GGibson

A quick update on some small yet necessary stuff I finished. Worked on the pump assemblies. I recall in jim_smits' Ballahoo build log, he called this part "a bit of a faff". Admittedly, I had never heard that term before, so had to look it up. Looks like it is more of a Brit term for something that is awkward or time-consuming. Can't argue with that, Jim! Indeed, these pump assemblies were both. Think they came out ok, though. The picture has them shown in place, but I have not secured them as, like the companionway, I would most assuredly hit them with something and damage or break. So, they are being set aside until towards the completion. Also, took the time now to drill the holes and place the deck eyelets around the mast holes and along the stern. Thinking there are more eyelets to place, but I'll come across those as I move forward. Also, placed the timberheads in their spots. Really didn't see how they were going to fit well in the holes provided on the capping rails. But, thanks to both egkb and jim_smits, they assured me that, after a bit of sanding and tapering, the timberheads would come close. Yep, after all that, and a touch of CA, they feel pretty secure. And, yes, that is a piece of paper I have taped to the deck temporarily where the companionway will sit. Sure as heck, I would drop something down the hole. So, this will help if I get clumsy OK, I've put it off long enough. Time to work on the channels, deadeyes and strops. A bit unsure how I will do on them, but I will trudge forward... slowly. Actually, I am waiting on some more brass wire to be delivered the first of this week, which I will use instead of the kit-supplied strops. Lots of model shipbuilding education in my future! Appreciate the likes, comments, advice and criticisms. Enjoy your week! It's almost tomato planting time in Kansas! Gregg

A brief update - Finished with the deck planking! I believe the port side (the 2nd side I worked on) came out much better in regard to the margin planking width, the nibbing, etc. than starboard. Learned a lot in that process! After completing the planking, I sanded with 240 grit, then 320 grit, to a nice smooth texture. Place four (4) coats of satin varnish on the planks and they came out looking very nice. Moving on...! Almost had a severe casualty as I was placing the bulwark capping rail. First of al, I decided to paint the rail prior to placement, as I figured it would be much less trouble than afterwards with taping, etc. As I was gluing the starboard-side rail on up towards the bow, my finger slipped and... snap... the rail broke. Crap! Long story short (maybe too late for that), it was a fairly "clean" break and I was able to glue back together (sounds like Humpty Dumpty now, huh?). Looks pretty well sitting on top of the bulwark. I have some concerns about fitting the timberheads in the small spots provided on the rail, but both Eammon and jim_smits assured me from their past builds that, with some work, they can fit securely. Thought I would work on the companionway next. Wasn't sure quite how to approach building a secure box with such small pieces. I thought I would use my mini-miter box as a guide to assist me in making sure the sides were at 90 degrees to the top. Worked out well, actually. I also placed a small piece of square walnut at each corner for stability. It seemed to work out well. I think the one picture shows what seems to be an excess amount of glue. When I pushed the piece of walnut into the corner, it squeezed a bit of the excess out. Since it's all underneath, no harm, but it did dry fine. I decided to paint the companionway in a similar color scheme as the bulwark inner planking and the top capping rail. Was even fairly successful in adding handles, knobs and hinges. Once painted and all of the hardware was attached, I gave it a few coats of satin finish, as well. Pleased with the way that came out. So, here is how the Ballahoo is sitting now... I secured the gratings in their proper locations and glued the two (2) mast bases at their points. Although I set the companionway in its spot for this photo op, I have not yet secured it, as I thought I would be easier to work on some other deck fittings without it in the way. Same with the carronades, which I worked on a week or so ago, but will wait for placement. On to the next challenge, which will include the channels, deadeyes and strops. Oh boy... As always, appreciate all the likes, comments, criticisms and recommendations for improvement. Happy weekend to all! It's already going to be May! Gregg

Also, forgot to mention yesterday the success I am having in gluing the deck planks to the false deck, with hardly any mess or cleanup. I am sure this has been discussed in other MSW forums, which is where I probably picked it up. In order to avoid having to constantly clean decent paint brushes with glue, I purchased a bag of small inexpensive "disposable" brushes... only about 6" long, and as I recall less than $1.00/bag of 25. I place a bit of my Titebond on a piece of wax paper used as a palette, and brush on a nice thin layer of glue for the plank I am securing. Cleanup is a breeze. Progressing well on the port side deck planking. Appreciate the comments and criticisms. It's a cool yet sunny Sunday in Kansas City, so heading outside this afternoon for some yard work. Thanks... Gregg

