18th Century Long Boat by roach101761 - Model Shipways

[roach101761]

Building board cont.

 

My board was not squared.  However, I took my 6" machinist ruler and attempted to find the approximate middle of the piece.  In this case it was about an 1' 5/8th in from the side.  I placed a dot with my pencil. Two inches or so further up the board I did it again.  I repeated the process until I got to the end.  I then took my longer ruler and connected the dots. The line did not fall exactly on all the dots, but it was close and more importantly the line was straight.  See the line in the photo above.   That line is where the keel will go.   Next I harvested wood from the  3/32nd sheets contained in the kit.  This way, you do not need to buy more and the scrap wood in the kit is put to use.  The next photos are a series showing how I cut up the scraps to get the lengths I wanted.

 

The Sheets are labeled A and B.  Note the long piece with the straight edge on sheet B.  At this point I was also trying to conserve as much of the wood as possible Because I did not know, and still do not know what other uses the wood will serve.  I also did not want to destroy the pattern for the false keel in case I had to make a new part.  However, please remember that Model Shipways will replace parts. 

 

 

The below photo shows  my continued cuts ant the new tools involved.  A Miter box and my very fine Zona saw.  I learned during this process that I have a dull saw and it is time to replace it. As you can see I am tying to locate the largest wood masses  I will use these to build the solid Gantry wall that the keel will pass through when I attach each bulkhead to the keel.

In the next photo the building board is on top of whats left of sheet B and the top edge of sheet B has be cut to serve as the support rails for the keel. You will note that on only one edge is straight.  One will be reversed.  No need to trim up the outside edge.  Remember it is scrap, and later in the build you will remove the two rails and gantry to construct a stand to invert the model to hold it while you plank it.  This will also provide practice for dissolving the white glue when you remove them. 

 

In the next photo I have attached the two rails that the keel will sit in as I attach the bulkheads.   What I did was position the extra keel on the center of the line, and then wedged it between the two other pieces.  I only glued one at a time.  To position it with glue on one rail I held all three together to make sure the keel was centered.  When it was initially set, I picked up the keel part and moved the other rail and then quickly removed the glue that squeezed out.  I then repeated the procedure for the the other rail.  I made a mistake here in using the spare keel that had not been sanded.  When I put the Keel assembly into the slot it was not as tight as I expected because the keel assembly was sanded and the spare was not.  I got buy with the bulkheads, but a beginner may not. 

 

Next I had to build and position the gantry wall.  Two things I did not anticipate before I started working it out.  First, the keel slot should have gone from one end of the board to the other and Second, I did not think that there was not sufficient space at either end to erect the gantry and have a useful enough landing or resting place for the keel on the other side.

 

To correct the second problem I cut some of the rail at one of the ends and then soaked the part to removed with water and pried it up and off the board.

 

Next, building the wall to pass the keel through. 

[roach101761]

Building board cont. ---The Gantry Wall. 

 

If you look at the plans and measure you will note that most of the bulkhead faces are 9/32nds apart.  WOW!!! That means that if I had a wall 9/32nds wide, that the keel but not the bulkheads passed through, I could line up, glue up, and clamp up two bulkheads at once.  We already know that we have 2 sheets of 3/32nd basswood in the kit.  I just need to stack three segments and glue them up.  Which I did, twice.  The photo's show the assemble process.  I decided I needed the two large pieces from sheet A.  Next, I squared up another edge in miter box.  It will hold a part 1 1/2 inch so I cut them to these widths and then squared up the tall edge.  One edge was already square because all six segments were on the end of sheets A and B. 

 

  I then selected my six best, and selected the best fit for three each for the right and left portion of the wall. 

 

The key edge is the bottom edge.  They must stay flat on the bottom when you glue them up.

 

You will have two halves of the wall when done.

Edited May 16, 2018 by roach101761

[roach101761]

Building board cont.  Gantry Wall and completed building board.

 

In order to better explain I thought I should show you pictures of the completed building board with stationary gantry in place. 

 

The first two photo's below are taken from above.  They show clearly the stacked segments set on their edge forming the pass through wall.

It is necessary to set them perpendicular to the center line drawn on the board for the keel.   Because the wood was not square I could not use a square.   To make the line I used a small protractor to make sure the line was perpendicular.  It was one laying around the house from my kid's school days.  Please remember I was still working this stuff out as I went along.  I believe the correct order would have been to start with a slightly longer board and then:

 

1.     Draw the line for the keel. 

 

2.     Draw the perpendicular line for the pass through wall.

 

3.     Erect the Wall on the Building board.  

 

4.     Then cut out the support piece for the wall so that the keel supports will pass through it.

 

5.     Then place the keel supports end to end. 

All photos above show the support pieces for the wall.   I broke one of  my rules here.  That is a piece of basswood I had at home.  The scrap in the kit did not provide what I needed.  I needed a piece wider and bit thicker to provide adequate support for the wall panels and I needed it to be almost 8 inches in length so it would fit across the board twice.    It also could not be higher than the lowest bulk head on the boat or it would interfere and block the bulkhead from mating with the wall in order to glue it up.    My part was 8/32nds (1/4") wide and 4/32nds (1/8") thick.

 

Please make sure you read the end of this series of posts on the building board.  I ran into a two significant problems in setting the wall in place and in the actual use of the building board. 

 

Make sure the first support piece is straight on the perpendicular line and glue it down.  You can then with your fingers wedge the wall panels with the other support and adjust the space between them for the keel to pass through.  My gap is a 1/2".  Mark the space and then apply the glue to the wall panels and place on the board.  Work quickly, because the support piece is going up next.  To make sure the the wall is at 90 degrees to the board you need a square or a square substitute.  I used a Zona square three inch ruler but had available a plastic triangle square from that same school geometry kit. 

 

When the wall panels are in place, place the second support making sure that you do not alter the angle of the wall.  

