AndyMech

A quick update on my nibbing technique and results.
 
First, I bought a set 4 diamond files from Trend.  Not as expensive as the jewelers files in the previous post, but not cheap either.  It took a week for them to arrive, so in the meantime I've been planking the inner planks between the coamings.  Not photo yet of that.
 

 
This morning, I nibbed the starboard side - here's a photo comparing the two.  I think the improvement is mostly due to practice, but confidence in the needle file can't hurt.
 

 
Planking will continue - I'll show a more complete photo of the planking in progress after the rest of today's work.
 
Andy.

I completed the center planks.  There are two wider center planks that go right down the keel, and the section near the bow are painted red.
 

 

 
I then started the regular deck planking.  I had to thin these first two planks a bit to maintain symmetry, but I think these are only ones on the whole deck that will need it.  I'll see when I get to other sections, but since I put the coamings in already, I'm planking around them.
 
My plan is to use a 3-butt shift for the planks, but since I'm going around the coamings, some of the butt ends are not possible as they lay inside the coamings.  I think I can maintain the rest of them with some careful planning.  The first butt ends are on the 4th bulwark down, so the first few planks are simpler.  I'm simulating caulking by using a pencil marking on one of the planks, as it's laid.  I do not plan on doing trenails.
 
I'm also nibbing the ends of the planks as they join the nibbling plank.  The first attempt here is poor - I don't have good files, so getting a clean angle in there is difficult.  I'll be looking on-line for a good set of needle files.  Any recommendations would be welcome. 
 
This particular one will be partially hidden by the bowsprit later, and I filled it with sawdust and glue, which should be ok once the glue dries.  But, I like to show places I'm not super happy with, to contrast with areas I think look better.  Still learning!
 

 

Well, I'm posting this on December 24 - the holiday break has allowed me the time to complete the hull planking on my Pride of Baltimore.  A Christmas gift to myself.
 
This is my first planking job for a complete hull.  I had done the hull of the Constitution cross-section, but there was no bending involved, no stern, no bow to plank.  I'm slow, the planking took me about 4 months of work (not counting the few months not working at all).  I think I sped up near the end, and improved my technique as well.
 
No sanding of any consequence has been done yet.
 
Photos:
 

 

 

 

 
Next up, I think, will be to sand the hull, then plank the counter and stern.  Honestly, I've not looked at the instructions much beyond this planking task.
 
Thanks to everyone who commented, offered advice and "liked" my work thus far.  Much appreciated.
 
Andy.

Ok, next up in the build will be the bulwarks and the top rail.  The first step in that is to, I think, install the stanchions.
 
I labeled and dry-fitted the starboard stanchions to see what I was up against.  You can see in the photos that they all fit loosely into their slots in the waterways.
 

 

 
My question for folks who have done this successfully, is there a proven technique for setting all these (and there are 29 per side) straight and level?
 
Straight so the bulwarks planking has a nice even run.  Level so the top rail touches each stanchion correctly?  The instructions give a little advice (very little), but I don't trust myself to just eyeball it and get it right.
 
Help!
 
Andy.

Final pinrails:
 

 
Next up are the ship's boats -- I've assembled and painted them as well as the 34 oars that come with the kit. The instructions say to distribute the oars among the boats -- there are 2 jolly boats, 1 cutter (Captain's cutter?) and 4 boats which are lashed to the deck. Any ideas/suggestions on typical oar distribution? Also, would it look weird to just glue the oars in place or should I attempt to lash them to the boats? 
 




 
 

The last two weekends have been spent on the outside hull - painting and coppering.
 
First: painting.  I prepped the hull with 3 coats of wipe-on-poly (WOP) sanding in between each coat with 400 grit sandpaper.  The first two coats must have soaked into the wood, as the poly was evident, but not very thick. The last coat provided the base that I expected - it was a very different feel to the wood after that one.
 
I used acrylic paint - ModelMaster Acryl (left over from my Revell Constitution), and I thinned it down quite a bit with plain water.  The plan was to put on as many thin coats as needed to get good coverage while still hoping the wood grain would show through a bit.  I did the black first, then masked it off with Tamiya tape and then painted the white.
 
Here are the results.
 

 

 
Next was the bottom of the hull - copper.  The kit provided a bunch of wood pieces that are a mottled green -  I think they are going for the weathered patina that copper will eventually take.  I wanted to practice coppering with copper tape instead.
 
