AnobiumPunctatum

Hello,
 
the workers where busy and have already planked the deck and the walls. Today they have build the bench seat and the hood for the rudder at the stern of the upper gun deck.
 
Regards,
Siggi
 

Hello, the capstan is ready! I think I must not explain the pictures, they say all.
 
Regards,
Siggi
 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello, the capstan is growing. But now I have to pause, I hope for only a short time. The man in the saw pit are on strike. That means my circular saw needs repair. But here the newest pictures. The paint is't already dry, so new they are
 
Regards,
Siggi
 

 

 

 

 
 

Okay, I just had to take photos in better light. Here she's set on the kitchen floor just inside our glass doors, with snow-softened light streaming in.
 

 

 
I like the lighter walnut stain on the gunwales, backrest, & knees setting off the darker cherry stain on the rest of the hull.
 
I have successfully resisted the urge to try treenailing anything, as tempting as it is seeing the gorgeous results of others. My goal going in was to built the kit "out of box" with nothing added, and I have largely stuck to that. Perhaps the next project I will go down that particular rabbit hole.

Thanks all for your kind comments.
 
Nick, with diluted tung oil (applied sparingly ) it has no sheen and thats what I meant with dead flat. I have the mixture in a small jar and it will keep for at least 2 years, that is how long I kept is. Glue won't stick to well if the wood has been treated with tungoil or any other oil or wax based finish. So you'd better think ahead before applying it. 
 
The fore mast step, this is a nice little 3D jig saw puzzle. I realised I had to reposition the two deck beams that incorporate the mast step to properly align with the mast. No big deal but I felt pretty dumb when I noticed my mistake. Most straight forward cuts were made on the table saw that acted as router. The rest was cut with a chisel.
 

 

 

 
Remco

Really nice progress. I like the color of your stain

Well on the 13th month anniversary of the start of the build the final full frame has been installed.
 
Ben

Garboard
 
Thank you Nils. Small update after long break.
 
For the start of clinker type planking of port side, the garbord strakes were attached along the keel. Rabbet was scored at the upper side of strake to receive the plank strake above.
 
Cheers, Lee

Topmast Ratlines
 
Nothing real different here, just more ratlines. At this stage I only have most of the ratlines on the main topmast left to do.
 
Here are the foremast ones :
 

 
And the mizzen topmast :
 

 
  Danny

Progress!
 

 
Facing the dreaded spreading-hull syndrome, I decided to tackle the issue head-on. With carpentry clamps. Using the thwarts as a guide, I set up two clamps and gradually tightened them until the thwarts fit snugly. Some minor hull popping and creaking made me nervous, but she's a strong little boat. With the clamps stable, I glued in all but the aft two thwarts (to leave room for building the quarterdeck).
 
Part of this process, though not shown, was aligning two thwarts properly with the mast steps. I inserted the dowels, held them straight with a square set onto the floor, and adjusted the thwarts as needed. The slow set time of carpenter's glue allowed this to work properly. 
 

 
My gamble was correct; when the clamps were removed, the thwarts held the hull in shape. Test-fitting the gunwales proved that the original kit design is accurate; when the thwarts fit snugly, the gunwales will as well. So I glued them on, using the thick-rod-and-rubber-band method I stole from someone else (I have read so many Bounty Launch logs that I cannot keep them straight anymore).
 

 
On to the quarterdeck. I spent an afternoon reading about 8 build logs to develop my plan of attack for this, and decided to build the deck on the plans before installation. Here I stole an idea from my model railroading  background, and laid a wide strip of masking tape face up, securing it with two other strips at each end. Then I laid the rough-cut cherry frames across the tape, which holds them in place for further assembly. The tape is translucent enough to allow for tracing appropriates lines to ensure accuracy.
 
At right you see the assembled deck, with hatch cut out. I left the frames long intentionally, and slowly cut them down as needed, with a lot of test-fitting, until the deck seated properly into the hull. I used a neat little tool for notching the hatch-planks (the plan shows it done this way, though some logs have used three full planks), also from my model-railroading background:
 

 
There it is on the left; the Nibbler. It takes perfectly square chunks out of strip wood, and is invaluable for cutting precise window/door holes in buildings and other projects. This is how I did all the windows on my steamboat. On the right is another excellent tool, the Chopper. It makes perfect 90 degree cuts of stock, with frames that let you set repeatable lengths. I use this for all manner of projects, and it is perfect for decking like this.
 

 
And here is the current status. The hull is effectively done, save one last sanding and perhaps one more coat of stain. Two insets show changes I made. On top, I made new quarterknees because the kit's did not fit properly with the angles my hull ended up with. They were too short, and the aft angle was wrong. So I traced and carved new ones. The stained piece is from the kit, the unstained my own replacement, cut from the same stock as the original.
 