 

Set the assembly aside to dry over night.

 

The next post will be about issues I had setting the wall panels and about the actual use of the building board. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2018 by roach101761

[roach101761]

Building board--conclusion

 

I have my building board now that will enable me to provide the precision to the build that is necessary to fine craftsmanship and a I am ready to start. Right?

 

NO!  As I mentioned above I encountered a huge problem in setting up the two segments of the wall.  BEFORE I set the wall in place I put both pieces next to what I knew to be a flat and square surface and discovered that the two portions of the wall had DIFFERENT THICKNESSES!!!! How did that happen?  After all sheet A and Sheet B are 3/32nds thick.   NO THEY ARE NOT!!!  I carefully looked at the remains of sheet A and Sheet B.  In my kit, Sheet A was visibly thicker than Sheet B. Not only that, both Sheet A and Sheet B were not uniform in thickness from one end to the other.  DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE DESIGNER OR MANUFACTURER.  Perhaps I should remind all of you that we are using this wood and creating things not intended by the manufacturer or the designer.  

 

All was not not lost.  After all I own sandpaper and a sanding block.   This also goes to show that one half of one millimeter and  1/64th of an inch is a HUGE DISTANCE in ship modeling.    I sanded the part down to the correct thickness.  Even so small a distance was not fast. It took a while.  You must position the part one way, take six strokes, reverse the part on one axis, take six more strokes, reverse the part on the other axis and take six more strokes, reverse again and repeat.  You take constant measurements during this process to make sure the wall  segments are the same thickness. 

 

BASIC MODELING SKILL TIP

You take limited strokes and turn over the work  and reverse the part to insure that finger pressure does not cause the part to be thicker at one place and thinner at another.

 

Now the wall segments are the same thickness and now we are ready to proceed. 

 

Most but not all spaces between the bulkhead faces are 9/32nds.  The most obvious departure is bulkhead 0 (zero) and Bulkhead A.  It is a wide space and is where the windless will be installed. 

 

My idea was that I could position bulk head 0 and #1 on each side of the wall and set up two bulkheads at once, saving lots of time. WRONG!!!  THIS BRIGHT IDEA WAS A TOTAL FAIL!!!  For two reasons.

 

          1.     The wall segments were positioned above the bulkheads so I could not see the tops of the bulkhead to insure they were consistent with each other or the next pair.  This was in spite of  my careful measurements of the height of each of the bulkheads.

 

          2.     The plans show the bulkhead faces 9/32nds apart, but a human hand with a file can not do this.  Filing the char from the slots by hand is not real precise.  You can get close, but 1/64th of an inch is not close enough in ship modeling. Ship modeling is not horseshoes or a hand grenade.  I could have filed some more in the slots in the false keel but this would have made each one wider to adjust the faces between bulkheads and therefore a loose fit for the bulkhead that would have sacrificed the fit and bond of the bulkhead and ultimately the frame to the false keel.  

 

Therefore I scraped my idea of setting up two frames at once.  I did proceed for awhile before I noticed the frames did not line up properly.   Also I will add a third issue.

 

          3.     The support rails should go end to end on the board.  This little and light hull twists a lot with only slight pressure.  End to end support rails would have gone a long way to  rectify this situation.

 

I did get the job done and overall I am happy with my building board and the stationary gantry that the the keel passes through. 

 

Next, setting up the bulkheads on the keel assembly.  Sorry, no pictures on this post.

 

Edited May 16, 2018 by roach101761

[roach101761]

My club meeting was this last Saturday.  We always encourage everyone to bring in their model.  This can be very difficult sometimes, especially with works in progress.  Its hard to keep the model secure in the car.  

 

A huge advantage to this little boat is that it is easy to transport.  It can ride anywhere and even get a good look at the world.   Before I get any comments about the indicators on my Dash,  that is slow for me on I-75.

 

[roach101761]

REPAIR OF BROKEN BOW ON FALSE KEEL--Going through the posts and realized that I did not include a description on how I repaired the false keel after I broke off the bow piece.  I decided not to repair it immediately because I was still working on the false keel and did not want to break it again.

 

Here is the bow before the repair.

 

 

 

 

Basic modeling tip

Most important thing to remember is not to lose the broken part.   When I punched out the parts from Sheet A and Sheet B I placed them in a small plastic bag for safe keeping.   This included the other little parts such as the stern post and bow blocks.  In ship modeling little parts are like socks in the dryer.  They travel and disappear.  Its much worse than you can imagine because they are better than Houdini.   One minute you will have the part in your hand while working on it and it will disappear from your hand, NEVER to be seen again.  The reaming parts are pretty lonely in the the bag these days but they are not going anywhere.

 

 

I thought about how to re-attach this little piece.  Perhaps the bow blocks could be installed early? After dry fitting them I determined they would offer little support and probably get in the way when I shaped the part for the rabbet.

 

I thought about epoxy or super glue(CA) but decided that would violate my rule about tools and materials.  These things cost money, and compared to the cost of this kit they actually cost a lot of money.

 

In the end I decided to go with the glue I had chosen and use the Elmer's white glue.   I applied the little glue that was necessary, correctly lined up(always dry fit before you apply glue) the two pieces  and pressed the parts together on a flat surface using my fingers to hold the parts together until they set.  This may take a couple of minutes.   Clean up the glue on both sides and leave it alone for at least 24 hours.

 

Would this repaired part stand up to shaping?  I used the building board and my files to create the false rabbet in this end of the bow while holding it down with lots of finger pressure and very gently shaped the rabbet.  I had previously shaped the rabbet to the end of the larger false keel which meant there was less bonding space, but on the other hand I had a bevel to file too for a guide. Here is a photo of the repaired Starboard bow. 

 

 

Here is a picture of the repaired Port bow.

 

 

Looks better on the port side.  When glued up to the stem, the stem adds more support.  When the bow blocks are attached they also will provide more support. I did not glue the bulk head to the false keel on the forward portion of the bulkhead.

