BANYAN

Vossie,
 
There are many ways to skin the planking cat if you accept you need to spile.  My prefered method is to bevel on the upper edge of the new plank (same as Chuck I think).   I found that if I put a bevel on the lower edge of the laid plank (before fixing), that I often had to bevel the top edge of the new plank also anyway.  The top edge bevel only meant that I could get a good clean joint knowing the plank above had a good solid straight edge to butt to and some light sanding levelled any thickness difference.
 
Looking at your last photo I think you may be tapering too much (I know some of this is due to angle of the shot and angle the model is sitting, but there appears to be an upward sweep developing.  I think you are doing it the same way I did, in that I only tapered where I needed, and for me it was not from half way, but further forward or aft.  I was doing Endeavour though and she had very rounded (bluff) bows so the planks were pretty level for at least one half the length of the ship.  
 
cheers
 
Pat

That looks really good Greg.
 
cheers
 
Pat

I did think about that, and it took several hours with a piece of paper and the airbrush, but it creates a shadow effect which I'm after. I will eventually add grunge to the base of the hull, rust, grime, salt and slime lines as well for weathering so a lot to go yet to dull it down.
 
I'm loving the H&S airbrush at the moment as it's a bit of a scalpel and with the thinned paint it dries quickly and you don't lose any detail. The handrails on top of the guns did not even have their eyelets clogged which a rattle can will do.

That looks really good Greg.
 
cheers
 
Pat

Slowly but surely will get you there!
 
cheers
 
Pat

Is this PE envy I see
 
cheers
 
Pat

Nice detailing there Carl' will look really good when all is brought together.
 
cheers
Pat

Progress, Main guns primed, and a few other bits and pieces.Now to wait 24 hours and I can start preshading.

That looks really good Greg.
 
cheers
 
Pat

This morning I oversprayed the hull with a 60% diluted Raw Sienna colour to mute the preshading lines and darken the hull, which really makes the whole effect much more subtle. The ship is not in dock for a week to dry whilst I start priming other things such as the guns. 

then comes the burning question........if this is to be the first planking,  why was that so important?  you could have made up for it with the next pair of planks.       did you correct the side that seems to be sticking out?   it's good that your putting some thought into it........but it will be even more critical when the second planking starts.   as Pat mentioned......it might not be a good idea to have the plank run seams in line with one another,  due to cracking issues down the road.

Reider, I am not sure if Sharpie is still updating this log.
 
There is another log somewhere on this site that discusses the mechanisms for movement of the oars; it was very impressive - I just cannot recall the thread.  A good search of the forum may turn it up for you.
 
cheers
 
Pat

That looks pretty good Greg; with that additional work it should very realistic.
 
How did you hold up in the heat?
 
cheers
 
Pat

Vossie, I found that using rubber bands around the hull with balsa wood block wedged between band and the plank worked best.  I also put a strip of electricians tape on the block face closest to the plank to avoid any glue seepage sticking to the block.  I tried all those different clamping adaptions but found this to be the easiest to use and proved quite effective.  The thicker rubber bands proved best and they simply stayed on the hull throughout and I simply adjusted the blocks as required.  if you get the right tension/pressure on the rubber bands the blocks keeps everything in place and yet the keel etc won't get marked.  In some places I had to use additional larger blocks to get the right pressure but the basa was dirt cheap at the local hardware store.
 
cheers
 
Pat

Vossie, I found that using rubber bands around the hull with balsa wood block wedged between band and the plank worked best.  I also put a strip of electricians tape on the block face closest to the plank to avoid any glue seepage sticking to the block.  I tried all those different clamping adaptions but found this to be the easiest to use and proved quite effective.  The thicker rubber bands proved best and they simply stayed on the hull throughout and I simply adjusted the blocks as required.  if you get the right tension/pressure on the rubber bands the blocks keeps everything in place and yet the keel etc won't get marked.  In some places I had to use additional larger blocks to get the right pressure but the basa was dirt cheap at the local hardware store.
 
cheers
 
Pat

I want one, I want one!  Very nice use of technology to make the job a little easier and achieve excellent results.
 
cheers
 
Pat

I want one, I want one!  Very nice use of technology to make the job a little easier and achieve excellent results.
 
cheers
 
Pat

That looks pretty good Greg; with that additional work it should very realistic.
 