First, I found some nice 3/16" wide (about 4mm) tape with adhesive backing from a local stained glass hobby shop.
 

 
I cut a whole lot of 15mm long strips from the roll and put them on one-by-one, overlapping from stern to bow, up keel to deck.  This took a lot longer than I thought it would - both the cutting and placing.  I used a pencil erasure to rub them onto the wood (at first I used a hobby knife handle, but that left a lot of creases on the tape - which are still evident on some plates near the keel).
 
After it was all done, I gave it a cleaning using lemon juice and salt - that worked really really well - removed all fingerprints and tarnish that had already started to appear and I didn't have to go out and buy a commercial polish or use acetone (which is nasty smelling).
 
(This first photo is prior to cleaning with lemon juice):

 
(This is interesting - how I secured the hull for the coppering process.  I had already installed the hammock netting, so couldn't rest the hull on the table top.  I inserted the main mast into the hull, and clamped it upside down using my keel clamp.  Worked very well - I could still rotate the hull toward me to get the angles I needed to get the tape on.)

 

 
Next up is finishing the ballast in the lower hull - painting barrels, adding rocks, etc.  Then, I think, starting on the mast and spars.
 
Andy.

Ok, the deck has been stained - 2 applications of Ipswitch Pine and one of wipe-on poly.  I used a small paintbrush to get into all the small areas and tried to keep the stain off the paint, mostly succeeding.
 

 


You can see in the last picture a contrast between the unfinished hull and the stained/finished deck.  I am seriously thinking of not painting the hull and staining instead.  I know it's a break from the real ship, but it's a temptation after seeing how the deck turned out.  I'll decide later.
 
Andy.

Ok, next up in the build will be the bulwarks and the top rail.  The first step in that is to, I think, install the stanchions.
 
I labeled and dry-fitted the starboard stanchions to see what I was up against.  You can see in the photos that they all fit loosely into their slots in the waterways.
 

 

 
My question for folks who have done this successfully, is there a proven technique for setting all these (and there are 29 per side) straight and level?
 
Straight so the bulwarks planking has a nice even run.  Level so the top rail touches each stanchion correctly?  The instructions give a little advice (very little), but I don't trust myself to just eyeball it and get it right.
 
Help!
 
Andy.

Ok, the deck has been stained - 2 applications of Ipswitch Pine and one of wipe-on poly.  I used a small paintbrush to get into all the small areas and tried to keep the stain off the paint, mostly succeeding.
 

 


You can see in the last picture a contrast between the unfinished hull and the stained/finished deck.  I am seriously thinking of not painting the hull and staining instead.  I know it's a break from the real ship, but it's a temptation after seeing how the deck turned out.  I'll decide later.
 
Andy.

After a few weeks, I finally finished the deck planking.  Overall, I found it fairly straightforward - there were issues with my deck planks not all being the exact same width, so when planking around the coamings, things got out of sync.  Also, the nibbing notches were consistently difficult - some came out very good, others needed filling or other adjustments.
 

 

 

 
The planks were sanded prior to installation, but not stained.  I used a pencil to mimic the caulking, to reasonable effect.  There are a few uneven planks, but I'm not sure how to fix them - if I sand too aggressively, I'll erase the pencil caulking marks.  Also, a little red paint touch up will be done, likely after staining.
 
Speaking of staining, I'm looking for advice on order and technique - I plan on putting a pre-stain conditioner on first, then use a Minwax oil-based stain.  (Ipswitch Pine, 221)
Are there issues with gluing the rest of the deck furniture down over an oil based stain? Should I apply a wipe-on poly after the staining? I need to work the stain around the waterways and coamings - what's the best way to apply it tight spots?  Paintbrush? I also need to add some thicker deck planks over the windlass section, should I do that before or after staining? - I guess I'm concerned about glue still, but any advice on this is most welcome.  (I feel most of the builders here know this stuff intuitively, but no advice is too small for me - I don't really have any experience with this at all!)
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Andy.

Ok,
 
Into the build - the first steps are setting up the frames.  Mamoli provides spacers (although not quite enough).
 




 
I did find the instructions a bit lacking - I didn't realize the need for spacers near the keel and added them in afterwords.
 

 
Finally, added the false keel.  This is supposed to be 72mm long but was only 70mm, so I had to center in the hull.  Not a big deal I don't think.
 

