ERS Rich

Hello, the paint, shading, and rope work is convincing. Sometimes I get tired of processing wood and your work shows there is an alternative. Thank you for taking the time to post. Have a good day.

Bulwark Completion Wrapped up the bulwarks. Installed over 120 planks to complete the inside of the bulwarks. Methodology pretty simple. Measure width with the calipers and cut planks with the Byrnes saw. Used the pattern file to smooth the gun port edges. Also laid the file across the sills, from side to side, to even the sills. See second photo. At the bow it was time to fair the bulkhead extensions. Essential to steam bend the bow bulwark planking. Spent some time thinking about the stern bulwark planking and the port and starboard counter extensions. To get the correct angle, made the planks extra long, clamped the extensions to the planks, then used the mini saw to cutout the ends of the bulwark planks and the planksheer. See the photo with the blue clamp. Along the way cutout the openings for the catheads. Cut inside opening first after framing, then planked over the outside, and cut inside out. Little holes are visible, from drilling to get started with removing the waste from the opening. Overall I’m happy with the result, however found I made a mistake as the planksheer port and starboard side aft are out of alignment vertically a little less than a 1/16”. I think it will be covered by the stern galleries.

This looking nice....now the USS Perry, no longer the USS Putty! Cheers!

Hello, a really nice ship model. I like the look and feel overall and the deck in particular. Enjoy your rides, still a little early, but today is a warm day in Massachusetts. We’ll be riding soon. Have this kit on the shelf and will use your work for guidance. Thanks for posting.

Hello, greetings from Massachusetts! Welcome aboard and I’m always open to answering a question. Cheers!

Greetings from Boston USA, Stereo microscope! Wow! Thank you for showing how it’s done. Would you happen to know where one could purchase a Jewelers Lathe? Cheers

Final coat of furniture paste wax is also an option....easy to apply, ready quickly, a traditional wood finish, looks good.... Coating wood with plastic, that’s what poly is, seems incongruous with a ship model, and I hate the hazardous waste.... My personal preference is shellac or stain under acrylics (painted finish) or stain/wax (unpainted finish). Cheers

Hello, When shipbuilding in all things, I pick the color that appeals to me.... One of my professions is cabinet making, so based on my work with pine, 1 or 2 look ok.... And we know in real life, based on the finish, how old it is, and how well it’s maintained there is no one true mast color.... Therefore I just pick what makes sense to me.... Thank you.

1 or 2 look good to me....however in life the color variations are infinite.... Cheers

Gun Port Cleanup and Bulwark Prep Some gaps to fill in the bulwarks. I avoid sanding whenever possible. Mask the area. Fill with plastic wood. Peel masking tape before drying. Remove chunks with chisel and smooth with sandpaper. Last few ports were cut with a Tamiya mini saw. I like to chisel for the practice, however, going forward will use the mini saws. Pattern file used to smooth gun port sides and sill. Safe sides are helpful. Tip: when working the gun port sides, cut and file from the inside out to avoid tearing the wood fibers on the bulwark board ends. Tamiya razor saw used to cutoff extensions.

It took me quite a while to get it....I’m the guy who needs to make all the mistakes before getting it right....

Hi, About priming with shellac....go with a light coat, too much will form too smooth of a layer....unless that’s the goal. I like to have a little wood texture....to give the viewer a visual clue that they are looking at wood.... Wood stain works as well... Thank you

