HMS Halifax 1768 by alde - Lumberyard Kit - 1/48 scale - Based on Harold Hahn Drawings and Book

[mtaylor]

Good question Al.  I didn't pin my frames. I think for security sake pin them together through the hull (pairs) after installing.  I used yellow PVA and haven't had problem.

[alde]

4 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

Good question Al.  I didn't pin my frames. I think for security sake pin them together through the hull (pairs) after installing.  I used yellow PVA and haven't had problem.

Thanks Mark. I was leaning that way but it sure helps to hear from someone with more experience. The half frames that I have installed seem pretty solid without pinning them but I think I'll go ahead and do the half frames like Hahn shows.

 

I did drill and pin all the full frames to the keel and it's nice and solid now. It's fairing up pretty well too. It's starting to look like a hull. I hope to have the rest of the half frames in by maybe the end of next week.

[mtaylor]

My only caution is sanding the frames in situ.   Go with a light touch and not a course grain sandpaper as they are delicate.  At 1/48, your frames are probably thicker and meatier than mine at 1/64.  I should mention that I did put scrap pieces before cutting her free from the build boar between the frames to help stiffen things up and keep alignments right.

[alde]

I found that out the hard way. That’s why I ended up pinning all the whole frames to the keel. It worked great but I’ll still take the sanding slow and easy. 

[alde]

It's been slow going but it is going. I managed to get all the framing done and treenailed the half frames to the keel assembly. This is the first time I have made treenails and it took a bit of practice before I could get them down to a scale 1 inch without too much trouble. I also did some fairing and it seems to be going ok. It's going to be a slow job to fair the inside. It's going to take some thought and custom sanding pads to get it done. So far so good.

 

[lmagna]

Good looking progress Al

The nice thing about POF is that you can see the hull lines progress early on. Yours are really standing out.

[alde]

3 hours ago, lmagna said:

Good looking progress Al

The nice thing about POF is that you can see the hull lines progress early on. Yours are really standing out.

Thanks Lou, it finally feels like something is coming together and looking like a hull. Maybe by the end of next week I'll try fitting the shear strake. I have some nice dark ebony strips and I was thinking of using that for the shear but I understand it's not easy to work with. I may try cutting and bending it anyway. If I can fit it OK I'll use it. If not there is always paint for the black planks. I used ebony for my guitar fingerboard and it cut and glued just fine but I didn't have to bend it.

[lmagna]

I think that some people have preferred to use leather dye when they have not been able to use the proper color of wood. If you can't use the Ebony you might give that a look.

[alde]

I'll look into it Lou. I want a nice black color but would like the wood grain to show if I can. 

[lmagna]

That should do it

[mtaylor]

Nice work indeed, Al.   For the inside, a small sanding disk turning very slowly on a "L" head in a Dremal works well.  Just go slow on it and check frequently with a batton as woud on the exterior.  A bit tedious but for me, not overthinking the process (as I tend to do sometimes) was a key.

Edited June 17, 2018 by mtaylor

[alde]

Thanks Mark. It's going slow but I see progress every day. I'll try to work out the stern frames in the next couple of days. It looks pretty straight forward but I want to get it right the first time. I need to study the plans for a bit.

[Dowmer]

Nice going Al.  I just found your Halifax build.  You are doing a great job.  I used the Hahn method of framing on my first POF build too.  A bit tedious at first but in the end it held everything nice and snug.  I ended up pinning my frames to the keel and deadwood as well.  Once the Wales go on the structure really stiffens up. But man, what a great feeling to cut the ship off the board.  You have an instant ship!!

[alde]

3 hours ago, Dowmer said:

Nice going Al.  I just found your Halifax build.  You are doing a great job.  I used the Hahn method of framing on my first POF build too.  A bit tedious at first but in the end it held everything nice and snug.  I ended up pinning my frames to the keel and deadwood as well.  Once the Wales go on the structure really stiffens up. But man, what a great feeling to cut the ship off the board.  You have an instant ship!!

Thanks for stopping by and giving me some encouragement. What ship did you build with this method.

 

Im about done with the fairing and will work on improving the rabbit a bit then it's time to lay in the wale strakes. I'm still leaning toward using the ebony for them. I bought a nice dark guitar fingerboard blank and it's almost too nice to cut up. I'll have it all pre-bent and shaped before o commit glue to it. 