The other inset shows my hatch-rope, an idea shamelessly stolen from CaptainSteve. His used a tighter loop; Bligh would probably trip over mine. But I went with a design that I thought would be more visible, if not quite as realistic.
 
Apologies for the color balance on these. Outdoors we are getting a mix of rain, snow, and other in-between mess that makes the indoor light rather dim and harsh. One of these days I will take this outside for some better photos.
 
I had intended to build this without  masts, thinking it would fit better on a shelf somewhere. Fortunately, I happened to mention this to Mrs Cathead just before gluing in the thwarts, and she made it known that masts would be a good thing. So I took the extra time to align the thwarts and mast steps, which I would otherwise have not bothered to do. So very soon I will begin shaping masts and oars, and starting to feel sad that this wonderful project is now closer to its end than its beginning.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 107 – Lower Hull Work
 
I finally finished the hull planking this week and got some other tasks well along.  The first picture shows the full extent of the planking on the port side – as yet unpainted..
 

 
The deck is still masked for painting the white inside bulwarks.  That work is now also finished and the installation of the painted waterways can proceed.
 
The next picture shows some of the seemingly endless task of treenailing the planking.
 

 
This work, too, is now complete on both sides of the hull.  The picture also shows work on the rudder gudgeons.  These were made by first silver soldering a tube into a groove in a sheet of .032” brass.  The rough gudgeons were then ripped off on the circular saw as shown below.
 

 
The .032” brass – about 2 ½” at 1:72 – is too thick for the straps, but allowed the thick area at the hinge to be shaped.  The 6” wide straps were then bent and filed back to about 1” thick.  The next picture shows the bottom four installed using small brass nails.
 

 
The 16” aft face or the stern post is notched to receive the 6” wide gudgeons.  These were aligned when being fitted by a stiff, straight rod through the holes.  The end of the rod will mark the final center of the round helm opening – which must be on the hinge centerline.
 
The next picture shows the gudgeons on the starboard side. 
 

 
The top one will be installed after this side is painted.  Some of the lowest rows of “yellow metal” sheathing have been installed around the gudgeon.  This will be the only gudgeon requiring this, since this is the lowest of the planking at the stern.  The top of sheathing line – parallel and slightly above the load waterline - can be seen in this picture.  There will be several rows of sheathing.  The top row will be on the straight, horizontal sheathing line.  The strakes below will follow the planking shear and “gore” into this top strake. 
 
The brass plates were cut from .002” brass.  The nailing pattern was embossed into the plates used an embossing device.  The picture below shows the nail pattern being drilled in a wood block to make this.
 

 
The thickness of the block was sized carefully to allow small steel nails to be inserted from the underside.  The tips protrude just enough to impart the pattern when stamped as shown below.
 

 
Stamping these plates is almost as thrilling as treenailing.  Fortunately there are only about a half-dozen rows. A close up of the first few stamped plates is shown in the last photo.
 

 
After the pine stamping block “breaks in” the dimples become more regular.  These are like little cheese graters.  They are fastened with contact cement – another enjoyable task.  After making and installing 3700 of these my Victory model, I swore I wouldn’t do this again – but that was in 1978.
  
Ed

It's a shame, that you planked the hull on both sides. So nobody will see your really nice frameing job.
Wonderful build

The color of the stain you used, is looking really nice.
Sorry to read about your problems with the hull shape. I hope you can solve the problem

The bearding line was drawn on the fore edge of the rudder and cut in with a chisel.  The advantage of the 4-part rudder blade is apparent here.  The junction between the port and starboard halves of the rudder make an easily followed line.  The width of the bearding is narrower at the bottom and gradually increases towards the top of the rudder.  The bearding stops below the mortise for the tiller.
 

 

 
The rudder was positioned and the locations for the gudgeons were marked out.  The recesses for the pintles were drawn and then cut out, leaving a little extra wood for final positioning later.
 

 

 
The width of the rudder is the same thickness as the stern post and tapers top to bottom.  I took measurements off the sternpost and drew them into the pintle recesses for easy reference.  The taper was sanded.  I had taken the sole plate off earlier but have temporarily replaced it so one can see the amount of wood removed.
 
Next comes cutting the mortise for the tiller and then the dreaded metalwork.
 

Well, the advice squad has saved the day. I did spend Friday outdoors with a chainsaw and tractor mower, but never did I intend to resign the launch to such implements. 
 

 
Using full-strength wood glue, smeared on hull joints and sanded down, worked charmingly. Embarrassingly well, given my reluctance to follow such advice earlier. Mea culpa, as Bligh would (not) say. Above you see three views of the hull after three more rounds of sanding, staining, and gap filling. It is better. It is still too damaged and streaky for my liking, but the gaps are solid and the color is better. Acceptable, and I have moved on, already looking forward to doing it properly on my next build.
 
