gieb8688

Keith Black and Alexander - Thank you so much for kind comments - I appreciate it.
 
Thanks for the supportive comments Keith.  Perhaps I may post a compilation of techniques in the forum "Tips & Tricks" once this build is complete,  but I'm not sure how much overall interest there would be in it.  
 
Thanks, I'm pleased you're enjoying the log and happy to have you looking in.
 
And thanks to everyone stopping by and hitting the like button.
 
 
Pilothouse Interior #2
The navigation and control area on this boat is compact and simple.  Besides the ship’s wheel, there is a compass, throttle/clutch control and a couple of instrument gauges.
 
I begin with the wheel which is 36” in diameter including handles.  Photos of these boats show both traditional wooden wheels and simpler steel wheels.  I chose to go with steel because in all honesty, it is much easier to make.  It is put together from styrene and brass wire.  The styrene is painted with enamel and the brass is blackened.
 
 
 
 The compass is made from ¼” O.D. brass tube.  A styrene plug was inserted to hold a printed image of a compass rose at a point just below the rim of the compass.  A couple of drops of Gallery Glass are placed on the surface which when dry will provide a clear “lens” for the compass. 
 
If you’re unfamiliar with Gallery Glass, it is a craft store available product that has a number of modeling uses.  It comes in different colors and dries clear like stained glass.  It doesn’t dry hard like epoxy, but more like hard rubber.  The colors can be mixed and typically leave no air bubbles - but it does shrink and more than one application is often required.  It is non-conductive so you can encapsulate LEDs to insulate the solder joints and produce the color output you want at the same time.  If you repeatedly dip the end of a fiber-optic into white or clear and each time letting it dry in the vertical, you end up with a scale light bulb.

 The two gauges are produced in a similar way by placing a thin slice of 1/8” brass tubing over an image and adding a drop of Gallery Glass to the center.   The Gallery Glass adheres to the paper and brass and all that needs to be done is cut the paper away from around it.
 
A throttle/clutch control is made up from styrene and brass.

The gauges, compass and throttle are attached to a console top.

 A console bottom is made...
  
… along with a bolt-on access panel.  The nut/washers are styrene.
  
Everything is combined and glued into the pilothouse.
 
 
Thanks for stopping by.
 
Gary

Thank you John and Keith.  And thanks to everyone looking in and hitting the like button. 
 
 
Pilothouse Interior #1
With the frame for the pilothouse done, it’s time for the interior wall covering.
 

But first I need to install the jambs on the six windows and the door.  The jambs protrude from the frame both inside and out because they need to be flush with the outer surface of the wall covering.  They are cut from 1/32” basswood sheet.  This material is out of scale, but once the trim casings go on, only the face of the jambs will show with a reveal on the edges.  
 

The openings of the frame were cleaned in the corners before the jambs went in to remove any adhesive squeeze out.
 
 Next I added a band of wall frame cross supports that will serve as a landing spot for the lower edge of the exterior siding. 
  

This is necessary because the pilothouse floor is lower than the forward deck as shown below.
  

The interior vertical wall boards are about 3.5” wide.  I begin by staining a trial batch of wood.  I stick the wood down to a sheet of paper using double-sided tape.  Chalk is scraped off the side of sticks directly onto the wood and alcohol is used to liquefy and spread it.  I want color variation so several chalks are unevenly applied in loosely defined mini piles.  If the colors are evenly distributed it simply blends into a homogeneous color and that is not what I’m after here. 
  

The color is darker when wet and certain colors will not fully emerge until it has completely dried.
  

I didn’t care for the reddish oxide tone of the trial batch, so I changed colors and found something closer to what I had in mind.  In the end a scattered mix of  burnt umber, raw umber and burnt sienna was used.  The raw umber has a subtle green tint that I like.  When it was dry, I went over the surface with fine sandpaper.  To bring up a slight sheen, I lightly polished the wood with a little beeswax on the tip of my finger – more like burnishing really.
  

Then the floor of the cabin was constructed by gluing 6” wide floorboards directly to the template and cutting away the waste.
  

It was stained and a foot traffic pattern worn in.  The floor is reinforced on the bottom side.
 

Next I made up the interior window casings.  I first drew up the six window cutting templates.  Only the fore and aft facing windows have square corners.
  