 
I'm pretty nervous about making mistakes, so I tend to measure 47 times before cutting or gluing.  Which brings me to my next wood related question, for anyone listening:  I'm supposed to cut a bit off the bulkheads to make space for top deck furniture - I don't think my #11 hobby knife is up to the task.  Any tools (saws or chisels) that would make this an easier job?  I'm going to be cutting a fair bit as this progresses, so I don't mind buying a good tool, just need to know what that might be.
 
Thanks,
 
Andy.
 
 

After a few weeks, I finally finished the deck planking.  Overall, I found it fairly straightforward - there were issues with my deck planks not all being the exact same width, so when planking around the coamings, things got out of sync.  Also, the nibbing notches were consistently difficult - some came out very good, others needed filling or other adjustments.
 

 

 

 
The planks were sanded prior to installation, but not stained.  I used a pencil to mimic the caulking, to reasonable effect.  There are a few uneven planks, but I'm not sure how to fix them - if I sand too aggressively, I'll erase the pencil caulking marks.  Also, a little red paint touch up will be done, likely after staining.
 
Speaking of staining, I'm looking for advice on order and technique - I plan on putting a pre-stain conditioner on first, then use a Minwax oil-based stain.  (Ipswitch Pine, 221)
Are there issues with gluing the rest of the deck furniture down over an oil based stain? Should I apply a wipe-on poly after the staining? I need to work the stain around the waterways and coamings - what's the best way to apply it tight spots?  Paintbrush? I also need to add some thicker deck planks over the windlass section, should I do that before or after staining? - I guess I'm concerned about glue still, but any advice on this is most welcome.  (I feel most of the builders here know this stuff intuitively, but no advice is too small for me - I don't really have any experience with this at all!)
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Andy.

This is a followup to jcoby advice to install the port/starboard eyes for the boom.  I've look at the plans, it seems that those eyes go on the railing and are not at deck level.
 
Here's a photo of the plans:
 

 
There is also a side view on sheet 5 I think that clearly shows them on railing:
 

 
Maybe I'm missing something?  My deck is finished planking - see next post for photos, and before I continue I want to make sure of this if I need to make things easier in the future.
 
Andy.

After a few weeks, I finally finished the deck planking.  Overall, I found it fairly straightforward - there were issues with my deck planks not all being the exact same width, so when planking around the coamings, things got out of sync.  Also, the nibbing notches were consistently difficult - some came out very good, others needed filling or other adjustments.
 

 

 

 
The planks were sanded prior to installation, but not stained.  I used a pencil to mimic the caulking, to reasonable effect.  There are a few uneven planks, but I'm not sure how to fix them - if I sand too aggressively, I'll erase the pencil caulking marks.  Also, a little red paint touch up will be done, likely after staining.
 
Speaking of staining, I'm looking for advice on order and technique - I plan on putting a pre-stain conditioner on first, then use a Minwax oil-based stain.  (Ipswitch Pine, 221)
Are there issues with gluing the rest of the deck furniture down over an oil based stain? Should I apply a wipe-on poly after the staining? I need to work the stain around the waterways and coamings - what's the best way to apply it tight spots?  Paintbrush? I also need to add some thicker deck planks over the windlass section, should I do that before or after staining? - I guess I'm concerned about glue still, but any advice on this is most welcome.  (I feel most of the builders here know this stuff intuitively, but no advice is too small for me - I don't really have any experience with this at all!)
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Andy.

Making more progress on the nibbing of planks:
 

 
And this is how the ship stands now - planking proceeding:
 

 
Andy

After a few weeks, I finally finished the deck planking.  Overall, I found it fairly straightforward - there were issues with my deck planks not all being the exact same width, so when planking around the coamings, things got out of sync.  Also, the nibbing notches were consistently difficult - some came out very good, others needed filling or other adjustments.
 

 

 

 
The planks were sanded prior to installation, but not stained.  I used a pencil to mimic the caulking, to reasonable effect.  There are a few uneven planks, but I'm not sure how to fix them - if I sand too aggressively, I'll erase the pencil caulking marks.  Also, a little red paint touch up will be done, likely after staining.
 
