rcweir

Chuck, I'll be interested to know how it turns out for you. I had a similar idea using 14 gauge copper wire. (Of which I have a large supply.) My problems with that were mostly with getting the darkening chemical to do well for me, but also that it was slow work getting a nicely rounded end. The stopper for me, though, was darkening, and that was undoubtedly because I wasn't doing the cleaning well enough. Bob

Thanks! There's a whole world of them out there!

I had limited time to work on the model this weekend, and all of it was devoted to treenails and bolts. First, the treenails. I worked only on the flat planking on the bottom of the model - that area will be only barely seen once it's sitting upright in a stand, so this work is not high stakes. I don't have any prior experience with treenails, and this is very much an experiment. In the photos shown, there is a double row of treenails on every third floor frame, and the line of each pair is slightly skewed. The holes were drilled at .8mm and I used birch toothpicks for the treenails. There are several things that I'm not happy with: (a) the skewed pairs just look sloppy. Henceforth they'll all be in a single line. (b) The .8mm diameter is a tad too small. I had decided on my sample pieces that .9mm looked best, and I think that judgment was correct (don't ask me why I didn't follow it today!) (c) I clearly didn't have a clue with those 6 treenails at the scarf - the number is right but they need to be distributed evenly along the diagonal cut. There's a good example of how they ought to look on p. 88 of Ab Hoving's annotated Witsen. I'm not installing treenails at every single floor timber, which would give a spacing of 8mm, because I don't want it to look too busy. Bolts I've been trying to decide about for a long time. Like the treenails, they're new to me, and I want to include them on this model. Rather than go through the list of ideas that didn't pan out, I'll just say that I've settled on 8x1.2 mm brass nails with a black patina (from harfington.com). The head is something like 2.5mm across, but I can chuck them in my drill press and file the head down to whatever I like, which is currently ~1.8mm, though I might go down a bit more. The bright brass that filing exposes will be countersunk into the wood, so I don't need to worry about color. That will make my scale bolt heads about 3.5" diameter, which is (I believe) an inch or more than it ought to be. So, I'm still thinking about it. You can see one installed in the keel in the photo above - I'm not going to put in any more until that surface is ready for a finish, since the presence of the bolt is a hindrance to sanding. This double page spread by Hoving from pp. 114-115 of his Witsen shows the visual effect I want to get with my bolts. They sure look a lot bigger than 2" across in this drawing, as they do on all the model examples I can recall seeing. I welcome comments and suggestions on how you think both treenails and bolts should be handled. As always, thanks for looking and commenting, Bob

