shipmodel

Hi Roger - 
 
Two steps forward and one step back has always worked for me.
That poop deck is really coming along nicely.
Looking forward to seeing it all come together.
 
Be well
 
Dan

Hi Roger - 
 
Two steps forward and one step back has always worked for me.
That poop deck is really coming along nicely.
Looking forward to seeing it all come together.
 
Be well
 
Dan

Thank you my friends for your recommendation. I am not at all familiar with the inks you are talking about. Would you be so kind as to tell me what to look for to purchase so I can practice?  Also do these inks work well with acrylics?  I have an entire spectrum of Vallejo acrylics, both brush and spray. Probably a couple hundred bottles and colors. Years ago I switched from oils to acrylics. I have pretty much just used black acrylic washes for any distressing I wanted to do. Here are a few pictures of my Man-O-War I did with acrylics. 

I think what Kevin is suggesting is a very good idea - to mock up some samples, so that you can play around with different mediums, and get comfortable with what they can do.  I did a lot of paint samples in the early stages, and that is where I acquired most of my knowledge about this kind of distress painting.
 
I can’t speak for the inks that Kevin has been using for his CS, but the walnut ink I’ve been using is extremely forgiving.  I apply it dilute, but strong, and simply cut it back with a wet brush until I like the way that it dries.  This is tricky to get just enough shading, but over time I’ve gotten the hang of it.  I continue to tweak the ink, with each new level of the stern, and will do so until it all gets sealed under a final coat of Matte clear.
 
As Kevin says, artists’ oils are amazing for creating depth and texture, and they are extremely forgiving.  I use them for my natural wood effects, and really like how the decking came out.  Van Dyke Brown (Windsor and Newton) gave my ventre-de-biche (raw sienna) painted sides (above the black boot topping) a pleasing patina.
 

You just lay it on thick and heavy and then wipe it back until you are happy.  I wrap q-tips in t-shirt scraps, so that I can get pretty far into recesses, but not all the way.  After wiping, I use a coarse chip brush (natural bristle) to even-out the effect.  I learned all of this from Herbert Thomesan of Artitec Modelbeau, in the Netherlands.  A lot of the Dutch builders use this technique and it is astonishingly easy, forgiving and produces excellent results on the first try.
 


My one piece of advice would be to do both hull halves at the same time.  I did one, and then the other after a period of time, only to realize that the second half was significantly darker.  The paint had cured by the time I really saw this in good light, so I had to wash the first half a second time to match.  On my model, the finished effect is darker than I would like, and most people mistake the effect for natural wood, but it is really supposed to represent a painted surface on the actual ship.  This doesn’t bother me, though.  I learned something.
 
Mostly, I learn from all of you.  Three projects stand out, in my mind, for their absolute fidelity to nuance and detail.  In no particular order, they are:
 
Michael, aka SafeMaster’s Reale:
 
 
Gary, aka FriedClams’s Stonington Dragger:
 
And Kirrill, aka Kirrill4’s Spanish Galleon:
 
At some point in the future, Kirrill will dive into his own Heller SR, and I’m really excited to see what he will do with it.
 
I have some idea of what I am doing with my particular subset of paints, but these gentlemen bring a very broad range of technique and knowledge of correct details and realism to bear on their projects.
 
Another master of painting technique, and scratch-building is Rex Stewart.  I don’t think he maintains a presence on MSW, but he can easily be found on-line.
 
Of course there are numerous other Uber talented builders and painters (Dafi, Blue Ensign, Moraine to name just a few more - I could go on, but the list would get very long), but the above really stand out for the breadth of techniques that they apply to each project.
 

Update
 
today I concentrated on the over night catch, Ì`m still looking for some eels in scale 1:24. Made the masts and main gaff,as well as mizzen boom
 
Nils
 

I used a thick viscosity primer both sides to get some "flesh" onto the flat etched fish....
 

and turned them into Hering, plaice and cods. Am still looking out for some eels in scale 1:24
The fish boxes are also from etched brass sheet
 

the plaice remain white on the bottom side
 

the mizzen mast can be layed down, when the shrouds are released
 
 
 

The mizzen boom is hooked in for easy removal
The main mast upper gaff is equiped with with a glide shoe, in order to slide up an down the main mast
 

Since my last post I have been trying to complete the poop deck assembly for the ship.  It seems like every time I make some progress, I have to take a step back to fix a problem.
 
