HMS Blandford by hamilton - FINISHED - from Corel HMS Greyhound - 1:100

[hamilton]

Hello there:

 

I'm now well into the first planking, and though it's looking pretty messy now, I look forward to slathering on some filler when it's complete and sanding it down to a nice smooth eggshell finish! 

 

For now, since the last post I've finished the bulwarks and down past the sweep and ballast ports, which I've filed out. The first plank I laid, as I mentioned above, was 5mm x 1mm along the deck line. I then planked upwards with 3mm x 1mm strips - 3 strakes along the waist; 2 3mm and 1 5mm plank for the forecastle (I'll sand this down a bit later); 2 more 3mm strakes to define the first step up to the full bulwark height along the main deck (from bulkhead 11 aft); and then 3 more for the quarterdeck....

 

When i first finished it up, I thought that the quarterdeck and forecastle were too high...I will reduce the height a bit, as I said, but I've also realised that with the addition of the sheer and cap rail along the waist it actually is quite reasonable - you'll have to wait to see this until the build progresses much further, but for now I ask your trust!

 

Anyway, here are some photos - enjoy!

hamilton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[augie]

Dear Sir,

 

Your efforts look exemplary.  However, I must take exception to your use of the word 'slathering' and would suggest you edit your post to replace it with 'judicious application of a minimal quantity of filler'.

 

I dunno ---- just sounds better    :D  

[hamilton]

I appreciate your critique, Augie, and I'll take it under advisement....maybe it's just semantics, but I much prefer to slather and then wield the sandpaper like a Toreador to tame the filler into submission! Splitting hairs maybe, but......

hamilton

[Blue Ensign]

You're making excellent progress Hamilton, I'm very pleased to see that the sweep ports are shaping up nicely.

 

Regards,

 

B.E.

[JPett]

Ahoy Hamilton

 

She looks good

 

The Greyhound is an interesting subject

[hamilton]

Thanks B.E. - yes I'm pretty pleased with them, though I still have a bit of cleaning up to do....

 

Initially when I framed them, I also put backings on them (1mm x 5mm basswood). These were added so that I could have something to root the sweeps onto when the time comes. However, I realised when I was planking that having the backings there was going to make filing them out extremely difficult, so I removed them so I could work them properly with a square jeweler's file. 

 

I thought to put them back on once the planking was complete in Band "A", but then of course I'd encounter the same problem when it came to the second planking...So now I've decided to use short lengths of 2mm x 2mm scrap wood as mounts for the sweeps that can then be inserted into the sweep ports and glued in. This will actually be the very last thing I do on the build. Hopefully having the sweeps run out will add some interest to the model. Anyway, thanks for stopping by!

hamilton

[hamilton]

Thans for the compliment, J.! Much appreciated!

hamilton

[hamilton]

Hello all:

 

The first planking is now finished, and she is shaping up, I think - or maybe I should say "I'm feeling a little more pleased about her". Since my last post, here's a couple of things that have happened....

 

1. I was studying the Goodwin's AOS Blandford and noticed that I had forgotten to cut a little "step" in the f'csl bulwarks.....this I did - see below.

 

2. finished planking the 5 bands I had lined off on the hull

 

3. applied liberal amounts of acrylic modelling paste to the hull and then sanded it quite vigorously on my front porch as the sun went down.

 

4. filed out ballast and sweep ports

 

5. I decided to lay a spirketing plank of 1.5mm x 3mm, and then plank the rest of the inboard bulwarks with 3mm x 1mm lime - I'm going to finish them in red once I cut the gunports and line them

 

6. finished the sweep and ballast port frames in red (again, and I'll have to do so a couple of times more I think....

 

Anyway, things are proceeding now, and the next couple of weeks will show a real transformation....I'm starting to have fun with this build - it only took 6 weeks!!

 

Here are the photos - enjoy!

hamilton

 

 

[harlequin]

Now where have I seen that hull before?...........looking good Hamilton.

