HMS Victory by gjdale - FINISHED - Mamoli - Scale 1:90

[Micklen32]

Your London Tram is looking very nice, by the way.

 

Thanks a lot Grant

As usual getting the painting looking good is the main problem

I would love to be good enough with it to make sensible use of my airbrush but I find masking very difficult and always tend to get some run somewhere under the tape 

Mick

[themadchemist]

Nice work on the boat. such a small scale doesnt seem so bad on the Vicky due to its size. Then when you see how small the long boats are it really puts things into prespective.

Im glad you wander through different project and methods. I love to do the same and your work helps inspire me.

 

BTW, hows the recovery. Are you back to 100%, I hope.  

[gjdale]

Thanks Augie, Mick and Keith,

 

Augie - hang in there mate, I hope to make up for lost time over the long weekend!

 

Mick - have you tried the Tamiya brand masking tape? I hear from others here that it is the best going, so might be worth a try.

 

Keith - recovery is pretty much complete, thanks for asking - enough to flog myself senseless with work again anyway! I'm glad my little side projects have helped you - though judging from your work to date, you don't seem to need much inspiration!!! Good to hear that you're feeling better now - that sounded like a pretty tough few weeks.

[gjdale]

Hi all,

 

A small update to provide Augie his fix and some pictures to keep "you know who" happy.

 

I completed the framing of the launch today.  The technique of soaking two strips, laminating them and clamping around the formers seems to have worked very well and was quite quick once I got into a rhythm.  For those with a tighter bend I employed some heat from an old electric plank bender:

 

 

Funny, I must have had this thing for 20 years and never got on with it for general planking (I prefer to use a steam iron generally), but for this job it was exactly the right tool. 

 

Here's a view of all the whole frames completed:

 

 

And then the addition of the four cant frames per side in the bows:

 

 

Here's a view from the other side.  Here you can clearly see the apron.  I had to remove this earlier to fit the whole frames as it interfered with the plug.  However, I needed to reinstall it in order to install the cant frames.

 

 

Fairing these frames is a somewhat delicate matter as you can imagine.  Here is shot showing how I used the fingers of one hand to support the frames from the other side while fairing:

 

 

And this is the weapon of choice for fairing (and all other sanding on this little project to date).  It is a flexible sanding stick with a tapered end.  They are available in a number of grades, but this is the coarse shown here.  A very useful little tool.

 

 

Tomorrow, I will commence the exterior planking. 

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Nice 'how to' on framing the Launch Grant, excellent work.

 

B.E.

[augie]

Truly well done.

 

I can now relax for the weekend.

[themadchemist]

that fairing loooks like it takes a very light touch. Beautiful frame work, and at such scale. Just amazing.

[realworkingsailor]

Yeah.. I can see a lot of potential frustration is possible with something that small and fragile.... but I think the results will be worth the effort. Looks great so far.

 

Andy

[Micklen32]

Beautiful work Grant

I am just presently bending the front and back of the tram

That's only two things and my brain is frying 

Keep it up 

Mick

[j21896]

Wow Grant!  That sanding stick really gives great perspective on how small that boat is!

 

Robert

[texxn5]

Wow, and I thought regular planking was going to be tedious....A hearty salute goes out here! Nice work Grant,

John

[mobbsie]

Wow, I didn't realise just how small that boat is, all credit to you my friend for the guts to take this task on.

 

mobbsie

[Sjors]

Hi all,

 

A small update to provide Augie his fix and some pictures to keep "you know who" happy.

 

I completed the framing of the launch today.  The technique of soaking two strips, laminating them and clamping around the formers seems to have worked very well and was quite quick once I got into a rhythm.  For those with a tighter bend I employed some heat from an old electric plank bender:

 

Electric Plank Bender.jpg

 

Funny, I must have had this thing for 20 years and never got on with it for general planking (I prefer to use a steam iron generally), but for this job it was exactly the right tool. 

 

Here's a view of all the whole frames completed:

 

Launch Frames 4.jpg

 

And then the addition of the four cant frames per side in the bows:

 

Launch Frames 5.jpg

 

Here's a view from the other side.  Here you can clearly see the apron.  I had to remove this earlier to fit the whole frames as it interfered with the plug.  However, I needed to reinstall it in order to install the cant frames.

 

Launch Frames 6.jpg

 

Fairing these frames is a somewhat delicate matter as you can imagine.  Here is shot showing how I used the fingers of one hand to support the frames from the other side while fairing:

 

Launch Frames 7.jpg

 

And this is the weapon of choice for fairing (and all other sanding on this little project to date).  It is a flexible sanding stick with a tapered end.  They are available in a number of grades, but this is the coarse shown here.  A very useful little tool.

 

Launch Frames 8.jpg

 

Tomorrow, I will commence the exterior planking. 

Grant,

 

Could you not fine a bigger file???????

That's tiny.

But great job!

After this a hole scratch build?

 

[Trussben]

Nice work with the ships boat there Grant, yeh they are delicate little things, I just made the frames for the 2 boats for the Confederacy, only 4 inches long and just holding them feels like holding an egg.

Look forward to seeing the planking.

 

Ben

[mtaylor]

Grant,

 

Nice work on the framing.  I've not attempted anything that small yet, but it's coming... oh boy... is it ever coming.