I also want to point out the swiveling work stand which I purchased from Model Expo, and absolutely adore for this work. With the bolts tightened down, it holds any position desired and makes fiddly work much more pleasant. I have used it on previous builds but want to give it full credit here as a marvelous piece of equipment. Note the piece of felt stuffed in the vice grip to protect the hull/keel surface.
 
I did find one annoyance. For forming and gluing in the thwart risers, I used the same style of metal clamp shown in the instruction, as they are the only ones that can reach that far in AND are strong enough (clothespins, even reversed ones, did not hold). However, these clamps left noticeable dents in my otherwise finished hull. I have not yet attempted to sand them out, but it may be necessary. This was bothersome to say the least. I could not have inserted a protective spacer as the jaws do not spread that far.
 

 
On to the next stage. Thwart risers and such are attached, and I have begun on the main floor. Careful notching was required to get plank 2 around the main-mast step. I also felt the need to install two small pieces of scrap cherry framing at the bow end of plank 2 (both sides) to support the tip, as it was otherwise hanging in mid-air. The bright piece of wood you see at left is just a temporary spacer holding the unglued plank 2 away from the rest, so the notch and support can be seen (the hull is tiled at 90 degrees in this photo for best light).
 

 
The finished floor.  I felt that a few of these pieces did not match up well, and attempted to shape them with mixed success. Some really wanted to flex out of position. I used CA to install these quickly, as no clamp can reach in here and I would be at this all week with wood glue. The instructions call for thin wood spacers, but I was afraid these would glue themselves in, so used pins gently inserted into the hull instead. Worked wonderfully.
 

 
On to the next dilemma. Upon test-fitting the thwarts, I discovered that the hull seems to have formed wider than desired, I assume due to pressure from the ribs spreading outward. In the photo above, every thwart is inserted fully to starboard, and you can see that toward the middle the hull is progressively too wide for them.
 
I assume that I will need to warp the hull back into shape for the gunwales anyway, and am considering gluing in all the thwarts on one side first, then somehow squeezing the hull into shape before gluing the other side to hold it all in shape. 
 
The consideration here is that doing so means installing the quarterdeck beneath the glued-in thwarts. I am afraid that installing that floor first, as called for in the instructions, will make the hull too rigid to flex back into shape. 
 
I remember reading someone's launch log talking about forming the hull back into shape, but cannot find it.
 
As you can see, I am not trying for the ultra-realistic weathered look, more of the slightly model-like "pretty" look. So far it is fitting reasonably with my goals for the project.

...

Yepp, that's what I mean.

Christian,
I cover the entire model strips. I do not like "unfinished" models.
 
 
Regards, Paul

It's a shame, that you planked the hull on both sides. So nobody will see your really nice frameing job.
Wonderful build

It's a shame, that you planked the hull on both sides. So nobody will see your really nice frameing job.
Wonderful build

Hello Johann.
I think the pictures speak for themselves.
Karl 

Aldo,
 
I've a question to the position of your bulkheads. Why don't you use the station lines of the original drawing? You get the hull form from the body plan and can direct start with your build?

Continuation.
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
The beginning of the relationship is available at this address:
 
 
http://5500.forumact...ndre-1-24#66516
 
 
 
Regards, Paul

Finally, I cut the rabbet into the keel.
I cut it as a symmetrical groove, since the pictures I've been looking at all seemed to be configured so. But, while testing it with my trusty 1/16" scrap plank, I sensed that the rabbet should not be symmetrical. The plank edges should lay in the rabbet.
Here's the rabbet:
 
My tester:
 
Copied the stem tapering pattern onto some 90# card stock.
 
I also started fitting the molds. They're loose right now.
 
Looking at the transom board, what were they thinking when they lasered the label onto it? I think I'm going to thin it and lay some nice boards over it.
 
Lessons learned: Keep the cutting edges sharp. I love the nice, thin slice that sharp #17 blade can make for cutting rabbets.
More light in that dungeon of a work space - actually a corner of my utility room. These old eyes aren't Hawkeye anymore.
 
Thanks for stopping by.

CaptainSteve made this suggestion, too, earlier on, and I stubbornly continued on my set way. This was a filler I have used before, but never with a stain (I weathered previous models with pastels). "Hark! A lamentation is aroused, for I should have put ear to that which CaptainSteve hath recommendeth" likely is, or should be, a mantra of newer modelers.
 
Here is my concern at this point. It seems to me that any filler I attempt now, either of the two methods suggested above, will result in needing to re-sand, re-stain, and re-sand again the entire hull, because it will inevitably produce changes to the areas near the gaps. I think I am being lazy, but this thought does not appeal to me.
 
Finally, how does one keep the filler from squirting through the other side and being visible within the hull where it is quite hard to get at? My previous builds have been solid hulls where this did not matter, but the few cases where it happened in this open boat were most annoying to get rid of.
 
Vielen dank, Christian. Ich hoffe, Sie genießen dieses Modell.