Glenn-UK

I have now completed the copper tiling of  port side of the hull. It is not my best work by a long way but it looks OK (from a distance!!!!).

I am planning to add a small 1mm strip along the upper edge to make it look a bit neater. I have just remembered, when I copper plating the HMS Victory I added a 1mm strip along the water line before I started the copper tiling which made getting a neat edge much easier. I should have done this for this build, as it can always be removed without to much effort afterwards if required.

I have also added the copper tiles to the rudder.

2 hours ago, DelF said:

Crikey, you're fast!

 

I've been thinking ahead and wondering what glue would be best for coppering. CA makes me nervous at the best of times and I can just imagine it squeezing out of the plates and spoiling the surface. Does applying the CA to the hull help you avoid that, and are you using gel? Would Super Phatic work?

 

Derek

I think eco stick instant impact is the best glue. I used that when adding the 3000 tiles on HMS Victory. The super phatic may be ok, but I would think you might need to wait a few mins so it gets tacky before appling the tiles.

I did start by appling a small dollop of ca to the centre of the tile, and positioning using my twezzers. That method didn't really work for me so I opted for a small thin layer of ca on the hull and postioning using my metal pointer tool. I found I could move along at a reasonable pace and most copper tiles could be positioned a bit before the glue set. I did have to rip off and discard some really badly positioned tiles. If I had been more patient I should have gone to the local shop to get the evo stick glue before starting.

I have nave now added the wales and marked the waterline. I then placed some tape above the waterline.

I then started adding the copper tiles. I'm not very at the coppering but I know it will look OK once completed. Last time I used Evo stick instant impact which allowed time for the tile to be moved around and position correctly. I started this task using ca clue and some of the tiles became stuck fast before I was really happy with the position.

I have found the best method (for me) was to apply a thin coat of ca for approx. 3 tiles on the hull and then to position the tiles one by one.

1 hour ago, DelF said:

Very smooth! I've ordered some of your Super Phatic glue - you should be on commission.

 

Derek

My local hobby shop recommended the super phatic glue to me and I have found it to be a very useful glue.

This morning I completed the sanding of the hull. I applied a small drop of my super phatic glue where there were some very minor gaps and then sanded over so the sawdust could bind with the glue. It seemed to work out very nicely.

I also painted the gun port openings red. I may still line the gun ports at a later stage, but this will be after I have assembled the gun carriages and after I have checked to see if there is any alignment issues with adding linings.

I have also fitted the prow, keel and rudder posts as well.

4 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

One possible problem to check is that extra height doesn't prohibit the cannons from going through the port, I'd rig one up and poke it through one with a dry-fitted piece on the sill.  I know I started to do that on my little Nelson project and determined the cannons weren't high enough to allow it. Painting them red (or whatever color) helps conceal the different layers of wood.

I was planning to check ports with an assembled cannon before fitting linings. I have painted the openings red already.

37 minutes ago, dzerbato said:

Chris Watton had mentioned something previously in one of these logs about the gun port lining. There was a reason it wasn't included, but I can't remember why. The width of the material may have been a problem.

I have had a scan through Chris's Speedy build notes. The only reference I can find relates to the design of the gun port strips. I think it would be ok with thin 3mm strips.

Hi Derek

I only used a couple of filler pieces below the water line, where I had cocked up the shaping of the plank to be fitted.

I have done a bit of testing and 3mm strips will be good for the lining of the gun ports. I will probably do that much later down the line.

After completing planking the inner bulwarks, I used the laser marked points on the gun port strips and drilled through using a 0.8mm drill. It is a great innovation for this design to provide the guide points for these holes.

I then moved on to the outstanding 2nd planking which did not take me too much time to complete and I do have a few planking strips left over.

I have given the new planks a preliminary sanding. The entire hull will require one a final sanding before moving on to the next phase of the build which is adding the wales, stern post and keel items.

I have not checked the build instructions but I am thinking about adding some linings to the gun port openings later on.