I have completed the starboard side of the deck planking. My original intent was to dry-fit everything before I glued planks to the false decking, but as I began to cut, fit and place deck strips, and work on how I was going to do the nibbing along the margin planks, it was difficult to keep everything in place as I measured, etc., so I decided to secure the planks, from bow to stern, working from the inside out, which allowed for a bit better placement. I used 4mm wide strips from the centerline out and used 10mm wide strips for the three margin planks, cutting, nibbing, shaping and trimming them to proper widths where necessary to fit. In looking at other build logs, this appears to be pretty consistent and in line with what others did, so I feel ok with how it came out. Overall, I am satisfied with how this side of the deck planking came out. I made mirror duplicates of the three completed margin plank shapes, so hopefully the port side deck planking will go well, if not even a bit better. As always, appreciate the comments, recommendations for improvement and criticisms. I am definitely learning a ton of modeling knowledge in this 3rd build. Gregg

You've gone nuts, Bob! (You knew someone had to say it...) Looks really good!

Worked more today on the margin planking, and think I landed on the planks I am going to work with. Started with some 10mm wide strips, and cut, shaped and sanded them down to 6mm widths so they ran pretty tightly along the edge of the inner bulwarks. On the more severe curve at the bow, I am leaving the "working planks" at 10mm widths in order to give room for the nibbing. As you can probably tell, I have not glued any of this margin planking down yet. My intent is to dry-fit as much of the deck planks as I can, determining where I need to trim and nib to make it fit right and look right. Other than the two center planks that I previously discussed that are too short due to the various breaks down the center, I intend to employ a four-butt shift system on the remaining deck planks. We'll see how everything goes! Appreciate the comments, suggestions and criticism. Thanks... Gregg

Hello Steve! I was actually doing a search on the term "nibbing", and your post popped up, so was reading it. Hope your knee surgeries went well! I had both knees replaced at same time back in 2012. Rehab was hell, but was definitely worth it. Best wishes on your USS Niagra restart... and I love your motto! Gregg

Thanks, Bob! I've been following your Harriet Lane build, as well. Doing awesome!

Several of the grating pieces had "teeth" missing from the shipment, and I wasn't sure if I had enough to make the three grates needed. So, while I had a bit of a break before tackling the deck planking, I decided to work on the gratings, in case I needed to order replacements. As it turns out, though, I had enough and, although there were a few visible gaps due to missing teeth, I was able to keep them on the same side so they shouldn't be visible in placement on the completed deck. These were, though, a bit harder to make up than I thought they'd be. But, I think they came out ok. I need to work a bit more on rounding the corners a touch more before placement, but we'll work on that at the time. I even notice in this picture the lower right one needs some more sanding! Now to the deck planking! I have been looking over and over again at some of the completed build logs to better understand how to tackle this project, and the ones I've reviewed have been tremendous help. Hopefully, I can do as well on this one. Perhaps not totally realistic, but made some cross plank pieces at both stern and bow for the main deck planking to butt up to. Knew that the deck planking was going to begin at the center line and work outwards, so decided to measure, place and secure the planks on either side of the center line. These are now glued in place and I will work outward. Still haven't settled on how to complete the margin planking. I've been practicing on different lengths and widths to see how they'll best fit and look, and have the inner deck planking fit, as well. A lot of nibbling practice! And, as you can see from the center planks, I am replicating the caulking, too, with a black sharpie. If anyone sees anything I am doing wrong, or may lead to issues down the road, please speak up! Appreciate the comments and criticism. Gregg

Thanks to all for the suggestions/advice. Feel a bit better in how to approach this task now.

I am sure this question has been asked multiple times, so apologize in advance for asking again. I reviewed through about three pages on this sub-topic, did some basic searches, and still a bit unclear, so here goes... I have some 0.5mm x 4mm limewood strips to glue to a false deck. In order to avoid any curling, etc., would it be good to use some watered-down PVA glue? Get it to that milk-looking consistency? Would that allow the planks to adhere better and more consistently? Any other proven gluing methods for deck planks? Are we doing anything to hold down the strips while they dry? Maybe pushpins like what is done on hull planks, not only to hold them down but also firmly against the adjoining plank? Still learning and taking all the advice I can get! Thanks in advance for comments, advice and criticism. Gregg

