Ragusian Carrack by jack.aubrey - FINISHED - Marisstella - 1:59

[yvesvidal]

Very meticulous work Jack. You truly are a perfectionist.

 

Yves

[jack.aubrey]

Monday 4th December 2017

 

The weather is definitely getting cold and working in the cold of my garage is not the best . . but the passion and, above all, the wish to see some few planking installed made me overcome this difficulty . . as long as it lasts . . 

 

As anticipated I started "to warm up the tires" by applying few planks in the upper part of the forecastle: first there is an area of 5/6 perfectly straight planking followed by a larger area of planks, previously bent, which connects to the real stem.

 

To bend the strips, in limewood 1.5 x 5mm, I used the method of the iron can and the candle, a method that I learned to master at the time of the model of the 12 Apostles and I find it very simple and practical.

 

From now on I could start to apply the planking on the whole hull, but first I still have to refine  and get ready the stern area, in particular with regard to the well known bevel angle.

 

Below, the usual roundup of images, see you soon, Jack.

01 Ragusian Carrack/04122017/IMG_20171204_182034.jpg

02 Ragusian Carrack/04122017/IMG_20171204_182053.jpg

03 Ragusian Carrack/04122017/IMG_20171204_182114.jpg

04 Ragusian Carrack/04122017/IMG_20171204_182252.jpg

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06 Ragusian Carrack/04122017/IMG_20171204_182327.jpg

[jack.aubrey]

I was asked elsewhere to better explain my plank bender tool, cited by me in a previous message. Since I think it may be useful to somebody, I attach here the description of this simple but effective tool. 

 
I built my "homemade" plank bender, that is in fact a classic of its genre and that works 100 times better than all the electric tools that are sold in model shops to bend strips.

 

Raw material needed for the tool:
- a table of MDF or plywood of adequate size and thickness,
- a metal can, eventually you can build many of them of different diameter and size,
- two 3mm diameter countersunk-head bolts so that they sink into the MDF and do not protrude.

 

Here below you see the finished tool. .

 

01

 

However, there are two other vital elements for proper use:
- a gas lighter,
- some candles like those shown below.

 

02

 

To use it just light the candle and place it inside the can, then take the strips to fold, previously soaked in water for enough time, for limewood about fifteen minutes, place them on top of the hot can, bend at will, waiting for the wood to dry (a handful of seconds) and you've finished. With a few experience this task becomes a game !

 

Here below one example of bent strips with this method . . 

 

03

 

Hoping this explanation is clear to you, kind regards, Jack.

 

[yvesvidal]

Jack, this is great invention and so easy to build. Plus, you do not have to buy anything as all the parts are already in a normal household.

 

Yves

[jack.aubrey]

Thursday, December 14th, 2017

 

In absence of news about the building of the Ragusian Carrack, I want to wish to all of you my greetings for a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2018 . . 

Regards, Jack.Aubrey.

[donrobinson]

And the same to you and your family Jack.

[greatgalleons]

On October 20, 2017 at 5:11 AM, jack.aubrey said:

Thursday 19 October 2017

 

A warm welcome to all users of this forum.
 
A few days ago, I received from Zoran Pavlovic, the kit manufacturer, the material I ordered for my next model, a project I want to manage in the period of time I will spend in Tuscany.

The kit is produced by a Croatian company, MARISSTELLA of Split, founded in 2008. I found it on the Modelshipworld forum where Marisstella is present with a advertisement banner. The company has a remarkably interesting product catalog, with typical boats of the Adriatic Sea. He is the same producer of the kit of my latest model, finished a few months ago: Gajeta Falkusa.

 

The first impression is that the materials supplied with the kit are definitely valid, the timbers are of good quality and the two sheets containing the plans are very well done. Many pieces are laser pre-cut both on plywood and solid wood. Concerning the wood used, the walnut is used for each element: planking, masts and spars, detail of the decks. As I wrote the wood is of high quality but personally I would have preferred a mix of wood with different colors to make the model less monotonous. I do not exclude that during this project I do not invent something using different woods to obtain a more lively and chromatic results. We'll see.