I have plenty of 2nd planking strips left. I have been using off cuts to fill in between the gun port gaps when appropriate to do so. I have  now completed all the 2nd planking except for the port side final stage.

I did the same with the gun port openings, i.e. clearing the opening after each plank was added. The oar port openings were quite small and I did find it easier to clear the opening in one go.

I've been away for a few days but I've now returned so I can continue on with my build. I am currently planking the inner bulwarks.

I completed the starboard side before I went away, but require a little bit of tinkering around the gun port and oar port openings, sorry about the quality of the photo's.

I then moved on to complete the port side bulwark planking. I used my super phatic glue and clamped each plank and allowed the glue to cure for at least 30 mins before moving on to the next plank. As seen in the pictures below I have completed the planking and I'm just waiting for the final plank's glue to cure before removing the clamps. I decided to clamp around the gun port and oar port openings to ensure a good bond. I have found this made the removal of the excess wood a bit easier. For the oar port openings I found it easier to use a small drill to make a series of holes which I then joined up with my craft knife to clear the opening. The ports were then tidied up using  my needle files.

I use Super Phatic glue by Deluxe materials (50ml) which comes with its own plastic applicator tube for accurate positioning of the glue. This glue is a thin, non-fuming cyano alternative which dries in 10 -20 minutes (or quicker with finger pressure) It has a low odour, with water clean up. It penetrates much further than other glues. Waterproof when dry. Some of the many uses: Pin & glue balsa & hardwood. Bonds plastic hinges.

I went with the laser cut deck. Looks good to me. It is not the main focus of the build in my opinion, once all the deck fitting, masts and rigging have been installed.

Looks very nice. I had never tried edge bending before but made the planking job so much easier.

I was not too bothered about the standard of the planking once I got below the waterline, but actually I was pleased with my end result.

I had a bit more free time so I went ahead and fitted the laser cut deck. It was a very good fit  and all the cuts outs lined up perfectly. There were no problems  with the installation.

I used my super phatic glue for this task which is a nice mix between wood glue and ca. The deck edges gripped very quickly with this glue and there was no need to use any pins or weights to keep the deck in place.

Tomorrow I hope to start the planking of the inner bulwarks. In the manual Chris used 1 strip which he is cut in to 2 planks for each row. I have noted the laser cut deck plank lengths are 3.5 inches (89mm). I am tempted to use the same length for each inner bulwark plank. Thoughts anyone?

Today I removed the excess bulkhead tabs from the inner bulwark's. This turned out to be a very easy task, the tabs came away without too much effort and the deck required very little sanding to get the surface smooth.

I then went ahead and painted the inner stern and inner prow area's red. I can see from this photo beneath that the top edge of the stern panel requires a little bit more attention which is strange as it actually looked OK to the naked eye.

After the laser cut main deck has been fitted the inner bulwark's can be planked. I have estimated that each side will require approx. 4 planking strips. I have therefore painted 8 strips, using the red paint in preparation for this task.

Hello DelF

I have attached a picture after 5 minutes of gentle sanding. You can clearly see the imperfections where the filler has not been removed. I'm not that concerned for the areas under the wales and beneath the waterline. I know the visible planking will look good once the sanding task has been completed.

Latest Build Update.

I have now completed the 2nd planking and it didn't take as long as I was expecting. I used Chucks' edge bending for all the planks above the waterline. For some of the planking below the water line I used some of the plank off-cut, thus saving a few planks (which could be used elsewhere if necessary or can be added to my general stock of materials).

I used a medium ca glue for this task, gluing each plank a bit at a time. It seemed to work really well and I didn't end up with too much ca glue on my fingers!!!!

Once the planking was complete I then applied a wash of water mixed with neutral (Ronseal) wood filler. This serves 3 main purposes for my build;

a) The mix of water and filler easily fills any gaps between the planks.

b) As the wash dries it helps to highlight any uneven surfaces (below the water line) which may need further attention during the sanding process.

c) Provides an additional level of adhesion between the planks.

