gulfmedic1

I have finished planking the starboard side up to the sheer.   I will start on the port side this weekend.   As you can see now, the wales and black strake are much darker than the wood above it.  That was done on purpose so I could easily identify the wales when I add the second layer.  Having said that,  the Alaskan Yellow cedar is really nice stuff for working this large.  I like the color and its easy to work with.  This is the largest model ship I have seen made from Yellow cedar.   This will be a great test of how versatile and useful it is for ship modeling.
 



 
Chuck
 
 

NY has a code for Piano finishes? 😵

I have been making some steady progress on the framing.  I just didnt want to bore you guys with this part of the project.  Building the skeleton and framing is not that fun to look at.  But here is the quick run down....
 
The bottom port sills were added first.  Even though you really only need them where the gun ports are, I recommend that the bottom sills are placed between every bulkhead.  It really makes everything solid.  If you cut the sill to the correct length it also squares up teh bulkheads really good.  Even the best attempts at squaring them to the false keel doesnt work.  
 

You might note that the three sections at the bow for the sills are laser cut.  That makes it much easier.

You may be tempted to measure the length off your model where the port sill is going to placed.  This is the worst thing you can do.  It is too easy to push the bulkhead one way or the other which of course forces the other side of the bulkhead in the opposite direction.  This will really screw up your gun port placement.
 
You could also measure off the plans....this is better but still not ideal.  The best place to check the length between two bulkheads is on your model BUT....up against the false keel.  This will give you the best results.  If you do this for both sides everything will be really square and symmetrical. See below.

Once done this was repeated for the upper sills or lintels.  I used a spacer the correct height to place them all easily without measuring.  I only did these where the actual ports were and a few other important locations.  These are all shown on the plans.
 

Then the port sides are added.....I have laser cut these.  There are many shapes and angles to choose from.  You still have to bevel the top and bottom where needed because they must be perfectly vertical.....just like the bulkheads.
 

I used a spacer for these too so the ports were all the same width.
 

This is what it looks like with all the port framing finished.  Pretty boring stuff.  I am about to start on the stern framing.   I should be planking before very long.  The outside was faired smooth.  I wont bother with fairing the inboard side of the bulwarks yet.  Its better to wait until after the hull is planked above the wales for that.  Although I will probably rough chisel some heavy stuff away a little at time inboard when the mood strikes me.
 


 
 
 

I ship almost anywhere in the world.   Except for China, LOL

One of the things I don’t miss is tracing wires in Automatic Torpedo Test Sets. There is miles of white wire thrown into a rats nest. Fun fun fun.

Chuck,  I think the reason for why the other "guys" don't flip to fit parts is that they never thought of it, or somehow tied into time and money.... not sure.
 
On the laser rebuild... do it one step at a time and test/re-test before the next bit.  I'd do the power supply first, the mirrors and then the tube.  Take photos of the wiring and check then check again that the wiring matches.  I found that if I aligned mirrors as I changed them out (one at a time) when I did the tube, there was minimal fiddling.  It's a PITA to be sure but taking time, going slow and douible even triple checking pays off.
 
Oh... don't try to splice the high voltage led (red) to the tube.  If you must connect... solder the leads and lots of heat shrink insulation.  Try to do that part in a place in the chassis where the joint is well away from any metal.    Don't ask how I know... it still pains me to remember.

Here is a very accurate photo on a neutral background to showcase the yellow cedar stem.  This should give you a really good idea of the grain (lack of) and texture of the wood.  It does not darken along the end grain.  Laser char is at a minimum and this has just a light coat of wipe on poly.  After a few months the color will deepen to nice amber color but it holds a really crisp edge and sands great.  Its a soft wood but finished nothing like a soft wood.  It finishes like a hard wood similar to boxwood in my opinion.  But at a 40% or so discount.
 


 
Chuck

Well Michael, Now you bring me some embarrassment. My soldering station is not a technical masterpiece, but it is a self fabricated apparatus.

When I started to make ship models, I did not succeed in soldering well. Some years ago we had a demonstration in our modeling club about resistance soldering and seeing that, I had my eureka moment. That was the soldering method that I needed! The fellow who demonstrated had a commercial built soldering station that was quite expensive and it was not available for purchase in Belgium but he said that it could be built relatively easy by yourself. So I started to search on the internet. My technical English is not sufficient to explain the resistance soldering technique in an intelligent way so I refer to this website for more information: Resistance soldering
To build my station, I used following diagrams (source: Cooltrain.be):

For a techno-illiterate like me even the above diagram is a mystery, so I used the scheme for dummies (source: Cooltrain.be) below:

It gave me the necessary information to buy and search all the needed components and to fabricate my soldering station.
That is like it looks inside.

Now I am able to solder as well. But I am still far from making a navigation light like you are doing for your skipjack.
The main advantage of resistance soldering is that there is a intense heat produced in a fraction of time at the carbon point of the soldering pin. It allows to solder in the close vicinity of other soldered parts without melting those other parts loose.

Here she is, at least one of the three. In winter they prefer the warmth of the central heating in the living room above my cool workshop.

so I watched the different videos and wow I had no Idea what it took to make this vessel move

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Here is a link to a Facebook page with tons of pictures and artwork of Tall Ships: All Things Tall Ships | Facebook

Thanks Nils. I use a 'Royal and Langnickel 1/8" Dagger brush'  see pic.
jim 

Thanks for commenting Allan. Here's three more .
1 pursuit
2. Self Maintainence 
3. Age of Enlightenment
 

Where are Chucks videos on MSW?

Thanks Allan and everyone 

Thank you all very much 

I do like the time line 1700 to 1800

Here's the online link for the 1780 edition.  :  https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20110215215247/http://southseas.nla.gov.au/refs/falc/contents.html

For planking?  Go up to the top of page and click on "more".   In the drop down, you'll see "planking tutorials".  Chuck's are in there there.

WOOD COFFEE STIR STICKS
 
These come in 5.5" and 7.5" and are 1/16" thick.  You can get some at your local coffee shop, or purchase a few thousand on eBay for less than $20.  
 
These are made of birch, very pliable and hold a corner very well.
 
When I build my 18th century long boat, I will replace the basswood planking with coffee stir sticks.  

If you would like a pure reference volume, nothing beats Falconer's Dictionary of the Marine, 1815 edition.
 
Regards,
 

Thanks Allan and everyone 

If you're looking for something accessible that will give you a decent overview of the evolution of wooden ship design over time, I strongly recommend "The Evolution of the Wooden Ship" by Basil Greenhill. It's a simply and clearly written work heavily illustrated with really nice drawings, that reads more like a narrative than a reference work. I think it'd be particularly well-suited for beginners. Many of the reference works out there that experienced modelers use can be pretty difficult for those newer to the subject. I think it helped me more than anything else I've read to really understand the geometry and evolution of ship design. It mostly focuses on hulls, less so on rigging, so you'll have to look elsewhere for that.
 
Also, in terms of books on modeling, I'd be cautious about using older books. There are many old staples that are good in their way, but are also pretty out of date with respect to modern materials, methods, and kit design. Honestly I think there's better and more accessible information online than in most books, and I say that despite being the son of a librarian and a confirmed book lover.

Thanks Allan and everyone