dvm27

Congratulations on the completion of a truly outstanding Swan class model, Danny!

Congratulations on the completion of a truly outstanding Swan class model, Danny!

What a lovely illustration! Yes, my model was built at 1:48 scale (1/4" - 1'). Your choice of Wolf, a snow rigged sloop, is fortuitous. It's sister ship Cruiser was also snow rigged and the subject of Ron McCarthy's Building Plank on Frame Ship Models. The rigging in on his model is exceptionally well done and should help you immensely when the time comes. I also love the unusual parallel trysail mast behind the main mast.

Bilge Pumps - Wanted photo/illustration of bilge pumps of about 1870/80s (UK) for a rivet-plate & frame model of the centre section of the Falls of Clyde.  Bilge pumps are set up in pairs being of 2 or 3 chambers set up on the main deck but in line with the keel.  The pumps are missing on the Falls of Clyde, but the holes in the deck plating indicate that these two were set up with the chamber set athwart the keel.
 
For those interested in the techniques required to build this type of model, check out ‘Current Project’ at 
< www.wworkshop.net >

Square Tuck planking done.  Some sanding and maybe some putty to hide the gaps and it will look good.  Sure glad I rounded those frames.
Maury

Young America 1853 – POB 1:96
Part 11 – Hull Fairing – Method 2
 
For those who may have missed it, this POB model was initially built for demo purposes for Volume I of the book – to provide a smaller, simpler version for those less interested in the fully-framed larger model.  I have since been taking the construction further than planned and do not yet know how far that will go, but the project has been interesting and I am very pleased with the POB framing method used and the results so far.
 
Since the model is supposed to be simpler and more interesting for less experienced modelers, I tried to use fewer and simpler tools where possible. I do not put the carving gouges or the rasps used in the last part – or the necessary sharpening stones - in that category.  So, for the port side of the hull I used some much less expensive and easy to use tools.   These are shown in the first picture.
 

 
The primary tool here is the Microplane®.  This tool is inexpensive and very easy to use.  It worked very well on the pine of the spacers.  The tool comes with both flat and curved blades.  These can be fitted to allow either push or pull strokes.  I used mainly pull strokes that seemed easier to control.  The next picture shows the curved blade being used on the convex part of the stern.
 

 
In the next picture the flat blade is being used on a convex surface.
 

 
When the spacer material was removed, the final surface was produced with the Softsander® as before using 120-grit paper.  In the next picture the work is just about finished and I am appreciating the smooth feel of the faired hull.
 

 
As with the starboard side, this side also took less than 2 hours work.  The next picture shows the hull out of the vise and the curved Microplane®.
 

 
The next picture shows the hull next to its big sister.
 

 
The next step is to make and install the keel/stem/sternpost on to the POB hull.
 
Ed

Hello,
thanks for the nice comments.
 
And here is the sequel to the interior fittings of the long boat.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank You...
 
In preparation for planking the deck,  I added the waterway/margin planks.   For my purposes here I talk about them as two separate pieces.  First the wider margin plank was created with scarf joints next to the bulwarks.  I used card stock to make templates first.  There are three lengths as shown below.  This required a lot of tweaking until I got it right. Then the templates were traced onto a 1/16" thick sheet of boxwood and cut out.  The deck planking will be 1/16" thick.   
 

 
I spent a lot of time carefully shaping the scarf joints with a #11 blade and some needle files until they were a nice clean and tight fit.  Then they were glued onto the deck area.  The back edge needed to be beveled so I could get a tight fit against the bulwarks in many areas.  Particularly at the bow.  A pencil darkened the seam of scarf joint just like the hull planking.  Eventually the deck planking will be nibbed into these margin planks.   
 

 

 

 
When finished, I added the waterway on top of the margin plank.  It was a 1/32" strip that was slowly sanded to become a 1/4 round.  I basically sanded off one corner edge and rounded it off.  It was glued on top and the seams between the pieces were carefully lined up with the scarf joints.  So again three lengths were used.  This way they look like they were done as one piece.   These thin strips also needed to be beveled to fit tight against the bulwarks.  The bulwarks are unfortunately not at a nice 90 degree angle to the deck so the bevel was an absolute necessity. 
 

