vaddoc

Ok, time for a wee update!
 
I have not gone into hibernation and have done a bit of work, just did not have the time to take photos and post the progress. A lot of head scratching though, it's been a long time since I did the 3D plans and I had forgotten how everything come together. I also had forgotten that I ve used beech for the hull and generally cut a few corners in this boat. Now these are biting back! I simply cannot understand why I used for the frames the cheapest, nastiest plywood ever made!
 
So, first I had to deal with the hull and the dancing/shrinking beech wood. I filled the cracks but brought the boat inside as it was freezing cold in the garage. Yep, the wood contracted again and the sims opened once again!





I filled again, sanded, filled, sanded... I have now settled with Osmo water based filler and Decoart water based sealer - excellent products.



So, after lots of filling, sanding, scraping etc, the hull looks decent, is sanded to 400 grit and is sealed inside and out. This took time, effort, a few lungfuls of dust and lots of cursing.





Ok, time to free the boat from its cradle!

Now, the boat needs inside planking, bulkheads a bit of deck fore and aft, floor boards, the engine box, the fish well, a rudder, and this elusive vertical rudder. So here it goes:
 
I could not remember how all were supposed to come together and it took me a long time to figure the boat out again. I am still not sure how the floor boards and inner planking should be arranged. In any case, I installed the sheer clamps and the two bulkheads fore and aft. I had to deviate a bit from the plans due to my corner cutting. I also cut several of the frame extensions and made two braces to make sure the hull does not loose its shape.






I also bought a new water stone 1000/6000 and honed again all my chisels - they are now truly razor sharp. I also did all the kitchen knives including the serrated bread knives - all now very sharp!
 
Much to do and at some point I must paint the hull. I have no doubt the beech will find a new moisture equilibrium and the sims will open up again so it needs to be done asap but it is -2C in England currently so painting will have to wait. I 've decided to use enamels and top it up with enamel varnish - all brush painted. Have not used enamels in many years!
 
Till next time, my very best wishes for the New Year!
 
Vaddoc

Well, as we all know time is relative so I guess two and a half years since my last post is not a long time! Ladies and gentlemen, the Launch is back in drydock.
 
During this time I ve been working on the Yawl. Now, both boats have hulls made of beech wood so the Launch suffered the same fate. The planks constantly change dimensions in response to changes in moisture and shrunk a lot reaching equilibrium after initial steaming. Beech has huge movement in service. 
 
However, the Launch faired better, I think because the planks are not as acutely bent as in the Yawl so did not need so much steaming and boiling. The filler between the planks is almost intact and the planks have moved in only a few areas. In the bow some nails seem to have failed.



These need to be fixed and the hull needs to be sealed inside and out to prevent movement as much as possible. However, I plan to paint the hull so I will use filler more extensively to smooth it out a bit, since paint will highlight every single imperfection.
 
So I drilled some nails out, push the planks in place and things improved.


Then, I applied filler very generously. I nowadays use Osmo, it dries very quickly, does not shrink, is hard but still sands very nicely. This is where we are now.

We rarely know what our future holds but mine certainly has a lot of sanding.
 
Till next time
Vaddoc
 

I think another update is in order.
 
Box, many thanks but actually the frames on the photo were roughly cut , they were later finished to the exact pattern.
Keith, it was actually very easy to glue the mirror pattern on the back. I am pretty sure there are already significant tolerances in the build, a bit more to the left or to the right will make no difference I think!
 
I just managed to scrape a few moments here and there to work on the boat. I first finished all the frames to the exact pattern using the disc sander and mostly diamond files, which remove a lot of wood quickly. This took a while as the plywood at 6 mm is pretty thick. 






Then, I printed mirror patterns for all frames and with scissors cut the outline. Then I simply glued the frames to the back of the pattern. It actually worked pretty well.
 
I could not resist aligning the frames, nice curves I must say... The straight parts that ruin the poetry will later be cut off, they are there just to help to set up the frames.
 



However, this was the easier part. I now need to cut the bevels, both for the outer and the inner planking. This is pretty challenging.
 
The diamond files are not useful here. The disc sander is far too aggressive and far too large. What actually made the task easier was to attach round sand paper to the Dremel. I like this trick, it sands not too aggressively but also is flexible and can fit in tight spaces.