 

One more word on keeping track of small parts.   Here are the remains of sheet B.  We will be using this wood to make spacers and supports between bulkheads and for a fixture to mount the model to plank it. 

 

 

 

Edited May 18, 2018 by roach101761

[roach101761]

Scientific stuff on white and yellow glue--Knowing how it works is useful and can not hurt. 

 

At my ship model club our members are from diverse working backgrounds.  One of our members is a retired science teacher.  If you want to know how and why something reacts or acts the way it does Wain Garrison is the man to ask. Recently I asked what the differences were in white glue and yellow glue.  He wrote up the answer and passed it out to our club.  With Wain's permission to share it readily given, here it is.

 

TWO WOOD GLUES

 

Polyvinyl acetate
Polyvinyl acetate (PVA), also known as “white glue” or “hobby and craft”, is non-toxic and very easy to use, but hard to repair since most glues (including PVA itself) do not adhere well to hardened PVA glue. PVAs will creep under constant load. Elmer’s Glue-All is an example of a PVA adhesive. As an emulsion in water, PVA emulsions are used as adhesives for porous materials, particularly for wood, paper, and cloth. Polyvinyl acetate is prepared by the polymerization of vinyl acetate monomer. Vinyl acetate is an organic compound with the formula CH3CO2CH=CH2.

 

Aliphatic resin
Aliphatic resin emulsion, commonly referred to as “yellow glue” or “carpenters glue”, has a similar use profile and relative ultimate strength as PVA.   The two glues differ in grip characteristics before initial set, with PVAs exhibiting more slip during assembly and yellow glue having more initial grip. Brands include Titebond and Lepage. Famous “yellow” wood glue used in modeling and professional applications where hard woods are used, dries crisper than PVA giving better sanding especially with balsawood. Will not pull joints as it sets, resulting in better dimensional stability important for airframe construction. Also sets at low temperatures and is water resistant making it ideal for model boats.

 

KEY LESSON FOR US HERE--- "...but hard to repair since most glues (including PVA itself) do not adhere well to hardened PVA glue. "  This means that before you can re-glue or re-attach a part or element with more white glue you must clean off all the old glue.  Use alcohol for this purpose.  The alcohol will soften the glue by dissolving it making it easy to wipe off or scrape off.

 

Edited May 18, 2018 by roach101761

[roach101761]

FINAL ADJUSTMENTS TO AND GLUING IN THE BULKHEADS.

 

I did not take as many pictures as I should have during this process.  I was building the model instead.  However, below are two contrived photo's that exaggerate the corrections that you must take on two axes.  The third photo is a very cropped repeat from above showing the fore and aft axis that you must correct.  The forth photo shows the last axis you need to correct.  That is where the bulkheads rest on the false keel in the vertical. There is more text below that photo. 

 

 

 

You will notice from this photo that the bulkheads do not rest in a gentle sweeping line from the mid line forward.  The forward bulkheads appear to be to high in relation to the middle. After a careful look at the plans and examination of the 1/32nd thick planking material I decided that all the bulkheads except the center bulkhead were high.  The center bulkhead was actually a tad bit low.  More adjustment was necessary before I could begin to glue it up.  I did this very carefully to get close leaving the final adjustment when I glued it up.

Edited June 16, 2018 by roach101761

[Ryzuhr]

Hello, Phil! As someone who is incredibly new to this hobby and has yet to start on a wooden ship, I greatly appreciate this build log. I have the Amati Drakkar kit that I've had for a while and plan to start up soon. I've learned a lot so far from reading your log and inspecting the pictures.

 

I look forward to seeing more.

 

Thank you!

[roach101761]

USE OF THE FIXED GANTRY BUILDING BOARD-----SETTING UP THE BULKHEADS

 

Thank you Ryzuhr for your kind words and support. 

 

Now on to setting up the bulkheads. For this segment I will post the picture and then underneath the photo explain it.   I probably did  not take enough photos, but what I have will be adequate.

 

This view is from the bow to stern.

 

I began by setting Bulkhead head A which is forward of the center line bulk head 0. I did this by having the stern of the keel pass through and hang off the back of the building board.  This is where the building board showed itself to be too short.  When I lifted the fore end of the board, the stern portion of the keel struck the work surface and pushed the keel out of the keel slot and off the board. 

 

LESSON LEARNED----NEXT TIME I WILL MAKE THE BOARD ABOUT 160% THE LENGTH OF THE KEEL OR THE FINISHED HULL TO THE STEM and create the keel slot end to end.   For long hulls this may not be possible as the board will be too big to deal with.  But for models for up to 12 inches long it might work very well.  Also, after the bulkheads or frames are set up, you can always cut the board to a shorter more manageable length.

 

This view is from the stern to the bow.

 

What you see here is the center line bulkhead 0 being placed into the false keel and flush with the fixed gantry wall. Its height on the fixed wall is being measured with my steel mechanical ruler.  This one is in imperial units, and has 32nds on side and 64ths on the other. Basically the same measurements on each side making measuring and comparing port and starboard a little easier.  Bulkhead A is already in place and glued in. 

 

Please remember that the space between the center line 0 bulkhead and bulkhead A is greater than 9/32nds as this is where the windless will be located. 

 

I decided that I would work the model both fore and aft alternating the bulkheads.

 

This is the same stern to bow view This time the Starboard side of the bulkhead is having its height measured. 

 

The procedure I used is as follows.

 

1.     Dry fit the bulkhead to make sure it fits well and no further adjustments are necessary. 

 

BASIC MODELING TIP   What do you do if the bulkheads are too loose because you overworked the keel slot or bulkhead slot.  You us paper to shim the bulkhead.  My center line bulkhead 0 ended up too low.  I raised the level with a small piece of paper of the proper thickness.  Another bulkhead was too loose fore and aft.  I shimmed that one with a small strip of cash register receipt paper.   In both cases I cut a thin strip the width of the bulkhead.  I pre-glued the strip inside the center line bulkhead then cut off the excess.  Fore the cash register paper I tacked it to the bulkhead above the slot.

