SkerryAmp

So, I read and read and re read and re read the booklet - then stared, and stared some more and stared more at the plans - then decided what the heck, HOW bad can I possibly make it...
 
Started laying rope!
 
So far only have done the 3 collars (Fore, Mizzen and Main), 2 Mizzen shrouds and the Mizzen stay.   MUCH different than the rigging on the phantom - am trying to master tweezers, forceps, clamps, pokers, pryers, picks and needle threaders all without htting the deck like Godzilla through downtown.  NOT easy.   Have had to reattach two channels and the upper bell railing so far - ugh.
 
Anywho,  the one common thing with the phantom is as the rope starts to go on it starts to look more and more ship like and kind of rekindles a bit of excitement in nearing the finish line.
 
I still have MUCH to practice and learn with regards to knots and servings and getting things lined up - but I keep trying to remind myself this is only my second model! Sometimes it helps - other times,  these strings can be frustrating!!!      But, it is on it's way.  This one will be better than my first one - not as good as the next one and a step on the way to the best one!!
 

 

 
 
As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by - more on the way !!!
 
Enjoy and happy modeling!!
 
 

Real good start Adam, I'll be here cheering you on.

It's great to see you back at it, Adam.  In some ways this hobby is like riding a bicycle.  You may not have done it for awhile, and you fall off the bike a few times, but you get yourself back on and then there's that magical moment.. it'll comes back and everything comes together. 

As it so happens, I recently returned to the work bench after a rather long hiatus (went back to finish my degree).   Working on wrapping up the Mayflower at the moment, then the Santa Maria will be back on deck as a primary focus!
 
Thanks for checking in!
 
 
Thans Gerty, appreciate that!

NIcely done and a beautiful model for sure - loving it!

Duuuuuuuude!
 
Ah HA - here you are.      I was away so long I completely missed this - wasn checking other stuff and wondering  ...hmm, where did Popeye go!
 
HERE you are - and WOW.
 
First, thank you fro taking me back - I used to LOVE doing plastics,  have not done those in such a long time, nice to see you working it so well.
 
Second - NICELY done!!   Really a sharp looking build you have going there and the subject is great!!!!
 
Well - while fashionably late, I shall now pull up my lawn chair and umbrella enjoy the finale!!
 
=)

So, I read and read and re read and re read the booklet - then stared, and stared some more and stared more at the plans - then decided what the heck, HOW bad can I possibly make it...
 
Started laying rope!
 
So far only have done the 3 collars (Fore, Mizzen and Main), 2 Mizzen shrouds and the Mizzen stay.   MUCH different than the rigging on the phantom - am trying to master tweezers, forceps, clamps, pokers, pryers, picks and needle threaders all without htting the deck like Godzilla through downtown.  NOT easy.   Have had to reattach two channels and the upper bell railing so far - ugh.
 
Anywho,  the one common thing with the phantom is as the rope starts to go on it starts to look more and more ship like and kind of rekindles a bit of excitement in nearing the finish line.
 
I still have MUCH to practice and learn with regards to knots and servings and getting things lined up - but I keep trying to remind myself this is only my second model! Sometimes it helps - other times,  these strings can be frustrating!!!      But, it is on it's way.  This one will be better than my first one - not as good as the next one and a step on the way to the best one!!
 

 

 
 
As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by - more on the way !!!
 
Enjoy and happy modeling!!
 
 

So, I read and read and re read and re read the booklet - then stared, and stared some more and stared more at the plans - then decided what the heck, HOW bad can I possibly make it...
 
Started laying rope!
 
So far only have done the 3 collars (Fore, Mizzen and Main), 2 Mizzen shrouds and the Mizzen stay.   MUCH different than the rigging on the phantom - am trying to master tweezers, forceps, clamps, pokers, pryers, picks and needle threaders all without htting the deck like Godzilla through downtown.  NOT easy.   Have had to reattach two channels and the upper bell railing so far - ugh.
 
Anywho,  the one common thing with the phantom is as the rope starts to go on it starts to look more and more ship like and kind of rekindles a bit of excitement in nearing the finish line.
 
I still have MUCH to practice and learn with regards to knots and servings and getting things lined up - but I keep trying to remind myself this is only my second model! Sometimes it helps - other times,  these strings can be frustrating!!!      But, it is on it's way.  This one will be better than my first one - not as good as the next one and a step on the way to the best one!!
 

 

 
 
As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by - more on the way !!!
 
Enjoy and happy modeling!!
 