A mountain of work left, I ve only sanded the bevels for two frames.
I also printed the patterns for the keel and stem. I think I will cut the deadwood en block instead of building it up.
I am not 100% certain how the boat will be assembled, probably the right side up as the frames will be permanent so need to somehow be well attached to the keel. We ll see.
 
Regards
Vaddoc

A bit of progress so time for another update.
 
I have not been able to work much and have not taken as many or as good photos as I could. I bought a few more chisels, two Narex 6 and 3 mm and a 3mm Ashley Isles V chisel. I really enjoy using the Narex chisels, they seem to get sharper and hold their edge better than the Aldi chisels I ve used. The Ashley isles seems very good as well, actually it arrived honed and ready to use!
 

I also made a new honing guide and a jig to maintain the honing angle. Very easy to make with scrap material but it is essential to use a drill press to make sure everything is parallel and horizontal. The guide functions very well but I did not take a picture-will do and post it.
 
Back on the boat I finished the bevels in all frames. Using an 8 mm Aldi chisel this job was actually quick, easy and accurate. I spend some time to hone it razor sharp but I found that even on the soft plywood, I had to use the strop very often. I ordered one from Narex.
 


I regretted using plywood for the frames very much. It is very soft and it seems to have internal stresses because it bends and changes its dimensions after cut to shape. The reason I used plywood was cost and also because it will be completely hidden. Never again.
 
Now, at this stage I need to think carefully before doing anything to make sure I don't mess things up, the various tasks need to be completed in a specific order. So, first I need to cut the rabet at the keel, deadwood and stem.
 
I made the first cut at frame 11, it came out very well.



However, then I realised that the keel is not horizontal but sloped and that the frames are vertical but at an angle to the keel. So I made a kind of base to keep the keel at its correct angle. I used scrap hardboard I found in the garage, it came out fine and does the job.
 

 
I then cut the rabet at frames 10 and 9. I used chisels taking it slowly and checking constantly. So far I am very happy with the outcome, the rabet is coming out much better than in the Yawl.



Next:
Complete the rabet
Attach the deadwood and stem
Deal with the frames to strengthen, straighten, arrange in the jig and somehow attach to the keel
 
Merry Christmas and a great new year to all!
 
Vaddoc 

Dear all
 
Thank you for your good words and encouragement. I apologise for taking so long to reply, I simply have had no free time at all.
 
At this time I 'd like to clear a misunderstanding: The Admiral does not have a strong opinion whether the hull should be painted or not. But if it does get painted, she has dictated the colours. So our options are still open! 
 
Back to the boat: I replaced all the screws with wooden nails dipped in PVA. It was a good time for this repetitive task, as I was able to work in the house and did not matter how tired I was. I forgot to take pictures though.
 
Then, I filled all the gaps with filler. The larger gaps were also filled from the inside. This time I used Osmo filler, beech colour. I had not used it before. It is ok, it sands fine but it dries incredibly fast. So the hull looked something like this:


I only found time to go back to the boat today. So, I started sanding the hull. I used 120 grit initially but then went to 80 grit. After the bulk of the filler was removed, I used carpet knife blades to scrape the excess wood. It went largely ok. Some edges need a bit more attention and lots more sanding with finer grits is needed but it is getting there. 
 







The bow needs definitely more work. The gaps do not look too bad and the colour of the filler I suspect will change after the sealer is applied. I may experiment with Tung oil although I seem to remember that Beech does not like oils much. 
As sanding progresses, a few more gaps will appear that will need filling. Also, before I started sanding I noticed a screw hole I had forgotten to nail. I need to locate it again and put a nail in.
 
Regards
Vaddoc

Ok, time for a wee update!
 
I have not gone into hibernation and have done a bit of work, just did not have the time to take photos and post the progress. A lot of head scratching though, it's been a long time since I did the 3D plans and I had forgotten how everything come together. I also had forgotten that I ve used beech for the hull and generally cut a few corners in this boat. Now these are biting back! I simply cannot understand why I used for the frames the cheapest, nastiest plywood ever made!
 
So, first I had to deal with the hull and the dancing/shrinking beech wood. I filled the cracks but brought the boat inside as it was freezing cold in the garage. Yep, the wood contracted again and the sims opened once again!





I filled again, sanded, filled, sanded... I have now settled with Osmo water based filler and Decoart water based sealer - excellent products.



So, after lots of filling, sanding, scraping etc, the hull looks decent, is sanded to 400 grit and is sealed inside and out. This took time, effort, a few lungfuls of dust and lots of cursing.





