Coyote_6
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Everything posted by Coyote_6
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I feel like it's less about planking and more like sitting around watching glue dry.
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@GrandpaPhil. That's awesome! I think with careful filing and sanding I should be able to get there. What filler/coating do you use on a card project like that? It looks challenging.
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Curious before I go much farther. Has anyone else done a ship where the aft deadwood era was so far above (proud of) the keel before shaping? The false keel was only like 4 mm thick, so to shave it for the planking would be to effectively remove it. I will be targeting the hull strakes to be 0.5 mm proud of the sternpost/keel after sanding. Will this work? Any thoughts appreciated!
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A little shaping of the garboard strakes at the bow... But the stern will likely wait 'til the deadwood is more filled in. About 2 mm proud of the keel at this time.
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So with the sternpost fitted, the garboard planks went on without a hitch. At only 5 mm wide the addition is almost insignificant, but you have to have someplace to start. Starboard and Port. This model has very nice lines and accessories but is not a stellar model of how a real ship was built. Without a rabbet to install the planks, a lot of careful sanding and filing will be required to make her fair. I think it can be accomplished but I will have to be careful not to eat away the stempost, sternpost or keel. In any respect, a milestone.
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Finally some progress. The sternpost has been adapted to the keel/false keel. The end product is very much as the PdN appears in Chapelle's Search for Speed Under Sail, so I am pleased. Particularly with the uniform gap between sternpost, keel and rudder. Whew!
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So I was working on the port and starboard garboard planks, with a plan to fit the stern portion of the keel and rudder after planking. It quickly became clear the stern keel and rudder needs fitting prior to planking, so stay tuned for that! (Stern keel piece [sternpost?] Not included in image, but it clearly does not "fit" at this time.) Here I've shaped the keel to match the rudder shape, with proper spacing between the two. (More or less, anyway! )
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The next natural progression at this point would seem to be hull planking. This brings me to my second issue with the kit - the plywood framing "keel" in no way conforms with the provided stem, forefoot and keel provided. Test fitting convinced me to attach these pieces before planking so I could iron out any issues. I had fitted the best I could and ended up with significant gaps. Now that we're at the point of adding the garboard strakes, it is time to address the issue. Custom shaped a piece of walnut to fill the largest gap between the plywood framing keel and forefoot and then resorted to PVA glue and sanding to fill all the gap lines. It looks passable, but staining will be the true test.
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Finally, some progress! The gun and oar ports have been framed. On to hull planking.
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Your PdN is fabulous GrandpaPhil. I looked at your entire build log when I first signed up here and was amazed, both by the beauty of the model and what you can do with card! I can see why she's your favorite. I am leaning towards brass pedestals, but now must consider a cradle as well. The cradle would leave the ship unmolested and removable for inspection, whereas I think the pedestals may require drilling in to the keel and having fasteners or rods protrude. You definitely have given me something to think about! (Not that I generally want people "inspecting" my ship, but I think I like the idea of the ship being the ship, with no protruding add-ons or modifications.)
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And this is sound advice - not something a novice like me would generally consider. I soooo wanted to make that linear keel level - it would not have looked good in retrospect!!
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Thanks for the compliment. Hopefully I can keep things moving and keep the quality up!
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Well, to paraphrase Captain Barbosa from Pirates of the Caribbean, " then we have an accord." I had not considered waterline in the equation. Since most plans I've seen of the PdN depict the waterline approximately parallel to the weatherdeck (accounting for generally equivalent deck sheer fore and aft), I think everyone is in agreement. See this image from Chapelle in The History of American Sailing Ships: I will select some brass pedestals that will keep the weatherdeck and waterline level with the base, allowing the keel to be lower aft to demonstrate her drag. Thank you all for sparing me from making a mistake here!! I appreciate all the input!!
