cdrusn89

Thanks Bossman. So I decided to start the stern timbers with the inner (CC) set since it appears from all the drawings that they are truly vertical with the bulkhead former. Here is how I did it in case this could be useful to a future Confederacy builder. I built a new jig for the T-track that was wide enough to span the entire stern timber - from Bulkhead 8B to the farthest extent of the stern timbers Then I measured the provided lintels (S53 and L53) which both measure .50 inches confirming my belief that the "CC" timbers are vertical. I used the thickness sander to create a spacer .50" wide to fit between the two "CC" stern timbers. Next I needed to mark the jig with where the top of the "CC" timbers should be so I laid the jig on the drawing and marked the top of the "CC" stern timbers. I secured the jig in the T-Track, inserted the stbd "CC" stern timber in the slot in bulkhead 8B and adjusted the tilt so the top met the mark on the jig. I checked everything again and then took it apart, added glue and reassembled. When the glue was dry I moved the jig to the port side and repeated the process and included my spacer between the two "CC" stern timbers. I used a square to make sure the tops of the two "CC" timbers were aligned (not really trusting that the two T-tracks are exactly on the same level) then glued everything up and waiting overnight to make sure the glue was truly set. Now for the somewhat more difficult BB and AA timbers which are NOT truly vertical. By my measurement the BB timbers are 15mm apart from the CC at the bottom and 10mm at the top. I better get busy making at least two spacers, maybe three (10, 12.5 and 15mm).

Bossman, Thanks, I had not thought of the spacer. I assume you built the spacer to keep the 2 middle frames the correct distance apart - correct? You used the string line to get the tops of the timbers where they needed to be? I was thinking of building some kind of framework to span across the stern high enough to accommodate the inner (tallest) timbers and then moving it down and forward to accommodate the next two, etc. I have looked at the drawings and it is not obvious that there is an acceptable drawing which shows the stern timber location in all three dimensions. The port/stbd and vertical is shown in the template but I can't seem to find something that shows the fore/aft locations. The best I can come up with is Plate 2 of the Harold Hahn plans which show the stern timbers. It would allow you to measure how far back the tops of the timbers are but you would have to measure from some common point (base of stern post perhaps and allow for the fact that the stern post is not yet on the model hull). I have the T-track along the sides of the build board so moving the framework should be easy enough. I just need to know where to put it along the track and how high so I can clamp the timber tops to the framework while the glue dries.

After looking at the areas of the lower decks to be planked and reading the instructions that there are ~ 23 planks for each platform I decided to resurrect a technique I used on my Niagara (although on her I used it for the bulwark planking) of using a 1/64" thick plywood carrier sheet to hold the planking. This will allow me to plank at least the two bulkhead span off the model and then glue the entire sheet into the hull. I cut the plywood and test fit it to make sure I could get it into the desired location without bending, as bending will be very difficult with the planking glued down. Here is the carrier sheet during the test fit in the hull. You may note that rather than having the bulwark extension protectors held in by friction per the instructions I pinned them as during the fairing (when you really need them) they kept falling off. I was not terribly careful cutting the planks for the deck carrier. I will use the disk sander to trim the ragged ends and adjust the overall length and width to make it fit. Here is the planked deck carrier after a coat of WoP. Here it is after trimming and installation in the hull. While I am gluing up the other two lower decks I decided to start looking at the stern framing. In preparation for that I used the laser level to make sure I had the hull squarely on the building board and standing as close to vertical as I can measure. After some minor adjustment I got the laser in the center of the hull former at the after end and I have the hull aligned on the laser center since I have the vertical light on the center of the forward most bulkheads- or as close as I can measure. I hope to use the laser to help me get the stern timbers aligned correctly but I am not optimistic that it will be much help since it is hard to not get in the way of the beam while messing with the stern timbers. I am planning on reviewing several of the Confederacy build logs to see if there were any "tricks" employed by previous builders.

Bossman - thanks, I have a ways to go to catch up with you, in progress and quality. I got the shadow box of ribs faired and then a coat of WoP on. I have noit decided yet whether or not to cover the ribs but now I can plank over them if I wish. As installed they are quite "proud of the surface. I had to resort to 80 grit sandpaper to take it down in a reasonable time frame. Two of the ribs came "unstuck" during the process and I used medium CA to get them back min place - previously I had used Weldbond. Here is the area after fairing and one coat of WoP.