 

Again the biggest flaw in this kit is the assembling instructions: they are written in Croatian and English language. No comment on the Croatian, I do not know it, but for English it could be better. But Zoran Pavlovic has available a new version of them : he has reviewed the part in English and has also added instructions in Italian language. Zoran sent me them via email a couple of days after I received the kit and I have to say that they are very, very well translated.
 
Unlike the instructions of the Gajeta Falkusa, my last model, in this case there are virtually no images showing the various stages of construction and this is a small problem because this model is also quite complex and the written instructions become critical. They must be read carefully and understood perfectly to avoid mistakes that could have heavy consequences. And here's a further thank to Zoran for the magnificent Italian instructions: I hope will make the job easier and more methodical. 

 

At the moment I'm going to read, understand, interpret and comment them with some personal notes that should help me at the right time.

 

Here I would like to propose some images of the kit and the material contained inside.

 

First, a little bit of data:
Scale 1:59
Total Length 775 mm
Size of the packaging cm 65 x 21.5

Let's start by looking at our kit before opening it: 

01 Ragusian Carrack/13.jpg

 

But let's describe what model is.

 

This model represents a Ragusian Carrack, a sailing ship of the maritime republics of the period from the 14th to the middle of the 17th century, designed for freight transport.

 

The Carrack appears in Venice at the beginning of the 14th century, but at the same time it begins to be built in the city of Dubrovnik (Ragusa), another maritime republic, less famous of the four Italian towns but not less important, as the largest type of Adriatic shipping vessel.

 

In the fifteenth century, the Carrack spread from the Adriatic to the Mediterranean Sea and in the late 15th century to the Atlantic Ocean. Here they were built by the Spaniards, Portuguese, French and Dutch

. 

It is therefore a vessel almost contemporary to the famous caravels and naos from the Iberian peninsula but still before the galleon, characterized by the high fore and aft castles. In the sixteenth century the Dubrovnik Carrack was one of the largest ships in the world and sailed to England. 

 

The large and spacious Carrack was called Argosia, a name derived from ragusia, the adjective of Ragusa. The level of popularity of Dubrovnik's carracks is demonstrated by the fact that the English created the literal expression Argosy ship.

 

But let's post some pictures of this gorgeous finished model, pictures sent by Zoran, which worth more than a thousand words.

 

02 Ragusian Carrack/Images/4CB_4522 DUBROVAČKA KARAKA 16. ST.jpg

03 Ragusian Carrack/Images/4CB_4527 DUBROVAČKA KARAKA 16. ST.jpg

04 Ragusian Carrack/Images/4CB_4532 DUBROVAČKA KARAKA 16. ST.jpg

05 Ragusian Carrack/Images/4CB_4537 DUBROVAČKA KARAKA 16. ST.jpg

 

See you next time with additional images of the Ragusian Carrack !!

Cheers, Jack.Aubrey.

Hello jack, I have recently purchased this kit also and I sure could need the updated instructions in English like you have. Care to share the email instructions?

 

[MarisStella.hr]

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to You too and to Yours Mr. Jack ...

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all of you !

Zoran

[jack.aubrey]

Friday, December 29, 2017

 

Here in Pisa, the cold weather gave a pause of a few days and this allowed me to resume the activities related to the (carrack) hull planking . . just the time to apply a dozen strips for each side in the area above the main deck.

A new cold weather wave is expected in the coming days, so I can not guarantee any new progress soon.

 

Below a series of images to show the work done till this date.

 

Best regards and best wishes for a Happy New Year, Jack.

 

01 Ragusian Carrack/29122017/IMG_20171229_183932.jpg

02 Ragusian Carrack/29122017/IMG_20171229_183953.jpg

03 Ragusian Carrack/29122017/IMG_20171229_184007.jpg

04 Ragusian Carrack/29122017/IMG_20171229_184018.jpg

05 Ragusian Carrack/29122017/IMG_20171229_184227.jpg

06 Ragusian Carrack/29122017/IMG_20171229_184237.jpg

[jack.aubrey]

Tuesday 9 January 2018

 

The works to install the first planking over the stern castles are now over.
Yesterday I practically finished this task.
Now I missed only a couple of finishes (ie. to trim the excess wood), and after I'll have to schedule next new activities.
I believe that, before starting the planking of the quickwork, I'll concentrate on the tasks to arrange the inside of the bulwarks (read removal of the false stanchions and reinforcement of the sides internally) and the setup of the installation of the decks, in particular the main deck.
But for now let's give a look to the work done so far.
Sincerely, Jack.Aubrey.