 

 
Now its time to start building the hatches, coamings and gratings and skylight.   Then I can plank the deck around them.  I cant wait until thats done,.  After this step its just about the small details...and that is a lot of fun.
 
Chuck

Hello,
 
the great cabin is ready! That was a lot of interesting work. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The next thing to install are the knees, but first without the beams. 
 
And if anyone knows more about the storing of the gunnery equipment, your knowledge is welcome. For more details please see my last posting.
 
Regards,
Siggi

Hi All
 
finished plankning the lower counter. I use 2mm x 3mm boxwood, next is the main wale, which will be made of 7mm x 3.2mm beech.
and as  I'm going to paint the wale , I will not do any Treenailing ther.
 

 

 
Michael
 
 
 

Thanks for the comments about the inner edges.  Chuck and Druxey are right.  The straight line of the inner frame pieces did not look right.  I added and shaped some pieces to follow the curve of the outer edge of the frames.  Now for the really small planking inside the frames.
Maury
 

Perfect, as always, Remco. Did you use a duplicator on the lathe for the pillars or freehand them? The sail room is magnificent 

Build log 4 – finishing the lower hull
 
Thanks to all for the likes and comments.  I was only five when the accident happened and I did not realize how memorable it was to so many of our community.  I trust that I will do her justice.
 
Here is where the last segment left the model – all of the lifts for the lower hull have been laid up, then shaped until the hull was smooth and close to the final dimensions and curves.
 

 
From there it was simply a process of continued shaping and making educated estimates for how the curves would fair into each other.  I had the longitudinal cross section plan so I could make templates for the bow and stern, and I did.  But these were of limited usefulness since I did not have any station lines to guide the shaping of the rest of the hull.  Nonetheless, I used the curves from the deck plans, the photographs I could locate, and my experience with other liner hulls to get a pretty close match.  Sanding rods of various diameters and grits did the final shaping.
 
Once I was happy with the result, I sealed the surface with Minwax Wood Hardener.  This product goes on as a thin clear liquid, but dries to a very hard solid.  It is used to stabilize soft and rotted wood so new repairs will have something to grab onto.  In modeling it makes a wood surface that will not move and is highly resistant to dings and dents.  It is also a bear to shape, so I always get the part as close to final tolerances as possible before painting it on.  It raises the grain a little, so once it was dry I gave the hull another sanding.
 
But the hardener does not fill grain or any voids between lifts.  To do this I painted the model with a slurry of thinned plaster of paris.
 

 
Here it is on the stern while it was drying.  While I could still see the black glue lines between the lift layers I took the opportunity to lay on a 1/16” vinyl tape at the waterline, just above the top of the third lift.  
 

 
When the plaster was dry it was sanded with several finer and finer grits until the surface was completely smooth.   At the bow the sharp entry is clearly seen, although I have left it a little thick to allow for final adjustments.
 

 
At the stern I have laid on a separate piece which housed the salon and stairways on the Foyer (Vestibule) deck.  This has been faired to the outer hull, leaving open the area that will become the aft working deck for handling the stern lines.
 

 
From the side you can see how the wedge shaped lift is tilting up the deck house along the sheer.  The tape for the waterline runs around the counter just above where the rudder will hang, as the plans show.
 

 
With the lower hull almost fully shaped I roughed out the next layer, the Upper Deck.  It was started on a continuous sheet of 1/8” basswood that fit on the lower hull and took the curve of the sheer quite well.  Then there was a ½” layer that extended almost all the way back along the length of the hull.
 

 
The thicker wood took some persuading to accept the sheer curve.  It was wetted down with water on both sides before being clamped to the work surface amidships.  Wedges were used to lift the bow and stern ends further than the sheer curve required.  This was left to dry for several days, and even had to be repeated before it held the required curve after allowing for springback in the wood.
 
You can see how it lies on the lower hull snugly without clamps or other force.  The aft deck house for the Upper Deck salon has been added as well.  
 