 

BASIC MODELING TIP

2.     Also have all you tools ready to use for the gluing up procedure.  This means the open glue, applicators(I use use round tooth picks--another required tool), ruler,clothes pins.  You MUST also have all those tools ready to remove excess glue.  These include my #ll blade with craft handle or scalpel handle, damp q-tips, damp paper towel and small container for additional water in case you need more dampness.  I tear up the paper towel into small sections.  Notice I said damp, not moist.  Moist is probably too much water and may attack the bond if you are not careful.    

 

3.     Apply glue to the the three surfaces of each slot in the false keel and to the three surfaces of the bulkhead slot. Apply glue on the fore and aft sides of the bulkheads where the keel slot will rest. 

 

4.    Hold the false keel and assembly thus far in your hand.  Seat the bulkhead into the keel slot. Work quickly.

 

5.     The excess glue was pressed out of the bonding area.  Quickly clean it off with blade, and or damp q-tip or damp paper towel.  Work quickly.

 

6.     Place the keel assembly into the keel slots and move the current bulkhead (the one you are gluing up) up to and flush with the fixed gantry wall. 

 

7.     Adjust by eye first.  You will be surprised at how much your eyes tell you, and how much they do not.  Adjustments are made by putting pressure on the starboard or port side.

 

8.     Measure with your ruler on port and starboard to insure each side of the bulkhead is at the same height.

 

9.     Carefully apply a clothes pin to hold it. You have to make sure that when you put the clothes pin on one side it does not tug the bulkhead and move it out of position.  Apply the second clothes pin to the other side taking the same care.

 

10.     If you can reach it, remove any more excess glue that has been exposed.  DO NOT UN-CLAMP THE ASSEMBLY FROM THE BUILDING BOARD AND GANTRY WALL.  Any glue you can not reach now can wait. There will not be that much, and it is the number one reason I am using white glue.

 

11.    Wait. Then wait some more. Especially for the the first two or three bulkheads.  The instructions on the bottle of Elmer's Glue All says to apply pressure with a clamp or weight, wait 35 minutes for bond to set.  Leave overnight for full strength.  See the label below.

 

 

 

 

12.    After you are sure the bond has set remove the clamps and back the keel in the keel slot so  the bulkhead is off the fixed wall.  Wait a day or two to remove any glue.  You do not want to disturb the bulkhead seat or its bond. 

 

The next segment will be the lessons learned and the continuation of setting up all the bulkheads.

 

 

Edited May 30, 2018 by roach101761

[roach101761]

LESSONS LEARNED in setting up the bulkheads.

 

1.     Trying to set two bulkheads up at the same time on this little model was a total fail.  The model is very light and the false keel and keel assembly with the bulkheads twists very easily.  I could not see the tops of each bulkhead to properly line them up with each other because they were on opposite sides of the gantry wall.  Any pressure on one bulkhead would tend to alter the bulkhead on the other side of the gantry wall. And frankly, the tolerances required between the bulkheads was not achievable for me by hand with a file or emery board.  I was unable to prep the slots in the keel so that the face of the bulkheads were exactly 9/32nds apart.  Some spaces made the tolerance, but most were short or a bit long. As a result the the model would not fit on the building board with  a bulkhead on each side of the gantry wall for many of the spaces.  Two fit well, two more I can force it but it will put stress on the bond and perhaps break the bond. 

 

Here is a photo of the best fitting on the building board between bulkheads.  

 

 

 

2.     I did not use enough glue and was too sparing with it.  After the Hull is planked and it is time to snap all those bulkheads and separate them from the frames and then sand down the false keel and frames I concluded that the only contact point of each frame on the keel will be where each of the remaining frame parts touch the keel next to the center line.  Therefore I only put glue in the bulkhead slot.  This was a mistake.  The structure was way too fragile, and as I have stated before the structure twists very easily. Needless to say the bonds on the bulkheads failed. 

 

3.     White Glue is great!     White Glue is very forgiving!    

 

         a.     When the bonds failed, there was no damage to the wood.  The alcohol applied to the bulkhead and keel where the dry glue remained dissolved it as advertised.    I scraped glue off the keel and bulkhead with my number 11 scalpel blade.

 

         b.     You get a do over with white glue.  This is why I choose it for this project geared to the beginner.  CA and yellow glue are too hard to remove.  CA actually plasticizes.    I reset the bulkheads when they failed using much more glue  and applying glue to the fore and aft sides of the bulkhead.  The clean up was easy as the excess glue was squeezed out in beads which I could lift and remove with the #11 blade.  

 

         C.     YOU GET A DO OVER!!!!!  So all the bulkheads are in, you are feeling pretty good and you begin to examine your work closely  and start thinking ahead to the fairing of the hull and planking.  Suddenly you notice that one or two of the bulkheads are sitting high or low.  A problem.  With white glue all you need is a fine paint brush and a little alcohol.  Apply the alcohol to the bond, being very careful not to let it drain to the false keel and keel interface, and wait half a minute and work the part loose.  Remove all glue remnants, and do over.  A huge advantage for beginners.

 

4.        When re-setting bulkheads, my 9/32nds gantry wall got in the way because the spacing between bulkheads are not all 9/32nds.  If two in a row were out, re-setting one was OK.  However, re-setting bulkheads with short spacing had to be done by eye.  I used spacers to keep it parallel with the bulkheads fore and aft.  These spacers were made to support the hull during fairing and planking.  (explained later)

 

5.        For future models I will not abandon my fixed gantry wall idea.  In traditional plank on bulkhead models, spacing between bulkheads is greater, so I should not have a problem. 

