glbarlow

Wow, lots of complicated historical philosophizing here for such a simple question. Gregory has given you a lot of help. My Cheerful photos seem to hold up under micro photography but I can assure you at a normal viewing distance my “iron band” method, learned from Chuck Passaro btw, it definitely does. Crafty Sail is a good source of hooks, especially for the model your working on. An actual metal band would be hard to do on that mast and not worth the trouble. Your “fishing lure tie,” wraps around a looped line, inserted back through the loop and seized is exactly what’s used to ‘connect’ a hook to a rope. The block is in one loop, the eye of the hook through the other. There is a guy on YouTube, I don’t recall his name, that show how to do this. In fact a granny knot is another method, but use what you know how to do.

And it works quite well I might add. If you get the lathe I’d highly recommend the three jaw chuck accessory, it’s really all I use. This is a relatively inexpensive tool that more than pays for itself. I described my use of it in my Cheerful log, Derek taught me well. i never found the bed extension, turns out I didn’t need it.

You don’t seem to want the help offered. I did exactly what you’re asking about in my rigging of the masts on my Cheerful build. Seizing blocks is a common process in model building. Good luck in figuring it out.

Gregory and Rylan answer your question. Simply put, use black masking tape to simulate the iron band, drill a hole and insert a blackened eyelet to complete the simulation, seize a block to that eyelet using the method described in many logs. Pretty simple. If it’s the basic how to seize a block to an eyelet or a hook there are plenty of tutorials and step by step guides on this site as well as YouTube to see how it’s done.

Great info and helpful, thanks. Just curious, 1. Your reason not to just push the front trucks against the waterway? 2. Is there coaming the full run of the deck, if not how do you see the wheels when the are behind the carriage is open? Thanks

Sorry, they look like they’re made from plastic….oh…🤣The glossy color doesn’t seem very authentic. I guess I’m a scoffer.

Bob, I ordered mine from England, took very little time to get it. It’s a great tool. Thanks Derek, I look for opportunities to use those chisels now😁

First and Second Planking I’ve completed the first planking and the stern second planking. The first planking turned out ok I think. I once again confirmed how well plank bending works and the importance of taking the time for a proper fairing before the first plank is laid. I wasn’t as precise as I needed to be on the lining work, consequently I had gap issues on the bottom of the hull, no problem since it isn’t seen and will be covered by the second planking. I had some some wider basswood of the same thickness, taking some lessons learned from Cheerful I used it for a better fit, why limit myself to a single width when I have options. (The pencil marks the widest/longest part of the hull, bulkheads 7 & 8). I am surprised by how much sanding is required around the stern. The second planking is only 1mm thick so the fit has to be taken into account by the first planking and by reducing the former for the sternpost to match up. The lime wood is plenty thick to allow sufficient sanding to get a smooth finish. I’m a fan of these Soft Sanders. I learned of them here on the forum, they get put to good use with 80,180, and 220 grit to prep the hull for the second planking. As I always do, I prepared the hull for mounting at this early stage, making it easy to mount the final model. While I appreciate the clear stand Chris provides, all my models are mounted the same way using walnut bases with brass pedestals. I make sure to drill the hole is at least a ½ inch past the keel into the former and having the rod run from there to the bottom of the walnut base. Epoxy later makes sure none of it moves once finished. Here I chose to deviate from the excellent instruction manual by attaching the stem and keel (but not the sternpost, its clamped there in the photo just to ensure it and the keel are aligned properly) before the second planking instead of after. I checked with James and Chris on this, their answer is its up to the modeler, after the second planking is how they do it. In my opinion it is much more of a benefit to have it installed now to ensure a tight fit of the garboard plank, plus now it looks more like a ship than a rowboat 😄 Clamping the long strips of lime wood either side as a splint kept the three pieces making up the stem in alignment with each other and the hull while the rubber bands held it firm to the hull while the glue dried. I used white wood glue here to make sure I had time to adjust all the alignments and did each of the three pieces one at a time starting at the stem. Next up is adding the second planking of boxwood, I love boxwood, to the stern and stern counter. More sanding, filing and chisel work to get a tight fit. There are slight curves to the counter, the curve seen from the side and also a slight bow from stern post to transom. The first I addressed by beveling one edge of each plank, the second with a touch of plank bending (using a new 1mm form cut from the kit laser board waste). A moment’s deviation. I never used chisels before Cheerful made it necessary for me to learn, I had a few but they were junk. I learned about Veritas mini-chisels from @DelF and purchased this set. I thought I was doing great until I also learned from Derek that even brand new chisels require sharpening. So I now have my own sharpening station made up from honing fluid and different grits of sandpaper after watching a Youtube video (again linked from Derek as I recall). Then one more Derek gift, the lead on the Richard Kell sharpening guide tool, which is amazing in its simplicity and results. As a test used from my Army days for a blade’s sharpness, can it shave off the lightest bit of a fingernail (I said lightest bit, not trying to remove it, the thinner the sharper). With this set up my Veritas chisels are nearly as sharp as my best Benchmade and SpyderCo knives (I’m a bit of a collector of those). I can’t tell you how often and how effectively I now use these chisels. So once again, thanks Derek. Back to the program. I completed the transom and as with the stern, using top to bottom (instead of side to side) planking. I hadn’t seen it before, but I trust Chris’ has done the research, and I like the different look it creates. As is my process, I run full planks then cut out port openings with a #11 Excel blade as I go (don’t cover up the opening entirely before notching). For those of you enjoying the which is better debate, a scalpel, no matter how sharp, will not do this job, the thin blade would shatter. I like tapering planks with the scalpel, but the sturdier Excel blade is required here, at least for me, Chris probably does this with his Stanley Knife. Also, notice how thin the stern post area is, much thinner than I’d like but necessary given the thickness of the sternpost and second planking. It will all be fine, I’ll just feel better once the second planking is complete. I’m already running color board tests from my upcoming build of HMS Winchelsea, which I hope to complete before the end of the decade. I’m pretty much settled on Winsor & Newton Crimson, because why not be RED. It will also have Cerulean Blue to match the hull decorations. I was surprised how different the shades (three of the five, the other two are different blues) are between different paint manufactures. Deciding on it will depend on which matches the printed decoration best. These color boards are always helpful and entertaining to make. I mention all this because…. Flirt is a trial run of those colors, I’ve painted the interior of the transom Crimson already and I’ve elected to paint the counter one of the Cerulean Blues to match the blue that will later be added to upper strakes. Adding to the counter now is a touch tricky, I don’t want to paint the back edges of the second hull planking, which will be sanded flush to the counter, so it’s touch up now or touch up later. We’ll see how it goes. I already have a little more touch up on the red around the stern ports, often I don’t see these things until I do a close up photo. I also did a like coat of WOP more to seal the wood than anything else at this point. On with the second planking. I said I was going to make these posts shorter, I seem to be failing at that. Thank you for all the likes and especially the comments.