 
The mating edges were shaped to each other, with a small allowance in the upper layer for the plastic sheathing to come.  I also did the final shaping of the lower bow which would fair into the upper overhanging bulwarks.  The upper section was set aside and the lower hull was primed with Krylon spray sandable gray primer.  This exposed some additional roughness, which was sanded smooth before priming again.   Then the hull was sanded and primed three more times.  It can't be seen, but the tape is still there, marking the waterline for later.
 

 
The fit of the Upper Deck was tested again, this time with it painted white for contrast.  It is starting to look like a hull at this point.
 

 
It was by looking at this photo that I realized I had made a pretty big mistake.  Without any guide from a section plan I had left the curve from the flat bottom of the ship to the vertical side (the chine) too sharp. Although it was hardened, plastered, and primed I got out the power sander and rounded it till it matched the curve in the launching photo shown in build log segment 1.  Sanding, hardening, plastering, and priming got those areas back matching the rest of the hull.
 
Now I could fashion and attach short bilge keels amidships on either side, as well as tapered propeller shaft housings secured by solid webs to the hull just forward of the rudder post.
 

 
The surface of the lower hull is highly complicated, although the elements are quite subtle.  The major ones include the portholes, exterior doors, and the well for the anchor.  But the first one to be addressed was the most subtle, the plating strakes.  These do not show up at all in photographs of the ship after it was painted, but close examination of a number of construction photos convinced me that it was built with several strakes of in-and-out plates.  These also looked to have been welded, since no rivet heads were evident.
 

 
These strakes followed the lines of the decks, which meant that the portholes followed the same lines.  To get them located I had the exterior deck plan to work with.  I knew that I would have to have separate plans for each side of the ship, so in Photoshop I mirrored the plan and flipped it vertically to make one plan that could be printed out.
 

 
This was printed and trimmed before being tested on the hull.  It turned out that the curve of the hull meant that the plan had to be slightly lengthened to match the photos. 
 

 
When I had it sized correctly I had the shop print out another one onto acid-free art paper which was a bit thicker than their usual stock.  This was taped to the hull and the location of each of more than 700 portholes was set by piercing through the plan and into the hull with a sharp awl.  Then the plan was sliced up and the three ‘out’ strakes were glued to the hull with pH neutral PVA glue.
 
When the strakes were dry, holes for the portholes were drilled with a battery-powered Dremel and filled with tiny brass eyelets.  The exterior doors were photoetched brass items from Gold Medal Models and Bluejacket.
 

 
The porthole eyelets are the smallest I have been able to find.  They are used as electrical connectors for dollhouse lighting systems, but work perfectly here.  They come in packs of 110 for not a lot of money, so I buy 1100 at a time.
 

 
They measure 0.097” across the outer flange, or 18.6 inches in full scale.  The opening tapers a bit, but visually appears to be about 0.056”, or just under 11 inches.  This is more than close enough for me.
 

 
Here in the midships view you can see how the portholes line up along the plating strakes.  After drilling out all of the holes I dabbed glue into each then inserted an eyelet using the tip of a modified wooden skewer.  As you might imagine, this is a tedious and repetitive activity, like tying ratlines, but good music and occasional breaks for a sip of good libation goes a long way toward making it agreeable.  I have to say that the final product is worth the effort.
 

 
At the stern here are the strakes, as well as the propeller shaft and the hinges for the rudder which have been cut into the rudder post.  The spot where the primer has been sanded off reflects the ongoing process of examination, evaluation, and adjustment that will go on until the model finally leaves my hands.
 

 
At the bow the plating rises with the sheer.  In the upper strake the well for the anchor has been cut out and the hull will be carved out in a shallow box as seen in the photos.  This box extends up into the white upper works, but that is for later.
 

 
When everything was dry I gave the hull a final coat of primer and a long, thorough examination.  After a few minor adjustments and an overall fine sanding, the lower hull was painted with Krylon enamel in a medium dark “Farm Equipment Red”.  The waterline tape was removed and the red was masked off, then the upper portion was painted gloss Black. 
 