Speaking of staining, I'm looking for advice on order and technique - I plan on putting a pre-stain conditioner on first, then use a Minwax oil-based stain.  (Ipswitch Pine, 221)
Are there issues with gluing the rest of the deck furniture down over an oil based stain? Should I apply a wipe-on poly after the staining? I need to work the stain around the waterways and coamings - what's the best way to apply it tight spots?  Paintbrush? I also need to add some thicker deck planks over the windlass section, should I do that before or after staining? - I guess I'm concerned about glue still, but any advice on this is most welcome.  (I feel most of the builders here know this stuff intuitively, but no advice is too small for me - I don't really have any experience with this at all!)
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Andy.

After a few weeks, I finally finished the deck planking.  Overall, I found it fairly straightforward - there were issues with my deck planks not all being the exact same width, so when planking around the coamings, things got out of sync.  Also, the nibbing notches were consistently difficult - some came out very good, others needed filling or other adjustments.
 

 

 

 
The planks were sanded prior to installation, but not stained.  I used a pencil to mimic the caulking, to reasonable effect.  There are a few uneven planks, but I'm not sure how to fix them - if I sand too aggressively, I'll erase the pencil caulking marks.  Also, a little red paint touch up will be done, likely after staining.
 
Speaking of staining, I'm looking for advice on order and technique - I plan on putting a pre-stain conditioner on first, then use a Minwax oil-based stain.  (Ipswitch Pine, 221)
Are there issues with gluing the rest of the deck furniture down over an oil based stain? Should I apply a wipe-on poly after the staining? I need to work the stain around the waterways and coamings - what's the best way to apply it tight spots?  Paintbrush? I also need to add some thicker deck planks over the windlass section, should I do that before or after staining? - I guess I'm concerned about glue still, but any advice on this is most welcome.  (I feel most of the builders here know this stuff intuitively, but no advice is too small for me - I don't really have any experience with this at all!)
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Andy.

After a few weeks, I finally finished the deck planking.  Overall, I found it fairly straightforward - there were issues with my deck planks not all being the exact same width, so when planking around the coamings, things got out of sync.  Also, the nibbing notches were consistently difficult - some came out very good, others needed filling or other adjustments.
 

 

 

 
The planks were sanded prior to installation, but not stained.  I used a pencil to mimic the caulking, to reasonable effect.  There are a few uneven planks, but I'm not sure how to fix them - if I sand too aggressively, I'll erase the pencil caulking marks.  Also, a little red paint touch up will be done, likely after staining.
 
Speaking of staining, I'm looking for advice on order and technique - I plan on putting a pre-stain conditioner on first, then use a Minwax oil-based stain.  (Ipswitch Pine, 221)
Are there issues with gluing the rest of the deck furniture down over an oil based stain? Should I apply a wipe-on poly after the staining? I need to work the stain around the waterways and coamings - what's the best way to apply it tight spots?  Paintbrush? I also need to add some thicker deck planks over the windlass section, should I do that before or after staining? - I guess I'm concerned about glue still, but any advice on this is most welcome.  (I feel most of the builders here know this stuff intuitively, but no advice is too small for me - I don't really have any experience with this at all!)
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Andy.

After a few weeks, I finally finished the deck planking.  Overall, I found it fairly straightforward - there were issues with my deck planks not all being the exact same width, so when planking around the coamings, things got out of sync.  Also, the nibbing notches were consistently difficult - some came out very good, others needed filling or other adjustments.
 

 

 

 
The planks were sanded prior to installation, but not stained.  I used a pencil to mimic the caulking, to reasonable effect.  There are a few uneven planks, but I'm not sure how to fix them - if I sand too aggressively, I'll erase the pencil caulking marks.  Also, a little red paint touch up will be done, likely after staining.
 
Speaking of staining, I'm looking for advice on order and technique - I plan on putting a pre-stain conditioner on first, then use a Minwax oil-based stain.  (Ipswitch Pine, 221)
Are there issues with gluing the rest of the deck furniture down over an oil based stain? Should I apply a wipe-on poly after the staining? I need to work the stain around the waterways and coamings - what's the best way to apply it tight spots?  Paintbrush? I also need to add some thicker deck planks over the windlass section, should I do that before or after staining? - I guess I'm concerned about glue still, but any advice on this is most welcome.  (I feel most of the builders here know this stuff intuitively, but no advice is too small for me - I don't really have any experience with this at all!)
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Andy.

Making more progress on the nibbing of planks:
 

 
And this is how the ship stands now - planking proceeding:
 

 
Andy

A quick update on my nibbing technique and results.
 