Then with the aid of double-sided tape, I cut and glued the casings together.
  

I painted the casings, window jambs and material for the shoe base an off-white acrylic.  I then glued the vertical wall boards and all the trim into place.   
 


Sitting on the floor section.  The floor will not be glued on just yet.

 Thanks for stopping by.
 
Gary

Chris, Druxey, Michael and Dan - Thank you for looking in on my build log and for your kind words and encouragement.  I sincerely appreciate it.
And thanks to all who stopped by and hitting the like button
 
 
Here’s an overview of hatch positioning on the aft section of the deck.
 
The placement of the bitts and the curvature of the transom differ here from my model because it’s a different boat.  I’m choosing this deck layout simply because I found it in drawings and photos more often than any other layout. 
 
The area highlighted in green is the top of the storage and sits 15” above the deck surface.  There are two removable covers, one on each side.
 
The orange lines represent the wooden planks that make up the fish sorting pens.  Period drawings often label this area “checkers.”  These pens can be assembled in different configurations and pulled apart to be set out of the way.  Even though the drawing indicates that these pens can be set up on both starboard and port side, I have not seen a single photo showing this in practice on these small draggers.  They are always on the port side only.  In use, the trawl net is emptied into this area and the catch is sorted by size and species.  Non-target fish that still have a market value are sorted out into separate pens and boxes. 
 
The image below shows a mixed catch of lobster and fish in the sorting pens.  The photo is from an excellent book by Peter K. Prybot titled White-Tipped Orange Masts.
 
To get started on the storage area, I install a couple of support beams for the decking.  They have been bent to match the crown of the deck and installed so the top sheds water forward.

A card template is made for the forward facing side.  Wood is glued to it, cut out and then stained.

 
Card is cut and glued to the top of the storage area.  Leaving the ends wild, pre-stained boards are glued on.  The boards scale to 1” x 4”.  Once this was complete, I tore them all off for a re-do, because they were crooked and looked terrible.  In this photo you can see the boards tending toward port.  After all boards were on, it was much more obvious.
 

After the redo, I filed the board ends even.  And though the boards now appear to be pointed slightly starboard, I have convinced myself that it’s just a camera angle illusion thing.  Before I am done with this storage deck, it will receive a wash to tone down the contrast a bit.
 

 Next, I layout the cover positions and cut a hole in the deck for the hatch cover frame.  Although there are two covers, only one will be removable on the model.  The frame and the two covers are made.
 
 Cover handles are bent from .0125 phosphor bronze wire and placed.  I’m using the bronze wire over brass simply because that’s what I have.  But as a side note, most of the fine wire I use in modeling is phosphor bronze.  Like brass it’s a copper alloy, but it is harder and has more spring to it.  It doesn’t have a tendency to slump like brass wire does, which makes it ideal for railings, tie rods, guy wires, etc.
 
The handle escutcheons are 1:160 styrene eyes.
 

 

 

 
Next, the pen boards are made up.
 

 
The sequence is simple and produces predictable results.  In these next photos, I setup the lighting for strong contrast to show grain in the wood - so the texture appears exaggerated.
 
The piece of basswood is 3/16” x 1 ½”.
 

First, it is wire brushed to bring up the grain (soft wire brush).

 Then hand holds are cut with needle files.
 
 A hole is drilled to accept a knot.  It is placed where the wire brush found softer material and dug deeper.  This deeper cut is exaggerated with a file leading into the knot hole.
 
A toothpick is glued into the hole and cut flush on both sides.  The wood is stained front and back with chalk/alcohol.  The white along the bottom is meant to represent salt wicking.  To get the colors to blend on such a small piece, a lot of alcohol was used.  There is no such thing as too much alcohol – I’m talking about modeling here remember.
 
Wood 2" x 2" are installed as placement guides on the hatch sides and stanchions.  The board ends slide down into these guides.  Styrene nut/washers are added to the guides.
 
The arrangement of pens is slightly different on my model than is shown on the layout at the beginning of this post.  The drawing depicts a larger boat and has pens forward of the fish hold.  Smaller boats like mine have the hoisting winch directly in front of the fish hold and deck space is at a premium.  These small boats sometimes have a diagonal pen off the port side of the fish hold.  So that is how I configured mine.
 
