Bob Cleek

Not to mention polishing the brass, especially on a naval vessel. In fact, in my own personal experience with marine oil lamps, it isn't generally possible to light an oil lamp outdoors if there's any kind of breeze. They weren't carrying Bic lighters in those days, either. They'd have to take the light from a source with a taper and then light the wick with that.

Not to mention polishing the brass, especially on a naval vessel. In fact, in my own personal experience with marine oil lamps, it isn't generally possible to light an oil lamp outdoors if there's any kind of breeze. They weren't carrying Bic lighters in those days, either. They'd have to take the light from a source with a taper and then light the wick with that.

Not to mention polishing the brass, especially on a naval vessel. In fact, in my own personal experience with marine oil lamps, it isn't generally possible to light an oil lamp outdoors if there's any kind of breeze. They weren't carrying Bic lighters in those days, either. They'd have to take the light from a source with a taper and then light the wick with that.

Not to mention polishing the brass, especially on a naval vessel. In fact, in my own personal experience with marine oil lamps, it isn't generally possible to light an oil lamp outdoors if there's any kind of breeze. They weren't carrying Bic lighters in those days, either. They'd have to take the light from a source with a taper and then light the wick with that.

We had this discussion in several threads now ... it comes down to what kind of boat we are talking about and in what kind of finish it is to be represented. As already noted by others, the fewer coats of paint/varnish the better in principle.
 
I tend to play with the different shines of paint, as they would appear on the real thing. Therefore, I don't like this varnish all over as some people advocate.
 
Personally, I put off painting as long as possible, basically to just before the final assembly. Of course, others might get impatient and need the colour to give them the impression of progress. That's psychology ...
 
If possible I would also mount the model securely onto a temporary stand, basically a rough form of the final one. So one has to think right from beginning about the mounting and make the necessary arrangement for detachable fixtures, such as nuts cemented into the hull to take in threaded rods for instance. The stand should be big enough to provide an enveloppe of the model, including say the bowsprit. In this way you don't need to touch or move the hull around, while you are working on it, which reduces the risk of damage.
 
Individual painted parts can be stored in (plastic) boxes lined with bits of kitchen paper towel until they are needed. This also gives the paint time to harden thoroughly. 

I am always wary of processes that cannot be adjusted, that't why I would use some varnish or shellac that can be easily dissolved to make correction. This works with polyester-rope, as the varnish soaks into the threads (but not into the fibres, of course).

Yeah ……I’d get a more pliable thread for your rope coils.  
A Technique I use sometimes is to lay down  a pool of wood glue……. Smear it out, then take your line and coil it up in the glue…..forming a nice little coil of rope.   Then using a pic….you lift up the glue soaked coil (dabbing off the excess) and lay it over the pin on the rail.   Once done, use the pic to pull it down into shape.  Let it dry…..it dries clean.    
 
There you go
 
Rob
 

It would seem to me to be a lot more cost effective and save a labor to simply paint with a higher quality paint and forget about additional clear coatings. The more coatings you apply to a model, the more detail you destroy. Your mileage may vary, I suppose.
 

Acrylic paint is easily damaged. Enamel paint is much harder but also can get damaged. I think the only part of the boat you should seriously think protecting is the hull. It will certainly get scratched during the rest of the build or during its life after. I use varnish, either water based or enamel. Water based is easier to use but enamel is overall harder and better - I think I ll go back to enamels for the boats I am currently building. I ve tried the Valejo polyurethane varnish previously, water based, seemed to be ok. Humbrol enamel varnishes are also very good, or at least this has been my experience.
 
Couple of things to consider
 
1. Spray cans can be temperamental and spray inconsistent or thick coats. Be careful
2. Satin finishes need good stirring to evenly distribute the media within. Matt varnishes are more difficult, they need some care to avoid inconsistent results.
3. Basically practice and test your finish on scrap wood, NOT the model! Seriously, you do not want to be sanding the hull down if something goes wrong.
 
I d definitely put something over the hull.

