robert952

Hopping on board this log. Following logs on this one as it is in my stash.

Looks great. Though the instructions don't say to add shims, it seems to be a necessity for this stage of the build on this model. It seems too easy to cut a tad too much off of a plank even with careful sanding. I hope I can get mine this smooth. And I agree, the inside of the hull will be a bear to work on. I plan to experiment with thinning out the filler a bit. I read somewhere that makes it easier to get the filler in the gaps and makes sanding it smooth easier. Did your hull 'pull in' when you took it off the form? Mine didn't. The instructions indicate that you may need to keep the center 'bulkhead' in place until you have the ribs installed. Just curious. I still have the board in place just in case. However, nothing has changed.

The wider painter's tape (a.k.a. Frog tape) is a couple inches wide and burnishes into position nicely. And, yep, worked well around the bow and stern. I still held the planks in place until the glue partially set. Then I taped it as tight as I could to hold them overnight. Also, though probably obvious, I worked on both sides for each plank and pulled them together with the tape at the bow and stern. Thanks for the kind words. After I put some 'stuff' on the walls, our 'feel moved in' check list will be complete and approved by the Admiral. So I can get back to model work. No promises as to exactly when though. (I have actually taken some sand paper to the model but no serious work.)

Hard to say. This hobby, and working in wood, requires a lot of experimenting to find what works best for each of us. Your method sounds feasible and workable. I didn't have much trouble bending the soaked wood, but holding a couple of planks in place did require some finessing with painter's tape and rubber bands. I did have some challenges similar to what you are seeing. If you look at the drawings in the manual on pages 9 &10, the last few planks were not planks in the strictest sense. The ended up looking like shaped 'fill in' pieces with the last 2-3 just laying on the bulkheads. The bottom is relatively flat on each side of the center plank. I also had to add a couple of "splinters" cut to fill in a couple of gaps. You have to look closely on post 19 of my current build log (link below) you will see such on each end of the plank against the center bottom plan. I often follow the motto: File to fit. Hammer to adjust. Paint to hide. Doesn't look as sharp as what you are doing. (And the filler is giving me challenges on fairing the hull.) But I figure my lack of skill can be fixed with filler and paint. Well, that's my dream. And it's all part of the learning process as skills improve.

For your future planking projects you may want to consider soaking the planks. I have a PVC fixture I put together. Filled it with hot water and soaked each plank for a few minutes. Typically 5-6 minutes since I used very hot water. When reading through the logs, 10 or more minutes pop up often. Then I was able to get the curve and that little twist needed on the pieces attached to the stem. The challenge for me was to be sure that the plank stayed in place until the glue dried. While CA would have dried faster, I like the ability to tweak a board using carpenter's glue or similar PVA. I spent a bit holding the plank in place by hand. I left the wet planks in place overnight until they dried out before working the next one. A couple of times I used a hair dryer to speed the process when I wanted to progress more than a plank per side.

Glad you found it useful. I picked up an tidbit or two from yours also.

My 2kb worth, I would put the halves in place and plank it in situ. It would seem easier to shape the planks as you install them to fit the actual shape of the curves. This image is from Planking Techniques for Model Ship Builders by Donald Dresser (pg. 106). As you see it's not a smooth curve which you would be difficult to duplicate on the deck pieces and then fit them into place. I am not sure if you need to allow for a waterway shown also above. Edit: Forgot to mention that the lower right image shows cutting off the frame piece above the false deck before planking. I hope this helps.

😃 Don't you hate when that happens. The model is really shaping up and looking good.

You are off to a good start. I've read through countless build logs. Just about every kit seems to have some minor issues with fitting things as the instructions indicate which require tweaking in some form. You seem to be on track to resolving those on this model. I am interested in seeing your progress as you seem to be caught up with where I am at on the build. (A couple more small home projects and I should be able to get back to my build.

Sounds like you have solved the matter. However, to add to the tool kit, I used an app called Scale Converter by Scalar Pink. Available on Google app store. It doesn't solve the problem of having to find your phone. However, it is self contained and doesn't require a web connection to use. It does other functions I have found useful including mm to inch, and decimal to fractions.

