gieb8688

Completed the hull planking, quite happy with things so far - need to do some finishing touches to the bow still (used some vertical strips that need sanding), and next step will be a rough sanding using 60 grade grit, before applying some resin into the joints.
After than some more sanding and applying filler where needed.
 
E

Druxey this is the direction I was leaning in. I do have an airbrush, the funnel is entirely metal pretty much all brass.
 
I will after stripping give it a fine coat of Zinc Chromate primer before applying the colors. All of the stay eyes are through holes then bent on the inside so all of these will also be removed.
 
Roger, I do not have an air eraser and do have acetone which on brass will work well enough and if it has difficulty with any of the paint I will use Lacquer thinner which I also have.
 
Thank you all for your suggestions and input, it really is helpful to hear your opinions and Ideas on this area.
 
Yesterday before we went into the city I glued up the boat deck.
 

 

 

 
After setting overnight I just removed the clamps to see the next milestone achieved.
 

 
An additional thank you to all who are visiting quietly it is encouraging to see the interest in this project.
 
Michael

Thanks for your thoughts on this area Druxey and Carl.
 
Before I glue on the lifeboat deck I still needed to fix the top part of the lifeboat deck structure.
 

 
I set up a flat plate that I could use as a guide for the pairing chisel.
 

 

 
Once the damaged area was removed I fitted a new piece of maple this will get painted on the top inside edge before it gets glued in place.
 

 

 
A lot of little steps it seems.
 
Michael
 
 

They paintjob may be your largest chalenge.
Those old type of paints do no longer exist, I'm pretty sure that the colours went a bit 'off' over the last decades, so you have to match colour, 'structure' as well as 'age' in the paintjob. (and prepping the surface of the new wood, without damaging the old paintwork micht be tricky as well. But just a plain repaint of the whole ship is a severe sin from a restorers point of view.
 
I'll follow with interest.
 
Jan

Yes, I do completely agree with you on this score.
 
Jud you are right I do not want to replace all the wire standing rigging, but I might have to, a closer inspection shows that nearly all of the brass wire rigging is stretched and loose. 
One option is to undo then one at a time and then rewind them again and make a neater job of all of them.
The other is to replace them all.
 
All the funnel stays  are all damaged to some extent, the eye-bolts that go into the funnel are bent wire and then bent down inside.
 

 

 
Only a few of the running rigging lines that are fitted to the booms have been snapped and that will be tricky but likely easier to deal with that the wire rigging.
 
I spent most of the afternoon removing the funnels and the structure under them the tops were crushed a bit.
 

 
An area that is serious and not apparent in the beginning is the area highlighted in the next picture
 

 
This one is troubling. Basically the whole of the front sheet is moved forward away from the deck behind it. This is the brass piece that the top member that supports the boat deck need to be soldered to after making a new piece.
 
One thought is to cut the section at the blue line to remove the side in order to straighten and solder the new section to it.
I am reminded of Druxey's comment now about hidden damage that was not apparent.
 
I am having this feeling of digging a hole and it keeps getting bigger. Definitely stretching my abilities.
 
I would love to have a time machine and go back to see how the chaps at Bassett Lowke assembled the metal rigging, did they have the metal stays pre-made on jigs, or did they wire them up in situ? better yet use the time machine to get to the model just before it got knocked over and prevent it from happening in the first place.
 
Dale yes and a steady hand for sure, I am going to have to practice a bit, notice the fan that has been pinned onto the skylight. Whoever did that was just guessing and they even made a wedge for it.
 
The other hidden damage is regarding the handrail, a number of the stanchions were snapped.
 

 
I used some flush cutters and a bit of brass to lever out the remains.
 

 

 
The handrail was pinned in quite tightly, perhaps the wood has shrunk over the years.
 
This is the section I had to remove. you can see how many of the stations were damaged.
 

 
I did do another experiment with the stays, this is some control line brass wire a little too heavy but interesting.
 

 
Time for a break.
 
 
And Thanks to all who have looked in and pressed the like button. 
 