I forgot to mention that you will also need a shipwright's or planker's bevel gauge. This a small, flat gauge for taking up and transferring bevels in boatbuilding and planking. They're about 3" long for full-size boat building and will probably benefit by being somewhat smaller for modeling. Their small size make them suitable for taking up bevels in tight spaces.
 

 
This 3" one is sold by the WoodenBoat (magazine) Store for ten bucks. It's the only "store boughten" one I know of. A 3" Bevel Gauge - Small Boats Magazine (smallboatsmonthly.com) Most "boatyard mechanics" simply make their own from a piece of strip shim brass or even an old hacksaw blade (which has the convenience of a hole already drilled at either end) riveted together.  If you want to get really fancy, you can make one that has two outside faces between which the "blade" swings like a pocket knife, and can be pocketed when not in use without the pointed edges snagging on your shop overalls.

It would seem to me to be a lot more cost effective and save a labor to simply paint with a higher quality paint and forget about additional clear coatings. The more coatings you apply to a model, the more detail you destroy. Your mileage may vary, I suppose.
 

This is another example proving that there is a direct correlation between weight (mass) and accuracy in stationary power tools. This is what often makes  buying used "old 'arn" power tools a wise investment.

This is another example proving that there is a direct correlation between weight (mass) and accuracy in stationary power tools. This is what often makes  buying used "old 'arn" power tools a wise investment.

I forgot to mention that you will also need a shipwright's or planker's bevel gauge. This a small, flat gauge for taking up and transferring bevels in boatbuilding and planking. They're about 3" long for full-size boat building and will probably benefit by being somewhat smaller for modeling. Their small size make them suitable for taking up bevels in tight spaces.
 

 
This 3" one is sold by the WoodenBoat (magazine) Store for ten bucks. It's the only "store boughten" one I know of. A 3" Bevel Gauge - Small Boats Magazine (smallboatsmonthly.com) Most "boatyard mechanics" simply make their own from a piece of strip shim brass or even an old hacksaw blade (which has the convenience of a hole already drilled at either end) riveted together.  If you want to get really fancy, you can make one that has two outside faces between which the "blade" swings like a pocket knife, and can be pocketed when not in use without the pointed edges snagging on your shop overalls.

I suppose that they are technically "guard rails."  In some cases they support the deck above, so I like the terms stanchions and railings.
 
I used a 0.020" circular slotting blade on the Bynes saw with the cutting depth as low as possible.  Even so, there were many "failures" with a slot too deep or too shallow.  
 
The next step was the assembly and installation of the boat deck house and the radio house.  The railings were similar to the bridge deck railings.  However, on the actual ship, the fore-most railings/stanchions were covered with a wood/canvas "bulkhead" to reduce incoming waves/water.  From the pictures it can be seen how those  "bulkheads" (without the canvas) were installed.
 
The engine room skylight was installed next.  The "munitins" were modeled using sheets of etched brass and the "glass" was modeled using a thin layer of clear epoxy applied to the underside of the brass; with Saran wrap on the top to generate smooth finish.   After the epoxy cured, the saran wrap was removed. The circular holes in the skylight are for future ventilators

I forgot to mention that you will also need a shipwright's or planker's bevel gauge. This a small, flat gauge for taking up and transferring bevels in boatbuilding and planking. They're about 3" long for full-size boat building and will probably benefit by being somewhat smaller for modeling. Their small size make them suitable for taking up bevels in tight spaces.
 

 
This 3" one is sold by the WoodenBoat (magazine) Store for ten bucks. It's the only "store boughten" one I know of. A 3" Bevel Gauge - Small Boats Magazine (smallboatsmonthly.com) Most "boatyard mechanics" simply make their own from a piece of strip shim brass or even an old hacksaw blade (which has the convenience of a hole already drilled at either end) riveted together.  If you want to get really fancy, you can make one that has two outside faces between which the "blade" swings like a pocket knife, and can be pocketed when not in use without the pointed edges snagging on your shop overalls.