The first step was to join the poop deck assembly to the bulkhead.  This was a simple matter of soldering the two deck edge angles to the brass deck plating.  The next step was to locate and drill the many holes for attaching the fittings to be later installed on the deck.  
 
There is an an opening in the center of the poop deck stern rail.  This could be used to tow another vessel or to assist in docking the ship itself.  Since this could transfer considerable loads to the poop deck fantail rail the general arrangement drawings show a reinforcing structure.  Although there is a plan view of this there are no elevations shown.  The structure shown in the photo is my best guess of what it might have looked like.
 
Photos of Great Lakes ships in the lumber trades often show them with long wooden fenders.  These were a baulk of square or round section timber hung from one end over the side of the ship.  A rope was attached the other end to allow the fender to be hauled up when not in use.  This was before the time when old tires were available.  Although photos do not show them in use, Benjamin Noble was fitted with chocks and cleats for four of these fenders per side. One chock and two cleats per side are located on the poop deck.  The chocks, shown in the last post, were easily epoxied into holes.  Likewise the cleats were soldered onto the inside of the bulwark or to the deck plating.  
 
Just when I thought that the assembly was finished I noticed that the brass plating around the gangway door had pulled loose.  This has been a problem area ever since I decided to show the upper half of the gangway door open as is often the case with Great Lakes vessels sailing in fair weather.  Rather than patching things up I decided to bite the bullet and to fabricate a proper door frame.  The resulting frame made from soldered brass was then epoxied into the hole and the whole thing faired with Bondo.  The door frame assembly includes the bottom (closed) half of the gangway door that fits into the hull when the poop deck and hull assemblies are joined.
 
Cleaned up and coated with primer the poop deck assembly is finished.  Whew, a major milestone!  
 
Next is the fabrication of the forecastle rail, deck, and bulkhead.  
 The last photo shows the wooden former for this.  Since the assembly must mate with the hull the former is upside down.
 
Roger
 

The next items were the pumps.  The band on the top of the pump is self-adhesive copper foil, typically used in making stain glass windows.  Looks like I need to clean out the inside of the pump!


The original model of Swallow shows a carved swallow on the stern.  The carving looks better in person than it appears in these pictures.  Making the masts is next.

I have finished installing the rest of the cannon.  The pumps are next.

Chris - 
 
Just went through this build log and am truly impressed.
It is amazing how clean and crisp all your edges are and how you persevere in building all those tiny details.
 
PS - my vote is to spend for the 3-D printed hedgehogs and other fittings.
Sometimes it is better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.
Flowers and a dinner at a good restaurant always eases those difficult conversations with my wife.
 
Be well
 
Dan

Hi Ken - 
 
She looks like she is coming along nicely.
I like the developing shape of the hull form.  She should look sweet when you get to plank her.
 
Be well
 
Dan

Hi Ken - 
 
She looks like she is coming along nicely.
I like the developing shape of the hull form.  She should look sweet when you get to plank her.
 
Be well
 
Dan

Just a quick update - I glued the two halves together including the sheet in the middle.  No real problems except that I need to do more sanding.  When I look at the shape of the hull, it looks fine; but when I hold it a certain way under a light, I see a slight ridge near the keel.  That ridge must be removed.  I know that when I plank the hull, it will become obvious.  It’s best to solve the problem now.
 

A lot of progress to report.  The four lifts of each half of the hull have had their preliminary sanding and are glued together.  Both halves have also been sanded, although much more sanding is needed.  The hull looks like a boat.  Photos are attached.  I am going to use some plastic wood or Gesso to fill in the cracks between the lifts.  And I plan to have a sheet of 3/32 cedar down the middle that will form the stem and stern posts and the keel.
 