Just a metal spring clamp with the plastic tip removed so I don’t melt it.

Remember the drop plank at the bow.

Much easier to do a standard seizing like this with a Quad Hands.

You all may have hijacked Chris’ product news log. Maybe a new thread on modeling sails on small craft…?

I do these color boards too. I was amazed that the Cerulean Blue I bought from three different manufacturers, Golden, Grumbacher, and Winsor & Newton are completely different. I was thinking ‘Cerulean’ means ‘whatever’ Blue. I also prefer Admiralty Yellow Ochre over Gold for decorations, just seems right.

So, Brexit is working well it seems…😞

Hoping the box doesn’t collapse during shipping as the UPS people toss it about with all that weight. 😳

Aren’t you starting your Flirt?

I have it and the stove, but mine are going in Winnie, if I can get that far once I start it. That will keep me occupied for a couple of years.

Strictly brush, I enjoy painting.

I haven’t used enamel oil based paint in over a decade. Water based acrylics are far far easier to work with in multiple ways. I’d dump the old paint and get acrylics. I doubt you’d find few on MSW that would disagree.

OR…you could toss the likely very old paint that came with the kit and replace it with water based acrylic available from any number of places and choose your own color combinations.

The Byrnes table saw is the best tool I own and the one I’ve had the longest. I consider it essential to model building. You’ll find dedicated threads and testimonials all over MSW. It is a family owned (just Jim and his wife) business with amazing customer support. I highly recommend it and the sander. I change the forms for bending different size planks but I haven’t found the top tab necessary. #11 blades is the most used blade for all of us. While both the Swan Morton scalpel and Excel blades are #11, they handle differently. The scalpel is sharp but very thin and breaks if twisted. I’m pretty proud of my Cheerful, it’s also my best log. I learned so much.

A great approach to this model BE. I will really enjoy watching it develop, it will be an inspiration. I’d already thought I’d not rig it just because of the size and because so much of the deck detail is lost to view. Are you considering exposed frames?

Check out my current log on Flirt (linked below) to see how I use Chuck’s plank bending technique to solve this problem. There are 4 videos of Chuck demonstrating the technique here on MSW. It will come into play again on the second planking too.

Where did you get your drill? I’ve been looking for something like this for a while. Good work solving the problem we’ve all had with gunport patterns.

By checking it against the stem, and yes it changes as you move to the keel. I just had to keep checking and adjusting.