Jack Panzeca

Hi Nigel,
 
Thank you for looking in and all the kind words.  I was amazed how much difference the nails made as well.
 
I actually first bought the Amati kit and upgraded before I started.  The Billing Boats kit was larger and the only kit out there with the scrollwork provided.  The thing that I like the least is the large amount of plywood used and all the exposed ends.  I had committed to covering these early on.  Adding bulkheads to get the deck planking the right proportion was not something I planned on but with the urging of Von_Kossa I am really glad that I did it.  When I purchased the kit I liked that it had wooden shields but they are really sad so replacement was a given, again the inspiration came from Von_Kossa.  I was spending a lot of time wishing that I had cut all the hull planks from oak but now that the nails are there that is no longer a problem..
 
Thanks again for dropping by.

Time for another update.
 
The kit makes no mention of the iron nails that hold the overlapping planks together.  I felt that the ship would really be incomplete without them so I decided to spend a few weeks and do it.
 

 
The nails are about 200 mm apart on the Oseberg but do show some randomness.  That scales out to 8 mm.  I did a couple of test planks 1 at 8 mm and 1 at 16 mm.  I was hoping that the 16 mm spacing would look great and save me about 700 nails.  Oh well, no luck.  I did widen the spacing to 10 mm.
 
 
 
I bought the smallest brass nails that I could find and blackened them using the method sited in various places on MSW but I specifically read it in Augie"s Confederacy log (great log by the way!).  I marked the holes with dividers and patiently drilled the 720, ½ mm holes.  It took over a week to mark and drill and insert all those nails.  I broke several bits in the process.  I forgot to mention that this is only the port side.  
 

 
I will place a drop of CA at the base of the nail forest and cut them off before I glue the deck in place.
 

 
I decided to go ahead and stain after the holes were drilled and before the nails were inserted.  I spent some time cleaning up the glue that was left where the planks overlapped so the stain would go on evenly.  I had cleaned up carefully when the planks were glued but the best laid plans...
 

 
I still have some touch up to do on the stain and I will add the wipe on poly at the very end.  I have taken a couple of days off to decompress after the first half and it is back to work tomorrow.
 

Hi Vivian,
Thanks for checking in.  I agree with you about the lines of the ship.  It is very beautiful and a lot of fun to build.  The Oseberg was a burial ship and was found with a decorated sleigh, four wheeled cart, wooden chest, a bucket and other things.  With your skill as a miniature furniture builder you should have a great time and create a very unusual model.  Thanks for all the kind words.
 
Hello Dee Dee,
The problem solving is my favorite part.  It has gotten easier since joining this forum.  The experience and information available here makes everything easier.  I stacked the deck planks port to starboard, by row, wrapped with a rubber band and labeled.  That does not mean that it won't be a jigsaw puzzle when the time comes to finally assemble.  One row has already come loose and scattered in the bottom of the storage  tub.
 
Hi Matti,
Thanks for checking in and the gracious words.  The oak additions have worked out so nicely that it makes me wish that I had recut the entire hull from oak.  Too late now.
 
Thanks all for the "likes".

Next up is the mast foot, partner and the planking around them.  The planks are 1/16 inch thick. The 2 rows adjacent to the mast are slightly curved so I reduced the thickness to 1 / 32 inch to make them easier to bend.  The planks are about 1 ½ inches long.   I soaked them in water and wrapped  them around a mailing tube end and let them dry and cut to length.
 

 
The kit version of the mast foot and partner were both plywood and were replaced with oak.  The partner is made of oak about ⅛ thick.  It mounts on a curve and ties into the bulkhead.  The kit version has it tying into the hull and adds knees on top to make it look like the bulkhead existed.  Since I added the extra bulkheads I did not need to do this.  Then I added the ledge under the partner to hold the planks.  Since the bent planks are thinner I raised the ledge on the far side to bring them up flush.
 