I’ve done a rough sanding of the port side lifts.  The stern area gave me some trouble, but once I was able to ‘read’ the various views on the plans, everything seemed to make sense.  The lifts  need more sanding, but I want to wait until I have the other side done.  The two sides have to match.  Then the final sanding will be done after the lifts are glued together.  I also have to decide on how to cut the deck hatches.  And, based on my research, whether or not I want to make a small stove in the forward hatch. Advise is always welcome.
 

Making the lifts has begun.  The four lifts are cut out, but more sanding is needed.  Each piece must be as close to the plans as possible.  That is the only way to insure that further sanding 
results in a properly shaped of the hull.
 
  

A small Speedwell update. The lower ratlines have been installed as well as the euphroe tackle and crowsfeet. On many models I see they appear oversize. At 1/4" scale though we should be able to approximate the 1" ratline and 3/4" crowsfeet diameters. For the ratlines I use Guterman polyester Mara 120 thread (dark brown). For the crowsfeet I used 6/0 Uni-Thread, dark brown. I tried 6-0 silk for this but it just kept fraying (such is the nature of silk). I must admit that making the euphroes with their numerous no. 78 drilled holes (there are nine in the main euphroe), setting up the euphroe tackle and rigging the crowsfeet was an exercise in patience (and frustration). I was so pleased with my first attempt until I realized that I had reverse rigged one hole and had to redo the whole thing.  Onward and upward (literally)!
 

The belaying pins are now installed in their shroud deflectors. That's a term I had never read before but that's what they're called according to Markquardt. Perhaps they're called pin rails only when affixed to the inner bulwarks. The deflectors have grooves filed on the outboard edge for the shrouds and lashings inboard and are surprisingly strong once attached.  At any rate, I was able to hone my lathe technique to turn out consistent pins. Next it's on to ratlines. Perhaps Archjofo would fly in from Germany to show me how he successfully duplicated actual practice when securing them to the outer shrouds. Personally. I believe he used Photoshop as this is not humanly possible to do.
 

First, thank you guys for comments and likes.  Keeps me going knowing someone is reading these posts.
 
Jason, who lives pretty close, I hope to get to hang out soon.
 
Mikiek I am contemplating your method of yellow/superglue for second planking. 
 
Dan/Shipmodel thank you for your responses and advice.  I am hoping to incorporate some bone details in this model, maybe a binnacle to start.  Baby steps...
 
In my last post I mentioned I was trying to power through finishing first planking.  I had a hit a bit of a rut trying to make everything perfect and it was time to move on.  So now I have officially finished first planking even if I resorted to wide planks.

I had left the counter planking unfinished so I could roll the stern planking upwards, trim the ends flush, and then insert the final 2 counter planks.  I thought that might be a better plan than trying to cut each stern plank individually.  I don't know how some people get such perfect straight intersections!
 
Below I used a compass to trace a pencil line parallel to the bottom counter.  I found it easiest to cut by hand along the pencil line with an xacto, going very shallow and deepening it repeatedly.  Then I used a 1/4" chisel to pare the waste away working down from the top.  Slow n steady.

I eventually cleared all the waste wood on the left side.

I found it easier to glue two narrower strips vs one wide one because the space I am filling is concave.  Below is both sides excavated, glued, and filled.

Of course it'll all be covered by the second planking but I think the stern plank/counter intersection looks tight which is what I was aiming for.
 
Next is sanding and more sanding and then some sanding to smooth it all out. 
 
In other news I managed a late entry into this year's Admiralty Workshops (someone cancelled and I was on the wait list) so I will learn how to make rope with Chuck.  At my usual glacial building pace odds are I will forget everything by the time I get to rigging but if I keep good notes maybe some of it will stick.  And at the end we get a tour with the curator of the Naval Academy Museum; that is just freaking cool!
 
well goodnight all and thanks for reading
 
Cisco
 
 
 

Hi Cisco - 
 
Just read through your build log here.  You are doing great, working your way up the steep and long learning curve of hull planking.  I love how you meet and solve the many problems and challenges that you have encountered.  Your creative solutions will stand you in good stead as you approach the second layer of planking.
 
