Glenn-UK

Following on from my last post I used the cardboard template to trim the main gun deck pattern. It required a small amount of sanding before it would fit. I then dry fitted the deck items the majority of which were a nice smooth fit, but as can be seen in the photo below I was unable to fit all the parts.

After a little bit more fettling all the deck items were a nice smooth fit. I then applied a coating of pva to the gun deck pattern and once it was installed used clamps to hold the deck in place as the glue cured. I used a tin as a weight to hold the chequer pattern deck in place.

After the glue had cured the clamps were removed and I rechecked the dry fitting of the deck items. I also fitted the space jigs. Everything was a really good fit. I am really pleased I took my time with the fitting of the deck pattern as the gun deck is a much better fit compared with my v1 build.

I have now glued the quarterdeck spacer patterns and stern inner bulwarks in place. Compared with my V1 build I have made a much better job of this task this time around, especially with the fitting of the stern inner bulwarks patterns

Moving on to fitting the chequer pattern deck I made a template, from a thin cardboard sheet which was trimmed for a good fit. I added a centre line to ensure the template was central across the deck base. I also added to holes for the deck eyebolts for good measure which also ensures good alignment. Using the template the chequer pattern deck was trimmed and was a good fit.

The eyebolts are perfectly aligned through both deck part parts.

I am also going to use a cardboard template to trim the main gun deck pattern.  I used a thin strip to get some data points.

The data points were then transferred to the cardboard template, which is an exact copy of the untrimmed deck. Again it is important to use a centre line to ensure the trimming points are correctly transferred to the template.

By joining up the dots a trim line is added to the template

The template was then trimmed and checked. Due to the size of the gun deck pattern the template will comprise two parts. The first part is a good fit. I would like to say I got it right first time, but the one shown in the picture below was my fifth attempt to get a good fit template.

Both templates are a good fit.

A close up of the bow template, the camera lens cover was used a point of focus.

I think I can now trim the gun deck pattern for a perfect fit.

The first task today was to dry fit the inner bulwarks to make sure everything looked OK. I was pleased that everything looked good.

Bow Inner Bulwark

Stern Inner Bulwark with gun port jig in use. I decide to paint the entire inner bulwark red and walnut for the door. In reality much of this areas will not be visible once the quarterdeck has been fitted.

I applied glue to the join areas and then fitted the bow inner bulwarks which was held in place using several clamps. I also brush some diluted pva on the reverse side for good measure.

Moving on the adding the quarterdeck spacer patterns. I had a few minor issues with my V1 build when adding the quarterdeck support beams so before gluing the quarterdeck spacer patterns I felt it prudent to dry fit the quarterdeck support beams. I was pleased to see they were all a good fit this time around.

The issue with the bowsprit support not fully engaging in the lower deck locating holes has now been resolved with the removal of some laser char which seemed to be the problem.

The bowsprit support is now fully engaged.in the lower deck holes.

I have used some spare planking material to add supports to the gun deck joins around the hatches. I did make sure the opening for the other deck items were left unobstructed.

Now that I was happy with the fit of the gun deck I went ahead and glued it in place. I used an assortment of objects to hold the deck in place to allow time for the glue to cure.

With the deck in place the inner frames were sanded smooth. This is not an easy job, especially around the bow area. There is some remnants of laser char on some bulkheads but it does feel smooth to touch.

The bow fillers have been shaped and fitted

The stern fillers have been shaped and fitted

The inner bulwark, spirketting and deck clamp patterns have been giving a WOP (wipe on poly) coat and will be left for a few hours to allow time for parts to dry. I used tape to mark the positions of the spirketting and deck clamp patterns on the bulwarks so as to avoid adding WOP to the glue areas.

Right-hand side patterns after the WOP has been applied.

Left-hand side patterns after the WOP has been applied.

Once the WOP has dried I will add the flat red paint, remembering to mark off the area after the forward gundeck cabin bulkhead. When I start to fit the inner bulwark patterns I will use a small jig to help ensure the patterns are correctly aligned with the gun port openings so any minor adjustments to the patterns can be made, as necessary.

I have faired and glued the stern counter frames and spacer beam this morning. I have also dry fitted the gun deck base, which comes in two parts.

As you will note from the above photo I have test fitted the deck items. I think this is an important step to make sure the parts will fit once the gun deck in in place.