The weekend work started with installing the four corner upper futtocks, using the jig I put together last weekend. The result was not so good - the planked side (port) was fine, but the two futtocks on the unplanked side were both tilted out slightly from the top of the lower futtocks. So I removed those two offenders and abandoned my jig. Instead, I clamped a couple of boards on the outside of the lower futtocks to give the same level of alignment help that the planked side provides inherently. I made sure of the height by placing a comb where the bottom of the futtocks could rest against it. The result of the second try was excellent: the new structure, turned upside down, rested stably on all four "feet" and the visual alignment of the upper and lower futtocks seemed correct. This is a good view of a misaligned futtock (though "good" is not the word I used first). Try #2 was easier and came out better. Notice on the right hand side of the second picture above I'm installing the 2nd futtock from the end so that I can have glue on both sides, and better alignment guides. Next, I installed the beam shelves for the orlop deck beams, which was pretty straightforward. Alignment checks afterward showed that they were both parallel and at the same height. Whew. On a real pinas, there is an interior strengthening plank that runs right along the turn of the bilge, called the bilge stringer. In some of Witsen's drawings the bilge stringer is thicker than the ceiling planks and I decided to make mine that way, though it will add a bit of complication later when fitting some knees. I'm making the stringers 3mm x 7mm and installing them on both sides of the model. In the right hand photo below the slightly higher profile of the bilge stringer is more evident. I think the height difference will be very visible when the model is finished. In the process of finding the stringer locations I discovered that the floors of my model are wider - by 1-2mm - on the unplanked side. How that happened I really don't know: I don't think it's a misplaced keelson (which is where I was measuring from) and I am certain all of the floor timbers are centered on the keel, since they have an engraved reference mark. So probably there was some asymmetry with the placement of the lower futtocks. However it came to happen, it's far too late to fix. And I'm not sure that any bad consequences will follow from it. Though, maybe it has caused the frames at top of the beam shelves to be slightly too far apart: coincidentally or not, I found that the spacing between the frames at the beam shelves was 1.5mm wider than the orlop deck beams are long. On the other hand, if my frame width at the orlop deck is slightly too great, I'm not the first one this has happened to: I've seen at least one build log of this kit where the photos clearly show the same gap at the beam ends that I have. It's not really a big deal - mostly, a gap there won't be seen, except that it will be very visible at each end of the model, and I don't like that. I considered making replacement beams, but instead decided to put a new facing on the two beams which will be on the ends. So, I glued a new layer of 1/16" basswood to two beams, trimmed the addition to the beam's profile, and then planed off the back of the beam. The result is the original's thickness, but slightly longer on the facing side. When time comes, I'll trim the facings to fit exactly, when viewed from the end. A sharp observer looking down on the undecked side might still notice that those beams are in two parts, but that thought bothers me a lot less than the gap. A side benefit of the facings is that the mortises for the carlings have been covered over on the exposed side. The kit's method of passing the carlings through the deck beams ensures perfect alignment and looks good, but the through mortise is not prototype practice. Covering up the end openings as I did doesn't prevent me from actually installing carlings between beams exactly as designed, but hides the details from viewers. It's possible that I might get ambitious later and add simulated carling mortises on the beams; that ought to be easy if I can just follow the lines of the through-mortises already present. In the photos below you can see one end of a modified beam (with its new end untrimmed). Behind the facing, the gap that I want to hide is fairly visible. The last work for the long weekend was to continue the port side ceiling up to the orlop beam shelf. And I've included one messy shop photo. Thanks for visiting, and all the encouragement. Bob

The past weekend's work went well. As Chuck had predicted earlier, installing the first futtocks went quite smoothly. Before gluing, I dry fit all of the pieces; made sure that the pieces were marked clearly; and that they slipped into place snugly, but without forcing (since I knew the wood would expand when pva was applied). The port side was glued first: the frames to port will be completely covered, so boo-boos on the port side can be more easily tolerated. In the end, I had one futtock to port that was about 1mm out of line, but all the others, including the entire starboard side, seemed essentially perfect. After that, I added six planks on the port side to cover those newly installed futtocks. The new planks cover the turn of the bilge, so the frames had to be flattened to give each plank a flat landing area. For flattening, I made a couple of sanding sticks that were just 1-2 mm narrower than the 7mm planks. Nothing hard about it at all. For visual interest I scarfed a couple of planks. And, of course, I spent a considerable amount of time removing char from the next row of framing. I've made a jig that I can use to install the first four futtocks of the next row at the corners of the model, similar to the way the last row was handled. But I probably won't get time to glue any of them in until the weekend. Thanks for visting, Bob

Thanks! I knew about the digital model, but had not seen the blog from Matthias. I'm looking forward to reading it. Bob

