Glenn-UK

Hi Jerry As far as I can tell opinion seems to be divided, I did experiment with using a pencil to blackened edges and I also tried using black thread between planks on some test pieces last year. The pencil gave the best result. Others have advised against adding caulking effects. I think it's a matter of personal preference and I'm still undecided.

Continued working on the quarter gallery assembly tonight, found this to be quite an easy assembly, and didn't break the corners off the stern fascia panel - result. Here are some pictures, enjoy. Starboard side Port side, part 215 added Port side, part 216 added Port side, part 217 added Port side, part 218 & 219 added Whilst quarter gallery glue is drying I started looking at middle deck planking. Decided to use a 4 butt pattern for this deck, not sure if it is really necessary, but I think its better to start as I mean to go on. Centre line added Initial dry placement of first 85mm strips

Happy to report after leaving the packing pieces in for over 24 hours, I have been able to finally fit stern fascia panel without any windows obstructed by the stern extensions. Checked position of the inside patterns and upper and lower stern counters, all looks good. Night out tomorrow so will probably fit the inside patterns on Thursday / Friday.

Moved on to quarter gallery dry assembly last night, as thought this was going to be a relatively simple job, maybe a bit fiddly, but I was going to take my time to get the key components correctly positioned before gluing. Seems this going to be a bit more problematic that I first expected. When I offered up the stern fascia inner skin (374) I noticed the outer stern extensions were showing in the upper outer window frames. I thought I would have to do some hard filing to make sure the windows were clear, not great but workable. After the first dry fit I then noticed the quarter gallery pattern tab would not fit in the stern fascia inner skin (374) slots. On further investigation I finally noticed that both the outer stern extensions were warped at the top. This must have happened as the glue dried when the gun port strip was added. To overcome this I have made some filler blocks which helps maintain the correct spacing, see photo below. They are not glued in, so when the stern fascia inner skin (374) is finally fitted in position they can be removed before strips 371 an 372 are glued in position. Its not ideal, but I think it will now be OK. Top view showing the warp End view Secondly I noticed the instructions for the fitting of top quarter gallery pattern (215) and main quarter gallery inside pattern (373) is not 100% correct. The instructions state top quarter gallery pattern (215) tabs should locate in the slots on gun port strip (270) and also in the top slots of the main quarter gallery inside pattern (373). This is clearly not possible due to the depth of the tabs on top quarter gallery pattern (215). I will use the slots on gun port strip (270) as a guide for positioning main quarter gallery inside pattern (373). Hopefully tonight I will now be in a position to dry fit stern fascia inner skin (374) and main quarter gallery inside patterns (373).

Hello Muggebigge Many thanks for your picture. I was aware I needed to fit the quarter gallery parts before the start of the second planking and I also plan to plank the deck area as per the instructions in the manual. I will also be dry fitting the keelson and stern post to made sure everything is straight and gap free. When I do start the second planking I will follow the lead of David and Patrick and plank down to water line and then plank up from keel to water line, as I do like the look of this and I think will also help when the copper tiles are ready to be fitted.

Hello Jerry Thanks for your comments on my build, it's much appreciated. Looking forward to seeing the progress you make with the shrouds now you have a serving machine.

Hello I take Dave's point, the idea of using plenty of filler is that when sanded away it should only be retained in the key areas. I have being able to do some more sanding, and also getting stern down to 3mm depth at edge of beading line. Stern Amidships Bow

After the first sanding I used plenty of filler in key areas so I can get a nice smooth shape once I complete the sanding process. After some initial sanding decided I need to add some filler for bow gun port strips as can be seen from this photo. Added plenty filler for bow gun port strips, excess can be removed when sanded smooth. Bow needs plenty of filler as there are a few areas which needed building up, again plenty of filler added so I can sand smooth and true. Amidships filler added Stern filler added

I have been able to get into workshop today to start the sanding and filling of 1st plank. Due to number of photos, will split over two posts. HMS Victory in front of the map of the world waiting for the first sanding to commence. Thanks to a tip from Shipyard Sid I glued a strip taken from circular sander course disk to a small block of wood- worked a treat - thanks Dave. Removed excess ready for stern keelson, to be fitted after 2nd planking. Sanding at stern Sanding at bow Sanding at amidships

Hi Jerry I've not really thought too much about the 2nd planking. I was not intending to use pins above the copper. I was thinking maybe using map pins to hold the 2nd planking in place with the pin only going in to the 1st planking and using the map pin edge for added support. I will probably use a mixture of ca and super phalic glue.

Had a good evening working on the ship tonight and finished the first planking, except for two very small filler bits; now comes many hours of sanding and filling to get a really smooth surface ready for 2nd planking. As I got about 10 planks from keelson I found it better to start working back up from keelson. Starboard side, you can see the very small gap near stern by blue pin to be filled. Port side, small filler piece needed near clamp at stern. Bow, you can see I have put a bit of filler on the port side already. Stern I have enjoyed this task which has taken two weeks to complete, but I'm glad its time to move on from gluing and pinning the planks. Not sure when I will be able to start the sanding as I have a busy weekend with family, but will hopefully get a couple of hours ship time, fingers crossed.

Hello Jerry Nice looking anchors, it's good to keep busy. I've just about finished the first planking. 2 or 3 good sessions in workshop should see the job done. I'll post some pictures when complete. Hope your serving machine arrives soon as I'm really looking forward to watching your progress with the rigging. Keep up the good work. Glenn

You have done an amazing job with the rigging so far, a very impressive looking model.