 

6.        Removing the char from the tops of the bulkheads was a mistake.  It made measuring their height port and starboard more difficult.

 

 

Here are the photos of my result

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 2, 2018 by roach101761

[roach101761]

I HAVE DELAYED ATTACHING THE TRANSOM.  Like many before me I have not attached the transom to the stern yet.  The reasons for this are that:

 

a.     The model is very fragile.  People have warned me about this, and name it as a reason that it is not meant for a beginner.  At this point in the build I am still unable to agree with them that this should be a reason against making it a model for the beginner.  Perhaps it will teach a beginner to have a Lighter hand and touch rather than a heavy and brute force hand that some larger less fragile kits invite.

 

b.     The transom is very exposed and therefore prone to accidents and the resulting damage.

 

c.     Very little supports the transom.  There is no slot. 

 

d.     I am still making decisions on how I will plank the boat and how I will instruct the beginner to plank the boat.  These decisions will dictate when the transom goes on.  I am leaning toward a hybrid method that combines some spiling that is prototypical boat and ship building and some edge bending that is explained in the instructions to the kit.  My idea is that I will make the garboard plank and perhaps the 1st broad strake from material twice as wide as that provided in the kit, and also make the sheer plank(in this boat the substitute for the wale) out of wider material. This would be prototypical boat building.  This would cut the work load and perhaps provide for a faster planking job as you eliminate 6 planks in the process.  Also, If I plank from the keel up, the cut of the garboard will establish the sheer line at the rail automatically, or is this wishful thinking?

All the books say attach the garboard and wale, and then plank in between them.

 

PLANKING THIS LITTLE BOAT IS THE NUMBER ONE REASON GIVEN TO ME TO SUPPORT THE POSITION THAT IT IS NOT A BOAT FOR BEGINNERS.  At this point I still disagree with this proposition.  After all, you have to plank a boat sooner or later.  

 

I look forward to your comments on this issue.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 12, 2018 by roach101761

[paulsutcliffe]

Hi Phil

looking good on the frames there, nice and square, I also added two planks on top glued to each frame to keep everything straight and level during planning and to give something to clamp against

I also added the transom now, as you said its very fragile but can be pinned at the bottom/keel joint with very thin copper wire to add strength

 

you might still change your mind about being a beginner model when you start planking 

 

regards

Paul

Edited May 28, 2018 by paulsutcliffe

[roach101761]

Making spacers to stabilize the Hull during fairing and planking.

 

The hull thus far is very light and very flexible and twists very easily.  The flexibility of the hull is a hindrance to the fairing process because as you hold it in your hand it moves.   The hull needs to be made stiff during this process.  There are two ways to do it.  Many here on MSW have glued temporary strips to the top of the bulkheads and they have reported good results with this method.  Another way to stiffen the hull is with spacers inserted between the bulkheads.  I committed very early on to the making of spacers because in more traditional plank on bulkhead models it is a tried and true, and accepted practice in the community.  I also believe for a model so small as this one that it will provide the more stable hull during fairing and planking.  I do not know for sure because I have nothing to compare between.  Perhaps if I build the Pinnace I will try the strip method and then compare.    I am not worried about removing the spacers later because I used the white glue sparingly and alcohol will dissolve the bond.  

 

I made the spacers from the flotsam and jetsam of sheet A and B from the kit.   

 

Here are the remains of sheet B from which I started. 

 

Here are the remains of sheet A

 

I then cut up the remains into pieces of appropriate sizes and lengths for the model.  In this case about 1 1/2" long and 1/4" wide.  My Zona miter box is 1 1/2" wide.   Most of the material in sheets B and A  provided for these lengths.  They can not be too wide because the depth when inserted in the spaces between bulkheads can not be so deep that that they cover what will become the frames and they may not protrude on the sides of the boat so as to interfere with planking.

 

Here is Sheet B cut up into bits and pieces to make the spacers.

 

Here is sheet A cut up into bits and pieces to make the spacers.

After harvesting the wood into the bits and pieces I sorted them by length and put them into groups of 3.  To do this I selected the best matches among them for size, both length and width.    I kept them as long as possible.  You can always shorten them.  I then began gluing them up.  I used clothes pins for clamping.  I also made sure that on one end and what will be the bottom that the the pieces were flush with one another to provide for two clean edges.  The spaces in the sheets where the bulkhead came from I left on the spacers.   They were a big help later when inserting them between the bulkheads. 

 

Clamping up the spacers.

 

15 spacers all glued up.

 

 

Edited June 2, 2018 by roach101761

[tlevine]

Although I also used spacers between between the frames, I would suggest that it is a lot easier to simply cut equal length pieces of scrap and put them between the frames. Key in doing this is 1) keep the hull in the building board when inserting the spacers as this will prevent twisting and 2) make sure the port and starboard spacers are exactly the same length.  Although you are attempting to show this build with a minimum of tools, this could easily be done with a cheap hand hobby saw and a sanding block.  The advantage of spacers over running a spile along the side of the hull is that I could fair the hull more easily.  The pictures below show the hull in the building jig after it had been faired.  The spacers are placed medial to the laser cuts for the ribs to prevent any damage to them when they were eventually removed.

 

  

 

After the hull was faired, a temporary spile was placed aft to stabilize the transom as the rest of the hull was planked.  As you and I have discussed off-line, my planking was done prototypical, and not per the kit instructions.  

 

 

 

[roach101761]

Fitting and Gluing in the spacers.

 

Because in my model many of the spaces between the bulkheads were not the exact 9/32nds shown on the plan*, each of the spacers had to be custom fit to the space between the bulkheads where it was to be installed.  I started at the bow and alternated between the front of the boat and back of the boat to speed the job along. The clothes pins I used to clamp the job got in the way of each other if it were too close, and actually were not usable or necessary when I was installing a spacer that was installed between two other previously installed spacers. 

