Aussie048

Here are some photos of the replanked hull sanded down to 220 grit. I'm happier with it now and will be sure I seal before I LIGHTLY stain. Thanks for reading.
 
Steve

I decided that I didn't want to paint the hull. However, the patches of filler were really bothering me. I somehow came up with the brilliant idea of putting a darker stain on the hull to partially hide the filler. I did this without resealing the hull. I had sanded through all the sealer and forgotten that I had done so. The stain looked horrible--you can see it on one side in the following photos.
 
The stuff wouldn't sand off, so I was left with a choice between painting and putting on another layer of planking. I chose to plank. It went better and worse than the first round. When I got to the bottom of the hull beneath the transom, I decided to joggle the planks. It looks a little odd, but it's done. There's a dark scratch going up the transom from a slip of my knife. I'm not sure what to do about it. There's going to be a piece of trim going across the bottom of the transom to hide the plank ends. Here are the photos.
 
Steve

Here are the first seven aft cant frames made and installed, I've decided to carry on and make the other 6 and install them before moving forward to the bollard timbers, hawse pieces and fore cants unless someone can give me a reason not to.
Working away this next week so no progress will be made.
 
Ben

I need to order some cleats to finish the rigging.  It will be a while before I order the new cleats, so before I start my next build and while my thoughts are still fresh, I thought I would do my wrap up post.   
 
From the beginning of this build, I took Remco's signature line to heart:.  Treat each part as if it is a model on its own, you will finish more models in a day than others do in a lifetime. 
 
My goal with this build, was to build a MBLS as it looked and functioned back in the day. So it all started with research, digging for information and reading lots of build lots.  The scratch build logs are great for problem solving and the kit build logs help with everything.  My copy of Chapelle's book has taken a serious beating!  The spine is broken open to the MBLS chapter and the pages are covered with penciled in notes.  I read lots of build logs.  And I found a few good websites.  Did I mention I read lots of build logs?   
 
When I started this build, I made a list of all the changes I wanted to make.  I posted this list in the opening build and have been updating it as my build progressed.  Having built this kit before, helped to develop this plan and a skill I can take forward to future builds.  As for plans:  A plan is not etched in stone and it's OK to add / delete items and OK to step back and put a build on hold.   
 
I learned a lot about problem solving:  The biggest problem that had to solved was also the most critical part to the entire build, the false keel.  It had to be right, as over half of the changes I was planning to make depended on it being right.  The hatch opening!  On the third try, I finally figured it out and I'm over the moon with how it turned out!  I built five prototypes for the cockpit floor boards, until I figured out the height of the cockpit keel needed to be reduced. But when it came to the cockpit combings, I nearly tossed the build out the window, but I took a deep breath.  Then, there was the cabin keel and the mast step.  Also, the hull planking, every plank, (not to mention the walnut that was only 3/32" thick.)  Also, the fish well openings, hanging the rudder on the keel, deck planking and I had all my fingers and toes crossed when fitting the cutwater - it was a near perfect fit.
 
I had one major failure and there is nothing I can do about it, because it goes all the way back to the very beginning.  I didn't have the right size of chain to operate the centerboard, so I used a length of silk cord.  The centerboard still works perfectly, but not sure how long the silk cord will hold up.  What really irks me is I knew I should have used chain.  And THAT's why I am waiting for the proper sized cleats to finish off!    
  
My favorite part was the very first part:  The sandwiched false keel.  It turned out better than I had planned. 
 
The part I sweated the most:  Adding the cutwater.  On the sandwich keel, I should have made a rabbit to land the planking.  With a big sigh of relief, the cutwater fits snugly. 
 
I have a long list of changes I would make if I was to build this boat again. but most of them are minor and will be easy to do on my next build. 
 
I had fun with this build and have enjoyed sharing it with you.  
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
I have seven kits on the shelf and I really want to dive into build a few of them.  But I know I don't have the skills (nor tools) needed to achieve the results I want.  I have great respect for this craft and I will go slowly and learn.      
    