Hi, Just jumping in here.....I’ve lived through this. 🤔 The general issue here is the planks are not tapered at the fore and aft ends.....so say at the aft end the plank needed to be pulled toward the keel to fit against it’s upper neighbor....notice instead of sweeping up aft into the stern, the shape is a frown...notice at the bow, the plank is sweeping up.... The garboard plank is generally thin amidships and fat at the bow.... Here was a big idea that helped me understand what can be done with a plank....a plank laid across the bulkheads can only be naturally pressed down onto the neighboring bulkhead (plank sweeps up), or twisted. Planks cannot be pushed up or down towards the keel or deck because that will warp the plank. So if you find the plank needs to be pulled down, say towards the keel, to fit against it’s neighbor, the plank must be tapered. If a plank is laid and there is a gap, the planked can’t be pushed up or down to close the gap, a filler piece or stealer is needed. So what to do here and now? While the result may not be idea, you can still get a great result with what you have. Have to go with a painted hull. Hull planking does not need to be perfect, because it will be viewed from above and down. And the interior of that boat is where the action is, the viewers eye will be drawn towards the interior. Plank the remainder of the hull with short pieces. At the stern it looks like it will be wedge shaped planks. Try dots of CA on the bulkheads and carpenters glue on the edges. Is there a stem piece? Install if there is. Next sand the hull to smooth the plank edges. Easy with 150 grit, then 220. Vacuum the hull and clean it up with rubbing alcohol. Next fill in the gaps. I like to mask around the gaps and fill with plastic wood - DAP. Go with very small amounts of filler. The last thing you want to do is cover the hull with a layer of filler. A pain in the neck to sand it all off. I would then prime the hull with rattle can shellac. Rub it out with steel wool. You’re going for a relatively smooth surface, no major depressions. Mask and fill again. At this point I like to use something called Gesso. Artists use it to seal canvas prior to painting. It’s an acrylic with fine gypsum. It’s cheap and easy to apply. It gives a uniform surface. Then mask and paint as normal. Looking forward to seeing how it goes. Thanks.

A way to deal with the taunt line makes another line go slack problem....rig the line to the belay point, then run the line over the side and weight it with a clip.....this allows for adjustments, after all lines are rigged fix them to the belay point.... Cheers!

Looking good Daniel....deck markings are nice!

Cutting Out the Gun Ports (continued) After cutting about a dozen, you get into a rhythm, and start to notice what works. Noticed that the chisel is most effective, bevel down when cutting towards the post. First cut down vertically along the post. Then scoop out the wood with the chisel bevel down cutting towards the post. Since the bottom bulwark plank was just fixed with glued at the bevel extensions, and not glued to the planksheer, just scooping out along the post from top to bottom was enough to get the waste cutout to pop out. The previous saw cuts were unnecessary. The chisel, also bevel down, can be levered off the post, from the corner out, to square up the bottom corners and shave the sill flat.

Hello Paul, welcome!

Framing and Cutting Out the Gun Ports Frame the upper gun ports by installing the sill boards and side frames. Sills span the bulkheads and are glued to the planksheer side. Sideboards were made on the Byrnes table saw, with the sliding table. Quick work. Spacer blocks were made on the table saw to help with the gun port side board installation. The blocks ensure the side boards are parallel to the bulkheads. Also used a set of brass ripping gauges from Micromark. A must to get port to starboard gun port spacing consistency. Tip: be sure to apply adhesive to the bottom of the gun port side frame board, as well as the side against the bulwark board, this avoids unsupported bulwark boards after cutting out the gunport. Cutout the ports by first sawing down the center of the opening being careful to not cut into the sill. Chisel out the waste with a fishtail chisel. Fishtail excels here. Final cuts should be very thin!

Thanks Sea Hoss. Cabinet making was my last full time gig.....so accumulated the full size machines to support that business. And watched Norm Abraham, that guy had everything! -Rich

Inner Planksheer/Bulwarks and Bowsprit Prep 5 strakes are above the waterway, the planksheer and four inner bulwark. For the planksheer rounded off the upper inside edge, used butt joint joinery, and did not notch to fit 100% against the bulkhead extensions. Inner strakes consisted of planks spanning up to four bulkhead extensions with staggered butt joints. Tip: make sure inner bulkhead extensions are flat. Reused the cedar template as a moulding for steam bending to shape the bow planks. Planks “stair stepped” around the bow, and were sanded smooth with Amati sanding sticks. Used plastic wood, pressed in from the outside to fill gaps. Added strips, padded, to inboard face of stern transom extension to reduce the inner curvature. Stern bulwarks turned out ok, at this point there is a step at the planksheer level, it should be a bevel between the waterway and the lowest bulwark plank. Will probably leave as is. Bowsprit was cut to fit the notch in bulkhead B. Bulwarks consist of inner and outer planks, with framing pieces in between for the gun port sills and sides. Next is installing the framing and the outer bulwark planking.

