Wintergreen

Thanks Keith, yes, as part of this community it is easy to get addicted to the perfect fit or the exact representation... Just a short update. Another couple of boards are filed and dry-fitted. Glue will have to wait a fair bit still. When it is time for glue the inboard plank will be fastened first. Then I can do the final fine trim of the outboard plank against it. "I worked all nitght, then it dawned on me" ... well not that it matter now, but I think I planked the hull with aspen instead of birch. And how did you come to that conclusion. Well, I scrapped a veneered cupboard and used the bulk wood for planking. But when I thought of it now, it seemed pointless to use birch as bulk when the veneer was birch... so some searching the www gave me the plausible wood aspen instead. Similarly light coloured and the grain is not obvious. However, aspen is lighter and softer than birch. So, a quick comparison on the scale of similarly sized pieces gave that what I thought was birch (ie the aspen) was a fair bit lighter than actual birch. But as I said, not that it matter now. Will however be 100% consistent in using birch for the deck. Hence, the covering boards (or margin planks) are my 2nd attempt... Thanks also for all the likes, fellows!

Thanks John 😊 It is a delicate puzzle to file enough but not too much...

Thanks for likes and visits! Progress is steady and slow. Slow because the do and then the undo habit.. I thought to plan ahead and paint the bulwark stanchions white while they were unobstructed. Turns out it was a bad idea. They are left unpainted on the real ship... so I had to scrape of the paint... instead I dug around my selection of stains and found a suitable colour to mimic weathered oak. Then there is a lot of fiddling around with the plank sheer inside and out. Inside the stanchions it is quite straight forward bar the lapped joints, which will be handled later. Outside is a lot of templating and then careful sanding and filing to get a good fit. Pictures in order of work. I am particular happy that I did not go ahead and glue the king plank in on the entire deck because it will only be found in front of the bollards up front. For the remainder of the deck there will be regular deck planks all the way to the centerline. Although I will keep the plank in full length when I actually glue it down to have the short piece up front to be dead centered. The overhang will be trimmed down to just about an inch (0.8mm in scale) later on. And this picture I just let in here for I find it wholesome. 😉 More templating to come... Cheers!

Yep, that'll do it 😂 Honestly, it was not ciritisicm, just an observation. Your launch is definitely a piece to admire wherever you place it. It looks gorgeous!

I obviously missed some posts here due to my habit of sailing in the summer. What a nice looking platform Mike! And since it's new years eve I take the opportunity to wish you a prosperous 2025 with lots of hours at your workbench! Keep it up!

Dear all, I wish everyone passing by here a splendid 2025! Lots of hours in the shed or workshop, whereever it is and of course, lots of hours with the near and dear. Yes @KeithAug, nearly three years now. Three years you wonder? This build started april 2021, which is more than three years. So what's with the three years? Well, during winter 2021-2022 I went through a cancer treatment. The whole shebang with radiation (dec -21), chemo (dec -21 to feb -22) and a final surgery (end of March -22). Don't worry, all is well with me. Yearly checkins with the healthcare to monitor that I stay free from the cr**p. But since I posted somewhat of a diary on Facebook, I get reminded every winter (like I could forget, right?). But still, memory fades over time and my updates on FB reminds me of how crappy I felt from the chemo. And also how lucky I am to actually writing this. "Lest we not forget!" as the saying goes. So, to end this update and year (yes John I know you already write 2025 atm), apart from the previous well wishes I also wish everyone a healthy 2025! Take care and let's continue in 2025!!

"Always look on the bright side of life!" 😄 Fair thought though. Keep it up, Keith!

Oh, I've always thought tugboats looks nice. I'm sure this will too. And even though the Occre is RC, the kit prop just looks awful. We are confident that you can do a better job Vaddoc 🙂 Keep it up!

Excellent Vaddoc! It came together beautifully, your launch. I get it that you were in a bit of a hurry to source a prop for your boat and had to take what you got in order to meet the launching day 😉 However, I think you might want to save up for a little bigger prop for next season to get a bit more drive through the tidal streams of your coastline. Nevertheless a very nice looking model it is! "unusual project" - you say... how's that for a cliffhanger 😄 Well, since you so handily linked your new build in your signatur I found you new project. Meet you there. Keep it up!

Very true for the first kit that was produced. A lot of guesswork. My kit is from the 1980s and my Wasa was finished in 1989. All details are more or less correct but not the colour scheme. It was believed she was Royal Blue but later science reveals she was painted in a more traditional 1600 style. Lots of vivid colours. Now back to your HMS Lion 😉

Oh, a re-comission. Interesting. I have an old Wasa (Billings) that I ponder doing the same to. Well, not RC, just rebuild to some higher standard than mine teenage me mastered. I must say your teenage you did a darn good job with that hull Ian! Okay it lacks details but the lines are there. Well done Sir! Keep it up!

Just had time to casually look around here on MSW and this pops up. I read your first post and then skipped to last page. I find it fascinating the level of ingenuity to produce small scale items and have them resemble life size objects, like the tire fenders above. Also at 1:160 scale one have to admire the cleanliness you acquire. I mean, it is even further than Johns, aka Jim Lad, usual 1:96. Keep it up!

You are all too kind. Cluttered or not, I guess I loose a little faith in myself when I see other builders staged photos. It looks so pretty with a calm backdrop and nice, ambient light.

Andy, didn't your mother tell you not to lie?? 😄😄😄

Just one more note, I will repurpose this made main mast to mizzen or some other spar due to it being a object of practise and also since I omitted the square section at the cheeks. I haven't decided if I will use pine, birch or apple yet for the mast and spars. TBD.

