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AJohnson

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Everything posted by AJohnson

  1. AJohnson
    Thanks Craig, but It's worse than paint, it is going to be hidden under copper! 😬 I have done a bit of research 🤓 and Sparkler was coppered and fit-out soon after building. I don't mind, the planking was always going to be an exercise in improving my planking skills anyway. Maybe one day I will dare to do an unpainted model, just as long as I don't do any research, or my OCD will kick in and I'll have to paint/copper it, if I know the original was that way! 😆 But yes, planks are getting thin on the ground, so might be scraping together a few odds and ends to do the last couple underneath, but I have kept all the trimmed ends.
  2. AJohnson
    Thank you for the comments and likes everyone, second planking continues. Some of the bends were getting on the limit I could do without splitting the planks and some took a few goes under the iron to get them to curve enough. Some progress pictures, four planks left to do on each side now, but think I'm passed the worst of the bending. I have done some initial sanding of each band I have done so I don't have it all to do at the end. With a following wind I should have the second planking finished at the weekend.
  3. AJohnson
    That looks very nice, what did you paint the P.E. parts with to look like wood - really well done. 👏
  4. AJohnson
    Congratulations Tom on a fantastic build, the extra details; including the wonderful sails, really make for a stand out model.
  5. AJohnson
    You have been busy Rob, like the colour scheme you are going with, very nice.
  6. AJohnson
    Looking good David, glad you could repair the little accident okay. I hadn’t appreciated how small Speedy is until I saw it next to Trial, in one of your photos not a lot bigger!
  7. AJohnson
    Congratulations Alan and glad your home is on the way to being fixed.
  8. AJohnson
    Hi Dave, sorry to hear about your health issues and hope you are on the road to recovery soon so you can keep building your lovely Diana over the winter period. Looking at the pictures I assume you are like me and build in the garage, hope you have some heating going! Your improvements to your Diana are looking great.
  9. AJohnson
    Great job Dan. 👍 looking forward to seeing the hull appearance.
  10. AJohnson
    Oh yes! I'm guilty of that charge, but they look so good in the draw! Really (for kits) it is hard to justify more tools than a good knife, steel rule, cutting mat, pins (&pusher), clamps, sanding blocks/sticks, pencils, and well not much else really... (you can borrow the iron for edge bending....) Okay, some paint brushes etc. if you paint your models. Oh and magnifying glasses nowadays for me 🤓
  11. AJohnson
    Naughty dog! 🐕, hope you can repair it and find somewhere else to display Lady Nelson where your dog can't get to it! 😆
  12. AJohnson
    Yes the curves are the issue, which why I ended up using a strip of paper, taking off the length, then measuring that with the dividers. Less of a problem for just working out the thickness of one plank, as over 4mm width of a plank the curve is minimal. Overall using the dividers is no more efficient than using strips and a fan as per. chucks methods. But I like using old tools like these, so there is a certain tactile enjoyment to be had in the process. I wouldn’t say it is in anyway better, but working for me so far…
  13. AJohnson
    Second planking is underway and about a third now complete. I ended up using a hybrid system of tick strips and proportional dividers to set out the three bands of planking that seemed to fit the best; six planks in each band. By using the dividers to mark out the third points at each bulkhead position then using thin masking tape to lay the best line along these ticks. They needed some tweaking by eye until I was happy. Now a case of steady as she goes, doing one plank per. side in a session and then moving on to something else while the Super Phatic glue dries, slower but less smelly than C-A! Plenty of edge bending as with the first planking, but holding the planks down by pinning through the first planking to one side of the second planking. Thanks for the likes and looking in.
  14. AJohnson
    Great build, what a beast of an aircraft
  15. AJohnson
    I’m entirely to your way of thinking Chris! 😆
  16. AJohnson
    Probably good to do a trial fit of the bowsprit now, I did so on my HMS Trial and it was surprising how much filing/sanding I needed to do for it to sit and in reality I think I should have done more.
  17. AJohnson
    I'll be really interested in following your progress as I'm currently building the VM 18ft Cutter and I am about the same stage as you. Mine will be part of the Sparkler build log though.
  18. AJohnson
    Small update for tonight, preparations for second planking. Completed steps 30-35 in the instructions, adding the lower stern pattern, keel and prow parts. The only thing to add to the instructions is that I found temporarily clamping the outer stern board and rudder post in place helped me align the lower stern pattern, using the stern gun-port openings as a reference and the rudder post helped me judge it was nice and perpendicular. Have also soaked and clamped parts 46 & 47 to the hull and will leave them to dry and take the hull shape. I'm not too worried about the wood staining as I have settled on how Sparkler will look and I will be painting and coppering her (as mentioned in the history of the vessel.) Thanks to the growing band of followers and the likes. 😁
  19. AJohnson
    Thanks Craig, I shall be trying to avoid C-A for the second planking and trying this Super Phatic glue instead. @Knocklouder mentioned it in his DoK log, so thought I would give it a go. No odour, initial results look promising, slower grab time, but that is no bad thing with my positional accuracy with parts sometimes! 😆 I will still use C-A like P.E. eyelets etc. but trying to keep it to a minimum.
  20. AJohnson
    Thanks, yes I will be putting sails on, post #1 of this log has a couple of sketches at the bottom showing what I would like to try for, the Brig hove-to and lowering a boat. I learnt a lot doing the Trial sails and would like to improve on them if I can. We shall see! 😁
  21. AJohnson
    Great looking deck Roger, enjoying following yours and Dan’s Lady Nelson’s, almost a dual build going on!
  22. AJohnson
    I have just been trying them out on my current build; my last post today discusses their use. I would say in effort/time and precision there is nothing between them, There are advantages to having both in your arsenal, a matter of personal choice really.
  23. AJohnson
    Progress over the last couple of weeks, finished the first planking. 😁 The bulk of the planking was very straightforward, nothing to add to the other logs on here or Chris's instructions. The bluff bow was a little tricky to get the curves correct so that the planks lay flat on the bulkheads, but that was just a case of patiently doing one or two per session and getting the curves as tight as I could without breaking the ends off - and yes I did break a couple... I found a really useful curve was the end of the steel rule I use, I also (re)learnt how good a conductor of heat steel is! 🙄😆 embarrassed the number of time I went, "now I need to measure this next plank - ouch the rule is hot!" One the plus side I did manage to use my new toy (proportional dividers) for measuring plank widths without drawing blood. 😉 I like old things like this, so got an old pair from eBay, these are c.1950s West Germany (HAFF brand). It is no quicker, or more precise than using a card tick strip and radial fan of Chuck's method of planking, but I enjoy both ways of shaping planks, so happy with the results. Thanks to those following along and the likes.
  24. AJohnson
    Great looking model good luck with the move and training.
  25. AJohnson
    Great job Richard!

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