newbee

I apologise for the delay in adding to this post. The main reason for needing the break from the build was being stuck planking the forward bulkhead and the bulkhead aft of the main deck. Several attempts later and I still haven't achieved what I want. I had decided that I need to build them up off the build and then glue them in the right position afterwards. I will keep trying and once I am happy with these I will finnish off the stern and begin the 2nd planking. I am disappointed with my progress as, on the 1st attempt I was fairly happy with the results but not so concerned about having the correct numbet or positioning of the planks. Aiming to have this figured out ovet the weekend and will post photos of the progress then.

I have ordered more balsa wood to use as filler blocks for the stern section. Unfortunately I have no decent sized blocks left. In the meantime I will get back to the Golden Hind and a little more sandinng in between. Just a photo to compare the difference between the two. Thanks for all the comments and likes so far.

Many thanks David. There seems to be a lot of us. Mind you it's a good name. Really happy for your comment especially after the job you've made of yours. I was really happy with my builds of the golden hind and san fran II. But they look nothing like your HMS Diana. I'm almost sorry I won't achieve that standard but I intend this one to look good all the same. You're right it is a project and a half.

Thanjs again. As long as I am able to do a decent job on the stern the entire hull will be sanded down to pretty much the 1st planking. This will give me almost a blank canvas to work on. I may even have a go at removing the beams above the gun deck so allow space to redo the deck. Sanding down will be really difficult with beams in place never mind filling the gaps and redoing the deck with 0.5mm strips. I will see how much /little damage occurs when the time comes.

Thanks for your faith in me Jack. It may just be paying off but I daren't count my eggs too soon. There is still a fair bit of shaping to do. I will need to go a couple of planks at a time and sand down the frames as I go. The spaces below the decks and between the frames will look awful but at least they are hidden by the planking. The frames from 14 to 17 on both sides are now pretty much ready to start re planking. I have formed a lip roughly along the middle of frame 14 for the 2 X 5 mm strips to fit into. I am really hoping this works. Normally I find that if things are going too smoothly a major problem comes up unexpectedly.

I am afraid you're right Jack. Nothing is impossible though. After trying more sanding down I realised that it wasn't working. The only thing I could do now was strip away the planking. I was worried about not doing the right thing so decided only to do the starboard side just in case it was a major mistake. It turns out, I think, it is possible to rectify the issue. If I am correct, the only problem will be the run of the planks will not match what's already been done. This will be covered over by the 0.5mm I was planning to cover the hull with after it was sanded down. If my plan works it means I won't need to spend 60 pounds or more on extra strips of timber. The main problem with the original build was the last few frames were not bevelled enough. I intend to bevel these further and add some extra timber to the stern bulkhead and taper this to a point where the planking will go across the stern.

I should have mentioned also that the shape of the stern planking below the stern gallery counter and the base of frame 17, stern bulkhead are wrong along with the hull planking beneath. It seems that the hull was changed as the planks behind the qurter galleries were planked seperately. I will need to remove the black strips as well to see if anything behind them needs work. In the mean time I have started sanding down the starboard stern half of the hull and been able to remove a bulge over the edge of frame 14 which just exposes a patch of the 1st planking.I have used a piece of masking tape to roughly show where the planking should really line up on the false keel. It looks like I could have a major job on my hands with this section.

Many thanks for the comments. Il have grown a little in confidence of model making over the last couple of years. I never thought I would think of cutting a false keel up to add extensions until earlier this year. I am now really hoping a little knowledge doesn't prove too dangerous. As for cost I picked this up for 20% of the cheapest new kit of the ship. Something that seems to be approaching my catch phrase is it's only pieces of wood so can always be repaired or replaced. All be it with varying levels of difficulty. One thing I have picked up on is there's no filler blocks at the bow or stern. This means I will need to be extra careful with the sanding here. Even then, as I will be adding an extra layer of planking I do have a plan B but it's really a last resort. The main thing to get rid of is the ridge along and up the keel fore and aft. Once everything is smooth I will check the lay of the planks and then see what I will need to do next.

