Thermopylae by popeye the sailor - Sergal - 1:124 scale

[Jim Lad]

Coming along nicely, mate!

 

Beware rings on hatch boards!  As shown on most kits they would tear the hatch covers to shreds.  Hatches on sailing ships had individual boards that could easily be lifted by hand.  This type of board persisted well into the power driven ship era except that some later hatch boards had lifting rings that were inset into the board so that they would lie flush with the board when not in use.

 

Below are a couple of photos that show hatch boards.

 

[russ]

Those deck fixtures are coming along well. Very nice details. I like the two toned wood selection.

 

Russ

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Russ    at the moment I'm planking the main deck.   I'm using 0.5 x 3 mm blonde {koto, obetchi, or basswood.....anyone's guess}.....and wouldn't you know it,  the edges are rough.   so,  I'm having to sand the edges of every strip I use.   fun like this should be outlawed!  but all 'n all.......it's going fairly well.   pictures soon.   thanks for the good word  

 

so........nothing on the hold covers?   I could do a test piece and show you what I want to do....see if it's OK.   although....as I recall,  Cyril's model had something like that on his.   I'm sure his model is a larger scale than what I'm working with.   I just checked,  and his model is 1/8" to 1'.........not sure of the scale.

[Jim Lad]

1/8" to 1' = 1:96!

 

John

[BANYAN]

Denis, WRT hatch covers I would say it depends on how you wish to depict her.  If you are fitting sails (at sea) then the hatch covers (canvas) would have been fitted.  If in harbour, just arrived or ready to sail) you could go either way (canvas on or off), but if depicted as in port at anchor/alongside then the canvas would have been off in most circumstances with some of the hatch covers open for loading/unloading?

 

I would also go with the flat bar handles as John has shown if you do not fit canvas sea coverings (to protect the cargo)

 

More decisions  sorry mate.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[vossiewulf]

2 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

thanks Russ    at the moment I'm planking the main deck.   I'm using 0.5 x 3 mm blonde {koto, obetchi, or basswood.....anyone's guess}.....and wouldn't you know it,  the edges are rough.   so,  I'm having to sand the edges of every strip I use.   fun like this should be outlawed!  but all 'n all.......it's going fairly well.   pictures soon.   thanks for the good word  

 

so........nothing on the hold covers?   I could do a test piece and show you what I want to do....see if it's OK.   although....as I recall,  Cyril's model had something like that on his.   I'm sure his model is a larger scale than what I'm working with.   I just checked,  and his model is 1/8" to 1'.........not sure of the scale.

Clamp 20 of them together like a book and sand all the edges on one side at once on a nice flat surface! Then reclamp and do the other side. Doing them one by one would be very annoying. I'd use a piece of 3/4" with a rabbet cut into it to hold 20 or so pieces with them just proud of the surface, then split that in half on my table saw and drill and install telescoping brass rod and tube so they can slide. Put pieces in, clamp with c-clamps.

[popeye the sailor]

my......what a fine kettle of fish?!?!?!   

 

thanks for the conversion John..........so that would make her as large as the Revell kit........3 feet long!    WOW!!!!

 

thanks Pat.   we do have an idea how small these hold covers are....right?  it would be a feat to do......although it's not impossible.  not only that......in the picture I showed,  I have the boards running the same direction as the deck planking.   I'll have to see if I can fit them to run the other way.  I wasn't going to do the canvas thing........else I wouldn't have put all that time into them.   yep...more thought needed....thanks again!  

 

I dunno Vossie........don't want to build the space shuttle     I could make something of a jig with what I got here on the table..........but it's not really worth it.   I'm about half done now......the aft deck and fore deck won't take much at all.  so,  for the small inconvenience,  and how big the task is.....I'll just trudge on through   thanks for the thought and idea though....I appreciate it!

 

thanks Lawrence........yup,  all better now,  and back at it     I'm chasing my own tail on this one..........but as I said.......there's a ship in this box somewhere.......I'll find it sooner or later.    thanks for the good word!

 

I just thought of an amusing idea........use a paper shredder.....to make planks!        

[popeye the sailor]

I was like paint with this ship yesterday.......I was all over it!    I began planking the main deck..........starting at the bow.   there is a big opening for the bow spirit......I wanted to make sure it would fit in there OK.   I had to file the angle in the knight head hole,  and got to see how much of it was really needed for the root.

more planking ensued,  filling in the area under the fore deck.   I knew I'd need to be creative with some of the planks......odd cuts and shaping.   here's one of the odd planks I had to make.   the calking is done with an archive pen.

I use the clothes pin to hold the planks as I do the calking.  I had to make one for the starboard side............it's in place here.

