RossR

Thanks for the feedback and info on the shelf life of shellac.   I love that you can mix small batches and always have a fresh supply to work with.  

4 hours ago, Avi said:

Also, what do you use to apply it?

I use this brand.  A small cam is more than enough for one hull.  There is a brush attached the the cap.   They sell a bigger can also, but no built in brush.  Not sure where you are located, but it can be purchased at Home Depot or Menards in the US.  Probably most hardware stores also.

 

I assume the material is the 0.6mm planking.   For that material I would use contact cement.   I would worry that the edges of the material might curl up before PVA set.  
 

I am not sure if Occre has instruction videos for your model, but if the don’t find the ones for the HMS Beagle for a demonstration on how to use it.   I have used it a couple times and had no issues with it being messy.   
 

my build log for the Frigate Dianna has photos of the process used on the deck planks.    
 

Are you using contact cement on a second layer of planks or on the first layer.  I use contact cement on the second layer, it works great when there is a large surface area that is being stuck together.  If it is the first layer, I am not sure it will work as well as on a second layer.  

 

I have the the wales painted black and applied 3 coats of shellac to the unpainted surfaces on the hull.  Next up is lining the gun ports on the upper decks.  This will require an slight edge bend on a 2mm x8mm piece of Sapalli for the top of rail.  

 

 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, DaveBaxt said:

Do you think they would work on walnut too? Perhaps it is possible to use these for making the scrolls out of a square or round flat piece of wood. Any one tried this?

I used it on Sapelli.  I haven't tried it on Walnut, but is think it would work well.  go slow and take just a little wood off at a time.  

I used these shapers for a part on my Occre Frigate Diana and the worked great.  They are designed for metric sized planks, so if you have non-metric planks you may want to order some wood also.   

The US Navy also maintains a forest of white oak in Indiana specifically for use in maintaining the USS Constitution. 

Love the use of the plank for spacing.   

Today I added what the instructions called the rubbing strakes.  They are made up of a piece of 1mm x 4mm sapelli and a 2mm x 2mm piece of sapelli.  The 2 x 2 piece has to be shaped on one side to give it a round profile.  I purchases the tool below from Artesania Latina.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are several notches that can be used to carve different profiles into various sizes of wood strips.  I used the half round notch to shape the 2 x 2 piece.  

 

It was a little tricky gluing the half round piece onto the 1 x 4 piece without getting glue on some spots that were unintended.   I will need to clean up a few spots before it gets is shellac finish.  

 

I installed the wales this week.  The material supplied by the Occre was African Walnut (I will have more to say about that later in the post).  To put the bend in these planks at the bow, I used a two step process suggested in a forum titles "Bending African Walnut".  I need to achieve an approximate 90 degree bend with a 2 inch radius.  The wood is stiffer than the lime wood used for the first layer of planking so I was a little nervous about bending that much.  I soaked the planks in hot water for about 1/2 hour then clamped them on to a form to create a 4 inch radius.  The next day I soaked it again and was able to easily clamp them onto the smaller form to create the 90 degree bend with the 2 inch radius.   I maybe could have successfully created the bend in one step if I used heat, but I am still new to modeling and have struggled using heat.  I think I need to be more patient.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are 4 planks per side, and the second plank is cut into segments to create 12 small openings per side.  I assume these openings are for potentially using oars to move the ship if conditions warrant, but I am not positive.  

 

I still have a little more sanding to do and the wales will be trimmed at the stern to accommodate the cast pieces that make up the base for the gallery lights.  Eventually the wales will be painted black.  

 

 

 

 

Regarding the African Walnut supplied by Occre.  I posted on the "Bending African Walnut" topic a couple weeks ago that I had "success" with the two step process.  Then about two days ago the post started getting some replies.  For a reason I don't understand most of the replies were negative towards the African Walnut wood.  Some were constructive suggesting alternatives, but some were not constructive and were critical of Occre for supplying this material suggesting that it was a cost cutting measure.  

 

I suspect that the African Walnut was the most expensive wood in the kit.  I found it to be of very high quality.  The wood bent successfully using a two step process and it was not at all fuzzy as one of the posters suggested.  I think the criticism of Occre was unwarranted and uninformed.  I think the wood was chosen for the wales because it holds a very crisp corner and that was the look that the creator wanted when they designed the model.  

 

I am saying all of this because I don't want other modelers to be afraid of any kit that uses this wood.  I would be delighted to use more of this species in my models.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28 minutes ago, allanyed said:

There are inexpensive alternatives such as basswood or even poplar.

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate your comments and suggestions.  In the end the walnut worked well.  I only posted so others would have an effective technique to bend that species of wood.  I actually think it is a really nice wood, just a little more difficult to bend.  No need to use something else.  

 

Again, thanks for commenting.  I really appreciate that you share your experience and knowledge with the rest of us.  