All my modeling tools will fit inside of a shoe box with room enough for the shoes. I need to add saws, miter box, chopper, sanding and a Dremel is at the top of the list.  
 
Uhmm, what's on the shelf and what am I going to build next........
 
The Glad Tidings, Emma C. Berry and Corel Dragon will stay on the shelf.  I need to learn a bit more before building these and I need a few more tools. 
 
AL Swift:  The quality of the wood and fittings is not the best and needs to be replaced.  So I'm thinking I'll morph this into something like the Rouse Simmons, AKA, the Christmas Tree Schooner. 
 
Mamoli Gretel, I'll build this one in the near future, but there are a lot of angles on this boat, so I need some cutting and sanding tools. 
 
The MS Longboat:  I learned in this build that single planking is a challenge. My plan is to build without rigging and build as a side build. 
 
The Winner Is:  The Corel Sloop, a Brittany, France oyster smack.  There is a lot of online information for this working boat and a great opportunity to add lots of detail, including that sliding or pivoting bow sprit. 
 
When I finally get the cleats, I'll post some final photos. 
 
Thanks for following and I'll see you in my next build!   
 
Dee Dee

Keith
Paper is definitely more flexible than veneer.  Do you have any cherry you can make shavings from?  A shaving is already curled making it easier to wrap.  I like the results using the under layers of white birch bark, that can be stained to get desired color.  Below I have included a close up photo of various materials.      
 
Bob
Eventually you will get to this point - And your hull looks magnificent!  
 
Jesse
Ditto! Learning something new is priceless!
 
Eamonn
Yes, a £5 note is a bit expensive to use for mast hoops.  There are other papers that will provide excellent results.  The white mast hoop was made from high rag content stationary.  The paper is a bit thicker, so I 'flexed' the paper before using and it looks good.  You should be able to purchase various papers from an art supply store or a printer that specialized in invitations.     
 
Here's a few more close ups:  From left to right, dollar bill, inner layers of birch bark (this one is 1.1mm thick) and the white one is high rag content stationary.  On the side view you can see the three layers of the birch bark.
 

 

 

Josh
 
You just had what I call the 'Ahhhhhhhhh moment.'  When you slow down and start adding the details. I could easily build one of these boats in a week or so, but adding details gives my build the personality I'm looking for.          
 
On this build, I used basswood for the decking and two species of walnut. The slide cover is made of walnut.
 
Since you are painting your Sharpie deck furniture, there should be no need to cut into the cabin.  You can do an 'eye trick' to achieve the same detail.
 
Here's a simple top view diagram how I did my companionway:

 
You should be able to get similar results using something like this.  The double black line is the outline for the cover.   Notice the exterior door framing is made from two pieces of wood.  
Instead of placing the door directly on the decking, add a 'step' that was used to keep water out of the cabin.  You will need to do some tweaking on it so the cover covers the door.  Try making some mockups in card stock.    

 
Here are some photos on how I made the keel hung rudder.  I was planning on doing this on my first build, but couldn't figure out the details, specifically how to install the rudder once I added the block on the bottom of the keel.  On my second build, I figured it out and added this detail.  Since the rudder was fully operating, the block was pinned for strength.  One of the reasons for a keel hung rudder is it reduces the chance of a net or lines getting caught / snagged if they drift under the boat.     
 
First Build

 
 
Second Build

 
Here's a close up of a rudder from my first build.  It was made from 1/8" x 1/8" basswood strips and a bamboo BBQ skewer as the post.  Take your time to get a nice taper on the trailing edge of the rudder. The rudder was then veneered with 1/64" strips of walnut.    

 
Here's one of those rudders on this build, before it was veneered in walnut.  

 
 
Finished rudder close up.  You can see the taper with the light reflection. 

 
 
To add some personality........  Making these crates is a fun exercise.  

 

 
 
Hope this helps Josh!
 
Dee Dee
 
 
 
PHOTOS GONE MISSING - BYE BYE PHOTOS!

Port & starboard steps have all been glued on. I lined them up with a piece of masking tape with the space markings penciled on. That's as good as I can do with my fat & shaky fingers.