Ok, time to free the boat from its cradle!

Now, the boat needs inside planking, bulkheads a bit of deck fore and aft, floor boards, the engine box, the fish well, a rudder, and this elusive vertical rudder. So here it goes:
 
I could not remember how all were supposed to come together and it took me a long time to figure the boat out again. I am still not sure how the floor boards and inner planking should be arranged. In any case, I installed the sheer clamps and the two bulkheads fore and aft. I had to deviate a bit from the plans due to my corner cutting. I also cut several of the frame extensions and made two braces to make sure the hull does not loose its shape.






I also bought a new water stone 1000/6000 and honed again all my chisels - they are now truly razor sharp. I also did all the kitchen knives including the serrated bread knives - all now very sharp!
 
Much to do and at some point I must paint the hull. I have no doubt the beech will find a new moisture equilibrium and the sims will open up again so it needs to be done asap but it is -2C in England currently so painting will have to wait. I 've decided to use enamels and top it up with enamel varnish - all brush painted. Have not used enamels in many years!
 
Till next time, my very best wishes for the New Year!
 
Vaddoc

Ok, time for a wee update!
 
I have not gone into hibernation and have done a bit of work, just did not have the time to take photos and post the progress. A lot of head scratching though, it's been a long time since I did the 3D plans and I had forgotten how everything come together. I also had forgotten that I ve used beech for the hull and generally cut a few corners in this boat. Now these are biting back! I simply cannot understand why I used for the frames the cheapest, nastiest plywood ever made!
 
So, first I had to deal with the hull and the dancing/shrinking beech wood. I filled the cracks but brought the boat inside as it was freezing cold in the garage. Yep, the wood contracted again and the sims opened once again!





I filled again, sanded, filled, sanded... I have now settled with Osmo water based filler and Decoart water based sealer - excellent products.



So, after lots of filling, sanding, scraping etc, the hull looks decent, is sanded to 400 grit and is sealed inside and out. This took time, effort, a few lungfuls of dust and lots of cursing.





Ok, time to free the boat from its cradle!

Now, the boat needs inside planking, bulkheads a bit of deck fore and aft, floor boards, the engine box, the fish well, a rudder, and this elusive vertical rudder. So here it goes:
 
I could not remember how all were supposed to come together and it took me a long time to figure the boat out again. I am still not sure how the floor boards and inner planking should be arranged. In any case, I installed the sheer clamps and the two bulkheads fore and aft. I had to deviate a bit from the plans due to my corner cutting. I also cut several of the frame extensions and made two braces to make sure the hull does not loose its shape.






I also bought a new water stone 1000/6000 and honed again all my chisels - they are now truly razor sharp. I also did all the kitchen knives including the serrated bread knives - all now very sharp!
 
Much to do and at some point I must paint the hull. I have no doubt the beech will find a new moisture equilibrium and the sims will open up again so it needs to be done asap but it is -2C in England currently so painting will have to wait. I 've decided to use enamels and top it up with enamel varnish - all brush painted. Have not used enamels in many years!
 
Till next time, my very best wishes for the New Year!
 
Vaddoc

Ok, time for a wee update!
 
I have not gone into hibernation and have done a bit of work, just did not have the time to take photos and post the progress. A lot of head scratching though, it's been a long time since I did the 3D plans and I had forgotten how everything come together. I also had forgotten that I ve used beech for the hull and generally cut a few corners in this boat. Now these are biting back! I simply cannot understand why I used for the frames the cheapest, nastiest plywood ever made!
 
So, first I had to deal with the hull and the dancing/shrinking beech wood. I filled the cracks but brought the boat inside as it was freezing cold in the garage. Yep, the wood contracted again and the sims opened once again!





I filled again, sanded, filled, sanded... I have now settled with Osmo water based filler and Decoart water based sealer - excellent products.



So, after lots of filling, sanding, scraping etc, the hull looks decent, is sanded to 400 grit and is sealed inside and out. This took time, effort, a few lungfuls of dust and lots of cursing.





Ok, time to free the boat from its cradle!

