Independence 1775 by KenW - FINISHED - Scale 1:48 - American Privateer

[KenW]

All of my builds so far have been American Revolutionary War Privateers.  I’m continuing that trend with this build of the Independence, an American Privateer that was possibly built in 1775.  There were several privateers named the Independence during the war, but I found a reference to a privateer in the book, ”A History of American Privateers”, by Edgar Stanton Maclay published in 1899.  In the book, Maclay states, “The 6 gun schooner Independence, Captain Nichols, in September, 1776, captured six vessels”.

 

I’m using the Artesania Latina kit, Independence 1775, as the basis of my build.  It is a 6 gun schooner which matches the quote by Edgar Maclay. However, there are issues with the scale of this model.  It is listed as a 1/35, which I assume is a metric scale. That scale would translate to a 1/32 or 1 foot equals 3/8”. That scale would make a boat that was extremely small compared to other kits of similar models.  When I assembled the bulkheads and false keel that came with the kit, with the sub decking the resulting boat looked much too large.

 

The kit model looks very much like Harold Hahn’s plans of the Halifax and, to a lesser extent, the Hannah.  So I decided to make the kit smaller.  Specifically I want to construct a model that was about 2 inches smaller than the Halifax based on H. Hahn’s plans.  My modified model will assume the boat is 1:48 scale.  That decision means I will have to make all of the basic parts from scratch without any power tools except for a Dremel. 

 

 

The first step is to make a copy all of the Artesania Latina plans reduced by 80%.  Reducing the plans is probably the easiest task I will attempt.  Next is to order some sheets of wood.  I went to the Wood Project Source and ordered several sheets of Cherry at various thicknesses.  I chose cherry because it was the cheapest they had and I liked the color and strength of the wood.  When the wood finally arrived, I cut out each bulkhead and the false keel from my reduced copy and pasted it onto the 5/32 inch cherry sheets.  After cutting the parts out, I sanded and filed each part until I was satisfied with the way each fit together.   I hope they look as good when the parts are fit together.

 

[russ]

Ken:

1/32 scale actually comes out to 3/8" = 1'. 

 

Good luck with the build. THis sounds like a scratch build rather than a kit build. 

 

Russ

 

 

[KenW]

Thanks Russ.  I'll change the post.

Cheers.

[KenW]

I glued the bulkheads on to the keel former.  I was surprised that after I was so careful when I cut out these parts, they still were not ‘square’ and centered properly.  So I had to do a lot of scraping, filing and adding shims; and I still have fairing to go.  Oh well, there is a reason I, among others, prefer to start with a kit and laser cut pieces.

Well, I plan to install the false decks and then fair the bulkheads.  I think I will need more sand paper.

 

[KenW]

I’ve cut the false decks and glued them into place.  I then measured to determine if I had them cut/centered properly.  I also planked the main deck and drilled that deck’s tree nails. For the tree nails, I used the method described in Chuck Passaro’s Cheerful log (page 10).  That log is full of good modeling ideas and techniques.

 

A brief description of his method, taken from his log after some small holes are drilled (he uses a #78 drill):

-  sand the area smooth

-  use a sharp awl and GENTLY insert into each.  Don’t push it too hard or you will distort the hole shape.

- Take a very , very , very sharp #2 pencil.   Insert point into each hole and twist lightly. You must keep a sharp point and sharpen the pencil every ten or so holes.  Use one of those cheap kids pencil sharpeners.

-  Then fill each hole with Elmer's wood filler.  Scrape off excess with a piece of wood.

-  Sand it smooth to get a nice surface.

-  Then apply some wipe-on-poly.

For me, I used a #72 drill and didn’t use an awl.  The pencil must be sharp. I could hear/feel when the point broke and sharpened the pencil again.  Also, the hole had to be re-drilled to get the lead out.

 

The deck planking was also done based on another method from Chuck’s Cheerful log.  It’s described on the 17th page.

Basically, the outer planks are curved and, where needed, hooked scarf joints are used when the curve of the bow or stern gets too steep.  For the best description, check out Chuck’s Cheerful log on page 17. My planking will not have a water way. I don’t know if that’s authentic, but the kit’s plans doesn’t have one.  I’m worried about that curve at the bow which forms a unique stubb-nose on the forecastle. I figure that if one deck has a water way, they all should.

