dvm27

Just to be clear this is the work of Denis Rakaric, on behalf of Admiralty Models. I believe his work ranks among the best in the world! 

Cheers
 
The problem is that I no longer want to design 'block models', which the majority of mainstream kits are - just a keel and a few bulkheads and one full deck, perhaps one more not so full deck for larger kits and a few white metal parts or blocks of wood to fill in the design/production time saving gaps.
 
When I populate the lower decks, the amount of materials (and cutting time) increases many fold. But this is the way I want to design the larger kits, as this is what I would want if I were choosing a kit. I like having the gratings put to one side so I can see down to the depths of the vessel, not have pretend shutters to hide the fact there's nothing there.
 
Also for larger models, the new method of designing the gun port surrounds uses a lot of material, but I think, again, it is worth it, as it eliminates completely any ambiguity of having to mark out or, if it's a pre cut part, misaligning the ports.
 
I guess my aim is to try and eliminate the guesswork involved in making the kits and make it as painless as I can. Some are expert and much better than me at building models, but there are many who do need an extra hand, and it is to these people I try and think about the most. The most experienced always go their own way anyway. I am always astonished at what some of you guys can do with the simplest of kits and make them your own.

After finishing the futtock shrouds for the main mast I need some motivational work in between. 
Therefore I prepare the fixing of the anchors, which were stowed away in front of the channels of the main mast.


But the wooden anchor stocks made many years ago no longer meet my expectations.


Therefore, they have been rebuilt as in the original. The hoops are made of brass sheet 0.3 mm, no longer of black paper.

 

 


The anchor ring had to be equipped with puddening and seizing. I decided to use the Petrejus version, which can be seen on many contemporary models of the Musee de la Marine.

Source: E.W. Petrejus „Das Modell der Brigg Irene“                 

Source: Manuel Du Gabier, 1866
 

 

 

Planking has commenced.  Thanks to everyone who responded to my request for more information on clinker planking.  Before any planking could be cut, the planking belts needed to be laid out.  This was done with chart tape.  The lowest rows of tape represent the garboard and broad strakes.

The garboard was made up of four planks.  It feathers into the sternpost and keel at the deadwood and ends on the stem just above the boxing joint.  On the upper part of all the planks is a rabbet to accommodate the overlapping plank.  After some experimentation and based on the diagram from Goodwin's book on Alert, I decided to make the rabbet approximately one-third the width of the plank and at a 10 degree angle.  The prototype had a narrower rabbet but this gave me a wider gluing surface.  The rabbet was formed on the mill and cut to a depth of 2/3 the thickness of the plank at the widest part.  The broad strake was made up of three planks.  At the stern and stem posts the clinkering gradually tapers to a smooth surface.

The overlap of the planks is easily seen in the next pictures.  The easiest place to see the planking rabbet is on the broad strake at frame "H".


These pictures illustrate the tapering of the garboard and broad strakes into the keel and stern post, and each other.

 

This is what my wife thinks of my boat building. 

Nothing short of superb work, HYW.

What a beautiful model Chris! I'll bet it's going to be very popular. Just curious, do you do your on PE in house? It's very well done.

What a beautiful model Chris! I'll bet it's going to be very popular. Just curious, do you do your on PE in house? It's very well done.

What a beautiful model Chris! I'll bet it's going to be very popular. Just curious, do you do your on PE in house? It's very well done.

What a beautiful model Chris! I'll bet it's going to be very popular. Just curious, do you do your on PE in house? It's very well done.

So I have added lines for all the hull planking, you will be able to see where it differs from the original markings and I still have a LOT of tweaking to get it just the way I want it, especially at the bow,  this has been a big and time consuming learning experience for me that I had to go through and I will show more pics when I have finished adjusting and playing with it.
 
BTW - it’s almost all lined off with black thread but then I came across some 1/64” wide black graphic tape on Amazon that was the same width as the thread and is much faster to add and adjust than the thread, can you spot where I used it?
 
ben

Work has progressed on the stern and I've completed placing all of the figures etc.
 
I can't say enough about the quality of the castings. Now I just have to finish placing
the drops and the two figures on the quarter galleries.
 

 

 

 
Now in other news.... a year and a half ago our other shipmate passed leaving our Westie as
the sole assistant. The Admiral decreed that a new shipmate must be acquired. After months
of searching a suitable replacement was found and arrived this week. She is an eight week old 
miniature schnauzer.
 