Michael
 
 
 
 

I was recently commissioned to restore to "Original Condition" A 1:100 model of the steamship Albertic. The model was knocked over and sustained considerable damage to the port side lifeboat deck Funnels and railings along with vents and all sorts of lines and wire stays.
 
I have made extensive photographs of the condition as I received it, and have begun recording the removal of the damaged parts that were still attached, A few surprises that were not evident when I viewed it at the clients premises have come to light.
I cobbled together a quick trolley so that I can move the model around, I will make a lightweight dust cover to keep the dust off the model.
 
I will no doubt be calling on the expertise of the membership for advice as I move forward.
 
As tragic as the damage is I am hoping that this will be a good experience and that I  rise to the occasion with a smile as things become repaired.
 
here are a few pictures to show the extent of my task.
 
Builders Name plate

 
Port side sustained the most damage
 

 
Starboard side suffered mostly inertial damage
 

 
The funnels took a beating because they are heavy and brass
 

 
A lot of loose parts were piled on the deck in front of the bridge
 

 
The stern end of the port lifeboat deck is badly bent and twisted
 

 
The stairs didn't fair too well either
 

 
Below the port lifeboat deck is the most damage on the hull I am really hoping that this area can be reworked without having to repaint the entire side, we will see?
 

 
A box of the loose pieces now lifted off the ship
 

 
Ouch
 

 
This will keep me busy over the next couple of three months. As I was removing all the big loose parts I was noticing how much of the fine lines and wire cables have also been damaged. many of the parts were attached with micro brass pins, all the lifeboat davits for instance.
 
Michael
 
 

Until now I have resisted mounting the jib boom as, sticking out as it does, it is an invitation to disaster. Having already rigged much of the bowsprit when it came to the jib boom, it then occurred to me that gammoning the jib boom is required - though I can find no mention in the plans. Gammoning at this stage is quite fiddly, with all the rigging around it. In retrospect I probably would have done it earlier, but then there is he risk ......
 
Anyway here is the jib boom without the gammoning.
 

 
The dolphin striker is only dry-fitted.  It's another potential disaster.

 
This isn't a very good photo, but I was trying to show a method of keeping the thread taut while winding the thread over the two spars. I used spring tweezers as weights, alternating the two as I wound the thread. There was always at least one pair hanging on the thread to keep it tight and in position. (I notice too, the carpet needs a vacuum. )

 
The result.
 

 
PS: Thanks Jose. I'll certainly take up your offer.

I welcome:)
1:50 scale .

I see it’s been a while since I’ve shown you the Pequot.  So here is where she is at present.  I’ve been mounting parts on the upper deck which is now complete except for 13 fire buckets which mount in a ring surrounding the stack.  The first picture is an attempt at a water level shot, looking up at the wheel house.  The gray thing on top is the 50mm gun which was always covered with a tarp.  She was only armed during the war and I am portraying her as she was in 1943. 
 
Bob

Update
 
some of the aft vents, aft boats-deck floor, and outcuts for the aft stairs.....
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
 

 
some of the Dremel bits have 3 mm shafts, (here used as place holders, for vent tube centering...)
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

I have a couple of pics of Prince, the first is the hull structure before planking:
 

 
And this is Prince waiting for the new decoration:
 

Thank you guys (and girls)
 
Here are a few studio shots of the completed Victory, with figurehead and flags..
 

 

 

 

 

 

The first planking is done; I simply filled in the remainder letting the planks run as they desired, not worrying about prototypical accuracy. It'll all be covered anyway. The photos below show it before any further sanding or filling, so it looks especially rough.
 

 
Next, I sanded it down to a smoother finish, and rubbed the whole thing with wood glue. This filled in the gaps, and soaked into the planks, creating a much smoother, stronger shell that I then re-sanded. I consider the final result acceptable. It's still obvious that the planking pattern isn't right, but I now have a smooth shell in the hull's shape that should be a good surface for applying the second planking. I didn't take further photos because I don't think it'll look much different to the lens, and you'll see the finished surface again once I start the second planking.
 
In the meantime, the next step is planking the deck, which is off to a good start. I'll post photos when the process is completed, it's pretty straightforward.
 