[Dowmer]

Al,

I built........errr I'm still building the Union, 1792 1:48 scale.  My avatar pic is her.  A ship from Pacific NW History and a contemporary of the Lady Washington. I used all natural woods on the hull for the different colors.  Its an ongoing 15 year project (been on hold for several), but I plan to renew building her soon and starting a thread. 

[alde]

4 hours ago, Dowmer said:

Al,

I built........errr I'm still building the Union, 1792 1:48 scale.  My avatar pic is her.  A ship from Pacific NW History and a contemporary of the Lady Washington. I used all natural woods on the hull for the different colors.  Its an ongoing 15 year project (been on hold for several), but I plan to renew building her soon and starting a thread. 

I saw your beautiful hull on Lou’s Providence build log. I can’t wait until I get to the point of freeing it from the building jig. It’s still a ways out though. I’m trying to figure out the stern frames right now. It looks simple enough but I want to only have to do it once.

[alde]

I spent 15 years of my professional life as a draftsman and more than 25 additional years heavily involved with drawings and ship design for the US Navy. That said these stern frames have been a real challenge for me to figure out. I kept referring to Bob's (rafine) build and the Hahn plans and think I came up with something that will work. Like Bob I had to make some parts including the stern frames  because as Bob found out the legs are too short on the kit parts. It's all part of building and part of the fun for me is figuring this stuff out. I will take some pictures later. I still need to cut out a couple of frames and get it all together. The Hahn book has no good photos of the stern framing for the Halifax. It does for the Hannah but it's quite a bit different.

Edited June 21, 2018 by alde

[mtaylor]

Al,

I wonder if the NRG has an article by Hahn on the Halifax?   That's where I found a good article on Licorne.  

 

Ah.. hang on.. I have something.  Will something like this help?  It's the Halifax.

 

[alde]

Mark, you are da man. Where the heck did you find these pictures? This verifies everything for me and will work out with what I have done so far. Is there an NRG article?

[mtaylor]

There's a set of CD's of the Hahn builds.  Four of them.  I think it came from The Lumberyard but there's no markings on the CD's other than the ships on each CD.   

[alde]

16 hours ago, mtaylor said:

There's a set of CD's of the Hahn builds.  Four of them.  I think it came from The Lumberyard but there's no markings on the CD's other than the ships on each CD.   

Mark, the CD set is on its way. Thanks for pointing it out.

[alde]

It’s been a while since I posted but work has been progressing. The stern is basically done thanks to the photos Mark posted. They cleared things right up. I have also pretty much finished fairing the hull. Next is improving the rabbit a bit before the planking starts. I tried bending some ebony for the wales but it cracked. I may just use boxwood and paint it black.

[Dowmer]

Wow, looking good Al.  Its really taking shape.

[lmagna]

Al 

Even though when looking at it in the profile shots I can't help but get the image in my mind that it should be walking off the table shortly like some sort of prehistoric centipede, your hull is obviously looking very nice and well refined. One nice feature about POF over POB is that the shape is so much more defined even before you start planking. 

Edited June 28, 2018 by lmagna

[alde]

Thanks guys. I was hoping to have a couple of planks on it by now but it's been slower than I expected. I'll be a monkeys uncle if I don't have the wales on next week.

[mtaylor]

I'd go with the stained boxwood also, Al.  Ebony needs a lot of steam or laminating several strips (bent before laminating) and holding them firmly in a jig until the adhesive drys.  A bit of a pain and can be hit and miss.  Looking pretty darn good as she sits now.

[rafine]

Great work Al. The hull is really nice.

 

Bob

[alde]

I went ahead and bent the wales. I had some Swiss Pear that was the perfect size so I went with that. I just soaked them and clamped them in place to dry so far. No glue yet so if you guys see something thats off please let me know.

[John Allen]

8 hours ago, alde said:

please let me know.

Al,

Form, follows shape, follows function? Its emerging from the skeletal remains of a beached whale, this is going to be a big one. The frames themselves, the curves, the number of, the stern quarter with the right background would make a nice photo prior to any planking.

Very well done going to be a beauty.

[mtaylor]

Looks good from here, Al.