Thanks Andy and John. 🙂 About joinery, I have found out there is no shortcut to a perfect joint. It's down to time, patience and perseverance... So, another wee update before other shores and priorities takes precedence over scale model boat building. (they say it's Xmas time. Really? Already?) Mast partner, or in layman terms, the hole where the mast pokes through the deck. A delicate little piece whit not much "meat" on it. I short - found a blank, drilled an appropriate sized hole (13,5mm) and trimmed it to fit. Whacked it in place with some diluted glue and chiseled/sanded flush to the deck beam. Mast making then. Actually I did the mast first to se if the hole should be centered in the opening, which it should be. The usual way, square stock planed to an octagon, planed even further and finally sanded. Care taken so to not sand too much. Sounds easy enough. Of course mast making got me thinking. This was not my last mast or spar to build so better do some planning ahead. Found and old shooting board that I don't use. Planed the underside flat and beautified it with some tung oil. Next guides for the stock. Made these removable if I ever need it as a shooting board again and also to fit shorter guides if necessare. With the stock raised slightly over the board it is easy to grab and turn the stock while planing. Next question - how to do the square or octagon shape if the mast has one. The main mast on Atlantica is octagon shaped at its lower section. A small giuding block solved that and a long file which makes it easier to aim a somewhat horizontal face while filing. Someday I will get rid of all the clutter in my shop. Some day... Happy Holidays and Very Merry Christmas to you all!

Great progress on your serving skills, Tim! And yes, it is difficult with the magnifier and hand coordination. For the moment I use x2 magnifiers, which is manageable. I tried the x3 but then everything got very distorted. Keep it up!

Finally, the shipwright has returned. Man, that was a long hiatus. Anyhow, the board shown in the last post's picture has ben transformed to the third and fourth coamings for deck hatches/openings. While contemplating the next step I had some fun and by coincidence that fun also ansered my next question. It is the question about mast partners. As can be seen from the book, there is blocking to support the mast below deck planks. So, the next step will be to do some dummy masts and have them standing as they should according to plans. After that it is on the covering boards and decking. I did forget the banana for size, or the match, or the coin. Ah well, the coamings are 12mm or a ½" high, corresponding to a real world measurement of 300mm above decking. Deck planks are 60mm thick by 120 mm wide. On another note, during the build this far I have been thinking about size and scale. This build is in 1:30 (which is close to 3/8 scale). The hull is about 800 mm long. And I have pondered over my abilities for joining pieces of wood and what that would be for the coming of the 18th century ships I have in mind. After some thought I found out that the size of a manowar in 1:64 or a smaller ship in 1:48 will have the same dimensions as what I am building now... That is because these ships timbers were larger overall on these ships. Of course this is not entirely true, more of an approximation. Huge relief though. So, the challenges I face now, will be the same later down the line. Interesting. Til next time - ta!

Andy, I had to backtrack you build log because suddenly I was all confused of version numbers on the hull(s). Clever approach though. And I also read through your (not so) inane mamble ramblings about planking, putting my own non-scientific way of planking to shame. I have no doubt that the end result will be very pleasing! My problem with planning is that I have an almost pathological aversion to too much pre-planning. In my work profession I do big, complex datasystem updates which needs to be planned down to the very minute detail, and I do not bring that way into my shop. As an example, for a job that takes 1-3 hrs when executed (failing is not an option) we spend about 40-80 hrs planning. But that is only partially why I don't do much drawings and stuff. When I build something, be it a new kitchen table with benches, or a smart storage box for my 1:1 sailboat, the only drawing I have is usually a wrinkled paper with a rudimentary skiss and some measurements. The rest I make up as I go. Of course I know the con's of such an approach and I am glad not all are like me, so we actually can learn something from those (like you) that takes a fair bit of time to plan and explain. Keep it up!

+1 for paint. (you've left your previous builds partly unpainted so your ability to plank a hull is evident) Plus, the lovely hull construction is saved with all the photos you've treated us with. Oh! And it just struck me Keith, the Admiral and I were down in your neck of the woods over Bonfire weekend! More precise in Firle. It was a blast so we decided right awayt that we'll be back next year. We have an auntie that lives in Firle so we hung out with the locals. Keep it up!

Excellent weathering, Gary!

Keith, John, I'm glad to find a borthers in arms with the same kind of malfunction 😄 But I guess there are even more of us. Maybe we should schedule a group session with Dr Per... hmm... food for thought. My anticipation is that by the time we hit the festive season in a couple of weeks, my time in the shop as well as my inspiration will level up. As for the moment, I am slowly picking up the tools to trigger that nerve. Quite tired and worn at the moment. Cheers!

So, just another quick update... Shipwright season has officially started in the Wintergreen residence. Finally! Almost to the day, nine months since my last actual progress report... A lot of other duties had higher priorities. It's been a crazy fall around here. I have also treated myself with the Proxxon disc sander and a new shopwac that doesn't sound like a 747 taking off (it's a Bosch 20 liter something, with a 220 outlet on it, so single switch operation now with sander attached). Oh! And there is a new rule in the shop as well... Put. The. Tools. Back. Where. They. Belong. Period. (NOT just drop them where you last used them, halfwit, because that place, no matter how obvious, is cleared from your memory as soon as you turn your back to it.) Cheers!

Just to be clear - I have not abandoned the build. It has just been summer followed by a crazy autumn with no spare time or time to spare. The shop is slowly being organized back into being fit for model building and not window frame renovations. It will take some time still, but have faith, I will be back on the Atlantica build before long. Cheers!

You've made great progress while I've been away, Gary! Keep it up!