Now some may be wondering why I'm putting this here in my build log? The Admiral knows and
supports my ship building hobby but other than the Constitution I don't think she could name
any other model I have built over the years. So when the new shipmate arrived I inquired as to
the name she had chosen and this floored me.
 
 
Everyone meet Winnie!!!!!
 

I must say, I'm impressed by your keen insight! Personal production follows the principle of "efficient, accurate, unique" , on the one hand, in the production process based on their own ideas constantly develop, improve tools; on the other hand, in the process of processing is also a trade-off between the use of a variety of processing methods. Before each component processing will have a variety of plans to implement; for example, you mentioned the component connection way, many people are usually glue, tin solder, the advantage is easy to operate, but also the disadvantage is very prominent: The connection strength is not enough to cause easy to fall off, affect the overall appearance. So I usually use structural connection way (negative difference with) , the whole again manual repair. The biggest benefit of this approach is to make parts look cleaner and more securely connected. But it has increased the processing difficulty and the technical request, especially the accurate localization is very important. This type of processing also carries a high risk of failure. To tell the truth, I do a lot of small parts in fact a high failure rate, after all, too small, processing a little deviation will lead to irreversible scrap. And I'll show you the most successful one! This is one of the reasons I rarely shoot in the production process, plus the processing process requires a high degree of concentration, too busy to take care of shooting. So delicate parts are often in the form of finished products in front of everyone.

No laser cutting....this is the perfect hull and deck to learn this technique.   You wont really even have to bend them with heat.  But you could if you wanted to....these planks should bend fine when you glue them on as the curve isnt very severe at all.  I was very conservative with it.   I saw how folks had a hard time with the hooked scarphs on the Cheerful so I made it so there were just four of them.   This meant less curve to the deck planks.   
 
Below you can see that the center belt has been planked.  I simulated the seams with pencil like I did with the hull planking.  There are never any butt joints in this center belt between coamings and partners.  This is yet another common mistake seen on models and kits including on kits that provide laser etched planks.   The distance was short enough that it was always one length used between the hatches and partners.  It was stronger this way.   So no need to follow the butt joint pattern you will be developing when we line off the hull on either side of the center belt.

You will also notice in that picture above and below that on either side of the center belt I have lined off the deck using thin strips of black masking tape.   Looks familiar right?  The thin strips follow tick marks I made for the remaining belts.  I made them the same way as I did for the center belt.  Use your tick strips and planking fan.  Use the laser etched lines that represent the deck beams as you repeat this process until you have tick marks on both sides of the deck for all of the remaining belts.  The tape runs along my tick marks.   You will no doubt have to make adjustments with your tape.  Just run it off the deck and onto the margin planks as shown.
 
To finish it up.....use a mechanical pencil with a sharp point to run a pencil line down the "good side"  of you tape that follow your tick marks.......then remove your tape.

When you remove the tape it will look like this......you can do this down the entire deck but I often do just the bow area and the stern where there is a taper and we need to create the hooked scarphs along the margin planks.  Do you see where I created the hooked scarph in the outside deck plank????  I just erased some of the line that followed the tape and added a new short line to create the shape.   On this hull there will be just one along the margin plank at the bow and one more aft........by the checkered floor for the great cabin.  In addition you can mark all of the butt joints on the deck using the typical 4 butt shift pattern.   Use the laser etched reference lines for the deck beams for this and examine the plans for their locations.

Now I am ready to plank the remaining two belts on each side of the center belt to finish off the deck planking.  I will taper the planks as need to match my lining off just like we did for our external hull planking.
 
You will need just 1/4" x 3/64" strips to plank the deck and a handful of wider 5/16" strips for the planks around the coamings where you need to shape them around the tabbed areas.
 

I feel compelled to mention that you guys could absolutely change the deck planking to a more severe curve at the bow if you want to.  Just adjust the bands before you line off.  
 
Almost no kits or even most scratch builders fail to curve the deck planks like this.  Its very different than what many of you are probably used to seeing.  So I split the difference between the drastic curve at the bow and straight planking to show a more conservative curve so it wouldnt seem so drastic to all of you.  This is something you guys should play with depending on your preference as the contemporary model for Winnie shows the most severe curve I have ever seen on a deck.   Here is a look at the contemporary model of Minerva in the Rogers collection and it shows about the same amount of curvature that I am using on the Winnie.  Much less than the contemporary model for Winnie.  This also shows two hooked scarphs instead of one.   So you can get creative here.   
 