 
Here are the curved planks with one row of flat laid in loose.  I will bag them and keep them with the others until I am ready to install permanently.  They really fit together well but keeping them in place long enough to take a picture was maddening.   
 

 
I think that I will work on shields for a while to give myself time to think about nailing the hull planking.     One of the reasons I am not gluing the planks yet is in case I decide to nail access may be helpful.  The nails were round headed iron rivets.  in some pictures square washers can be seen in a few places.
 

When the idea of the bow and stern storage (?) compartments came up I thought that I would cut out a bit of the bulkhead and add an oak strip at the top. It would match the other bulkheads and would act as the top of the compartment.  It soon became obvious that this solution would be less than attractive so I cut the bulkhead away at the level of the deck.
 

 
I made a templet from cardboard and cut several attempts from oak with a scroll saw.  Remember that I am the one that likes oak.  It is hard wood and a pain to work with in these small pieces.  The second photo is a partial pile of the throwaways.
 

 
I finally got two that I like.  
 

 
The planking is cut and laid in loosely, some of it still needs a little work.
 

 
Next is the mast foot and the associated bits and then finish the planking for keeps.  

I finished cutting the easy planking, the tapered pieces at the sides and each end as well as the bent pieces at the mast foot are next.  The planks are just placed loosely and since they were cut and sanded specific to each space I will take them out and bundle them up until I am ready to glue them in place. I jumbled them up once already and it is like putting together a jig saw puzzle to get them back where they belong.
 

 
But first I thought I should get Von_Kossa's latest challenge out of the way.  The actual Oseberg (photo from Von_Kossa's build log) has an open compartment at each end of the ship that is not accounted for by the kit.  Those spaces get really crowded so I want to do the cutting before I finish framing.
 

 

 
Von_Kossa said that when he started to do the cutout he felt like he was destroying his model.  When I was doing it I actually did pop the top two planks loose.  Oh well, more room for my hands.  No real harm, they will glue back easily.  Better to find the weakness now than later.
 
Here are the latest stain tests.  I took all four photos at the same time with the same light and the same camera.   The color temperature was matched so the comparison will be accurate.  The wood is domestic Red Oak.
 

 
The choice is not easy.  I think I will pin up the board and stare at it a while.  Comments welcome.

The first thing that I have to say is that Santa showed up at my house (he got his dates confused) and left a new saw.  The Byrne's saw is not a saw.  It is a Work of Art.  I was in the construction business for more than 40 years and around cutting devices for longer than that.  Nothing in my experience prepared me for this saw.  Things that I have struggled with (long rips for starters) are now routine.  My previous saw was an old Micro Mark/Proxxon and there is no comparison.  In case I was not clear I love this saw.
 
I cut the the caps for the bulkheads, bent them and glued them into place.  The curves are difficult to hold and needed some creative clamping.  The wine corks came in handy and the wine was handy too.
 

 
I ripped about half the planks and cut them to length in record time they laid in nicely.  Since it is not a good idea to use power tools when you are tired I will leave the rest of the deck planking for another day.   
 

Hello Hans Christian,  Thanks for the links.  It is nice to see the reconstruction.  You should consider starting a build log so that we can follow your progress.  Thanks again.
 
Hi Dee-Dee, thanks for the encouragement.  Santa did arrive!  The Byrnes saw is truly incredible.  If you have any photography questions please let me know.
 
Hello Vivian, I hope that you are well.  Thanks for looking in.  I am setting up the stain tests on a piece of foam core so that I can keep track of the results.  I love the moth as well.  Mother nature went to all that trouble and they only live a week or so.
 
Hey David B,  thanks, I have had a lot more practice with photography.
 
Hi Pete, thanks for looking in.  I have more stain tests to come but I really like the aged oak at this point.
 

 

Hi David B,  the Driftwood is on the way, thanks for the recommendation.  I am sitting around like a kid waiting for Santa Byrnes to arrive.  I plan to spend the entire weekend making saw dust.
 