I think you misunderstand. I was referring to the parallel link type of scroll saw. These tend to have more pivot points and link bearings than the parallel arm type. The Henger is a parallel arm type. The advantage of the parallel arm type is its greater simplicity but this is achieved at the expense of a greater oscillating mass. Parallel arm types tend to need heavy construction (mass) to limit the vibration. The parallel link type have a much lower oscillating mass and hence the vibrations are inherently less but the disadvantage is that wear is more pronounced.
 
 

It has been my impression that Hegner is the ultimate in quality.   You bought a 'no way to loose' model.  Unlike most manufacturers, I doubt that 'planned obsolescence' figures into Hegner's engineering.

I must have ben lucky then, my Hegner saw still runs very smoothly, very little  vibration, even a higher speeds.  
I must try a new one once and see if if there is a difference.
Those saws, albeit pricey seem to be quite popular in Germany and Austria.
Greetings, Rudolf

I would think twice about buying a second hand parallel link saw. The linkage is prone to wear and is pretty costly to replace. With worn linkage it will dance itself off the table, even at moderate speeds. Only consider second hand if you can give it a really good test run.

Hi Juddson,
I have been using  an old Hegner scroll saw for 20 years or so, I had bought used and I am still happy with it.
I has  multiple speeds and thus  gives you a lot of control over your cut. It looks pretty much like the red saw in  Bob Cleeks post. Hegner is still made in Germany
Greetings
Rudolf

What a superb answer!! Thank you so much for all the detail. You’ve answered my questions perfectly. I also wasn’t confident about my rabbets and the diagram you sent helped immensely. I also loved the photo of the stained wooden boat as it was beautifully made and inspirational as well as a terrific example of what we’re trying to achieve with this type of hull. About the spread I understand better now—that it could result in the planks becoming too short. I have already noticed my very first plank dried slightly off centre at one end and spent some time redoing it as I do want a good result.
 
…and finally I do love tools, especially tiny ones and now covet a squirrel pocket plane! Something I didn’t know existed and now feel I need 😂. I did already purchase one recently when I saw in other logs it would be useful. I just combed through to find one that seemed good quality... It hasn’t arrived yet.
 
Thanks again I appreciate the help very much.

Thank you Claire for asking a great question! Thank  you Bob for the super helpful answer!

I don't have the plans available to me, so I can't be positive, but I believe they are referring to the "rolling" bevel of the lapstrake plank "lands." (The plank "lands" are the "faying surfaces" or faces where two adjacent lapped planks touch and, when wet, swell to make the hull watertight. For this reason, they must be very accurately fitted against one another without gaps... in real boat construction, at least.) By "the gain seating nicely" they probably mean that the plank bevels fit perfectly against each other to form their "lands" against each other. The term "gain" is not used in the instructions you quote as I've heard it (properly) used before, but it seems they are using it to refer to the plank lap bevels generally. If so, this wouldn't be the first time model kit instructions exhibited a certain lack of nautical illiteracy.  
 
Properly, a lapstrake plank "gain" is a rabbet of progressive inclining depth cut at the hood end or ends of a run of lapped plank so that the hood edge of the plank overlap is progressively reduced so that it no longer stands proud at the hood end(s.) (Always on a "sharp" bow and sometimes on a transom stern.) On this model, from the pictures I've seen, at least, since it has a transom bow and stern, the gains are omitted at both the bow and stern transoms which may have been an attempt to simplify construction for modeling purposes at the expense of a more elegant, and actually less complicated, construction detail. Perhaps somebody who's built this model and is familiar with the instructions will chime in and give you a more certain answer. Maybe they instruct the builder to just run the plank ends to the transom edges, cut them flush, and fill the voids between the plank lands and the transom edges with putty or something. Laying out the bevels in the transom edges to accommodate the lapped planks without gains would seem to me to be a lot more work and difficulty.
 
Lapstrake planking showing riveted laps and plank lands. Note that only one plank per overlap is beveled.
 