 

01 Ragusian Carrack/09012018/IMG_20180109_075817.jpg

02 Ragusian Carrack/09012018/IMG_20180109_075905.jpg

03 Ragusian Carrack/09012018/IMG_20180109_075924.jpg

04 Ragusian Carrack/09012018/IMG_20180109_080031.jpg

05 Ragusian Carrack/09012018/IMG_20180109_080102.jpg

[MarisStella.hr]

Hello Mr. Jack, have a great year and many more !

The model turns into a real beauty, looking from here, the lines are completely correct and all is very clean...

 Thank You for sharing this build and to choose one of our favorite !

 

Best regards, Zoran

[jack.aubrey]

Wednesday 10 January 2018

 

Refined the external contours of the quarter deck and the poop deck . .
Installed the planks for the poop deck. In this case I used strips of walnut as for the first planking of the foredeck. Today or at most tomorrow I will provide the second planking of the poop small deck with the same tanganika veneer. I am thinking to simulate the planks with a length of about 6-7 meters, which in a scale of 1:60 would mean 10-12cm.

 

01 Ragusian Carrack/10012018/IMG_20180110_094305.jpg

02 Ragusian Carrack/10012018/IMG_20180110_094322.jpg

03 Ragusian Carrack/10012018/IMG_20180110_094242.jpg

04 Ragusian Carrack/10012018/IMG_20180110_094255.jpg

[AntonyUK]

Hi Jack.

Stunning workmanship. 

Real nice progress throughout the build.

Nice attention to details and the little bit you are puttng into the ship.

 

Regards Antony.

[Mirabell61]

Jack,

 

interesting build, nice and clean assembled, well done....

also the ships boats are lovely

 

Nils

[jack.aubrey]

Thanks to Zoran, Antony, Nils and all the other users who appreciate my wip of this intriguing model . . thanks again. Jack.

[jack.aubrey]

Saturday 13 January 2018

 

The works around the poop upper deck continues.
After having applied the first layer of strips (walnut 4 x 1.5mm) on this deck and having made the appropriate smoothing, I proceeded to apply the final Tanganika planks, in the form of strips made from 4mm wide and 0.4mm thick veneers.

 

In the first image you can observe an intermediate phase of the work in which you can see the great difference in color between the timber of the first layer and that of the second. In addition to deck planking I also applied the same material (but this time in cherry wood) on the internal sides of the bulwarks, in order to complete the finish of the entire area.

 

The deck undergoing processing. .

 

01 Ragusian Carrack/13012018/IMG_20180110_152550.jpg

 

The stern deck completed.
I applied a couple of coats of wood oil that drastically changed the color of the two wood essences I used: tanganika and cherry.
The colors of these images are unfortunately distorted by a reddish yellow reflection due to the curtains that cover my terrace but it is anyway good to remember that, unlike my expectations, there is not a great difference in color between the two essences. It seems that, with the oil, the two types of wood tend to look almost the same, and this fact is a small disappointment for me.

 

02 Ragusian Carrack/13012018/IMG_20180113_100730.jpg

 

Another aspect to underline may be the fact, clearly visible in some photos, that the color of the decks appears slightly streaked, not uniform, with points that have absorbed the oil better than others, thus assuming a lighter color tone where the glue residues have not been perfectly removed.
For personal experiences, it should not be worrying as it is only necessary to let some time pass and this oil will do its work from the inside rather than from the outside. Let me explain: what he has not managed to impregnate from the outside will now do it in the coming days from the inside, bringing the color equal to the other points. At most it will take another coat of oil to help the process.