Thanks Vivian, I like the Aged Oak very much as well.  David B suggested Minwax Driftwood so I will test that also and put them side by side and you get to judge again.
 
I am happy that you both liked the images.  It was really fun to get outdoors and play before it gets really hot here.
 
Here are a couple of close ups of the Atlas Moth posted above.  It is a facinating insect.  They are about 9 inches wide and the wing tips really do look like snake heads.  Incredible evolutionary adaption.
 

I have been slow to post lately for two reasons.  First, it is spring and I have been out chasing bugs and flowers.
 

 
The second reason is that I have been stalling.  I have a lot of oak to cut and since my Admiral was kind enough to order a Byrnes saw for my fathers day "surprise" I have waited rather than struggle with my old saw.  The Byrnes will arrive tomorrow so the updates should increase.
 
I have finished the added bulkheads and the planking supports attached to the bulkheads.  The next step is a day of steaming and bending of the oak caps for the bulkheads and the deck planks.
 
 
 
This is a quick stain test using Minwax Gel Stain color Aged Oak.  I have been looking for a stain that would not be as dark as the ship after it was buried for 1000 years (walnut) but not as new looking as, say, golden oak.  I ran into a sample of this aged oak at a local store and decided to give it a try.  I hope that this gets the Vivian seal of approval   .
 
The plank set on the left has ebony stain on one side to simulate caulking, the center group has nothing and the right group has black Sharpie on one side.  I am not sure that it makes much difference.  The Sharpie was easier to control than the stain.  Pencil did not show up at all.
 
The piece at the bottom of the picture is the same plywood as used for the hull planks.  It matched better than I expected.
 
 

Here is a small update on the added bulkheads.  They really do look nicer than the spacing provided by the kit.  I traced one of the ends of the plywood kit bulkheads and and cut a cardboard template.
 

 
Then I transferred the shape to a stack of 3 or 4 pieces of basswood and cut them out on a scroll saw.  After they were separated I would measure the space where each one was to live and cut the tails appropriately.
 

 
Since all they support are the planks, for the center of the bulkhead I just glued in a piece of basswood wide enough to stick out on either side of the oak strip.
 

 

 
All of the extra bulkheads are cut but I still have a lot of oak to bend and a whole lot of planks to cut and sand.  
 
I will do a mock up to see how caulking looks.  Surely the Vikings had something they used for waterproofing.
 
 

Ha, you caught me.  I was going to try to avoid doing them.  Oh well, no getting away from them now.  
 
Here is a look at a rough cut of two of the additional bulkheads.  I had a piece of red oak the correct thickness.  I obviously like oak and have a fair assortment on hand.  I traced the laser cut out left over from the kit bulkheads and I need to adjust the height to account for the fact that if I use the oak I will not need to add the oak strip as was done on the plywood bulkheads.
 
I will have to study this a little since the strip turns up and the grain continues up as well.  With the new ones the curve cuts across the grain.  The difference in the look is pretty obvious.  I can always cut them out of junk wood and add the strip.
 
 

I started on the deck.  The planks fit between the bulkheads. The Oseberg was made primarily of oak so along with the rest of  the modifications the planks will be made of red oak.  The top of the bulkheads are exposed plywood ends.  The kit has fewer bulkheads than the ship so the planks are longer than the real thing.
 
I had a false start with the bulkhead strip.  The planks are 1/6 in thick so I thought I could use three layers of the oak veneer that I used on the keel.  (3 layers plus the thickness of the glue was pretty close to the thickness of the oak planks.)
 

 
The veneer bent around the curves easily but was so brittle that I could not get it to hold a sharp edge on the long side.  It looked a little sloppy where the planks butted up to the strip.  I decided to rip 3/16 inch pieces of the planking material to use as the strips.  Soaking the oak was not enough to get it to bend to the curve of the bulkheads without breaking so I went to the steam rig.
 

