HMS Bounty 1783 by rcmdvr - Artesania Latina - Scale 1:48

[Captain Al]

Morning LA....very nice work.  I planked my deck also using permanent marker and I guess I got lucky that it didn't run when I (also) used poly on it.  That would have been heart breaking.  It looks like your deck lay down upon the timbers very nicely and those little rebates for stanchions look clean and square.  You shouldn't have problems like I did later on.  I would think about adding some filler before you start planking (good decision to do single planking), particularly in the stern.  If I recall (it was almost a year ago) when the planks start wrapping around and up to the apron, you might find yourself with very little gluing surface if you rely only on those horizontal frames (there's a name for those but I forget it).  You also have not mentioned the whole fairing process.  Have you done it already?  Your frames in the pictures I've seen are really nice, but in all my experience (LOL, LOL) I haven't heard of anyone not having to fair them at least a bit here and there.  And if you do add filler, you'll need to fair/blend that into the smooth lines of the framing.  When you lay the first plank around the bow, be really careful as to how high you place it.  The instructions are clear enough (says not to go above deck level) but I wasn't sure how that related to the bow boards (which I see you haven't yet laid on).  I ended up having to add a partial plank which, if I recall also had to be tapered back, to cover these bowboards.  I don't know if your kit's picture book is the same as mine, but perhaps look at pic 26, and get those bowboards in place before you start planking.  Looking at the pix again I remember that I did put filler into the bow.  I don't know if my log shows it or not, but I made the filler for the bow out of little triangles of soft pine (get some paint stirrers from Home Depot for free) stacked upon themselves.

 

Anyway LA, you'll find a way.  You're doing great so far, and it only gets harder (LOL).  Are you deviating from the instructions very much?  I followed them pretty religiously step by step until I got to the deck fixtures etc.  Then I began doing things in the order I thought was best.  I spent half the summer trying to work out a planking plan using all the techniques I read here and elsewhere.  A lot of the theory worked; a lot didn't.  Practice doing drop planks on scrap wood...it becomes fun when you get it right, and you'll definitely need to use them.  As for bending the basswood and walnut -- I made a soaking tube out of pvc pipe with a cap.  I tied a little weight (non ferrus metal) to the end of a plank so it wouldn't float to the top of the tube and uncover some of it if I didn't fill the tube to the brim), and I tied a piece of dental floss to the upper end and draped it over the edge of the tube (the cap will still fit over) so I could extract the planks.  I dropped the planks into the tube and poured boiling water over them then capped it.  I usually let it sit in the water for 12-18 hours.  Sounds like a lot and most people would say it was, but it worked well and I really didn't break many planks.  The basswood was obviously easier to bend.

 

Got to run.  I'll be following closely.

[rcmdrvr]

Captain.  I have worked on fairing some of the frames.  I spend a couple of hours on this after I installed the maindeck (it stabilized the whole model) but before it was planked.  I am sure there will be more to do as I proceed with the planking.  I think if you look at some of my photos you will notice I have had to add some filler blocks during the fairing process.

 

My guess on planking was I would have to plank over the bow board.  You comments prove this.  Thanks.

 

Since this is my first planking, I am very nervous to say the lease.  I have read the primer on planking on this site and some of it seems appropriate; some one.  I guess I will learn as I move along.  What, may I ask are "drop planks"

 

I stumbled on the pvc pipe idea.  I hadn't thought of the weights.  Finally, 12 to 18 hour seems like a huge amount of time.  I have thought an hour or so would do it.  I will have to do some experimenting in this area.

 

Thanks for reading and your comments.

[Keith_W]

Hi Don, no need to use a PVC pipe. I filled my bathtub 1/4 with water and simply threw the planks in there for a couple of hours. Usually, I chuck them in the water before going to work, then take them out when I get back - that's 10 hours, but from experience 2-3 hours is all you need. Maybe more if you are trying to bend a stiff, brittle wood like walnut. Then you need a few minutes with the steam iron to get them into shape, then 24 hours to dry in the sun and they are ready. 

