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Thukydides

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Everything posted by Thukydides

  1. Thukydides
    Log #20: Preparing the Hull Though build log entries have been slow in coming I have been working away at Alert. Before I could begin varnishing I needed to make some final adjustments to the hull. The first of these was to scribe the scarf joints on the wales. Using a printed scan of the joint in Goodwin, I cut out templates and used them to mark where I cut with a craft knife. Some of them turned out better than others, but all in all I am pleased with the outcome. Then in preparation for the eventual painting below the waterline, I sanded and added some more wood filler to the lower part of the hull. This required several layers and using my fingers to feel for bumps and divots. Very small gaps may get filled by the varnish layer, but I figure getting it as close to perfect before adding the varnish will make my finishing job easier. I have been doing a lot of reading on various options for a varnish layer, but in the end I decided to attempt the method described in @DelF's Duchess build log (link). I figured that I should probably do some tests before applying it to the hull and so glued a few planks to a piece of wood to simulate the hull. Following @glbarlow's method as described in @DelF's build log, I practiced applying the WOP in varying amounts, layers and degree of sanding. I did not find that more layers resulted in a significant difference in tone (the numbers correspond to the number of layers). However, the resulting finish is silky smooth (particularly #4) and so I am planning to apply either 3 or 4 layers of the WOP to the hull.
  2. Thukydides
    Looking really good. I am also also humming and hawing about colours and finishes. From my tests with wop it seems to give more of the deeper brown on pear that you are looking for.
  3. Thukydides
    Looking really good. I also spent a bunch of time puzzling about the counter. In the end I think it looks much better making it curved and am glad I did so. I think you will also find yourself better pleased in the end for putting in the extra effort to make the counter curved.
  4. Thukydides
    Log #19: Cutting the Gun Ports Things have continued to progress slowly. With the inner bulwarks done, it was time to cut the gun ports. Like most things I have embarked on over the course of this project, it was much harder in practice than I expected. To avoid splintering I taped the bulwark with masking tape before marking the gun ports. To ensure that the ports were cut perpendicular to the deck and in a consistent manner I used lego blocks. After marking out the location using the railing as indicated in the instructions, I used the lego to draw the two parallel cuts. Then using a razor saw and the lego clamped against the bulwark as a guide I made the cuts down to the required height. I found that making the cuts was easy to get wrong. On a few of the ports I made the cuts at a slight wrong angle or slightly two far apart. On two of these the additional width was noticeable and I had to add back some additional material. I then filed the edges to conform to the bulwark. In the end where this will be painted it shouldn’t be too visible. Finally I filled in any gaps with some wood filler.
  5. Thukydides
    Fantastic work
  6. Thukydides
    Log #18: The Inner Bulwarks and Fixing the Boom Crutches As @Blue Ensign managed to catch, the boom crutches were turned a little outward following the run of the hull instead of inward. This is a great example to me of what a valuable resource this forum is. I had always just assumed these were purely ornamental, but now that it has been pointed out to me, the use for the crutches seems obvious. Fortunately I had made them pretty thick and so with some careful filing I was able to remove some material to make them turn slightly inwards. You can see how much I had to adjust the angle in the picture below. Since I made them by gluing two pieces of pear together, the original line between the two pieces is still visible. They are still not perfect, but much closer to what they should be. Next I turned my attention to the inner bulwarks. After much consideration I decided to adopt the approach of @jpalmer1970 and do the bulwarks before attaching the margin planks. That way I can much more easily get in there with my airbrush to paint and avoid the need for a bunch of precise masking. The process of planking the inner bulwarks was much the same as the outside. I planked the two ends and then fitted the middle plank. The only complicated part was the shaping of the plank that ran up to the transom. Some precise cutting was required to make it fit on top of the beam I placed at the base of the transom. I planked without any tapering (though some slight edge ending was required). The uppermost planks then stuck up over the top of the Bulwarks (as seen in the near bulwark in the above picture). Since gun ports will be cut all the way through the upper plank, I just planked it as one big plank from bow to stern. Once the glue had fully dried I simply came back with my knife to cut off the excess material. You can see the final effect on the far bulwark. Next up, more sanding and cutting the gun ports.
  7. Thukydides
    I find the biggest problem with my airbrush is the set up and cleanup time. I would use it more if I didn’t have to clean it after I was done.
  8. Thukydides
    If you are using a small hobby/makeup airbrush you can do it inside provided you have a big open space. When I airbrush I set up in the kitchen/dining room. I just do it at night after all the kids are in bed and cover the whole dinning tale with a cheap dollar store table cloth. It doesn't produce much paint so as long as you are wearing a respirator while painting, the room is large and you house has an air exchanger vent in the room you should be good.
  9. Thukydides
    Ah now I understand. No I did not check this and when I went back to look, infact I have them angled slightly outwards due to the run of the hull. I think I can somewhat correct this through some careful filing so that at the very least it is not noticable. Thanks for the tip. This is exactly the sort of thing that would never have occured to me, but now that you say it, it seems obvious 😃.
  10. Thukydides
    It looks fantastic, great job!
  11. Thukydides
    That looks fantastic @jpalmer1970. Maybe my problem with the bending was I was using a wider stock because I was thinking I needed it to go under the inner bulworks.
  12. Thukydides
    Not sure what you mean exactly by check the angles.
  13. Thukydides
    It is up to you, but I don't think you will be able to get a good result with that as a base, the gaps and warping is too much to fix with filler and sanding. If it was me I would take off the planking and order some more limewood strips to start the first planking over. If you are unwilling to do that you could try just removing those first two planks (which are the most problematic) and try to replace them. Not sure how well that would work...
  14. Thukydides
    That first plank doesn't look like it is sitting right. If I was you I would remove the planks, check your fairing again and then try again. Problems with the first few planks have a way of multiplying your issues the further down the hull you get. I say this as someone who had to rip off the first planks and start over myself :). Edit: what @allanyed said
  15. Thukydides
    So did you leave a gap at the bottom of your bulwarks to slide the margin plank into or did you just butt the margin plank up against the bulwarks? Also how did you handle the planking of the inner bulwarks, are you able to share a picture of them?
  16. Thukydides
    Log #17: The Margin Planks My break was a bit longer than planned due to the other projects taking longer than I expected (I ended up painting a figure for a competition so was at it for over a month), other responsibilities and then finally Christmas. But now back to the Alert. I have been struggling with how to plank the inner hull, as there are not many good angles of this in the build logs I have been reading or the instructions. I want to avoid any planks ending in a point so I guess I need to taper them. Any suggestions here would be appreciated. In the meantime I decided to defer the question while I worked on the margin planks. To make them I used a piece of boxwood sheet I had and used the template of the false deck to mark the outer edge of the curve. I then used a compass to mark an equal distance from that edge. I then cut them out using a coping saw. This was much harder in practice than I had anticipated. Because of the significant bend needed at the bow, part of the margin planks end up with cross grain. I ended up breaking them by mistake twice, though fortunately I was able to get two useable ones. I did also try bending a straight boxwood plank after I broke the first two, but the necessary bend at the bow was two extreme for me to manage even using my wife’s clothes steamer. I am of two minds whether I should glue them in place before planking the inner hull. On the one hand being able to remove them would make the painting easier, but on the other hand the fit will probably be better if I glue them in place first. Any suggestions here would be welcome.
  17. Thukydides
    Fantastic work. I have enjoyed following along as you built this. Congratulations.
  18. Thukydides
    That looks fantastic BE. Your hard work has really paid off.
  19. Thukydides
    It is looking really good. Great job.
  20. Thukydides
    Congrats on completing your build. It looks great!!!
  21. Thukydides
    I am glad you are enjoying it. You should also start a build log :).
  22. Thukydides
    If you have an airbrush you could also paint them first black and then spray from above with a dark grey. This will simulate the light falling on them and will make the recesses stand out more. You can replicate this effect using a brush by painting black first and then dry brushing with the dark grey.
  23. Thukydides
    Or doing them all over again 😃...
  24. Thukydides
    I really like this one. It looks like it will be a great introductory kit.
  25. Thukydides
    Why are you applying wop/paint to the stand? Is it to make it more durable?

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