As to the painting, I think we all come up with a system that works for us individually. I do look where I will paint and determine when to paint what. If an area I plan to paint is going to be difficult to get to (example under a seat seat riser or in a tight corner), I'll paint during assembling, before the area gets covered up. My concern is always that I may do something to mess up the paint job as I continue assembly. (Particular a problem I have with plastic models and the seemingly inevitable errant drop of adhesive.) I use a small tray. From what you imply, if I poured paint on a plastic sheet, it would start drying too soon for me. Even with the metal tray, I make sure the paint doesn't dry out too quickly. I usually have a solvent (water or thinner depending on the paint I am using) in one of the cups to help out with that. Also I can clean the brush to make sure the paint doesn't start drying out while paining. You can find similar at local hobby/craft/art supply shops or online. I think I've had this one 'forever.' As I peruse the net, they seem to be less than a couple bucks each (especially in bulk - 16 plastic for under $10 on Amazon). At a hobby shop probably 2-3 bucks for one. For me the advantage is that I can have multiple colors ready to go and even put some water or thinner in one of the cups which I use to clean the brush as needed. I don't do a lot of mixing of colors, but I try to pour out a consistent amount of paint and using an eyedropper measure any 'solvent' (water, thinner) as I thin the paint. Not an exact science, just a rough count of drops or '1/2 of an eye dropper full' (though I do have graduate droppers that I may start using more). Ask a dozen people, you'll get a dozen pieces of advice and experiences. Most modelers would likely agree with thinning paint before application. How thin is always tough to determine: ratio of paint to thinner. The factors depend on type of paint used, artist brush vs air brush, drying time between coats and the list goes on. (I won't touch the 'sealant/primer' discussion, but that can effect the finish, too.) The bottom line is to find what works for you. I think that's what we all do. And we learn that 'if I am working with this paint, this process works best.' I'd suggest practicing on scrap material using different techniques until you find the finish you like. As to some previous comments (sorry for delay as I am catching up on reading some logs in detail), you are going through the same processes we all go through. As you have found on this model, there can be quality issues. However, you also found that these issues might get hidden during the assembly process. As a lot of people say, do your best and do what it takes to 'look good' to you. If it's not as good as you like, improve the next time. It's a process, not a procedure. You are doing fine and the model is coming together nicely. Side bar: I watched "The Blue Angels" documentary on the Navy's air demo team. Through out that film (available on Prime) they all say the same thing: strive for perfection even know though you know you will never reach it. Each pilot is their own most severe critic. They tell each other to do the best you can, learn for your experiences, and move on. Seems very appropriate for many endeavors, including model building. (BTW, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and recommend it for air enthusiasts. Great camera work. They fly 18 inches apart. The 'in cockpit' video sure looks a lot closer than 18". 😲 )

I try to catch the logs for small boats. Sorry I missed this one. However, I read through it and found it well done. Thanks for sharing. Nice model and mounting. Congrats on a nice looking model.

@JacquesN Check you PM.

Give me a day or two and I will scan my copy to pdf and send it to you via PM. Welcome to MSW. I look forward to your build log on this. (I hope to get back to my build. I am about as 'moved in' as I can get and am freeing up time for hobby stuff.)

I've watched the first few minutes. Want to watch with no distractions and to take notes. However, it seems to be very informational on a subject the still at times confuses me. Thanks for sharing the link.

The instructions at the bottom of the text box used for posting replies indicates, 'drag files here' to attach. I just type, add a couple of line spaces (3-4 works well). I put my cursor on the one of those line spaces to insure separation and drag the image over from its file folder. If I am posting multiple images in an area, I hit a line return/space before dragging the next image into place. The info about the thumbnails is true. Deleting the image from the text body doesn't remove it from the thumbnails. However, deleting the image from the thumbnails deletes from 'my attachments' and the thread.

Hopping on board this build log. The first model you build is fun and exciting. And it can be a bit scary. But don't fret. You'll do fine. Take your time and enjoy the experience. You will learn a lot during the process. And, if you've read a lot of builds, in just about every one are "I'm not entirely pleased with..." or "if I were to do this again, I do it...." comments. However, at the end of the build you will also see, 'I am pleased with what I built" type comments, too. The latter statement should be the goal. The former shows the learning process. Don't forget, you have a bunch of people here willing to help out with that learning process. Just ask. Good luck and have fun.

I guess you found the review useful. The book will definitely give you some insight to the ships, their specs and how they performed. (Spoiler alert, most were under powered either because of design 'flaws' or engines not performing as spec'd.) Thanks for reading.