Here are a couple of tips that I have learned by hard experience over 35 years of doing this:
 
1.  Fill and sand the first layer of planking till the shape is smooth and to your liking.  Paint the whole thing with a light colored water based paint.  Now you can draw the plank outlines on the hull in pencil, using dividers or tick strips to give you your initial layout.  Look it over critically and change the run of the planks by erasing and redrawing until you are happy.  Drop planks at the bow and stealers at the stern are much easier to figure out in pencil before you start cutting wood.  Then you can cut and taper your planks to match the pencil lines.
 
2.  Lay in the location of the wale first.  This will determine the bulwark planking strakes above and the hull area to be planked below.  Plank down from the wale and up from the garboard, as you did before.  The final opening will be closed with a 'shutter plank'.  When you get to that point, lay on a piece, or pieces, of translucent tape covering the opening.  Draw the outline of the shutter plank on the tape, then transfer the tape to a wider piece of planking material and cut to the line.  This should quickly get you very close to the final shape that you need.
 
3.  For the garboard, lay the lower edge of the wider planking material (1.5 times the width of the hull planks) against the keel rabbet and slide it forward until the front end begins to lift as the rabbet curves up the stem.  Pull it back just to that point and temporarily tape it in place.  This has been suggested before.  But now take a second plank (known as the first broad strake), place it on the hull above the garboard piece, and slide it forward until its lower forward corner contacts the stem rabbet.  Mark this point.  This is how high the garboard should come on the stem.  Cut the bow end of the garboard strake to fit the open curved triangle that has been marked out.  Now the lower edge of the broad strake will be straight, and you can work off it up the stem.    
 
I hope that helps a bit.  Feel free to ignore it if not.
 
Best of success.
 
Dan
 
 

Nice job Dan, particularly the detailed description of the process.

Hi Cisco - 
 
Just read through your build log here.  You are doing great, working your way up the steep and long learning curve of hull planking.  I love how you meet and solve the many problems and challenges that you have encountered.  Your creative solutions will stand you in good stead as you approach the second layer of planking.
 
Here are a couple of tips that I have learned by hard experience over 35 years of doing this:
 
1.  Fill and sand the first layer of planking till the shape is smooth and to your liking.  Paint the whole thing with a light colored water based paint.  Now you can draw the plank outlines on the hull in pencil, using dividers or tick strips to give you your initial layout.  Look it over critically and change the run of the planks by erasing and redrawing until you are happy.  Drop planks at the bow and stealers at the stern are much easier to figure out in pencil before you start cutting wood.  Then you can cut and taper your planks to match the pencil lines.
 
2.  Lay in the location of the wale first.  This will determine the bulwark planking strakes above and the hull area to be planked below.  Plank down from the wale and up from the garboard, as you did before.  The final opening will be closed with a 'shutter plank'.  When you get to that point, lay on a piece, or pieces, of translucent tape covering the opening.  Draw the outline of the shutter plank on the tape, then transfer the tape to a wider piece of planking material and cut to the line.  This should quickly get you very close to the final shape that you need.
 
3.  For the garboard, lay the lower edge of the wider planking material (1.5 times the width of the hull planks) against the keel rabbet and slide it forward until the front end begins to lift as the rabbet curves up the stem.  Pull it back just to that point and temporarily tape it in place.  This has been suggested before.  But now take a second plank (known as the first broad strake), place it on the hull above the garboard piece, and slide it forward until its lower forward corner contacts the stem rabbet.  Mark this point.  This is how high the garboard should come on the stem.  Cut the bow end of the garboard strake to fit the open curved triangle that has been marked out.  Now the lower edge of the broad strake will be straight, and you can work off it up the stem.    
 
I hope that helps a bit.  Feel free to ignore it if not.
 
Best of success.
 
Dan
 
 

Hi Cisco - 
 
Just read through your build log here.  You are doing great, working your way up the steep and long learning curve of hull planking.  I love how you meet and solve the many problems and challenges that you have encountered.  Your creative solutions will stand you in good stead as you approach the second layer of planking.
 
