BLACK VIKING

Underwater stuff
 
The first item to add is the Paravane Chain Bracket to foot of the stem. The kit provides a nice piece of laser cut ply for the bracket:

 
After cutting a thin slot in the stem with a razor saw it slides into place:

 
The bilge keels are next. They are first cut to length, then the ends are shaped and finally both sides are sanded to bring the outboard edge to a knife-edge:

 
The slots are marked on the hull using the drawings. These are fairly straight with almost no rise at the ends, probably because with this hull shape and an 11 knot top speed these ships did not throw much of a bow wave. The slots were cut with a hobby knife and deepened and widened with a narrow file:

 
The starboard bilge keel in place prior to touching up with filler and primer:

 
Next up will be fabricating the rudder and prop shaft.

Very nicely done lucky that Deag put a lot more planks in that you don't need I still have lots left over from my build.
 
By the way happy birthday
 
BV

Thanks Dave! Yeah, I'm following yours as well. It's extremely nice to be able to get ideas from other people on this site, before moving on to the next major step. Your log, with others, has definitely helped me in the last week or so I've gotten back to working on it. 
 
Some updates, I'm just about ready to begin the rigging, and I'm so happy to do so. First up was the bowsprit. I shaped the dowel and varnished with Tung oil. Then began seizing the two blocks that go on it. I found a YouTube video that showed me exactly how to do that, with original credit going to Bender. 
 

 
Bowsprit with two blocks. I'm not confident in the correct placement/orientation of these blocks. I'm following the rigging plan that came in the kit, and that's where it said these need to go. However, looking at others' logs, they're in a different spot. Before I get too far into it, I need to research how exactly I'm going to rig this up. But for now, these will stay. Easy to remove if I change it.

 
Next I added the line and the cleats. 

 
After that I couldn't put off the lifeboat any longer. I decided to plank directly on the die cast metal one, as I couldn't for the life of me figure out how I'd scratch build it. I didn't want to spend the time making bulkheads either, so perhaps a combination of my patience and lack of power tools convinced me to go this route. First step was sanding it down.

 
Garboard plank added first.

 
One side down. 

 
And both sides done, post-sanding. 

 
Another angle, with transom planked and first strake on the top in place.

 
And here we have it complete. I didn't add in the oar spokes, haven't decided if I will or not. I also haven't painted the rudder yet, I'll get to that when I have the correct color model paint. (Or I may try acrylics, but that didn't work so well on the shields, so I don't know yet.)

 
Last venture for the evening was 'planking' the cheeks for my masts. I had one strip of thin mahogany leftover so I'm using that to spice the cheeks up a bit. 

 
I've run into a pretty big problem however, the 8mm dowel that would have been my foremast has been snapped in two places. I'll either try and glue it back together, or order another one. I'll need to look into the minimum order amount though, as I don't need 5 dowel rods or whatever. I'll try and find a place I can just order one, and some blocks too...I know I don't have enough blocks to complete the model. Thanks for reading this far!

Hello.
 
I spent the last few days building the largest cabin. I pretty stuck to the build with this one, except I added a touch more detail on the door handles and omited the hinges, as from what I can tell on the full size counterpart they aren't really visible anyway.
 
Pics below show the progress...
 

Hello all,
 
Today was pretty productive. Biggest goal completed were the fore, main, and mizzen channels. My biggest complaint by far lately is the wire included in the kit was just so brittle, it broke about 40% of the time. Luckily it came with more than enough to get the job done.
 
Close up of the progress of the main channel. Note I did the dead eyes a little differently, twisting the wire around the dead eye and leaving a long enough tail. I pre-drilled holes for the nails, stuck them in half way, and wrapped the tail around the nail one time before snipping off the excess. A dot of glue on the nail, and then I pushed it in all the way.

 
Overall shot of all channels complete. Notice the rubbing strakes, channels, and handrails are a lighter color right now.

 
Next task I chose to complete was the anchor rigging. Before I boxed the kit up and stopped working on it, I had made the decision to scratch-make the anchor stocks from planking material. I had completed one a long time ago, and it was easy to make up another one for the other side. I used black thread to emulate the iron clasps.

 
Here I have one anchor complete. I'm leaving it loose until I can rig the shrouds; at that point I'll tie it down to the channel.

 
Last but not least, I finally decided what I wanted to do for a varnish. I've been building this model without varnishing anything other than what needed to be stained. So the rubbing strakes, hand rails, channels, ladders, grates, etc have all been left their natural wood colors. I have been doing a lot of research and went with using Tung oil on all of those parts. So, with about an hours time and a cheap paint brush, I went over the entire model (whatever wasn't stained already) and applied the Tung oil. I must say, I should have been doing that from the beginning! What a difference it made, and I'm loving the look even more now.