White striping tapes were used to lay on the waterline and the upper sheer line decoration.  I use the tapes because my hand is completely inadequate to paint, or even mask, such long lines with any consistency.  The waterline is 1/16” wide, while the sheer line is 1/8”.    I used Detail Master and Super Stripe tapes which are called pin-striping tapes for automobiles and their models.  Using the tapes also allowed me to easily reposition the lines as needed, especially the sheer line which did not have the guide that the waterline had.
 
A few coats of clear gloss were laid on to protect the tapes and color coats and to even out any differences in sheen.  The lower hull was now ready for the rudder and a few additional details before being mated to the upper works.  I will get to that in the next segment.
 

 
Be well
 
Dan
 
 

Perfect, as always, Remco. Did you use a duplicator on the lathe for the pillars or freehand them? The sail room is magnificent 

Perfect, as always, Remco. Did you use a duplicator on the lathe for the pillars or freehand them? The sail room is magnificent 

Before moving to the bottom band of planking, it's time to work on the Square Tuck.  All of the ends of the planks so far are smoothed against the base for the tuck.  Lots of sanding to do on the planks, but that's for later.  Next comes the fitting of the various pieces that make up the tuck section.  The green tape is being left on to help protect the extensions of the fashion trim.
Maury

Build Log 3 – laying up the hull
 
With the lifts set and adjusted in the computer I took a disc with the files to the blueprint shop and had them print out two sets – one to use and the other as backup for the inevitable mistakes.  They were done on the least expensive paper in the shop, so getting two sets was easily affordable.  A word of caution for those who use this sort of service -  although their printouts are quite accurate, their usual customer does not build directly from the plans, but from the listed dimensions.  Since I would be cutting directly from the drawings, I had them check.  The first page was about 2% off.  This is not much in a printed document, but in a 43 inch model this is about an inch.  They corrected the problem and the rest were spot on.
 
I had already determined that the maximum breadth of the model would be just over 5 ½ inches (90.25 feet at 1/192 = 5.64 inches), so I ordered a number of planks of seasoned and dried basswood  ½” x 6” x 48” from National Balsa, a reliable supplier in Massachusetts that I have used before.  I also ordered a number of ½” planks only 3 inches wide, together with 3/32” sheets for the decks.  These were all left in the shop for a week to acclimatize.
 
The 3” planks were something of an experiment.  On previous liner models I had created hollows in the lifts to lighten the model and give the wood some space to move rather than cracking the exterior of the hull.  But I was not happy with the process.  I would cut out the center of the middle lifts on my tabletop band saw, but its small throat meant that I was frequently turning and backing the blade.  Also, there was always a small kerf in one side of each lift that had to be filled and sanded and which created a weak spot.  This time I tried using two half width lifts that would make up one already split along the centerline.   I would have access to the center of the lift without going through the outside.
 

 
Here you can see the process.  Each lift plan was cut from the sheet and sprayed with Scotch spray mount, which allows some repositioning during adhesion, and removes cleanly with mineral spirits.  For the solid lifts a centerline was drawn on the wood and the plan pasted down along it.  For the split lifts the two 3” planks were held together with clamps while the plan was laid down along the line where they abutted each other.  While still clamped the plan was split along the line with a sharp hobby knife.
 
For each lift the material to be removed was drawn on the plan and then cut out on the band saw.  A central bar was left solid for rigidity and to make sure the hull did not shift.  That may have been unnecessary, but I felt more comfortable with it there.  In the photo you can see that Lift 5, at the bottom, has been split and the voids cut out of the port side.  
 
I started with two full width lifts to make a solid base for the hull.  A pair of T-nuts were fitted into the lowest lift in holes drilled through from the outside in to minimize any chipping around the visible hole.  A matching pair of holes was drilled in the second lift so the mounting bolts could come through into the hull and be as long as needed.  This second lift trapped the nuts so they could not shift.  Each lift was painted with glue and positioned on the one below.  When the glue set up enough to prevent movement the top lift was clamped down with three cauls and left to dry.
 

 
You can see that I have used black glue.  It is simply made by adding a few drops of acrylic craft paint to wood glue.  Doing this gave me a set of true horizontal layout lines that would never disappear no matter how much material had to be removed in the shaping process.  These lines could be viewed from any angle to get the curves accurate and symmetrical.  Also, in the past I have had some trouble laying out and keeping a level waterline and I thought I could rely on the lift junctions as a guide.    
 