 

03 Ragusian Carrack/13012018/IMG_20180113_100736.jpg

04 Ragusian Carrack/13012018/IMG_20180113_100747.jpg

05 Ragusian Carrack/13012018/IMG_20180113_100800.jpg

06 Ragusian Carrack/13012018/IMG_20180113_100809.jpg

 

That's all for today, best regards, Jack.

[jack.aubrey]

Monday, January 15, 2018

 

I'm working on three fronts, making some experimentation to see the possible results.

 

1) Planking of part of the stern post with the second and final cherry wood strips.
The photo here below shows the final result of how the hull should 99% look in its outer part, after the second planking. Live is much more realistic and I like it very much. For now the experiment ends here, but the work will continue on this track at the right moment.

 

01 Ragusian Carrack/15012018/IMG_20180115_204048.jpg

 

2) Removal of fake bulwarks stanchios of the midship bulkheads and construction of the internal side of the bulwarks
Here the work has just begun and consists in removing the fake stanchios on the proper bulkheads. In anticipation of this task I proceeded to make the bonding on these elements rather labile. Once the piece has been removed, I proceed to glue a strip (equal to that used for the planks) inside the bulwarks side, but positioned perpendicularly. The thickness now doubles but above all the strength of this area takes enormous benefit from the crossing of the wood grain. Work to be performed step by step.

 

02 Ragusian Carrack/15012018/IMG_20180115_204118.jpg

 

3) Start installation of the first planking on the main deck.
This operation is similar, apart from the dimensions, to what was done on the higher deck at poop. For technical reasons, the planking will be applied in two pieces. At the moment I'm starting this activity and I still have to understand the best way to proceed, but I think everything will be pretty good.

 

03 Ragusian Carrack/15012018/IMG_20180115_204129.jpg

04 Ragusian Carrack/15012018/IMG_20180115_204245.jpg

 

That's all for today, politely, Jack.

[jack.aubrey]

Thursday, January 18, 2018

 

The model of the Ragusian Carrack, also known as Argosy, is growing quite well, even if it takes small steps, day after day.
I particularly like the installation of the planks on the main deck. I remember, however, that this is only the first layer and some imperfections are admitted.
I discover now, while I'm writing, that I forgot to open the hole for the mizzen mast . .
Best regards, Jack.

 

01 Ragusian Carrack/18012018/IMG_20180118_233203.jpg

02 Ragusian Carrack/18012018/IMG_20180118_233248.jpg

03 Ragusian Carrack/18012018/IMG_20180118_233302.jpg

04 Ragusian Carrack/18012018/IMG_20180118_233310.jpg

05 Ragusian Carrack/18012018/IMG_20180118_233323.jpg

06 Ragusian Carrack/18012018/IMG_20180118_233442.jpg

07 Ragusian Carrack/18012018/IMG_20180118_233511.jpg

Edited January 19, 2018 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

Saturday 27 January 2018

 

Yes I know, the images are very poor but I just could not do better because there was a very strange daylight and I had to use the flashlight. But the result was unsatisfactory anyway.

 

- I finished to apply the vertical strips inside the bulwarks and at the same time the fake stanchions on the bulkheads are now all removed. Now the area is completely smooth, ready to receive the last planking, made of cherry veneer, spread in the traditional, horizontal way.

 

- In the meantime I am carrying out the installation of the main deck using the walnut strips supplied with the kit. I decided to use them as first layer for this deck because there are plenty of them. At the end of the operation I will apply the final layer in tanganika as for the other two decks, already completed.

 

- I installed the waterways in the proper place, which will spread 1-1.5 mm from the deck.

 

I enclose the usual roundup of (ugly) images, regards, Jack.