 
 
 

For the last month, I turned and milled adaptors for photography. If I show my hands, you could not guess what I did for the last month. I do not have hands of  somebody working with metals.
For those who worked metals by turning and milling by example, you know that it is the best way to get dirty hands and sometime it is very difficult to clean. In fact, there is an easy way to keep clean hands.
You need to wear gloves. In 2020, this the best solution. But not any gloves, you need gloves that fits... "like a glove". Nitrile gloves are a solution but not very durable. There is another kind:https://www.lequipeur.com/en/dakota-paquet-de-2-paires-de-gants-lite-enduits-de-pu-53768.html#53768=ASSORT
This kind fits perfectly to the hand. These kinds of gloves have been on the market for the last 20 and are an industry standard used in many areas related to metal.
 
To handle big peace of wood,I wear another kind of gloves:
https://www.lequipeur.com/en/dakota-deerskin-gloves-32238.html?_br_psugg_q=gloves#32238=LEATHR
I like these gloves because I can feel the wood grain. These gloves, in comparison with the other pair is more like a loose fit. This kind of glove would not be safe to use to work metal especially on the lathe.
 
And again, some photos.

Than you for kind words. This is very motivating.
 

I've been working on a way to get a good fit with the drops. I know that no two hulls are the same, but on my ship it required some experimentation in order to get the front of the drop (tear drop) to fit tight against the hull.  I tried using dry heat and manual bending which worked somewhat though not perfectly. The solution. . .?
 
1. Place a strip masking tape on the wales for paint protection.
2. Remove material from the drop where necessary in order to get as close as possible to a good fit. Concentrate on the back end of the drop where it intersects with the transom. I sanded mine paper thin.
 

 
3. Once satisfied, place the drop in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes or so.
4. While the drop is still hot, place it into position.
5. While holding the back end down, press the front end (tear drop) against the hull.
6. Hold for a few minutes while the drop cools.
7. Paint the drop
 

 
Yes, when gluing the drop it will still be necessary to push the tear drop against the hull, but only by a fraction of the distance required before the boiling. I think that most will not need this technique at all. For those that do, it works.
 
Mike

Because, my friends, it will take me a few days to make the sixth structural improvement on the slipway. The update speed may be temporarily affected, thank you for your attention. I'll keep going until I finish it!  
 

I’ve built a number of models but taking on Cheerful is a new challenge. Before I started there were a number of tasks that were concerning for me. From port sills, thinning stern and bulkhead frames, square tucks to scarph joints, there are lots of things I’ve never attempted despite having built eight kits. On top of that list was single planking a hull that will be left natural (other than poly). No place to hide major mistakes and not much way to hide small ones. I’ve now finished the upper belt of the port side and thought I’d share what I did and what I learned.
 
@Chuck, as I’ve noted throughout this log, provides great instruction in his monograph. However, reading and doing are two different things. The first critical planking step happened months ago, fairing the hull. Taking the time to do that right back in the beginning now pays off.
 

 
Now its time to divide the hull into two belts. This keeps the measurements accurate and planking consistency more manageable. It starts by measuring from bulkhead zero (midships) the distance of 8 full planks (using the planking fan), since the known is full width planks at the center - that’s the first attachment point for the tape, then it’s connecting that to the stern and bow.
 
I struggled with this simple step of adding the artist tape (perfect for this job) to create the belts. I applied and re-applied tape until it wouldn’t stick and then did it again with more tape. I was being too analytical in how I was approaching positioning the tape. It wasn’t until I got some (more) sage advice from @Chuck I understood to step back and look at it straight on from the side and find the graceful curve (it’s there, let it come to me…be the hull…) and flow from bow to stern. And I mean from the side straight on. When you tilt the hull up to apply the tape it presents a false look of the tape flow, at least to my eyeballs - the curve doesn’t present itself until you lean back and look directly from the side at the balanced hull. Having found the curve, I marked lines on each bulkhead and threw away the tape I’d spent so much time moving around. The marks define how those 8 planks will fit the length of the ship and where and how much tapering I’ll do to make it fit, obviously thinner at the bow.
 

 
Then it’s time to line the hull. Chuck has .pdfs and videos here on the forum so I won’t go in to detail, I can’t begin to explain it as well as he can. I will say making tick strips and using the planking fan is precise and tedious work, but it’s time well spent and essential to success. It takes the guesswork out of planking.
 
Another key to these tick marks is not only the width at the bow but as important where to start the taper. In the case of Cheerful that was bulkhead 6. I kept the same starting point for all eight planks which turned the curve I created with the tape into a wooden reality.
 