I've mass produced the rough steps. They are a 2mm Sapele plank glued to a 1mm Ayous that is slightly shorter. I mass cut them by making a stop on my plank cutter to a length slightly longer than needed. I'll need the extra length to detail file and sand to exact proportions. I used CA glue on parchment paper. The glue doesn't stick to that paper. I need 24 steps, but I made 30 in case I'm not happy with their standardization.

Next up the stern frames.
 
dry fitting

 
making templates: I simply traced these as I did not want to cut out the plans

 
template cut out with #11 blade

 
template on the keel

 
template traced out

 
 

Cheers for the kind words mate!
 
Been working on the hinges today. I see I need to do some touch up on the paint still.
 

 
Working on the ones on the ship now.
 
/Matti
 

I've finished the keel and glued the false keel to it.
 

 
I'm quite happy with the result. There are no longer gaps between the keel and the false keel.
 
The pencil caulking leaves a fine line between the parts. Just enough to accentuate the different parts. I still have to do some sanding on the keel and to clean up the last paper on it.  But here is the result with the bulkheads dry fitted.
 



 
Next thing to do, cutting the rabbet.  The thing i fear the most, i've never cut one before when i was building from kits.
I think i'll practise on som scrap wood first.

My keel broke off!!  
 

 
Apparently the black paper i used is too thick, the bond between the two parts with the paper is not strong enough, because the glue can't penetrate the paper.   
 
In the DVD "Model ship building secrets", dr Mike said that black paper is good quality paper. And that white paper should be used because it is of inferior quality.  So I tried with some white paper which i colored black with a marker, but it wasn't much good either.
 
 
 
I then tried drilling some wholes in the keel to reinforce it with a dowel, but i should have used a drill press to drill the wholes.  Big mistake!  One of the wholes came out sidewards, and where visible from the side. 
 



 
So for the third time, back to the saw. (Now i know why scratch building takes so long )
 
I first traced the false keel to the plans to have the exact outline of the keel pieces.  I wanted to make sure, i've no more gaps.
 

 
Then it was back to sawing and sanding the keel pieces with finally glueing them.  
 

 
I used an old mirror as surface upon i glued the pieces to each other. As such i was certain the surface was perfectly flat. This time i didn't use black paper but i just used a pencil on the parts. 
 
 

Another update.
 
I've now marked the waterline and painted the lower hull in white stuff.
 
I used my helping hands to hold a B pencil at the desired height and carefully marked the waterline onto the ship.
 

 

 
Mixed up a paint for coating 'white stuff' onto the hull using 80/20 white to yellow ochre to give a off white cream colour. Gave the hull a three coats to give an even finish. Need to smooth the finish with some ultra fine grit sandpaper but essentially ready to start the decking process.
 

 

 

And the last once.
Thank you
Dimitris71

And some more...

Hello to all . This is my first wooden ship build. I started at 4th of march and i would like to show you the evolution of the construction. Here  are some photos.

Hello,

thanks for the positive comments.
That makes me happy.
Here is a little update:

Thanks all!
Meanwhile, all gunports lids were fitted into the ports.
Only the last pair is still to be finished. They are for the gun port in the bow on the port side.
This gun port is a special case, because of the rounding of the bow.
The fit of this cover halves at this place requires special attention.
This couple also receives a dropfront as a protection against the armature.

 

 

 
To be continued ...
 

Hi again to everyone following this log.  Thanks for all the support, comments and likes.
 
Here is the work that has happened in the last week.  I usually put two or more weeks of work into a log entry, but I am going on vacation with the family all of next week, and didn’t want to postpone it.
 
At the end of the last entry I noticed some symmetry problems at the bow.  The thin molding was low on the port side, and the starboard bulwark was too high.
 

 
Here I have corrected the problems.  I think that the fix is satisfactory, but I will continue to examine the model to see if there are any others that need work.
 