Here are the first four lifts cut out and glued up.  The angled sides of the center bar were necessary to accommodate the shallow throat of the band saw, but these would be hidden deep inside the hull.
 

 
Here is the bow with the extra material added to the bottom two lifts.
 

 
And the stern with the third lift split into the two half layers to match the plans.
 

 
After the sixth flat lift had been glued up I had to make the first of the wedge shaped lifts, the half height one (7A) at the stern.  It was cut to the shape of the aft end of the Foyer deck and the length as taken from the lift plan.  Then I tapered it down and forward with a block plane until the front edge was feathered to next to nothing.  It was glued down and would later be sanded to a gentle curve to match the sheer.
 

 
With 7A installed I could add the forward section of lift 7.  Here is the hull painted with glue and ready for it.  This lift was made solid since it would be the last (almost) full lift below the color separation line.
 

 
The final lift for the lower hull was the wedge lift at the bow.  This was roughed out and installed and the rough hull block was complete.
 

 
Now it was just a process of shaping the exterior to match the plans.  The boxy midships areas could be brought down with a palm sander.  To reduce the dust generated I attached one of the small hose ends of the shop vac to the dust port on the sander.  Whenever I sanded I had the vacuum sucking up as much dust as possible.  There was still some, so I wore a dust mask.  Ear protectors too.  Running both machines at once was quite loud.
 

 
Using the sander, a sanding drum in the Dremel, wood rasps, and whatever else would remove wood, the hull was brought down to a rough but close approximation of the hull shape.  In this view from below the two mounting holes can be clearly seen.
 

 
At the stern the rudder post and counter are approaching their final shapes.  The working area of the Foyer deck has been sanded to the gentle curve of the sheer.
 

 
At the bow the split line of the half lifts gave me an indelible line to shape the knife edge at the waterline and the bulb below.
 

 
So here is where this segment ends, with the lower hull laid up and approaching its final shape.
 

 
Be well
 
Dan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

....... continued.
 
The standing end of the Fore Course Sheet is seized to an eyebolt below the aft fixed block, through the sheet block, through the fixed block, and belays to the aft cleat in the bulwark :
 

 
The standing end of the Main Course Sheet is seized to an eyebolt below the fixed block on the quarterdeck planksheer, through the sheet block, through the fixed block, and belays to a timberhead forward of the block :
 

 
The sheets for the topsails start with a crown knot through the strop in the clue block, through the sheet block on the outboard end of the lower yard, inboard to the sheet block near the centre of the yard, and belays to the fore topsail sheet bitts (fore), main topsail sheet bitts (main) and to an eyebolt at the foot of the mizzen mast (mizzen) :
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The Spritsail clues and sheets are rigged in similar fashion, both belaying to cleats in the bow :
 

 
I won't be adding any more rigging such as Buntlines, Leechlines, or any of the Staysail rigging as no sails are going on this model.
 
 Danny

This 'step' is coming up soon (pun intended) and I ask for some recommendations.
 
The ship plans only show the mast step from the side:
 

 
This shows a step on the keelson that appears to be parallel the keelson.  Note that the forward well wall pushes against the forward part of the step (no space for wedges).  For my full ship model oh so many years ago I made my best guess at how to do this:
 

 
From other builds (and the TFFM) the steps tend to lie perpendicular to the keelson with wedges forward and aft on the keelson to affix at a particular spot.  I am leaning towards using this perpendicular step and not what I did on the original build.
 
Thoughts?  Again, this was originally an American built cargo vessel from 1774.
 
Mark

Hi all
 
just a few pic.
 