This weekend I completed two simple steps: installed the garboard strakes and laid the initial planks on the port (completely planked) side. Since both the tasks required the model to be inverted, I made a little MDF box that I could clamp the model to without putting any stress on the frame members. The garboard strakes went in without difficulty. Likewise with the planking: planking this model is about as simple as can be since the hull profile is completely uniform through the modeled section. I am happy that my modified solution for the keel rabbet worked out; I think the resulting angle of the garboard strake with the adjacent plank looks a lot more authentic than the kit's arrangement. A pinas's hull planks meet with scarfs rather than butts according to the drawings in Witsen (and possibly it's written down somewhere, but I don't have a reference). Anyhow, I did make one scarf as an experiment which is barely visible on the righthand photo above, between the two rightmost clips. The joint came out well, but once the area was sanded, the joint became invisible, so maybe I won't bother to do more. I will probably make a sample piece next weekend and see if visibility is enhanced once it's stained. The next task is to install 17 more pairs of lower futtocks between the pairs already on either end of the model. In preparation for that, a large activity this weekend was removing char. The char's all gone now, and I've started dry-fitting the pieces into position - you can see them above. The requirement is to have all the outer and inner surfaces of the futtocks in the same plane. That will be achieved if they all sit snugly in the (temporary) comb jigs and the tops of all the futtocks are the same height. Which, for me, is easier said than done. Once I get ready to start using glue on them I will need to move very deliberately. I'm not completely settled as to how I will handle the glue. I've thought about painting thinned glue into the gaps after the pieces are in position, but I worry that will mess up the stain when I get to putting on the finish. So, I'm leaning towards glue first then install. And practicing a lot. The thing is, this is something I have to do 34 times and any redoes will be unpleasant to perform. (Plus, this problem will come again on the next level of framing.) Not related to the glue up, but I realized at the end of the futtock de-charing party that I only have to clean half of the framing pieces up to display standards: the port side of the model will be planked over, inside and out, so its frames just need to be prepared well enough to glue. Thanks for looking and for any advice you might have on gluing in those futtocks. Bob

I think the taller ones go aft. Here's a midships view of the pinas Witsen, (from Ab Hoving's "Plans Set for Modelers"). Speaking of those pieces, though, I am wondering how I will clean them up - they look so fragile. Bob

I like your jig. I'm going to need something like that, too and it helps a lot to have these photos. Bob

In the pictures below you can see the two frames glued up on the keel. The keel was laser etched to help with alignment, and I was careful during the glue up to ensure the frames were perpendicular to the keel and level. When the glue dried I flipped the assembly over and ran the spider test again - i.e. made sure that all four futtocks were touching the glass. Then I glued in all of the other floor timbers. The kit comes with four spacing "combs" that are used to ensure that frames are spaced exactly right. With the combs, which can be used at any convenient point along the frames, installing the remaining floor timbers is a simple task. That brings this log up to date with the state of my build. I hope I get some time on it this weekend, but it's not looking too promising at the moment. Thanks for looking! Bob

After assembling the keel and stand, the next step is to assemble the floor timbers and lower futtocks for the forward and after frames. This is a critical step: the shape of the rest of the hull depends on the accuracy with which these two assemblies are made. The kit supplies a printed section of the hull and the instructions say to lay the three parts over their locations on the drawing, and glue it all up. There are no other assembly aids to ensure the positions are correct. To do this, I started with a piece of tempered glass to have a dead flat, perfectly smooth working surface. I taped the printed section onto the glass and then a sheet of mylar on top of it. The floor timber was stuck to the mylar with double-sided tape over its location on the drawing. On top of that timber I laid the two first futtocks and then carefully checked (with a small square) that each was in the right position over the drawing. Then I stuck a number of wood blocks to the mylar at strategic points to make a jig that would hold the three frame pieces in place during glue up and - most importantly - to ensure that the second assembly was identical to the first. After both frame sections were glued up, I temporarily clamped them to the keel and turned the structure upside down on the glass: the tops of all four futtocks touched the glass and there was no wobble at all. Comparing the two assemblies front to front showed that, within my ability to measure, they were identical. But, when I compared them front to back there was about 1-½ mm difference at the turn of the bilge. I thought about that for a while, but decided that it probably doesn't matter if the two sides differ slightly - the two sides are going to be constructed quite differently anyhow since one side is planked and the other just open frames. The deck beams, of course, might have a different opinion - we'll see. Bob