[augie]

Voila......it's a ship    

 

Looking fine.  Glad to hear you're enjoying yourself.

[Blue Ensign]

She's looking really good hamilton, you surely are moving along apace with this build, I'm looking forward to the detailing soon to take place.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

[hamilton]

Thanks everyone for the comments! She's definitely coming along now. I started cutting out the gun ports last night and they're adding a lot, as well - I'll be finishing them this evening and painting the inboard bulwarks which should bring a bit more life into her. Another update probably in a few days.....

hamilton

[hamilton]

 Alright everyone - Happy Victoria Day to my commonwealth buddies! Or Happy May 2-4 for my fellow Canucks. Hope you're enjoying the long weekend.

 

In other news, a bit of an update on Greyhound, which I will now stop calling Greyhound and start calling "Blandford", since it's starting to come together as such....

 

Here's the latest laundry list:

 

1. Cut out gunports - using a template I made a while back that derived from the plans. The gunports in the waist were sawed out with an x-acto saw, while the other full square gun ports were cut out using the tried and true micro-drill/x-acto blade/needle file method.

 

 

2. Inboard bulwark finishing - in Cadmium Red medium (I use Golden acrylic artist paints, which are very nice to work with). Finished off with a coat of polyurethane.

 

 

3. Installed the upper wale - Goodwin's book shows the Blandford with a really distinctive double wale. I'm using 3mm x 1.5mm line for these wales with 1mm x 3mm lime for the filling strake. The upper wale was very difficult for two reasons - first because just locating its placement was tough. Goodwin shows its top edge flush against the sweep ports/ballast ports at mid-ships and then crossing the line of these ports at both bow (slightly) and stern (where it crosses entirely and where a few of the aftmost sweep ports are in line with the filling strake....I could not really get this effect without really edge bending the wale - so I avoided doing this and went with what looked good and followed as close as possible to the natural run of the planking...though I think I may get in trouble with the second planking above the wales.....

 

 

4. Installed the counter planking - and finished it also in cadmium red medium - very straightforward.

 

5. Installed the stern planking on the exposed aft side of bulkhead 13 - used a diagonal pattern as shown in Goodwin's book...this was (like the filling strake) stained using Minwax Golden Oak.

 

 

6. Installed the filling strake - see notes above.

 

 

 

 

That's it. I'll be laying on the lower wales tonight and then on to the outboard bulwark planking.....Bye for now

hamilton

[augie]

Nice work.  I like the color you obtained with the Golden Oak.

[hamilton]

Thanks Augie. I used a very soft old t-shirt to lightly wipe it on. Hopefully the bulwarks will look as nice when they're done....but that is the matter of my next post....

hamilton

[hamilton]

Hello....

 

Did you ever have one of those days when you probably should never have sat down at the workbench? I had one tonight! 

 

I'd been looking forward all day to starting in on the bulwark planking, though as I mentioned in my last update I thought I might have difficulties here - that is an understatement!!

 

I completed the wales last night and as I mentioned previously, I'd tried to keep a distinctive sweep to the run of the wales without edge bending them beyond recognition. When I was laying on the wales I noticed an error that I'm not sure how I could have avoided making.....The sweep ports are about 3-5 mm too low.....Thus, the wales are too low. The upper wale should meet the same point as the top of the counter at the stern - to make it rest even half way up the counter (and thus not have the wales bending under it) I had to put quite a sweep into it - and thus into the wales overall. This sweep doesn't look too exaggerated in the photos, and it isn't really. But you can see that it puts the run of the wales off from the lower edge of the gunports (they should be not exactly parallel, but very close, judging by Goodwin's book).

 

This would not have been an issue if the sweeps were a little bit higher up the hull....As it is, however, they are not, and it is impossible for me to correct them at this point. 

 

So having the sweeps too low means having the wales to low and having them make a much more dramatic run then they otherwise would (or should). But this also means that the bulwark planking will be especially tricky, and it certainly proved to be so today when I came to it after putting our son to bed....