How did you hold up in the heat?
 
cheers
 
Pat

I want one, I want one!  Very nice use of technology to make the job a little easier and achieve excellent results.
 
cheers
 
Pat

I want one, I want one!  Very nice use of technology to make the job a little easier and achieve excellent results.
 
cheers
 
Pat

I want one, I want one!  Very nice use of technology to make the job a little easier and achieve excellent results.
 
cheers
 
Pat

I want one, I want one!  Very nice use of technology to make the job a little easier and achieve excellent results.
 
cheers
 
Pat

Chris,
 
If I rig a model height will be an issue 6 feet at 1/24.
 
Tom,
 
Thank you very much, I am very happy that you appreciate the photos.
 
Carl to build an end section, Karl our german friend, is the expert in this area. When I read some builds on this forum I observe that every one has his own speciality.
 
My speciality is not the rigging,
My speciality is not end section,
I would like to say that my speciality is to build as big as I can handle in the home
1/24 for a 74, 1/12 for a frigate. Pegasus could still be a possibility. I still would have to buy plans from the Museum but I do not know the complete Epicery list.
 
Rob,
 
I think that the best ability you need to do drawings, model ships, carvings and many more is the sense of the proportions. If 1 part is out of proportion (not to scale, balance…) the carving will not look good.
 
The model your present is  very nice one, Le Soleil Royal is another very nice one as many others. But I prefer to build than to do carvings.

Thanks for the comments and the "likes".
 
Life and other things continues to take my shipyard time.....   
So.. some replies first, update next.
 
Eric,
I was tech writer for 25 years in a previous life (the one before I went into IT work)...  I still get caught on such stuff.
 
 
I did some manuals in my previous life for equipment used by the Brits.  I had to learn a whole new language for them.  I believe (and am probably wrong) that it was Winston Churchill who said "We're two countries, separated by a common language".  
 
 
After sorting out how the deck was planked by referencing other French frigates as much as I could, used the cross-section drawing as my baseline.  Licorne is definitely an oddball in this regard.  The references show the traditional planking that follows the waterway and tapers.  Some use nibbing at the bow, some use hook scarfs.  Others... nada.  Towards the stern... there's where I ran into headaches.  Some use drop planks, some don't.  Some have parquet floors in the great cabin.  Some don't.  
 
So.. decision time. I went with the spirit of the beast. No drop planks, no scarfs or nibbing at the bow,  There's two wide planks thicker than the rest at the waterway.. much like binding strakes.  Then theres 3 stakes of "normal planks", a very wide binding strake, and 5 "normal planks.  None of the works showed hook scarfs in the binding strakes like the English used.. So.. I'm going with what I have.
 
I began by doing a reference drawing (actually reworking what I had done already) with actual dimensions to account for errors in building with respect to width of the area to be planked and beam placement.  I then added tic marks along the centerline of each beam for the plankwidth starting at the 0 station line (dead flat, widest point) and scaled them to both the stern and the bow.  Next came drawing in the planks.   The cutting part was the easy part and am now installing the aft planking first.
 
The first picture shows the result of this work in the great cabin aft of the mizzen mast.  The drawings and cuttings were tweaked to account for the kerf of the laser.  Also, the planking that showing is actually the bottom side of the sheet.  Given the way the kerf is, this provided a natural beveling.  I lightly sanded the char but didn't remove all of it as a) there's little glue used on the edge of the plank and   it gives a nice (to my eye) simulation of caulking. There's also another plank laying on the beams ready for installation.
 

 
The second photo merely shows the planks cut and still held in place in the sheet stock.  These planks are from where the existing planking is to the waterway.  I left a bit of extra meat on the outside plank goes by the waterway for fitting.
 

 
I'm having a lot of fun with this once I figure out what needs to be done.  The "how" is just as important as the "what" in this case.  Frustrating at times, but very satisfying when it comes together.
 
As always, feel free to point out errors, misadventures, etc.  This is pretty much virgin territory for me...

Ok, now I've painted all the squares,
i filled in all the spaces with red, then oversprayed the hull with more red. That's the thing with red, it's soo translucent,
 
Then I highlighted all the panels with a lighter red, toning down the back preshading. It actually looks a lot better in real life as the iphone camera does notcut it.. I intend to do a filter over the top then some very light dry brushing to really highlight the panels.
 
I did not do the ribbed version as I previously explained it does not make sense.
 
Then I can move upwards to do the upper hull after I leave it for a week to dry to I can mask it safely. 
 
Then the weathering....