With the sample ribs waiting for glue to dry I decided to simulate the scarf joints in the keel per the instructions. My first issue is that I normally only have Bondo filler because it is much finer than the "regular" wood fillers. The bad news is that it comes only in black or red so it will not work for areas which will be stained/varnished. So another trip to Lowe's and I got two shades of Minwax wood putty. I think the natural pine is what I will use on the keel since it will has the natural basswood color (no stain). Here is what I got With the putty issue resolved I decided to build a jig to get the same pattern at all four locations. I assumed that the iron bolts extended all the way through the keel so there would be heads covered with plugs on both sides - two joints thus four sets of bolt heads. The jig is a simple piece of 1/4" X 1/16 brass plate with the eight holes (two rows of four) drilled out with the instructions suggested #70 drill bit. Here is the jig clamped to the keel ready to drill the holes. I cleaned out the holes with a sharp pick, sanded and applied the wood putty. Yea, it is hard to see but trust me the holes are there. After the putty dried I sanded the area first with 220 grit then 400. And this is what the first one looks like before the WoP. Yea I know itb is upside down - the MSW site did that - my photo is right side up??? It clearly needs a wipe down with paint thinner but I will wait and do the entire keel in one pass. Only three more to do.

I believe I successfully faired the hull although the actual success will not be know until the planking is done. I did not get ALL of the char off EVERY area but I checked with a batten what seemed like a hundred times and everything "seems" to be okay. I will probably check some areas again before the planking starts to try and catch any "bad" areas before I stumble across them while planking. I did the fairing before planking the lower decks as I was waiting from some more Alaskan Cedar from Syren. I discovered enough odds and ends min the "wood bin" to make enough 1/8" X 1/16" pieces to cover the three lower decks so I can start that next. In the mean time I decided to follow along the instructions with the shadow box and sample hull ribs. The instructions say the ribs "stand slightly proud of the hull shape". So I guess I could have glued them up with the laser char still on them and made sure I got it all off during fairing. My mistake, I spent a good deal, of time sanding the char off and gluing the wide frames up. I wish I could make the seams almost disappear like Chuck did on the prototype shown in the instructions (page 13). Here they are with the glue drying. The rubber bands was the best I could figure out to keep some pressure on them while the glue set. Having moved the hull off of and back onto the build board several times (plus turning in over once or twice) I decided that I needed some way to keep the hull straight as it is quite easy to get in at least off-center if not actually misaligned with the current method of securing. So I added two 1/4" X 1/4" strips down the center to hold the keel. I decided to screw them down (my default method would have been CA) using some very small wood screws I got from Micro-Mark so I can easily remove one so I can use the board again with a different keel size. The holder extends the entire length of the build board - square stock was in two foot pieces so this way I did not have to cut it. I used piece of carrier sheet that held the keel with a piece of masking tape on one side as the satnd in for the keel when securing the second piece. It seems to have worked as I managed to get the keel min the slot without significant force so I will call this one win. Here is a shot of the slot and the cedar pieces for planking the lower decks - I already used a carpenters pencil on the edges to simulate caulking. Although I wonder how much these decks will actually show considering all the other "stuff" that will be in and around the hatchways.

Bow fillers are done installed along with the other pieces so it is on to the stern framing.

A point for those who build the Confederacy in the future. With respect to the bulkhead fillers (parts FR1 - FR15) the instructions (page 7) show the stbd side and it shows the engraved numbers of the fillers facing out. Since I started in the centerline bulkhead I tried to keep the engraved side out on both sides. This worked fine until I got the where there is more pronounced deck sheer. When the top of the fillers is no longer perpendicular to the sides one fillers has to have the engraved side toward the bulkhead former. The laser cutter apparently created two exact duplicates of each filler. Having had some experience crafting balsa wood filler blocks (I did the entire hull on the 1/35 scale Endeavour) and a few pieces of spare balsa laying around I decided to make filler blocks for the bow. Anything to assist in a neat planking job. So here are two shots of the side of the bow. The extra items (BFD, Bow filler board and G1) have been added and the balsa filler "crafted". The port side is another story. I glued both the bow filler pieces on at the same time and failed to notice that the port side Bow Filler Piece had slipped down when the clamp was applied. When I finished the stbd side (feeling pretty good) I was confronted with a situation that required that the Bow Filler Piece be removed. I use Weldbond "universal adhesive" for most all of the wood to wood joining and this in soluble in alcohol (rubbing is what I use but vodka way work as well but...). I applied alcohol to the joint using an eye dropper (several droppers full) after opening the joint as much as I could with an Xacto chisel blade. I waited for about 30 minutes and was able to pry the filler off the stem although it split into two pieces in the process. I fabricated a new filler from a 1/8" sheet of yellow cedar and installed that without further incident.