 

I thought of three possibilities for attacking the job:

 

1. Just lay the bulwark strakes along the same trajectory as the wales - however, this would have resulted in some bizarre edge bending and would have looked very weird.

 

2. Start by laying the strake that runs immediately below the gun ports, so as to define the run of the strakes according to the gentle curve of the bottom edges of the ports. Then plank downwards and spile the last couple of strakes to conform to the sweep of the wales - this is what I SHOULD have done, though not, as it turns out, what I did....though I will be doing this tomorrow

 

3. Spile a short plank to fit against the upper wales and then just fill upwards like filling a bowl with water. This is what I did tonight, with grievous results. After I had laid 4 strakes (and finally got out of the well created by the wales) things looked good at the bow, but at the stern I noticed that the planks were actually tending downward and not sweeping upward as they should be....This was the result of a cumulative error in my spiling of the planks at stern which led to a miscalculation of the length of these lower strakes at that point.....fortunately I just did the starboard side....

 

So, long and short? Seeing how horrible it looked, I ripped the planks off (leaving the starboard side rather scarred) and will smooth it out and start again tomorrow.....Here are a few photos - a couple of the completed double wales (which I'm very happy with) and a couple of the scarred outboard bulwarks....

 

Tired and morose

hamiton

 

 

 

 

 

 

[augie]

Yes.....I've had many of those days.

 

Step away from the bench with your hands up, sir.

 

I agree that plan # 2 is probably the way you want to go.  I too have had a plan and then needed a new one (or 3).  It's part of learning and anticipating.

 

I'm not sure I understand how this happened.  You probably do by now.  It is often stated here that 'anything can be fixed'.  That is true, but you need to decide at what 'cost'.  I think, at the early stages in our shipwright 'careers'  we all have some 'woulda/shoulda' events.  Well, at least I do.  The important part right now is that you recognized that something is awry AND that you are addressing it. 

 

Hang tough and take a lesson from it.  You are already better because of it.

 

Now ----- back to work

[JPett]

Ahoy Hamilton

 

Do not despair

 

I am currently correcting a mistep I made. It took me over 25 hours to make and I estimate will take another 40 to fix.

 

What I do is start a side project, something unrelated to the current debacle. It could be the ships boat, some deck item, or even another small kit. This way I do not rush into my repairs making another mistake, but contemplate the possibilities for a few days. Repairs will sometimes require long periods where no work can be completed and these side project fills those gaps. They also help me to maintain the right attitude

 

I have found my repairs to be a source of great pride in my build; I hope you will too.

Good Luck

[Blue Ensign]

Sorry you've hit this problem hamilton, it's so frustrating when a desired plan fails to work.

 

I think the question you have to ask yourself is which is the most important feature that will contribute to a successful look or otherwise to the completed hull.

 

If I may venture an opinion, I would say the positioning of the wales; if the run of the wales isn't correct then the graceful sheer lines and balance of the hull will never look good.

 

You are not that far advanced, would it not be possible to blank off the sweep ports and redo the wales first, which will allow for a decent run of planking up to the topline, and a better proportion to the below waterline hull.

 

You would then be in a better position to gauge the line of the sweep ports which if re-cutting them proves too testy could at least be represented by closed blanks.

 

I do hope you resolve the problem to your satisfaction.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hamilton]

Hello Augie, J and BE

 

Thanks for your words of encouragement and advice! BE - I just read your response now after spending the day re-doing my bulwark planking (see photos below). In retrospect, this solution makes sense....I had a feeling very early on that I may have been positioning the sweep ports too low....but I didn't listen to myself then, as I should have....

 

I could certainly have stripped the wales and re-positioned them - and probably this would have been the best solution - either re-positioning and cutting the the sweep ports or omitting this detail....I had considered this, but went for what was "easiest" rather than what may have been "best". I installed a plank along the bottom edge of the gun ports to establish the run of the strakes and then planked up and down from there, spiling the last two planks to fit along the wales-as-fitted.....others may disagree, but I can live with the results....

