HMS Victory by Patrick Haw - Caldercraft - Scale 1/72

[gjdale]

Coppering looks great Patrick - well done!

[Sjors]

Great job Patrick,

 

It looks…..coppered?

Some times you have to do some other things otherwise you gonna be crazy when you repeat all that tiny stuff….

 

[ocean clipper]

Hello Patrick nothing wrong with that coppering i like you had a resperator on that contact glue sure gives of some fumes.DEREK    

[Patrick Haw]

Kevin, David, Grant, Sjors, and Derek,

 

Thank you so much for your kind words, but seriously if it wasn't for people like you who've "been there, done that" and posted your trials, tirbulations and successes in your logs I'd probably still be sitting here with a bag of copper plates thinking to myself that coppering this behemoth is not possible.  You don't know how many times I've dashed to the computer thinking "Hmmm, I think Shipyard Sid had something posted about this", or "Kevin ran into this problem and had a good solution" and voila, one of you had already solved my current problem for me.  That's what I love about MSW.

 

Cheers,

 

Patrick

[Patrick Haw]

Hi Lawrence,

 

Thank for your kind words. I've been using Weldwood contact cement I bought at Lowes here in the US.  It's worked very well.  I put a coat down on the hull area I'm getting ready to copper and then put a generous amount on each copper plate so it gives me time to maneuver the plate into position.  They haven't all been perfect, so you have to be willing to rip off sections of copper and re-do them.  I just ordered an additional 500 copper plates from Cornwall Model Boats to cover the wastage.  Wear a respirator or else the fumes will make you loopy!

 

Love your progress on your build.  Keep it up!

 

Patrick

[romiol]

Hi Patrick

 

It looks really good, your coppering - congratulations!!!!

 

Cheers,

Rosmarie

[Patrick Haw]

The Coppering Diaries (cont)

 

It's 3 weeks to the day since I began coppering and today I finished the port side...yay!!!  I figure that I worked on the ship for about 17 of the last 21 days, on average about 3.5 hours per day (some more, some less), so it's about 60 hours of work. Lots of trial, lots of errors, lots of ripping off copper plates and redoing them, lots of cutting plates to fit the awkward bits, cutting them again, and again until they were reasonably alright.  All in all I'm very happy with the result for first time coppering.  Just received an additional 500 copper plates from Cornwall Model Boats, so I should be good to finish.

 

I took some photos in the workshop and then took the ship outside for the first time for some pics in natural light.

 

I just turned the ship around on the workbench, exposing the smooth, naked starboard side...oh crap!  See you in another three weeks!

 

Patrick

 

[Shipyard sid]

Hello Patrick

Well there you go!! Not a problem. It all look excellent to me, well done. The second side will be a doddle DAVID

[Kevin]

very nice - its a bit close to the water though, not quite ready for sea trials

[Sjors]

Great job Patrick !

 

Starboard side goes faster but can not go better.

 

Edited July 31, 2013 by Sjors

[gjdale]

Nice job Patrick! The other side will be a doddle after this.

[Patrick Haw]

Thanks David, Kevin, Sjors and Grant.

 

Wow, you guys were right, the other side is a doddle.  Just started today and I'm nearly finished!

 

Patrick

[Sjors]

I think Patrick….keep it this way         

That looks marvellous !

 

[dafi]

Coming along nicely :-)

 

Daniel

[Jerry]

Hello Patrick...

I spent a short time on the Amalfi coast when we cruised that area 2 summers ago.  It was fabulous to the point where I suggested to my better half that we spend a couple of weeks there.  It was so beautiful but I remember the roads ere a bit scary when rounding the many curves in a big coach.

Your coppering is coming along quite well.  I hope you stay with it as after that procedure the build gets even moe interesting as i'm sure you noticed reading mine and all the other Victory logs.  It's so good to be able to reference the other logs when questions pop up and to make so many neat friends during this process.  ....and thanks for checking out my log..

Best,

Jerry

[Patrick Haw]

Been a long time since I posted, so here goes.  I started coppering the starboard side at the beginning of August and with summer getting in the way, taking a couple of weeks off from the shipyard, family visits etc., it took me all of August to finish the coppering.  But it's done...or so I thought.

 

I went to measure the placement of the lower wale and found that my waterline is too low down on the hull.  I don't know how this happened.  Measured up from the keel it's at the right height at bow, stern and midships. Measured down from the bow, the waterline is at the exact right position.  Measured down from the break at the quarter deck and the break at the focsle, it's at the right height. But measuring down from the the lower deck gunports to position the lower wale, it's about 5 mm too low and the top of the main wale won't intersect the gunports at the right positions. What happened, and how do I fix this?

 

One fix would be to take off the styrene waterline strip and add a row of copper plates above the existing waterline.  This would let the bottom of the main wale sit properly across the lower gun ports.  I need sit sit and think this through.  Any suggestions are welcome!