Thank you for your comments. You are right Keith. She is a sad looking ship right now. I'm guessing she ended up on a garage shelf for the last few years. The only thing I know is the kit was bought in 2010. Chris, I think you are correct with the use of the flexible beechwood. They are mentioned in the instructions. They are something I haven't encountered before so I really hope there aren't too many of them. I have the instruction manual and the parts list booklet. There are also 6 full size drawings although not quite precise. The deck plans seem a couple of millimeters out. Not really a problem though. I have already checked out a few of the build logs which feels like a double edged sword. Although the quality of the builds are amazing and the detailing is something else. They also make me realise my limitations. I am hoping to get her looking good but not to outstanding standards of the experts here. When I get started in earnest, I will fill in all the low spots in the hull before sanding it down to a smooth finish. Unfortunately I have no idea how well (or badly) the first planking was done so will need to watch out for any thinning. The hull will then be re planked with 0.5mm strips and the wale with either 1.5 or 2mm strips. I am planning to use the copper plating supplied which I have never attempted before. The stern plate will be planked with 0.5 mm strips to ensure a smooth finish before it's painted. The quarter galleries will have to be remade from scratch.

Apologies for the delay in getting back to this build log. I needed to take a break for a few weeks to hopefully approach the build with a clear mind and fresh eyes. I thought after I went to a model show last weekend I would get back to work on her. However, on Saturday I aquired this and until now have spent time figuring out what needs to be done to get her ship shape so to speak. From a distance she doesn't look too bad however, there is a lot to do. I have started another build log on this but won't be updating it until I'm much further into this post. Otherwise it will never get finished. I will be back with an update on the Golden Hind by Sunday I hope.

A lot of the parts fitted were still rough cut and there were a lot of glue blobs and splashes. The beams below the main decks I decided to leave in place as I would cause too much damage removing them. I started getting carried away by starting to sand down both decks but realised I have plenty of time to do this once my current build is done. I have also drilled out the hole for the bowsprit. I only discovered it hadn't been done when I removed the head timbers. These were mounted too high, I suspect, because the cross timbers hadn't been sanded flush to the head timber so it wouldn't fit in the right position. I have aquired quite a few storage trays over the years so, as I remove the pieces, I can keep them in related compartments until I start the rebuild properly. I have now also removed the quarter galleries and the stern plate with all the windows and fittings. I will need to have a consistant colour for everything, so I will be ordering everything I will need in one go including the admiralty paints, I hope. Once I need another break from the Golden Hind I will begin sanding down the hull. For now I will leave this post as it is, but, will add updates as and when things progress. Meanwhile I really need to get the Golden Hind done.

As you can see there is a lot to be done. I have made a start to figure out when and how to really get stuck into this, though it won't get properly started until I have at least got the hull finnished on my Golden Hind. I was planning on getting back to her this week but, this came up on Saturday and I asked at the bring and buy section to have a look and it was only then that I knew which ship she was. Not quite the 50 gun frigate I attempted to scratch build a few years ago but 38 out of 50 isn't too bad. ( I really wish I had kept what I had built now). The next day I just had to see what work was needed. With hind sight I should have looked much closer but I'm not sure it would have mattered as I pretty much had my heart set on her, after 4 looks from a distance. One thing led to another and I removed the head timbers, They were mounted at the top of the fore deck. I then removed the fittings from the upper deck, and the deck itself, which was held in place by the inner planking which I ended up also having to remove. Although the deck planking didn't look too bad, after brushing off all the dust I realised that each of the strakes were 1mm apart but perfectly done? Much harder to achieve than butting them side by side I think. Anyhow, the fitting were then removed from the gun deck again along with the cannons, They were all glued inboard away from the ports. Some of the gratings need work but others can be refitted once I redo the planking. Luckily whoever started building this kit was methodical and ticked off the parts he had used and the rest are still on the formers. There is a lot of timber and all the odds and ends that will be needed to finnish her off are in the box. The only thing missing seems to be the majority of the rigging thread which I would probably have replaced anyway. One down side is the cannon barrels with the football on the ends. I will need to replace most of these. ay least on the visible ones.

Firstly I would like help with the title for this log as I have bought the model with the hull. at first glance looking almost finnished. How wrong I was. I have taken time out from my Golden Hind build so as to clear my head and look at starting again with a fresh mind and set of eyes. Then, at the Southern model show I saw this.

