RossR

It has been awhile since I posted on my progress. I am close to finishing the first layer of planking. Not the result I had hoped for when I started, but I am confident that I will get a good surface to install the second layer too. When I have the first layer finished I will post pictures. I have been working on several other aspects of the build as I have been planking. Items such as assembling the gun carriages and ladders. I have been taking pictures as I go, and will post about them as they are installed on the ship. I have also been studying the rigging plans. When I built my first ship, I followed the plans start to finish and didn't think about what items were for as they were installed. For example, I installed blocks on the yards and masts where the instructions told me to without really understanding thier function at the time. I made a lot of mistakes by not really understanding what each item was for. Such as installing blocks on the top of a yard instead on the bottom it that is what was needed for it's purpose. I also didn't spend any time leaning the terminology used in the rigging. One of my goals on this build was to understand more about the terminology and the purpose of all the rigging components. I have looked at quite a few online items and have made some progress. I have a good handle on most of the items that deal with the square sails, but have found it harder to nail down the names of the lines on some of the other sails. First item I can't seem to figure out is the name of the triangle shaped sail that is attached above the driver on the diagram below. I am also struggling to determine the names of the lines used on the stay sales. The diagram shows two lines that start at the upper corner. One goes up through a block on the stay and then down to the deck the other goes down along the stay through a block on the mast and to the deck. I am not sure what purpose the second line serves. It would seem to me to make more sense if it was attached to the sail near the top forward corner. The remaining lines are at the bottom of the sail, one forward and two aft. The purpose of these lines makes more sense, but I still would like to know what to call them. The other question I have relates to a system of blocks used near the deck to secure some of the rigging lines. In the image below the halliard runs through a set of double blocks at the yard and mast and then at the deck there is another set of single blocks used to hoist and secure the yards. This seems like a very ackward way to raise and secure the yard. My limited knowledge of simple physics also tells me that the same mechanical advantage could be achieved with a set of triple blocks instead of doubles at the yard and mast. I would love to understand what the purpose of this arrangement was and what it is called. I have seen this on models of other Spanish ships, but not from other nationalities. If anyone has the any info on these items and wants to share, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

Thank you so much for sharing your technique on the false splice.

Allan Does the shellac soak into the rope enough that it doesn't show after it dries? I use a 2 lb cut for finishing the wood, is that appropriate for securing knots? Ross

I think most use a diluted white glue. 50/50 with water. I have tried CA and lines will break if under any stress. I haven't tried shellac for rigging, but I am a big fan for other uses.

This look really good. Do you have diagram or other instructions for your make your false splices?

And the horseshoe is upside down. All the luck is leaking out.

That looks great. HMS Beagle was my first build and I built the small boats before planking the ship. I viewed it as practice for the ship and it showed. You should be really happy with how this looks. I really love the sycamore trim added to cover the plywood edge.

What power are the lenses? I haven’t had good luck with wearing magnifying glasses. I use a work light with a magnify glass in the middle. Purchased from Menards and it comes with a 3x and 5x magnifying glass. I have really good luck using it. I think the ability to easily look away without the magnification helps a lot. Only problem is the end of my paintbrushes will sometime hit the magnifying glass. The light has three brightness settings and can be switched from warm light to cool light also. I find that if my eyes get tired switching the color of the light helps. https://www.menards.com/main/lighting-ceiling-fans/indoor-lighting/lamps/desk-lamps/patriot-lighting-reg-apollo-integrated-led-magnifier-desk-lamp/tt0034/p-1539153039752-c-1531402259058.htm?tid=6239696710344362952&ipos=7&exp=true

I sent you a DM with some links related to the Beagle. Let me know if you have any questions.

You can fix it with woodfiller and sanding. Sand it to remove wood where you don't want it then start with the wood filler. I used Durhams rock hard. I needed to put a couple layers of wood filler in some spots and quite a bit of sanding. I wouldn't start over.

My Beagle took a lot of wood filler and sanding before the second layer. I am very happy with the end result, but if you saw a picture of the first layer of planking you would not be impressed. I wouldn't worry too much about the first layer. You will need to fill and sand to get the shape right for the second layer. A little more filler and sanding isn't a big deal. That is the great thing about the double layer hull.

I just checked out your build log. This will be helpful. Thanks.