Here are a couple of tips that I have learned by hard experience over 35 years of doing this:
 
1.  Fill and sand the first layer of planking till the shape is smooth and to your liking.  Paint the whole thing with a light colored water based paint.  Now you can draw the plank outlines on the hull in pencil, using dividers or tick strips to give you your initial layout.  Look it over critically and change the run of the planks by erasing and redrawing until you are happy.  Drop planks at the bow and stealers at the stern are much easier to figure out in pencil before you start cutting wood.  Then you can cut and taper your planks to match the pencil lines.
 
2.  Lay in the location of the wale first.  This will determine the bulwark planking strakes above and the hull area to be planked below.  Plank down from the wale and up from the garboard, as you did before.  The final opening will be closed with a 'shutter plank'.  When you get to that point, lay on a piece, or pieces, of translucent tape covering the opening.  Draw the outline of the shutter plank on the tape, then transfer the tape to a wider piece of planking material and cut to the line.  This should quickly get you very close to the final shape that you need.
 
3.  For the garboard, lay the lower edge of the wider planking material (1.5 times the width of the hull planks) against the keel rabbet and slide it forward until the front end begins to lift as the rabbet curves up the stem.  Pull it back just to that point and temporarily tape it in place.  This has been suggested before.  But now take a second plank (known as the first broad strake), place it on the hull above the garboard piece, and slide it forward until its lower forward corner contacts the stem rabbet.  Mark this point.  This is how high the garboard should come on the stem.  Cut the bow end of the garboard strake to fit the open curved triangle that has been marked out.  Now the lower edge of the broad strake will be straight, and you can work off it up the stem.    
 
I hope that helps a bit.  Feel free to ignore it if not.
 
Best of success.
 
Dan
 
 

Hi Cisco - 
 
Just read through your build log here.  You are doing great, working your way up the steep and long learning curve of hull planking.  I love how you meet and solve the many problems and challenges that you have encountered.  Your creative solutions will stand you in good stead as you approach the second layer of planking.
 
Here are a couple of tips that I have learned by hard experience over 35 years of doing this:
 
1.  Fill and sand the first layer of planking till the shape is smooth and to your liking.  Paint the whole thing with a light colored water based paint.  Now you can draw the plank outlines on the hull in pencil, using dividers or tick strips to give you your initial layout.  Look it over critically and change the run of the planks by erasing and redrawing until you are happy.  Drop planks at the bow and stealers at the stern are much easier to figure out in pencil before you start cutting wood.  Then you can cut and taper your planks to match the pencil lines.
 
2.  Lay in the location of the wale first.  This will determine the bulwark planking strakes above and the hull area to be planked below.  Plank down from the wale and up from the garboard, as you did before.  The final opening will be closed with a 'shutter plank'.  When you get to that point, lay on a piece, or pieces, of translucent tape covering the opening.  Draw the outline of the shutter plank on the tape, then transfer the tape to a wider piece of planking material and cut to the line.  This should quickly get you very close to the final shape that you need.
 
3.  For the garboard, lay the lower edge of the wider planking material (1.5 times the width of the hull planks) against the keel rabbet and slide it forward until the front end begins to lift as the rabbet curves up the stem.  Pull it back just to that point and temporarily tape it in place.  This has been suggested before.  But now take a second plank (known as the first broad strake), place it on the hull above the garboard piece, and slide it forward until its lower forward corner contacts the stem rabbet.  Mark this point.  This is how high the garboard should come on the stem.  Cut the bow end of the garboard strake to fit the open curved triangle that has been marked out.  Now the lower edge of the broad strake will be straight, and you can work off it up the stem.    
 
I hope that helps a bit.  Feel free to ignore it if not.
 
Best of success.
 
Dan
 
 

Hi Cisco - 
 
Just read through your build log here.  You are doing great, working your way up the steep and long learning curve of hull planking.  I love how you meet and solve the many problems and challenges that you have encountered.  Your creative solutions will stand you in good stead as you approach the second layer of planking.
 