[gjdale]

Thanks everyone for looking in and for your kind words - there seems to be a bit of extra interest in this little side project

 

Sjors - yes, a complete scratch build project is on the books - just have to finish this one first!

 

Ben - yes, they are delicate but I am finding that the little building board provides good support and allows me to handle the whole thing without fear of damage. Plus, once the planking starts going on, it gains strength (or at least rigidity) very quickly.

 

Mark - you have much to look forward to! 

 

A small update then:

 

Commenced the planking today.  Followed Chuck's advice in his Longboat instructions by first of all attaching the sheer plank and one extra, then "lined off" the remainder of the hull.  I decided not to attach string, tape or temporary battens with the lining off - it's just too small!  Pencil marks will have to do as a guide.  Then it was on to the garboard strake, which seemed to take forever, and I'm still not convinced I got it right.    It will have to do though.  Have attached one more plank next to the garboard as shown in the pics below.

 

I'm using Holly for the planking at 1/64" x 1/16", which is about right for scale.  The Holly is beaut to work with - a short soak in tepid water and you can almost tie pretzels with it.   For the lower strakes (ie garboard and the next few), because they will be covered on the inside by the footboards and therefore won't be seen, I've coated the entire inside of the planks with PVA glue as they've been layed.  This will add a bit of extra strength to them.

 

The hardest part of the planking so far has been finding clamps small enough to fit around the frames, and light enough (pressure wise) not to destroy the whole thing.  For the most part, I've resorted to the Mk 1 finger clamp.  While it's fairly slow, the adjustable pressure of this clamp makes it worthwhile! 

 

Here's a few pics to keep "you know who" happy:

 

 

 

[mobbsie]

Hi Grant,

 

This has turned out to be as complex as any full size ship but with the fragility of morning gossamer, very very impressive my friend.

 

Fingers, best clamps in the world.

 

mobbsie

[augie]

She really is tiny and fragile. The Mk I seems to be the ticket.

[texxn5]

Looking very good.  At this scale this is wild.  Very Interesting....

[themadchemist]

Hey Grant
NIce work my friend on small pieces

 

On the Garboard, I was always under the impression that the garboard should end before curvature, so maybe you went a bit farther forward then needed, this will cause more narrowing of the planking at the stem or simply use a dropped plank.

Of course I'm new and anything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. I dcon't think it will matter overall. I remember worrying for days before laying the Garboard strake due to its termination point at the bow. personally I found the plank next to it harder to fit though.

 

Either way she turning out nice.

[Micklen32]

Real good looking work Grant 

Such intricate work on a tiny model

You have my admiration

Keep it up 

Mick

Edited June 9, 2013 by Micklen32

[Sjors]

Ok Grant,

 

I'll just wait till you finished this tiny one and when you go scratch a big? one…...

 

[ZyXuz]

love the way you handle them, especially on such tiny thing.

 

keep it up!

[keelhauled]

Wow!  Now I feel bad about my skills again!

 

Now you're just showing off!

 

Great work Grant!

 Keep it up

Marc

[gjdale]

Thanks everyone for your kind comments.

 

ZyXuz - welcome to my log.  Grab a seat and help yourself to some popcorn from Sjors.  If you need a drink, Mark is tending the bar tonight.

 

Marc - not too sure about the skills thing, but I'm trying and I'm learning at the same time.

 

Sjors - you'll have to wait and see what the new scratch project will be, but I guarantee you're gonna love it!

 

A further small update to keep "you know who" happy:

 

Finished the exterior planking today.     That's one good thing about these miniatures - they may be fiddly, but there isn't much of them! I noticed that when I held the boat up to the light, I could see right through the planking:

 

 

That pic was before any sanding.  Here's a few following some sanding/polishing.  No finish has been applied yet - what you see is just the natural timber (Holly) sanded and polished:

 

 

 

 

And just to remind you all of the scale of this little thing, here it is next to my ham fist. (Note the bandaid on the finger - managed to stab myself with the Exacto, but fortunately kept it from bleeding all over my lovely Holly).

 

 

That's it for today.  After a productive long weekend, it's back to W@#$ tomorrow   .  Oh well, at least it pays the bills and allows me to indulge in my Hobby.

[Sjors]

That looks awesome Grant.

You can be proud.

I'm just waiting to see what you gonna build with your new scratch project.

 

[Kevin]

wow lovey job

[augie]

Really, really looks nice. Your choice of holly was spot on.

 

Looking forward to seeing more progress and curious to see if you decide to paint or go with a natural finish.

[gjdale]

Thanks guys,

 

Augie - I've been debating that very point with myself. Although I really like the look of the Holly, I think I've decided to paint for two reasons: one, the rest of the model is painted, so to be consistent the boats should be painted in the appropriate colour scheme; and two, there are many imperfections in that little planking job that a nice coat of paint just might let me get away with!

[augie]

That one photo where you show the little one backlit let us see what you see. I'm sure we've all been there on these small ships' boats. But frankly, yours looks very tight.

 

No question that paint, in the appropriate scheme, will make everything perfect. Your choice is really just for aesthetics. I wrestled with the decision myself and wound up painting the outer hull white, as indicated in my practicum. At first I didn't like it and kept thinking 'wow, that makes a good target'. But now that she's fitted out, I'm glad I did it.

 

I can't recall how Victory was done up last time I was on board (1979).

 

Just don't try to copper plate her as I'm still not certain on how to lay out a gore line