Greek Bireme by Robin Lous - FINISHED - Dusek - Scale 1:72 - First wooden ship build

[MESSIS]

Robin u r doing an ecxellent work so far.... a bit slow ☺, but steady of high quality! Though I wonder how releiable is to assume that the ancient greeks painted their ships... except from some ornamental paint.... Even the frescos of santorini which are imaging minoan ships (minoan ships are more often assumed that they had some kind of painted parts) show no painted ships. Dont really know the answer... just pointing it out as food for thought.

 

Keep up the good work

[Robin Lous]

There purchase records of Athenean (trieres) shipyards for large quantities of red and yellow ochre.

Likely used to paint or decorate trieres (the ships...and/or the sails)...or maybe just buildings. nothing is certain.

 

When things become uncertain or obscure...common sense and artistic freedom enter the scene 

 

I'll stick to wood staining. This will result in an orange wood tone. Something like the colour of the Argo penteconter reconstruction.

So...I play safe

 

Robin 

Edited September 19, 2017 by Robin Lous

[Robin Lous]

I posted this photo of testing cherry wood stain before. Centre popsicle stick and the basswood plank test...1, 2 and 3 layers (sanded). I think it's a safe, but nice.

Photo MIA

The other colour is "dark smoked oak" it's too light for the pine tarred lower side of the hull, so I got myself a can of ebony wood stain instead.

 

Edited September 19, 2017 by Robin Lous

[Baker]

Looks great!

 

Do you have enough magnums ??      

 

Greetings

Patrick

[Robin Lous]

 

Planking trials and tribulations are history now...only a few near the keel on one side, but I won't bother you guys about those. This was the part that scared me most, so it feels good I managed to do it.

 

When I finished the other side, I'll protect it from dirty fingers and other woes with cling foil...and move to the next step.

 

Several nice things to do next. 

 

Finish the deck planking, make the "in between" frames I mentioned before, stain the inside of the hull, drill the holes for the lower oars, start with the rigging attachment points, the forecastle, centre deck railing, wale(s), rudders, ram...and more!

 

A whole score of jobs I'm looking forward to. Funny...I hardly need the plans or manual. Much of what I do next is scratch build or heavily modified...and those plans are bubbling in my head for 2 months by now!

 

More soon! Excited!

 

Robin 

Edited September 19, 2017 by Robin Lous

[foxy]

Know what you mean Robin.

 

The Idea's from your research seem to take on a new meaning.

 

Keep at it and you will get the ship you want. 

 

Frank 

[MESSIS]

 

When things become uncertain or obscure...common sense and artistic freedom enter the scene. How right u r Robin! 100% !

 

Ps the argo colours I think is great. And also awsome ur choice of orange stain..... come on work a bit faster.... we r anxious about the.result of ur fine work

[Robin Lous]

Thanks and....tough luck! 

 

I  still must do the few remaining planks on the other side, but I won't post about those.

With a busy week...it will take at least until sunday before I can start working on the "in between" drop in frames.

 

Treated myself with a new Proxxon toy for that...the DS 230/E Scroll saw! 

 

More soon, but it will take time.

 

Robin

[Torbogdan]

What kind of gap filler do you use?

 

Great work so far!

[Robin Lous]

It's a Dutch brand I think...Alabastine.

 

It's a wood paste, available in several wood colours. Meant to fill small gaps, holes and cracks in furniture.

A bit too thick to use for the small gaps we have to deal with, so I thinned it down with a little water.

It works well and it's easy to sand smooth again. It dries very quickly, but still need to wait a few hours before sanding.

 

Robin

 

(working on the last 2 planks atm)

Edited September 22, 2016 by Robin Lous

[cog]

You should have been caulkin' the seams, Robin. Alabastine ... that's a bit sloppy, it disolves in water, so when she has her maiden voyage she will sink ...

Edited September 22, 2016 by cog

[Robin Lous]

Nah...not after several layers of wood stain and a final layer of varnish.

 

Not sure I do a bathtub test when I finished the hull, but it is tempting! 

[cog]

I was so hoping on a bathtub test ... with those yellow ducklings, and foam ... gawd what a disapointment ...

[Robin Lous]

With the hull planking done (it's finally a ship!), I'll now continue with making the (planked) forecastle.

Final news...

The Admiral picked up the 0,15mm thick copper sheat for me, so I can start experimenting with...how to make copper look like bronze.

For the ram btw. Not yet designed, but I have ideas about it already.

 

So...next will be the forecastle. A neat little project I think.

 

More soon,

 

Robin

Edited September 19, 2017 by Robin Lous

[cobra1951]

Progressing nicely Robin

[cog]

Nice finish on the planking, Robin. I would have used brass to get a bronze look, as far as I know it is easier to do. Could you poor me a Hennessy, please

 

Nice collection of airbrush paints ... how do you keep them from unmixing? Can't imagine you shaking your arms out ...

 

Cheers

[Robin Lous]

I kindly disagree with brass being the better choise.

Aged brass still looks yellowish, while aged copper looks more brown. the green copper oxidation comes very close to the green bronze oxidation.

Imho copper is the better choise to work with, or at least...I tried to do it with brass and I wasn't happy with the results. 

 

I'll start with an oil and blowtorch treatment...inspired by my Titleist Vokey Oil Can wedges (golf clubs).

 

Always welcome to help me empty a bottle of Cognac.....or any bottle for that matter. 

 

Yes...I shake the bottles (paint...not cognac!) until it start to hurt my wrist...and a bit more! A good way to speed this up is to hold the bottle in one hand and slam the bottom of it hard with your other hand...several times.