I just filled in what would be seen under the fore deck.  with the windlass and pump in place,  this may not be seen as much.

I had filled in all around the first hold...then I had to rip it up,  due to messing up the mast hole.   at the other end of the ship,  the aft bulwarks were getting the inner planking done.  using a piece of the wide mahogany 0.5 mm flat strip,  I tried making the waterway that runs around the transom.   tracing the shape of the stern on the mahogany,  I tried to hand draw the inner border.....I didn't do too good

I took the cut out and cleaned it up.   after tracing another stern outline on the mahogany,  I used it to trace the inner cut out.

this stuff is very brittle.......it put up a fight......broke a couple of times.........but I was able to rough out the part I need.

both sides of the aft bulwarks are done.....

[popeye the sailor]

when I called it a day,  I am almost at the half way point. more will be done today  

 

[donrobinson]

That wood does look very brittle, good come back. You may have mentioned it before but what are you using to simulate your chalking?

[popeye the sailor]

hey Don.....yea,  I got a bunch of 0.5 x 25 x 550 mm strips of that mahogany.   to cut it up like that can be a pain....it splinters like crazy.   now I need to sand and shape it.......that will be another trilogy.    I use an archive pen to do the calking.  I get 'em at Hobby Lobby.....they have a huge selection.   some are for calligraphy,  sketching and drawing.   the brand is Faber - Castell...med to fine tip.

[russ]

You could get better deck planking material at Hobby Lobby as well. They sell packages of premilled basswood strips that are ideal for decking. No scary edges to deal with.

 

Russ

[popeye the sailor]

I know they carry basswood and balsa...........never seen thin strip though.    I'll have to look.    may save me an order to Billing USA.....that's where I get my planking wood.     

[S.Coleman]

What a great start to the deck planking. Are you going to simulate treenails on these deck planks?

Good work.

[Jim Lad]

A nice start to the deck, Popeye!

 

John

[EJ_L]

Great start on your deck planking! I like the use of the mahogany for the edges. Really makes them pop out at you and adds a little something extra.

[BANYAN]

Seems this ship is throwing a fair number of of challenges at you Denis but it seems you are "adapting and overcoming"   Nice start to your planking.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[popeye the sailor]

thanks for the good word gents....you may think otherwise when you see how the rest turned out.  I'll get to that when I post the pictures   thanks to all who hit the like button as well.

 

thanks Scott and John    with a scale this size........no,  tree nailing is not an option  

 

thanks E.J.   I'm using the mahogany to simulate teak wood.   I've found that combining different woods,  can have quite a bit of eye appeal.  used in combination with different styles of deck planking, one can also add their own bit of decorative flare.  I was looking at one build the other day,  which I thought was very imaginative.  

 

thanks Pat......with what I've uncovered so far......let's just say that I'm still diligently looking for the ship in this box    ....and to think.....the Syborn has taken a back seat to this one {not really,  but it feels like it}.   I do have to laugh......the size of this hull is nothing that I've dealt with before {oh wait!!!!   I can't say that.....the Billing's AmericA}.  anyway......I'm so used to laying the hull across my lap,  as I work on it.   I had the archive pen in my hand........I went to move and the hull began to roll off my lap!   now it has a big swatch of India Ink on her port side    kinda reminds me of my near damaging experience with my Epiphone bass guitar.   it's shaped like a Gibson......it's called the Epiphone Les Paul for this reason.   the one bad thing about this body design,  is that it's prone to the strap to pop off.   I was at practice one night......and in the middle of a song,  it happened!   it began to drop,  and I grabbed it lightning quick!   it has my claw marks in the fretboard to prove it.......it never hit the floor      it now is equipped with strap locks.

     I'm almost finished with the main deck planking.......just a small area to go.   that half circle of mahogany,  i'm shaping is a pain.......it broke again.   oh well.....>shrug<   work continues  

[jct]

Nice deck work Denis

[popeye the sailor]

thanks J........should have pictures of the entire main deck in a little while.  surprisingly enough.........I got side tracked!    

[Omega1234]

Hi Denis

 

She's come a long way, Denis.  The hatches, waterways and decking are looking great and they'll no doubt, add heaps of atmosphere to the ship.

 

Nicely done!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Patrick.....still more to go    should look pretty good,  when the layout is all put together.  