Of course this still needs to be finally sanded but I now have the basic shape. I now need to progress to the the upper portion to the poop deck. Once I am happy with that I need to work on the stern piece of the keel. I will also finish the bulkhead planking Which I have had to restart.

Starting on the stern, the first thing I discovered was, the stern gallery deck is too low down. Although it looked ok at the beginning of the build. This in turn means that the stern chaser gun ports are also too low as well as the tiller opening between them. This now means I am unable to have the gun ports open, however, I am not too disappointed as I can correctly shape the stern and have the curve below the gallery. The stern post and rudder will now also need to be 5mm longer. I am hoping they will still look ok in the end. I measured where the stern gallery needs to be. I pinned a strip of 2mmX4mm wood along each side and then ran another strip linking them across the stern. This gave me the guide to cut away the section of the hull to the correct height. I then pinned a strip of wood below the bottom edge of the gallery deck and another where the wale will be, I hope. It's possible I may have to adjust it's position but I'm hoping not to. It will depend on how it looks. I have cut and sanded a strip of balsa block to fit between the strips with, a strip of 2X4mm wood which will be replaced with mahogany and will have the supports attached to hold the deck above. This section will be double planked with 0.5 mm strip apart from the gun ports, which, will be built into the spaces afterwards to keep the curve.

After a few nights I finished the cut water. I sanded the top into more of a curve. and also constructed the frame for the sprit deck, after a couple of attempts. I next attempted to build up the frame work for the sides of the beak with the intention of planking it prior to fitting. I soon realised this wouldn't work and so concentrated on just building the frame. The idea now is that I have the base done and ready to fit onto the cutwater, the beakhead, where the figurehead will go, and the cross beams protruding a little from the frame so I can run a 0.5X4mm strip along the edge with notches for it to drop onto the beams to make the structure a little stronger. Again though. due to the beak still being quite fragile, I still can't start the 2nd planking. Instead, I now need to think about getting the stern completed

The "A" frame I am using for the bow will not be used but it gives me the basic dimensions of what I need to build. My only concern with the beak is, that it will be pretty delicate so, I think I will need to build it up along with the 2nd planking. This now means I need to work on the stern and in particular the rebuilding and shaping of the gallery. I am getting pretty frustrated with having to work out how and when things need to be built and also not being able to concentrate on one section at a time due to everything having an effect on everything else. I realised, a while ago, also that the planks below the 2x4mm wale are wider than the upper hull planks. I have decided to plank these with 4mm strips rather than the 3mm strips I was planning to use. In the meantime I will build up the bulkheads ready for starting the 2nd planking and then work out the stern afterwards. Here are a few pictures of what I am hoping to achieve. ( apart from the ships wheel) Although I am trying to build her as she actually looks, I am also trying to have her looking as she might have done in 1580ish.

I have also tried seeing what colour to stain the decks. I tested on the poop deck as this will be re planked. I only coated it with pine varnish but I'm not too happy with the colour yet. At the beginning of the post I mentioned about sanding the false keel to a point. I now see this as being a mistake. Although the instruction photo shows this was done I have discovered that I should have only sanded no more than 1mm each side as, this should be planked separately with the 2nd planking. Now that the hull is sanded I wanted to start on the 2nd planking. However, before I can start on this, I need to plank the bulkheads and fit the doors. I have also looked at building up the beak and sprit deck. Looking again at yet more photos, I found that the part below the sprit deck on the cutwater with 2 holes is way too far aft. I decided to try removing it carefully with the knowledge it may not work. It didn't so I have made a replacement. The top of this still needs to be sanded into more of a curve But I am pretty happy with how it has turned out. The holes don't look great but they will be redone with the 2nd planking. I also decided to see how the shape and length of the hull compares to my 1st ship.

The poop deck is now the correct shape and is sloping at the same angle as the half deck bulkhead. I added 2 x 5mm strips to the sides between the half deck and poop deck and also pinned a strip of wood to the bulkheads to act as a guide for sanding. I marked the edges of these in black so it was easier to judge how far to sand down the sides. With this done I started on the fine sanding to finish the hull.

At last I have returned with an update. It would have been sooner if my progress hadn't been so slow. This is partly due to re checking photos and trying to get the proportions right, and also from me wanting to start other phases of the build but realizing I need to build other things first. Anyway, I've checked my measurements and the masts are pretty much as I need them, which is a relief. It also looks like the rubbing strakes should be equidistant at the foc'stle and at the stern so they will be 20mm apart. I have made the doors and they just need to be shortened to fit the space between the decks.

