grsjax

IMHO One cannot solder aluminum. As a matter of fact I have some jigs made of aluminum used to fabricated model railroad track components. Aluminum is used specifically because it rejects solder. I would stick to all brass components for good results.
 

Work Area
 

 
So this is where the magic happens. Not that anyone really cares but I think it's fun to see peoples work space. This is a spare room that I use for my work office, off to the right side, past the tool box, I have my Apple work area setup as I work from home. But I am probably going to finally move on from Apple after 10 years and if I do, that space is claimed! So I can grow my ship modeling space.
Over on the left I am going to put my airbrush station that is currently in another room. I can exhaust it out that window you see there so that's pretty handy. I have a station I built from the same countertop you see in the picture that I am using for my workbench. It's a 3 foot wide section on top of an actual kitchen cabinet so the air compressor can be stored underneath. Then I have a painting booth on the counter top. I can place that to the other side of that window you see in the picture and still have plenty of room at my work bench.
 
Only thing I really need to do is get a hanging fluorescent light up over my work bench to provide more even lighting than the two lights have currently have on the right and left. There is an overhead room light but it just does not give great coverage.

Marie Jeanne Tuna Fishing Boat
Artesania Latina Kit Scale 1:50
 

 
This is my very first wooden ship model build. I have built plastic models in the past but never a wooden model or a ship. Most of my experience is with plastic aircraft and armor. I know there are easier and probably better starter builds, however, after purchasing this kit and the Artesania Latina Providence Whaling Boat kit, and looking through the instructions, I felt I could tackle this level of complexity. And this boat definitely interest me more and catches my eye. So then, this will be my first build and hence, my first build log 
 
I have started the build and have photos of my progress and will be adding them shortly. Thanks for taking the time to take a look and please, if you see anything that you would like to comment on or give feedback/constructive criticism on or tips and tricks, go right ahead. I will gladly accept it.

Hi Alleycat
Thanks for posting the website.  I checked out a lot of the photos on the Model Shipyard.  As you say, they CLAIM to be historically accurate, but 5 minutes study of the photos will show their work to be miles short of being accurate on both the Agamemnon and Admiralty style models that they show.    
 
Glenn gives very good advice regarding taking a hard look at Vanguard and Syren.  I would add the Antscherl series of models at Model Shipways for beginner through intermediate.  
 
Allan
 

Gosh , I wish that I had known before I started all  the things that I have learned since. The Dumas Kit provides plans and some wood which is good  for a  pond sailboat. But to make it into a replica of a boat built in the 60's takes some doing.
For one I would make the frames out of bass wood instead of the oversize balsa provided. I cut out a lot of the balsa frames but would have liked to do more. The cockpit trim called for on the plans is not correct and is going to take a lot of work to make and fit although I was able to utiilze  the mahogany from the kit. 
I decided to cut the centerboard slot in the bottom plank before gluing it on. From here on I will have to use research to go forward with cockpit trim , mast step, chainplates, and rigging. This will take happy time.

Not trying to hijack the thread but I was just wondering when internally stropped blocks came into use.

Wish we were a little closer to discuss face to face.  We're over in Wailea this week,  but checking in on MSW for the important stuff 😀   As to internally stropped blocks I need to look at my books when we get back home but I know they were common by the late 19th century so probably quite some time earlier.  I am sure there are members here with some contemporary based information.  I hope so, as I am curious about this as well!!  
Allan

Not trying to hijack the thread but I was just wondering when internally stropped blocks came into use.

Check the sponsors listed on the right side of the home page of this site.  Some good sources there.

That is why I think the part is just turned around.  Model Shipways doesn't have spaceshuttle tolerances, but they are pretty good.  This large of a discrepancy doesn't make sense.  This is a popular model and I think this large of a discrepancy would have been noted before. 
 
    As previously mentioned, I have had this problem in the past and resolved it by flipping the part or moving it further along the curve.
 
   

Hi all.
Comments please...
Thx

 

You can also slide one of these thick razor-blades with reinforced back between the wood and the paper. That helps to peel it off, even when it has been on longer.

I print on label paper so I have no need to glue the drawing onto wood.  Just peel of the backing and stick on the wood.  Paper that is wet with glue can stretch and kink at times whereas label paper is much easier to work.
Allan

From what I have seen they are outstanding kits.

The ribs are well made but fiddly. The material is 1mm cherry plywood of good quality.
 

 

 
There are etched lines on one face of the first two ribs as an aid to fairing.
 

 
 
Rib number three also needs a small amount of fairing but marks are not needed. I suggest anyone who is considering building this kit should read the next bit carefully; this is where the ‘three-cups-of-tea plan’ kicks in.
Since the successful fairing of the first three ribs would be the trickiest part of the build, and the possibility of breaking any of the other 22 delicate ribs was equally intimidating, I was happy to see a way to [A] reduce the risk of breaking ribs and [B] repair any damaged ribs easily.
The trick only works if you do one rib at a time, start to finish, no exceptions. Even though the first two are the ones needing the most fairing, I followed the same process for them all and it paid off as you will see.
This is what I settled on: Leave all ribs on the fret and, starting with the first rib at the front end, cut away only the redundant piece of wood that fills the inside of the rib. Set aside the piece you just removed. See photo and leave the rest of the fret untouched. It is important to keep all the pieces of the frets which would normally be considered waste and thrown in the bin. They are used to make jigs to retain the correct shape of any broken ribs while glue dries.
 