 

A drop plank is where 3 planks become two, as per this diagram: 

 

 

 

[Captain Al]

Good picture Keith.  Now, LA have fun cutting those tiny little angles.  Ultimately its knowing or sensing where to do the drop plank that is tough.  You'll figure out a way to cut them nicely I'm sure.  Read up on tapering!  Its really the key to planking around the bow and stern.  Don't wait too long to start the tapering.  I think I waited til the sixth or seventh plank down from the deck and that might have been one or two planks too late.  It seems like none of the top basswood planks need tapering, but I think a couple do.

[rcmdrvr]

How far back from the bow do you recommend I start tapering?

[Captain Al]

If I recall, when I finally started tapering, I started at least a third to half way back.  After you've laid down several full strakes (another word it seems for planks but meaning the full length of the ship) you'll start to see where to start tapering.  This is where I think some of the theoretical techniques come in very handy.  The whole point of it is to fit the same number of planks into an ever decreasing amount of space and to do it with equal tapering of each plank.  I found as well that gluing on string or thread battens which divide the hull into sections vertically will give you a great visual idea of how you want the planks to lay, and you'll actually be able to measure the widths of the sections to fill.  Then you divide the width into equal size planks for each station moving from midship to bow or stern.  Like at midship you might want to lay 6 planks of 5mm each into a section that is 30 mm wide.  That starts you out with full width planks.  As you move forward you'll see that the same 6 planks need to fit into a 24 mm space, so you'll need to taper from 5 to 4 mm at that point.  I can recommend a little tool for your tapering that worked wonders for me -- its a little mini plane made by Buck (same as the knives) and sold at Home Depot for $8.  If you choose to try to run a plank all the way from bow to stern (on our ship its about 630 mm and the planking provided is 700 mm) you'll need a vice with some very long jaws to hold it while you taper.  I found it easier (and I think better looking and more authentic) to break the strake into at least 3 parts, making the tapering of each easier.  You can find much better tricks and techniques elsewhere on this site, but I just thought I'd toss out these.  I hope I'm not sounding like I've done lots of planking or that I've got it down pat.  Even though I managed to make my Bounty hull look pretty nice, I still dread my next go round.

[Captain Al]

One more thing on tapering -- this is where the drop planks come in -- you will undoubtedly find that at some point you just can't get the number of planks you want in to fill up a section because you really don't want to taper down to more than half the width of the plank (in our case we have 5mm planks so you'll want to only taper to about 2.5mm give or take a bit).  So you may find for example that you have six planks running into a section that is only 13 mm wide.  You'd have to taper to 2.167 mm to fit them all in.  Instead, you use a drop plank and go to 5 planks to fill the 13mm.  Now you can taper each to 2.6.  If only it worked so easily in practice as it sounds on paper.

[rcmdrvr]

Thanks for all the advice.  I figure a plank (strake?) per night.  50 to 60 planks to lay down....Hmmmmm  August maybe.

[Captain Al]

Good luck with that.  I'll be very impressed if you can do it in that time frame.  Of course I'm a slow learner but it took me closer to 4 or 5 months to plank.  So much time though was spent on theorizing and trying to do it the right way.  I know it can be done the "wrong" way and still come out really nicely -- because in the long run that's what I probably did.

[rcmdrvr]

Captain.  Your probably right but my attitude is to jump in with both feet and try to deal with the problems as they come up (which I am sure they will). 

 

Question.....has anyone used steam in the planking process.  Is it helpful or a hinderance.  Would love to hear comments as to whether or not it would make sense to use steam rather than soaking.