 

*  I now have three reasons that the spaces are at a variance from the 9/32nds width;  a. I was not able to achieve the tolerance by hand with a file in the bulkhead slots and the keel slots,  b. sheet A and sheet B from which the parts came from were not uniformly 3/32nds thick from end to end, nor did they match each other, and  c.  call me crazy but the white glue also takes up space.  Thus the spacers are also wider than 9/32nds.  I will post this glue question at the appropriate thread here on MSW. 

 

 

This is how I proceeded to install the spacers.

 

1.     I selected the shortest spacers for the bulkhead spaces that had narrower breadth and reserved the longer spacers for the broader bulkheads. 

 

2.     I sanded down the width so it would fit between the selected space.  I did this on my sanding block from my true sander.  I think I mentioned before that this is my favorite and most used tool. Follow the same procedure I described above where you sand 5 strokes on one plain, rotate the piece, take five more strokes, turn over the piece, take five more and rotate again.  5 is a random number, but take no more than 10 at any one time or the pressure from your fingers and hand will cause the piece to be thinner at the pressure point. Do not over sand the piece or it will be too loose and cause you to squeeze the bulkheads to meet it and put pressure on the bulkhead and false keel bond. If you do, put it aside.  It will most likely fit in another space, and there is more material in sheet A waiting to be used if you have to make more spacers. 

 

3.     When you fit the spacer to the space, you must use care to insure that it is not too deep or too wide so as to cover the laser burn creating the frame on the bulkhead  Keep the spacers well in board.  Cut to length when necessary.

 

4.    You should fit one spacer at a time, install with glue, then move to the other the other end of the boat while the bond sets.  I did however roughly work the next corresponding spacer because I found that when partially installed it put pressure where needed on the bulkhead and spacer next to it  to allow the glue to set. Because of the process, the spaces do change width because some pulling and tugging of the bulkheads is inevitable. 

 

5.     To glue up, I pushed the spacer below the top edge of the bulkhead, applied the white glue at six points (three on each bulkhead in the space created between two bulkheads) and then pulled, pushed or shoved the spacer upwards to meet the glue.  This meant that the glue would smear upwards and not downwards, creating the smallest bonding area to be dissolved later for spacer removal.  The same result will be achieved if you position the spacer so it is higher than the bulkhead and position the glue at the same corresponding positions and push the spacer down.  In fact I installed a few this way as well as not all of the spacers had those handles left over to help me pull them up to meet the glue.   

 

Here is a photo showing glue placement.

 

What you see here is the sparing use of white glue and an easy way to keep track of where you placed it.  Note that it is where the bulkhead was attached to the sheet of parts from which it came.  You can not see it in this picture but a third dot of glue is at the center(you can see it on the bulkhead closest to you.  Also note that this spacer when pulled up will be well inboard the laser cut line for the frame.   The third part of the spacer closest to the bottom you can not see because it is hidden by the bulkhead.

 

I then proceeded with installing the spacers.  Here is another photo of the process. It is actually the same photo as above but is not cropped.

 

 

What you see in this photo is that the two forward spacers have been installed, with one of the spacers being used as a brace to aid the bonding of the spacer in front of it, one toward the back of the boat is being stalled and that large spacer in the foreground is one half the gantry wall that has been removed to alter the building board to hold the model for fairing and planking.   More on that later. 

 

Here is another photo of the spacer installation process. 

 

This photo shows three spacers being clamped to bond.  The glue spot is noticeable on the fore space.  I cleaned it up and removed the excess after the photo.  You do not want to create a larger bond than necessary and cleaning up glue over spill is a required modeling skill and is a deterrent to sloppiness and aids precision.

 

Modeling Tip

 

You will note the hole in the forward spacer.  To aid in pulling this up into position I took my needle file and drilled it in to create a handle in which to pull up the spacer and when in place I just twisted the file out in the opposite direction. I used this method on one or two of the spacers.  This spacer is so narrow that glue was only placed in the center of each of the corresponding bulkheads. 

 

Modeling Tip

 

Those clothes pins get in the way!!!  Watch your hands as they hover over the model. If not careful, you will knock one of them and potentially damage the model. 

 

You will also see that the tooth pick has been modified to apply the glue.  Rather than a round point, I found shaving it flat with my #11 blade applied the glue much better during this process. 

 

This post is long enough.  The next will finish the spacer installation.

 

 

 

Edited June 3, 2018 by roach101761

[roach101761]

Thank you Toni for your input.  I did not see your post before I put in my last.  I think I was drafting at the same time you were.  Thanks for the confirmation that the spacers make the Hull more ridged during the fairing process.  The model does twist a lot and keeping it on the building board while you insert the spacers does help to keep it true. 

[Fright]

Your project is coming along nicely, considering a few little setbacks, but good recovery and all is well 

[roach101761]

Finish the installation of the spacers.  Almost!

 

I proceeded as described above and installed the spacers.   I left three spaces blank.  The middle space between the center line bulkhead 0 and bulkhead A and two spaces fore and aft where the re-configured building board supports the model. I left the middle space as it was wider than 9/32nds and so the spacers were too narrow.  I wrapped a spacer in painter's tape to take up the space and thought that would do the job.  I left the spaces blank fore and aft because I want a building board to support the model during fairing and planking.  I will show you the photos first, but I must tell you that it did not work out as planned. 

 

Here is the hull with spacers installed in all but three spaces.

 

The center is left open and the the spaces fore and aft are for the reconfigured building board. 

 

Here are two profile views of the hull. 

 

In the two photos above the hull is supported in the reconfigured building board.  In the top photo you can see the spacer I created for the center line bulkhead 0  wrapping it in painters tape.

 

Here is another view of the center line spacer.

 

 

At this point I started to fair the hull, both on the building board and in my hand.   I discovered that most of the time is was easier and better to hold the hull in your hand during the fairing process.  I also learned that the hull twisted in exactly three locations.  I think you can guess where.  It actually twisted a lot.  So much so that I was concerned about snapping the hull in half.   I then placed it on the building board and tried to fair it on the board.  I learned that it is much easier to hold it in your hands. 