Chuck, you're at about the same place where I am. It may be too late for me to post my update today - work has kind of elbowed the model off to the sidelines for a bit. But I will get it in soon. Bob

Thanks, Chuck, for that suggestion. I hadn't thought of dye, and my past experience with dye is very limited. But it might be just the thing. I'll look into it immediately, before I take an irrevocable steps. I'm not very far along; I have been working on a post bringing things up to date which I will try to get in today. I'd love to see some pics of your model. Bob

While I was waiting for the kit to arrive, I spent time making some choices for my build. I quickly decided that it would be stained, but basswood can be blotchy and I didn't want that. Plus, I needed to pick a specific color. For a large scale like 1:50, treenails are certainly called for, so I had to decide about how to do them too (as well as bolts). These are my stain samples. The upper topmost is cabela boxwood, then Alaska yellow cedar, and basswood is the widest piece. (At the time, I was still considering the possibility of milling my own planks rather than using the kit-supplied basswood.) All samples were sanded (a little haphazardly) and then given a wash coat of 1/2 lb cut shellac. The lower half of each has a coat of satin WOP, and then each vertical panel has one of the stains that I was testing. After a lot of ruminating, I choose the bottom right: Minwax Golden Oak on top of a coat of WOP. The WOP makes the stain more of a glaze, which ought to minimize blotching, assuming I do a decent job of preparation. I intend this to define how I do all of the staining: sand to 320 before installation, wash coat of 1/2 lb shellac, then glue up. When I'm ready for the top coat, the WOP goes on followed by the stain. I'd do the poly before installation, too, but I'm afraid of compromising the glue joints. Next, I had to decide about treenails (which I have no prior experience with). The two questions were (a) size and (b) material. I had no desire to make them with a drawplate, so the material question quickly boiled down to a choice between bamboo and birch toothpicks. I tried both, and birch was an easy winner - the cell size of end grain bamboo is just too large to suit me. I did make a little sample using black poly fishing line, too, but that didn't go well - I don't know how to get it truly flush with the wood surface. I'm happy with birch - good birch toothpicks are easy to find, adapt to any size hole I want to use, take my finish well, and they're quite easy to install in volume. For size, I tried .8, .9 and 1.0mm, and I think I'll go with .8, at least for the interior planking. For bolts, I hoped to find little nails that were suitable, but all I could find were more than 2mm at the head, and I wanted something more like 1.5, max. What I've chosen, then, is to use solid 14 gauge copper house wire, which is about 1.6mm. You can see three of them, uncolored, near the middle of the top image above this note. I'll color them black for the model, of course. The other big consideration I had to resolve before starting was how to make the keel, because that impacts how the garboard strakes look. The kit provides for a two part keel made from two 4mm pieces of wood, with the rabbet formed at the junction of the two pieces. The middle image above is from the instructions. I think the angle between the garboard strake and the next plank to it is much too steep. The top image is an illustration from Witsen, where the angle between the planks is much shallower and that's the look I want for my model. So, what I did was to plane the top kit-supplied keel board to 3mm and replace the bottom keel piece with my own 5mm board. Thus, the finished keel size hasn't changed but the rabbet is, effectively about 1-1/2 mm higher. The bottom photo shows my keel (upside down) with a sample garboard strake temporarily positioned. About the only thing I'm not totally happy about with my change is that I wish my rabbet was more triangular in section. But in all other respects I think this change is going to be successful. That's all for now. Progress from now on will be pretty slow, I'm afraid. I still have a day job, and even without that excuse my progress is not speedy.

Rats, I put this in the wrong section. Which makes me cross, of course! I hope a friendly admin can move it to the 1501-1750 kit section!

