Greg Davis

Finished plating the port side of Phantom today. I had placed a strip of tape to mark the water line / position of the last line of plates:

I marked off the first belt with Tamiya tape and plated the first belt so that it overlapped the tape. After making sure the copper foil was burnished quite well to the hull in a way that I could easily see the tape edge, I used a new scalpel blade to cut through the foil and pealed off the tape. Ready now to start the second belt.

I've started to copper the hull. This is only the second hull I've tried to cover in copper foil - my 1/96 scale Phantom was the first, back in 2007. I hope it doesn't look too bad when done! So here's what I've done on day 1:

Keeping the detail level - no treenails in the hull planks (nor deck), so no fasteners in the copper plates.

1 hour ago, dvm27 said:

Beautiful work fellow Greg. The oscillating spindle sander is one of my favorite tools.  I also make extensive use of a mini light box to show the low spots when mating these curved surfaces.

Greg -

I have a light box as well, but never thought of using it for that purpose - duh! 

Thanks for the great idea and supportive comments,

Greg

Cleaned up / milled out some wood above gamming knee and lengthening timber (4 & 5). I didn't want to accidently catch something on one of the rough edges and / or slots that were along the top. Once that was done, using a spindle sander, I did a preliminary sanding of the back edge that will match with the stem. This actually resulted in a better than expected start to the final shaping:

2 hours ago, No Idea said:

Greg your carpentry is amazing what a beautiful build 

Thank you so much!

15 minutes ago, tmj said:

Perhaps you can simply modify more popular, easy to obtain blades via a rotary tool, so they will fit? Dunno, just tossing that out there. 

You could also just re-sharpen the existing blade via stones and a strop, just like a straight razor...

Option #3... buy some thin 01 tool steel off of Amazon and make a new, better blade, harden it with a propane torch and canola oil and hone a blistering sharp edge on it. You'll have all the blades you need then! 😁

I will be doing the re-sharpening first and see how long I can make the blade last. But making my own may come into play depending on the longevity of the provided one. Currently a single replacement blade is going for $10 plus $4 shipping on Amazon. I will say the cutting station is very nice, but pricey; some would argue overpriced for what I'm using it for - and therefore I shouldn't complain about blade prices! Truthfully, I could have built a simple jig (like used for making deck planks the same length) from wood and cut the copper tape with a razor blade or hobby knife for essentially free. 

3 hours ago, yvesvidal said:

Glad to see you back on this beautiful model.

 

Yves

It feels good to be back on the build, there had been a lot of days where I would come into my workroom and see the hull on the shelf and an urge to bring it down to table level would occur! But finishing the Santos-Dumont Hydroplane had preference through early / mid May because it was going to a contest. That worked out well with the model earning the Best of Show award. Of course then there was a bit of adrenaline that pushed me toward my most ambitious current project - L' Invention! The modeling there is going good but is a bit more stressful / higher stakes type of build for me. The Phantom build is more on the relaxing side!

Currently it looks like I should be able to make constant progress on Phantom for the foreseeable future. How much / fast is the big question as I tend to get involved in other builds readily. Not so much that I lose interest in a ongoing build as I find other models compelling as well. I have (at least) two other models eking along - the Occre BR-18 Locomotive kit, and a scratch built half-hull model of the skip-jack Carrie Price based on the plans and instructions in the Grimwood book "American Models and How to Build Them'. 

Greg

It's been a while since I worked on this model, but today I got back at it! Cutting copper plates - several hundred so far. The Dspiae cutter does a great job, I'm just wondering how long the blade will hold up. unfortunately, The blade appears to be proprietary (and expensive).

Soon I will start attaching to the hull.

Another day, another joint!

This will sit between glass plates through the night to insure it dries flat. I can then remove some of the excess material along the curved contour of 4 and 5. The flat on the top of 4 will be cut a bit later so that it matches the top of the stem. It also looks like I can start working on the joint between what is done and the stem.

3 hours ago, druxey said:

Yes, Greg, you are correct: She is. The model is much more advanced now than in the photo posted. The hull, decks and fittings are almost complete. The headwork will shortly commence. But I don't want to hijack your exemplary build!

It looks wonderful - feel free to hijack at will!

Thank you so much for the complement on my work; it means a lot to me.

Greg

A few more parts connected (3, 4, and 5) together today. 4 and particularly 5 are delicate; this is why I left quite a lot of material on the top for now. Once the bottom is matched to the surface of parts 1 and 2, I will go about removing material / shaping the top contour.

On 6/23/2025 at 5:05 AM, druxey said:

I would agree with Christian. It's also much easier to apply planking at the bow without the knee in the way.

Is this South Carolina?

As I was cleaning up the outer profiles I was really pleased to see the thin perpendicular line indicating the joint between pieces 1 and 2. While this will soon be covered by another piece, it is gratifying to see the joint is tight front to back!

First three parts of the assembly are in place. Joining parts 1 and 2 was challenging due to the curved shape together with the fact that 2 drops into 1. The joint between 1 and 6 is LONG! 

This is what the joints look like from behind:

4 hours ago, druxey said:

I would agree with Christian. It's also much easier to apply planking at the bow without the knee in the way.

11 hours ago, AnobiumPunctatum said:

I think it is much better to do this after building the complete farming of the hull.

I will definitively be string the structure in a safe place after building it and then attach the cutwater / head once the hull has been planked.

Thanks for the input / direction!