A closer look at the tree nails:

A better log on the Independence is the one by DocBlake here on MSW.

Also Clare Hess’s log is excellent and can be found here:  https://shipmodeler.wordpress.com/category/ship-model-build-logs/als-independence-build/

Clare’s log is odd since his first entry is at the end rather than the beginning of the narrative.

 

 

 

 

[KenW]

Planking the deck is complete.  I used basswood and liked using the wood but each plank seems to have a different color tint.  I guess I should have paid more attention when I selected the wood at my local art supply store.

I also made some of the deck furniture.  I made whatever was to be placed into the deck planks.  The smoke stack and its coaming is not shown here. (It keeps falling over.)   The main hatch has two holes drilled into the forward covering plank. The holes are for the anchor cable.  The kit has the cable coiled on the deck and the amount of line in each coil is obviously not accurate. An anchor cable can be several leagues long and is much better stored below; thus the holes.  I’m not sure if I need rope handles on that plank.

 

Next up is more fairing of the hull in preparation of the first layer of hull planking.  There is always more sanding to be done.

 

[DocBlake]

Ken: Somehow I missed this log, but I’m here now!  The planking on this little schooner is challenging, but I’ve seen your work and I know you’re up to it!  Watching with interest.

[KenW]

Hey Dave.  Good to hear from you.

I had surgery a couple of weeks ago so modeling has been on hold.  I hope to be able to get back into the shipyard soon.

The planking on this boat is definitely challenging.  Fortunately I'm double planking so I have a chance to fix my bad planking plan. 

I'll add another entry as soon as the first planking layer is done.

Cheers.

[mtaylor]

Looking good, Ken. Since this is now a scratch build, change the title to reflect that and ping a moderator to move it. 

[KenW]

WOW!  I never considered this a scratch build.  I'm copying the kit with the only difference being that I reduced the plans.

I always thought of a scratch build as involving creativity.  I don't feel like I'm creating anything.  Anyway, I changed the title - how do I "ping a moderator"?

Also a scratch build for me is POF, not POB.

Edited May 8, 2018 by KenW

[mtaylor]

We all work from plans...    Rule for a scratch is if you cut the keel and frames/bulkheads, it's a scratch.   

 

BTW, it's great you got this moved.  

[KenW]

I had surgery back in April so modeling has been on hold.  I had hoped to be able to get back into the shipyard sooner, but my recovery has taken longer than I planned.  

 

The planking on this boat is extremely challenging.  Fortunately I'm double planking so I will have a chance to fix all my mistakes.  The first layer is now complete; and I really made a royal mess of it. My planking plan was poor and skill at edge bending seriously lacking.  The only thing I can say is that my bow does not look too much worse that the pictures on the photos of the AL kit’s bow. My goal is to make the final layer look as good as DocBlake’s bow.  I will need a new and better plan and more patience when edge bending. But first, more sanding and then some Elmer’s Wood Filler.

 

Some photos:

     

[lmagna]

Your work so far looks great Ken

I am no expert on planking as I have never done it before but I am working with the same hull/kit in my build and it is clear even to me it is not an easy shape to plank. I hope when I get to that point I can do as well.

[KenW]

Thanks Lou.  I hope your planking goes well.  The only thing I can recommend at this point is take your time.

Thanks to the 'likes' as well.

 

[DocBlake]

Glad your back, Ken.  Just getting her covered with the first planking is all you need.  It looks good!

 

The second planking is more difficult, but I used 1/32" thick planks; much harder to edge bend than veneer.  I ended up using a steam iron for edge bending after tapering the plank at the bow.  The stern presented even bigger problems.  If you have any questions you have about my experience planking this weird little boat, please ask!

[DocBlake]

Since you changed the scale, you will be unable to use the ridiculous piece of stamped metal AL provides for the transom!  I'll be watching closely.  After the fabulous job you did on your Rattler, especially her transom, I'm sure you'll come up with a killer solution.  In my case, I had to resist the temptation to do too much back there.  This was a simple ship that began life as a merchantman.  There wouldn't have been elaborate carvings, for example.  I wasn't even going to include quarter badges, but in the end, I opted in.  This should be fun to watch.

