Bedford

I've made a bit more progress with the side windows done, and wasn't that a fiddly job!

I've also fitted the side rubbing strakes, I was originally going to paint them black but decided against it reasoning that black would be somewhat overpowering and the hull will be pretty heavily decorated so too much detail I think.

The downside of not painting the strakes is I had screw clamp holes to fill and try and hide. I used a hole punch to cut bungs from scrap walnut which I have glued into the holes and after a good sand they don't look bad. We'll see once I get some varnish on.

Yeah, I give up now. I'll just go and crawl into a hole.

A master class as usual Michael but you're making me glad I don't have CAD

With all this climate change you could tell her you're just planning for her safety in the event of massive flooding.

I tend to forget how big this build is and then you post a pic with a clutch pencil on the deck!

12 hours ago, ccoyle said:

 

Just noticed this in your signature. HMV beat you to it. 😉

That's really interesting, it has the life jacket boxes and the square plastic drinking water tank under the original cylindrical tank on the boat deck, the side awnings on the wheelhouse and even the carley floats, all of which are modifications made by Sydney Heritage Fleet. I know the boat extremely well because I crew her and the model has most of it pretty right.

I've added the hand rails to the waste deck bulwarks and again drawing on my knowledge of Endeavour which is very much a contemporary of this ship in size, era and navy I opted to use squared posts for the handrails rather than round ones. If they were round they would have had turned details which can't be done at this scale but if it was Endeavour I can almost guarantee they would be squared timbers. Also in using square posts I didn't have to drill through the top rail and then add the cover strip which I didn't like the look of. Also based on Endeavour I have left the hand rails on both sides short to allow boarding because there is generally access from both sides of the ship.

I've also done the stbd aft window which was a challenge too. the plastic window molding was not great and again the timbers included weren't up to the job so again I used wood left over from other models. It's a fiddly job and now I have the port window to do.

A question  Has anyone had experience removing the wax from castings? How did you do it?

So your dear wife is more supportive and has more faith in you than your daughter eh?

I haven't decided if I will got that far with my RC because I find too much detail on deck can detract from the overall model and it's hard to get lines to "sit" right.

You never cease to impress Michael

Mate, you'll be splashing it in no time!

Thanks Michael. I retired a few years ago, partially because I can't handle the stress and pressure of modern business anymore, I'm sure you can appreciate that I've had a huge overload in that area. Thankfully I was able to afford throwing in the towel.

Unlike your hemisphere where people are too cold to go into their workshops it's too hot and humid here to go out doing anything else so I'm utilising the air con and building the boat and it's a labour of love which is at the same time cathartic.

The final deck is done and it was the easiest of all. However the ply false deck seems to be 3mm short because the stairway walls don't line up like the diagrams. I have to say I'm not impressed with the quality of the kit so far!

The plans show a sliding hatch above the gangway down into the cabin but there should also be doors, I'm not sure how I'd do them so I'll leave it for now and see what, if anything develops.

The fore deck is planked, it was much easier to joggle the planks on this deck due to ease of access. I've also done the kings cabin with two of my favorite pics of my little girl. I milled some flat brass bar into the picture frames and added a little furniture just for the heck of it. Now with the cabin top on you can't really see much in there but I know it's there.

The waist deck has been planked. I'm happy to get that behind me because joggling the planks into the margin boards is always fiddly.

All that's left to do there is to scrape it with a sharp chisel.

Keith, wives can be very helpful can't they, my ex used to do a lot of quilting and although she didn't make the sails for Bluenose II, the only static model I've put sails on, I knew the tricks needed like cutting on the bias from watching and learning and her machine had all the right attachments to make it easy right down to a foot that let me stitch the bolt ropes on easily.

The Australian govt has taken it slow and steady with the vaccine because we haven't been in dire need so it has been thoroughly tested and the Pfizer and Astrazeneca have both now received full approval and the shots will be starting soon. I believe we are making the Astra here as well.

I've finished the second planking layer and it's looking really nice.

The kit didn't have anything to line the ply keel with which is disappointing because it would leave the edges of the planking proud which is just wrong so I lined it with left over deck planking wood from a larger scale model. It will be more accurate scale wise because at 1:48 scale the 4mm keel only comes out to 192mm which is way too thin for a keel on a ship this size, it's now scaled to 240mm which is still too thin but will have to do.

Beautiful workmanship Valeriy

Ah, so you are using an epoxy more like what I used, this being the case just go ahead, steady as she goes. I'd be coating as thin as possible and recoating while the previous coat is still just tacky

I think the green gives better contrast too, they look great

Is there nothing you can't build from scratch?

Cherub is beautiful Mark and looks perfect under sail. I know the Karoo will be a beautiful model well received at the club no doubt.

I would love to work with some nice huon pine, maybe one day.

6 hours ago, Roger Pellett said:

  I don’t understand why the clear coating with epoxy is necessary.  I would just use multiple coats of a quality marine varnish.

The idea is that once you start with epoxy on ply you may as well keep going and seal the whole thing completely. Apparently varnish is not guaranteed to seal completely but three coats of epoxy will and it's a lot tougher than varnish however. as stated, epoxy needs UV resistant varnish or paint to protect it from the sun

Well since you asked, the recommended method with the bote coat epoxy I used was to re-coat while the previous coat was still a little tacky which ensures the best bond. Having said that don't panic because if you couldn't do that they recommended sanding with coarse paper between coats to give a better surface for bonding.

What I have read in wooden boat building forums is that the epoxy you are using will get what they refer to as an "amine blush" when it cures. This is a result of the chemical reaction and must be washed off before another coat of epoxy or paint is applied.

So, knowing what I now know, I would suggest:-

1- wash the epoxy with soap and water and rinse well

2- sand with 120 grit wet and dry  WET, you'll be amazed how well it works once it starts building up a little sludge

3- rinse again and when dry apply more epoxy

Don't sand too much between coats but try and get it a bit even because epoxy tends to run a bit and you will get very thick beads of the stuff that will take a lot of sanding to remove later. I know it's difficult but try and get it on there as thinly as possible to reduce runs

I've been working on the second layer of planking, so much nicer than the wood provided in the kit. I've planked the quarter deck but am working up the enthusiasm to do the main deck because it's going to be challenging to fit the margin boards and joggle the deck planks in but I'll have to get into it soon