Greg

6 minutes ago, druxey said:

Looking good so far. The upper part of the assembly is known as the knee of the head with your parts 4 and 5 the standard and hair bracket.

Thank you for the proper vocabulary! 

Greg

I decided to start work on the cutwater. Templates for all the parts were rubber cemented a sheet of Swiss pear and cut out with the scroll saw - some closer to the lines than others depending on the size / complexity of the parts. This is my first opportunity to fabricate a built-up cutwater and I am looking forward to the experience. Of course the situation leaves me with some questions as how to proceed. Here's the current plan:

I've numbered the parts in a perhaps strange order - parts 4 and 5 are numbered in the plans, but the rest are not, so I chose a numbering system that seemed reasonable but would not mirror the intended order of assembly. 

1. Fay parts 1 and 2

2. Smooth top and bottom contours of the assembly

3. Fit and add part 6 (remembering to have shaped the top S-curve of 6 beforehand) 

4. Form and add parts 3, 4, and 5.

5. Begin matching this assembly (parts 1-6) to the stem.

6. Match the inner side of 7 to the stem

7. Cut the scarf joints on 6 and 7

8. Connect 7 to the 1-6 assembly.

9. Continue shaping the joint between this unit and the stem

10. Add the forefoot to the stem assembly and insure the cutwater matches well with the stem and the joint between part 7 and the forefoot.

11. Set the cutwater in a safe place and have a nice glass of scotch and/or whiskey!

Tapering of the cutwater, etc. can then be done at a later date.

Please let me know if I am missing something important here.

So here are the cutout parts and a start of forming the joint between parts 1 and 2.

Here's the result of this week's work:

I felt that if I worked these joints anymore, the result would start to degrade; hence the decision to attach and move on to another piece.

Question: Is it wise to shape the cutwater at this point (and set it aside for a really long time)?

1 hour ago, BradNSW said:

Excellent progress.  We look forward to watching these joints come together, step by careful step.  IMO, they can make or break a model.

 

You are several months ahead of my latest project.  The mobile shipyard is still working on frames.  We did have a friend deliver a package of pearwood stock to our current campground, for the keel and rising wood.

 

So, workers here are already planning the steps and process for laying the keel and stem/stern pieces.  I will continue to follow closely to glean what I can from your techniques and experience! Thanks for the great pictures and process descriptions!

And I will be doing the same. Safe travels!

Greg

8 hours ago, AnobiumPunctatum said:

It's not only the problem which David mentioned. It's also a simple problem working with wood (and also other materials). If you cut and grind your wooden parts 100% exactly to the line, your model keel will be 0.4 to 0.5 mm longer than planned (depends if you have 5 or 6 parts). The glue needs also some space. My experience say that you have to think on 0.1mm for every joint. If you add some thin paper for the caulking you need at minimum 0.15 to 0.2mm for the joint.

Especially at the keel this gives your model some extra length.

With manually cutted parts you can't avoid this. 

All points well taken - expanding / contracting plans and wood, together with the fact lines on a drawing have width.

I won't be adding any paper for caulking and yes, glue does take up space. I hope to keep a good eye on the accumulated length / minimize the chance for expansion by keeping track of not just the dimensions of each individual part, but also that of assemblies. So here, the combined width of the apron / stem is as important as the width of the apron and stem individually.

Of course finishing  individual parts to the exterior the associated plan lines will result in joined pieces to include the thickness of two copies of the lines from the plan plus space taken by glue - so one line width plus glue too much.  Finishing individual pieces to where the plan line nearly disappears (on both sides of a joint) keeps the joined combined piece(s) dimensions closer to what the goal is. 

Either way, assume if one had modeled a keel to be 850mm and ended up 0.5mm in excess of the overall keel length, the length for this assembly l will still be within 0.06% of the desired length [ (0.5 / 850) x 100 = 0.06% ] - for me, I'd call that a win! 

I milled the scarf joining the apron and rising wood segment, then glued the pieces together and set them under glass for more than a day. My plan is to shape the fore side of the subassembly so it matches with the previously made section. Then I will shape the inner side followed by milling the more delicate scarf on the end of the rising wood piece.

Just a quick update:

It's taken a few days but the fore-foot (b) and stem (c) are connected, shaped and ready to accept the apron (g) as well as the first section of the rising wood (e1). I expect that it will take quite a few more hours of careful shaping to get g and e1 nicely fayed to b and c. The fore-foot (h1) already is shaped to fit correctly to b (and to the next part of the false keel h2).

5 hours ago, druxey said:

The second solution is one I've used now for decades, since I discovered paper plans were a snare and delusion for accurate work. Sure, it's more work, but saves my sanity in the long run! The photo is the prelude to my current project, the South Carolina, ex L'Egyptian.

Fortunately we keep our house fairly well controlled in terms of temperature and humidity so I'm hoping that there is minimal dimensional changes going on here! For this project I will make use of the dimensions listed in the monograph as well as the plans.

I had read about your use of Mylar in your books and it may be wise for me to think in this direction for future projects. This certainly seems to be a situation where it would be valuable to have CAD files which don't appear to be available for ANCRE publications. But I do have a project in the wings that needs to be done in the next couple of years for a local non-profit. They want I model of a Mackinaw boat and I have agreed to make one for them. Still not sure what draught I will work from, but it appears that I will need to draw the plans myself - it could be a good introduction for me for working with Mylar. 

I am very much looking forward to seeing the result of your current project; South Carolina (ex L'Indien?) is such a beautiful frigate!

Greg

Magnificent!