 
Next I started on the planking for the gun deck where it will be visible in the waist.  The insides of the bulwarks were planked just like the outer surface of the hull, with individual planks of birch veneer glued on with contact cement.  Planks were trimmed to cover the gunport frames and linings.   Treenail fasteners were done in the usual manner.
 

 
The planking of the deck in the waist is a little different.  Budriot’s plans indicate that the central section of the deck was made up of thicker planks than the rest of the deck.  The outermost of these planks were let into the deck beams beneath and are known as binding strakes.  They helped lock the deck to the deck beams and strengthened the entire core of the ship.
 

 
On the model I did not lock them into the structure so they are not binding strakes, but they are made of thicker stuff than the planks.  Examination of photos of contemporary French models in the Musee de la Marine (Budriot, Historic Ship Models)  indicates a pretty consistent look to this section of the deck.  The binding strakes and the gratings are dark, even painted black, while the central planking is lighter and matches the color of the rest of the deck planking.
 

 
I started with the gratings which I made earlier.  These were made on the English pattern, so I crowned them and set them down into the raised strakes so they are nearly flush.  These are the first of the early pieces to be permanently attached to the model. The binding strakes are cherry, like the coamings for the gratings, while the central planking is holly.   This is a veneer and was glued to crowned sections of basswood to match the curve of the gratings. 
 

 
Once this section was in place and pinned to the deck substrate, I drew the locations for the deck beams, starting with those at each end of the gratings and filling in from there.  They laid out with a pretty consistent pattern of 4 scale feet center to center.  
 
Now I used the holly veneer to plank outward from the center section.  I was going to saw up a bunch of individual planks and do the deck as I had done the outer surface of the hull.  But then I decided to try using one large sheet of veneer with the planks marked and scribed on.  After a satisfactory test piece was made I decided to go for it.
 
A paper pattern was made that fit the area from the binding strake to the base of the bulwark.  This was laid out onto a piece of holly veneer, but not cut.  Using a long metal ruler as a straightedge a series of 6mm wide planks were laid out on the wood.  With the veneer clamped under the ruler a pencil line was drawn with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil so all the lines would be a consistent width.  Without unclamping I scribed the line into the wood with two light passes using the back of a #10 blade.  The markings were made permanent with two coats of spray satin finish.
 

 
With the planks lined out I cut and trimmed the veneer piece until it fit snugly into the space from binding strake to bulwark.  I test fit the piece in place and lightly marked the beam locations onto the veneer.  Using the straightedge and a small square the butt joints were marked out, penciled and scribed as before.  I used a 3-step pattern with a 1-3-2-4 stagger.  I don’t know if this is historically correct for French ships of the period, but it looks right.
 
After a final sanding to smooth the deck substrate several coats of thinned contact cement were painted onto the deck and the veneer piece.  When dry the piece was laid in place and burnished down to the substrate.  This is a permanent bond, like a kitchen counter, but the treenails that will be installed doubly guarantee adhesion.
 
At the base of the bulwarks a margin plank, finish plank, and chamfered  waterway were installed.  They are cherry and contrast nicely with the birch of the bulwark and the holly of the deck.
 

 
Now all the fastening holes could be drilled.  Careening the model in the cradles gave me access without straining.
 

 
As with the hull planks, I used square treenail sticks pressed into round holes and clipped short, leaving just nubs of wood above the surface of the planks. 
 

 
When all the holes were filled they were painted with dilute white glue.  When the glue dried the nubs were cut off flush with a small sharp chisel.  The fastenings are birch which subtly contrasts with the holly without becoming overbearing.  The fastenings in the cherry binding strakes were made of walnut, also for a bit of contrast.
 

 
With the waist planked it will soon be time to work on the upper decks.  Here I have laid up the substrates for the three sections.  They are made up of two layers of 1/16” basswood glued over a curved form.   The laminated pieces held their shapes quite well after the glue dried.   Paper patterns were used to get the right outlines.  The pieces were cut on the band saw and refined with a bench disc sander.
 

 
With the deck pieces temporarily installed I fitted out the waist with cannon, the ship’s boat, and my figures. 
 


