rvchima

Gun Ports, And A Piece That Just Didn't Fit Right

These little pieces get glued vertically to define the sides of the gun ports, like this.



Then thin plywood strips get painted red and glued to the insides of the gunwales. (Test fit before painting shown.) The fit was perfect, but after I had attached everything I discovered a gap between the gunwales and the horizontal notched strip.

And so, deconstruction. I removed the notched strip  and found that the gunwale pieces matched the notches in the MDF frames perfectly. I have no idea how the notched strip ended up so high, and on both sides. But I glued it back in the correct position. I also stained and attached the second deck with laser-marked planking.

The next step is to pre-soak thin ply panels for the outer gunwales. Before I glued these I discovered another gap between them and that same notched strip. There wasn't enough material on the MDF frames to fair the hull any more, so I filled the gaps with 1/16" square strips. It looks like this will all be covered with another deck and rails later.
 
So future Sphinx builders, keep an eye on that notched strip. Consider attaching the inner gunwale pieces first to make sure that strip sits right on top.

Okay...it's time for me now to place the lower stern counter into the right place, but I have a question...let's see if I can explain it.
Blue Ensign did a great job explaining how he tackled it, with temporary pinning the rest of the stern pieces. So you can see if everything lines up.
Sounded like a great plan, so I did this too. Need here and there a few little corrections, but in general this looked good and on the correct height (if it's not please let me know  )
 
 


 
 
 
 
I asume the first layer of planking needs to be on the same height (thickness) of the lower stern counter. One flows in the same height into the other, without elevation?
Well that is what I think it should be but if it's not by design, please let me know.
 
Because as you see in the lower pictures, you see that my first layer of planking is a bit lower than the stern counter. In the outer corners not so, but closer to the stem it is lower. I can put some filler to get it more level with each other.
 

 

No, I Haven't Given Up
Actually I just returned from an 11 day trip to Maui with my wife, two sons, and their wives. Before I left I made an embarrassing mistake. Despite several warnings in the manual I started planking the hull with wet wood. When I got home there were some serious gaps between the planks. I've planked several hulls in my life and totally know better. I spent a couple of days filling and sanding, and it shouldn't cause a problem on the first layer of planking. I am now pinning wet strips to dry overnight, then gluing them the next day with PVA on the long edges and CA on the bulkheads. The photo shows the hull about half planked with wet planks and gaps, 3 rows with dry planks attached, and 3 more rows of wet planks pinned to dry overnight. This is all working out much better.
 
I prefer to mount my models on brass pedestals rather than using cradles. It makes them much easier to handle during construction and to move when finished. I just ordered two pedestals, and added some reinforcements along the keel to attach them to.
 

While waiting for planks to dry I built the stove. It comprises a surprising number of wood and photo etched brass parts.

 
 
 

No, I Haven't Given Up
Actually I just returned from an 11 day trip to Maui with my wife, two sons, and their wives. Before I left I made an embarrassing mistake. Despite several warnings in the manual I started planking the hull with wet wood. When I got home there were some serious gaps between the planks. I've planked several hulls in my life and totally know better. I spent a couple of days filling and sanding, and it shouldn't cause a problem on the first layer of planking. I am now pinning wet strips to dry overnight, then gluing them the next day with PVA on the long edges and CA on the bulkheads. The photo shows the hull about half planked with wet planks and gaps, 3 rows with dry planks attached, and 3 more rows of wet planks pinned to dry overnight. This is all working out much better.
 
I prefer to mount my models on brass pedestals rather than using cradles. It makes them much easier to handle during construction and to move when finished. I just ordered two pedestals, and added some reinforcements along the keel to attach them to.
 

While waiting for planks to dry I built the stove. It comprises a surprising number of wood and photo etched brass parts.

 
 
 

No, I Haven't Given Up
Actually I just returned from an 11 day trip to Maui with my wife, two sons, and their wives. Before I left I made an embarrassing mistake. Despite several warnings in the manual I started planking the hull with wet wood. When I got home there were some serious gaps between the planks. I've planked several hulls in my life and totally know better. I spent a couple of days filling and sanding, and it shouldn't cause a problem on the first layer of planking. I am now pinning wet strips to dry overnight, then gluing them the next day with PVA on the long edges and CA on the bulkheads. The photo shows the hull about half planked with wet planks and gaps, 3 rows with dry planks attached, and 3 more rows of wet planks pinned to dry overnight. This is all working out much better.
 
I prefer to mount my models on brass pedestals rather than using cradles. It makes them much easier to handle during construction and to move when finished. I just ordered two pedestals, and added some reinforcements along the keel to attach them to.
 