Notice that of the three large pens, only the forward two have pen boards up against the bulwark stanchions.  This is to keep small catch from slipping out through the scuppers.

 

 

 
Thanks for taking a look.
 
Gary
 

Thank you John - I appreciate it.  And thanks to those looking in and hitting the like button. 
 
Fish and Ice Hold Hatches
I intended to include the equipment storage and checkers in this post, but that will be the next one.
 

The fish hold hatch sits slightly forward of center on the aft deck. It measures 8 feet long by 4 feet wide and has three covers.  The hatch coamings are 11” high, but I’m building the box out of slightly wider material.  This will allow me to profile the bottom edges to conform to the crown and sheer of the deck without loosing the 11 inches in height.  The ice hold sits aft of the fish hatch and is 4.5 feet x 2.5 and stands 8” high.
 
I begin by drawing up the hatch coamings and covers for both fish and ice holds.
 


From 1/16” thick stock, I cut the coamings needed for both hatches.
 


 

I use a 1-2-3 block as an aid in producing a square corner.  CA is being used because I’ll be using alcohol to color them.  And as you know, PVA and alcohol don’t play well together.
 


 

I use a flat sanding surface to maintain flat square surfaces all around.  I find it easier to push pieces around on a stationary flat surface than to sand a stationary piece with a moving sanding surface.  I’ve made several of these surfaces - different grits of paper and emery that are glued down to both sides of a 4” x 7” piece of craft plywood.  Having grit on both sides keeps them from sliding around.
 


 

Before I begin the hatch covers, I confirm the frame size.
 


 

To make the covers, appropriate sized strips of wood are glued directly to the drawing extending across all three covers.
 


 

I then cut along the dashed location lines with a straight edge and blade.  They are left wide and will be adjusted later.
 


 

Coloring the frames starts with applying a mixture of India ink and 70% ethyl alcohol.  (Any alcohol works.)
 


 

Then the frames are painted with an off-white acrylic and allowed to dry for about ten minutes.  Applying regular cellophane tape to selected areas of the paint and then tearing it off like an old bandage leaves a peeled paint appearance.  More paint can be pulled off in areas where you burnish through the tape surface.  There is a window of time when this technique works most effectively – letting the paint dry too long or too little produces disappointing results.  Experimentation on scrap is essential.  Different species of wood and stain/paint combinations work with varying degrees of success.  But it always works.  (Batteries not included and your mileage may vary.)
 


 

The hatch covers are stained next.  They are placed on a sheet of paper with double-sided tape.  Chalk is scrapped off the side of soft pastel sticks (dry, not oil based) into three small piles – black, brown and white.  After applying a wash of ink/alcohol, I highlight areas with the chalk.  Black and brown for general coloration, and white to simulate sun and water bleaching.  The chalk is applied with a brush wet with straight alcohol.  Touching the chalk dust with the brush produces a puddle of wash as subtle or bold as you wish depending on the amount of alcohol applied.  It penetrates the wood and can be blended and re-worked with straight clean alcohol.  White is the most difficult to work because you can’t see it while wet.  You have to wait for the alcohol to evaporate off to see the results.
 

Where too much chalk was applied, I remove and/or blend it back with clean alcohol.
 

This photo shows the three-stage progression.
 


 

For lifting rings I found some guy wire eyes in my styrene junk yard that scale to 3” in diameter.  They were painted flat black enamel and glued into indents in the hatch covers.  Brown chalk was used to simulate traces of rust on and around the pulls.  This helped in visually setting the pulls into place.
 


 

Finally an insert is placed into the frame to hold the covers. 
 

The ice hatch was built in the same way.
 


 

I’m going to hold off placing these hatches on the deck for now, as they would interfere with upcoming work.
 

Next - equipment storage and checkers.
 

Thanks for taking a look.
 

Gary

Keith and John - Thank you for your comments and interest in my build.  And thanks to all who have stopped by and for hitting the like button.
 
Railcaps
Here is a short update showing the rail cap and stern area bitts installed.
 

To begin I needed a pattern for the rails.
 

I took a sheet of letter-sized paper and placed it on the deck/bulwarks of the model.  Running my finger over the paper and along the edge of the boat left a nice clearly defined crease in the paper.  I did this for both P/S rails.  Care was needed to keep from shifting the paper while tracing the edges.  I found this much easier than tracing with a pencil.
 