 

As it so happens, I recently returned to the work bench after a rather long hiatus (went back to finish my degree).   Working on wrapping up the Mayflower at the moment, then the Santa Maria will be back on deck as a primary focus!
 
Thanks for checking in!
 
 
Thans Gerty, appreciate that!

So, I read and read and re read and re read the booklet - then stared, and stared some more and stared more at the plans - then decided what the heck, HOW bad can I possibly make it...
 
Started laying rope!
 
So far only have done the 3 collars (Fore, Mizzen and Main), 2 Mizzen shrouds and the Mizzen stay.   MUCH different than the rigging on the phantom - am trying to master tweezers, forceps, clamps, pokers, pryers, picks and needle threaders all without htting the deck like Godzilla through downtown.  NOT easy.   Have had to reattach two channels and the upper bell railing so far - ugh.
 
Anywho,  the one common thing with the phantom is as the rope starts to go on it starts to look more and more ship like and kind of rekindles a bit of excitement in nearing the finish line.
 
I still have MUCH to practice and learn with regards to knots and servings and getting things lined up - but I keep trying to remind myself this is only my second model! Sometimes it helps - other times,  these strings can be frustrating!!!      But, it is on it's way.  This one will be better than my first one - not as good as the next one and a step on the way to the best one!!
 

 

 
 
As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by - more on the way !!!
 
Enjoy and happy modeling!!
 
 

Thanks Don - appreciate that!  Am about to start posting pics of the rigging - I am certainly not an expert in rigging.... a LOT to learn and practice, but am doing my best =)
 
 
Thank you Tom!
 
No problem Dave, I lost track of my work bench for the majority of a year with school so - not much to have missed.  That is changing though =)

As it so happens, I recently returned to the work bench after a rather long hiatus (went back to finish my degree).   Working on wrapping up the Mayflower at the moment, then the Santa Maria will be back on deck as a primary focus!
 
Thanks for checking in!
 
 
Thans Gerty, appreciate that!

Duuuuuuuude!
 
Ah HA - here you are.      I was away so long I completely missed this - wasn checking other stuff and wondering  ...hmm, where did Popeye go!
 
HERE you are - and WOW.
 
First, thank you fro taking me back - I used to LOVE doing plastics,  have not done those in such a long time, nice to see you working it so well.
 
Second - NICELY done!!   Really a sharp looking build you have going there and the subject is great!!!!
 
Well - while fashionably late, I shall now pull up my lawn chair and umbrella enjoy the finale!!
 
=)

Wow a little deja vu!   The mayflower is drying, football on the T.V  - so,  let's finish off the re-planking on the Santa Maria.  
 
Finished off laying the new deck planks, marking the lines, dotting the nails and then after some trials went with a 4:1 Natural / Golden Oak Deck Staining.  Much lighter, and I think much much better!!!!
 
(That other one was VERY dark!!)
 

 
I need to make the plank lines and nails a bit better/cleaned up and darker on the stern but will get to that once the stain dries a bit more!
 
Well, games are over for the night so off I go
 
Tomorrow is another day!

NIcely done and a beautiful model for sure - loving it!

Well,  my idea was to bleach the decks and then golden oak them back to a reasonable color, however - chalk one up to Miniwax stain,  bleach didn't touch it!!
 
So,  then thought about sanding it away - but really wasn't sure how I would go about that with them installed without damaging the inner bulwarks.
 
So, final decision!   Replank them.  The planks are are 1/64 thick so it really doesn't jump the deck height up noticeably and was easy enough to do.
 
However... PROBLEM!  (as always right).   I was hoping there was enough plank to do the deck and the final decking (fore and poop decks).  I was sadly mistaken.  I used up what I had and am now out of decking material.   Guess what, finding that size is NOT easy.  So,  what I will be doing is seeing what the Nina can do for me.  I am thinking about decking up the parts necessary with the Nina and then using the excess wood to finish up the Santa maria.
 
Until I decide that,  here is where the Santa Maria sits currently.
 
 
I started to plank the hull according to the instructions.  I am still not happy at all with my planking abilities,  my 10 year wedding anniversery is coming up so the wife and I are exchanging gifts and from what I understand she is doing I had better figure this planking thing out - and fast!!  (Ugh).
 
So, plank plank plank....
 

 

 

 
Really kind of embarassing - that hull is going to need a LOT of work regarding sanding and shaping!
 
I did however (as I said up above) get sidetracked with the planking and that is when I applied my magnificantly short sighted idea for decking up the Santa Maria.   Here is where that sits at the moment....
 

