San Francisco II cross section by Aqueous1025 - Artesania Latina - scale 1:50

[Aqueous1025]

Well here goes nothing.  I am going to start with this San Francisco II cross section from AL I got off of e-bay while I gather the missing materials for the other 2 kits I got off of e-bay.  It looks like a nice cross section in the pictures and I am looking forward to seeing it finished.  Hopefully get a few wood model ship skills from this kit too.

 

 

 

[GuntherMT]

Looks like a very nice kit, will enjoy watching it go together!

 

From the photo, it looks like it has some nice instructions, hopefully that's true and it's not 1 paragraph per page in 8 different languages (like Constructo).  

[Aqueous1025]

I am getting to use my x-acto style saw blades for the first time ever.  I have had them for years and never had a use for them.  They worked great at cutting out all the laser cut parts.  I am trying to keep everything 90 degrees as possible.

[Aqueous1025]

Hi GuntherMT

 

It is one paragraph in English per page with other languages as well.  Second book has no instructions at all just pictures.  It all seems fairly easy to follow though.  One of the reasons I decided to start this kit first.

[RonaldB]

Hi A,

 

Nice to see someone building this model too!

I did the same cross-section last year may, and it was a realy nice first experience for me with a wooden model.

Instructions were very clear, and with nice drawings too!

Looking forward to follow the build,

 

Ron

[Aqueous1025]

I finished planking the lower deck.  I decided to actually cut all the lengths to 100mm based on where you were supposed to just draw the line with a pencil and stager them.

 

Now I have to decide whether or not to draw the lines like the instructions say to around the planks and what with.  I am not sure I like the look of a lead pencil line, seems too silvery to me.

 

Also not sure if I want to complete lower deck before I continue upwards or follow the instructions and just do the decks only.  Seems like it would be hard to put all the stuff and clear coat the lower decks if all the decks are installed first.

[GuntherMT]

Very nice clean deck planking, looks good.

 

It's a bit late now, but a very common way to make the planking lines show up is to use a pencil and mark ONE edge, and ONE end of the planks before they are placed.  This is how I did the deck on my AVS, using a #3B pencil on the edge of each plank.

 

 

I think there are several threads in the planking sub-forum that talk about different methods for adding this detail to your decking, if you have the time to go through other build logs and the sub-forums relevant to the steps you are going to do prior to doing them, you'll find a wealth of tips and tricks here on the forums.

 

You will also learn about the different ways the butt ends of the planks were shifted rather than just alternating them.

[RonaldB]

Another note, the instructions say nothing in detail about the gunports and water spilling holes on the deck.

Maybe an idea to place some material on those places, sand them flush, and then do the inner planking. Otherwise, you end up with a hollow space at those places, the metal gunport frames do not cover those openings competely.

 

Ron

[Bobstrake]

Good creative call. You will find omissions and errors in most kit instructions.

[Aqueous1025]

That's a good idea about the gunports and spillways.  I have actually been debating on what and when to do something about that.  I noticed that there would be a good chance that the little metal opening fittings were probably going to leave an open gap when I read through the instructions before I started to build it.  I keep thinking there are a lot of little things I can do here and there, but I also mostly just want to follow the instructions and build it as is.  I am definitely going to take your suggestion to fill those gaps now that I know they are definitely going to be there.  Thank you Ron for your post. 

 

Hey Bob nice to see you here.  Hehe I don't think I have ever read even a good set of plans without something amiss.

[Aqueous1025]

Some more pictures.  I drew the lines on the decks and marked the nails with a brown verithane pencil.  I put down a few coats of Minwax Water-Based Wipe On Poly, sanded, and then a final coat.  I must admit I really respect you guys using the water based products.  I am not very happy with my results.  I am so used to varathane on furniture and cabinets that this is not easy.  Such a small space and the wipe on poly dries so fast.  My finish kind of has a pre-school poster paint look to it in the light.  I think I am going to continue the building and maybe play with a few scraps of wood with the wipe on poly and try another final coat on the bottom deck later. 

 

 

[Bobstrake]

The planking and nails look great.

 

Since you are not happy with the glossy look, you can try adding a layer of satin verathane and I think you will be happier with it.

 

If you want to age tha deck a little, try rubbing a lot of pencil lead on your thumb, then rubing it around on the deck. If you don't like the look of it, it wipes off easily. Otherwise, just spray some verathane over it to seal it on.

[GuntherMT]

To knock the 'gloss' off of the wipe-on poly, just buff it with a very fine steel wool, and it will make it look like a flat finish.

[Aqueous1025]

I built the middle and upper deck but have not planked or installed them just yet.  I noticed that with the way the frames sit the upper and middle deck are paralel to each other but not the bottom deck.  Also the tabs they sit on are either not aligned properly or the decks were planned to be curved from front to back. When the deck sits in its slot only the front and back touches the tabs where the deck cross beams are supposed to sit.  The middle two tabs have a gap of a few mm between them and the beams.  Currently I am trying to decide the best way put the decks on the frames.  I am interested in suggestions / advice??

 

A cool side note: I just got some wood wheels in the mail to replace the machined brass wheels that came in the kit.  They are a perfect match and I think will look a lot better on the cannons.