 
I don't have very good lighting, but before I start the rigging (here soon!) I'll try and get some good overall pics of the completed hull. 
 
 

A little more progress has been made - lower wales are on & painted. I made one little error - after gluing all the wale strips on I saw that they are a little too high.This is not a problem except for fitting the lower decorations at the stern,so I added a 2mm strip to the bottom of the wale so the decoration would fit. Also painted the upper part of the stem
 

 

 

 

 
Mark
 
 

Looking stunning Michael and a great fix with the rails
 
BV

With this barge project I will be taking my time and expanding the instructions with regard to the planking.  I will attempt to do a plank-by-plank description.  There are only three strakes or 7 planks on each side and each of them has their specific nuances. 
 
Here is just a preview and few images showing a some of those nuances I will be describing in detail.
 
After sanding the first plank so it has the bevel,  you will need to bend it.  The edgewise spiled shape has been determined for you already....
 
BUT,  you must still bend it to conform to the bow shape.  I recommend a test fit before any bending starts.  The straight plank below shows how it sits in position after only resting it against the frames. No bending or shaping and instead just looking and examining as it rests against the frames.  You will notice that not much bending is actually needed .  Its relatively straight across the first two frames and then the bending starts.  BUT...also notice how the end of the plank doesnt fit or conform to the angle of the rabbet.   The bottom of the plank end (or top since its upside down) is flared out.  You can see the how the first inch of the plank needs not only a slight bend but also a slight twist.
 

 
Knowing this ahead of time lets me take the plank to my bending station with advanced knowledge of what I need to accomplish. Apply heat with a hair dryer.  You have seen me do this before.   No water at all.  Just heat.  I bend the plank for the bow bow slightly...BUT I also twist it as the test showed in the previous photo.  I am bending more to compensate for spring back.  You want to shape the plank so you can position it on the model so it fits without any stress needed to position it.  No force bending will be needed.   If after you bend it, it doesnt quite fit right....take it back to your bending station and reshape it.....re-bend it or re-twist it until it lies against the frames without any stresses....
 

 

 
This is how the plank fits afterwards.
 

 
The second plank at the stern will also need some special attention.   After sanding the bevel into it to accept the clinker plank that will be added on top,   the plank will need to be bent to fit the stern's shape...The spiled shape or edge-wise-bend has been pre-determined for you.  So lets bend it to fit around the stern.  It may sound counter-intuitive, but you will actually bend the end of this plank outward and opposite to what you might have thought.  See below.
 

 
The reason why.... is because the bend/shape at the stern isnt that severe. You dont really need to bend it to get the planks to sit against the frames nicely.   BUT....the last inch where the plank bends severely to form that graceful entry into the flying transom is another story.  As the plank runs off the transom it is left longer where this bend is severe.   You could probably force the flying transom into position without re-shaping, but the planks wont have that pleasant bend shown above on the plan.  They would be straight and weird looking.   
 
So to create this bend easily to match the plans,  bend the plank end in the opposite direction so after it is glued against the frames, the nice curve into the flying transom is established as it runs off the end.   I hope that makes sense.
 

 
 
This level of detail will be explained for each and every plank.   The next plank at the bow needs some prep work.   Make sure the rabbet is clear from glue so the next plank can be slipped in nicely.  The clinker plank will be beveled only on the end this time.  This is because where the plank enters the rabbet it is not clinkered at all.  It will be flush and gradually become clinkered.  But you need a clean rabbet for this and so you can clean it out as I did below.
 

 
Then bevel the first 3/4" of the next plank.  This is the inboard side of the plank this time.  It is marked with a laser etched line.   The degree of the bevel gradually becomes less and less pronounced as it ravels back from the rabbet.  Its only a short bevel.
 

 
 
Then test it in position after completing the bending and twisting needed to shape the plank.  Its great to set up a bending station!!!.   Here is a test before it is glued into position.  No forcing at all....it fits really well.
 

 
And finally glue that plank in position after you are satisfied.  These planks are 1/32" inch thick.
 
So hopefully I will be explaining each plank in enough detail that it wont be a drastic learning curve for everyone......At least the learning curve wont be as steep, but this is my approach to kit making for the purpose of teaching not just assembly.  Or at least my best feeble attempt at it.  There will be of course more detail in the instructions but for this post you can get the idea 
 

A bending station is literally just a place to clamp your plank and plug in your hair dryer.  I have an old length of 1 x 6 that I put on a table about 4 feet from my model.   The hair dryer is all plugged in and I have a clamp or two to cecure the plank for shaping.  Thats it.....!!!!
 