Now, the boat needs inside planking, bulkheads a bit of deck fore and aft, floor boards, the engine box, the fish well, a rudder, and this elusive vertical rudder. So here it goes:
 
I could not remember how all were supposed to come together and it took me a long time to figure the boat out again. I am still not sure how the floor boards and inner planking should be arranged. In any case, I installed the sheer clamps and the two bulkheads fore and aft. I had to deviate a bit from the plans due to my corner cutting. I also cut several of the frame extensions and made two braces to make sure the hull does not loose its shape.






I also bought a new water stone 1000/6000 and honed again all my chisels - they are now truly razor sharp. I also did all the kitchen knives including the serrated bread knives - all now very sharp!
 
Much to do and at some point I must paint the hull. I have no doubt the beech will find a new moisture equilibrium and the sims will open up again so it needs to be done asap but it is -2C in England currently so painting will have to wait. I 've decided to use enamels and top it up with enamel varnish - all brush painted. Have not used enamels in many years!
 
Till next time, my very best wishes for the New Year!
 
Vaddoc

Ok, time for a wee update!
 
I have not gone into hibernation and have done a bit of work, just did not have the time to take photos and post the progress. A lot of head scratching though, it's been a long time since I did the 3D plans and I had forgotten how everything come together. I also had forgotten that I ve used beech for the hull and generally cut a few corners in this boat. Now these are biting back! I simply cannot understand why I used for the frames the cheapest, nastiest plywood ever made!
 
So, first I had to deal with the hull and the dancing/shrinking beech wood. I filled the cracks but brought the boat inside as it was freezing cold in the garage. Yep, the wood contracted again and the sims opened once again!





I filled again, sanded, filled, sanded... I have now settled with Osmo water based filler and Decoart water based sealer - excellent products.



So, after lots of filling, sanding, scraping etc, the hull looks decent, is sanded to 400 grit and is sealed inside and out. This took time, effort, a few lungfuls of dust and lots of cursing.





Ok, time to free the boat from its cradle!

Now, the boat needs inside planking, bulkheads a bit of deck fore and aft, floor boards, the engine box, the fish well, a rudder, and this elusive vertical rudder. So here it goes:
 
I could not remember how all were supposed to come together and it took me a long time to figure the boat out again. I am still not sure how the floor boards and inner planking should be arranged. In any case, I installed the sheer clamps and the two bulkheads fore and aft. I had to deviate a bit from the plans due to my corner cutting. I also cut several of the frame extensions and made two braces to make sure the hull does not loose its shape.






I also bought a new water stone 1000/6000 and honed again all my chisels - they are now truly razor sharp. I also did all the kitchen knives including the serrated bread knives - all now very sharp!
 
Much to do and at some point I must paint the hull. I have no doubt the beech will find a new moisture equilibrium and the sims will open up again so it needs to be done asap but it is -2C in England currently so painting will have to wait. I 've decided to use enamels and top it up with enamel varnish - all brush painted. Have not used enamels in many years!
 
Till next time, my very best wishes for the New Year!
 
Vaddoc

Ok, time for a wee update!
 
I have not gone into hibernation and have done a bit of work, just did not have the time to take photos and post the progress. A lot of head scratching though, it's been a long time since I did the 3D plans and I had forgotten how everything come together. I also had forgotten that I ve used beech for the hull and generally cut a few corners in this boat. Now these are biting back! I simply cannot understand why I used for the frames the cheapest, nastiest plywood ever made!
 
So, first I had to deal with the hull and the dancing/shrinking beech wood. I filled the cracks but brought the boat inside as it was freezing cold in the garage. Yep, the wood contracted again and the sims opened once again!





I filled again, sanded, filled, sanded... I have now settled with Osmo water based filler and Decoart water based sealer - excellent products.



So, after lots of filling, sanding, scraping etc, the hull looks decent, is sanded to 400 grit and is sealed inside and out. This took time, effort, a few lungfuls of dust and lots of cursing.





Ok, time to free the boat from its cradle!

Now, the boat needs inside planking, bulkheads a bit of deck fore and aft, floor boards, the engine box, the fish well, a rudder, and this elusive vertical rudder. So here it goes:
 
I could not remember how all were supposed to come together and it took me a long time to figure the boat out again. I am still not sure how the floor boards and inner planking should be arranged. In any case, I installed the sheer clamps and the two bulkheads fore and aft. I had to deviate a bit from the plans due to my corner cutting. I also cut several of the frame extensions and made two braces to make sure the hull does not loose its shape.






I also bought a new water stone 1000/6000 and honed again all my chisels - they are now truly razor sharp. I also did all the kitchen knives including the serrated bread knives - all now very sharp!
 