Everything looks good midships above the deck

Everything also looks good below the deck with all the items aligning nicely into the lower deck slots.

Moving on to the bow section, again every looks good above the deck

However it is a different story below the deck with the bowsprit support which does not locate in the holes provided even after a bit of jiggling. I will remove the gun deck to check the fit and I am sure everything will be fine. I also will add some additional supports to the gun deck before it is glued in place.

I decided to do a bit more work on my test hull yesterday as I had not faired the left-hand side. Good news the penny has dropped and I believe I now finally understand the flow lines around the bow area as I have been able to get some test planks to lie nice and flat from bulkhead 3 to the stem post, especially in the areas between the gun and lower decks which is my normal problem area. Hopefully this means I will be able to significantly reduce the clinker effect if I can reproduce this on the production V2 hull.

With regards to progress I have now reached stage 65 in the build manual with my V2 production build.

Starting with the stern bulkhead 13/13.1 assembly I followed the same process as per my V1 build. Starting with the stern filler part 13.1a I marked the edge with the bulkhead, as shown in the photo below.

Next I added a line that followed the shape of the stern filler part 13b as shown in the photo below.

This provides me with a reasonable guide to fairing this part, much of which I did before it was glued in place.

The above process was repeated for the remaining stern filler patterns.

I then traced the outline of 13-1 on bulkhead 13 as a fairing guide. Once I had pre faired the parts the parts were all glued in place and then I completed the initial fairing process.

I used the bow curve pattern to estimate the pre fairing the bow bulkhead 1 and bow filler patterns 1a, 1b and 1c. I ensured I left a thin laser char edge where the parts were faired.

The lower deck and bulkheads were then glued in place. I did test fit the various parts that locate in the lower deck holes, such as the main pump, masts, bitts, etc. The horizontal gun port strips and lower deck coaming were also added.

Next the gun deck support beams were added, using clamps to allow the glue time to grip and cure.

This is the current stage of the build. The stern counter frames have been dry fitted but they will be removed so the horizontal faces can be faired so they flow with the longitudinal deck beams (build step 72), as I think this a better method than trying to do so with the parts in situ given the restricted access due to the bulkhead ears and gun port strips.

I did pre fair the lower parts of the bulkheads before they were fitted, airing on the side of caution.

6 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

The curve of the bow is not the same top to bottom. 

True, as the bow filler pieces are curved top to bottom but I would think you would apply a similar fairing angle to the each bow filler piece, maybe that is where I am going wrong.

I did a quick test this morning and added some balsawood fillers to the bow bulkhead 1 assembly on my test hull. I did not not spend a great deal of time but did enough to get a nice flow of a plank across the bow bulkheads. I have also noted the gun deck support pattern (part 1d) were sanded during the fairing process on the test hull which is not necessary. I have covered later on in this post.

I have now decided I have spent enough time messing around with my test hull and now is the time to put my big boy pants on and make a  start with the V2 production build. The first task I undertook was to sort through the various wood sheets and group them in the same order as the first 6 plan sheets, inserting each wood group  in the fold of their associated plans sheet. I also made a list cross referencing the wooden sheets with the plan sheets, which will help me locate parts more easily.

Starting with plan sheet 1 I placed the 2 x 4mm MDF and 2 x 3mm MDF sheets on to my workbench.

Starting with 3mm MDF sheet 1 all the parts were removed. The cradle and bow jig were assembled using Super Phatic glue.

The other parts on the 3mm MDF sheet 1 were placed in to storage so they will be ready for action later on in the build process.

I then removed all the parts from the other 3 MDF sheets and dry fitted the various bulkheads to the keel. All other parts, such as the filler patterns, deck supports and stern counter frames were placed in storage draws.

As per my previous post I was not happy with how the planks were laying across the bulkhead 1 assembly.  I think the bow curve pattern (part 18) gives a good indication of required fairing angle required for the bow frame patterns. I have also taken onboard comments and advice to keep a small amount of laser char on the back edge of bulkheads and to not overthink the fairing process. When looking at the bow filler patterns 1b and 1c in relation to the bow curve pattern it is clear the back edge is not in line, as can be seen below.

When looking the prototype photo in Jim's build log the laser char is left on the back edges of bow filler 1b and 1c which are not level with the bow curve pattern, as shown below. I am pleased I have noticed now and means leaving an edge of laser char is the right way to go.