 
I did decide to vary the lengths and do simulated treenails with a mechanical pencil this time.  The solid planks and dark wood just were not doing it for me.  Once I fill in the rest of the space I will give it a VERY light stain of natural and Golden Oak (probobly like a 10:1 ratio) just to give it a little color and blend it all together, darken the nails and caulk etc.   The idea is to keep it very light.
 
 
So - enjoying this one,  but the deck debacle and really painful planking job so far is a slight spirit killer.. but I will get it all cleaned up and happy - I am pretty good at filler and shaping hulls (you should see what is under the mayflower second planking and filler hehe.
 
However, with all that said. my parts have come for the mayflower, so tonight will be finishing up all those fiddly bits, sealing it and getting ready to move forward with that one....
 
Until later - ENJOY!!
 
 
 
 

Yeah, that deck is very dark.  It was an experiment I wanted to do.  Wanted to see what that particular stain (mahogany) cut with natrual would look like.  It still came out much darker than I wanted.   I have a plan though... it involves careful masking, bleach and a whole lot of patience

Ah, Santa Maria - We Meet Again!!
 
With the mayflower in a holding pattern until supplies are delivered I decided to come back to the SM for a spell.
 
When we last left our Maria we had a quarter deck done up, but sitting along side.  So, let's start by installing that.
 
The tabs lined up nicely with the bulwarks however they didn't quite fit nicely.  Between carefully filing the slots and reshaping the tabs I was able to finally get them to line up and pop in nicely.   However, once lined up and in it was a rough keeping them in there but I used some Masking tape to wrap it while it dried and it all worked out okay!
 

 
Let that dry and started on the poop deck/rear cabin.   The framing was laser cut, which was nice.  Popped out the parts cleaned them up and started installing.  First the innner wall....
 

 
Then the transom wall.   I have some alignment issues on the stern but am addressing them as needed and so far all is cooperating.   Once again, used masking tape as a clamp to hold the part in place (really starting to like the masking tape clamp method).
 

 
Then all that was left was to install the poop deck itself.   It went in like a champ.  Being my first run with an AL kit, so far so good!  Decent stuff (in my humble newbie opinion)
 

 
As you can see masking tape clamps all together until it was dry and then quick slice, peel away, sand and clean up and walla
 
A base poop deck!
 

 
All that was left for this evening was using the supplied veneer to finish off the inner wall and we are set aside for the evening.
 

 
 
Until later my friends... Enjoy and happy modeling!

Good Evening!
 
After doing a little bit on the Mayflower and having that sitting in a drying stage, I wanted to keep building so pulled out the Santa Maria for some updates.  It was a fair amount of work but only one piece this evening
 
The Quarterdeck!
 
Well, first I installed the other Bulwark so at least the vessel has two, instead of limping around with only one
 

 
Okay, NOW time for the quarterdeck
 
Here we have the false quarterdeck ready to go !
 

 
Once it is popped loose from it's sheet, the initial reference plank is laid.   I learned a long time ago it is very important to get this first plank and straight as you can as it will most certainly effect the alignment of every other plank after it
 
 

 
 
Plank after plan was laid,  as in prior projects the Archive Pen was used to caulk the boards. Finall we have a rough planked quarterdeck
 
 

 
 
Some careful trimming around the edges, done easily by flipping the part upside down and tracing the edge with a VERY sharp blade.  A dull blade can easily grab a plank at the edge and potentially yank it loose.
 
 

 
 
Finally the part is lightly wiped down with an alcohol rag in order to clean up any lose dirt, glue mistakes etc.   Once dry, I wiped it down with wood conditioner and then finally stained with the same mix of Dark Mahogany and Natural stain to match the rest of the ship.
 

 
This is a dark ship,  very different than what I tyipcally like but I am starting to appreciate the colors and the richness of it all.
 
So, for the evening this is set aside to dry overnight
 
Thank you again for stopping in
 

Hello forum! 
 
Well first off super pumped after the OSU vrs. Penn State game. Go Buckeyes! Now I can get back to the build but first I need to clean up the work station. I was getting a bit aggravated at the build but then had a chance to sit back and take a look. I really need to clean up the work station and focus on one thing at a time. I need to remind myself not to worry 3 steps ahead when I need to focus on the task at hand.
 
It seems like this build log is gaining some traction as far as visitors and comments! Thanks a bunch guys.
 