While waiting for planks to dry I built the stove. It comprises a surprising number of wood and photo etched brass parts.

 
 
 

Gun Ports, And A Piece That Just Didn't Fit Right

These little pieces get glued vertically to define the sides of the gun ports, like this.



Then thin plywood strips get painted red and glued to the insides of the gunwales. (Test fit before painting shown.) The fit was perfect, but after I had attached everything I discovered a gap between the gunwales and the horizontal notched strip.

And so, deconstruction. I removed the notched strip  and found that the gunwale pieces matched the notches in the MDF frames perfectly. I have no idea how the notched strip ended up so high, and on both sides. But I glued it back in the correct position. I also stained and attached the second deck with laser-marked planking.

The next step is to pre-soak thin ply panels for the outer gunwales. Before I glued these I discovered another gap between them and that same notched strip. There wasn't enough material on the MDF frames to fair the hull any more, so I filled the gaps with 1/16" square strips. It looks like this will all be covered with another deck and rails later.
 
So future Sphinx builders, keep an eye on that notched strip. Consider attaching the inner gunwale pieces first to make sure that strip sits right on top.

No, I Haven't Given Up
Actually I just returned from an 11 day trip to Maui with my wife, two sons, and their wives. Before I left I made an embarrassing mistake. Despite several warnings in the manual I started planking the hull with wet wood. When I got home there were some serious gaps between the planks. I've planked several hulls in my life and totally know better. I spent a couple of days filling and sanding, and it shouldn't cause a problem on the first layer of planking. I am now pinning wet strips to dry overnight, then gluing them the next day with PVA on the long edges and CA on the bulkheads. The photo shows the hull about half planked with wet planks and gaps, 3 rows with dry planks attached, and 3 more rows of wet planks pinned to dry overnight. This is all working out much better.
 
I prefer to mount my models on brass pedestals rather than using cradles. It makes them much easier to handle during construction and to move when finished. I just ordered two pedestals, and added some reinforcements along the keel to attach them to.
 

While waiting for planks to dry I built the stove. It comprises a surprising number of wood and photo etched brass parts.

 
 
 

No, I Haven't Given Up
Actually I just returned from an 11 day trip to Maui with my wife, two sons, and their wives. Before I left I made an embarrassing mistake. Despite several warnings in the manual I started planking the hull with wet wood. When I got home there were some serious gaps between the planks. I've planked several hulls in my life and totally know better. I spent a couple of days filling and sanding, and it shouldn't cause a problem on the first layer of planking. I am now pinning wet strips to dry overnight, then gluing them the next day with PVA on the long edges and CA on the bulkheads. The photo shows the hull about half planked with wet planks and gaps, 3 rows with dry planks attached, and 3 more rows of wet planks pinned to dry overnight. This is all working out much better.
 
I prefer to mount my models on brass pedestals rather than using cradles. It makes them much easier to handle during construction and to move when finished. I just ordered two pedestals, and added some reinforcements along the keel to attach them to.
 

While waiting for planks to dry I built the stove. It comprises a surprising number of wood and photo etched brass parts.

 
 
 

Gun Ports, And A Piece That Just Didn't Fit Right

These little pieces get glued vertically to define the sides of the gun ports, like this.



Then thin plywood strips get painted red and glued to the insides of the gunwales. (Test fit before painting shown.) The fit was perfect, but after I had attached everything I discovered a gap between the gunwales and the horizontal notched strip.

And so, deconstruction. I removed the notched strip  and found that the gunwale pieces matched the notches in the MDF frames perfectly. I have no idea how the notched strip ended up so high, and on both sides. But I glued it back in the correct position. I also stained and attached the second deck with laser-marked planking.

The next step is to pre-soak thin ply panels for the outer gunwales. Before I glued these I discovered another gap between them and that same notched strip. There wasn't enough material on the MDF frames to fair the hull any more, so I filled the gaps with 1/16" square strips. It looks like this will all be covered with another deck and rails later.
 
So future Sphinx builders, keep an eye on that notched strip. Consider attaching the inner gunwale pieces first to make sure that strip sits right on top.

I started the model a week before Christmas and have managed to make a little progress.
 
Bow & Stern Filler
Bow and Stern Filler pieces are made from a number of small MDF parts attached to a backing plate and sanded to shape with a rotary tool. Sanding was a little bit intimidating but came out just fine. The purple take in the third photo holds a temporary piece in place to protect two delicate vertical frame pieces.