First, I bought a set 4 diamond files from Trend.  Not as expensive as the jewelers files in the previous post, but not cheap either.  It took a week for them to arrive, so in the meantime I've been planking the inner planks between the coamings.  Not photo yet of that.
 

 
This morning, I nibbed the starboard side - here's a photo comparing the two.  I think the improvement is mostly due to practice, but confidence in the needle file can't hurt.
 

 
Planking will continue - I'll show a more complete photo of the planking in progress after the rest of today's work.
 
Andy.

Making more progress on the nibbing of planks:
 

 
And this is how the ship stands now - planking proceeding:
 

 
Andy

A quick update on my nibbing technique and results.
 
First, I bought a set 4 diamond files from Trend.  Not as expensive as the jewelers files in the previous post, but not cheap either.  It took a week for them to arrive, so in the meantime I've been planking the inner planks between the coamings.  Not photo yet of that.
 

 
This morning, I nibbed the starboard side - here's a photo comparing the two.  I think the improvement is mostly due to practice, but confidence in the needle file can't hurt.
 

 
Planking will continue - I'll show a more complete photo of the planking in progress after the rest of today's work.
 
Andy.

Hello, 
 
This is my first build log, and hopefully my first completed ship (I've started a few, now I'm older and wiser and hope to see it through).  I picked the Syren because of the excellent documentation and also the available resources on this forum.  
 
My kit arrived on Thursday last week.  I will spare you the usual pictures of the box and it's contents as that is well documented already.   In doing an inventory of the box I found I have received four anchors and no ships wheel.  I'm also short on one of the dowels, which was supposed to have 2x24" lengths but I had 36" total supplied.   I emailed model expos parts department but have yet to hear back from them.  This is not wholly unexpected as I've found their electronic communication to be non existent.  When i placed my order I received no confirmation, when it shipped they sent no notice, and when I wrote to ask for a tracking number I got no reply.  Based on that I can only assume they will send the missing part out and it will show up, just unexpectedly.  All that said, I really like model expo and their product.  I just wish the communicated better.
 
So, on to the build.  I'm following the practicum as closely as I can.  I left my rabbit strip clamped in place overnight so it would take the curve, and then glued it the next day and waited a further 24 hours before continuing. I used that time to clean up the bulkheads (some of which were not fully cut and required quite a bit of surgery to remove from their sheets), and roughed in their bevels.  I also sanded the Stem to fit the figurehead nicely.
 
The following day I dry fit the bulkheads and measured my bulkhead filler blocks:
 

 

 
I have lots of scrap wood in the garage so the filler was no trouble.  I used maple, because it was at hand, and I thought it would add a nice heft to the finished ship.  That brings me up to last night, when I attached the stem and keep, clamped it up, and said goodbye to Syren for another 24 hour spell.
 

 
I'm finding the patience to wait for the glue to fully cure does not come easy, as I'm fighting the enthusiasm of starting off a new build.
 
Tonight I'm off to see the Canucks (hopefully) beat Minnesota so no progress is likely tonight, but I'm looking forward to fairing the bulkheads next!
 
 
James
 
 
 
 
 

I completed the center planks.  There are two wider center planks that go right down the keel, and the section near the bow are painted red.
 

 

 
I then started the regular deck planking.  I had to thin these first two planks a bit to maintain symmetry, but I think these are only ones on the whole deck that will need it.  I'll see when I get to other sections, but since I put the coamings in already, I'm planking around them.
 
My plan is to use a 3-butt shift for the planks, but since I'm going around the coamings, some of the butt ends are not possible as they lay inside the coamings.  I think I can maintain the rest of them with some careful planning.  The first butt ends are on the 4th bulwark down, so the first few planks are simpler.  I'm simulating caulking by using a pencil marking on one of the planks, as it's laid.  I do not plan on doing trenails.
 
I'm also nibbing the ends of the planks as they join the nibbling plank.  The first attempt here is poor - I don't have good files, so getting a clean angle in there is difficult.  I'll be looking on-line for a good set of needle files.  Any recommendations would be welcome. 
 
This particular one will be partially hidden by the bowsprit later, and I filled it with sawdust and glue, which should be ok once the glue dries.  But, I like to show places I'm not super happy with, to contrast with areas I think look better.  Still learning!