When looking at the prototype after the fairing process it would appear the bow curve pattern has been sanded so the back edge of the bow fillers 1b and 1c are now flush. I have also noted that there is no need to fair the edge of gun deck support patterns (1d) which I did fair on the test hull.

1 hour ago, glbarlow said:

The bow area can and should be faired for the smooth flow of a batten top than bottom stem to the fourth or even fifth bulkhead. There should be no reason to add a strip. Often in my experience it is the 2nd or 3rd bulkheads that have not been faired properly and considered as part of a unit, not individual or 1 to 2 or 2 to 3. It looks like 2 in your photo has insufficient angle faired but it’s hard to see what’s causing. It isn’t faired until a plank runs smooth

Keep the back edge of bulkheads fore of midship and front edge of bulkheads aft of midship as long as you can not to lose the proper design of the hull and both sides equal 

@glbarlow when fairing the bow section I used the curve of the top piece as a guide

When I fit plank lower down there is a big gap as can be seen below, so maybe the 2nd bulkhead needs a sharper angle.

@chris watton and @James H. I did not order the inner bulwarks sheets as spares hence the reason why they are not fitted on the test hull. Yes the stern does require more fairing as I indicated in my post. I was not sure if I need to follow the flow of the lower deck so asked the question before progressing with fairing the stern area further. I am much more concerned about the clicking effect with the bow area as it stands. Tomorrow I may fit some balsa fillers to see if I can workout how to avoid the clicking of the bow planks.

I need help and advice please with regards to fairing. I am about 90% through fairing the right-hand side of my test hull and I have a couple of questions and would really appreciate some help and advice.

As can be seen in the first photo the laser char has been removed. There is still a bit to remove at the stern end, which is not visible in the photo

The first question is regards to fairing the stern area. Should I just remove the laser char and follow the same curve of gun port strips or should I be more aggressive lower down the bulkheads and follow the shape of the lower deck, i.e. in the photo below should I sand the bulkheads flat to follow the deck edge?

The second question is regarding the fairing around the bow area.

When I try a test plank, as shown below it looks like a reasonable fit across the bow bulkheads

However when I move the plank toward the keel the plank does not lay flat across all the bulkheads, it is raised above the third from left bulkhead. This will result in clinker planks

The question is therefore do I sand the two leading bulkheads as indicated by the pencil marks in the first photo below, or do I add a thin strip on the pencil mark shown on the second photo below?

Sand the pencil marks?

Add a filler strip to pencil mark?

Please help if at all possible, thanks in advance

Time for a quick update. I am still working on my test hull and I plan to start work on the production build in the next few days. Although not strictly necessary I think buying the spare sheets and building this test hull has been well worth the time and expense so far.

After dry fitting many of the hull items I reached a point where I feel I understand the design much better and how all the parts should fit together. It has also made me appreciate even more what a brilliant job @chris watton is doing with all his designs. During this process I have realised where my V1 started to go wrong as I had not taken the time or care to check if some of the parts were correctly seated during this early part of the build process..

Another reason for building a test hull is to overcome the biggest problem I have had with all my previous builds which is is getting the hull properly faired. I lay test planks which appear to make good contact with the faired bulkhead edges but I always end up with "clinker planks" around the bow, even when I have used Chuck's lateral bending methods which proves I have not faired the hull correctly. I plan to fair my test hull and to check some planking runs to see if I can understand why I have this problem and to hopefully produce a hull that is clinker free.

The picture below shows my test hull after the gun port patterns have been fitted and glued in place. I opted to add undiluted pva (titebond) glue to the both the longitudinal and vertical gun port patterns slots rather than using a diluted pva solution after the parts were fitted. I used super phatic glue for the bulkheads and deck assembly which was easy to brush in and flowed nicely into all the joint areas.

One of the concerns I had with the V1 build was the lack of support under the deck in certain places. I have therefore added a few short strips in these areas, as shown in the next couple of photos.

After the 2nd part of the deck was fitted I was pleased with the additional support the strips provided so this is something I will add to the V2 production build. As part of the testing phase I felt it prudent to check the fitting of the mast dowels. I removed the laser char from the mask holes and hatches on the deck parts before they were fitted. On the production hull I will also double check all the openings for the other parts (bitts, main pump parts, etc)

46 minutes ago, James H said:

Not using the acrylic one? 