John, Thanks a bunch for your comment and heads up about the build. I sort of had my doubts as far as the accuracy of this kit but you are absolutely right. Im going to continue to approach this build as a learning experience. This is only going to make me a better shipwright in the end and hey... its still wicked fun. My plan going forward is to take this build one step at a time and improving upon the kit when and where I can while loosely following the instructions. I plan on referring to the forum for other schooner type builds and apply what I see to this kit. With that being said I have been refereeing to Gunther's build log for his amazing Armed Virginia Sloop. Granted its different type of ship and different manufacture but his build sequence and detail is a great asset for a newbie like myself. 
 
Joel- 
I referred to the plans and the bulkheads are indeed not on a 90 degree angle just like the actual kit itself. No worries though, since AL decided to make up and package this ship out of their own imagination
 
p.s. John, do you happen to have a build log or completed photos of your Independence? If so please let me know as I am always on the hunt for info
 
Well with a full glass o' wine its time to clean up / organize some and go about installing these bracings. 

So I noticed something interesting about this kit or maybe the manufacture itself. Slots cut on the false keel for bulkhead installation are not 90 degrees as seen on other models. So ensuring that the bulkheads are properly aligned is going to be tricky. I'm not going to worry about it too much though. If for some reason the bulkheads are set crooked I can use spacer blocks to fix the alignment.

As you can see I went ahead with a initial sanding of the bulkheads to remove the burnt edges. I have read in he past that glue has a hard time adhering to these burnt spots so hopefully this helps. I also labeled each bulkhead numbers and their corresponding slats to help ensure the right part goes into the right spot. "Maybe I have screwed this up before lol"

I'm really considering adding filler blocks to the bow and stern sections. I have had a hard time planking these areas in the past since there is not a lot of materiel to glue to.

Hello and greetings! I am excited to start my second build log on this forum for the US Independence made by Artesania Latina. This is my third ship model that I have been steadily building up to in both complexity and size. I wanted to start this build log a little bit different by taking a few pictures of my work station. I remember building models on mom's kitchen table when I was a kid and constantly battling for space. Some of the tools I use have been in my possession for 15+ years and have been steadily expanded upon with a little here and a little there.
 
Some things I'm looking forward to about this build is constructing my first gun carriages, multiple masts, and more complex rigging. This ship is literally twice a big as my last build so that should work in my favor in the constant battle between big hands and tiny pieces. Well more to come shortly. If you want, take a picture of your work station and share it on this build log
 
oh I will be sure to add a link to my second build shortly.   

well........things have taken another turn.     I was kinda on vacation from the part time job until I got my badge.......I have it now.   I worked last night and I need to go in this morning.   I have one humongous update.......here is the beginning of it......
 
the port side pipes were cemented in place
 

 
while removing the sprue stubble from the starboard side pipes,  the darn thing broke!
 

 
but I managed to get them on anyway
 

 
then the railings were added,  along with the section for the back edge,  between the two pipes
 

 

 
now I can rig the guy lines
 

 

 
the rest will have to wait till the afternoon.  I got to get ready for work.   there's more crazy stuff going on behind the scenes here......got a plummer coming......the power company is running all over our neighborhood replacing transformers {I hope they don't block our drive way again}........to name what is to be today.   tomorrow might be worse.......power might be out for a while.........I'm going back to work again for the evening.  the fun is beginning 

this morning.......some touch ups were made.  instead of doing a dry fit,  I just cemented the bottom part of the pipes in place.   I then found that the port side railings was wrong......I shouldn't have over guessed them.   but it looks like the railings would have been too long anyways..
 

 
I painted the hand rails of the railings
 

 
the port side has already been trimmed down to fit. 

I know I promised this to you fine folks last week..........but with the way this work week went......well..#%$^*@!  the shop is too small a place,  to have that much drama!   too long a story to get into the policies and politics of it all.
 
last week,  I got to do more on the Titanic.  I did manage to add the fourth funnel top {if I didn't mention it already}.  the grates were added in the openings of the tops.   the fourth funnel is the only different one........it has a damper molded to it.
 

 

 
the starboard railing is assembled.  as it dries,  I will make the port side railing.
 

 
I wasn't sure how the pipe work ran in this area.........I initially though the port side railing was wrong.   so,  I fitted it so it would go the entire length along the edging.
 

 

 
here's a view from the fore end.......
 

 
 
we had taken off at this point to run errands........I managed to do a little scavenger hunting.   I found some flat white,  since what I had dried up on me.   the inner part of the tops is painted in that hull black that I had mixed up.   the grates were painted with it after they had dried.