[Captain Al]

When I needed to steam I did this ..... after soaking while the wood was still quite wet I clamped it at one end to the frame it would sit on.  Then, if it didn't bend nicely around the hull and I thought it was going to break I took out my soldering iron.  I would soak a small piece of rag and apply the hot iron over the wet rag on top of the plank.  Lots of steam is generated.  Most of the time this worked very well.  And btw, unlike some other folks, I never pre bent the plank on a jig and let it dry before putting onto the frames.  I always used the frames and shape of the hull as my 'jig.'  Then after it was in place wet on the frames I waited til it was thoroughly dry and took it off in order to apply the glue to the right spots.  Another thing I did when the plank was dry but still on the frames was to mark on the plank where it hit each frame so I could apply a dab of glue just to that spot on the inside of the plank.  Its obvious where to put the glue on the frame (and I always like to glue both surfaces).  The hard part of all this will be when you just can't figure out how to clamp the frame down to dry it. 

[rcmdrvr]

This is good stuff.  Thanks

[rcmdrvr]

I have been doing some internet researching on the Bounty.  I have come across quite a few photos of the HMS Bounty reproduction that sunk a few years ago during Hurricane Sandy.  A sad loss.

 

What struck me, however, is that the hull is painted.  The photos show that the reproduction was painted blue, black, white and red.  Very little of the hull was natural wood finish.  The photo of the model on the cover of the box shows a natural wood hull.  Now the big question.....should I go for the natural wood finish like the kit; or should I go for the painted hull depicted in reproduction (which I assume best represents the look of the actual Bounty).

 

Opinions?

[Captain Al]

I'll let the historians answer that LA, but I do know that a painted hull hides a lot more blunders than a

natural finish. But that's a negative sort of approach. I know I just like the beauty of the natural

finish with a semi glossy sheen to it. For me the historical authenticity never was (or will be) my

primary goal.

[Mirabell61]

Hi La Don,

 

beautiful build so far, nice and clean, Looks great...

 

Nils

[rcmdrvr]

Well, planking continues at a slow pace.  I rough cut each plank to size and then soak in water (I am using a pvc pipe filled with water and capped) for about 30 minutes.  If you bend real slow you can be it to bend around almost anything.  You can see from the photos that the stern area is getting to be a real pain.  Remember, this is the first planking.....it will hopefully be a good base for the second planking.

 

I am still debating the idea of painting.  I have now found a few models on the internet that have been painted like the replica and I really like the look.  Should I chose this avenue....will I have to second plank?  Will sanding, filling and sanding do?

[Mirabell61]

Hi La Don,

 

you`ve been quirte busy with the planking Job, good work, the Planks follow the curvature of the Frames very nicely, and the Stern Portion Looks great

 

 

Nils

Edited July 4, 2015 by Mirabell61

[AntonyUK]

Hi Don.

Making very good progress on the planking .. Very neat and tidy.

A question's if I may... How are you holding the planks in place ?. I see no clamp marks or pin holes.

 

Regards Antony.

[Captain Al]

Looking good LA. Sounds like you're finding the basswood workable as I did. Question though -- how far

down are you going with the basswood? My kit called for just 6 basswood planks so that's what I put on.

Are you doing this cause you've decided on double planking it? The other thing I can point out from my experience is that if this is to be single planked, then it looks like you've not done nearly enough (any?)

tapering as you approach the bow. My guess is that you'll run out of room up there long before you've

filled up the midsection. Have you started tapering?

[rcmdrvr]

Couple of quick answers.  AntonyUK.  I have decided to double plank the hull.  The kit calls for single planking but since this is one of my first attempts, I think I can achieve better results with double planking.  The wood is bass so when soaked for thirty minutes it becomes very pliable.  I am affixing it to the frames using one of the new wood CAs that I got from the Rockler wood store near home.  I work about 6 inches of the hull length at a time carefully gluing and holding the plank in place by hand.  In fifteen seconds, or so, it creates a bond and you can move on to the next six inches.  I usually apply three or four planks and then let it set overnight to allow the wood to dry.  I am using a wood scraper to plane the planks to smooth, followed by sanding.

 

Captain Al.  I have been tapering.  At the bow the planks are trimed to 3mm wide.  They taper back about 15mm to 5mm wide.  I agree, however, I think I will have to increase that taper significantly.  Thanks for the tip.