 

Patrick

[Sjors]

Hi Patrick,

 

I like what I see and I'm sorry….I can not help you 

For me it looks perfect but I know that some others having also coppered the hull, so maybe they can help you.

 

[Patrick Haw]

Thanks Sjors.

 

I realize now that if I'd have put the wales on before marking the waterline I wouldn't have this problem,  but I didn't so now have to work out a solution. Oh well, just another challenge!

[mikec]

Hi Patrick, she is coming along nicely. i will follow with interest

[Patrick Haw]

While I'm figuring out what to do about this latest challenge. here a some more better pictures of the coppering, taken outside and I after applying the first of several coats of yellow ochre.  When I got done with the coppering I noticed that much of it was tarnishing quite badly, so I got some rinseable copper polish, polished the whole thing up nright and shiny, then sprayed on a couple of coats of satin finish clear polyurethane.  I like the finish.

 

Patrick

[Shipyard sid]

Hello Patrick

As far as I can see you will have to do exactly what you say, remove the styrene waterline, fit a new water line and infil up over. It should not be very hard at all. We're the tiles run up to the waterline at the bow and stern, I would think the last part tile of each row would need to be removed and then start to infil up over to the new waterline again. The tiles that are level or levelish but not a full tile ( narrowed off ) can be removed were necessary and again Infilled up over if you understand. In reality you are going to have to build up over, and I reckon it will be no prob for you. And I would bet you will never be able to see were things went wrong. DAVID

[Patrick Haw]

David,

 

Thank you. I already started taking off the styrene waterline. Not easy as it's glued on bloody well! But I agree it will be necessary to take off the top plates of the existing waterline and then build them up to the new waterline. Not a huge effort, but I thought i was done with copper plates!  It'd be easy to throw on a line of copper plates parallel to the water line but it would destroy the "sweep" of the coppering lines and look like a quick fix and I wouldn't be happy. So back to tearing stuff off and fixing it. Nobody said this would be easy!

 

Patrick

[Shipyard sid]

Patrick

I would build the sweep on as far back as possible until no sweep exists, from both the stern and bow. Then in theory the infill in the central area will be be narrower, if you follow. And you will be building up over with very very small adjustment as you go, once again if you follow. The theory seems ok. DAVID

[Sjors]

Hi Patrick,

 

Shiny and beautiful coppering !

Good luck with the fix on the waterline.

With your skill it should be not so difficult to change it.

I have all the faith in you !

Is that your garden????????

The only tree I see is in the garden of my neighbours…….

 

[Patrick Haw]

The great waterline rehabilitation project begins.  Heartbreaking to have to remove so many tiles, especially all the ones with the difficult cuts at the old waterline, but must be done.  Some of them were very hard to take off and there's a lot of clean up and sanding to do before I can put on the new waterline.  I'm going to have to order more copper plates too, so I'll have enough to do this project and do the rudder too.  Will update on the progress of this particular project.

 

Patrick

[Kevin]

Patrick, i did write a comment the other day, but deleted it, as i was stating the obvious, and we both realised it was going to result in a loss of your hard work (partial loss anyway), i presume the wales will go on next, and then rework the waterline, i used Medium c/a and even removing the tiles leaves a lip of glue that needs removing before you can place the tile next to it

also have you done a covering over the tiles, which will affect the colouration 

 

All the best

 

Kevin

Edited September 6, 2013 by Kevin

[Patrick Haw]

Kevin,

 

Yep, it was my mistake in not doing the wales first and I'm paying for it!  Oh well.  So after I've done the clean up the lower wales will go on to give me a waterline mark, then I can re-copper to the new waterline.  Good thing is I'm not in a race and time spent in the workshop is enjoyable no matter what part of the ship I'm doing...or re-doing!

 

I had mostly used contact cement for the copper so the residue comes off fairly easily with acetone.  For the small copper pieces at the waterline I had used CA so that clean up is a bit more difficult, but it's coming along ok.  When I finished the coppering first time around I polished it up and then sprayed on two coats of satin finish polyurethane.  That comes off pretty easily with acetone too and if necessary I'm happy to take it all off and re-spray once I've finished with the new coppering.

 

Patrick

[Patrick Haw]

The rehab of the botched waterline has moved ahead slowly, but I now have the lower wales on and painted and I just put on a new styrene waterline in the right place!  I think it worked out pretty well and I'm happy with the fix.  Now back to coppering up to the new waterline...and I thought I was done!  I have enough copper plates to get started and new ones are on the way from Cornwall Model Boats.

 

Patrick

[Kevin]

WELL DONE

[Sjors]

I knew it that you can solved it !

It looks just great Patrick.

Very nice paint job by the way.