Looks like you have a great base for the second layer.  I just finished the second layer on my Frigate Diana.  I had a little trouble with some of the sapelli splitting when I trimmed it at the bow and stern. Be sure to have a sharp blade in your knife.

I didn't find the wood fuzzy at all, and while it might not be AYC or boxwood, I am not sure I would call it crap.  In the end, using the two step method I was successful in bending it as intended.  I will get some pictures of my results posted soon on my build log.  Regarding the economics of the wood chosen by kit manufacturers, I probably would have been priced out of the model ship hobby if AYC, Boxwood or other higher quality woods were used in most kits.  I hope to work with these woods some day, but this is my second build and my skills are still developing.  Something less expensive is appropriate for me right now.  

This material is supplied for the wales only.  There are a total of 8 pcs that are used for the wales.   I am not entirely sure why this material was supplied with the kit for this purpose, especially since it gets painted black, but using the technique mentioned above I was successful in bending the pieces. It is possible that they provided this material because it creates a nice crisp corner when cut compared to the limewood that is provided for many other parts of the ship.  The second plank from the top is cut into segments leaving small gaps in the plank.  I assume these are for oars if needed due lack of wind.   I also needed to add a slight twist near the stern.  I soaked the plank before gluing and had no difficulty adding the twist.   I have one side attached and need to get the other side attached.  The picture below is from the instructions showing the small gaps in the second plank.  

 

I also reached out to Occre, and they said using heat from an iron or low heat from a heat gun is a technique that will also work.  One nice thing about Occre is they are more than willing to provide replacement parts free of charge if you break something.  The only downside is it take about 3 weeks to get them from Spain. 

 

I think I get too impatient when using heat to bend wood, something I need to get better at. I also work at a desk with a Formica top, so I worry about damaging it with heat.  

 

 

 

I mixed a new batch of shellac to finish the hull.  I am still fairly new to using shellac and I have seen some conflicting opinions on how long to keep shellac after it is mixed.  The previous batch is only about 5 months old, but it is considerably yellower compared to the new batch.  I am not sure if the yellowing is a function of age, or if it is a result of it becoming more concentrated as some of the alcohol evaporates.  I will keep the older shellac and use it for sealing wood prior to painting or for securing knots on my rigging.  

 

If the yellowing is only a result of evaporation, can someone simply add more alcohol?  It would be difficult to know how much to add to maintain a 2 Lb cut.  What do others do with thier shellac as it ages?  The picture below shows the difference between the old and new shellac.  Both were mixed from the same batch a dried shellac at a 2 Lb cut.

 

I am making progress on the sapelli planking below the sycamore.  This material is a little difficult to work with, very thin, I measured it at just under .5 mm, and a little brittle.  I will need to patch a few small areas near the bow the split when I was trimming.  

 

Next up is the wales.

 

I am really impressed with your doors and the windows.  The decks are also impressive.  

Welcome.  Good luck finishing your dad's models.  

I came up with the same measurements for the wood ones.  Like sails, I think these are always over scale if you use the kit provided materials.  Someday I may tackle scratch building pins, but for now I will live with these being too big.  

If you just need the updated rigging plans you can download the current instructions from the Occre web site.   There are no instructions for the masts or yards, but the plans are 1:1 scale and are pretty detailed.
 

it took me awhile to get the hang of the rigging plans, and I think more pins are needed on the aft section of the ship unless you use pins for more than one line.  The plans get confusing with the braces because they show one line and you can’t tell where it is attached to the yard based on the plan.   An expert would know it was a brace, but a begginer like me can get confused.  
 

I will measure the pins later tonight when I am home.   

I bought this kit about 6 months ago, directly from Occre, and the belay pins and gun carriages are now wood.  

Progress continues.   I have the sycamore second planking installed.   The material that Occre supplies is very thin.  Parts list says 0.6mm, but I measured it at less than 0.5mm.   For material this thin I use contact cement.   You get 100% coverage of the surface area so no edges curl up and it sticks as soon as you apply any pressure.   
 

I applied Minwax Golden Oak stain, and will later add at least a couple coats of coats of Shellac. 
 

next up is applying the sapelli planking on the rest of the hull. 
 

Definitely your carved version.   Very nice.  

2 hours ago, Patrick B said:

Hi RossR, could you show a picture of the cement glue you are using. 

 

Thanks, Patrick B

This is what I use.  Available at Home Depot, Menards etc.    You apply it to the hull and the planks.   Wait 5-10 minutes and the glue will barely feel sticky.  Then when planks is placed on the hull and a little pressure is applied it sticks very firmly.   Difficult to undo.   I apply it to the planks after sticking them to a piece of cardboard. 
 

I like it because there is 100% surface coverage and with the thin material in the Occre kits the should be no chance of any edges not laying flat.