 
15 or 20 minutes was enough and rather than build a form I just pulled them out of the steamer one at a time and pressed them into the curve using a bit of an old packing tube and clamped them into place until they set.  Even with the steam, trying to bend the strips with my fingers, it was difficult not to crack the wood but the tube made it easy.  Clamping required a little creativeity. 
 

 
Next was to add a frame to hold the planks at the same level as the top of the bulkhead.
 

 
I will probably face that small bit of visible plywood where the bulkhead turns up with oak veneer.  I say probably because I have not tried it yet and do not know if it will work.  Stain may work as well.
 

 
There is still a ton of work to do on the deck and mast foot.  Updates as they happen.  Thanks for looking.
 

 
Thanks to all for the "Likes".

Hi Bindy, it is good to hear from you.  Thanks for looking at my photography, very happy that you liked it.  When I get around to updating the website I will let you know.  I hope that you are well and look forward to your return, we miss that permanent good attitude of yours.
 
This was made in the Florida Everglades a couple of years ago.
 
 

Hi Pete, welcome to the build.  The scrollwork is part of the kit.  It does take a little adjustment to make it work.  It is in fact the reason I chose this kit.  It is also a large scale, nearly 35 inches stem to stern.  I started the build with changes in mind and they have worked out pretty well so far.  
 
Hello Don, welcome as well.  The Billing Boats kit was the only one I found with scroll work of any kind.  I knew that I was not ready to try that on my own.  One thought is that you could print the pictures of the scrollwork from my log to scale for yours and use them as a pattern.  If you need any additional views I will be happy to take the photos.
 
Von_Kossa has a wonderful build log on MSW as well  Oseberg Von_Kossa    I have learned a lot from his experience.  

Hi David B,
Thanks for following.  I feels great to be working on the build again.  I did hang out in the shipyard while my hand was mending but it was only wishful thinking.  When I retired I moved my office to the shipyard so I am always around the smell of sawdust.  If you want a larger file of the Sedona picture just let me know.  Check out www.27birds.com for more photos.  I have not updated it in years but it will give you an idea of my other hobby.  Someday soon I will add the new stuff.
 
Hi Keith W,
Thanks for checking in.  Good suggestion, it would look more like the original.
 
And thanks to all for the likes.
 
Here are some test pics.  The first 2 show the end as it is now.  I made pieces from scrap of the same material.  I sanded the edges round and used a walnut stain on one and a medium oak on the other.  We had discussion earlier about staining the ship dark like the museum original or a lighter color more like the ships when new.  The walnut definitely hides the plywood ends better.  Personally I like the look of the lighter stain but the walnut may be more practical.  David B was this the test you had in mind?
 
My choices seem to be to leave the scrolls flat and cover them with veneer (not as easy as it sounds on that tight curve) or sanding the edges round and staining.  I could not get the veneer to curve around the scroll and then bend over the rounded edges.  Carving any scrollwork that the sanding erases should be achievable since it is very basic. 
 

Well I finally got the use of my right hand back.  It took three weeks when I optimistically thought it would be one week.  The little finger is still a long way from straight but it at least it is no longer (to paraphrase Bindy) stuck out like a poser drinking tea.  I feel a little lame whining about my little finger while Vivian is still in serious dry dock.
 
I finished cutting out the gunwales and placing them.  It took a few tries.  The oak really is a nice improvement.  I also completed the oak veneer on the keel between the scrollwork.
 

 
The next step before I start on the inside is the keel edge.  It is plywood with the scrollwork and oak veneer applied.  I could sand it and stain it but I think it will still be ugly.  If I stain it a relatively light oak it will be hard to hide the layers.I have been thinking of covering it with oak veneer.
 

 
The Oseberg scrolls at the top of the stem and stern look rounded so that presents a problem wrapping all the way around.  I will try dry fitting as many options as I can think of and decide which way to go.  Suggestions always welcome.
 

