hamilton

Off to a good start with the coppering - it'll really bring some life to your model! hamilton

So I've not been idle, which means very little work has been done on America....I've managed to proceed somewhat on the planking, but it is very slow going....I can only work one evening a week which is just enough time to fit 3 planks on each side - and I'm planking forward from mid-ships first and then the stern section after.....At this rate, it'll be 2 weeks till the forward half of the hull is done (1st planking) and likely another 5-6 weeks for the stern.....things will pick up after Christmas, since my Spring semester is a bit lighter than the Fall, but who knows! Anyway, the planking has gone alright so far. I've had to do some little tricks to get everything to run nicely and the wood is pretty splintery and soft which does not make it easy. After the first two strakes I noticed that the strakes really bent upwards, given the very sharp twist that each strake makes as it moves from the round mid-ship to the more dagger-like bow. The same will be the case in the aft section, where up to the turn of the bilge the strakes run from vertical to horizontal where they tuck in at the counter. The issues I keep turning over in my mind as the planking proceeds are: 1. Should the keel, stem & sternpost be planked with thin strips to form a rabbet for the first planking, or should the planks thin out and taper into them? The plans show the keel planked with the same material used on the hull, which makes no sense, since if I followed through on this the keel would end up being 8mm thick!!! I have thought of ending the first planking at the bottoms of the bulkheads and then using the .5mm second planking to line the hull including the keel, stem & sternpost. This would produce, I think, a more even and much more realistic result. 2. How to do the bulwarks. The first layer of planking is 1mm walnut. But I have to edge glue this to the hull planking to fit the strakes since I will have to remove the bulkhead extensions and can only dry clamp the strakes to the extensions to achieve the proper run. The inboard face of these planks will be exposed and if possible, I would like to leave them natural, which means I can't get any PVA on them....I'm at a loss as to how to apply the glue in such a way as to prevent it squeezing out and drying on the inboard face of the planks...any suggestions here would be most welcome. Anyways, here are a few shots of the progress to date - please keep in mind that the planking has not been worked on at all, so it looks pretty rough. Once the whole thing is planked I'll work it over with some filler and sandpaper and hopefully it will shape up nicely..... hamilton

Absolutely gorgeous work. This is such a fine kit - it really makes me wish I lived in a larger space!! hamilton

I guess with the wale extension you won't be adding the fashion piece? Either way she's looking beautiful. What are your plans for finishing the transom outboard? hamilton

I've been following emelbe's (sp.?) build log and I'll tag along with this one too - this looks like a really really nice kit hamilton

Very nice detailing on the companionway - the cambered hatch coamings also look nice - did you need to make any adjustments to the camber based on your particular model? Thinking about investing in some of these for my Bellona and for Constitution when the times come..... hamilton

That mast is huge! But overall this looks like such a fun kit to build.... hamilton

Feel well Augie!! hamilton

The outer transom and counter planking look really nice - she's shaping up! hamilton

I found those little things to be really tricky! Yours came out great! hamilton

Ferit!! It's great to hear from you! You know, I invested in the Corel Berlin a little while ago, so at some point the "factory" will start processing that Brandenburg beauty....though I can't imagine matching your work! hope to "see" you again soon hamilton

Well this is just a brief place-holding note to say that I've begun the first planking on America - or rather begun again, since I ripped off my first minor attempt a little while ago. So far it's going well. I'm using the kit-supplied planking material after all and planking the forward section first and then I will plank aft - an approach I've taken before with the first planking on my last several builds, and which helps a lot with getting a nice base for the second planking (in my opinion). I'm still a bit befuddled by the bulwark planking....I will have to edge glue the planks and try to avoid gluing them to the bulwark extensions, since these have to come off, while at the same time using the bulwark extensions to ensure that the planks run fair (particularly at the bow where the bulwarks flare outboard - not sure if there's a correct term for this.....). Edge gluing them will be difficult since the planks are thin (1mm) and because the inner face is the exposed inboard bulwark planking and should look neat and tidy......I'm sure I'll find a way to muddle through it, just hard to wrap my head around it at the moment.... More on the weekend when hopefully I'll have a chance to sit down at the bench once again hamilton

Looking forward to seeing the sails on your KC. She's shaping up really nicely hamilton

Hi Dave: Great start on the Phantom - the paint job looks great! Makes for such a nice finish on the hull. Good luck as she progresses hamilton

Great fix on the aft cant frames! She's really shaping up! hamilton

Just found your build log and perused through it - beautiful work at such a small scale. This is a very interesting vessel - looking forward to seeing more of it as she comes together hamilton

What a beauty! Excellent craftsmanship on a lovely boat! hamilton

Wow, so much about my own life has now been made clear!! Thanks for this Jason - much cheaper than a therapist! hamilton

Such beautiful tones in that wood - excellent work - a real beauty! hamilton

Hi Dave - just discovered this log. I haven't had time to read through the whole thing (too busy with work!!) but at some point soon I hope to wade in more deeply. Just wanted to say that she looks great and this seems like a really nice kit. When I first started modelling I joined the LSS forum through my build of the Model Shipways AVS. By that time, Bob had stopped actively marketing his kits, and it was my understanding that they were largely unavailable - though it seems that those who built them spoke very highly of their quality, and it seems that he's updated them with some 3D printed materials - very interesting! Anyways, once I free up some time from work I'll definitely be following along here with great interest hamilton

Such nice lines on this ship! Well done hamilton

Definitely worth it to replace them if my memory of the britannia castings serves correctly.....those guns look really nice hamilton

Thanks Dave! I certainly do plan on putting in some orders at Crown in the future - I've got a Syren build coming up that I'm thinking of using at least one of his wood replacement packages for just to give it a whirl. To be honest, I'm not sure this build is the one to drop the money on.....not that I "class" the models in this way, but my capacity to obsess is very high already so I'm trying to tone it down.... hamilton

Thanks David - I think my anxiety about the planking is less about the method and more about the material! Initially I wanted to replace Mamoli's planking stock for first planking, but it's impossible to find scale strip wood locally milled to metric sizes and the imperial equivalents are just a little too odd to find in real world hobby shops these days (at least where I live) - 5/32 x 3/16, for example is just not a possibility. I also don't want to incur the expense of ordering relatively small quantities online.....so I'm stuck with Mamoli's planking material. I have to make one small adjustment at the transom, where removing the already-installed 1/32 planks is no longer a possibility (using thicker strips for the second planking) but other than that I'll go with Mamoli's material. What this means is that I'll have to add to the supply of .5mm x 4mm strips used for the second planking of the lower hull, since Mamoli supplies only enough of these to plank to the waterline.....I think I have a number left over from other builds, but I need to check.....I want to use copper tape for the coppering instead of the wood tiles included with the kit.... Anyway, back to work! hamilton

Thanks Nigel - much appreciated. She's not much to look at now, of course....looking forward to finishing the first planking to get a sense of her real shape. As I prepare for this, I'm noticing all kinds of little flaws, which will need some careful attention....I don't think I've fretted this much over planking a model for a while....It's always possible I'm overthinking it. Last night I ripped the two planks I installed on the forward side of the hull off and replaced them with 1mm thick kit-supplied walnut - a real waste of nice material, but given the fact that I cannot acquire correct substitution strips locally I will have to use it if I want to hull to turn out right.....I'm heading into an extremely busy time at work these next few weeks so I doubt I will have much time at the bench, which is a shame.....but Christmas is coming and I might get a bit of a reprieve sometime in November.......stay tuned! hamilton