I completed getting all the bulkheads and stiffeners installed. In spite of the "protectors" I installed I did manage to break one of the extensions, but not completely off so I think I got it back correctly. I clamped a steel ruler to the extension while the glue dried so it should still be in in the same plane as the rest of the bulkhead. Working the bow filler pieces. I used rubber cement to position a 1/16" X 1/16" piece on the BFD to help getting it correctly under the door sill bulkhead G. Have to do the other side forward then on the "real" fun, stern framing.

Making progress getting the bulkheads installed on the former. It is a slow process as I am inclined to let each former dry for at least two hours before removing the clamps. I have deviated from the instructions some what and am installing the filler blocks between the bulkheads as I go rather than waiting until all the bulkheads are installed. I am also considering installing some diagonal bracing between the bulkheads to further stiffen the assembly in anticipation of hull fairing. I did take the instructions to heart and added protective supports across the bulkhead extensions in the hopes of not breaking any off - we shall see.

The rest of the keel pieces installed. I clamped pieces of 1/16" wide strips on both side of the bulkhead former to help get the keel pieces on evenly. Next step the bulkheads. My plan is to start with the centerline (#8 per the instructions) and work forward and aft.

I assembled the stem from the seven sections. I made a real mess sanding the laser burn off but thinning the assembly down got rid of most of the "debris". Anyway, I decided to leave the stem/keel the natural basswood color, just use WoP to. The light stem/keel will give a nice contrast for the Swiss pear planking. Here is the stem clamped together before thinning. And here it is being attached to the bulkhead former.

I finished up the longboat and decided to put the two ships boats in the display case to "save" the spot for the Confederacy (and keep them out of "danger" in the workshop). So here they are: And here are the other occupants of the case.

The Longboat is done (except for some more oar locks and a coat of clear flat on the topsides). I "cheated" and used some large eyebolts for the bowsprit holders instead of brass strips. It was a bunch easier (just blacken and cut to length). For the "bulb" on the end of the tiller I dipped the .025" piano wire in Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 and then hung the wire vertically. The Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 will drip off the end of the wire until the last drop is not big enough to fall off. When it dries you have the "bulb" and the wire is black to boot. Here is the long boat: Now I have to finish the tackle for the guns and then the real Confederacy can begin in earnest.

The longboat is moving along (slowly) but the "real" ship is moving along. I created a template from a file folder for the bearding line at the stern (since the laser cutter only works on one side) and then glued the rabbit strip onto the bulkhead former.

Now the the bulkhead former is dry here it is on the build board (upside down) with the wet rabbit strip in place to dry before being attached.place

With one of the boats done I could not resist starting on the "real" Confederacy. I used one of the glass shelves I had to remove from my new display cabinets so the ship models would fit to support getting the bulkhead former together in a straight line. Here is the assembly weighted down while the glue dries (overnight).

The pinnace is finished. Probably not my finest work, especially on the hull but I will blame that on this being my first experience using Swiss Pear for hull planking. Although I will get a lot more practice as it is my intention to plank the Confederacy with Swiss Pear so I will chalk it up as a learning experience. I used Alaskan Yellow Cedar for all the interior and topside items instead of the kit provided basswood. I think the contrast between the cedar and the Swiss pear helps the boats appearance. It will be interesting to see what they look like when mounted on the finished hull -sometime in the far distant future. I think the walnut above the rub rail worked out well so I will do the same on the longboat which I hope to finish in the next couple of days.

Thanks for the "Likes" everyone. As a follow-up to yesterday's exploits I enlisted my neighbor to help move some more models and cases so I could get two models into the other new display case. So here are the Benjamin Latham and Pride of Baltimore II now "on display". There is an empty shelf above the PoB which is where the Confederacy will reside when it is finished - sometime in the far distant future as it since I have been working for just over two months and have not yet finished the gun carriages and ship's boats - although I am close. Here is a shot of the two display cabinets together. And now back to the boats!