 

It's a million times better than the MDF 🤣

I am just experimenting with painting techniques using a redundant cradle. I will build the açrylic one when nearing the finish line.

15 minutes ago, James H said:

Remember that adding any paint to the cradle at this stage risks it coming off on a painted white hull, whilst you are needing as solely a building aid.

This is a spare cradle, I ordered some spare sheets, which gives me the scope to build a practice hull to work on improving my building skills. 

The finished painted cradle will have a WOP finish which should lock in the paint.

16 minutes ago, Thukydides said:

Why are you applying wop/paint to the stand? Is it to make it more durable?

I am just using the cradle to experiment with the WOP / Paint method.  I am hoping to see a much better painted end product. I will post some pictures of the painted cradle on Sunday or Monday.

Good planning and preparation is the solid foundation for any successful project and is something I'm are striving for with regards to my V2 build.

I have now test fitted the stern counter frames, and as you will note from the photo below I have removed most of the laser char from the edges. This is not really necessary as the counter and fascia patterns will cover this area up, but I felt it was nice to do as a practise exercise if nothing else.

Before the gun deck can be fitted the stern counter frame top edges require sanding so they are flush with the curve of the bulkheads 12 and 13, as indicated in the build manual, but this is done after the stern counter frames have been glued in place and access to sand the top edges is a little bit restrictive.

This photo give an indication of the sanding required, therefore I will sand the stern counter frames before they are glued in place so they are flush and flow with bulkheads 12 and 13.

Before moving on to the glue stage I just need to test fit the quarterdeck beam spacing patterns. I am also in the process of painting the wooden cradle black.

I have already applied the Wipe On Poly (WOP) process to the parts in the photo below, as detailed in @DelF build log with credit also to @glbarlow who provide the information for this process

I have also applied the first coat of black paint to the cradle parts which will be sanded once dry before a 2nd coat of paint is applied.

With a little bit more of dry fit experimentation the penny finally dropped why the horizontal gun port patterns sit flush with the bulkhead at the bottom and are not sit flush at the top of the bulkhead. The bulkhead area where these patterns are located is curved which explains why this is the case. I may experiment with filing some angles on the horizontal gun port patterns slots, using one of the spare parts I have, to get the part to sit flush which should then simplify the sanding process to remove laser char prior to fitting the outer bulwark patterns. I also need to check how this assembly looks with regards to the fitting of the inner bulwarks as the inner surfaces also need to be flush again with the removal of laser char.

The smaller vertical gun port patterns are curved to match the bulkheads and tend to be flush fitting with the horizontal gun part pattern, with the exception of the bottom edges in some places.

This photo, taken at gun port 7 / bulkhead 8 provides a nice illustration of how the parts look when fitted

I certainly did not take enough care with the V1 build to check how these parts will look when properly fitted which resulted in me not fitting them properly. This error on my V1 build was then probably the starting point of the subsequent alignment issues I had. I am really pleased I have already taken on aboard some lessons learnt from the V1 build such as:

a) Trying to understanding the design processes better and how the parts should look when correctly fitted, such as detailed in this post

b) To take much more time and care with each build stage, I am in no rush this time around to glue parts together

c) To look ahead at the different build build stages, drying fitting as much as I can

I also plan to check the fitting of the following items before I actual start the assembly process in earnest, noting I will have to remove the bulkhead 13 infill piece to do so:

a) Quarterdeck beam spacing patterns

b) Stern counter frames (inner, middle and outer) as I seem to recall these were a very tight fit with my V1 build

c) Stern frame spacer beam

This photo is an example of dry fitting multiple parts to get an idea of how things should look. Since taking this photo I did dry fitted many more vertical gun port patterns.

When I bought the V2 kit I also order some spare sheets so I could try  some experimentation and not to worry too much if I damaged the parts. I am also also trying to take much more time and care this time around.

I started with the assembly of the stern bulkheads (13 and 13-1). I am still unsure how much I need to fair this assembly, with respect to the edge between bulkheads 13 and 13-1, so any advice greatly appreciated, I have the spares available so I can redo this assembly if required. I will leave as is for the time being and will fair further prior to the planking phase if necessary once I have tried laying some planks to check how they flow across the bulkheads.

I have also built and faired the bulkhead 1 assembly. Again it may require additional fairing before the planking phase, and I do have spares available if I need to revisit this.