After a shaky start this week, I've actually made good progress. when starting on the foc'stle and looking at photos again, I realised that the arches for the fore chasers were cut too far aft of where they needed to be. I decided to cut away some of the balsa blocks I had shaped and then sanded the inside of first frame to 3mm thick instead of 4mm. The first vertical rubbing strake will be 2mm wide and the edge of the gun port 2mm aft of this so as to be in a better position between the rubbing strakes. I then thought of planking the areas around the gun ports vertically but, after a few unsuccessful attempts of cutting the arches decided to run 2x 2mm x 10mm strips and effectively have a rectangular hole in the lower strip and form the arch in the upper which was much easier to achieve. These have now been pinned and glued in place with the upper strakes. While these dry I have set about making the doors and frames. For these I cut 4 strips of Tanganyika 0.5mm x 5mm to a little more than the required height. I placed these on masking tape to hold them together and then cut out the inside of the arch from 0.5mm x 8mm Tanganyika . This was then glued onto the previous strips. I then used strips of the same for the sides of the door frames. These have now been stained with antique pine wood stain. The doors themselves are 0.5mm x 3mm walnut which have been stained with old oak stain. The inside of the door arches were not as wide as I thought they were so, as a result, I have 3x 3mm strips and one 1,5mm strip for the doors themselves. I will see how the look once they're dry and If I need to I can remake them tomorrow if needed. especially as I now know a relatively easy method for making them. The main thing now is that the hull is almost ready to be sanded though I will still need to build up the sides of the poop deck. from the half deck upwards. I am not looking forward to this having struggled to get it to where it is now. Added to tis is that the forward edge of the poop deck needs to be 2mm wider each side but tapering downwards to be flush with the half deck, but also, tapering back to the width of the stern as it is. While planning for this I realised last night that, due to the location of the masts, both the half deck and poop deck are each 10mm too long. This means I will have 20mm between rubbing strakes whereas they should only be 15mm apart. I am not going to worry too much yet as tomorrow I may be getting a bench drill so if needed I may be able to move the mizzen mast forward. If not I may just need to compromise.

The next stage will be continuing lightly sanding down the hull and planking the fo'cstle. in between sanding and filling I will need to make the doors so I can then plank the bulkheads. The poop deck also needs reshaped, and I am leaving the stern as it is for now, as I don't yet know if it needs to be extended or not. I will also need to decide whether to have the stern chaser gun ports curved or not. I know I should but this may be too complicated. I shall see.

Many thanks for your input guys. You are right Steven. wood is very forgiving. Much as I try to remain patient, there are times as well where you just have to start building. There are so many things I plan to change but they are mostly above deck level. The down side of this is that I've been planning on getting the shape of the hull as close as I can to the actual ship. As for your comments Snug It's such a shame that very little information of ships of this time exist anymore. Just items that you have included for example. Over the last 10 years I have scoured the internet on and off for these kind of details with no luck. Many thanks for these. I will try and follow them up. As for this version of the Golden Hind, I watched her being built, launched and fitted out before she sailed from Appledore. As soon as I saw this Occre kit I knew I had to build it. However within a few weeks of starting her I noticed so many errors with the kit I ordered another so I could get the 2nd ship looking closer to the one I knew. I was never convinced she was completely historically accurate but she's a real ship and has been around the globe like her namesake. Another advantage is that I can get to see her if I need. (Provided the ladders are in place next time) and there's no train strikes. Anyhow back to this build. I've managed to complete the first course of planking with the exception of the fo'cstle. I am thinking of laying the forward section, where the arch for the fore chaser is, vertically with the arch cut out and then planking as normal from there to the aft bulkhead. Trying to shape this had been a nightmare as every face is angled. I had the basic shape but it was not wide enough. to fit between the strakes extending aft. I added 2.5 mm balsa sheet to each side and found it was now 1mm each side too wide to fit between the strakes. I thought about sanding it down but, in the end, opted to build up the edges with 0.6mm sycamore supplied as decking (unused apart from thickening and filling gaps) which now means I can run the planks in between here and the fore section. On the whole I am quite happy with the first planking though where there are more than 0.5mm differences between strakes I will add strips of 0.5mm sycamore so as not to have any planks sanded too thin.