Keel & Frames
I forgot to take a photo of the basic keel with frames attached, so I'll jump ahead a little here. The keel is a single piece of MDF, and the frames drop perfectly into slots. Nothing is glued at first. The manual says to place the lower deck with laser-burned planking lines on the frames. Neither the manual nor most of the build logs say anything about finishing the sub deck, but I went ahead and used a coat of Minwax Golden Oak oil stain and three coats of satin Polycrylic spray. Now I realize that you can't see that deck on the finished model, but hey, I know it's there.
 
Longitudinal gun port frames are attached to the top of the frames, then everything is glued with diluted PVA glue painted on from below. In this way the lower deck and longitudinal frames keep everything in alignment as the glue drys.
 
You know the laser-cut wooden toys/puzzles that are so common now? Names like ROKR, UGEARS, and RoWood? So far this model reminded me of those - no skill necessary. I think that planking the hull will be a different story.


Four lower coamings with gratings made of pear wood are assembled and attached to the lower deck.
Note to Self: These precisely thin laser-cut pieces can be extremely delicate! Don't ask me how I know.

The stern counter is made up of nine frames.

Horizontal supports for the gun deck are attached next, and then longitudinal supports are attached on top of them.

The kit includes a cradle to hold the model during construction. It matches two frames exactly, but until the hull is planked I am using two spring clamps to keep the hull from slipping off.
 
Next the gun sub-deck is attached in two pieces. Remember what I said about "no skill necessary?" I take that back. The gun deck was very hard to fit. The notches were all a little tight, and the two pieces wouldn't quite match up along the center line. I placed, removed, sanded, and replaced the two pieces for hours, and still ended up with gaps between them. Eventually a nicer deck will go over top so it won't matter.

No, I Haven't Given Up
Actually I just returned from an 11 day trip to Maui with my wife, two sons, and their wives. Before I left I made an embarrassing mistake. Despite several warnings in the manual I started planking the hull with wet wood. When I got home there were some serious gaps between the planks. I've planked several hulls in my life and totally know better. I spent a couple of days filling and sanding, and it shouldn't cause a problem on the first layer of planking. I am now pinning wet strips to dry overnight, then gluing them the next day with PVA on the long edges and CA on the bulkheads. The photo shows the hull about half planked with wet planks and gaps, 3 rows with dry planks attached, and 3 more rows of wet planks pinned to dry overnight. This is all working out much better.
 
I prefer to mount my models on brass pedestals rather than using cradles. It makes them much easier to handle during construction and to move when finished. I just ordered two pedestals, and added some reinforcements along the keel to attach them to.
 

While waiting for planks to dry I built the stove. It comprises a surprising number of wood and photo etched brass parts.

 
 
 

No, I Haven't Given Up
Actually I just returned from an 11 day trip to Maui with my wife, two sons, and their wives. Before I left I made an embarrassing mistake. Despite several warnings in the manual I started planking the hull with wet wood. When I got home there were some serious gaps between the planks. I've planked several hulls in my life and totally know better. I spent a couple of days filling and sanding, and it shouldn't cause a problem on the first layer of planking. I am now pinning wet strips to dry overnight, then gluing them the next day with PVA on the long edges and CA on the bulkheads. The photo shows the hull about half planked with wet planks and gaps, 3 rows with dry planks attached, and 3 more rows of wet planks pinned to dry overnight. This is all working out much better.
 
I prefer to mount my models on brass pedestals rather than using cradles. It makes them much easier to handle during construction and to move when finished. I just ordered two pedestals, and added some reinforcements along the keel to attach them to.
 

While waiting for planks to dry I built the stove. It comprises a surprising number of wood and photo etched brass parts.

 
 
 

No, I Haven't Given Up
Actually I just returned from an 11 day trip to Maui with my wife, two sons, and their wives. Before I left I made an embarrassing mistake. Despite several warnings in the manual I started planking the hull with wet wood. When I got home there were some serious gaps between the planks. I've planked several hulls in my life and totally know better. I spent a couple of days filling and sanding, and it shouldn't cause a problem on the first layer of planking. I am now pinning wet strips to dry overnight, then gluing them the next day with PVA on the long edges and CA on the bulkheads. The photo shows the hull about half planked with wet planks and gaps, 3 rows with dry planks attached, and 3 more rows of wet planks pinned to dry overnight. This is all working out much better.
 
I prefer to mount my models on brass pedestals rather than using cradles. It makes them much easier to handle during construction and to move when finished. I just ordered two pedestals, and added some reinforcements along the keel to attach them to.
 

While waiting for planks to dry I built the stove. It comprises a surprising number of wood and photo etched brass parts.

 
 
 

No, I Haven't Given Up
Actually I just returned from an 11 day trip to Maui with my wife, two sons, and their wives. Before I left I made an embarrassing mistake. Despite several warnings in the manual I started planking the hull with wet wood. When I got home there were some serious gaps between the planks. I've planked several hulls in my life and totally know better. I spent a couple of days filling and sanding, and it shouldn't cause a problem on the first layer of planking. I am now pinning wet strips to dry overnight, then gluing them the next day with PVA on the long edges and CA on the bulkheads. The photo shows the hull about half planked with wet planks and gaps, 3 rows with dry planks attached, and 3 more rows of wet planks pinned to dry overnight. This is all working out much better.
 
I prefer to mount my models on brass pedestals rather than using cradles. It makes them much easier to handle during construction and to move when finished. I just ordered two pedestals, and added some reinforcements along the keel to attach them to.
 

While waiting for planks to dry I built the stove. It comprises a surprising number of wood and photo etched brass parts.

 
 
 

No, I Haven't Given Up
Actually I just returned from an 11 day trip to Maui with my wife, two sons, and their wives. Before I left I made an embarrassing mistake. Despite several warnings in the manual I started planking the hull with wet wood. When I got home there were some serious gaps between the planks. I've planked several hulls in my life and totally know better. I spent a couple of days filling and sanding, and it shouldn't cause a problem on the first layer of planking. I am now pinning wet strips to dry overnight, then gluing them the next day with PVA on the long edges and CA on the bulkheads. The photo shows the hull about half planked with wet planks and gaps, 3 rows with dry planks attached, and 3 more rows of wet planks pinned to dry overnight. This is all working out much better.
 
I prefer to mount my models on brass pedestals rather than using cradles. It makes them much easier to handle during construction and to move when finished. I just ordered two pedestals, and added some reinforcements along the keel to attach them to.
 

While waiting for planks to dry I built the stove. It comprises a surprising number of wood and photo etched brass parts.

 
 
 

No, I Haven't Given Up
Actually I just returned from an 11 day trip to Maui with my wife, two sons, and their wives. Before I left I made an embarrassing mistake. Despite several warnings in the manual I started planking the hull with wet wood. When I got home there were some serious gaps between the planks. I've planked several hulls in my life and totally know better. I spent a couple of days filling and sanding, and it shouldn't cause a problem on the first layer of planking. I am now pinning wet strips to dry overnight, then gluing them the next day with PVA on the long edges and CA on the bulkheads. The photo shows the hull about half planked with wet planks and gaps, 3 rows with dry planks attached, and 3 more rows of wet planks pinned to dry overnight. This is all working out much better.
 
I prefer to mount my models on brass pedestals rather than using cradles. It makes them much easier to handle during construction and to move when finished. I just ordered two pedestals, and added some reinforcements along the keel to attach them to.
 

While waiting for planks to dry I built the stove. It comprises a surprising number of wood and photo etched brass parts.

 
 
 

Hi Mugje.  Re your question about gunport linings, I installed them on the bottom and sides of all the open ports.  I used material a little less than 1/32 in and cut each individual lining from a pre-painted  strip about 5/16 in wide.  See below.
 

I would complete the finish planking around the ports before installing the linings.  You may have to sand the inner surfaces of the ports somewhat to match the exterior planking, and if you install the linings before doing that you'll have problems.  I installed the linings the same way Blue Ensign did; bottoms first, then the sides.  As he notes, the bottoms are easy, the sides not so much.  Each side piece is angled top and bottom, and there are slight varIations in the angles for each piece.  Do the best you can and plan on filling some gaps.   Also one note.  On my build the guns sit fairly low in the ports and with the linings installed the cannon barrels barely clear the bottom port sills.  I would mock up one of the guns and test it with the material you plan to use for the linings before proceeding.  
 
Best regards.
Cjames

New update about what I've done this week:
 
Installed the prow, keel and rudder post, including their outer patterns/facings so to speak.
This gives the ship a whole new appearance.  
 

 

 
 
After that I glued the outer lower counter pattern in his perticular spot. This all went without trouble. Now I could measure the space between this pattern and the rudder post, so I could fill the difference with a thin piece of pear wood that I abstracted from the same sheet where also the outer patterns came out of. So there is no color difference  
Because of the thickness difference (the outer patterns of the rudder post and keel are 1mm thick and the supplied outer pear planks are 0.8mm thick) I maybe need a bit of filler underneath the second layer of pear planks against the rudder post and keel. Just to get them at a even height in the end. Will think about how to approach this.
 

 
Last step that I've done was soak the fore outer planking patterns and clamped them onto the hull. They have dried overnight and will glue them soon onto the hull.
A bit exciting these larger thin pieces of wood, so I need to gather some courage to get them in a good way onto the hull  
 
I also thought about the gunport stops and if i'm going to do them on all the gunports and not only at the ones with actual lids. I saw this idea in Blue Ensigns log and like the look when all the gunports have the stops, including those without a lid. So i'm going for those...it looks fairly easy to execute this small modification. The two questions after that were...glueing first the patterns onto the ship and install after that the stops? Or do them first and glue the patterns after that. I go with the first option because the outer patterns have a bit of extra "meat" onto the gunports...they are a bit smaller then the mdf inside frame so you have some wiggle room and you can sand them afterwards flush with the mdf framing. So it looks to me easier to install them afterwards.
 
Next question was...at all four sides a stop or only at the sides and the bottom? I found this topic:
 
 
 
And saw that both options look correct. It didn't seem if there was 1 correct answer, so then I choose for asthetics and will do all 4 sides because I find that look more appealing.
 
 

Hi Mugje.  Your planking and stern facia pieces look good to me.  Regarding your previous question concerning the apparent gap between the finish planking and the stern post, I had the same issue on my build and just inserted a strlp of pear to fill the area.  You can see it clearly on the photo below.
 

Finally closed!   Took a bit longer then expected because I was quite sick last week with a flu and fever, but feeling good now so I could do the last planks.
I used some 1mm pear that I had lying around, because I had run out of the lime wood. Not because Chris didn't supply enough, but because I redid such large areas.
This gave me the change to get a bit familiar with pear wood and how it behaves, so maybe that gives me a bit of an advantage for the final layer.
I couldn't get the first layer exactly as I wanted, without mistakes and knowing exactly what I did, but I have learned a lot!
So hoping that I learned enough to get a decent second layer that I could be happy about and leave it unpainted. Otherwise there is always the option to paint 
it white if it's not too great  
 
Now first some sanding and filling here and there to get a nice smooth base for the second layer.
 
 

First band at starboard side filled...gave it a light sand with a coarse grit paper...nothing close to finishing, but only the rough spots cleaned up.
Now further with port side.  
 

Combination of heat and a plank bender from Amati. You can use ofcourse also water and soak the plank first. 
Most important is that you use a plank that is longer then the finisht one. So overextending with a few centimeters/inch will make the bending process
much easier. (same as for edge bending)
And patience....so take your time to get the curve you need....it doesn't have to be in one bend, but a bit further everytime. Otherwise it will just split.
And a bit of CA glue at the tip will hold the plank down. Rest of the plank just PVA.
 
Thanks everyone for the likes! Much appreciated  

First three untapered strakes...gave them a light sand afterwards. When I was working on the bottom one, I noticed that the fairing of the stern was insufficient. It's one of the more difficult corners in my experience and was a bit conservative there with the previous fairing proces. So I spended quite some time yesterday afternoon to really get an idea how the stern needed to be shaped to have a nice flow in planking. Studying Chuck's build log of the Winchelsea and some contemporary models gave me a good impression how the end result should look like. So I spended quite some time sanding the stern piece...to I believe it's final shape. We shall see when planking proceeds...
 
Now it's time for lining off the hull  
 

I think I reached the point that the hull has her final shape after fairing. It's for me a bit of a uncertain point...because you always think...is this enough, is this her shape?
Did I sanded too much or too little...and reading through other build logs, I'm not the only one experiencing these thought in his building process. But there comes a point
in which you say....I think this is it   I found it a enjoyable process to see her lines slowly emerge out of the rough shape.
 
So after a lot of sanding, producing a big heap of sanding paper this is the result, and i'm looking forward to the next stage  
 

 

 

 

 
 

Gun Ports, And A Piece That Just Didn't Fit Right

These little pieces get glued vertically to define the sides of the gun ports, like this.



Then thin plywood strips get painted red and glued to the insides of the gunwales. (Test fit before painting shown.) The fit was perfect, but after I had attached everything I discovered a gap between the gunwales and the horizontal notched strip.

And so, deconstruction. I removed the notched strip  and found that the gunwale pieces matched the notches in the MDF frames perfectly. I have no idea how the notched strip ended up so high, and on both sides. But I glued it back in the correct position. I also stained and attached the second deck with laser-marked planking.

The next step is to pre-soak thin ply panels for the outer gunwales. Before I glued these I discovered another gap between them and that same notched strip. There wasn't enough material on the MDF frames to fair the hull any more, so I filled the gaps with 1/16" square strips. It looks like this will all be covered with another deck and rails later.
 
So future Sphinx builders, keep an eye on that notched strip. Consider attaching the inner gunwale pieces first to make sure that strip sits right on top.