 

Thanks David B.  I will be away from the shipyard for a week or so on a consulting gig.  See everyone when I get back.
 
Thanks for the "Likes" Aussie048, Kapitenhadock, Senior ole salt, WackoWolf and any that I have missed.

After a day of indecision when I woke up this morning I realized I had to cut the new planks.  I removed the plywood planks and used them as the pattern for the new oak planks.  I used 1/6th inch thick red oak to cut out the pattern with a scroll saw.  I cut them a little oversize since the originals did not fit as well as they should.  After dry fitting I did a little final shaping with a 1 inch belt sander.  Finished them off with a couple of passes through the thickness sander.
 

 
Making them a little wider really helped to place them a little higher and get them level without leaving a lot of bulkhead to cut off.
 

 
Hopefully they will tie in nicely with the oak deck planks.
 
 

I stripped off the back layer of the inside piece of scrollwork with a scalpel blade so that it would lay flat with the rest of the scrollwork.
 
  
 
There is a spacer at the top of the scrollwork where it pinches together.  It is sanded down and glued to the top of the structure.  There is also a small spacer needed where the scrollwork meets.
 

 
Another small piece cut to fit at the bottom of the scroll.  Also, a full hull length spacer at the top of the hull planking to give the last two vertical planks a place to land.  Obechi was specified but it would not take the bend without cracking so I used basswood.   I soaked it and bent it with a curling iron.
 

 
Added the last two vertical planks.
 

Please let me know if this is what you are looking for.  
 
One problem I had was keeping the glue off of the outside surface where the planks overlapped.  I applied the glue with a toothpick but when I clamped the planks out came the glue.  I wiped it off immediately but I am still left with some sanding.
 

The last couple of days have been spent figureing out what comes next.   There are plywood strips glued to the keel all the way up the curves of the bow and stern to give a way to form the curve of the planking.  Once the planking is in place the strips on each side have to be removed to allow the scrollwork to to be installed.  The instructions (what little there are) don't mention it.  I learned it from Von_Kossa build log and it makes the entire scroolwork installation look and work better.  I used alcohol to soften the glue and they popped right off.  
 
Next is the dry fit of the scroolwork.  The scrollwork ties together with the last two planks at both ends.  The top of the bulkheads where the last two planks go need a little more fairing.  
 
It took me a while to figure it all out but with the help of coach Von_Kossa's log I am ready to glue for keeps tomorrow.
 
 

I finished the lower part of the hull but had a little false start.  On my first plank of the day I got the distance between the overlap of two planks about 2 mm too close and I did not notice until 3 planks later.  I have always used water to loosen PVA glue but I heard alcohol mentioned on MSW and it sure works faster than water.  Thanks for the tip.  
 
I sure do like the lines of this ship.  The Vikings must have been a tough bunch-crossing the ocean in an open boat. 
 

Hi Bindy,  Thanks,  The planking so far has been uneventful.  The planks are laser cut plywood (hard to fabricate on my own) so I did a quick dry fit of the last few planks to make sure that I did not run out of bulkhead before I ran out planks or vice versa.  They fell in place nicely.  

 
Hello Von_Kossa,  I don't normally work so fast.  I little bit of life caught up with me this weekend and I got very little time with my toys.  Hopefully I will have more time this week.
 
Thank you both for looking in.

Greetings Everyone,
 
This is my first build log and I missed the ritual box opening.  I was already putting things together before I realized I should have photographed it first.  The plans and directions are pretty sparse but it is a fairly straight forward ship.  The keel had a slight bow in it but I used a little warm water and bent it a little past straight and it dried nice and flat.  This is the kit version with the plywood scrollwork and shields.  The keel and bulk heads leave a lot of exposed plywood edges and my plan is to cover them with oak veneer.  The deck planking is Obechi which is soft, brittle and in my eye a little ugly.  I have already ripped a few oak planks and they should work fine. 
 
I am happy to be here and doing this.  More soon.