Using a French curve, I refined both creases into smooth arcs.  I then cut along these lines and held them to the model to check for accuracy.  Satisfied, I then transfer the arcs to cardboard and cut them out.  These were then glued to a cardboard base.  This would serve as my forms for the railcaps.
 

To make up the caps, I laminated two strips of basswood with PVA and pinned them to forms to dry.  Waxed paper was put down to keep them from sticking to the cardboard.
 

Once dry, they were sanded flat and smooth then trimmed and fitted.  They were attached to the model using CA.
 

 Extra material was added for a wider rail at the aft deck.  Inwales were installed and rail cap was added across the top of the transom.  All were base painted white.
 
Bitts were made up and installed through the railcap in each corner of the stern.  This turned out to be one of those tasks that you think will be simple and fast, but ends up taking a lot longer.  The bitts took no time to make – a square piece of wood cut to length with a piece of blackened brass stuck through it.  But cutting the square holes through the railcap took much longer.  They have to be positioned the same on each side. They have to stand parallel with the deck boards rather than the railcap.  And one errant stroke of the file and the hole would be out of square, crooked or worst of all - too big. 


 


 Some other views. 


 


 


 Next, I begin on the equipment storage area, ice and fish hold hatches and the checkers.
 

Thanks for taking a look.
 

Gary

Thanks Keith
 
Lining OFF
Beginning the sawdust phase, I cut the bulkheads out with my scroll saw leaving the piece large (cutting to the outside of the template line.)  I do this because I have no skill with the saw and cannot keep to a line.  I then use a bench top disc sander and work back to the template outline.  This works great with the convex edge and I use a Dremel sanding drum for the inside curves.
 
I glue these forms to the platform base and attach the keel/stem.  Before the keel went on, I cut a rabbet on the stem.
 

 
Using a batten to see how the bulkheads faired, I found a problem.  Station #8 was too small and #7 was ridiculously too large.  Looking back at the body plan it’s hard to see how I missed it.  But, that’s the point of going through the fairing up process.  So, I built up #8 and went after #7 with a file.
 

 
Based on photos and drawings, the planking widths for this vessel seem to vary in the 5” to 7” range.  I have a stash of stripwood that scales to approximately 6.5” wide x 1.75” thick so decided to use those.  Because station #7 has the longest edge length of any bulkhead, it will be the location where the planks are at there full width.  From here they taper to the stem and taper back to the stern.  It will require 23 courses of planks per side.
 
There will be 4 belts per side of 6 planks each.  Belt #1 beginning at the keel will have only 5.  From station #7 back to the stern, 4 planks are lost in belt #1.
 
I measure the length of each station edge and check it against what my CAD drawing says it should be.  Knowing how many planks will be required, I generate the following plank width tick mark strips for each bulkhead edge.
 
  
 
The width of the planks at the bow is just under 5.25” which satisfies the “not less than half” plank width guideline.  No steelers or drops are needed.
 
The strip marks are temporarily taped on the bulkheads and a batten strip is used to get a general sense of the curve following the tick marks.
 

 
Happy with the way it looked, I transferred the tick marks to the stations with pencil and temporarily attached thread at each belt as a final check to see how the plank courses run.  After a few minor modifications, I was ready to start planking. 
 

 
Planking
The coloring and weathering the model will receive will not only reveal but also accentuate the planking on the hull, so I won’t be using any filler or putty.  On a previous model, I planked the hull somewhat haphazardly, knowing that I was going to slather Bondo on it and sand it smooth.  I’m happy with the way the model came out, but it would have been more realistic with the planks showing through the paint.
 

 
I set up a little jig to hold the stripwood firmly in place as I slice the taper into it - then sand to fit

I begin planking at the keel with the garboard and lay on two belts of planks on one side.  Each course is tapered on the upper edge of the planks so that each successive course starts with a straight edge.
 
Each course of planks is made from a single strip of wood.  After it is tapered and test fit, it is then cut to simulate the butt ends of two individual boards.  The joints are reinforced on the reverse side. 
 
Two more belts are added to the other side.

 

 
Then the last 4 belts are added minus the top three courses.
 


 
At this point, I cut the hull from the platform.
 

 

 
The next course of planking requires the scuppers.
 