Once the wood filler wash has had time to dry I will sand the hull. The pictures below show the completed hull with the wood filler wash applied prior to the sanding.

I have made a good start to the 2nd planking of the hull this afternoon. I have never used edge bending before but I'm finding it very easy and not that time consuming.

I am also extremely pleased with the results.

I am tapering the planks to 2mm width at the bow end.  I did taper a couple of the stern planks (also to 2mm) but the last two planks did not require any tapering where they terminate on the edge of the lower stern panel.

I have been using a medium ca glue and I tend to give each plank a quick sand with a fine grit sanding stick after installation to allow the sawdust to fill any gaps.

Plank Bending Station

Looks very nice

I have started the 2nd planking of the hull. I used the laser etched marking on the gun sport strips to line up the 1st plank. The first two planks were fitted without any shaping or tapering.

After the first two planks had been fitted I decided to mark the position of the waterline, so I knew the area of the 2nd planking that would remain visible, and the area which would require copper plating. I then added some tape after the waterline had been drawn.

Before starting with fitting the next plank I took some measurements (I used the gun ports as the reference points plus a one near the stern and one near bow). The measurements indicated that twenty planks would be required at the widest point (80mm) with a taper width a 2mm at both the stern and bow. I used a old piece of planking material to make a test plank and then edged bended both ends. On reflection the stern end of the plank did not really require an edge bend. I was very happy with how the test plank fitted after it had been bended.

I have now completed the planking of the 3 stern patterns without any problems. I thought I would share the method I used for shaping the planks for the top stern pattern, which has the window openings.

I thought I would start with a picture of my workstation which I had set up for this task. I had all the necessary tools, materials and adhesives ready to hand. I used the thick CA glue to fix the planks to the pattern. I then applied a thin wash of the super phatic glue so it would bond with the joints. I then gave the top of the planks a very light sand so some of the sawdust could, where necessary, bond with the glue.

The first difficult plank to cut to size cover the lower section of the windows. I positioned a plank and then marked the position of the required cut-outs (from the reverse side).

With the position of the cut outs marked I then placed the plank on a piece of tape, so there was less chance of the wood splitting along the grain. In the picture below I have started to  make the first cut ( far right).

The tape backing worked and I was able to remove the cut-outs without any problems.

Once I double checked the plank would fit OK I used the CA glue to fixed the plan to the stern pattern.

I continued to plank, noting that I opted to removed the remaining excess wood around the window frame after each plank had been fitted. The two pictures below show the end results. The first one is before the edges were cut and sanded and then second one is after the sanding. I did adjust the left window (top right) after I took these pictures. After a careful fine sanding of the planked area I will apply a few coats of matt varnish.

25 minutes ago, DelF said:

Not an update as such -second planking progresses slowly but steadily - but I thought I'd share my one aspect of my approach to plank bending:

 

As you can see, I'm using Chuck's edge bending method, but instead of doing one plank at a time I'm doing two. I've been trying to work as symmetrically as possible, port and starboard, so the tapering, the point of maximum bend, and the amount of bending should be the same on both sides. Obviously the two planks have to point in opposite directions to bend correctly as they are mirror images of each other, but so long as you put a little arrow indicating the position and direction of bend on each plank (as per Chuck's videos) you can't go wrong. 

 

I like to leave the planks in the jig for some time to ensure the bend is 'set', so doing two at once saves considerable time. Equally important, the method seems to work just as well with two in the jig as with one.

 

Derek

Nice idea, bending two planks at the same time.

1st Planking Task Completed

I was pleased with how this went, the preformed rabbet in the stem post really helped. I used Super Phatic Glue to fixe the planks to the bulkheads. I really using this glue as it gives a good solid bond, and cures so much quicker than normal wood glue.

Once I have finished with the sanding I will commence the 2nd planking phase.

I have never used Chuck's edge planking method before but will certainly use it for this project. My bending station has been set up and is go to go. I may go out a purchase a travel iron as the hair dryer I used when testing the method had some issues with thermal overload.