This is a new kit by Kolderstok, a Dutch company that specializes in a category especially appealing to me: 17th Dutch vessels. "Pinas" is a ship type, and the prime reference for modelers is a lengthy treatise on Dutch shipbuilding practices, written in 1671 by Nicolaes Witsen, in which he uses the pinas as his example for all aspects of construction. Fortunately, Ab Hoving has given us a new version of Witsen, organized coherently, heavily annotated, and in English, in his Nicolaes Witsen and Shipbuilding in the Dutch Golden Age, College Station: Texas A&M Press, 2012. This model was designed by Matthias Noback (it's the first Kolderstok kit not designed by Hans van Nieuwkoop), and you can find a blog of his design effort elsewhere on the web. Additionally, while there are no other build logs for this kit on MSW yet, there are a few others out there which have been a great help to me (and thank goodness for Google translate!) My kit arrived on 12 April, in good order, after a lengthy journey through the Dutch and US postal systems. It was carefully packed, and everything on the inventory list was in the box, and in excellent condition. All of the wood, except for the dowels, is basswood. That includes all the laser cut sheets - there is no plywood. The accessories appear to me to be all high quality - the blocks look great and the brass cannon are beautiful. Along with the kit I ordered a full set of Kolderstok paints. I didn't get the premium "luxury rope" rigging line, figuring that my existing stash of line would cover my needs. That's all for this post. The next one might also happen today, and will cover some pre-build decisions and samples.

Interesting looking chisel. Is it Japanese?

I share the enthusiasm, in spades! Toni's half hull project came at a perfect time for me and this project does, too. I can hardly wait.

I've just finished reading Learmont's Master in Sail, and since I didn't find any mention of Capt. Learmont on MSW, I thought it was worth adding a note about his book. It's an autobiography of a Scottish merchant captain who sailed deep sea ships from 1887-1910. Learmont is a no-nonsense writer, but his accounts of his voyages are rivetting. I think anyone who's read and enjoyed The Last Grain Race or Two Years Before the Mast will find Learmont's book is a great companion to them. His details of navigation, sailing, handling cargos and owners, all are fascinating. My edition is, I think, the first one dated 1950 and published by Percival Marshall. It's not illustrated, but the book is easily findable on bookfinder.com and some editions do have photos. I also note that Alan Villiers mentions Learmont in several places in The Way of a Ship. It's clear that Villiers thinks highly of Learmont, and one of his comments about how to be successful sailing around the Horn is almost a direct quote from Learmont. All in all, I found it a wonderful account.

Dunno. What you want, I think, is something that's dimensionally consistent in its reaction to the environment and is reasonable to sand to give a good gluing surface for your planks.

I'd use baltic birch plywood for the bulkheads and clear white pine for the hull planking and most everything else. I once made a 17' kayak, with 1/4" strips for the hull (red cedar & white pine) covered in plexiglass, and that project has some similarities to your hull. For the strongback longitudinal I carefully chose a long, straight, clear piece of structural grade Douglas fir. The strongback was the most expensive piece of wood in the project, but it ensured the resulting boat was straight.

I was taught to use 1/2 lb cut as a wash coat and sealer. It raises the hairs so they can be lightly sanded off, and it's thin enough that you can use any topcoat over it.

I have a copy of McKee and he says 9 inches. He terms it chasing, where a sloping rabbet is cut into the top edge of the strake below the one being installed. At this point he's talking specifically about his 10' example boat. I haven't found anywhere that he gives more general guidance on chasing, though he does mention that there are other ways than a sloping rabbet to get the plank end down so it can fit into the stem or stern rabbet. I don't think I have the terminology completely figured out, but the 9" measurement is definite for his 10' boat. The McKee is a pretty neat little publication. It includes a card half-hull model of his 10' example boat.

Navy coffee, on the other hand, was for connoisseurs! We made port visits in Australia a few many years ago and a cup of the wardroom java was a must-have for visitors. (I highly recommend choosing a service where you can take your diningroom and bedroom on every trip.)

Well, there's a silver lining: I now know about Alexandros Models and have just made an order - perfect gifts for history enthusiasts!