 
Finally, I sand the hull and finish it off with a soft brass wire brush.  The wire brush removes the sanding shine and any cross grain scratches and in general sort of unifies the look.  It will also help with the weathering later on.
 
These final photos were taken in full direct sunlight in hopes that the effect of the wire brush can be seen.  A few final licks with 800 grit paper will take the remaining wood fuzz off. 
 

 

 
This post brings me up to date in real time on this model.  
 
Thanks for taking a look.
 
Gary
 
 

Thanks! regarding a laser machine, I could get out a large loan and get one, along with the workshop space I would need to rent, as I am not sure I would be allowed to have one in my garage with the noise 24/7 in a residential area. Nothing to do with being brave, more to do with economics. I would rather invest my (little) money in stuff like decent materials, resin castings and nice printing. It may surprise you to learn that even some of the largest manufacturers sub contract their laser cut work, and as far as I know, due the chemical process, all photo etched parts are sub contracted.
Thank you, although I hesitate to be called expert, I see a lot of stunning work on these forums.
 
OK, this morning (got up very late..), I took off the clamps and pins holding the gun port patterns in place, the basic structure is now more than strong enough to take the planking, with the stern especially being a lot more protected than my first prototype. I think the only way to break any part now would be to drop it from a height onto a hard floor. It has taken a day's work to get to this stage, but perhaps 3 hours work, as most of the time was taken was waiting for the PVA glue to cure.
 
On the last photo, I added a series of small marks under each gun port. I have since deleted these, but I am wondering if I should reinstate them, as they are markers for the curve and height on the main wale, and where the second planking should start.
 
The last pics are from the first prototype, where I just slapped everything together to check that everything aligned as it should and the various openings for bitts and masts were fine. If you look at the stern frames, they come further down the deck than the second prototype, I thought they were too obtrusive, so shortened them as much as I dared without compromised structural integrity.
 
Also, I have the cast resin cannon ready for the prototype model, the 4 pounder and half pounder. The first 50 kits will be this colour, but after this they will be cast in black resin (why didn't I ask for black resin to begin with, dammit)!

OK, I have put together the basic hull structure, and changed a couple of things since my first build. All of the MDF parts are glued together (superglue gel mostly for a 'speed build').
 
Everything has gone together fine, no problems. I have changed the stern lower counter and upper stern board. before, the upper pattern was to be added once planked, but I realised just how fragile those stern frames are, more so since I changed them since my first build, to be less unobtrusive. With this in mind, I now show both the stern counter and stern board glued in place as soon as possible, to give the very light and fragile stern area some rigidity. I have also moved these two parts over from the 1mm wood sheet to the 0.8mm plywood sheet, so they have extra strength. The lower decks are the correct height and also have the correct sheers.
 
I will add another two tabs to the stem post to minimise it splitting.
 
I have also attached a pic of my first build, which is in pear, in the process of being sanded after second planking was complete.

Just had some of the Speedy prototype parts arrive. A lot more parts than Alert, and 15 bulkheads..
 
I had one PE sheet missing, so will take a pic of the brass sheets when I receive, but the copper sheets look fine. For the nail heads, I copied exactly a picture I have of an original Victory copper plate.
 
I have tried to make no compromises with this kit, and bought my own supply of 0.8mm ply for the more critical parts. below is not all of the laser sheets, I have the laser engraved deck too. I think I will separate the 1mm wood gunwale into two parts per side, to minimise the chance of it breaking.
 
I have since removed the holes around the rims of the lower tops, as for the period I am basing the model (1800-1802), crowsfeet would not have been rigged.
 
I have even included a few hatchets in the 0.4mm PE, as I know they used these to remove tangled rigging when in battle, and Speedy was in battle a lot!

Hello friends , 
after long time I'm updating my build log,
6 month ago we had a baby so I not had the time even to think about the build
but now starting again ...
so 6 month ago I left the ship after finishing the first plank
and now im working (very slowly but working lol) on the gallery 
here is some pictures how I left the ship :
 
 

And here is some pictures of the currenlty stage:

 

The plank that coevering the corner took me long time, from misuring untill gluing and holding hem in place ...

 
 

Hello friends,  Here is a little update  
First I’m posting some pictures of the process , Then I’ll post pictures of the currently stage ...  
 