One of the concerns I had with the V1 kit was how proud the vertical and horizontal patterns were from the outer edge of the bulkheads which then required a great deal of sanding. With that in mind I have been test fitting the various parts and in general my initial tests would indicate the bottom edge of the horizontal gun port patterns is flush with the outer edge of the bulkhead but sits 1 to 2mm proud at the top edge, see photos below. I still need to do a few checks, one being with the bulkheads dry fitted to the keel and to then dry fit the pattern. I have already realised I did not fit these patterns correctly on my V1 build.

The excess material can be seen at the top

Moving on to the vertical gun port patterns, when fitted correctly there seem to be a really good fit. The first thing to note is there is a right and wrong way to fit each gun port. When fitted correctly they are flush with the vertical gun port patterns.

A messy work station, as I currently releasing the various parts from the MDF sheets and shows the vertical and horizontal gun port patterns test fit.

4 hours ago, mtaylor said:

As for "messed up".... I know of no builder is ever completely happy with their work.  There's always something they felt could have been done better.

That is true, I'm hoping to have learnt from some of my mistakes and not to repeat them on the V2 build

5 hours ago, Thukydides said:

It looks pretty good for a build you "messed up" 😃. I know it is frustrating to not achieve the standards you wanted, but I think it turned out pretty good in the end.

Many thanks

Just now, BobG said:

Gosh, Glenn, she looks pretty darn good after all. Your next version of the Sphinx should be spectacular. Good luck. I'll be following along on that build as well.

Many thanks Bob

I have reached the stage with the V1 HMS Sphinx build where I am happy to stop work, a picture of the V1 build is shown below

The shipyard has now been tidied to make sure everything is ready for the V2 build

With @Chuck words regarding laser char still ringing in my ears I feel duty bound to ensure I removed the laser char from all the parts with this build.

Starting with the cradle, which will be become redundant later on in the build process I used a technique suggested by @James H to remove the laser char from the angles. The method is to wrap sandpaper around a small steel ruler and to use the thin edge to remove the char. It worked very well. I used a combination of sandpaper and standing sticks to remove the laser char from all the other edges.

This photo shows all the cradle parts with the laser char removed and ready for assembly

The cradle has now been assembled but I have not added any glue as I am planning to try some painting techniques. The completed cradle will be painted black. Therefore I need to disassemble the cradle so each part can be painted individually when the material I have ordered arrives in the next day or two. I am aware there is some remnants of laser char on the top edge of the right hand end piece which will be removed before I start the painting phase.

27 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

Hopefully you can take the second one slower and enjoy it more.  Your first entry was July 31st, it will take me a least a year to carefully build this model. You track runners are just too fast🤣. 

That is the plan, slow and steady.

I have finally reached the stage where I will stop work on the V1 build and move on to starting work on the V2 build. I have really enjoyed the V1 build. I am currently undecided if I will progress the build further at a later date. My current thinking is probably not and keep it as a hull only build.

The first picture is the current state of play with the V1 HMS Sphinx. The right-hand gangway hammock cranes are a bit wonky as the gunwale has a slight inboard lean . The plan sheets show hammock cranes for the stern area, but I noted there where not fitted in the prototype build so I opted to omit them from this build. I also decided not to fit the gun port lids. Given the mistakes I have made during this build process the end result (so far) does not look anywhere near as bad as I first feared it would. This proves, without doubt, what a great design this kit is when a ham-fisted error prone builder like me can produce a reasonably nice looking model. A big thanks to @chris watton and to @James H for the all the work they have done. vanguard Models continue to design and release amazing kits and to my mind are the best kits on the market.

This is a picture of the figurehead. The resin part was primed and then painted gold before the installation. The bow main rail assembly has also been fitted. I did like the description of the heads in the  build manual as  "seats of comfort", the tops of which are just visible.

This shows the forecastle with everything fitted. I think I overdid the weathering of the stove chimney.

The gangway walkways caused me more problems than I was expecting. Initially with the curling issue and then I totally misunderstood where the gangways were to be fitted in relation to the gunwales, but once the penny dropped it all made perfect sense. I have also added the step and rail up to the quarterdeck

A close up of the step and rail

To finish off this post I have added a couple of pictures of the quarterdeck

I am planning to start work on the v2 kit in the next day or two so exciting times ahead