Firstly I apologise for not having posted for over 4 weeks now. The last few weekends have been pretty busy and, again, after finishing work and then ship building, It's been too late to compose a new post. Any way here's my progress so far. In the last photos I had glued the 1st planking to the rear section from the gun ports upwards. These have now been rough sanded but I am not happy with the poop deck at all. I think it needs to be wider at the (what I have previously called the quarter deck) half deck bulkhead. After much thought I decided to plank the fore deck as I am happy with the shape and I can sand the forward edge if required. this has also been sanded smooth. I next started the 1st planking of the rest of the hull. as I've decided that the only way I can get the shape of the stern correct is to build it up and then sand it again to the right shape. The 1st stage of this was to glue the strakes between the gun ports. I decided the easiest way to do this was to use 2X 4mm strips to give the 8mm height required. This was going well until, as I was pinning the forward most lower strake the gun port bulwark gave way and pushed the false deck section out as well. As I needed to glue this back in place I tried moving it but was unable to and damaged the gun carriage in the process . I've now ended up with a large gap from having to remove them both. A small section of the outer part of the bulwark had also come off. This has been repaired using a 1mm strip cut to size. I will make another dummy carriage and fix to a thin piece of balsa wood and insert in the gap before planking it over. As the hull is now longer than the strips of lime wood, I decided to plank the middle section first. I cut 8cm, 10cm and 12cm long planks. I intended to have the 8 cm plank running under the strake below the gun ports, but, found it was too short to pin down without one end laying on a frame. I decided instead to run the 10cm strake first followed by the 8cm with the 12 cm strake below that. The sequence then went from 8cm, 10cm and 12cm etc. I drilled 2 0.1mm holes as close to the ends as I could so the pins would not split the ends. (On my Mamoli Golden Hind I used this technique to decent effect). After this I started on forming the strakes from the forward gun port on each side. I then proceeded planking the stern section, which has almost been completed now.

Progress is still very slowly moving on but, I am finding before I can complete 1 stage, I have to start on another. With the first version I was able to plank all the decks and bulkheads before planking the sides. With my modifications I have had to dry fit the first layer of planking from above the gun ports up to deck level to ensure the decks are the correct height and shape. The poop deck was especially tricky to shape but I was happy with the height. I have now been able to glue the upper strakes to the poop deck and quarter deck and, I've pinned the strake below the fore deck. Before I can progress with the main deck I now need to make the doors and arches and then plank the bulkheads. I also found that the original planking of the main deck came 0.5mm to low with the strake on the side so I added a 5mm strip to the edges which filled the gap and then re planked over the original so now the decking goes right up to the side of the ship. I also found that the fore deck was 1mm to low towards the stern but was the correct height at the bow. I added 2 layers of the 0.6mm strips supplied with the kit to build the deck up and then sanded it smooth. again the bulkhead between the foc'stle and the sprit deck will need to be planked before I fit the decking. I am also going to add a door to this as, this has now been fitted to the replica in London. As, the guide explained, it would have made sense to install it as it's a long way down from the top of the foc'stle, with no way of climbing up or down. I have ordered more 0.5 mm by 8mm strips with the idea that I make the shape of the door and frame and then add the actual frame and plank the doors on top. This will make them 1mm thick which should tie in nicely with the clinker style planking of the bulkheads. another modification from the kit as it has the planks side by side and vertical rather than overlapping horizontally. The poop deck and quarter deck are now planked and sanded smooth. I had real trouble bending the strake below the main deck running forwards as the wood kept splintering. I gave up and glued 2 X 0.6mm strips on top of each other and will use 1mm thick strips over the top and then sand the edges to the correct size. while waiting for the wood and some other parts I have ordered ( 7mm triangular dead eyes, 7mm violin blocks and 2 rams head blocks and some 2mm wooden parrel beads) these parrel beads, I hope, will form the bases of the columns on the quarter deck and foc'stle. I I have also noticed that the centre line of the fore deck is 1mm off centre toward the stern but can be compensated for when I start planking it. I shall try to update more often from now on. Hopefully, every other Sunday morning at least.