Bill Hime

Good advice, Gunther!  I'll do a little more sanding on the filler blocks once I get all of them made.  Some parts of them will serve as the bonding surface for the planks, as a few of my bulkhead angles were more extreme than the angles that the planks will take.  
 
Bill, I look forward to meeting up with you again!  Hopefully I'll make some more progress on the fillers before then!
 
In other news, the electric plank bender that I ordered from Model Expo was supposed to arrive a few days ago.  I received the package, but to my surprise, there was a waterline marker inside instead of the plank bender!  I realize that mistakes happen, so I made a call to Model Expo, and I was told that the bender would be shipped out tomorrow.  The man I spoke to apologized for the inconvenience, and told me to keep the waterline marker, so it looks like I'll have a nice clean waterline when the time comes!  
 
I haven't made any further progress on the Lady Nelson yet.  The only thing standing between me and planking is getting the last two filler blocks made, but since I'll be waiting for the plank bender to arrive, I have some time.  I'm not particularly looking forward to it, as I'm pretty sure that it's going to be slightly more difficult since I'll have to ensure that the port side is symmetrical with the starboard side.  However, I'll try to be careful and make my way through it as best I can.  I think I'm going to use scale lengths for the first layer of planking, as it will help me practice for the second layer, and it will make the planks easier to cut and shape, since I won't have to try to get a perfect curve along the entire length of a long plank.  I have found that any slight change in angle early on can get out of hand as you get further along the length of the plank...  I am convinced that planking will be the hardest part of this build!  Nevertheless, I will get it done, and hopefully the results will be aesthetically pleasing.  
 
As always, I will keep you guys updated on my progress as I move along.  Stay tuned!     

Mark,
Looks great my friend! You're right about scale. went out to the shop and pulled a mantel out...but would work nicely I think at 1:48 or 1:32! I pledge never to work in 1:64th AGAIN, lol
 
Beautiful work Mark and way to stick with it!
 
 
Bill

Very nice work Dave! I think the fillers will definitely improve the planking process. Hope to see her this weekend, maybe Sunday
 
 
Bill 

Very nice work Dave! I think the fillers will definitely improve the planking process. Hope to see her this weekend, maybe Sunday
 
 
Bill 

I think a Coleman lantern mantel would be interesting, even if doubled up and stained correctly
 
 
Bill

Mark,
Looks great my friend! You're right about scale. went out to the shop and pulled a mantel out...but would work nicely I think at 1:48 or 1:32! I pledge never to work in 1:64th AGAIN, lol
 
Beautiful work Mark and way to stick with it!
 
 
Bill

Very nice work Dave! I think the fillers will definitely improve the planking process. Hope to see her this weekend, maybe Sunday
 
 
Bill 

Mark,
Looks great my friend! You're right about scale. went out to the shop and pulled a mantel out...but would work nicely I think at 1:48 or 1:32! I pledge never to work in 1:64th AGAIN, lol
 
Beautiful work Mark and way to stick with it!
 
 
Bill

Very nice work Dave! I think the fillers will definitely improve the planking process. Hope to see her this weekend, maybe Sunday
 
 
Bill 

Mark,
Looks great my friend! You're right about scale. went out to the shop and pulled a mantel out...but would work nicely I think at 1:48 or 1:32! I pledge never to work in 1:64th AGAIN, lol
 
Beautiful work Mark and way to stick with it!
 
 
Bill

Thanks, Elijah!  I recommend giving Naval Action a shot.  I really enjoy it!
 
I spent last night making the stern filler blocks for the starboard side of the ship.  This was pretty tough, as there is not a lot of space to get in and do the required sanding.  However, I think it came out alright.
 
I began by using a needle file to adjust the bevel on the kit's "filler block," which was a bit to steep:
 

 
Once that was done, I used the same technique of fitting balsa wafers in the space between the bulkheads and sanding them down:
 

 
The first filler block came out looking pretty good (it was difficult to get all the angles smooth, though):
 

 

 
I skipped the next section (for no particular reason -- I just felt like it), and began work on the next block:
 

 
Here's what it looked like when it was done:
 

 

 

 
Finally, I filled in the remaining space:
 

 
After sanding the final block down, I used some 400 grit sandpaper to finish things up and try to get them to "flow" into each other.  These are the results:
 

 

 

 

 

 
Overall, I think the blocks look pretty good.  It was much more difficult to create these blocks, as it's hard to get a feel for what angles they should have.  With the bow blocks, it was just a matter of bending a spare plank around the bulkheads and seeing how it sat on the blocks.  In the stern, however, it's almost like I have to have a spiled plank in order for it to lie properly so that I can check it.  Since I can't spile the planks well enough without the filler blocks, it's a bit of a catch-22.  From what I can tell, planks seem to sit fairly well on these stern blocks.  There are a couple of uneven spots here and there, but I think the planks will still look good once they are glued in place, and I'll be added filler to any uneven spots anyway.  
 