 

Robin 

Edited September 23, 2016 by Robin Lous

[cog]

Ah, you want the greenish effect! Bronze doesn't get green easily, so copper would be a good choice, but not very easy either.

 

I'll keep that in mind if I get to the other side of the low lands ...

 

You must have some hughe arms, considering the number of bottles you've got :D

[Robin Lous]

lol... I mostly use 1 to 3 bottles...not all of them 

 

I'm not looking for a massive green oxide effect, but a bit of it over time...nice!

I try to get a neat dark moody brown bronze look.

 

Edit: btw...for the use of polished body armor, shields and helmets...I agree...brass will be the better choise.

Edited September 23, 2016 by Robin Lous

[cog]

Hennessy

[mtaylor]

I think there's some patinas by Jax (who do the pewter black and brass black many of us use for cannons, etc.) that might work.  

[Robin Lous]

Yep, the patina treatment is on the list also...and it might work, because I used it on copper photo etched seatbelts and the result was great on them.

 

Today I did the forecastle (maybe forecastle not the right word for this...dunno) planking.

Still need to sand these planks.

Tomorrow i'll do the frame on the inside, 2 small pin rails in between 2 frames...1 each side....and Ill finish the deck planks.

Perhaps even time to drill the oar holes and do the wales. Oh...and I'll scratchbuild 16 deadeyes from walnut wood, but that's prolly a bit ambitious for a sunday. 

 

Now the planking is done, things will speed up I think. 5 weeks...about 150 hours in it so far.

 

More soon,

 

Robin

 

Edit: the Hennessy for Carl (cog) 

Edited September 19, 2017 by Robin Lous

[cobra1951]

Nice work Robin

I could do with some stain the same colour as the Hennessy for my Endeavour

[Robin Lous]

That's about the cherrywood colour I use for my build. I expect to stain the hull early next week, so you can check it soon. 

 

Now doing the last deck planks. Painstaking work to let them meet the rounded bow and stern.

Cut...fit...sand...fit...sand...fit...sand...fit...sand fit.

 

More soon,

 

Robin

[cobra1951]

Yep the only downside of model building is the never ending sanding, my builds always slow down when a lot of sanding is called for

I have some light teak stain which is almost identical to the cherry

[foxy]

Nice work Robin.

 

Maybe raised bow area if you feel forecastle is to much 

 

Your really getting to grips with this, nice one.

 

Frank 

[cog]

Robin,

 

Nice work on those seat belt buckles. I have to keep that in mind.

 

Thanks for the Cognac!!! I needed that after todays paint job. I should stick to modelling, uniquely!

 

The stem planking looks very smooth, she is taking shape nicely

Edited September 26, 2016 by cog

[Robin Lous]

Thanks Bob, Carl and Frank...and thanks to the guys who like my build!

 

Sadly...the Admiral had plans for the day, so my shipyard time was limited today.

Only had time to finish the deck planking.

I stained the edge of the hull before I did the bordering planks. I'll only varnish the deck with semi matt varnish.

 

I'm still wondering about what the type of wood the deck planks are. They come from a Billing Boats wood display in my local shop.

Since they're very nice and the right size for me (4mm wide, 0,5mm thick)...and since they were a bargain (20 cents each)...I took the whole lot. Enough to plank the decks of a fleet of penteconters and trieres.

 

It's not birch, boxwood or linde / basswood, but I've no idea what it is. The guy in the shop had no idea either.

 

For now it's just "nice plank wood" 

 

About the cherry wood stain. It's not as dark as it seems on the photo (magnifying lamp light only).

I like it and I think it's a good replacement for red ochre paint. Good colour and I don't have to hide the wood underneath paint now.

 

Well....hoped to show more today, but...more soon.

 

Robin

Edited September 19, 2017 by Robin Lous

[Robin Lous]

I wasn't sure what was best to do next, but I guess it's time to do the oar-holes for the lower oars now.

 

Like much...I do it slightly different 

 

The manual tells me to drill 2,5mm holes in the 3rd plank. This scared me...2,5mm holes in a 3mm wide plank

This will most likely result in cutting the plank into small sections with nasty edges were the holes meet plank 2 and 4.

I wasn't looking forward to that.

 

The solution was handed to me on a silver platter when I checked the position of the wale directly underneath the oar-holes.

On the edge of planks 3 and 4...according to the manual.

 

I didn't like that position...it looks better one plank down...edge of 4 and 5. Also a good point to start the pine tar for the hull bottom.

 

So I lowered the oar-holes to halfway plank 3 and halfway plank 4....no more fear of plank destruction!

 

And...instead of 2,5 mm....3,5 mm holes.

 

I didn't dare to drill 3,5 mm. Started with 1 mm and widened with a 2 mm drill bit. From there...a fine round file.

The larger holes are more realistic and they look better I think.

They're closer to the waterline now, so I'll make leather sleeves (like used on the Olympias) from thin lead foil.

 

Note: the 2 dark lines are CA glue stains...not gaps. The lower one will be hidden underneath the wale, but the one above the hole will remain. It bothers me, but nothing I can do to get rid of it. Hopefully less visible after staining.

 

3 done...21 to go! 

 

More soon,

 

Robin

Edited September 19, 2017 by Robin Lous

[Louie da fly]

She's starting to look really good. Keep up the good work.

 

By the way, another advantage of copper is that it's softer and easier to work than brass. (I know from personal experience working small scale in both metals - I'd far rather work with copper than brass).

 

Steven