 
I don’t see anything when I examine the model or in the photos that looks obviously wrong, but my eyes are getting old and I am a bit biased.  If anyone sees anything, please tell me now while I can still get at it to change it.
 
Thanks
 
Dan

Hi to all, and thanks for the comments and questions.  Please keep them coming.  Many eyes and brains will always spot problems that one set will not see until it is too late to easily correct them.
 
The last entry ended with the hull planked and the upper works painted as requested by the museum. 
 

 
The next task was to install all of the plank fastenings.  French practice at the time, as far as can be determined 300 years later, was to alternate wooden treenails with iron spikes.  That is, each time a plank crossed a frame there were two fasteners, one iron, one wood, set at a diagonal to each other.  At the neighboring frames to either side the pattern was flipped over, so if the first frame had a treenail at the top, the neighbor had a spike at the top.   Butt joints between planks were secured with four fasteners, two of each kind, also set diagonally.
 
Here is what the finished pattern looks like on the model.
 

 
The experiments that I did on the practice gun station led me to the following sequence, which got the thousands of fasteners done in a reasonable amount of time:
 
After installation, the planks were given a coat of pale stain, then a first clear coat to protect them from glue spots and dirt.  This coating also helped when it came time to remove the pencil lines that were drawn to indicate the frame locations under the planks.   Without it the graphite gets into the grain of the wood and is really hard to remove.
 
Next, the holes for all of the treenails were drilled.  I used the cordless Dremel 1000 which has a pistol shape.  It lets me simply point at the desired spot and just lean forward to make a 1/8” deep hole.  With some good music in the background and a repetitive chant under my breath, I would develop a rhythm that made the chore go pretty quickly.      
 
Multiple strips of treenail stock were cut from cherry veneer on the Preac.  They were 0.025” square, or about 0.035” on the diagonal.  The holes were drilled with a 0.0325” bit so that the strips could be inserted to the bottom of the hole with a friction fit and then clipped or snapped off.  Again, music made the task bearable.
 
Once all the holes were filled they were painted with heavily diluted white glue.  It was thin enough to wick down the sides of the strips to the bottom of the holes.  This not only secured the treenails to the planks and the hull, but it swelled the fibers so that the square strips now filled the entire round holes.  No lengthy, fiddly pulling through a drawplate was necessary.  This is a good thing, because I am really terrible at it.  I usually end up with more splinters on the floor than treenails in the cup.
 
Once the glue dried the stubs of the treenails were cut close to the plank surface using a small chisel, then they were sanded flush, which also removed the pencil lines.
 
Now the holes for the spikes could all be drilled, using the treenail locations as the guide.  This time the holes were only 0.025” diameter and were filled with 0.022” soft iron wire.  Clippers were used to cut them as close as possible to the plank surface.  Here I am filling the holes in the planks of the counter with the model turned upside down.
 

 
Once a large section of spikes were inserted they were peened or pressed into the hull until they were almost flush with the surface.  Then they were painted with a second clear coat of finish.  This not only secured the spikes from coming out, but darkened the tops of the treenails so the cherry stood out from the birch of the planking.
 
Even without doing the fasteners under the painted sections there are over 3,000 fasteners in the hull.  Using this sequence, the fasteners were done, start to finish, in three 6-hour workdays. 
 
With the planking done, the gunport linings were fitted using the square wooden tube as explained in the earlier log for the gun station.  Here is how it came out after staining to match the planking.
 

 
And here are two cannon protruding from their ports as they will be in the finished model.
 

 
As we all do, I use the photographs to check my work.  Some things seem to appear only under the light of a flash.  Here I am checking the symmetry of the bow.  It looks generally good, but there are two problems that I have to correct.
 

 
First, the thin molding just above the wale does not match, port to starboard.  The port side is about 1/16” low at the stem.  It will be pried up and relocated before re-gluing and final pinning with metal spikes.
 
The second problem is less clear.  The cap of the starboard bow is higher than its corresponding shape on the port side.  You can see it a bit better with the photo taken from a lower angle.
 