 

 

 

 
Michael
 

More planking over the last few weeks. One more strake on each side and I can go to work on the transom.  
I made a jig that fits over the plywood spine so when she's upside down for planking, the fashion pieces wont get broken since they stick up a bunch.  It can be held in the vise or propped up on a block of scrap wood (as shown here on pic. #3).  My spiling is getting better.  Sure it uses a bit more wood, but careful planning gets several similar pieces cut from one strip with only modest waste.  I've also given up on soaking or steaming the planks.  Pieces this thin (.0475") need bending only with a very hot blow dryer and some gentle pressure.  No more shrinkage when dried and no more raised grain nor water staining.
Maury

My own experience with the Bellona is that the clamps are so fiddly to install, they would not easily have been removed to notch and then reinstall. They change their lengths slightly as they are conformed to the hull sides (particularly the upper deck clamps on a British 74), and any notching when they are not fully bedded down would result in inaccuracies fore and aft.
 
So I opted for installing the clamps first, focusing on keeping their tops at the precise line marked on the bulwarks (deck height at bottom of planking minus thickness of beam, plus 1" as Druxey notes). Fully glued and pinned in, they form a solid foundation for everything else to follow. I then located each beam very accurately in its fore and aft location, temporarily clamping it in place with a small C-clamp. I then marked each side of the beam on the top of the deck clamp with a very sharp knife, and scribed down from this line 1" in scale from the top to mark the sides of the mortise. I used a small jig to scribe a line 1" down and parallel to the top of the clamp, to locate the bottom of the mortise.
 
With the mortise accurately marked out on top, side and bottom, I then used a variety of small chisels and hobby knifes/scalpels to cut each mortise. One inch down at 3/16" scale is easily done by this method. Following full size practice, firmly press down vertically with a knife on each scribed line on the top, then take a slice from the top center of the mortise to each side you just cut, forming an inverted V. Cut from the middle so you are always cutting down on the grain into the stopping cut, thereby avoiding unexpected splits. Cutting this way also means that a knife can be brought to bear from the side, rather than the top where the tumblehome can get in the way.
 
Do the vertical cut and then V cut on each side several times until you cut down to the 1" line. Then pare off the remaining inverted V with shallow horizontal cuts until the V is gone and the mortise is 1" deep. Easier to do than to explain. One key is to take a number of very shallow cuts, so the wood is easily pared, rather than forcing deeper cuts. The other key is to scribe the lines marking the mortises, from the beams themselves and from a jig for the bottom. The scribed lines give a very accurate register for the chisels/knives that you can feel in cramped quarters even when you cannot see the line. 
 
Even if you cut the mortises first, you will likely still have to make some adjustments to them once installed, to ensure that the beams are all exactly at the height of the deck minus the decking. I used long templates to sit on beams at the middle and at both ends of the deck, so all intermediate beams could be brought level to the template. So if you are going to adjust the mortises slightly in place anyway, why not cut them in place to start?
 
Once cut this way, the mortises provide very precise beds for the beams fore and aft, and vertically. I drilled through the tops of the beams into the clamp where possible, more often into the bulwarks, for pins. I cannot begin to count the number of times I had to locate and remove the beams for further work, like marking and cutting the mortises in the beams themselves for the carlings. The precisely located mortises were my friend.
 
For those who are anxious about hand cutting mortises, I took inspiration myself from Gaetan Bordeleau, who pointed out to me that the more you cut by hand, the more comfortable you become with cutting by hand. It was like training on the job. And if you follow the advice of shallow paring cuts into stop cuts, you can't go drastically wrong in any given slip of the knife.
 
Mark

I'm on the home stretch with the planking.  This being my first planking experience, I'm fairly pleased with my results.  Most of the imperfections seen in the photos should be taken care of with the final sanding of the hull.  I'm learning a lot in the process.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Erik

I'm plugging away with the planking . . . slooooowly.  Since these newest kits come with .020" thick planks, rather than the 1/32 (.031") planks that came in the older kits, I'm trying to keep my planking as flawless as possible to avoid excessive sanding of the hull when the planking is complete.  I don't want to take too much thickness off of these planks!
 
I'm fairly pleased with my planking results so far.  It's not perfect, but is acceptable for a first ship build.  I'm looking forward to finishing the planking, so I can get things sanded and looking less rough. 
 

 

 

 

 

 
Erik

Hello,

many thanks for your nice comments.

Continued Construction of the sloop - expansion
Meanwhile, I could make the gunwale successfully.
As far as the gunwales for adapting and assembling are now being prepared.

Soon it goes on here ...