Bobdog

On 1/13/2019 at 4:27 AM, lowsodiumsailor said:

The blocks that fit to the bottom of the stern gallery needed a lot of material removed so I marked it up carefully and took it to the belt sander. First power tool use in the build. It also worked better because the outer face could remain parallel to the keel by laying the block flat and pushing it into the belt. The shape can be fine tuned later, but it's nice to have a consistent starting point on both sides. 

Found out why I should have waited to glue the bulkheads! The metal pieces that supposedly line up to form the ports for the cannons on the gun deck, don't line up. Maybe waiting to glue wouldn't have solved this problem, though. I'm checking where the first plank is supposed to go and then looking 5mm away for where the tops of the gun ports are supposed to line up and nope! I should have realized something was wrong when the CA was working well to secure the ports to the bulkheads. Checking my pictures of the ship shows that not all the cannons are pointing straight out 90 degrees from the keel. Spacing of the ports also seemed a little off so I did a little research/measurement/scale project. Yeah, the kit is wrong. Short burst of foul language. Tore out the metal ports. Moving on. Glad that my epoxy tubes were dried up so I didn't have the opportunity to follow Y.T.'s advice for metal to wood connection. This model business is like chess. You have to have thought many steps ahead and checked for problems before actually committing. I think I'm going to be test fitting a minimum of three steps ahead before I reach for the glue again. 

 

I have watched every video about planking I can find. I went through three planks making kindling before finding another Mamoli build on this site who talked about how to deal with the old wood in his kit. Took a look at the pinch tools to bend planks dry, and had one of those scary thoughts. I went to the shed and found this one pruning shear that was a blade/anvil design. Tried to cut one of my newly created kindling with the pruning shears and couldn't do it one-handed with the rusty and dull tool. It sure bent the wood nicely though! One less thing to order from Amazon... I'm expecting an Olfa thin kerf saw and a box of 144 emery boards for all those places that are hard to get to and need modification.

I've been playing with how the planks bend around the shape of the hull and getting the bends right. Next is to plan out the shapes of the planks. When I make the planks, I'll probably number them P1 through S20 (or whatever the count turns out to be.) Then I can mark them up and get them close to shape before starting any real assembly. Still haven't figured out what method I'll be using for the clamping. Think part of my clamping problem might be my unfamiliarity with getting the wood to conform to the curves. I may also need to adjust the bevels on the bulkheads. I'm not sure the angles are correct. Any and all comments on shape, technique, etc. greatly appreciated. 

 

After thinking more about the gun ports... I'm thinking to take some 2mm x 12mm (guestimate for problem solving) thick wood strips and make a long piece of square tubing that can be mitred into the shapes needed to make the gun ports. I would have to make about 60cm of tube to have enough including the learning process. At least the Olfa saw should reduce the waste with its tiny kerf. The cannons will still need a backstop to get pushed into. Have to figure out the depth for each port independently. Oh, there's another layer of planking, and sanding. Depth needs to be something that can be adjusted. Little wood plugs can be fitted and glued in using the cannons as a handle. Maybe thread the end of the cannon and the wood plug and make them robust. A dab of glue and threaded connection would be strong enough to resist damage if the cannon got bumped. Not sure if I want to leave the cannons blacked like they are or apply the correct paint. I think they look good the way they are, but paint is accurate. Maybe it's the gunsmith in me that likes the shiny metal. 

 

Well, it seems like I have some square wood tubing to fabri-cobble. 

Hello. I need some help please. I purchased this kit from Ebay as an open box. Looks complete except for one big issue. It is missing page 1 & 2 of the instruction manual. Can anyone assist me with a copy or does anyone know how to get a pdf? It's a good quality kit that I would like to keep. It is the same kit that is pictured here. Mamoli 1/93. Appreciate any help!