Nice look and feel....

Tools Using a laminate board and shelf pins as a rack to sort the lumber. Some of the hand tools used so far.... Top left, block plane from Lie Nielson. Left middle and bottom bullnose and mini plane by Crown. Edge plane, in the box, by Veritas. Pattern makers file, with safe edges by Lie Nielson. Fishtail chisel and Violin makers plane by Lie Nielson.

Making and Installing the Waterway This is a significant piece of woodworking. Boards are cut with a curve, beveled along a curve, steam bent, and notched. Hand tools included, block plane, fishtail chisel, and a mini edge plane. The Waterway is a picture frame around the main deck (named spar deck on this ship). Five boards with three shapes make the frame: 2 straight, Port and Starboard sides, from the stern to bulkhead E; 2 curved, Port and Starboard sides, from bulkhead E to the bow; and 1 across the stern. Kit supplied material used for the straight and stern boards, hickory for the bow boards to allow a continuous piece. The cross section is flat top and bottom, with an inside bevel from halfway across the top inboard to a point 1/16” above the inside bottom edge. Made the straight sections first, steam bent the boards, clamped to the frames and marked the location of each bulkhead extension with the marking knife. Then cut notches in the board to accommodate the angle of the bulkhead extensions, so the board edge could set in the bulkhead extension corner. Cut the bevel last, with a small block plane. Learned that next time best to cut the bevel first, then steam bend the plank. 45 degree mitres were cut on the aft ends. For the bow planks, first establish the curve of the bow on a wood template. Used the flexible French curve on the plan along the outside edge of the frames, and marked the line on a piece of red cedar (left over from a closet project). Cut the cedar on the bandsaw. Then used the compass to mark the bulkhead inside curve, and cut that curve on the bandsaw. Used hickory for the bow planks, the angular grain (last picture) makes the board very sturdy along the curve - will not easily break along the curve, like pine. Curved bevel was cut by whittling with the marking knife, then the card scraper used to flatten the bevel. Only way to flatten a curved surface. Used sanding drums on the drill press to square the board edges. Stern piece last. Cut to length, then cut the mitres. Used a test piece to establish the angle (a little less than 45 degrees). Next cut the bevel with a block plane. Reduced the thickness by planing. Last planed the forward edge. with an edge plane to reduce the width - this reduced the bevel and increased the thickness at the forward edge. Straight forward glue up. Long boards first, bow planks next, stern board last. Butt joint between long and bow boards. Smoothed butt joint transitions with the fishtail chisel. Onward to the plank shear and the gun port framing....

Transom Frame Installation Installed the stern transom framing this week. I like to use spacer blocks for this type of job. Setup the Byrnes saw with the sliding table. Used steel rule and square to set the fence. Make sure all is square, counter with bulkhead R, and frames with counter and bulkhead R. Installed the outer frames first. After installation found that bottom after frame spacing was on, while the top tips were closer than expected. Will need to remove a center section of the laser cut stern top rail, picture shows it overhanging the transom frame tops. Result was the spacing between the inner frames needed to be reduced. Prior to installing, padded the deck and bulkhead R sides of the inner frames with strip wood, so height matched the deck and the aft side was flush with the counter block. Straight forward after that, clamp spacer blocks, and install the frames. Onward to the waterway and beyond..... Have a great week....

Enjoyed reading about the problems and challenges, and seeing the very nice final result. Thank you!