 

The center line spacer wrapped in painter's tape was a fail.  It slid in and out too easily. 

 

Therefore, I must make three more spacers and afix them to the hull. 

 

There are some parts of the fairing process that I am convinced that will allow better accuracy with the hull firmly attached to the building board. So at the time of writing this I am still trying to figure out the spacer situation.

 

After I installed the spacers I snapped off all the handles I left on the spacers.  They protruded too far when I mounted the hull upside down on the building board.  They snapped right off almost flush with the bulkheads.  I am now optimistic that the center portions of the bulkheads will separate when the time comes after planking the hull.

 

Next, I will explain the re-configured building board. 

 

 

 

Edited June 12, 2018 by roach101761

[roach101761]

Heads up!

 

As I got closer to the point in time where I will have to plank the model, and more importantly instruct a beginner to plank the model, I privately sought the advice of several of my modeling friends, all with superior modeling credentials to my own. These modeling friends include the designer of the kit.   As a result I have decided how I will proceed in the short term, all with a beginner in mind.  Here is what will happen in the short term.

 

1.     Chuck has advised that you can not Plank the model without the transom attached. 

 

2.     Chuck has also advised that you can not do a proper and prototypical planking job without lining off the hull(more later on lining off the hull).  I agree. 

 

3.     Chuck has advised that the best coarse for this model is to follow the instructions and install the two sheer planks(substitute for the wale in this small boat).  After studying my planking materials and this boat I agree, that for a beginner this is the best course. 

 

4.     Others whom I asked agreed that the edge bending technique for this model produced a good result and it would be best to follow the guide lines given in the instructions.

 

To a person, they agree with each other that perhaps this model is not for a beginner.  I still disagree. 

Edited June 23, 2018 by roach101761

[Tigersteve]

I’m interested to see how you proceed with your planking. You certainly have everyone’s attention. This kit was my first build and I don’t think it’s a good first kit for many. Depends on your skill set. Bob F did an extremely in-depth log on this kit and his build is unsurpassed in my opinion. 

Steve

[roach101761]

Steve

 

Why did you pick the long boat as your first model?  And I see you followed up one small boat with another small model of a small boat.

 

[Tigersteve]

Price point, look of the completed model, size. It was difficult, but with the support from members on MSW, I was able to complete it. I have some technical experience and arts background. I chose the Pinnace as my next model because I had been curious how different it would be. It’s actually more challenging. 

Steve

Edited June 5, 2018 by Tigersteve

[Cathead]

I'm curious why you pursued the fairly complex task of building and inserting spacers between each bulkhead when scrap wood glued along the top of the bulkheads instead provides excellent stability during the fairing process and takes a fraction of the time and fuss to achieve. Perhaps you explained this and I missed it.

 

Also, as this is meant to help educate new builders, isn't the correct term "sheer plank" rather than "shear plank"? Might as well ensure the terminology is as correct as the instructions so no one gets confused down the road. It's not a typo as you've written the latter a number of times.

[mtaylor]

No disrespect, Phil, but I too was wondering why you're just not building the model as designed and following the directions.  It looks to be a good, well-designed kit from the builds I've seen.   Seems that you're re-inventing the wheel or build jig in this case, and making it harder.

[Dwaing]

At our Guild meeting this am, there was general agreement that a beginner's kit was which ever the beginner first purchases and builds. My beginners kit over 50 years ago was Bounty, but then I knew nothing about ships beyond how to build a model airplane. I had read Mutiny On The Bounty.

[roach101761]

A reply to a couple of the comments above. 

 

Eric--You are correct about the use of proper terminology.  Despite my issues with sheer, I am striving to use and spell the nautical terms correctly.  We should always make an effort to use the correct terms.    If you see additional errors please let me know.  I did some edits tonight and may have not caught all the Shears to correct to Sheer.   For a while I had issues with Bulkhead Zero (0) before I began calling it the center line bulkhead.   I believe it to be the center line bulkhead rather than the zero bulkhead.  Let me know if I am correct on this.   As to the spacer project----it looks complex, but what it really was, was time consuming.  Please remember that I am trying to use minimum tools(not just minimum tools but tools readily available to a beginner), therefore I will not use my table saw or disc sander or drill press. I am also trying to use minimal additional materials.  The scrap wood in the kit lends itself to this blocking project very well.   I elected blocking the model up because it is an accepted modeling process and I believed it would give me a very rigid hull to work with when I faired the hull.  It has done that, it is very rigid and does not twist and flex.  This may make it easier for the beginner.  I do not know if the strips glued along the top would make it as rigid as I have never used that method before and thus can not compare the two.  Above, Toni seems to indicate that they would not.  

 

Mark--You have never meet me, but all my local ship modeling friends would agree with you that I tend to over think things.  I laughed when I read your comment.  Putting aside the criticism of my choice of subject, the purpose of this build log is to try and teach a beginner to build the boat.  The instructions in the kit do not offer the detail of model construction that I am attempting here.  I have learned over the years that beginners really like to see it, no matter how basic.  It makes for greater understanding.  I assume nothing about the skill set of my reader, so I explain the mundane.  I also am thinking though the process in each step so as to figure how to best explain it to someone who knows nothing about building a ship model. Also, this kit has been done countless times on MSW and my log is an attempt to contribute on some level that has not been done before on this kit or on others.   It is first and foremost a teaching effort.  If I was just going to build the boat, I would just refer to Bob F.'s build log for guidance and no one here would know I was building the boat.

 

Building boards are necessary to precision. I also believe they will help a beginner.  My steel blocks would have been nice to use, but a beginner would not buy them.  Thus the flush and perpendicular stationary gantry wall idea.    I have re-structured the building board to hold the model for planking.  Still do not know how it will work out, but we will see.  After all, I get to edit the build log at any point and change my mind later.