Thanks for reading.
 

Stage 3 continued
 
Welcome to "How not to plank a hull", by Cathead. I foolishly decided to follow the instructions' recommendations and diagrams for planking the hull, and have now concluded that that was a bad decision. Among other things, they tell you not to start tapering planks at the stem until the 6th strake, which is definitely not the right approach. In attempting to do so, I ended up doing quite a lot of extreme edge-bending and shaping, which produced some planks far too crinkled and buckled for my liking. I should have followed more normal guidance for hull planking from the start, with a lot more tapering right from the beginning. Luckily, this is only the first planking, and I've learned quite a bit about how planks will and won't lie on this hull form, giving me confidence I can do a much better job on the second planking.
 
The first two photos show it in a moderately positive light, hiding some of the worst of the work. You can see the uneven run of the planks and some buckling, but once it's filled and finish-sanded I expect it'll provide a sufficient surface for the second layer.
 


 
Sticking with the positive thinking, the stern has been less troublesome so far. I cut out a smaller transom support that fits the hull, imitating where the horn timbers would support the shape of the transom. I planked around the edge of it as various resources have appeared to suggest I should do. When the second layer goes on, and I plank both sides of this support, I'll extend it farther out in a curve to match contemporary images. I'm also thinking of adding an outside structure in the shape of the horn timbers, like you see in the image of USRC Louisiana I linked to above.
 

 
I'm happy with the run of the planks here overall, but it did take some modification from the kit. The last few frames are too large, guiding the planking away from the stern, forcing a sharp bend inward to meet the end of the stern. I carved and sanded these last few frames down significantly to achieve a smoother run, and I probably could have done even more. You'll see that I still had trouble getting a couple planks to fully lie against the stern, they pulled away slightly despite pre-forming and sanding. But this is way better than if I hadn't cut down the frames. Again, I think filling and sanding here will produce a good surface for the final planking.
 

 
And here's the embarrassing part. That's some ugly work right there. For too long I stuck to the original plans, telling myself that if I just kept going it would work itself out. It didn't. Given that this will be hidden forever, I've decided to change course and just fill in the remainder with planks cut to fit, rather than bent to fit. It will look ridiculous and inaccurate, but as it'll be hidden by the second layer, it'll make the work go faster and more happily. I've learned the lesson I needed to, and don't need to beat it in any further.
 
For the second layer, I'll lay out proper planking belts and be more attentive to shaping and tapering planks. If I still don't do a good enough job, I'll consider coppering the hull (as shown on Louisiana), which will cover 90% of the surface anyway on this low-slung ship.
 
So other builders be warned, don't be like me and try to force your way through bad instructions. Just plank the thing following the better guidance available elsewhere. I'll update again when the first layer is done.
 
Thanks for reading, and controlling your laughter!

Well I have made some progress with my ship's boat. I also realized that the two boats that the Cudahy carried were different. So i guess I need to made another plug for the other boat. First one came off with out damage. Adding detail and a little strength to the form. Have a few more things to do with the boat like making a set of oars to tie down in side of it and adding some oarlock blocks.

Hello,
 
sorry for delay with updates, I was bussy with new job and nearly no time for modelling... have not much time to work at the Sphynx, so here only few images showing last changes.
 
Last beams and carlings on forecastle and the door at kooking plase:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Then glued inboard planks on the taffrail, and last strake at the f'caslte bulkhead:
 

 

 

 

 
Mounted all Cannons, glued waterweys and margin plank on f'castle:
 

 

 

 

 
Gratings and coaming are dry fitted now
 
Alex

Don't even know what to say... Hands are buzzing from tension! No one hears this hum?

Three weeks later... Finished both sides.

The first model I built when I was the same as my younger son's, little helper daddy...

Thank you all for your kind comments! Yesterday came to visit me my friend, brought to display their boats, which are made in scale 1:20. Valery has kindly allowed to take photos and show them on this Forum.

The best kind of rest is change of activity.

This morning I could not sleep..

A little more...

Jung's (my youngest son), as always in the spotlight!

Photos in reverse order loaded, alas... Continue photo report: