KenW
-
Posts
1,201 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Events
Everything posted by KenW
-
Thanks Kenny, Gary and Alistair. And Gary is right - I am really making the model for myself. I also appreciate the advice from Alistair. I definitely have some ideas on how to improve on my workmanship on my next model. For now, I will not paint. -
I drilled the treenails with a #74 bit in a hand drill, not an electric one. I then used "Plastic Wood". The plastic wood hardened pretty quickly and I then sanded the holes. I've never used 'putty'. I didn't like the basswood cannon parts. My last model came with walnut carriages and trucks; much better.
-
Thanks russ. I'll keep that in mind when I get to my next model. The planking on this model is much better than on my previous model. Cheers.
-
I completed planking the lower hull. It has been roughly sanded and wiped with a tack cloth. More sanding is necessary. I’m not really pleased with my workmanship and am tempted to paint the lower hull. My son insists that I leave the way it is; he thinks that it looks good and you can tell that it is really a wooden model. I am still undecided. I guess if I decide not to paint I will have to do the tree nailing. I think my problems started with the fairing of the hull. I have to be more conscious of the shape of the hull. It is not just that the frames are altered for the planks, but the entire shape of the hull is being determined. Also, I didn’t do any spiling. That may have caused gaps between planks. If I spile my next model, what size planks do I need? Will ½ inch be sufficient?
- 455 replies
-
- 4
-
-
- fair american
- model shipways
- (and 1 more)
-
First, your pay has just doubled. Next, are you going to paint the lower bulwark planking? I am still undecided. Cheers.
-
Hey Gary: I still plan to hold off on the lifeboat. I don't know if I can carve one; my skills need some work. I agree that the poop deck looks naked, but there will be the boom for the gaff sail there and some rigging eventually. Again, I can change my mind later. It seems that it will be possible to add one in the future if I want. For now, I am sanding the lower hull planking before going on a 4-5 day trip. The weather here has been nice for the last two days, but they say that more cold will come tomorrow. Bring on Spring!
-
Gary: About the sky light - I was thinking that the captain has four windows in the stern, two more windows through the 'quarter badges', and two gun ports that don't have guns in them but can be opened. Also, the sliding top to the cabin door can be pushed back, weather permitting. It's not like he's living in a cave. What do you think?
-
Hi Gary. As to the treenails - I used a #74 drill to make the holes and "Pine" plastic wood. You could also use "Honey Oak". I agree that the Fair American would have a long boat. It would have been lashed to the 'gallows' during sailing. However, I don't feel confident in my ability to create a long boat from scratch. I may change my mind - But, I intend to build Chuck Pissaro's Syren model next. That kit comes with a long boat and I may learn enough from that build to then attempt to build a long boat for my Fair American. My intention for my model is to show the ship as if it was in harbor. The long boat would be in the water tied by the steps or trailing from the stern. (Or ashore with the captain.) I haven't yet thought about a skylight. I will think it over. Keep me informed.
- 455 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- fair american
- model shipways
- (and 1 more)
-
Well, I am also retired. However, my wife now considers my time, her time. I get a lot of interruptions. It looks like the storm here in Brooklyn may just fizzle out. They now say it will head south of us ( toward your area). I always enjoy the photos. Cheers.
-
Gary - I don't know what color would be period correct. I thought white looked better, but went with the color of the Rodger's model. No other reason. I’m still working on planking the lower hull. But my method requires a lot of time for planks to soak and dry in place, and then for the glue to dry. So I have to find something else to do while I’m waiting. Recently, one of the entries to CaryKap’s blog, (wq3296, I think), pointed out that the door to the captain’s quarters was only 3 feet high according to the scale of the model. I can’t imagine a captain stooping that low. Since I’m still in the process of building the ship, I didn’t want to engage in an extensive renovation. I thought the best/easiest solution was to use a sliding top over the cabin door. While doing research I found a drawing of an 1818 American revenue cutter with a sliding entrance to the rear cabin. That was enough for me to decide that my solution was “period correct”. I still need to add the tree nails, but the sliding top looks good to me.
- 455 replies
-
- 5
-
-
- fair american
- model shipways
- (and 1 more)
-
Your ship looks great! Almost done. Where did you get your flags; and what source did you use to determine which flags to use. Thanks.
-
Hey Gary - The problem is that we are building a model based on a model. That is probably a unique situation. I think you could go with either red or green and still probably be correct. Also, I intended to go with more white on the stern, but decided I would go with the gold of the Rodger's model. I still like the white better. But ...
