Phantom by Elijah - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:96 - New York Pilot Boat

[Elijah]

Thanks Mike! It's not late at all!

[dgbot]

Elijah, when I worked on the hull I asked my mentor Dana which route to take and he advized me to go the thin planking route as easier to do.  So I used cherry veneer for the planking if I can remember that far back.  

David B

[Elijah]

Cherry veneer, I'll look into that. Thanks!

[mikiek]

That would look awesome and give you some experience with planking. Your question from earlier still holds true. It will add width to your hull albeit a small amount. Will this matter for anything else? I can think of things like railings if the Phantom has them. There might need to be a little more overhang to cover the edge of the planks. There may be other considerations.

 

One other thought, if the hull is to be painted then don't spend to much money on the planks. A lot of the better woods have nice grain and are meant to be stained and lacquered. If you are going to paint then you lose all that and probably could get away with  a less expensive choice.

 

I'm not saying don't do it - just think ahead and know that there might be adjustments to make.

 

Carry on Young Man.................

[Elijah]

The Phantom has a cap rail that goes all around the hull. The hull will be painted black, so the wood doesn't have to be fancy. Any recommendations would be nice, and for the cherry veneer, I have seen it for some pretty high prices. If there is a certain type or thickness that works well, it would be nice to know. Thanks! I'm going to work on shaping the hull now, being that I have recovered from my sickness. I will have pictures when I'm done . It will be nice to have the hull fit the building board!

[mikiek]

Elijah - since you are painting the hull I would consider basswood. My Niagara kit came with some 1/32"x3/32" planks that would not add too much width. The price is right. Whether your cap rails would need to be wider is your call. If so you could order a couple of wider replacement planks at the same time.

 

Actually, a well stocked hobby/craft store might even have your sticks so you would not have to order.

 

Glad you're feeling better....

[kurtvd19]

Elijah:

I have some cherry veneer in my shop that you can have enough of to do the planking if you want it.  Let me know.  Picked it up for a job that fell through.

Kurt

[Elijah]

Kurt, I would be interested in looking at that stuff and seeing if I like it. Do you have any extra styrene sheets? My papa hasn't gotten any yet, and if you don't need it it would save him the cost. I hope I can come to the meeting on Saturday!

I'm currently about halfway done with the indent in the stern. The cap rail will sit on top of this, and the name will go on this back. I have found that a file works much better than a sanding block at this job. When I'm done I'll send some pictures. I hope to finish tonight, with the help of a file and a template.

Until next time!

[alde]

Elijah,

 

Kurt's cherry veneer should be perfect for your planking. You will learn so much and have great rewards for it. You really seem to be willing to take on a challenge and working through things.

[Elijah]

Thanks Al. I just hope I can make it to the meeting, and learn to plank a hull !

[Elijah]

Here are the pictures, as promised! The stern now fits nicely into the stern holder. The notch or indent was started with a sanding block, but I switched to a small file because I found it worked better.

I can now add station lines to the hull accurately, and that should help me when shaping the hull, as well as the base for the keel. I will make styrene templates for the shaping. I will try to start this process soon, starting with thinning the base for the false keel. Happy modeling to everyone!

Until next time!

[dgbot]

Elijah,  I got the veneer for next to nothing and the hull is painted so you cannot tell.  When you are going for painting you do not need a fancy or expensive wood.  I could have used some basswood planking I had but wanted something that was more durable and easier to paint.

I was able to pull it out of the box to get a photo of it.  Unfortunately a couple of years of neglect and then boxed means a lot of restoring it when I get to it.  However here is a photo of what I am talking about,

David B

 

[_SalD_]

Elijah great work on the stern, she coming along nicely.  It appears you've got a lot of great help out there in Chicago.

[Elijah]

From what I've heard, I think I should go with Kurt's veneer. Nice planking David!

Thanks Sal! Yes, I do have a lot of great help in Chicago!

[mikiek]

Sounds like the price is right on the veneer. It should help to get you a smoother surface and finish.