Donald Canney specialized in the transition period of sail to steam power and wood to steel construction of the US Navy. He worked with the US Coast Guard as registrar for that service’s national artifact program from 1991 until his retirement in 2006. While the world’s navies of 1861 to 1865 were making this transition of sail to steam and wood to iron, the American Civil War provided the impetus to speed up that evolution on both sides of the conflict. The Confederate Steam Navy details the ships of the Confederate Navy from 1861 to 1965. The author focuses on ships with steam power and those converted to steam power. The text provides a lot of insight into all aspects of the transition covering technology, politics and logistics of building each boat. He also outlines the careers of each ship during the conflict. The first six chapters cover the ironclads from the early beginnings of the conflict. He devotes a chapter to each year of the war when discussing ironclad battleships. The author covers every ironclad ship involved in the Confederate Navy. I use the term ‘involved’ loosely as Canney includes ships that were under construction but never completed. Most of these were destroyed due to the eminent capture of the shipyards by Union forces. Some ships he discusses were under construction in Europe (particularly England) and were confiscated due to the political stances of England with regards to the war in America. He outlines the final disposition of these ships, too. For the ships discussed he explains the hull construction, the engines; and other aspects of ship propulsion; and the ships' armament. His descriptions tell about the material used for the hulls including dimensions along with the types of wood and iron employed. He provides details on the steam engines based on their classification of pressure, size of cylinders and stroke length. He details how the engines were installed and the propellers for the ships. He describes the deck arrangement and sizes of the various guns used on each ship. While covering these details, Canney points out issues of internal conflicts between the Confederate Army and Navy. He points out the Confederacy's lack of industrial base for supplying the necessary materials (plate iron specifically) to all who needed or wanted the material. (As a side bar, Canney includes a 2-page appendix titled “Notes on 19th century shipbuilding and steam engine technology.” I suggest readers start with this appendix as the author explains the terminology particular to how measurements were made during that time in history and terminology pertaining to steam engine technology. These notes explain the shift in terminology from one ship to another in his descriptions of these aspects.) After covering the ironclads, Canney devotes chapters to many other steam powered ships and boats including blockade runners, commerce raiders, gunboats, and floating batteries. Some of these chapters select a few which were representative of the literally hundreds of such boats brought into the Confederate Navy. Canney bases his observations and conclusions using source documents from those who served on board, were spies who collected information for the Union, after-action reports and descriptions of the ships after they captured. He points out discrepancies he found between the various information sources. While the book has many black and white drawings, photographs and paintings of ships and their components, for the modeler they may not be extremely useful. The illustrations are small and lose detail due to the reduction on the image to fit in the book. However, the author includes the source of the illustration so that a serious researcher has a starting point for further investigation. While the book is not for casual reading per se, I enjoyed reading the details on ship names I recognized from board games (Ironclads - Yaquinto Games; Shot and Shell”- 3W Games). Along with my gaming experience, the bibliography and and notes leads me to believe that Donald Canney provides a comprehensive listing of the steam powered vessels involved in the Confederate Navy. He provides good representatives for the non-battle ships of the times. The book provides details not normally found in other book on thehistory of the battles involving these historic ships. I'd recommend this book for serious students of ironclad and steam powered vessels from this period of nautical history. BOOK DETAILS Title: The Confederate Steam Navy 1861 -1865 Author: Donald L Canney Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 2015 Hardback (9-1/8 wide X 8-3.8 tall); 192 pages (includes end notes, bibliography, and index) Twelve chapters each dedicated to different classes of steam powered ships of the Confederate Navy Black and white images: photos, drawings and paintings Cover price: $39.99 Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites ISBN: 978-0-7643-4824-2

Following along. Your decision to use different wood illustrates that even a simple "beginner's kit' can provide challenges and avenues for the more experienced modeler. I look forward to this build. You've got a good start and a nice plan for the project.

To be sure the loose ends are all tied up. As pointed out... you only need a few knots. I found this useful as it has the bare essentials mentioned above and a way to practice them. Link to Knot Tying Kit at Amazon

I like the concept, particularly the aspect of using a basic hand tool set. On board this build log.

Personally, I like the amount of detail and number of photos. Nice close up work on the images. BTW, I found it useful to look at the assembly instructions that Chuck posted for this group build. They help tie your progress with the process. Thanks for sharing the details.

And at what speed? Rock tumblers run about 30 RPM. It would seem that using a drill you'd get a lot higher speed. (I like the small speed control motor idea @hornet uses.)

Hopping on board this log.