Much to do and at some point I must paint the hull. I have no doubt the beech will find a new moisture equilibrium and the sims will open up again so it needs to be done asap but it is -2C in England currently so painting will have to wait. I 've decided to use enamels and top it up with enamel varnish - all brush painted. Have not used enamels in many years!
 
Till next time, my very best wishes for the New Year!
 
Vaddoc

Ok, time for a wee update!
 
I have not gone into hibernation and have done a bit of work, just did not have the time to take photos and post the progress. A lot of head scratching though, it's been a long time since I did the 3D plans and I had forgotten how everything come together. I also had forgotten that I ve used beech for the hull and generally cut a few corners in this boat. Now these are biting back! I simply cannot understand why I used for the frames the cheapest, nastiest plywood ever made!
 
So, first I had to deal with the hull and the dancing/shrinking beech wood. I filled the cracks but brought the boat inside as it was freezing cold in the garage. Yep, the wood contracted again and the sims opened once again!





I filled again, sanded, filled, sanded... I have now settled with Osmo water based filler and Decoart water based sealer - excellent products.



So, after lots of filling, sanding, scraping etc, the hull looks decent, is sanded to 400 grit and is sealed inside and out. This took time, effort, a few lungfuls of dust and lots of cursing.





Ok, time to free the boat from its cradle!

Now, the boat needs inside planking, bulkheads a bit of deck fore and aft, floor boards, the engine box, the fish well, a rudder, and this elusive vertical rudder. So here it goes:
 
I could not remember how all were supposed to come together and it took me a long time to figure the boat out again. I am still not sure how the floor boards and inner planking should be arranged. In any case, I installed the sheer clamps and the two bulkheads fore and aft. I had to deviate a bit from the plans due to my corner cutting. I also cut several of the frame extensions and made two braces to make sure the hull does not loose its shape.






I also bought a new water stone 1000/6000 and honed again all my chisels - they are now truly razor sharp. I also did all the kitchen knives including the serrated bread knives - all now very sharp!
 
Much to do and at some point I must paint the hull. I have no doubt the beech will find a new moisture equilibrium and the sims will open up again so it needs to be done asap but it is -2C in England currently so painting will have to wait. I 've decided to use enamels and top it up with enamel varnish - all brush painted. Have not used enamels in many years!
 
Till next time, my very best wishes for the New Year!
 
Vaddoc

Ok, time for a wee update!
 
I have not gone into hibernation and have done a bit of work, just did not have the time to take photos and post the progress. A lot of head scratching though, it's been a long time since I did the 3D plans and I had forgotten how everything come together. I also had forgotten that I ve used beech for the hull and generally cut a few corners in this boat. Now these are biting back! I simply cannot understand why I used for the frames the cheapest, nastiest plywood ever made!
 
So, first I had to deal with the hull and the dancing/shrinking beech wood. I filled the cracks but brought the boat inside as it was freezing cold in the garage. Yep, the wood contracted again and the sims opened once again!





I filled again, sanded, filled, sanded... I have now settled with Osmo water based filler and Decoart water based sealer - excellent products.



So, after lots of filling, sanding, scraping etc, the hull looks decent, is sanded to 400 grit and is sealed inside and out. This took time, effort, a few lungfuls of dust and lots of cursing.





Ok, time to free the boat from its cradle!

Now, the boat needs inside planking, bulkheads a bit of deck fore and aft, floor boards, the engine box, the fish well, a rudder, and this elusive vertical rudder. So here it goes:
 
I could not remember how all were supposed to come together and it took me a long time to figure the boat out again. I am still not sure how the floor boards and inner planking should be arranged. In any case, I installed the sheer clamps and the two bulkheads fore and aft. I had to deviate a bit from the plans due to my corner cutting. I also cut several of the frame extensions and made two braces to make sure the hull does not loose its shape.






I also bought a new water stone 1000/6000 and honed again all my chisels - they are now truly razor sharp. I also did all the kitchen knives including the serrated bread knives - all now very sharp!
 
Much to do and at some point I must paint the hull. I have no doubt the beech will find a new moisture equilibrium and the sims will open up again so it needs to be done asap but it is -2C in England currently so painting will have to wait. I 've decided to use enamels and top it up with enamel varnish - all brush painted. Have not used enamels in many years!
 