I am waiting on some additional wood strips to begin work on the deck planking. I'm also waiting on some new grating pieces, as several of the "teeth" on the ones included in the kit were broken. While I am waiting on those to be delivered this week, I began working on the carronades and on the rudder. Read some other build logs on how they prepared their carronades. Some were quite detailed, but I opted to keep mine fairly basic. Once I get the deck planking done, though, and am ready to set these on the deck, I may choose to get a bit more detailed in how they are secured to the bulwark. As you can see in the 2nd picture above, though, you will see that I needed to make the back hole where the carronade sits on the base slightly larger in order for each to fit properly. Also worked on the rudder. Determined where the eyelets needed to be placed on the rudder post, created the hinge pegs using brass wire, few drops of CA glue here and there, and after a bit of adjustments and manipulation, the rudder slid into the hinges. The picture makes it look like there is a fair distance between the rudder and the rudder post, but the distance isn't that great. Should be receiving the deck planking shipment this week, and will begin on the margin planking, nibbing, etc. that others have shown so well in their build logs. Oh, and build the gratings, as well. Appreciate your reads and comments for improvements. Gregg

Well, I have continued moving forward on this version of the Ballahoo, despite the poor 2nd planking. Sanding, filling and painting have hidden a decent share of the booboo's. In addition to sanding and filling the hull multiple times, I also completed the bulwark inner planking using walnut strips and sanded the inner planking to a smooth finish, as well. Once satisfied with the sanding, I painted the hull exterior and the inner planking. I put six coats of black paint on the exterior. I started with a coat of the dull black Admiralty Paint that I ordered with the Ballahoo kit, but wasn't really happy with the way it was going on, so I changed to the Vallejo black paint (in a 70/30 mixture with their Vallejo Medium Thinner)) and was happier with the finish. I used an Arteza Paint Yellow Ochre color for above the main wale, and a Windsor & Newton Red Ochre color for the inner bulwark... again multiple coats. I then measured and drew a waterline mark and, using the tamiya tape, masked and painted below the waterline. I used the Admiralty Matt White paint that came with the kit. Not sure if it meets the 'white stuff' criteria... it may be a little brighter than what it would be in reality, but seems to look good, so we'll stick with it. I thought about dropping a bit of the yellow ochre in the mix, but was concerned about a consistent coverage, so opted for the Matt White by itself. In retrospect, I'm thinking it would have probably been easier to paint the yellow above the wale and the white below the waterline if I hadn't given the entire exterior hull multiple coats of the black. If I knew I was going to be painting those sections those colors, the respective paints would have certainly covered better than they did having to go over the black that I had laid down previously. Will remember that in future builds and paint sessions. If you get up close to the ship, yes, you can see some of the imperfections, but... it's my 3rd build, and I am getting better in certain areas and will continue to improve in my planking skills on my 4th build, and my 5th build, and... well, you get the idea. Will do a few more touch-ups on the hull and bulwark painting as I continue on, but it's now on to the deck planking and the bulwark capping rail. Have been looking a lot at past builds, such as jim_smits and egkb, for guidance and inspiration. Thanks to all for suggestions and encouragement. Gregg

Boom and mast both look really good, Dan! Yeah, I only used my little plane for a couple of swipes on the four square, and then limited my shaping to just placing a piece of sandpaper in the palm of my hand... kinda like a taco shell... and sliding the boom, mast and gaff in between the paper. And, yes, I did much better on this one than I did on my first boat, as well. Keep on moving forward! Gregg

Yeah, you sorta did! But, looking forward to following both of your build logs. Best wishes to both! I'm sure you are familiar with it, but there is an interesting 34-part YouTube series on the OcCre Titanic construction...

Looks great, Dan! Yeah, I did a much better job with my Lobster Smack mast, bowspirit, boom and gaff than I did with the mast on the Sailing Pran. Was careful to just knock the four corners down a bit (didn't even try to do the octagon) and then just sanded them round where needed. That way, I was much more in control of just how much I was taking off, especially with the mast, in order for it to fit snuggly in its position. Interesting decision on whether to paint, stain or leave natural the spars. I decided to paint the bowspirit the same white as the hull, but did a light stain on the mast, boom and gaff, and was pleased how they looked when the rigging was complete. Keep up the great work! The sails and rigging work are approaching quickly! Gregg

Thanks Dan and George for the feedback and the encouragement. Yeah, the more I look at it now, and keep working some on sanding and filling where needed, it should be pretty decent once it gets several coats of paint on the hull. And yes, George, was planning on the 'white stuff' look below the waterline. Moving forward! Thanks again, gentlemen, for peeking in and sharing your comments! Oh, and for those of you following the NCAA Men's Tournament... Rock Chalk Jayhawk!! Gregg

