Charles W Morgan by texxn5 - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:64

[texxn5]

Started planking the deck, might get finished today, but here's a couple of progresss pictures for you know who...

[texxn5]

A little more progress later in the day

[augie]

You're certainly not wasting any time!

[texxn5]

I'm trying to get to a certain stage before I hit the road. That way I can work on deck furniture. I've been informed that my RV should be in at the end of the week, so I'm running out of time.

[bigpav]

John, this is truly coming out great! I will always have this build log on hand for when I get a Morgan kit of my own!

 

Scott

[texxn5]

Thanks Scott, welcome aboard.  That is precisely why I am trying to document this project along the way.  I could certainly use some construction photos along the way instead of having to figure this out by the plans alone.  The book gets vague in this area of construction, and referring to plans, I usually have to look at 2-3 sheets of plans to figure out 1 piece, and then I'm not sure I'm right.  So hopefully when you or anyone else starts one at least maybe they can learn from my mistakes.  By the way, there have been several kits listed on eBay lately for decent prices.

John

[Sjors]

Hi John,

 

Planking looks good !

I never see planking on the frames directly.

Normally it goes on a deck…..

But one piece of comment…….I see that your pattern of planks are not the same.

On some you have two planks and a little bit lower you've got a pattern of three planks…..

If it is possible, keep one pattern….

Two or three.

 

[texxn5]

Hi Sjors, thank you for the input. The planking, is actually 1/16" x 1/8" lumber that the instructions said for me to use. The hull planking is 3/64" x 1/16. There were no provisions for decking priour to lying the planks dirctly to the bulkhead framework. As far as a pattern, it was difficult to establish a pattern with the deck furniture that needs to be decked around. I attempted to establish one as I progressed, and will be able to cut and mark the timbers as necessary as I attempt to "finish" the deck. Hopefully this will look acceptable. I'll submit some pictures in a little while. Thanks again for all your input.

[gjdale]

Hi John,

 

You're certainly moving along quickly. I understand the urge to get to a certain point before your trip but I recommend resisting the urge to rush - you'll only end up regretting it later on. Take your time - it will still be there when you get back. What Sjors is referring to is known as "the shift of the butts" - this refers to the pattern formed by the plank ends (ie how many planks before a plank end falls on the same beam), and should be consistent. Depending on the ship, either a three or four plank shift is normal. Yours seem to be somewhat inconsistent at the moment. I hope this makes sense to you.

[texxn5]

Hi Grant, thank you for the observations. I am already past some of what you mention here. I'm trying to make sure that the visible parts of the deck have the correct appearance or at least close. On the aft end of this ship almost a third of the deck is covered with the Hurricane House, a head and storage building, and a boat bearer roof which has a couple of whaleboats lashed on top, and under it's roof are many items such as harpoons, that go on the various boats. The deck is covered and almost unseen. In the center of the ship are the tryworks, and other deck junk that clutters it also. The bow has a very large windlace, and an anchor deck which covers much of the bow, so overall there aren't a lot of areas that leave the deck exposed to the point that the planking would look wierd. This is not an excuse, it's just that I think I can make it look good to the eye. With all of this going on, it was difficult to decide how to lay the deck out. Anyways, I appreciate the observations and assistance. Areas that will show, I am trying to even out so that they follow a pattern.

[Sjors]

Thanks Grant for telling it much better then I did 

This is what i mean John.

It's not bad comment and sometimes my English is not that good.

When I start planking on the San Ildefonso, they pointed me at that  also.

The lower deck on that one is also not good while the upper deck is good and looks much better.

It's only a improvement of the looking of the ship.

(I hope you know what I want to say )

 

[trippwj]

Coming along nicely, John.  Take your time on the planking - straight lines - and you'll be in a better position later when you start to install the fiddly deck pieces. 

 

How do you like this kit so far?  I have 5 others either in process or on the shelf, but have been contemplating the Morgan (or the Connie cross section) after the Essex.

[texxn5]

Thank you Sjors, your English is just fine.  I understood what you are saying, and greatly appreciate any and all input.  Since I am new to this I know I'm going to make mistakes and where I do make them, I hope to be able to correct them.  Thank you for pointing this out and hopefully the end product will turn out well.

John

[texxn5]

Thanks Wayne, yes so far I like the kit and would highly reccomend it. Sounds like you have a backlog of projects, good for you.

John

[Sjors]

Hi John,

 

There is a deck planking tutorial present.

Click on the link....

 

http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/Deck_PlankingIIbuttshifts.pdf

 

[texxn5]

I have made some progress, and corrected some of my decking errors by attempting to cut in butts with my exacto and pencil.  Seems to be working well, and as mentioned before, many of the "problems"  will be covered by deck structures.  Here's some before and after pictures of some of the progress.  More will continue as I move along.  With the help of Sjors and Grant, I became aware of the importance of the butts, however, most of it was too late to correct otherwise since it was already installed.  I advise any future builders to be sure and take this into consideration, and to download the tutorial on this site for reference.  The instructions in the kit make light of this, and even suggest you can use full length strips to deck with.  At no point do they suggest plank length as well.  So be alert when you get to this stage of construction. 

[texxn5]

More progress as the decking comes together

[texxn5]

I have noticed that my deck has a greenish tint to it.  I plan to use a matte finish varnish on the deck and am contemplating a bleach wash prior to spraying the deck.  Any suggestions from anyone?  Or perhaps a very light stain prior to spraying.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.  I'll post some more pictures of my progress shortly.