-2552
 
Here I have a plank tapered and angled properly to fit the rabbit. Transferring those tick strips to each bulkhead and then to planks is how you get to consistent. The most critical of course is the bow - determining how wide strips need to be for 8 to fit within the tape mark. Often its also true of the stern, but the lining process (and Chuck’s monograph) noted for Cheerful this first belt from mid-ship to the square tuck it is full width planks. The other nice thing about these tick marks is the reassurance as I planked I was still on plan, still I double checked the measurement at the bow every other plank. I did have to make a few minor adjustments due to less than perfect tapering.
 

 
 

 
Then it’s on to my bending station. Again @Chuck monograph, .pdfs, and videos explain this. I can only add that in my view there is no better way to achieve a tight fit. No soaking, just a wipe of water across the plank with my wet finger and then a hot iron. It’s surprising just how much the wood can bend. It’s counter-intuitive but I bent the plank down in order for it to curve up on the bow. Then when that’s done bend it again to follow the inward curve. The wood can take it, just go slow and careful. Multiple times I bent the wood more than once (I only snapped one) to get a fit. It should almost lay into the bulkheads on its own.
 

 
I am also following the planking plan for proper lengths and pattern (rather than running one plank for the full length of the hull). I first added some edit marks to the plan (hard to see with those skinny lines) then transferred that to hash marks on the hull to maintain (well, actually not forget) the pattern. Another note: The plan is a two dimensional view of a three dimensional hull, don’t be deceived by the plank widths shown on the plan, that’s obvious when you think about it. Visually I was initially thinking I can take the width shown on the plan, nope. It works above the wales but not below.
 
I will own up to one cheat. For the short joints near the bow I scored a joint line on a longer plank that reached the second joint end nearer mid-ships. Tapering, bending, and fitting a single plank at the bow is hard enough, getting a match with a short plank was more than I wanted to do. Hence my joints at a the bow are perfect…because its the same plank.
 

 
Here's an example of how tilting the hull up may throw off my look at the curve. It may seem wobbly, it isn't. It's sort of an optical illusion because of the multiple curves at play, I had to ignore this and trust the tick marks. 
 
 I spent a long time on each individual plank, way more than any plank on any ship I’ve built before. I can’t make it up with paint or on a second planking. Here’s a little fun fact; different planks that measures 3/64ths on my digital caliper can measure between 1.18mm and 1.31mm. That’s not much, but it makes a difference on getting a smooth fit between planks. So now I measure the thickness on every plank in millimeters even though I cut them in imperial, its that or sand it out later. And I’m learning to do a better job with ripping planks.
 

 
After tapering, each plank is first beveled along the top edge and also slightly at each end, especially at the rabbet. This is a time consuming but important step for me to get a tight fit. The stern, due to the big curve from side to bottom (great use of nautical terms) is particularly challenging to get the right bevel and the right bends (more of a twist than a bend actually). It’s tempting to force it, it’s better to take the time.
 
I should be clear here. There are eight rows of planks in this belt. I probably made at least 14, tossing away almost as many as I fit. It’s another example that if my ship had three sides my third side would look great, I learn as I go.
 

 
Then it’s gluing them on. I placed CA with my thin applicator on no more than 2-3 bulkheads at a time and finger clamp the plank down and up for 20-40 seconds. That of course means as I moved along the plank would be too close to the bulkhead to use the applicator. I’m big fan of dental tools - here’s one I use to slip CA under the plank. I don’t glue the top edge. The bevel is how I get the fit, not edge glue.
 

 
While the tick marks confirmed I was on the right track, it was nonetheless nice to see the 8th and final plank fit at the stern right where it’s supposed to be as part of the eventual square tuck. I left them all a little long at the stern to give me some latitude when I get to the square tuck. I’d already had to make adjustments to the square tuck by sanding the triangle base down (again with advice from Chuck) to provide the 1/8th inch depth between it and the counter for the square tuck. After all that I repainted the wales, they got a bit banged up.
 

 
And I got to here following a light coat of poly (which isn’t fully dried and buffed yet in these photos) In addition to other things the poly brings out the seams and joints between the boards in a nice way. 
 

 
I didn’t get a perfectly tight fit in the rabbit, so I helped myself by putting the slightest amount of super phatic glue with a toothpick (it dries clear) then added some sawdust taken from beneath my saw and packed it in at the rabbet. After light scraping (another dental tool) and sanding to remove the excess glue, with the poly added it now looks fine.
 