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So a question to the audience - On the Prince, the keel and hull sit lower aft than forward when the weatherdeck is level (drag). Do you prefer to mount the ship for display with the weather deck level or the keel level? Which do you think looks better and why? A wise man at a local club meeting recently told me to figure out how she will be displayed, and incorporate the mounts now before I plank the hull. It will be brass pedestals on a wood base, but will the aft pedestal be lower than the forward one, or will they be the same height?? Looking for some ideas. Thanks, Steve
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So the first issue with Constructo's kit arose, and I am glad I caught it early. Kit provides 1300 linear mm's of "Manzonia" wood for framing the gun and sweep ports, but the ship requires at least 1408 linear mm's of material. Imagine if you were installing/glueing as you cut, only to discover you don't have enough "Manzonia" to finish the frames. Crazy. Model Shipways walnut strips to the rescue, and enough to do multiple ships at that!! (Small stained sample of new wood in photo.) First framed gunport! (Severely damaged plywood bulwark within - should be plenty strong now!) "Boom!" Ha! Love it!! Steve
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Inner planking with gunports being cut out... And outer planks. I choose to leave a small gap between planks so the individual planks will be delineated after sanding (whereas below the bumper line I intend to tighten the gaps between planks) I am leaving the transom stern til last - you can see I edge-bent the first internal plank, and continuing that process will be a little more time- consuming.
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Planking the Bulwarks The planking of the weather deck was the one thing I did in my initial attempts twenty years ago. I have been told by experienced shipbuilders that it turned out ok, so to build on that success (and to attempt to correct various issues with the bulwarks plywood) I decided to plank the bulwarks down to where the guardrail/bumpers will be installed. First plank and stringers between deck and inner bulwarks Stern inner planking first row and second side row begins. 3rd row and on...
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Rounding out the plywood sheet parts, the deck house framing and the bulwarks and transom stern. The bulwarks were difficult in two regards - firstly I should have pre-bent them to conform to the ships lines better, and secondly, having broken away the tops of several gunports did not help in getting the shape desired. I believe the planking both inside and out will cover my issues pretty well, but time will tell. Foundations of the deckhouse - not a precision form by any means. The bulwarks installed and checking gun barrels for center in the gunports. I should mention the mast hounds were drilled out in 2002ish timeframe - fairly straightforward as the bit followed slots in the false keel. Damaged gunport framing and an ill-fated first attempt at hull planking, which was later removed. Ugh.
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I hope I can do her justice, especially being my first wooden ship. The Constructo lines look pretty good compared to plans I've seen. Good luck with your long term project! I think it speaks to the topics we chose, if they keep calling through the years.
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She simply bristled with guns in September of 1945! The kit comes with a plastic replica of the marker embedded in the deck to commemorate the surrender, but I was lucky enough to pick up a coin in Pearl Harbor when we visited the Mighty Mo' replicating the marker. Fair winds and following seas, and thanks for checking her out! Steve
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And here she is, all finished, dressed for the surrender in Tokyo Bay. If I have one regret, it's that I think the deck blue (20-B) is indeed too light for this camo scheme (Measure 22). But for a kit designed in the 1950's, it is a lot of fun to build.
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First things first. Armament. According to Howard Chapelle's "History of American Sailing Ships", we likely have sixteen "12-pounder carronades and two long 18's as chase guns". Chappelle argues the lighter weight of the carronade would have helped with the Neufchatel's renowned speed. Carronade mounts will likely be painted or blued at some point, and rigging will be an event in itself. I really like the brass ordnance, but the elevation elements for the carronades were a poor fit.
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Kit decals were a little large. 1/700 scale decals on a 1/535 ship? Yes, please!! Pretty darn close to actual historical photos.
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Another awesome feature if this 1950's era kit is the holes in the superstructure decks to facilitate some rigging lines from young hobbyists. She was definitely designed to make a nice display piece, regardless of age level. I opted for stretched sprue lines for resilience (and tautness) and to hopefully reduce dust collection. A little thick, so I left off a couple of the implied lines to keep a clean appearance.
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A photo of a photo, showing her status in 2002.
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