Chuck

Looking stunning Michael and a great fix with the rails
 
BV

Looking stunning Michael and a great fix with the rails
 
BV

Michael .... you are definitely ready for the SOS ........ this build speaks for itself...... and your plan B turned out real nice!!
 
Frank

I am blown away, all the words have already been said about the work and detail that you have done so I can't think of any other word or words that can be use for this. Keep the pictures coming.

Hi Mates,
 
Finished installing the upper railings. As I mentioned in a previous post I had my “issues” installing the horizontal rails on each side of the foremast after installing the shrouds. So that done, as well as some tidying up of the carriage ropes I can move forward and attach the mainmast, and its lower shrouds.
 

 
Now needed to make the bent 90º planks to link the horizontal bits.
 
Well that had its issues as well. Hmmm.
I must have tried to bend 50 pieces (needed 10) All but one plank allowed itself to be bent 90º. Even tried soft wood to no avail. I believe it was my lack of skills, and the extreme bend that was needed?
 

 
So plan B. 
 

 
Last pic I will be pulling out those badly made pulley/blocks now that I have, and know how to (more or less) use my Proxxon MF70 J
Before “moving forward” I plan to revisit the galleries and add some details. This is certainly one of the most difficult areas of this ship to articulate correctly especially with the Corel kit as a base. Not complaining – this has been widely discussed here at MSW with those of us building this ship. I had some left over bits from the upper railings that will work very well.
 
Cheers
 

 

Hi Michael it's the Corel one and have been following your build which has inspired me to get the Vasa as I love 17c ships. I have built the Sovereign of the seas a few years ago and the Vasa will go very nicely with it.
 
BV aka Martyn

Thanks for the pdf Michael . I have just orderd this kit so this will be of great help
 
BV

One last update:
 
Please remember, the target audience for the original post was FIRST-TIME Modelers. It was intended as a cautionary tale and no more. It was not a grievance about unfinished build logs. Unfinished logs are what they are -- unfinished logs. We don't need (or even desire) to cull them. We have plenty of room for them.
 
I have heavily edited my original post to 'soften' its perceived tone a bit, and I have deleted portions of a few other posts that referenced portions of the original post that have been removed. When this conversation has run its course, I will probably further prune this thread a bit simply to make it more relevant to new members.
 
None of my posts were intended to give offense, and I have taken none in return. If you feel the need to post in this thread, I only ask that you keep it civil, and try to keep it on-topic (and yes, I know I made the comment about corgis -- that post will be pruned, too).
 
Cheers, everyone.

Hi all.
Just a thought before I continue - If anyone has thoughts about getting a Euromodel kit their web site is offering their kits at 20% off for a limited time. I have no connection to them - just a satisfied customer.
On with version 2 of the stern railings. I decided that my little scrolls did not look that great,so I decided to change them back to the kit supplied oval decorations with a little modification. The first picture shows the decoration as supplied. I modified them by carefully cutting out the recessed portions to produce a better 3D effect as shown in the second picture. After painting & gluing in place I am happy with them. Next,I will work on getting the lower wales in place before finishing the stern while I can still lay the ship on its side.
 

 

 

 

 
Mark

The Roundhouses
 
   The Roundhouses seemed to be pretty straightforward, however Augie had written in his notes that he was intending to use the Swiss Pear instead.  I really liked this idea, as it would surely set off a bit of color on the bow of the ship. 
 
   It really didn't change how I approached the Roundhouses initially, but soon after I discovered the slightly thicker Swiss Pear was going to involve a little more intricate bit of beveling than the stock parts.
 

 
    In addition to mitering the edge, I also sanded the inside of the strips with a round file to try and match the shape of the guides.  Then I marked the inside seams with a sharpie to simulate the caulking between the planks.
 

 
    Chuck's instructions call for a bit of 28 gauge wire glued under the overhang, which is a very nice touch.  Instead - for me to pull in a little bit of the natural color of the bow, I used the original light colored overhang, sanded it down, then covered it with the swiss pear roof. 
 

 
   Finally, I dug up in the "extra pieces" bin, some small circular brass rings with a lip that came from who know's where, and I used those to bring out some detail int he ventilation scuttle.
 

 
   Ultimately, Augie nailed it with his approach (as he always did), and I really love the way the swiss pear looks on the bow.
 

