HMS Diana by Shipyard sid - Caldercraft - 1/64 scale

[Shipyard sid]

Greeting all

Well here we go with another build. There was quite a few ships that I would love to build but frightened me off including the SOS and the San Felipe. So hopefully I can cope with the DIana which should keep me happy for a couple of years. I like others will replace the tanganijka strip with maple when I find how many strips are needed, as the supplied looks horrid. I will also need to purchase some decent dowel, as some of the supplied would come back if you threw it away. There are also a few castings that are not useable, so I shall just order them when I purchase the maple strip. One thing that did surprise me was no cannon balls are supplied, which one would have thought would be needed on the ship, after all it has cannons. I have made a start on the build as you can see, and all the bulkheads have been faired, but will obviously need some attention during the planking. You can see the planking on deck (18) which is the supplied timber, and is gladly unseen. So wish me lots of luck chaps , and off I go with my build, and please post loads of photos, I will definitely need them. Here's a few of mine. DAVID

[Old Collingwood]

Hi David,

 

The build looks very interesting,  i like the idea of the mast metal supports  looks like a good idea,  i will follow your build my friend.

 

All the best   OC.

[Salty Dog]

Sid,

That looks like a lot of fun.  I'll be watching.

Just curious, why did the San Felipe scare you off?

[Ray]

Hi David

              Nice to see your start of the kit. It should have cannon ball in it, and yes the deck planks are rubbish and so is the dowel, I replaced both, the only kit dowel used was on the lower masts the rest was replaced with walnut, some castings needed some work, I did find Jotica replaced some poor items and some castings missing without any trouble. Look forward to Diana`s progress, two and a half two three years is a reasonable build time I will be in that time frame myself most rigging done now.

[S.Coleman]

Looks like a great start. She will be a nice ship. I have not come across 1/64th kit with cannon balls as of yet. Or maybe that's just me. Enjoy!

[mort stoll]

Hi David,

 

I bought my kit just about 10 years ago. I just started to cut out the gun ports. My kit does not have canon balls either. I plan to take a gun barrel to a gun shop and buy loose buckshot buck shot that match the gun barrels muzzle diameter as I plan to put them around the gratings. That's what I have done with previous kits. 

 

all the best,

Mort

[Beef Wellington]

Fantastic, another Diana build.  Nice start, will be following closely...

[Shipyard sid]

Greetings all

Thanks a lot for your replies. Well I have made no progress apart from fitting the gun deck, as I have been waiting for the delivery of my 1mm maple strip from CMB which arrived today. The quality of the wider strips ( 5.6.7mm) is pretty good. But the the narrow strips 3mm and 4mm are very poor, which I had been advised. I have added photos of various strips were you can see the poor quality of the 3mm and 4mm, especially when you compare it to the mantua 3mm white maple. Anyway that's what I have got to work with so wish me luck. DAVID

[Ray]

Hi David they are about the same as I had, I made a sanding jig a pinned down piece of sandpaper and two wooded 1mm x5mm also pinned down with a gap so you can just slide the planking up and down you can then get a workable edge, and with the plank edges black marked they look good when laided.

[Old Collingwood]

Hi david  good progress there,  i can understand where you are coming from regarding the planks, i had a similar situation with a part works build,   i have a build sitting in the cuboard HMS President i think?  that has a surplus of planks.

 

OC.

[dragzz]

hello dave looks like you off to a great start 

[Tallshiptragic]

Great start! And I also had the same experience with planks on my Diana. I would group them into best to worst and found I had enough with left over planks by using the worst planks for cutoffs in smaller areas. I'm tempted to build another Diana as I sold my last model. I painted friezes and made up my own sculptures as I didn't like the PE stuff to make her a little different. I don't have many pics left of her. I had a build log on the original forum, yet when it crashed I lost it and most of my build photos. But here's a couple.

[Shipyard sid]

Greetings all

Firstly thanks for all your comments. OK I have followed advice concerning the rough edges of the maple. I have laid a few strips to see how the deck might look with blackened edging on the strips, which I am not happy with. I was using marker pen which was a rubbish choice. The photo I have posted is the best area, I dare not show you the area behind it. !!! . I will order a few of the pens Ray used and see how it's goes with them. I decided to cut the strips into lengths of 160mm and just lay a simple shift system, and later have a go fitting that four strake planking, but there's no way it will be fitted along the full length of the deck, it will stop were its not seen. OK what do you think of my new chopper!! It's a tool which I am told is used or was used in the printing trade for cutting Leads and Rules Which is indicated on two areas of the tool. Maybe one of you chaps can enlighten me and others.what leads and rules are. Anyway I borrowed it off a friend and it cuts like a dream. I don't reckon there's many of these about !!. Here's a few photos and I shall return later with my deck sorted. Thanks a lot chaps. DAVID

[maggsl_01]

Hi David,

 

I am happy to see your work on the Diana. I once had a dog called Diana and in reminiscence to her I do "flirt" with the idea to build this ship some day. I will follow your build log with pleasure. It is an interesting ship and a challenge in any way.