 
Here's a picture of a lapstrake plank with what is properly called a "gain" cut at the hood end (on the right hand edge below) to reduce the plank overlap edges (and on the left hand side is a regular land bevel.) The gains are cut in both plank faces to a maximum depth at the end of the bevel equal to one half the plank thickness so that when the two planks are fastened at the lap with the gains the planks total only the thickness of one plank .
 

 
A couple of photos of correctly planked sharp-bowed lapstrake planked boats. Note how the gains (which are relatively short in one instance and long in the other) cause the lap edges to progressively reduce to nothing at the hood ends in the stem rabbet. It's a subtle, but essential, detail in sharp-bowed clinker-built boats.
 

 

 
Now, this YouTube video on lapstrake planking is probably going to cause you to glaze over, or become completely intimidated, but to the degree you can wrap your head around it you will find planking your model much less difficult. There are many shortcuts between building a full-sized boat and a model and putty and sandpaper can cover a multitude of fitting errors, but to the extent these can be minimized, your model will benefit. See: Ep 18 - Planking (part 2): Bevels + Gains - Bing video
 
Yes, that's exactly what it means. If your plank land bevels aren't accurate, the planks are going to have that much more width to the total overlap and they are going to spread amidships. This means also that as the overall length of the curve segment of the hull is thereby lengthened, the presumably correctly shaped laser-cut kit planks are going to be too short to span the entire length of the boat (unless they left you some extra length at either end to cut flush to the transom faces.)
 
Building a lapstrake planked model at 1:12 scale well demands good accuracy in cutting all the bevels. Moreover, errors in shape and bevel of parts tend to be cumulative and only more bedeviling as the build progresses. One maxim in modeling, as in real boatbuilding, is that it is always better to rip it apart and do it over again correctly than it is to try to ignore measurement and fitting errors. In the case of a kit build, it should be no problem to go to the hobby or craft store and buy a piece of thin sheet stock and cut a new plank that will fit correctly and well worth the investment in time. If parts aren't fitting, and particularly so with planking, you have to ascertain the cause of the problem, be it errors in lofting or in fitting the parts that have been done before. When working in smaller scales, it is possible to slap on a lot of putty, spackle, or plastic wood and sand a hull fair and when it's painted up well, nobody will be the wiser, but at 1:12, particularly with a "clinker-built" (lapstrake) hull, such errors are much harder to cover up.
 
For planing beveled lands and for many other modeling tasks, you will find a small plane of great value. If you are really flush and want to treat yoursef, you can buy the top-of-the-line Lie Nielsen #101 bronze violin maker's plane, which is their version of the old Stanley #101 "modelmaker's plane" for $125.00 (Lie-Nielsen No. 101 Bronze Violin Maker's Plane (highlandwoodworking.com)

 
Or you can buy an original cast iron Stanley #101 on eBay if you can find one for not too much money. (They are now collectables but can be had for $20.00 to or $30.00.) There are also decent copies of the cast iron Stanley #101 made by Kunz for around $29.00: Amazon.com: KUNZ POCKET PLANE COMPACT BLOCK PLANE WOOD CARVING WORKING No.101 by Kunz : Tools & Home Improvement
 

 
and even a Kunz copy of the otherwise super-rare old Stanley #100 "Squirrel tail pocket plane" that is the #101 with a handle which permits pushing the plane with the palm of hand for $26.00. (I have no idea why it costs less than the "tail-less" model! I love mine.) (Amazon.com: ROBERT LARSON 580-2200 Kunz Pocket Plane Raised Handle : Everything Else)
 
 

 
 
If not that, the current Stanley sheet metal framed model #12-101 "trimming plane" can be had retail on Amazon for $12.00 and on eBay for $5.00. (stanley 12-101 plane - Bing - Shopping and Vintage STANLEY 12-101 Trimming Plane New Old Stock - Original Package | eBay)'
 

 
This all may be more than you ever wanted to know about planking or planing, but, if so, perhaps it may be of interest to some other novices who come across it.
 
Have fun with your build!
 
 
 
 

Bob has provided all the information you needed - and more! Good advice.