 

01 Ragusian Carrack/27012018/IMG_20180127_154827.jpg

01 Ragusian Carrack/27012018/IMG_20180127_154850.jpg

01 Ragusian Carrack/27012018/IMG_20180127_154901.jpg

01 Ragusian Carrack/27012018/IMG_20180127_154914.jpg

01 Ragusian Carrack/27012018/IMG_20180127_154929.jpg

[greatgalleons]

Hi there, I noticed on the finished model photos you have on page one the up close images of the planking on the hull have simulated tree nail holes from planking tacks which were used.  I have started my ragusian carrack kit and have not noticed any nail tacks provided in the kit, did your kit have any provided?   The hull photos also show darkened hull planking edges to simulate chinking , do you intend to incorporate this technique in your hull planking?  Thanks. A.Jorden

 

[jack.aubrey]

13 hours ago, greatgalleons said:

Hi there, I noticed on the finished model photos you have on page one the up close images of the planking on the hull have simulated tree nail holes from planking tacks which were used.  I have started my ragusian carrack kit and have not noticed any nail tacks provided in the kit, did your kit have any provided?   The hull photos also show darkened hull planking edges to simulate chinking , do you intend to incorporate this technique in your hull planking?  Thanks. A.Jorden

 

Hi Jorden,

At the moment I'm installing the first planking on the hull and the second on the decks. Till now I did nothing to simulate tree nailing and caulking. I have not yet decided what to do but most probably at the end I will do nothing regarding these tasks.

There are too many holes to drill to simulate tree nailing and, considering that each plank should be 4mm. high, there are a lot of reasons to do mistakes while drilling that potentially it can produce a negative effect on the final result. Regarding caulking I think should be enough to use, at the end, some judean bitumen just to fill the tiny grooves between a plank and the other to produce a adequate effect. But, I repeat, till now I did not ask myself anything about this matter.

Edited February 9, 2018 by jack.aubrey

[yvesvidal]

Jack,

 

you could also try the soft pencil technique against the deck planks, before gluing them. It usually works quite well to give an appearance of caulking.

 

Yves

[jack.aubrey]

Friday 9 February 2018

 

I have not been online for a few days with messages . . but the problem is that, although I worked quite regularly and continuously, I, unfortunately, had no interesting material to show. And even now it's not like you probably may expect. But I still find it useful to post something because actually there were some important news.

I left you in my last update while I was working to install the planking on the main deck. From the photos I show at that time you could see that there was still enough work to complete this activity. In the following picture you can now see how this is almost completely concluded. Only one last shaped plank is missing on the two external sides in order to say: "mission accomplished!". This happened about a week ago.
Another activity that can be said complete is the battens of the internal part of the sides on the main deck: a last layer of cherry veneer has been laid horizontally. The strips are at the moment of the photo here below only laid down and not yet refined but in any case I'm still far from the final result on these elements. This achievement becomes the starting point for future activities.

 

01 Ragusian Carrack/09022018/IMG_20180203_103247.jpg

 

At the same time I started thinking about the completion of the hull planking, so I began to verify that everything was ready and that there was not some bulkheads to "adjust". From the picture below it seems that, for now, there is nothing to do, with the olny exception of a tidy bulkhead at bow that will have to be slightly thickened before applying the next planks.

 

02 Ragusian Carrack/09022018/IMG_20180207_101751.jpg

 

Still in parallel I started laying the second planking on the main deck. According to the drawings the pattern of this planking foresees the use of a 72mm long strip divided into four 18mm segments. The installation is staggered at each strake on a new segment and is repeated every four strakes. The central strakes are in tanganika and the two darker ones in mahogany. They are 5mm wide while the outer ones are (and will be all the way down) 4mm wide in tanganika. The next two images show the work done so far. It seems to me that everything is going well. For the color of the wood this will become equal to the two highest decks after the application of some wood oil.

 

03 Ragusian Carrack/09022018/IMG_20180209_163107.jpg

 

04 Ragusian Carrack/09022018/IMG_20180209_163114.jpg

 

Finally I applied four strakes on the hull on both sides. To simplify my life I'm using the method that I usually use in presence of a second planking, without stylistic frills that will not be seen anyway. The empty spaces with "triangular" shape will be filled in the next few days with a little patience. I believe this method will end here in the stern area but will still continue at bow, where the bowl shape of this area requires more drastic measures. The three images that follow show the work carried out until yesterday. Today, however, no modeling, I've been around Pisa for some commissions and shopping and I hadn't time to spend. Tomorrow it's forecasted good weather and maybe I'll organize a quick trip to the seaside . . otherwise let's go with other new strips !!