 
The cap molding will be removed, the shape adjusted, and the molding replaced.  Otherwise, I am happy with the symmetry of the hull both here at the bow, and here at the stern.
 

 
You can see that the two ports in the counter have been detailed.  Although the hull details will mostly be done later, it was easier to do this area while I could still turn the model over and work on it upside down.  
 

 
The ports have two half-lids with four hinge straps each and a lanyard to open the top half.  These were made in the same way as the hinge straps for the companionway that was shown in an earlier log.  I used my orthodontic pliers to bend 1/16” brass strips which were then drilled and chemically blackened before gluing and pinning with wire.  The four rings above the lower molding are for the preventer chains that will attach to the smaller rings on the sides of the rudder just above the white stuff.
 

 
The rudder itself is built up from two pieces of cherry which were cut, shaped and tapered according to the plans.  The gudgeons and pintles were bent up from 3/32” wide brass strips, blackened and drilled, then secured in the usual manner to the rudder and the hull.
 
At the transom you can see the paper pattern for the latest iteration of the stern gallery of windows.  This was originally taken from the Mercure plans, but heavily modified to fit the internal deck layout of the Advice Prize.  It was pushed, prodded, resized, and details were changed and changed back again in Photoshop before being printed out to test size and suitability against the spacing and layout of the hull moldings.  More changes will be made, I’m sure, before I am completely happy with it and can start cutting wood.
 
 I’m having to do a lot of testing like this to reconcile the shape and layout of the Advice Prize with the details from Le Mercure.  Here I have installed rough place-holders for the quarterdeck and forecastle deck so I can plan the layout in the waist.
 

 
The museum asked that one broadside of cannon be mounted through the ports with the lids opened.  The other side will have the guns “housed”.  But when I tested the layout of the guns with their muzzles hard against the bulwark it was clear that there would be no room for the ship’s boat on the centerline.  A check against the plans confirmed that this was so.
 

 
Instead, I suggested that the cannon not in use be housed fore and aft against the bulwark.  This is one way that it was done on the real ships.  Now, with the opposite cannon through the port, there is enough clearance for the boat and to work the guns.
 

 
And here is what the broadside looks like before the gunport lids and the rest of the hull details are installed.
 

 
Finally, lest you think that I work in a clean and orderly manner as implied in the heavily cropped photos in the log, here is our dining room table on a fairly neat day.   It looks much worse on a daily basis and for months at a time.
 

 
I can’t say enough about the forbearance and good humor of my wife.  Without her this would not be remotely possible.  I can only wish you all the same happiness with your spouse or significant other.
 
Be well
 
Dan

She got card panel dressed in same wallpaper as on walls above deck, she is happy and made my birthday cake.
 


In meantime, downstairs, intruders and alliens go wild ...



This make me angry, declared war to them, and after two hours of hard bloody battle, I win, and retake workplace for Her Majesty, and improve it a little





Tomorrow I can finnaly keep on forward and make some sand dust

I have made a bit of progress. The hull is painted and came out pretty decent. I brush painted it but next time I will use the airbrush.
 
I also installed the gunwales, thwarts and mast partners. I glued up the gunwales over the plans in accordance with the instructions but they were too narrow to fit the hull and broke while trying to make it fit. Four hands, several rubber bands and pencils were needed to hold it down. I used wood glue and tacked it in place with some super glue.

 
The mast partners were pretty easy and straight forward and seem to look ok.
 
Al D.

Anybody know where I can get an nice eagle for the transom? The one provided by Constraucto is pretty lame. I want a 3D one with about 3/4 inch wingspan and 3/8 inch high.

Yes tom research is key I'm learning.. Without internet I'm realising how great a tool it is... I do need to purchase some books though.. Bit slack on that...
 
Excellent! They don't take long to make.. So will knock up two more... I realise they need to be lashed together. also wondering if they are lashed to seats also? To stop them being loose items.. You guys are such help..
 
Thanks :-)

This is going to be a great new project for the kit producer... model is 1221mm over all, 1:63... She was 52m long on the deck...