[augie]

You can just barely see a tint on the deck.

 

Before you do anything, make yourself up some sample deck strips so you can try out what you plan to do.  You don't want to chance ruining the whole deck.

 

You might try a light sanding to see if that helps.  I'm not sure about the bleach.  A light stain like Minwax Light Oak (diluted with Natural perhaps 50/50) might give you what you want.  Again, I can't encourage you enough to try out your complete finishing system on the sample first.

[texxn5]

Hi Augie,

Thanks for the suggestions. I had thought about the testing first, especially after Grant's almost disaster with finishing. I actually think I have some Minwax Light Oak that I used on My Sopwith Camel. I don't have Natural though, but the 50-50 mix sounds good. The tint I think shows up more with the flash on the camera, however there are color inconsistencies in the wood strips. Actually it is one of the dissapointments I've had with the kit, in that the quality of the wood strips for the hull and the deck is quite poor. It is basically rough cut "lumber" with a lot of thickness variations as well as being rough and showing saw blade marks. If I had realized it earlier I wouldn't have even used it. I have not complained to Modelshipways, since I bought the kit on eBay and it's about 8 years old but I probably won't use the rest of it. Some of it isn't even usable anyway because of inconsistent width's and thicknesses. Much of it when measured on digital calipers you really can't even figure out what it's supposed to be - either a thcker or thinner piece than what the instructions call for since it isn't either one only somewhere in between. Otherwise I'm very happy so far, with another exception in that the Brittania metal parts are difficult to identify, and place. There is no reference in the instructions or plans whether the parts are metallic or not. Anyway, sorry to ramble here, but perhaps this will help someone else building or contemplating building this ship. I will try to identify and photograph these parts as I place them on the ship for future reference.

Thanks again Augie, that is exactly what I'll try.

John

[augie]

I think many of us have run into some problems with the wood supplied in kits ..... particularly the basswood.  I think it's fair to say most of it will 'work' with some added effort and it probably keeps the cost of the kit within reason.  I know I'll be looking to Hobbymill for some planks on my next one.

[texxn5]

yeah, I would definitely buy my lumber from Hobby Mill.  I just had extra sanding and trimming to do.  I guess some of my problem, was that I had bought some additional sizes of basswood from Hobby Lobby and it was far superior though expensive than the kit material.  I tried to use the best available in the kit on the deck since I wanted a natural finish, then it turned green or was green before I started, and I didn't notice until it was too late to change.  Oh well, live and learn.  This whole wood boat is a learning experience for me which by the way is most enjoyable and I do love working with the wood.  The strength of the wood and scratch build challenge is great. 

[augie]

Hey, it's good to keep on learnin'.  That's one nice aspect of shipbuilding.  Yes, you learn a lot on aircraft construction as well but as you get older your flying ability starts to go to pot .... and that takes away from the enjoyment (at least for me).

[texxn5]

yeah, I know what you mean. I've flown some back when I had a friend that a Cessna 182. I never got licensed and never put in enough training by any means, and now I wouldn't trust myself, so I guess those days are over but sure was a lot of fun. Got to go up in an F-4 Phantom when I was on board the JFK back in '70, getting launched off a carrier is a wild experience. Time of a lifetime. Big ship --- that is until you have to land a jet on it....then it becomes a postage stamp.

[mtaylor]

Here's some food for thought if any casual observer mentions things like "uneven plank widths" or "not all the same color". Just mention this: "The real thing was planked with what the yard had on hand.  They didn't sort it because one piece was too light or too dark.   I'm attempting to duplicate their magnificent efforts."

 

By the way John, will there be any work left on her for you take on the road?  You are moving right along.

[texxn5]

Thanks Mark, that's definitely a thought, and also true.  I will have plenty to do once I'm on the road, but probably won't have much time to do it, so I'm trying to be where I can paint the bulwarks, paint the upper outside hull before we leave.  Then I'll plan on doing the copper plates, and deck houses, tryworks, windlass, and then any other things that need to be done prior to the masts and rigging.  This being a working ship, has a lot going on with the deck area.   And, yes, I know this is moving along quickly.  Luckily I'm retired.   lol  

[texxn5]

I decided to go ahead and mark the copper/paint line on the hull. I bought this tool a couple of years ago, and now finally got a chance to use it. It was easy to use, once the boat was level. I leveled the keel, then marked from there. This sets the stage for an eventual copper job. I'll be sure and read the tutorials on this prior to embarking on this quest.

[texxn5]

As I have studied the plans and tried to decide where to go next, I decided to work on the bow, and prepare to paint the bulwarks, which requires some parts and pieces on the inside, such as lashing rails, cavils, mooring chocks, and other pieces.  First, it is necessary to preframe the anchor deck , which is held in place by the Bowsprit bits, so in order to get the Bowspirit bits properly located you need a Bowspirit.  So I started constructing the Bowspirit, which is made from a 5/16" square board.  It has unusual shapes as you can see from the pictures.  From there I constructed the frames for the Anchor Deck above the Bowspirit which will be installed later in the build.

Edited July 11, 2013 by texxn5

[augie]

I used the coppering tutorial and it came out well.

[texxn5]

The plating is coming later, but I'm trying to learn my lessons and refer to the tutorials that are available. I'm realizing they are here for a reason. Dang, you can teach an old dog new tricks.