Here are a couple of tips that I have learned by hard experience over 35 years of doing this:
 
1.  Fill and sand the first layer of planking till the shape is smooth and to your liking.  Paint the whole thing with a light colored water based paint.  Now you can draw the plank outlines on the hull in pencil, using dividers or tick strips to give you your initial layout.  Look it over critically and change the run of the planks by erasing and redrawing until you are happy.  Drop planks at the bow and stealers at the stern are much easier to figure out in pencil before you start cutting wood.  Then you can cut and taper your planks to match the pencil lines.
 
2.  Lay in the location of the wale first.  This will determine the bulwark planking strakes above and the hull area to be planked below.  Plank down from the wale and up from the garboard, as you did before.  The final opening will be closed with a 'shutter plank'.  When you get to that point, lay on a piece, or pieces, of translucent tape covering the opening.  Draw the outline of the shutter plank on the tape, then transfer the tape to a wider piece of planking material and cut to the line.  This should quickly get you very close to the final shape that you need.
 
3.  For the garboard, lay the lower edge of the wider planking material (1.5 times the width of the hull planks) against the keel rabbet and slide it forward until the front end begins to lift as the rabbet curves up the stem.  Pull it back just to that point and temporarily tape it in place.  This has been suggested before.  But now take a second plank (known as the first broad strake), place it on the hull above the garboard piece, and slide it forward until its lower forward corner contacts the stem rabbet.  Mark this point.  This is how high the garboard should come on the stem.  Cut the bow end of the garboard strake to fit the open curved triangle that has been marked out.  Now the lower edge of the broad strake will be straight, and you can work off it up the stem.    
 
I hope that helps a bit.  Feel free to ignore it if not.
 
Best of success.
 
Dan
 
 

Greetings fellow Ship Modelers!  The heat here in Delaware finally relented and we could go outside again without heatstroke.
 
Went to ModelCon last weekend which was fun but brief as I had my 7 year old son with and he was hot and bored bored bored.  Thank you to the 2 guys who entertained him for a few minutes while I met/talked to Chuck - great guy, very social, and he dealt with a complete stranger walking up acting like I knew him with remarkable calmness.  I suspect it happens often.  I brought and displayed for a few hours my 18th Century Longboat (you can see it in one of Chuck's photos looking forlorn between 2 enormous model battleships) and while it didn't draw a crowd hopefully someone(s) appreciated it.
 
Then my son and I toured the battleship New Jersey,  pretty cool, and went across the river to tour the Olympia and the submarine whose name escapes me before deciding it was way to hot for humans and heading home.
 
With my AVS I had an epiphany and changed gears some.  I realized that if don't make more progress I risk bogging down and never finishing.  Its not a race but without some forward momentum she might become an unfinished hull in a box in a closet somewhere.  And THAT would be tragic.  So I stopped trying to make perfect planks mimicking the second planking and instead decided to fill in the rest of the first planking with wider wood strips to make it go a bit faster.  
 
So far I have been using yellow GorillaGlue which has good tack but has to be clamped.  I know many use and are happy with superglue but my previous background in woodworking really regarded superglue as a method for tiny repairs but not to be trusted for actual gluing.  Maybe I'll start experimenting but not for this build.  Clamping has been problematic at this center area of the planking because nothing easily reaches and the gap is small.  And so far I have resisted screwing or pinning into the bulkheads as some do.  So the one thing I did discover this post is pretty simple- putting something on the deck to provide a bearing surface for the spring clamps works really well!  In the pic below I put 2 clothes pins on the deck against the bow planking and they provided a perfect grippy area for the spring clamps.  Without them the clamps just sproinged out of position and it was getting very frustrating. 

Here's the outside shot; you can see its an awkward place to clamp.  And my metal spring paperclip things I used for the other planks now won't fit in the narrow space.

Its hard to see through the clamp forest but the last 2 rows are with wide planks but again this is first planking so no one will ever see it.
 
Hope you all are well!  Thanks for reading
 
Cisco