I must admit I love rigging it's like doing a 3D jigsaw and every rope has its purpose
 
BV

Greetings all! After a long, long time I'm finally able to begin working on my AL San Francisco II again. A little background: I started this kit about 6 years ago, and made it to the planking stage before I realized I had no idea what went into building wooden model ships. I took to the web, and came to this fine site. I halted all progress and opted to read instead, learning how to do things the right way, and clearly planning ahead my next steps. I began a build log and asked for some help, and before I knew it my hull was planked! I was so happy to be passed that stage, that's for sure. 
 
Shortly after, I went into the U.S. Army and time just flew right on by. Before I knew it, I hadn't worked on her in ages, so I broke her out and put some cannons on her. But I didn't like how AL wanted me to do it, so I did a bit of research and spent some extra time on actually rigging them up. Is it proper for the time period? No clue, but I like how it looks. Alas, I had to move again so back in her box she went along with all of my other supplies. I then moved 3 other times, never taking her out again.
 
Fast forward to now, I'm out of the military and hold a decent job that I enjoy and am ecstatic I'm able to get her out and work on her again. I don't have any progress from before, I guess something happened with this forum, or it got purged due to inactivity? I also lost the pictures I had of the previous progress due to a hard drive failure. Nevertheless, I'm back to working on her, and would like to document my remaining journey on my first wooden ship. I know I still have lots and lots of questions, and if anyone has any tips / recommendations please feel free to reply and let me know! 
 
 
 
The last few days has been spent setting up my work area, and taking inventory of what pieces and parts I still had after moving around the country a few times.



 
Getting her into a proper stand was first order of business, and combing through the instructions and cataloging my process to get me back up to speed. I decided my first step would be to finish the grates. The instructions said it came with metal grates, and to just glue them down. I don't remember if that were the case or not, but I had already made them I just needed to frame them out. (Except for the bowsprit grate, more on that later)

 
Here the framing is ready for stain. 

 
Grates!

 
The bowsprit grate was pretty intimidating, so I opted to go for the cat davits. This presented a unique issue, as the instructions would have me shape them one way, but I had to cut a channel in them to accommodate the lower railing. The pics describe it better. 


 
Wasn't too much of a challenge though, with my handy dandy dremel. 

 
My next step was to figure out the bowsprit grate.

 
Gonna be a pretty interesting shape I had to make. I pretty much just gathered some scraps I had (I saved all my scraps from when I worked on it before) and started fitting things together until I got something I liked. 

 
Cutting the grate was interesting, as I lost the finer details due to me not taking my time on it. I'm 50/50 with this grate...I doubt I'll redo it (even though I probably should) however I'll be thinking of a way to cover up the bottom part that is closest to the bow of the hull. 

 
The last order of business for this session was to stain the rudder (not pictured) and cut the strips I needed for the ladders on both sides. 

 
And glued in place.

 
 
 
Since this is my first wooden model ship, I've definitely made mistakes that show in those pictures. But I'm happy with the progress so far, and can't wait to finally get to complete her! It's been way too long, and I'm already looking forward to what I want to do next (also the clarity of instructions on some of the better kits compared to AL.) My goal is to spend an hour a day on her, but we'll see how that actually happens, hah. Thank you all for taking a look, and again please feel free to throw out some suggestions or corrections that you may see from the pictures. 
 
 
 
 
 

Rob,
 
You say a fair time ago, if any company warranted a part with a time limit I would say the part would be replaced in that time frame. How long is a fair amount of time. Not to cause a hullabaloo but you may not be fair to Model Expo in requesting a new hull that is not defective but hacked by a previous modeler.
 
It is not a perfect solution but you may be able to use a filler, wood putty, and reshape the hull. and a repaint may not be perfect but this was an older freebie.
 
My thoughts, no disrespect intended.
 
John

Hi all,
 
This is my build of the Vasa, started as kit, but quickly changed to scratch using wood from the kit.


Current side view.
 
I will post some pictures on how it got to this stage.
 
 
thanks,
Peter

Then an update on the launch.
 
She is painted and I make the floor and a few other things.
Also painted the oar's .
I can say what ever I want but you want to see pictures of course.
Ok, here they come !
 
Sjors
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a little up date time........ following are a couple pictures showing frame assembly... pretty straight  and forward.... all supports and fairing are done.
I'm not going to double plank this build as they suggest. I 'm really not a fan of double planking, once is enough    ...... The hull width is fairly shallow  so 2 bands should be sufficient , I'll have to line her out and see how it works .Hopefully next time around   I'll have some planks laid up.
Till then..........Cheers! ! 
 
frank
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
This frame was warped out of the bx ... straighten out pretty nice.

 
 

 
Thanks for look'n in.... Frank