Till next time, my very best wishes for the New Year!
 
Vaddoc

Ok, time for a wee update!
 
I have not gone into hibernation and have done a bit of work, just did not have the time to take photos and post the progress. A lot of head scratching though, it's been a long time since I did the 3D plans and I had forgotten how everything come together. I also had forgotten that I ve used beech for the hull and generally cut a few corners in this boat. Now these are biting back! I simply cannot understand why I used for the frames the cheapest, nastiest plywood ever made!
 
So, first I had to deal with the hull and the dancing/shrinking beech wood. I filled the cracks but brought the boat inside as it was freezing cold in the garage. Yep, the wood contracted again and the sims opened once again!





I filled again, sanded, filled, sanded... I have now settled with Osmo water based filler and Decoart water based sealer - excellent products.



So, after lots of filling, sanding, scraping etc, the hull looks decent, is sanded to 400 grit and is sealed inside and out. This took time, effort, a few lungfuls of dust and lots of cursing.





Ok, time to free the boat from its cradle!

Now, the boat needs inside planking, bulkheads a bit of deck fore and aft, floor boards, the engine box, the fish well, a rudder, and this elusive vertical rudder. So here it goes:
 
I could not remember how all were supposed to come together and it took me a long time to figure the boat out again. I am still not sure how the floor boards and inner planking should be arranged. In any case, I installed the sheer clamps and the two bulkheads fore and aft. I had to deviate a bit from the plans due to my corner cutting. I also cut several of the frame extensions and made two braces to make sure the hull does not loose its shape.






I also bought a new water stone 1000/6000 and honed again all my chisels - they are now truly razor sharp. I also did all the kitchen knives including the serrated bread knives - all now very sharp!
 
Much to do and at some point I must paint the hull. I have no doubt the beech will find a new moisture equilibrium and the sims will open up again so it needs to be done asap but it is -2C in England currently so painting will have to wait. I 've decided to use enamels and top it up with enamel varnish - all brush painted. Have not used enamels in many years!
 
Till next time, my very best wishes for the New Year!
 
Vaddoc

Ok, time for a wee update!
 
I have not gone into hibernation and have done a bit of work, just did not have the time to take photos and post the progress. A lot of head scratching though, it's been a long time since I did the 3D plans and I had forgotten how everything come together. I also had forgotten that I ve used beech for the hull and generally cut a few corners in this boat. Now these are biting back! I simply cannot understand why I used for the frames the cheapest, nastiest plywood ever made!
 
So, first I had to deal with the hull and the dancing/shrinking beech wood. I filled the cracks but brought the boat inside as it was freezing cold in the garage. Yep, the wood contracted again and the sims opened once again!





I filled again, sanded, filled, sanded... I have now settled with Osmo water based filler and Decoart water based sealer - excellent products.



So, after lots of filling, sanding, scraping etc, the hull looks decent, is sanded to 400 grit and is sealed inside and out. This took time, effort, a few lungfuls of dust and lots of cursing.





Ok, time to free the boat from its cradle!

Now, the boat needs inside planking, bulkheads a bit of deck fore and aft, floor boards, the engine box, the fish well, a rudder, and this elusive vertical rudder. So here it goes:
 
I could not remember how all were supposed to come together and it took me a long time to figure the boat out again. I am still not sure how the floor boards and inner planking should be arranged. In any case, I installed the sheer clamps and the two bulkheads fore and aft. I had to deviate a bit from the plans due to my corner cutting. I also cut several of the frame extensions and made two braces to make sure the hull does not loose its shape.






I also bought a new water stone 1000/6000 and honed again all my chisels - they are now truly razor sharp. I also did all the kitchen knives including the serrated bread knives - all now very sharp!
 
Much to do and at some point I must paint the hull. I have no doubt the beech will find a new moisture equilibrium and the sims will open up again so it needs to be done asap but it is -2C in England currently so painting will have to wait. I 've decided to use enamels and top it up with enamel varnish - all brush painted. Have not used enamels in many years!
 
Till next time, my very best wishes for the New Year!
 
Vaddoc

If I need really flat strong plywood, I make it my self. 
If I need 6 mm, I take two sheets 2.5 mm each on a flat surface. Thicken epoxy with gypsum, spread onto one sheet, cover with the other and put something very heavy on top. 12 h later I get very flat, very rigid 6 mm ply.