 

Good luck and a lot of fun

 

Cheerio

 

Max

[Shipyard sid]

Greeting all

Well a little more progress. And as I said earlier I would have a look at the 4 strake planks and see how it turns out. It will be in the same fashion as Ray's and in 80mm lengths. The deck planking now terminates on the port side. The waterway is 7mm planking and will be fitted at the inner wall uprights and parallel with the terminated planking. The strakes which are 6mm planking equaling approx 24mm will be fitted across from the waterway leaving a gap of approx 9mm to the terminated planking. The gap will then be infilled with planking strip, and can be made up to any dimension necessary. There is no way I will fit the strakes the total length of the deck, it will only be the visible length of the waist, which will satisfy me. Any way I am enjoying this build, although it's going a bit slow because of circumstances. Anyway thanks for your comments and for viewing. Here's a few photos which should explain things. DAVID

[mort stoll]

Hi David,

 

Did you use a jig or a ruler to cut the strake planks. They look great.

 

Mort

[Old Collingwood]

Hi david,    coming on really nice a love your decking very tidy

 

OC

[Jerry]

Hello David..

Looks like I finally found you.  And it also looks like they just don't make kits the way they used to.  I must have been very lucky with Victory because all the strip wood was perfect.  I can't say the same about Half Moon because I did replace some of the original planking.  Viking Ship is a totally different story because it's a clinker and the hull therefore is lapstraked.  In any event, now that I know where you're at I'm looking forward to a good seat in your shipyard.

Keep going in the good direction you have started and best to you,

Jerry

[mtaylor]

Hi David,

 

Nice work going on there...    

 

Printing... that machine is from the "old" hot lead typesetting days.   "Lead", "leading" is the space between the lines of type.  And I think "rule" is the name of what it does... a ruler.    Been awhile since I've been around typesetting, so I'd have to do some serious Googling.

[yamsterman]

Hi all

More off topic comments so I will keep it brief. I believe your lovely guilotene dates back to the days of letterpress printing......specifically for cutting muttons and ends

In the compositors workshop these would have been used to space out the text so that it could be tightly fitted into a frame. Nice alternative use for an old piece of kit!

Back on subject ...nice anchor stock deck planking. I shall be following avidly.

Cheers....mick

[Shipyard sid]

Greetings all

Well I have completed the butt planking ( I think that's they call it) on the port side, which will be all that is visible once the top deck is fitted. I was left with an infill of 12mm. I used 3 widths of 4mm strip which was adequate once the rough edge was sanded off each strip. I shall now complete the port side planking and then turn to the starboard side. Mort I only used a rule to make those planks. I simply followed Rays technique, but had quite a few rejects. Well I am happy with my progress, and thanks to you all for your comments and for viewing. Well done Mark and Mick explaining the guillotine was used in the printing trade. Here's a few photos. Thanks a lot DAVID

[Jerry]

Hello David...

That is one very interesting deck planking pattern.  I know that I don't have too many years experience building ship models but I have never seen anything like that before.  One can get dizzy trying to match the pieces.  Is that what you mean by "butt" planking?  Did you have to cut them all out from piece of stripping or wood or are they laser cut?  In any event the deck is looking very nicemso you seem to be perking along once again.  I'm happy for you.

Best,

Jerry

[Ray]

Hi Nice planking David glad you found my method of use.

Jerry the top and butt deck planking was used on the  lower gun decks to strengthen them where the cannons are, I described in my build, a method I worked out to lay the top and butt pattern the planking looks great when done as you can see from David`s it is a bit fiddly but well worth the effort.

[Jerry]

Hello David..

As Ray says, it does look nice but I still wonder if it is laser cut or does one have to cut the butt pieces out of strip planking?

Jerry

[ASAT]

Jerry, the top and butt planking is custom cut from wider maple stock from his own stash, I believe the kit only supplies some tanganika stripwood for the deck planking

[Jerry]

Good morning, David,

Thanks to ASAT, I finally got it with respect to the deck planking.  Have a great day.

Best,

Jerry

[Kevin]

Hi David i just saw that you have a new build in progress - you mind if i follow? - great start

[Shipyard sid]

Greetings Kevin

I need to make a start on finishing the deck planking after a few weeks off. Your masts are really looking good, and the rigging stage was the most enjoyable stage of the build for me. Just enjoy it. Just follow along. Regards DAVID

[Shipyard sid]

Greetings all

Well I am back after being absent for about fourteen months to restart my Diana. Firstly I would like to thank the members who have kept in touch over that period. Ok I have at last completed the planking of the gun deck, and after a coat or two of clear matt varnish and repair of two bulkhead uprights, I shall fit the inner wall of the gun deck. But sadly I have forgotten to reduce the keel thickness at the stern!!!! This is one thing you often advise builders to do before any frame assembly as you all know. So that needs to be also done. I have added a few photos of the deck planking which is decent apart from bleeding on some plank ends, so I will need to get that sorted before any future deck planking. I have added some photos showing a former for the want of another name,which a friend made for me for producing the butt planks. The planks which were designed by Ray on hes Diana gun deck, were he shows how he produced them and also gave the dimensions. As you can see the shape of the plank is milled into face of the plate to a depth of approx 0.50 mm and strip is clamped in between the two plates. The strip is then cut away with a craft knife and Bobs your Uncle. So if any of you members are building the Diana or intending to purchase the kit, let me know when you reach the planking stage, and I will post it to you and you can also pass it on yourself. Anyway it's good to be back . Here's a few photos thanks a lot. DAVID

[Beef Wellington]

Great looking deck David, well done. Now the planking fun begins