-
I visited the USS Constitution a few years ago. As you can see, the bulwarks were painted green and the gun carriages were red. Hope this helps.
- 206 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- fair american
- model shipways
- (and 1 more)
-
Thanks Kenny; and Alistair as well for the kind words. Cheers.
-
I definitely need to make my plank joints tighter. The problem with the pencil doesn't show up that well in the photos. Thanks for the encouragement, though. I will keep sanding and hope for the best. That paint can is always there. Cheers.
-
I’ve added 8 strakes to the lower hull, which I thought was half way. It turns out there will be 10 strakes needed to complete the job. I did some sanding and I’m not totally pleased with the results. I don’t like what the pencil lines do to the holly strips. Sometimes they get a shade darker and the glue, if I apply a little too much, runs. Sanding does not seem to completely restore that nice white color. I am careful so that no water touches the planks once they have been shaped and dried. I re-measured each bulkhead and applied a new tape at the top of the un-planked section. I think the ‘line of the planks’ looks good. That is encouraging. But, I will probably use at least one coat of paint to cover up my mistakes at the bow and stern; some plastic wood is going to be needed. The kit supplied white paint is almost the exact color of the holly. My craftsmanship is better than on my first model, but still needs to improve.
- 455 replies
-
- 3
-
-
- fair american
- model shipways
- (and 1 more)
-
Great job planking. The hull looks great.
-
I think your planking looks excellent. Much better than mine. I haven't ruled out painting yet. I don't like using the pencil to simulate caulking. I am still not able to control it and it gets into the glue and makes a mess. Most of the mess will sand itself out, but not all of it. My plan is the stop working from the wales up (the boat is upside-down) when I get to the half-way point. Then re-measure and work from the keel down. (The garboard strake is glued on.) Advise is always welcome. Cheers.
-
Your planking looks great! I want to compare mine when I am up to 9 strakes. I can only hope it looks as well. Great work.
-
Thanks Russ and Alistair. I don't have the wood on hand to make a new keel, stem and stern. I will just have to see what the contrast in colors looks like. There is always paint or stain (used sparingly). I think the problem at the bow won't be too bad once sanding has been done. Cheers.
-
Thanks Russ. I see the dip at bulkhead #14 and there does seem to be a problem at the bow. I also see that where the planks end at the stern there is a problem. I might put a thin molding there. Another problem will be that the keel, stem and stern posts are basswood while the planking is holly. The color isn't the same and I'm open to suggestions on that. Anyway, back to the shipyard. There is so much snow outside that I can't think of any reason to venture out.
-
Here are photos showing the status of my planking of the lower hull. I think it is going well; but I am still not sure that I can ‘see’ the line of the planks. The planking seems to rise a little at bulkhead #8. So far I haven’t had to spile any planks. I find I can soak the holly for a couple of hours and then clamp the plank in place to let it dry. Once dried, I hardly need to use the clamps when gluing. And some of the planks look spiled. The disadvantage is there is a lot of wait time. I hope I can get some feedback about that ’line of planks’. Would a photo from a better angle be helpful?
- 455 replies
-
- 4
-
-
- fair american
- model shipways
- (and 1 more)
-
This will indeed be interesting. We both are planking the lower hull at the same time so I hope progress reports will be made often. I have 3 strakes completed on the starboard side and two on the port. It looks good so far, but I feel that it will get more interesting as I get closer to the half way point. Keep the posts coming.
-
Thanks russ and rafine. I had a problem when measuring the distance along each frame and dividing that distance by the same number of planks. When I stretched a thin tape along the middle plank line, the tape looked like a 'V'. So now I have a tape placed on the frames starting at the middle of bulkhead 15 and ending at the middle of bulkhead 2. That looks right to me. Then as I add a row of planks (I have only added two so far), I look again to see how the new row looks. I can only hope it turns out all right. The problem I see coming soon, is that there are 8 rows to the middle of bulkheads 15 and 2, but at bulkhead 8 there will need to be 9 to arrive at the middle according to the tape. I know this sounds confusing when trying to explain. But, if I mess it up there is always paint.
- 455 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- fair american
- model shipways
- (and 1 more)
-
I like that method of holding the hull while planking. I'm always afraid of breaking off that top of the stem post that holds the figurehead. Even with the head rails I worry. Keep us all posted on your progress.
Our Emblem ®