 

My only reason for suggesting basswood was to keep the cost down. Other than that, I am liking basswood less and less.

 

Carry on Young Man.......

[Elijah]

Free is the best price in town !

[John Maguire]

Elijah,

 

Looking really great. You have it under control. Isn't cherry a really nice wood for stain? That temptation could change the dynamic.

 

Respectfully,

John

[Elijah]

I'm wondering, would buying model Shipways waterline marker be worth it? I have quite a lot of lines to draw on the hull. I also don't have much easily useable, thing, tight grained, and strong wood. Also, sadly, I don't think I will be able to come to the NRMSS meeting on Saturday. I will have to work on shaping the hull, and hope I am done with that by the time the next meeting arrives. By then I should be able to put the cherry veneer to use! Thanks again Kurt! John, I will have to see how much I like my planking job to know if I truly want to paint it. I will find out in the future!

[dgbot]

Elijah, just make a copy of my marker.  It took me less than an hour to make with what I had at the moment.  That way you can save a few dollars.  

I have faith in you to get the job done. First worry about your hull.  You are doing a great job so far.

David B

[Elijah]

Yes, I will see what I can do. Maybe I can start after school today. I will have to look in the hardware drawer, but I don't think I have that double winged component. Is it called a wing nut?

Maybe I'll skype you, after I get home of course.

[kurtvd19]

Elijah:

Yes, that's a wing nut. If you don't have the wing nut you can make the same sort of tool by using a clamp to clamp the upright and the pencil holder at the correct position.  Saves making the slot.

Kurt

[Elijah]

This morning I finished the line marker, as well as marked the waterline on the starboard side. The Legos made a perfect fit for my pencil. I can angle the pencil when needed. It's a really simple design. Here's the pictures. In some of them the board appears angled, but that's just my table.

Next up is shaping the hull, which included making styrene templates. I feel like I am actually getting some progress! Good night everyone! I also received the new Nautical Research Journal! It looks very good! Until next time!

[Turatopgun]

Hi Elijah, Have been away for a few days and just got back to your build.  You are doing great and the b oat is starting to take shape.  Well done. 

Phill

[Elijah]

Hello everyone! I have had a very busy couple days, and I'm going to be very busy tomorrow. I have made an attachment to the line marker that enables it to draw vertical lines. Legos can be quite handy!

Until next time!

[mikiek]

Looks like you're in business!

[Elijah]

Thanks Mike! I have found that it doesn't mark vertical lines very well, so I have reworked the line marker a bit. I will have pictures later. I'm trying to figure out how best to mark the line. One of the hard parts is keeping the hull in its building board. I'm still trying to figure that one out. I have also had trouble with the pencil, but I have a new idea. I'm going to use a rubber band to hold it in place, so it can move to the curves of the hull. Again, I'll have pictures later. Happy building everyone!

Until next time.

[kurtvd19]

Elijah:

I am sure the set up as it is will mark a point on the hull at any point along the station line.  Just make 3 or more pencil point dots on a station line and then connect them using a flexible straight edge of some sort.  A business card might work or a strip of styrene.

Kurt

[Elijah]

Here is where I'm at as of tonight. I've started lining off the hull, doing vertical lines first. I started with Kurt's idea, but I had another idea, based on his. I used tape to draw the lines, and will fine tune them once I have the vertical lines done. I also noticed my stern holder was a bit crooked, and I couldn't let it bee, so I took it off. I cut the glue away and re-glued it on. I will continue work when I can. Please tell me if I am doing anything incorrectly. Here are the pictures.

P.s. I've only marked these lines on the starboard side. I will mark the port side once done. Happy modeling everyone!

Until next time!

[trippwj]

Looking good, sir. You may want to look for the book by Gene Johnson on building ship models - he has a short section on shaping solid hulls.

[kurtvd19]

Elijah:

Good thinking on using the tape to lay down a straight line.  It's looking good.

Kurt