I just took the clamps out : i just notice that the lime wood has difrent colors as you can see in the picture but anyway it will be cover by the secound plank  

and here is some planks that I have install until now (it take me 1 plank per day )

 

Hello Friends
here is a little update like I said before everything taking me a long time due to a lot of hours at the office 
 
first I will start with a little trick for the fan method I got an idea to roll the fan printed at some toothpick
and it working great you can finde the distance between the belts lines very quick by rolling up or down the toothpick :
I also recommending when you using the fan method don't mark all the belts !! just the first one that you going to start with!
because sometime you can pass the line of the belt  then you will need to calculate all the rest again ...
just finish the first one then after planking you can calculate the second belt act...

A little update 
I have finish the lining the belts process 
everything taking me long time  due to a lot of work at the office ....
but in Hebrew we say Measured steps will lead you to a safe way 
Regards,
Michael.

 

Update.  Not much to add really.  I have had a free morning so finished the majority of the upper section of the second planking in boxwood on both sides.  I will do the quarterdeck and the trimming around the transom area later.  I then cracked on with some walnut planning on the hull that will be below the waterline and will eventually be covered by copper tiles. My planking is not great so I am using this to get practice and improve even though my labours will be masked in due course.  I think this phase might take some time!     

New progress on the herringlugger. I started to finish the outside of the hull with thousands of 'fake' rivets. For these rivets I used some glue or paint for clothes. I also gave the hull a solid layer of primer to seal the rivets. In reality the ship would have more, much more rivets but I keep it this way. Iam afraid more rivets will do more harm then good. Now I have the idea off a riveted hull without turning it into a hedgehog or something.
 
I am also starting to sealize that this ship take much more time than the smaller models that i built earlier. It seems like evything takes twice as much time. But fortunately the challenge remains great and I enjoy the building of the model and the thinking out of everything.
 
Thanks for watching, commenting and hitting the like button.
 
(Updates will take a bit longer in the future. After working as a volunteer now since January with elderly people with dementia, I got a job as a student nurse at a big healthcare organization. This after more than six years of being not capable of working because of my bad health. The training will start in february. I thank  my wife, my friends and God (and offcoarse the elderly people for stealing my heart😍) for these opportunities after so long being sick)
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Here it is!
The first BOX of the new our kit "Tender AVOS".

For your attention photos of the model of the tender "AVOS"
with the first control assembly of our new model a 4-oared yawl (lenght -68mm, width - 22mm )
 
 

Finally finished the ratlines on the starboard side.  Purists would be able to point out errors, but I am happy with the results.  Also added some additional running rigging in the bowsprit area.  Now on to the port ratlines!

Hello all,
I just put one of the most difficult, most fidgety things you will ever do with PE.  I had to take a break because I thought I would explode because I have to make another one! The PE is so incredibly fragile that just breathing on it just about bends it! (exaggerating). There is hardly any surface contact at all. Now, back to the next one

And....it's done! Worked on the placard today. Wanted it to match the base with the faux marble. Trimmed lose ends. Replace the boats that "fit".  After adding some of the rigging, not all fit.  They barely fit even without the rigging. Lots of things getting in the way. The boats smashed up against the superstructure, etc. 
The glass was a "pane". You really need to do all your calculations right. Then gluing it is very stressful.  Typical glass cutters don't care about precision. They're used to cutting window glass that can be off by at least 1/8!  I had to go back a couple of times. Finally got it as right as I can get. I love it! I've carried it around several times and it feels nice and solid. I had planned to add some angle stock to the corners and edges for support but it's totally unnecessary.  Cleaning the silicone afterward was a nightmare!
The base is totally non traditional to say the least. But since the model itself, with the unpainted PE is non traditional, I decided to keep it that way.  I Like it.  Hope you do too.  The pedestals were solid brass drawer pulls haha.  Again, I like them.
I really loved working with the E Z line. Can't say how many times I snagged a line by accident and it just stretched....and stretched... and never popped off.  Had it been typical line like on one of my wooden ships, it would have been a disaster.  For such tiny scales, I think this stuff is the answer.  Obviously, if I needed something "rope like", this would be out of the question.
Anyway, I plan and taking better photographs later, but here are these for now.  IT'S DONE!!!
 

Current status.