 
I’m happy with the curve of the stern, though maybe it’s a little flat. As I’ve noted earlier the initial fairing is critical, but I did over-sand the final bulk head. Layering a 1/64th strip (that’s all it took) on between bulkhead and planks created a smoother run. It took work, especially on beveling, to get a tight fit together with a tight twist that would have been very difficult without my handy travel iron.
 
It’s not perfect - it has flaws, I mean character, but I can’t see through it so there’s that. I like the slightly different colors of wood that comes from following the planking pattern, just more character.
 
I have 24 more planks to go to finish the hull so everything can still fall apart. But at least I’ve proven to myself that I can more or less single plank a ship - with the help of Chuck’s monograph, the process of lining the hull and bending planks, and a lot of time and patience  (and possibly a supplemental wood order).
 
So as it turns out, I can get there from here.
 

Wall paint is great - if you are painting a wall!

Thank you, Mark, druxey, Siggi, Shipman, Gary, and Leopard. As usual on this project, I will need to get a selection of materials and see what works best for me. I really want to look closely at a number of contemporary models to see how they did the white decorations. I have always felt like the 2nd Bellona model, recently shown here by Mark and by Siggi, has a pretty strong bright white, maybe too bright for the muted tones of the rest of ship. But maybe that is because the other colors faded. And I do notice that some of the ivory detail is shaded, maybe by dirt, or maybe in the natural color of the material. The mammoth I am not so sure of....😗
 
Of course, I can't get to any of that until I finish the $%&xx channel wales. So here is progress on the upper most strake, now wrapped around the bow. I still have to level some of these surfaces, and refine the lower edge of the wale. But I am making progress.
 
The top two strakes at the bow take a wicked twist, as they wrap from the tumblehome into the reverse curve designed to hold the anchor clear, in a very short distance. And, they go from an upward sheer on the side, to a reverse sheer right at the bow. On the uppermost strake, the upper surface also twists dramatically, to keep it at right angles to the frames at every point.

 
 
 
Artist's tape was my friend here, to fair the upper edge:

 
And here is the progress on the port side. You can see in the first photo below how the sides twist from the tumblehome to the outward projecting corner in the length of just a handful of frames. And you can also see how the small deck at the beakhead cuts horizontally across the uppermost plank, stopping that plank from completing the natural sheer of the sides.
 
There is some discoloration of a few planks at the bow, caused I think by the steaming process and not enough sanding yet to clear it. Or, it may be the oxidized color that all of the wood will go to eventually, since I cut some of these out of blanks that had been sitting around long enough to oxidize. We will see!
 

 

 

 
 
Best wishes,
 
Mark
 
 
 

First of all, thank you for your appreciation and attention. I'm 52 years old, From Beijing, China;  a former professional gymnast, and now a teacher. Because I have a lot of time, amateur likes to do various models for 23 years, in order to be able to do better, self taught a variety of basic processing skills and at least 10 years of practical experience. Most of the works are made of plastic and metal materials and have been transformed, covering a wide range of subjects (all are static models) . This also laid the foundation for my later sailboat building, although I had less than five years of sailboat building experience. My personality is a very demanding type of work, which is difficult for many people to understand. I set myself the goal of completing at least five of my favorite sailboats in the eight years leading up to my retirement, as well as designing and building special tools as needed in the production process, most of these tools are not available or even unique on the market, but they have greatly improved my productivity and accuracy. Perhaps a little more personal inspiration, coupled with years of hard work, has allowed me to show a certain ability. I don't like working with other people. After all, everyone has different perspectives and skill levels. Can't agree on a lot of things. As a hobby, I also get a lot of fun from it. I hope to show more of my work in the future.
 
cheers     

What are we witnessing here?
We are witnessing mastery, we are witnessing the highest degree of miniature shipwright carpentry that I have ever seen, or IMA, has ever been witnessed or recorded.
To begin with, (If that can even be accomplished),  how does one come by and acquire an overwhelming collection of specialized, extremely well manufactured tooling, especially designed for such an adventure?  That is my first bewildered question, and secondly, the skill and acuity, coupled with an extreme control over time management must be characteristics of an extremely disciplined individual....who on the planet can master all of these so successfully?  What species of individual are we in the presence of?
 
I'm beyond impressed...on so many levels....that I can hardly articulate the appropriate words of astonishment!
 
I'm glued to this thread to its completion or until my heart gives out...…….
 
Rob(re-evaluating my model making perydime)