 

I know that I will double plank.  I still have not decided on painting.  The more I look at photos of the replica, the more I like the painted version.  Hmmmmm.

[Captain Al]

If you're committed to double planking, which I guess you are, then not to worry much about the tapering. All you want to do at this point is to cover all the frames and prepare for the final planking. I take it you will use a much thinner plank on the second go round than the 2mm planks supplied by the A.L. That will make it a lot easier to bend the walnut. But seriously think ahead about the tapering. Its deceiving how much really needs to be done. I thought I was doing a lot and doing it early enough but still I found I had to end up ending several lines of planks on another line of planks instead of at the stem. I never tried using CA glue on wet wood. Does it hold well? I always clamped my wet wood to the frames and let them dry. Then I glued them with PVA glue, occasionally using CA to hold it in place where a clamp could not be easily applied. Remember, if this were your final planking, the wood will probably dry and leave gaps. It doesn't look like that's happening, but its something to be wary of if its your cosmetic top planking.

[rcmdrvr]

Let me throw out this question.  I am about 3/4 of the way through the first planking process.  I am seriously considering painting the hull to match the photos of the Bounty replica that are on the internet.  I think I will still proceed with the second planking.  The thought is that even if I do decide to paint the hull, it will have a painted plank look.  I worry that if I were to sand, fill and paint the first planking I would end up with a completely smooth finish.  Not really believable.  It would appear then, that painting might actually be more work.

 

Any comments on this?

[rcmdrvr]

While I have not had the opportunity to post for a couple of weeks I have kept working on the model.  The following photos should bring you up to date.  The most time consuming task was planking.  I took heed of the advice of other MSW members and began tapering the bow more severely.  I think that helped but I still ran into some problems.

[rcmdrvr]

I also made the decision to paint the hull.  I am using the photos of the HMS Bounty replica that was built and unfortunately sunk in the 80's.  Having made this decision was was faced with alot of work with wood filler and sanding blocks.  I did go out an buy a wood scraper from Rockler.  It really helped in preparing the hull for painting.  I used a Latex Primer before applying paint.

 

I used hardware store masking tape.  The color was creative airbrush colors you can get at any art supply or craft store.  I brushed my color on.

[rcmdrvr]

I am now working on the railings.

[Captain Al]

Good job, LA. I like the fact that you're proceeding in tune with what you think is best and according to your abilities and not feeling trapped by the kit mfr's instructions and supplies. Seems like you planked the starboard side a lot more than I did (and kit's plans) and it looks good. Your stanchions for the railing looks great. Looks like your rebates (cut out holes in the decking) lined up perfectly and were just the right size. I had to do a lot of filing to get some of my stanchions and Samson posts to fit. Its coming along nicely and now you can have some fun with deck furniture etc.

[rcmdrvr]

It has been a few weeks since I have posted.  I have made a bit of progress.  After the first few coats of pait I decided I should install the stem head boards.  These took a fair amount of bending.  I soaked them in water for twenty minutes and then used a curling iron to make the bends.

[rcmdrvr]

After the head boards came the stern trimming and the anchor davits.  A little metal work was required to complete the davits.  The die cut parts for the stern trimming did not fit the metal etch parts so I had to cut my own piece.  I did use the die cut parts as a pattern.

[rcmdrvr]

After the above installations I resumed my painting.  Painting ended up becoming a much more difficult task than I had assumed.  The yellow trim was very difficult to get close.  Yellow is a very tranparant color so many coats were required.  In the end, I learned a lot about thinking through the painting process and masking.  I think I got satisfactory result, but next time will be better.

[Jeff-E]

Hi Don,

 

Just read through your log you have done a excellent job your hull planking turned out really well and I do like the painted hull and the white interior which I think is accurate for ships of this period.

 

I have this model on my shelf and it looking likely to be my next build 

 

I do have a question did you end up double planking the hull or did you single plank it ?