 

speaking of layout........the main deck is fully planked.   one bit of advice I can give anyone who would be building this model in the future......fill in the hold and aft cabin punch outs  and map them out yourself.   I made a huge mistake in not mapping the deck platform out,  before assembly.......I did it later,  when elbow room was scarce.   but I think the holds are not positioned properly,  slightly off center.  the fore hold could come aft a couple of mm's.........the mid ship hold could DEFINITELY come back a few,  as it's position doesn't give enough room for the cabin structure.  the aft hold could come forward a few mm's and get it away from the bulkhead.  the holds are assembled around the openings......that's how I measured them.  I left an overhang around them {seemed normal to me}, but I see that perhaps they shouldn't have had any.   what spawned from all this was me having to alter the plank widths  in a few rows,  throughout the planking,  in order to keep the rows in sync.

     I did redo one area......partially due to a messed up mast hole,  but the outcome was the same.   the mast hole came out better......that was a plus    further thoughts of redoing it was shot down........if this were a larger scale,  there might be more promise    I also tried something I haven't done before......scraping the deck.   limited due to the small spaces,  but it worked well.....I finished off with sanding.   I've not stained it because I still need to do the aft deck.....so no finishing will be done until the aft deck is planked.  I'll do them both together.

what are the rule concerning butt staggers before or after a hold....especially in the case of a short plank?   should the hold frame work be centered between main beams?

[popeye the sailor]

I also started with the poop deck {aft deck}.   first was to border off the aft cabin.   I ran the archive pen around the inside edges,  just in case there were any gaps around the structure.

it took some doing........that piece of waterway around the transom was very brittle.......it broke a few times,  while I was sanding and shaping it.   it actually came out better than I thought it would, considering what I went through to make it.   add the sides and it was complete.......only some minor trimming involved.

 

then the planking began........

the hole for the rudder.......don't know why it was needed........the rudder doesn't come through it.   the wheel pad was added......there isn't a wheel box,  like the Cutty has.   it still needs to be made yet.   I'll get the rest of this done today........perhaps I'll throw just say the heck with it and do the fore deck too.   I can always snake the anchor chain in place when the time comes.

[rafine]

The deck planking looks great Denis.

 

Bob

[Jim Lad]

that deck has turned out well, Popeye.  Regarding the placement of deck beams; yes, there would be a beam at either end of the hatches.

 

John

[popeye the sailor]

thanks to all who hit the like button

 

thanks Bob.

 

thanks John........so they would be framed  in between beams.   looking at the stagger lines,  I have them at every bulkhead,  as well as at every half measurement.   on some POB kits,  it might be hard to map out,  due to the bulwark posts.......but on this one,  it could have been done easily,  since the posts are to be removed.   in the future,  I will be sure to map the deck out before they are assembled.   bad on me for forgetting to do it on this one

[popeye the sailor]

a little more has been done to the build........nothing yesterday though.   I got side tracked doing video production.   we have a couple of bins of VHS tapes...movies...........we bought a VHS to DVD program for the computer.   I tried three computers,  until I found the one that will handle the program.  I had to give up my keyboard {hence my not being here yesterday}....but for my sacrifice,  I got a brand new one    of course,  the first tape I had to burn was our wedding video........I looked like a dork!

 

anyway........I did finish the aft deck.   the two deck in relation,  look pretty good 

it was sanded and scraped.....and given the stain coat.   it really changed the way it looks.

I have run out of the semi gloss lacquer.  I had gone to Hobby Lobby.......and my luck,  they don't carry it in the bottle.......I had to get a rattle can.   so I decanted some and I had to wait for the propellant to escape,  before I can use it.   I'll be giving her a coat or two today.  I had better hurry though.......it's my youngest son's birthday,  and I promised a taco supper for him and his girlfriend.  fun times had by all!  

[cog]

Congrats, Denis, with the youngest. It's what usually happens, when you go to a store and you need something urgently ... lucky they had an alternative

[donrobinson]

Looks nice, I have never used lacquer on a build but looking at your results I just may try it 

[popeye the sailor]

hi Don.....I'm typing with one hand again......holding a rub rail.   the finish you see there is just the stain.......but I think the aft deck has a coat of the bottled lacquer {which I have now run out of}.   I just finished giving both decks two coats of the new lacquer......which I find is a flat........says dull coat on the cap.   it really doesn't matter which one you use.....the semi gloss tends to dull out as it cures.   it gives a nice hard finish and is a bit more scratch resistant.......that's why I like it.   there is one draw back though.   the bottled lacquer is not as bad,  but the rattle can lacquer can be very touchy to temp and humidity,  due to the addition of propellant in the formula.   when I  {if you have to do it}  decant my paints,  I leave the caps loose for at least 12 hours,  lightly shaking it every once in a while.   if you have to use the rattle can.......be sure the temp is around 70 degrees with low humidity.  it's worth the effort though......

 

thanks Carl!