I am building the Spanish Frigate Diana. Built in 1792. I found an image of a painting of the Santisima Trinidad and will attempt to fashion the chainplate similar to what is depicted in the painting. The Santisima Trinidad was built about 20 years prior to the ship I am building but so far this image is the closest I can find for a Spanish ship. Thanks

Does anyone have a recommendation on what gauge wire to use for making chain plate for a 1:85 scale ship? I plan to use brass wire and use a brass black product, and avoid having to paint it. This will be my first attempt at soldering also.

You might want to check out the Polaris from Occre. Or if you want something a little more challenging the HMS Beagle from Occre. Occre has a great series of YouTube videos for building the Beagle. It was my fist build and turned out pretty good.

What did you use to fill?

If it is going to be painted, or for under a second layer of planking, I use Durham's Rock Hard from the hardware store. cheap and easy to work with. I don't find any odor problems. Dries hard and is easily sanded. It is a powder that is mixed with water and as such I am careful not to inhale it before it is mixed with water. I mix it to the consistency of peanut butter and sand it the next day. Not a good option if not painted. Then I try to find a product like minwax colored wood filler.

I hate trying to sand/file off the nail heads. I agree with Chris on the push pins, I avoid drilling the hole by placing the pin next to the planks and let the shoulder of the pin hold the plank.

I have also, been adding the planks over the bulwarks and cutting out the gun port openings. The gun port frames and hatches that are provided with the kit appear to be a brown anodized aluminum. The detail of the wood grain and the hinges are very crisp in the cast part. I don’t know if I am crazy about the anodized look of the metal and have considered painting the parts, but I am worried that the paint will cover the details cast into the parts. Not sure what I will do right now, but have at least a few months before I need to decide. I do plan on at least painting the hinges at a minimum.

One of my goals in this build was to do a better job on the first layer of planking. I have tried to spile the planks using the edge bending technique, and found it difficult to get the planks to lay correctly. This model is not designed with a rabbet joint and planks need to curve at to bow to a 90 degree angle to the centerline of the ship. I think this was maybe too much of a bend for the technique I was trying to employ, at least with my level of skill. I have decided to move forward following the Occre instructions. This will require a lot of sanding and some wood filler before the second layer is added. Despite not succeeding at creating a better looking first layer, I think with the right model I would be less intimidated by building a single layer model than I would have before this attempt. Thanks to allanyed and others for their tips and encouragement. Really appreciate all the help from more experienced modelers.

No reason not to use it. There are some applications that CA glue is appropriate. Some people use one or the other exclusively, but most people use both I believe. The Occre instructions will say to use contact cement or cobblers glue for some items. I have had good luck with this, but I think most people on the forum avoid contact cement. I use CA when I can, because I get a little impatient waiting for glue to dry. When you get to rigging, dilute some white glue or your wood glue with water 50/50 and use a drop to help secure your knots. My first kit was the HMS Beagle and If you haven't started watching the youtube videos that Occre has available I would recommend it.

The Occre model is the Spanish frigate Diana. It appears to have been a very popular name.

Thanks for the tip. I was considering soaking first to see if I could get more bend. I don't have a hot air gun, but will look into buying one.

I have been making an attempt at edge bending the planks for my hull following Chuck Passaro's methods. I built the jig for shaping the planks and used an iron, but I can't seem to get the planks to bend enough to laydown properly. The planks are 2mm x 5mm. I assume I need to get more bend on the planks, but the picture above is the most I can get them to bend without breaking. Is this an issue with the type or thickness of the planks. If anyone has any thoughts I would love to hear them.

I would only use cobbler glue/contact cement for a second layer of hull material. Several Occre kits are designed this way and I been successful using contact cement for the second layer. I think the Santisma model only has a single layer of planks on the hull. I definitely would not use contact cement if that is the case. I think the choice of glue is influenced by factors such as how close of a final fit are you getting on your planks prior to installation. If you can get the planks close to the final shape, I would use CA and glue 2 - 3 bulkheads at a time working from bow towards the stern. If you are not getting the shape close and have to nail or clamp the planks I would use wood glue, so you have a little more time to get the nails or clamps in place. Cobbler glue/contact cement is deferent than CA/super glue. Contact cement is usually applied to both pieces being connected, you wait about ten minutes, then press the pieces together. the pressure creates a bond that is difficult to pull apart as soon as you apply the pressure. It works great when you have large surface areas to apply the clue to. Not sure it would work well for applying planks to bulkheads with limited surface area.