I'm still really worried about the sternpost and keel areas once the planking is complete.  I just don't think this kit was designed for the planks to be flush with these pieces.  I am giving some serious thought to doing some careful tracing and measuring in order to cut some facades or veneers for the sternpost, keel piece, and stem out of my walnut sheets.  If I could attach these to the port and starboard sides of these pieces, it would thicken them up enough so that they create their own false rabbet joint, hiding the edges of the planks.  It's just an idea, but it could work (in theory).
 
I'm still trying to figure out how to space the butt joints for the planks on this ship.  If you guys have any thoughts on this matter, please let me know!  
 
Anyway, that's my progress for now, with a total of 55 hours of work done on this build thus far.  Now comes the hard part of replicating what I've done on the starboard side for the port side!  Feel free to tell me what you think!

Mark,
Looks great my friend! You're right about scale. went out to the shop and pulled a mantel out...but would work nicely I think at 1:48 or 1:32! I pledge never to work in 1:64th AGAIN, lol
 
Beautiful work Mark and way to stick with it!
 
 
Bill

I think a Coleman lantern mantel would be interesting, even if doubled up and stained correctly
 
 
Bill

Mark,
I think your rudder redo has been quite successfully redone...."done" being the operative word. I think the coat is a good representation whether you take a another stab at or not. Perhaps a Coleman lantern mantel dyed in tea would give it the sagging heaviness of weathered canvas. Thread count or size would not be as important to the scale as would the cloths ability to "hang".
 
She's looking quite beautiful my friend, you're courting her well
 
 
Bill

I think a Coleman lantern mantel would be interesting, even if doubled up and stained correctly
 
 
Bill

I think a Coleman lantern mantel would be interesting, even if doubled up and stained correctly
 
 
Bill

I think a Coleman lantern mantel would be interesting, even if doubled up and stained correctly
 
 
Bill

I think a Coleman lantern mantel would be interesting, even if doubled up and stained correctly
 
 
Bill

Well, I don't have any updates for today, as I spent the whole weekend engrossed in a video game (Naval Action).  If you play computer games and haven't heard of this one, check it out!  It's all about trade and naval combat in the age of historic sailing ships.  You start as a Midshipman on a cutter and work your way up through the ranks, taking command of larger vessels of your choice, such as privateers, brigs, frigates, and ships-of-the-line.  You can battle pirates or ships from other factions, or board and capture trading vessels carrying contraband goods.  The game is still in its developmental stage, but it's looking great so far.  I am a First Lieutenant on a U.S. light frigate at this point.  You can even build your own ships!  I was particularly interested because the cutter that you start with looks almost exactly like the Lady Nelson -- it's almost like they based the game's cutter on the wooden model that I'm building!  If any of you happen to play this game, let me know!  It would be fun to team up with people from this forum!  
 
Anyway, even though I had a lot of fun with the game, I am eager to get back to working on the model.  I'm a little nervous about taking on the filler blocks for the stern, as I know that they will require some tricky angles.  I was confident enough to glue the bow block in before trimming it to its final shape, but I think I will leave the stern block unglued until the very end, in case I make a mistake.  I hope to have the rest of the filler blocks trimmed and in place in the next few days.  I will be sure to update the log with more pictures and progress reports as I continue through the process.  Thanks again for the kind words and support, everyone!

Hmm....  Here's the area that needs the rudder coat... between the two red areas.  It's fairly long.  There's two "slots" on each side of the stern post.  Maybe if I fill those in.....   ????    In fact, I think that will do the trick.  
 
It was a very bad decision on my part to plank the counter before installing the stern post.   Lesson learned.
 
  

Mark,
I think your rudder redo has been quite successfully redone...."done" being the operative word. I think the coat is a good representation whether you take a another stab at or not. Perhaps a Coleman lantern mantel dyed in tea would give it the sagging heaviness of weathered canvas. Thread count or size would not be as important to the scale as would the cloths ability to "hang".
 
She's looking quite beautiful my friend, you're courting her well
 
 
Bill

Looked through your entire build log this morning. Great work. As for switching from maple to cherry, great choice. Cherry holds crisp lines and is very stable, especially if you put it aside for a time and come back later..no surprises. It looks like your "give it a go" on the cannons went very well!
 
Beautiful craftsmanship here. I'm following for sure
 
Warm Regards,
 
Bill

Mark,
I think your rudder redo has been quite successfully redone...."done" being the operative word. I think the coat is a good representation whether you take a another stab at or not. Perhaps a Coleman lantern mantel dyed in tea would give it the sagging heaviness of weathered canvas. Thread count or size would not be as important to the scale as would the cloths ability to "hang".
 
She's looking quite beautiful my friend, you're courting her well
 
 
Bill

Hi Dave.
That says it all. And that a real drive to Acheave a better standard. Which explains your excellent work and results. 
Now back to the model in hand..
That's one excellent method of learning the planking method. The wood shows a much better curve than the tape you were using.
And the infill blocks will help no end.
Nice photo's by the way.
 
Regards Antony.

Thank you so much, Joe!  You're too kind!  It's really great to have a place like this where I can discuss the hobby with such friendly people.  I wouldn't call myself a skilled shipwright just yet, but I'm doing my best!  I'm glad you're enjoying the build log.  Writing it up and adding all the pictures is almost as time-consuming as building the ship itself!