 

Here's that stupid transom and the first step in my replacement:

[KenW]

Hey Dave:  I know how hard it is to edge bend planks that are 1/32" thick because my first layer is 1/32 basswood.  I've started with the wood filler and I'm using it to give strength in several places just because the strips are so thin.  The problem is that my second layer will also be 1/32 inches; except it will be walnut.  I hope that wood has a little more substance to it.

As for the transom, I have some ideas I plan to try out.  We'll see.  (The metal piece is definitely out.)

Cheers.

 

[KenW]

After applying lots of Wood Filler, the hull looks much better.  Of course, you can’t see much original wood but the shape of the hull looks alright to me.

And, at this point I think more sanding would be counterproductive.

I also made the stem and keel pieces using my trusty coping saw and some sandpaper and files.  The stem and keel fit together pretty well so I’m glad that’s over with.

Finally, a photo of the boat with stem and keel attached, sitting on its new cradle.  The cradle is simple and basic so I may decide to make something more fancy in future.

[lmagna]

1 hour ago, KenW said:

the shape of the hull looks alright to me.

High Ken

Your Independence is looking very nice and it is great to see that it CAN be planked. I am almost at the stage where I will be starting my planking and seeing your results is soothing to my mind.

[KenW]

Thanks Lou.  DocBlake showed me that it can be planked, but, at least on my first layer, I was not able to get planking that I found acceptable. 

Check out his blog; I can only hope that my second layer will be as good.

 

[lmagna]

I have seen Dave's build, in fact I used his build as a source for a couple of ideas on my build but it is nice to see someone who is only just ahead of me in their build and hopefully be able to follow in their wake.

[KenW]

Hey Lou:  You can also check out a build log not on this site by Clare Hess. 

HIS log is here:  https://shipmodeler.wordpress.com/category/ship-model-build-logs/als-independence-build/

I've started the final layer of planking, but I'm working slow.

Good luck on your build.

Cheers.

[lmagna]

Thanks Ken

I had not seen that build. I will go over it in more detail later as one can never get enough information on planking this kind of hull and reinforcement on the fact that it can be done! I have also looked at a number of Endeavour builds for the same reason.

I have all the bulkheads faired and only have some filling to do at the stern to give the planking a place to attach and I will not be able to avoid it much longer.

[DocBlake]

Clare's build was the inspiration for my Independence kit-bash.  It's a good resource.

 

Planking pictures, Ken?

Edited June 11, 2018 by DocBlake

[lmagna]

58 minutes ago, DocBlake said:

Clare's build was the inspiration for my Independence

So it is the same build. I remember reading it back when on another forum. I had never seen it on he Shipmodeler.worldpress.com site.

[KenW]

Hey Dave and Lou:  Clare's build on the Shipmodeler.worldress site is a little unusual.  The most recent entry is the first entry you see.

So the order, to me, is in reverse.

But the information is there and there are some good photos.  No photos of my second layer of planking since I have only done two strakes so far.

Cheers.

[KenW]

Work on the hull continues.  I installed the wales and then the planking above the lower wale.  I intended to use the same hull color pattern as Clare, but I didn’t have any ⅛ inch walnut.  So I decided to use boxwood above the wales and walnut below. I also found that I had to edge bend the lower wale in order to get to sit right at the bow.  I figure that I might as well start practicing the edge bends since I’ll be doing a lot of that when planking the rest of the hull. I also carved the fashion pieces.  They weren’t that bad - I just made them longer than necessary to make the bending easier. Also, if you look closely, you can see that I applied a natural color stain to the stem to bring out the color of the walnut.

I sanded and applied polyurethane.  (There is no polyurethane on the stem yet.)  Next up is creating a hull planking plan and then on to the edge bending.

 

[DocBlake]

Looking really nice, Ken!

[lmagna]

I agree. She is looking very nice Ken.

[DocBlake]

Ken and Lou:  Another option for the transom:

 

An aftermarket fix for the horrible stamped metal transom and quarter badges that come with the kit!  I spend a fair amount of time rebuilding these areas, and while I'm happy with the results, this would have made the job far easier.  Only $10.00!
The transom piece is reversible so you don't have to use the name "Independence".  Available at   http://traintroll.com./
  Quarter badge windows included!
Well worth it if you plan to build this model!