Try Rennaisance wax. Invisible, dead easy to apply and will keep them shiny for ever. This is I think what museums use. My experience has been very good - I have brass pieces stay shiny for 10 years now

If I need really flat strong plywood, I make it my self. 
If I need 6 mm, I take two sheets 2.5 mm each on a flat surface. Thicken epoxy with gypsum, spread onto one sheet, cover with the other and put something very heavy on top. 12 h later I get very flat, very rigid 6 mm ply.

If I need really flat strong plywood, I make it my self. 
If I need 6 mm, I take two sheets 2.5 mm each on a flat surface. Thicken epoxy with gypsum, spread onto one sheet, cover with the other and put something very heavy on top. 12 h later I get very flat, very rigid 6 mm ply.

Try Rennaisance wax. Invisible, dead easy to apply and will keep them shiny for ever. This is I think what museums use. My experience has been very good - I have brass pieces stay shiny for 10 years now

Try Rennaisance wax. Invisible, dead easy to apply and will keep them shiny for ever. This is I think what museums use. My experience has been very good - I have brass pieces stay shiny for 10 years now

Try Rennaisance wax. Invisible, dead easy to apply and will keep them shiny for ever. This is I think what museums use. My experience has been very good - I have brass pieces stay shiny for 10 years now

Hand brushing is a good alternative, quite satisfying as well!
I have only basic painting skills and do not want to use an airbrush. I have had excellent results with hand brushing using Valejo colours following these rules:
1. Use very good brushes, with appropriate width for the job
2. Thin the paint (should be runny but not like water), avoid heavy coats.
3. For Valejo, use the hand brushing thinner, different and better than the air brush thinner. It congeals if left so must have resin in it (this is what valejo claims so not easily reproduced at home). Get the 60 ml bottle, it is not expensive.
4. Use a bit of retarder.
5. Start from dry and end on wet. Take your time, you can go over the area 2-3 times. Avoid puddles at the edges.
6. Trust the paint! Do not go over again to "correct" or smooth out brush marks. They will disappear. You ll probably need a dozen or more coats either way.
7. Best to seal the wood, I use a water based wood sealer sanded to 400 grit
8. I use plastic pots with caps that seal pretty well and are cheap. The paint stays wet for months.
9. Use only frog tape or Tamiya tape or equivalent. The paint will bleed under ordinary masking tape or electricians tape.
10. Acrylic paint is not tough so needs to be protected with varnish or some topcoat
 
Hopefully these will be of help to some. May not work for all but I was able to paint my 80 cm hull with almost no brush marks.
 
Vaddoc

Speaking of which...2023 soon in the books. 
After my last update in early November I had a thought that I would wait with next update til the hull was all planked. 
But then I thought that if you were to wait that long you'd probably would be thinking that I'd abandon ship. 
So, here is an update on the planking progress. My new plan is to have the hull planking finished when I venture back to work in a litttle over a week from now. Will see how that goes...
 


And a rough cut stern.

The planking looks decent from a distance (remember, it is more than 30 years since I last planked a hull...), however, like Jake states in Blues Brothers: "I can see the light!" 😄


But, oatevva, thatts what caulking is for innit?
 
I bid you all a (select all that applies, multiple selections are possible):
- peaceful 
- merry
- wild
ending to 2023 and a prosperous new 2024!

Allan, if you google "1mm Philips self tapping screws" you ll get lots of results. I buy mine from Aliexpress, different lengths with 5 and 6 mm more useful. Last time I bought 20k!
Best is to use 0.8 mm drill. The stainless steel are better than mild steel as the head resists deforming which can make removal impossible. I have had difficulty recently finding good quality proper hard stainless steel ones (if they are non magnetic they are the good ones)
 
Smaller screws are extremely expensive available in very few specialist shops. However, you can thread brass wire and use it to screw things together but it is very labour intensive,
 
vaddoc

Allan, if you google "1mm Philips self tapping screws" you ll get lots of results. I buy mine from Aliexpress, different lengths with 5 and 6 mm more useful. Last time I bought 20k!
Best is to use 0.8 mm drill. The stainless steel are better than mild steel as the head resists deforming which can make removal impossible. I have had difficulty recently finding good quality proper hard stainless steel ones (if they are non magnetic they are the good ones)
 
Smaller screws are extremely expensive available in very few specialist shops. However, you can thread brass wire and use it to screw things together but it is very labour intensive,
 
vaddoc