 

Additionally, the NRG board has received some feed back that board members are not visible enough on MSW and we should make an effort to participate more.  This was my choice for greater participation.  I have found that because I must make time to write my build log and check up on comments, I am on MSW more and I tend to participate more often in other areas of the site. 

 

[roach101761]

RECONFIGURED BUILDING BOARD to hold model while fairing and planking. 

 

I get to say it again.  White glue is great!!  I decided to reconfigure the building board to hold the model while fairing the hull and planking.  To do this it was necessary to remove one portion of the gantry wall and relocate it parallel to the remaining half further along the building board.  For kicks and giggles I decided to test the bond that the half I was removing had with the building board.  I applied a lot of pressure with my fingers and hands.   Far more than the model will ever experience.   The bond did not come apart, and the wall did not break off the building board.    To break the bond I tilted the board away from the portion of the gantry wall that would remain and flooded the joints on four sides and on top of the support pieces with alcohol, applied with a small paint brush. THEN I SHOULD HAVE WAITED.  But I did not.  You should wait a while to let the alcohol do its job properly.   It will take two or more applications of alcohol to dissolve the bond. The supports and the base of the wall will get saturated.  I was able to pry off one of the support pieces fairly quickly with my scalpel blade, and here the wood was less strong than the bond.  Some wood was left on the board.  This exposed the bottom joint, more alcohol was applied. I waited a bit and the wall came off very easily. 

 

I then cleaned the board and the removed parts of all glue residue.  Some rubbed off, some I scraped with a #11 blade and some I sanded off. 

 

I previously selected the spaces between bulkheads D and E and 4 and 5 as the locations to support the model on the building board.  That is why these two spaces were not blocked up for support. Because my model did not have those exact 9/32nds between bulkheads as shown on the plans, it was necessary to sand down both parts of the gantry wall so that each would fit well into the selected spaces.  I used my sanding block for this.  For the portion remaining on the board I supported the wall on the edge of my work bench and sanded vigorously.    The bond did not move and did not even hint at failing. 

 

To locate the position of the new support for the model, I simply inserted the piece in the reserved space, turned the model upside down and inserted the hull onto the part remaining on the board.  I was able to adjust the alignment and mark the location on the building board with my sharp pencil. 

 

Edit to add  photos. 

 

 

The two photo's below show the newly reconfigured building board to hold the model during fairing and planking.

 

 

Edited June 12, 2018 by roach101761

[roach101761]

I edited the above to show the finished building board.    I actually cut the the gantry walls to allow a wider space to support the model's false keel.  It was too close.   The model also was not fixed on the re positioned walls because the keel was not locked in.   Here is the board with the boat mounted on it before further modifications.

 

I then built up the two fixtures to accept the false keel to lock the boat in place.

 

 

 

 

 

The false keel support in the foreground is not quite level, but it does lock the boat in place. 

Edit--6/15/18--The reason it is not level is the result of my sawing off the top by hand and then sanding it by hand with my sanding block.   Its hard to make things straight and true by hand sanding.  

 

KEY FACTOR---The support pieces can not be the same size where I placed them because the false keel in the stern rises from the floors.  To level the boat you must adjust the height fore and aft depending on which direction you have placed the boat in the brackets.  I anticipate that I will be able to mark the waterline very accurately later in the build with my building board.   I also think that marking the bulkheads for the sheer plank will be easy as well.  When the boat is on this stand it is locked in place and very rigid.

 

Here is the boat shown in a variety of positions in the bracket on the building board.

 

NOW IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.   It fits both ways on the building board.  I will be able to work either side of the boat in any position.

 

You will note the two uninstalled spacers.  They are made to fit where the brackets are.   I am still fairing the hull and still find the building board useful although in some spots it is easier to hold the model in my hands. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2018 by roach101761

[roach101761]

FAIRING THE HULL

 

This seems to be an area where model kit instructions and authors of ship modeling books consistently fail the beginner. There are two problems.

 

First.  I have found that beginners I meet with sailing experience and a boating background readily understand the concept.  I have found that many beginners with no boating experience do not readily grasp the concept and the process and the result to be achieved.  I was one of those.  My mentors kept advising me that I had not completed the fairing process.  My problem was that I did not, or would not, or in my case I could not  accept that some of the bulkheads (those in the bow and some in the stern) would require some very pronounced angles/bevels.  It seemed counter-intuitive to remove all that wood after I so carefully put in the bulkhead and braced and stabilized the frame.  This conceptual problem is further compounded by kit instructions and modeling books that instruct the modeler to "...now fair the hull". Too many kit instructions and too many modeling books make the assumption that all of the readers understand what fairing the hull means.

 

Second.  Too little attention is provided in most modeling books to the actual process of fairing the hull and the methods and tools to be used.  A typical instruction would read something like,    "make sure your file, rasp, sanding block is long enough to span at least three bulkheads and fair the hull."  Another issue is that every hull offer's its own unique challenges.  One size does not fit all.  Therefore, although some of the fairing processes for this model are readily transferable to other models, my focus is on this model of the the long boat. 

 

Advantages this Long Boat model offers the beginner in fairing the hull.

 

     1.  It is very small.  Although my critics cite this as a reason this is not a beginners boat, it is an advantage here.  It is a much smaller job and I believe errors will more readily show and are more easily correctable in this small model.  The smallness I believe makes it less prone to errors.

 

     2.  It is a fully framed model.  The distances between bulkheads are only 9/32nds of an inch.  This makes it less likely for errors to creep in.  I am speaking specifically of humps and depressions here. 

 

     3.  The bulkheads are made from Basswood, not plywood; cheap, thin, thick or otherwise.  This makes it easier to shape and fair the boat. 

 

Disadvantages

 

     1.  The transom is going to cause some issues. 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2018 by roach101761