Well, I have trudged forward on the 2nd planking of my Ballahoo. I am really disappointed in the way I miscalculated and misplaced the planks with poor tapering. I posted a question on another thread with suggestions and I got several "take planks off and/or start over" comments. I am still keeping the "start over" option on the table, but decided to see what I can salvage out of some decent sanding/filling/sanding/filling exercises. I keep thinking that, since I'm painting the hull anyways, perhaps much of my imperfections and horrible plank tapering work will not be noticeable. Anyways, enough beating myself up. As I just stated, I am now working on some serious sanding, filling a few spots with walnut wood filler where needed. Starting with 100/120 grit sand sticks. Will work up to 240 grit as we continue to smooth out a few bumps. Still referring back to previous build logs for guidance and inspiration. The one from jim_smits has been really helpful, even as I look ahead to deck planking, etc. Still, though, keeping my options open on starting a new Ballahoo. Let's see how this sanding/finishing process looks. Gregg

Bought this OcCre Titanic kit when it was on sale a few months back. Couldn't help myself. It's in the shipyard queue for building, but realistically probably 9-12 months before starting. I need to learn a lot on some other builds before tackling this classic. With that said, I will be following your progress, Dean! Hope all goes well and excited to see it come together. Gregg

Thanks to allanyed, Gregory, and Katsumoto for each of your pictures, links and suggestions on how to fix/proceed. I am continuing to learn, even if there are a few failures along the way. I appreciate your input. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thank you all.

Hi all - Pretty novice shipbuilder here, on my 3rd build (the Ballahoo), and always learning and trying to research as much as I can. With that said, I am working on the 2nd planking on the Ballahoo and have a question on how to finish with the best look (the hull will be painted). I have learned a lot in reading info here on MSW, as well as on tutorials from experts like Chuck Passaro. I am getting much better, for example, in the edge-wise plank bending process. I am sanding strips close to what is needed at certain points of the plank depending on where it hits each of the beams. I am still, though, going to have to add some stealers on this exterior planking to finish. Here's what it looks like so far... So, if I am going to add stealers, should they be staggered in different locations on the hull? When I started the 2nd planking, the width of the planks at the bow needed to be in the 2.00-2.69mm range. Didn't quite get there on some, so as I recalculate, the widths are getting even narrower. Suggestions on how to finish, where to put stealers, etc. I appreciate any input, criticism, etc. Thanks... Gregg

Looks really sharp, Dan. All that priming/sanding work has paid off. Looking forward to seeing you progress. Gregg

Well, after a lot of research and worry, I have begun the 2nd planking on the Ballahoo. I did a couple of strakes at the garboard strake and also over and just past the bulwarks. At this point, I have measured the distance between top and bottom at each bulkhead to determine how much I will need to taper each of the walnut strips, especially at the bow. I was contemplating whether to have full length strakes from bow to stern or to do shorter planks and butt them in a shift pattern that I saw examples of. If I were going to be staining the hull, I think the butt shift pattern would look really nice, but since I am going to be painting, I didn’t think it would be that noticeable, anyways. So, going the full length on the planking. We will see how my measurements and calculations progress as I work on the hull. As I said, the strips are being sanded/tapered on the bow end down to between 2.15-2.4mm on the 4mm wide strips (thank you digital caliper!), so they are pretty narrow. I plan on re-measuring periodically as I progress to see if the numbers change. So, it is definitely slow-going! I hope I have described the process accurately. If anyone has any comments/suggestions on what to do differently or better, I appreciate the input. Thanks! Gregg

Looks great, Dan! The coaming and cabin sides fit nicely. Great work! Gregg

Well, I have completed the first planking to about the best of my ability, still in my "newbie learning" stage. I have done plenty of sanding, filing with bits of putty here and there, and more sanding to the point it all feels pretty smooth and consistent for the 2nd set of planks to adhere to. I really love the Keystone sanding sticks. Started with the 80 grit and moved to the 120 and 180 grit twigs as the look and feel improved. Tried to minimize the use of putty (definitely less than I did on the Lobster Smack), but still has a noticeable putty residue in spots. As I am planning on painting the hull, this shouldn't be an issue, though. I read in one of the Ballahoo build logs where the entire exterior was given a coat of diluted PVA glue at this point to give it a bit of strength before the 2nd planking. For the 2nd planking using the walnut strips, I was planning on having full strakes on the bulwark (except at the gunport positions) and a full garboard strake. But then for the planking in between, I was going to use Chuck Passaro's method of lining off and measuring planks for tapering where necessary, etc. Hope it all comes out as well as some of the recent build logs I have been reading and referring to for guidance so far! If anyone has any guidance/suggestions... any "don't forget to do's"... I appreciate your advice! After several days of Mother Nature teasing us in the Kansas City area with mild late Feb/early March temperatures, it's back down in the 30's-40's for a few days, so it's good to spend some quality time in the shipyard. Thanks for listening! Gregg