 
Carefully hold the entire fret with the chosen rib still in place. You now have access to the inside of the rib to remove char while it is still attached to, and supported by, the main piece of the fret.
 

 
Once that inside char is removed you cut the tabs that hold the rib. Set aside the fret without doing anything more to it. If anything breaks (like mine did), return the rib to the perfectly shaped space on the fret you took it from and you can make repairs there (see example later in post). The fairing of the first ribs makes repairs highly likely. I needed to make repairs to ribs using this ‘jig’ method a total of three times and it worked each time.
To do any fairing or further removal of char on the rib requires supporting the piece. I placed the rib on the flat face of the steel parallel as shown in the photo and used only downward strokes with a sanding stick.
 

 

 
It was the only safe way I found for this task. All of my breaks came from bad handling while fitting, not fairing.
The results can be satisfying; right side of photo is faired, the left still to do.
 

 
And then it broke while I was handling it.
Emergency protocol initiated: a touch of Titebond glue on the fracture; place the rib back into it’s space in the fret; when satisfied that I had recreated the original shape, I allowed it to cure overnight.
 

 
It worked. This is the repaired rib.
 

 
Photos below: after rib # 1 was faired and glued in place, I removed the now redundant section of fret that had held it in order to gain access to rib # 2. I kept the pieces that had been cut away in case of problems later on. I do not know if the designer intended builders to use this process, or for that matter if everyone else knows a better way, but this is what worked for me.
 

 

 
Things moved quickly (hooray!) as soon as I was past the third rib since no more fairing was required. Bookbinders glue was used for attaching all ribs to the keel. It has a very quick grab but gave enough time for levelling as long as long as I didn’t dither.
 

 

 
I continued with the same method of cleaning the inside of the rib before removing it from the fret. Then cleaning the outer edge was mostly done by supporting the rib on my finger and rubbing 120 grit sandpaper along the length of the rib, never across the rib.
All ribs sat nicely in their slots in the keel, it was easy to level them up and the building cradle proved to be true and effective.
The interior will be finished in red. The safest way to colour the ribs without getting paint on the narrow edges where the planking will be glued was … don’t use paint!
Tests showed that a red water-based ink marker (Tombow ABT number 847) looks right on both the planking veneer and the rib ply. I left the option open of using acrylic paint on the inside of the planking after assembly and found a good match. I will decide later.
 

 
A word of caution, however: the plywood turned a bit ‘wooly’ when the water-based ink was first applied. After it dried the effect disappeared and the ply seemed as strong as before. I coloured the ribs with the minimum needed to get a uniform finish and left them to sit for a day.
Progress:
 

 

 
Then the ‘ouch’ moment. Perhaps I became complacent after my earlier success. Somehow I snagged the last rib (number 25, at the stern) after it was firmly in place and it snapped. A touch of IPA released the rib and it was repaired in the ‘fret-jig’ (there’s a new word).
 

 

 
It was then returned to the keel with no damage evident. Apparently the ply did not suffer any ill effects from the water-based ink.
 

 
Planking is next.
 
 
 
 
 
 

I have had a fair-a-frame for several years and have used it with no problems.  It is cheaply made but if you take care to assemble it with everything fair it works ok.  Only problem I have had is that it isn't long enough for some models.
The comments about building your own fair-a-frame tool are good ones.  It isn't complicated and you can make it anyway you want.

With a little modification, this will do exactly what it is designed to, that is hold the keel and allow you to square the bulkheads. I modified mine at no additional cost, just used some scrap pieces to hold the clamps tight to the base board. 

I like to use Lego blocks when gluing up frames.  They are perfect right angles, can be assembled into jigs of various configurations, have good surfaces for clamping, and are resistant to wood glue.  For my current model, I glued 28 frames to a false keel, starting at the bow and working toward the stern, one at a time, moving the Lego jig along as I went. Works well for me.
 
james
Maine
 

Stick glue works well.

I use rubber cement.  Just don't leave it on the wood for more than a week or so. 

Check the sponsors listed on the right side of the home page of this site.  Some good sources there.

For me personally.....its a matter of why plank it twice if you could do it properly with the first layer.   As a MFG and designer it has nothing to do with cost.   At least for me.  It has more to do with the usual audience of folks who buy my kits.   Single planked kits are targeted to more experienced builders who know how to plank.   Once you learn how to properly plank a hull, why in the world would any builder want to be forced by the design of a kit to plank it a second time.   So I would say that neither single or double planked POB kits are better than the other.   I would instead say that they are directed toward different groups within the hobby.  One is for those more experienced with planking.
 
BUT... depending on the design....any single planked kit can be planked a second time if that is what the builder wants to do.  I would however state that they should think about the thickness of those planks or even possibly sanding more off the bulkheads to compensate for the additional layer.  But again...if you are comfortable with your planking as a more skilled builder there is no reason to do it.
 
Any POF kit of course would never be double planked and the same is true for smaller open boats like the Medway Longboat which just wouldnt work.
 
 
Chuck

The Dusek Knarr in 1:35 scale would make a good basis for the boat in the painting.  At a larger scale like 1:12 it would be about the right dimensions and it could be modified to fit the image.  Dumas makes some 1:24 kits of ChrisCraft boats.

The Dusek Knarr in 1:35 scale would make a good basis for the boat in the painting.  At a larger scale like 1:12 it would be about the right dimensions and it could be modified to fit the image.  Dumas makes some 1:24 kits of ChrisCraft boats.

Many Thanks to JanHope for sending me the instructions and parts list.