 

Anyway, thanks all once again! Here are some photos of the results (I've only completed the starboard side....). I re-planked, up to the top of the gun ports in the waist and then down to the wales. I then stained this section of bulwark planking with Golden Oak. After it had dried, I touched up along the wales and then planked the remaining upper section of the bulwarks, masked it off and painted it blue at quarterdeck and forecastle. These blue sections will be further segmented with 1mm x 1mm extensions from the rails (later)....

 

Anyway - enjoy!

hamilton

 

 

 

 

 

The patchy look of the paint at stern in the last photo is a function of the glare of sunlight - it doesn't really look that bad!

 

[Blue Ensign]

Well she certainly looks better, and these things we fixate on tend to fade as more detail is put on the model to divert the eye.

Glad you feel happier about her now.

 

I like the colour contrast you are achieving.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

[harlequin]

Hang in there Hamilton, it is worth it in the end. I know how awkward this build is, indeed there used to be a couple of build logs of Greyhound on the old site that were started but abandoned because of this awkwardness, and that is to say nothing of the changes you are making to the kit yourself. It will be interesting to compare the two Greyhounds of yours and mine as yours progresses. I said before this kit is of high risk of being launched prematurely against the nearest wall, but ultimately looks great on completion. ( just keep a bottle of the strong stuff on hand (not glue  ) Lagavulin in my case) and remember softly softly catchy monkey. The colours are looking great by the way.   

Edited May 24, 2013 by harlequin

[Ferit]

Salute hamilton,

with paint added she rised one level higher... I could wonder how nice she would be seen with the finished paint...

[hamilton]

Thanks BE - again, I wish I had both the time and the patience to follow through on your earlier suggestion! But I will live with these results. I was trying to picture her with the lower hull planked and the channels & chainplates on - this will soften some of that high contrast - as will the rails and mouldings once they're on....next time I'll wait a bit longer to read all the responses before moving on!

hamilton

[hamilton]

Good to hear from you Harlequin! We should arrange a side-by-side photo-log of our two builds once mine's done - it would be interesting to see how they stand up - we'll have to make up a list of perspectives so we can each replicate similar shots for comparison - not a quality comparison, clearly, since I cannot hope to match your beautiful work on the Greyhound!

hamilton

[hamilton]

Thank you Ferit - this is high praise coming from a master such as yourself! If my results are even half as clean as what you've done with the Berlin, I will be more than satisfied!

hamilton

[JerseyCity Frankie]

I am looking forward to using the phrase "softly softly catchy monkey" at the next opportunity even though I am not sure exactly what it means.

[DesertWolf]

Really nice work Hamilton. I can't wait to see further progress.

 

While reading through your log I had to smile at all the comments about Corel's instructions. Did you forget how bad the AL San Fran instructions are? Step 1 - open box. Step 2 - put hull together. Step 3 - make masts & yards and rig together. Step 4 - congratulations, you are done. I really don't know why good kits must be spoiled with poor instructions.

[mtaylor]

NIce fix on a real head-scratcher, Hamilton.  Looks like you bagged it. 

 

Frankie:

I Googled and here's two links.  The second seems to have a more rounded answer.

 

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Softly%2C%20Softly%2C%20Catchee%20Monkey

 

http://nodtonothing.blogspot.com/2007/05/softly-softly-catchee-monkey.html

[hamilton]

I am looking forward to using the phrase "softly softly catchy monkey" at the next opportunity even though I am not sure exactly what it means.

 

I guess it's one of those expressions that never entirely caught on in the colonies (at least not here in the frigid north - or at least not in my day). Didn't I read it in a Rudyard Kipling novel? It means go slow and carefully and achieve your ends....not my strong suit I'm afraid!

hamilton