On a slightly different topic. Yesterday I took delivery of two cabinets to house the ship models. I have grown weary of paying at least $500 for a case to store each model in and when by local contractor wanted ~$20K for a custom built-in display case I decided to get something commercially. These cases are 88"high so the 9'+ ceilings come in handy and will hold three ships each, as long as one of them isn't very tall. It is hair over 40" from glass to glass on the inside which became an issue with my Notman model. It would not fit (even diagonally ) without both the boom and bowsprit against the glass. So, now the Notman's boom is about an inch shorter than it should be. You can see how much I took off in the photo below. But it in now successfully in its new home (still needs to be in diagonally). And so are the Gorham and Niagara. So now back to work on the Confederacy which will have the top shelf in the other cabinet.

While waiting for glue to dry I took a piece of walnut and thinned it down to something less than 1/32" (~.0250 about half way to 1/64") X 3/32" and a piece of Alaskan cedar (1/32" X 1/32") as the rub rail and clamped them to the side of the longboat to see what it would look like. I rubbed it with paint thinner to approximate what the WoP will do to darken the wood and this is what it looks like. I am putting the rub rail on the pinnance now and I think I will use the walnut instead of black paint. I am not sure the paint would "work" with the Swiss Pear planking.

Thanks Bossman. My plan is to finish both the pinnance and longboat before starting on the "real" model. Here is the pinnance with the floor boards, thwarts, cap rail and rear platform installed. I put a coat of Tru-color TCP-017 Flat on the pinnance interior. It will be much harder to get everything covered after the seats and other interior parts are installed. I will use Wipe-on-Poly on the exterior as I am more familiar with it and it is easy to apply to the outside. I am hoping the aft platform is really on straight and it looks off because of the way I took the picture - parallax or something like that.

So that was the pinnance. Here is the longboat. Unlike in the pictures above of the pinnance which were taken shortly after wiping the hull down with paint thinner, these pictures were taken with the hull in its "natural" unfinished state. My plan is to give the hulls (and other external parts (keel, rudder, cap rail, etc.) three coats of Wipe-on-Poly satin once all the external parts are onboard. I am unsure what I will do about the interior. I am going to use Alaskan Cedar for the interior components (floorboards, thwarts, decking, etc.) since I have a bunch left over from a previous kit (Endeavour I think) and I think the light color will make a nice contrast with the darker Swiss Pear hull. I am undecided on the black strip with between the cap rail and the molding just below. I want to see what the hull looks like with the different wood tones before I make that decision. I have some walnut strips which I could thin down and use instead of paint if the dark strip looks like it will improve the boats appearance. I thought ahead and saved part of the swiss pear sawdust that I generated and combined with 50/50 glue water used it to make a patching material which I found was needed at the stern. I could not get the planking to twist as much as required in spite of the water (and I even used a bit of steam too). Much of this will be nearly invisible behind the rudder but I you can't have obvious holes below the waterline (even if they would be very hard to see). So here is the long boat with the bulkheads removed and a first pass at fairing and removing the laser char. You can see several of the pins I used to attach the keel/stem and false keel. At least I did not break the keel off with a planking clamp like I did on the pinnance. Pins probably helped.

I can't believe that it took more than 10 days just to get the two ship's boats planked. It was slow going and I am really not satisfied with the results but have decided to press on. It will be a long time before I need these on the build so maybe they will "grow on me". Anyway, here is the pinnance with the planking completed, sanded and the bulkheads removed. I used Swiss Pear strips (3/32' X 1/32") to plank the hull instead of the similarly sized basswood strips included in the kit. I manged to sand through the planking at two places on the stbd side of the bow and the joint between the keel and stem is not as "pretty" as it should be but I managed to snap the keel off the h ull while using it to support one end of several clamps holding a hull plank in position. As you can see from the interior shot, there are several ribs where some portion of the upper part has broken off. Before I try and get the laser char off the ribs I am going to try and fashion some replacements. Hopefully much of the upper part of the ribs will be hidden by other interior components but it is hard to tell at this point which ones. I have one more plank to finish on the longboat so it is not yet "ready for pictures".

Tim, You are welcome. 2mm will be even trickier than the 2.5s. I might think about going with 34 gauge wire but it is possible to actually cut the block in half if you try and get the wire too tight. And the thinner the wire and smaller the block the more that can be a problem. Don't ask me how i know.