want it to be. I see this as more of a good opportunity to help me understand how to properly plank a hull on a bigger ship model. I will be posting updated pics as I begin. Again, I am excited to buckle down and do the best I can on this ship!!! Thanks for everyone's support! Jeff

Thank you all for your support! Russ, your ship looks great to me!! You use styraphome to hold the ship up while you work? Neat idea! You are right. It's easy to buy kitsch more than build them. This is why I asked you guys for your opinion. Tha is for your input and I am excited to continue the build again. I will be updating my build log soon with my assessment. Thank you for your input Mark. It just solidifies that I need to continue on with the Hermione. Thanks! Jeff

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! The Medway longboat is really a great looking kit, and I will consider it for my next build! After some thought, I think you guys are right. I will continue with the Hermione kit next. It will be a challenge because I did make a few snafus on the hull planking. I will bring it out and make a fair assessment of what needs to be done to continue with the build. Thanks for all your help!! Jeff

Very much appreciated Harley! It is much better than even a few months ago. He used to have to get blood draws every week. Now its every month. Also, he has been on steroids since August too. The side effects of that are very hard to manage in a 3 year old. But the good news is, he is on a much lower dosage now. Thanks for the kind words! Jeff

Hey all, I have had a very tough year since August. My son was diagnosed with chronic Auto Immune Hepititus. He spent 5 days at the hospital with acute liver failure. My wife and I were terrified, and we still are trying to keep up with our new "Normal". He was 3.5 when admitted. Of course, my ship projects halted. I put them away because there wasn't anytime to work on them. After months of taking care of him all the time, he is getting better! I then started a smaller ship, the Model Shipways 26ft Longboat. I am almost done with it, and so I am now looking for my next ship model. I have enjoyed the kit and i really like how well the instructions are written! I need some help to choose the next kit. I need something bigger because, for me, the longboat was a little too small. The metal bits were giving me trouble! Haha! And something that isnt very difficult. I was thinking of a 1 or 2 mast ship. Since I don't have too much time because I am busy with my son, something on the easier side that helps build modeling skills would be best! The ships I already have are too big and complex for me right now. I need a smaller project. Any suggestions would be wonderful!! Thanks!!! Jeff

Hi all, I have some bad news. The reason I have not been able to work on the ship is because my son got worse and was admitted to the hospital. He was diagnosed with a rare chronic disease and the drs were worried he might have needed a liver transplant. This is a parent's worst nightmare. I have a new found respect for all those pediatric nurses and drs. They were all SUPERIOR. He just came home this week and we feel super lucky that he getting better. He did not need to get a liver transplant. I hope to get going soon on the ship. Jeff

Looks excellent!! Keep up the wonderful work!! Jeff

Thank you both for the advice and kind words. I will continue forward and finish this hull and sand and use filler. Since its just basswood, my local arts supply store carries bassword wood strips at the correct dimenions. I will get some this weekend. Unfortunetly, I have had to stay home from work this week because my 3 year old son got strep. Poor guy. He is just starting to feel better thank goodness. Thanks again!! Jeff

I have been following the guides on this site on how to plank a hull, and I have to say, they are very good guides, but I am not happy at all with MY skills at planking: I am getting fruatrated because I also do not have enough planks to finish it. I feel I need more practice with it. I haven't really broken any planks bending them. It feels like AL just gave me enough to plank the way they want you to. I know it will be painted, but I would know how badly planked it was. SO I need some advice. I see where my errors are, but would require ripping up most, if not all the planks. Should I just "get on with it" and get more wood and finish it, Or Should I rip it up, order more wood, and pay more attention and do it again (learning more in the process) Thanks! Jeff

Wow! Perfect! I am in awe everytime I look at your log. You are an inspiration to all of us!! Question though, and my appologies if you have posted this earlier, how do you cut out the joints and other pieces? Do you use specific tools or hand tools? Thanks!!!! Jeff

I'm a little late to the party, but I will grab a seat and follow along! Your planking is coming along very well! Looks great! How do you like using those plank clamps? It looks like, through your pictures, that they work well. Your deck planking looks great too! Dan gave me the same advice about using the pen, and after varnishing, the pen lines lool great! Keep up the great work! Jeff

Thank you! I have been sick as of late, and my wife's family is staying for the week so not much progress this past week. But I will have much more time starting on Monday when everyone leaves our house. I'm looking forward to new updates from your build! Jeff

Wow! Your Hermione looks great! Very impressive! I really like how you have painted it. Jeff

Thank you Dilbert! I will do just that! What happened was that I accidentally sanded the wrond edge of that plank so it was a lot thinner than it should be. I learned my lesson there. Christos, Thank you for the advice. Since starting the planking at the keel, I have stopped sanding, and I won't sand anymore until the hull is fully planked. Haha I learned my lesson there too! Thanks you guys for all your help! Jeff

Thank you Messis! I will have to pick up some and try it out! For this build, I need some help. I sanded too much off a plank from the stern plank strip as shown below: I am trying to plank the next row but there is no way to make the curve. Any suggestions? Or will I have to take it off and make the plank again? Thanks! Jeff

I was able to get a small sanding attachment for my dermal tool. It worked very well! Now after the glue dries, I will need to sand it and fill in the cracks with some sawdust. Thanks again for the advice!! It was very helpful! Onto my build, I am still planking away and as soon as I have more completed, I will give another update. Thanks!! Jeff