Yesterday with another day looking after the grandkids so only managed an 1 hour build time, hope to spend more time working on ship today. I estimate I'm about halfway through the first planking, and hopefully should be getting the near the end by next weekend. It's not my finest piece of work but given its primary function to provide a firm base for the 2nd planking I'm not too worried, and as has been said by others, no one can see the imperfections, use of wood fill, etc. On the positive side I've have learnt a lot from this task and now I'm actually enjoying the repetitive nature of this task. Stern end to date Picture taking of starboard side, I have moved away from but joint and mid point, and I'm now shaping and joining near the bow end Port side - You will note I have an area to fill, the gap at the widest will take two planks, and it is quiet an easy infill Bow end to date

1st Planking still progressing well, just reached rudder point at stern end working down from gun port strip 272 The question I have been pondering is: is there any benefit in starting the planking at the keel and work up to some point in the middle? At the moment I’m more inclined to continue working down toward the keel.

I too had problems with working out the correct fitting of the waterways, I made a mess of the stern end, over cut the boards, but thankfully I was able to add some fillers which when planked all looked fine. I'm not sure I got it 100% correct but looks OK.

I think the Victory is the more interesting build, so I would keep on with the Victory.

Hi Jerry Thanks for your comments, it is repetitive. I find it best to do 1 or 2 bow to stern lengths each side and then take a break. I have the ship resting on two supports on the floor which gives me plenty if room to work and position the ship for each plank, but is not so good for the back!

Hi Mick For the first planking I'm more than happy for the planks to run along the natural line and I'm not worried if the port and starboard sides don't match 100%. The main aim is to get a smooth surface in readiness for the 2nd planking. This may mean plenty of application of sanding and wood filler once the planking is complete. For the complex bend at the bow end I have found the plank bender is working without any problems. At the moment my bend length is 210mm, and I use the plank bend tool every 5mm, this gives a nice 90' bend. I have found using the map pins direct into the balsa support works best for holding plank in position around the bend. I took a few pictures as I installed one of the stern planks which may help. First I identify when the bend starts and mark with the pencil I then make a mark ever 5mm to indicate where to use the plank bend tool I then apply glue to the bulkheads and top of plank Using the pin pusher to get the pin started Tap the pin further in using the pin hammer, ensuring there is plenty left for an easy extraction of the pin once the glue has dried.

First planking going well; completed 6 plank section from bow to stern on both sides of hull. I calculate there are a further 22 plank layers to fit at the widest point. Given it is currently taking about 20 minutes to fit for one side bow to stern it take approx another 880 minutes to complete the first planking! Given my available build time, the addition effort required for shaping, etc. the first planking will be completed some time next week, probably towards the end of the week then another day for sanding and filling as necessary. I've had no problems using the pin pusher to get the pin started and the tapped in a bit further using a pin hammer.

No time in shipwrights office yesterday as the Admiral and I were tasked with looking after the grandkids (3 years and 6 months) all day, which was nice but hard work! Managed to get 2.5 hours in office today and started first planking. I decided to use the plank bending tool which is working like a dream. I also decided to butt joint each plank around mid point. I am very impressed that Jerry did the first planking as 1 strip, well done! It is taking about 20 minutes to cut, bend, glue and pin two planks that will go from bow to stern. I'm using standard wood glue for this stage. Here are some pictures of the start. On the starboard side I let the first plank follow it natural path, which resulted in fitting a filler piece, as you can see I have followed the traditional advise with maximum depth of cut to only 1/2 plank width But joint, and additional filler pieces fitted On the port side it was not necessary to fit a filler piece as the plank natural flow did stay true with gun port strip 272! 2nd plank row also followed the same natural path on port side. Butt joint for adjacent planks terminate on different bulkheads Also found it necessary to fit an additional filler plank at stern, so plank could follow it natural path.

Hello Mick With my last boat build I bent planks by soaking which was fine and Jerry' s plank soaking device is a great idea and is worthy of consideration by all boat builders. That's what I like about this forum the tips and tricks you can pick up from the other modellers plus plenty of free advice on specific topics related to your own build. I bought the plank bending tool last year and tried on a few test strips to see how much pressure would be required and I'm happy with the results. The pin pusher with an adjustable stop is currently out of stock from CMB. I have found with care and patience I can usually get the pin in OK for easy removal later. Sometimes I use a pin hammer to get the pin in deeper and sometimes I need to ease the pin back a tad.

Whilst waiting for port gun strip 272 strip glue to cure, I decided to test plank bending with tool. First I marked the length of the bend and marked every 10mm to identify when I wanted to use the tool. This gave a reasonable bend but I felt it need more so added a second set crimps between the first set of crimps. This seemed to do the trick. I also trimmed plank so it would sit on bulkhead near centre of hull. As per Dave's (Shipyard Sid) advice I also added some additional support strips on the butt joint contact area. I think I will need to make one more adjust to starboard strip 272 as I have just noted the strip is sitting a bit proud on a couple of the bottom bulkheads around bulkhead 2 & 3. A spot of glue and use of clamp should do the trick.

Hi Kevin Thanks for the message, I'm at a very earlier stage, only 30 hours into the build, due to start first planking tomorrow! I have enjoyed looking at your build log, it nice to see what everyone else has done.

Hi Mick I think you will find you need to remove the pins before you sand the hull. Glenn