 

Kind regards, Jack.Aubrey.

 

05 Ragusian Carrack/09022018/IMG_20180209_163124.jpg

06 Ragusian Carrack/09022018/IMG_20180209_163133.jpg

07 Ragusian Carrack/09022018/IMG_20180209_163140.jpg

[Heronguy]

Hello Jack,  I’m enjoying watching you build.  Everything is coming together beautifully.

 

I have one question about your simplified planking technique.  I see in the last photo that you allow the plank to stop at its natural width whether or not it is ona bulkhead.  I see what appears to be a small support under one of the planks.  Do you add a support under each of these places before you attach the triangular filler plank?

[jack.aubrey]

1 hour ago, Heronguy said:

Hello Jack,  I’m enjoying watching you build.  Everything is coming together beautifully.

 

I have one question about your simplified planking technique.  I see in the last photo that you allow the plank to stop at its natural width whether or not it is ona bulkhead.  I see what appears to be a small support under one of the planks.  Do you add a support under each of these places before you attach the triangular filler plank?

Hi, the answer is "yes".

Usually I organize a join over a bulkhead but in this case I found some difficulties because the bulkhead is 4mm thick and it is quite problematic to nail a plank on a space of only 2mm. without breaking it while hammering the nail.

For this reason I increased the length of the strip. But then it is strongly suggested to glue a small piece of wood strip under the protruding zone to strengthen the future joint.

Regards, Jack.

[Heronguy]

Thanks Jack

[jack.aubrey]

Hi Doug,

here below two images of the hull as in my last post but with the upper two triangular spaces filled and the two lower ones with a small piece of wood glued inside the grove to provide a basement for the joint.

 

 

[jack.aubrey]

Monday, February 19, 2018

 

I finally completed the planking of the main deck. As with the other two smaller decks, I used tanganika veneer, reduced to strips of 4 or 5 millimeters in width and just over 7 centimeters long. The result is like a parquet with a pattern of junctions every four courses.

 

Here are some pictures of the finished work. I must underline that all the finishing touches are still to be done, therefore any groove will be leveled and above all the color of the wood will change, and probably a lot, after the application of a couple of coats of oil for wood. See the color of the other two decks to get an idea.

 

At this point I believe that the next activities will be totally aimed at the completion of the hull first planking: we are more or less straight ahead even if probably this could be the hardest part to perform.

 

Anyway, cheers by Jack.

 

01 Ragusian Carrack/19022018/IMG_20180219_180631.jpg

02 Ragusian Carrack/19022018/IMG_20180219_180809.jpg

03 Ragusian Carrack/19022018/IMG_20180219_180847.jpg

04 Ragusian Carrack/19022018/IMG_20180219_180701.jpg

05 Ragusian Carrack/19022018/IMG_20180219_180710.jpg

[jack.aubrey]

Friday 23 February 2018

 

Nothing new . . The only task performed these days was to apply a coat of oil for wood on the main deck, an activity that radically changed the color of the wood.
 
And this is exactly what I want to point out.

The first three photos were made with (little) daylight, while the remaining three were taken under the same artificial light conditions as my previous message and should allow you to better notice the difference between before and after.

Regarding the next activities these will suffer a break of about a week, according to weather forecasts, due to the Siberian cold wave expected: I am not interested in spending hours in my workshop in the cold! 

 

01 Ragusian Carrack/23022018/IMG_20180223_130847.jpg

01 Ragusian Carrack/23022018/IMG_20180223_130922.jpg

01 Ragusian Carrack/23022018/IMG_20180223_130956.jpg

01 Ragusian Carrack/23022018/IMG_20180223_192344.jpg

01 Ragusian Carrack/23022018/IMG_20180223_192500.jpg

01 Ragusian Carrack/23022018/IMG_20180223_192544.jpg

[mtaylor]

Interesting light effect.   I tend to prefer "natural" light myself but being winter here with an early sunset, it makes that rather hard.