Bluenose by W4LKR - Model Shipways

[W4LKR]

I'm long overdue thanking jwvolz, Yorky, Retired guy and CPDDET for the incredibly helpful feedback on the stanchions.  The photos are so helpful.  My plan at this stage is to remove the frame stanchions after installing the fake stanchions and bulwarks, but before installing the main rails.  There are at least two or three different ways to skin this cat and get results that I would happy with, but doing it in that order feels the most doable to me personally.  Seeing the photos on Suburban Ship Modeler swayed me I think.

 

For the past week I've been sanding and faring the bulkheads with varying amounts of success.  Overall it's going well I think.  My homemade sanding block is about 3" long with an 80 grit strip stapled tightly around it.  I'm changing out the strip regularly.  This block can span a max of two bulkheads.  Longer might be better but I'm taking it slow.

 

I knew there would be a need to shim some bulkheads to fill gaps.  One of these gaps is larger than I expected (circled below).  I've definitely got some shimming to do before I'm anywhere near ready to start planking.

 

[CPDDET]

Sounds like you're going about it the right way: doing research, taking your time and thinking ahead about how current decisions will effect future steps. The stantions on this model can be tricky but looks like you've got a handle on it.

Keep up the fine work.

[W4LKR]

It's becoming apparent how much easier things would have been if I'd gone ahead and shimmed the bulkheads before starting to sand the bevels.  At the time I didn't think I could identify which bulkheads would need shimming until after beveling, and maybe that was true, but in hindsight I think I'll be able to tell with my next build.  Shimming an already beveled bulkhead is not easy!  More on that later.

 

Right now I'm bouncing back and forth between attempting to shim the bulkheads that need it and prepping the stern to receive the stern blocks.  I've beveled and carved out the bulkhead that straddles the gap where rudder will go.  When I run a test strake along these aft-most bulkheads it seems to create the right contour.  I guess I won't know for sure until the stern blocks are installed and properly shaped.  Several of the starboard bulkhead edges forward of O and N (pictured) have yet to be beveled.

 

After taking this photo I realized the mistake I made.  Bulkhead N, which straddles the gap above the rudder, wasn't supposed to be sanded back to be flush with the forward side of the gap.  I don't know why I thought this was necessary.  Looking back at the instructions and practicum there's no mention of doing what I did.  In fact, the practicum shows the horn timbers installed between bulkheads N and O with no sanding to N like I've done.  I think I've created another challenge for myself.  Attaching the horn timbers will be more difficult with bulkhead N shaped the way I did it.

 

 

Edited December 31, 2022 by W4LKR

[CPDDET]

Luckily your working with wood. Filler, sandpaper, files and such can help you recover. I had to tear out about a third of my hull planking and redo it. Recoveries can be a pain, but also a learning process and very gratifying knowing you have the skill to fix mistakes.