[Aqueous1025]

Hey again.  Stopped to build / play with a couple of new toys while I try to track down some extra wood strip material.  I found a place to get some Sapele so that I will be able to completely plank the entire inside of the hull to make it look nicer.  I can not for the life of me figure out what this wood for the deck planks from Artesania Latina are.  On the web site the only wood that they sale the correct size and color would be what they call TILO.  I am not 100 percent sure that is what is in the kit,  what TILO is (as far as a more common name that I might be able to source), or what I can buy that will match???  After talking to Artesania Latina ordering wood strip from them would be too costly being over $100 dollars in shipping from Spain.  If you know what the wood for deck planking is from AL or what matches if you wanted more please let me know??  In the mean time I think I will move to the deck fitting for a bit while I decide how I am going to finish the hull.

[Bobstrake]

Wow. It looks like your quickly moving up to being a serious builder. I look forward to your upcoming posts.

[Aqueous1025]

I have loved modelling and painting my whole life.  I have spent my whole life collecting modelling tools a little at a time and some nice furniture for a hobby room.  I have been enjoying my own personal room for only a couple of years and it is great.  Now I have a room, time, and the kids and cats are better behaved.  I finally actually get to finish things I start for a change.  On the left under the black towel is a spray booth vented to the outside of the house ( a real pain to do, the outside walls are brick and a pain to drill two 4" holes into).  The oak tool box is full of hobby tools.  The top was a present and I built the bottom almost 15 years ago to match it.  The roll top desk was a moving in present for me to have a place to work at and a desk that I have wanted since I was a child. I just never really invested time in doing wood models until now.  I did try wood models a few times but never got anywhere with space, time, working, moving, and stuff mysteriously vanishing/ getting broken.

 

Yeah, I finally got my Sapele wood strip and I also got some Yellow Heart.  I can now plan how I am going to do the hull.  I got the Yellow Heart as a suggestion and think I will use it for the deck planking.  I think the Yellow Heart will look a lot nicer than the kit provided wood for the deck. 

[Aqueous1025]

So for the past week or so I have been working on some of the deck fittings.  I found the parts for the pump and built it.  It was really hard to drill a little hole in the bottom.  The metal is not one I am familiar with and the drill bits just did not want to cut well.

 

I tied up the rope bundles the instructions called for. 

 

I started and am almost finished with the wood crates.  I took a very individual one box at a time method instead of an assembly line approach.  I was kind of mad at myself for this choice until I realized it doesn't really matter how much time it takes me to make them.  I am slowly getting one box a night finished.  I do think they look good and each one is coming out a little different since I did not take an assembly line approach. Two more boxes to go at this point.

[Aqueous1025]

So I got  few thing done this week.  I made and finished the wood bundles the plans called for.  Since I am changing the wood for the deck planking I used the yellow heart for two of the three light colored bundles.  I figured these represent wood stored for making repairs and would therefore mostly be hull and deck planking wood.  Not sure if I am right, but that would be my guess.  Also finished the wood boxes.

[Aqueous1025]

I am going back to working on the hull again now that I have my wood.  I have a personal preference for not using or at least veneering plywood my whole life.  Since I am stripping and redoing the deck planks I have decided to scarf out the edge and put in a piece sapele to enhance the look of the kit and cover the plywood edge.  Hopefully the end result will look nice when it is finished.  I am hoping to get time to work on planking the deck this weekend.

[Aqueous1025]

Sorry, had a couple of long weeks lately.  My magnifying lamp blew up on me, so to speak, leaving me with an excuse to search for a better one.  Then I waited for it in the mail.  When I got it I found out it would not clamp to my desk.  A good excuse to visit the woodworking shop in my garage and use some of my beautiful ambrosia wood scraps.  Now things are all set up again and I have started to re plank my deck.  So far this is the progress I have made.

[Sirius]

Hi Aqueous,

 

Great work!

 

I am building the same model too and I would like to share with you or someone interested some tips and changes that I have done. I hope it's not too late because your last entry is almost one year ago.

 

At this moment, I have finished the lower and the middle decks with all the decorative elements, the planking of the hull and I am working on the upper deck. I didn't follow the instructions in the same order because the gun carriages, boxes, barrels, etc. are added when the entire structure is complete. I thought that doing so would be difficult to put those elements, specially to attach the gun carriages to the interior hull,  so I glued them once that every deck was finished. I also completed the first planking just until the beginning of the deck for having enough space from the outside.

 

I've made some improvements:

 

- Gun and gun carriages were not very realistic so instead of that I have used Amati Wooden gun

- The whales and upper bulkwarks termination in the hull is a wallnut plank and thicker than the supplied

- Inner gunports planking as you did

- Blakened cannonballs in triangular wood trays, not in buckets

- Blakened chains instead of brass wire for the chain plates (not yet installed)

 

Here you are a few pics of different phases:

 

Current state:

 

 

Lower deck:

 

 

Middle deck:

 

 

Hope to see your next entries soon.

Edited September 29, 2016 by Sirius

[Rainbow]

Looking forward for that build as well - I myself was interest at it at some point but then decided that I need to finish Corsair first hehe.