DanielD

Slow steady progress...

More starboard detail...needs a little paint touch up, but making slow progress.

The Lazy Saint, thank you for your kind words.

More work on the life boat and the decorations on the starboard side if the ship. It’s tedious slow work...

More work on railings.

Starting the railing project. This is harder then I thought it would be, such tiny pieces. Time to make a jig to make the railing pieces more consistent in size...

New rudder manufactured and brass fittings set. More work than I expected. Continuing to build skill set, so worth it.

More detail work.

Finally sealed the hull with a clear coat. Time to start the detail work.

Thanks Patrick, I'll see if I can scrounge up some wood and make a new rudder to fit. Good catch on the grain of the wood being the wrong direction...

Hey everyone, quick question. During the process of planking my ship, I have a couple of SMALL areas that I would like to fill. I don't plan on painting my hull, leaving it the nice rich color of the planking, but will be applying a satin varnish to protect the wood. First, is it even worth trying to fill the gaps, one is maybe 1/32" wide about 2" long and the other is maybe 1/16" by 1/8" "hole." If I should fill the gaps, what is the best way to achieve the color of the planking? I have read some threads that suggest making some fine sawdust from the scrap planking and mixing it with white/clear glue while others use commercial filler. I'm just not sure it's worth it as I could mess up what I have... If I use the glue method, how does one make this glue mixture to fill the gap? One thread I read was to put glue in the gap then lightly sand over area, the glue will attract the sawdust particles. My problem with this is that my gaps are so small, how do i get the glue in the gap without messing up the planking nearby? So much to learn....

Now that I more or less have the planking finished, I am looking on to the next few steps to have it in my mind what I will be working on. I think I have run into my first issue with this kit. It seems that the rudder does not fit while all the other parts so far have been right on. Also, and I'm sorry I don't know the correct terminology for this part, but a loop shaped piece of wood that goes around the rudder and should go through the hole in the stern of the ship which would when moved, would control the rudder. Anyway, placing the loop over the rudder as far down as it will go, and it is no where close to the hole that was prefabbed into the stern bulkhead. This is my first wood model kit...does this kind of think happen often?

New Year’s Day planking...I have som more sanding to do, but I’ll finish up a few things first. For my first wood ship, I’m happy with how it’s going.

Thanks Ondras71, I have been reading several items on the planking, one thing consistent has been that the plank should lay in its natural course which is what I have attempted to do. I initially tried to follow the line you suggested, but I had to bend the plank which caused a pucker in the boards. To avoid the "pucker" I just glued the planks down flat in their natural course. I'll keep working on it. I'ts my first wood model and i'm happy with how it has turned out so far. I'm sure as I do several of these over the years, i'll get better.

The final layer of planking continues...sadly I’m having trouble planking the bottom half of the hull.

More work on the final layer of planking. One thing for sure, planking is a long tedious process.

It’s taken the better part of a week, but the first layer of planking is finished. A litter more sanding, then on to the next step.

More first layer hull planking finished, both sides from gun ports up. I have a couple of questions: 1) how smooth do I need to sand this first layer of planking? I know I still have sanding to do, but is the goal to get rid of the lines between the planks, i.e. make very smooth? Or are plank lines okay to leave in? 2) Should I fill the gaps between the planks with wood filler? How big of a gap is okay to leave, i.e. the barely visible gap between tightly fitting planks? Or a gap of a 1/32 or more? If so, what is a good brand of wood filler for models? Sorry for all the questions, just things i'm thinking about but have not been able to find similar questions from other members. Thanks in advance for any replies, Daniel

This is my first attempt at hull planking. So far I’m pleased with the outcome. This of course is the first layer with a thin final veneer planking yet to go.

It’s taken a few days, but I have completed the decks. I made individual planks, definitely hard, but I think worth the effort.

I decided to make individual deck planks using small holes from a template to simulate the nails. The kit came with period color paints which I thinned down to a stain. So far I’m happy with the results.

In this update, I finished fitting the bulkheads and dry fit the related decks to make sure the bulkheads fit and are square to the keel. Bulkheads are now glued in place and started sanding the ribs and support structures to form the shape of the bow. I have a couple of questions as i'm getting ready to plank the decks. The plans call for using a pencil to darken the seams and draw plank ends every 60mm. I plan to use a pencil to color the edges of the planks before gluing to the sub-deck as many of you do, and I like the effect that leads to. I guess my question is should I make individual planks so that I can color the ends before gluing them down or is this too much of a hassle? If I make individual planks, what is the likelihood that a plank may come loose or one end curl up in the future or is this really not an issue? I want to be (reasonably) accurate, but is it worth the extra work, or should I stick with the plans, lay a continuous plank the entire length of the deck, then draw in the plank ends? Another question about stains. The plans call for a water based walnut stain to be used on the deck and eventually the hull planking. I've not used stains in wood models before, does it react similar to staining molding for your house? Meaning, the longer you leave the stain on, the darker the wood? Can you even wipe off the stain or does it soak into the soft wood very fast? Is there a good technique to apply the stain? So many questions. I will browse around the other builders logs for ideas... Any guidance appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Hello friends, this will be my first wooden model ship, the Golden Hind by OcCre in 1:85 Scale. I have no real experience with wood models; however, my first impression of this kit has been positive. The laser cut pieces have been easy to identify and cut out of the sheets. Shown below is a dry fit of the basic hull that I assembled last night. A little more fitting and some decking to make sure the rib alignment is correct, and i'll glue things in place. Questions I have should anyone like to comment: What is the best product to use to glue down deck planking? (I'm located in U.S.) What is the best product to use to glue the ribs to the keel? Any help is very much appreciated!