Hi everybody,
I'm a newbie starting out on my very first wooden ship build. I like a bit of a challenge so have chosen the Jotika model of the schooner Pickle (Living in Portsmouth a stone's throw from HMS Victory has probably influenced my choice!!). So this is very much a learning experience for me - I don't expect it will be perfect but I know I'll pick up a lot on the way!
Anyway, all seems to be going OK so far and I've got as far as the second planking for which Jokita supply 1x4 mm Walnut strips.Having just pulled these out of the box and given it a good going over I'm a bit concerned about the quality of the wood.
Being a newbie and not being sure what to expect I don't know whether this is just because it's walnut, but it does seem very "splintery" and loose along the edges. I've attached a couple of pics, but don't know whether these really show the extent of the problem. I have tried sanding a couple of these strips to give a better finish to the edges and have ended up breaking a couple or reducing them in size to less than 4mm - obviously less than ideal! The last pic is the result of what you get from just rubbing a few strips together in my hands - quite a lot of loose stuff comes off.
So, looking for some advice really about what I should do. Is this normal for walnut, or have I just been supplied with poor quality material (everything else in the kit seems pretty good)? If its the latter, should I go back to Jokita and ask them to replace the walnut, or would I better off with a different wood? I'm slightly concerned I guess, that any replacement material will be just the same. Love to hear from others with experience of Jokita kits or just generally about walnut strips. Many thanks.
And finally, just wanted to say that to a newbie like me this site is a true inspiration. Some of the models you guys build are out of this world
