HM Brig Supply by Hoppy - Caldercraft - build by Phillip Hopkins

[Hoppy]

Hello everyone and welcome to my build log for Caldercrafts HM Supply.  As this is my first ship build I hope that this will be a successful endevour and not one of the many abandoned build logs that I have read about.

 

I received my kit yesterday and couldn't resist sitting down right away and taking an inventory of all the parts.  With the exception of a couple of dowels everything was there and the quality looks very good.  The ply doesn't have any missing layers from the cutting like I have seen in other build logs and everything seems to be straight as an arrow. Both of which has calmed my nerves slightly as I was worried that I might have to start off by filling gaps or trying to straighten parts.

 

Now my inexperience with ship building is very evident as I did have a hard time identifying some of the parts. I have attached a couple of pictures and I hope that someone with experience or who has built the supply can help me out. Are the copper pins the pins that are used for the hatch covers? Are the black retaining looking wire clips used on the dead eyes? And lastly, the brass parts, are they the Parral ribs?

 

Hopefully someone will see this and will be able to let me know if I did identify them correctly or not.

 

Next step for the build is going to me sitting down and reading the instructions and studying the plans a couple of times before the wood cutting begins.

 

Phil

 

 

[ccoyle]

I believe you are correct on items #2 and #3. The first item, though, are simply eyebolts. These can be used for a number of purposes but are generally used as anchoring points for blocks or for securing rigging. If you run out of them, don't worry, as additional ones can easily and inexpensively be made from blackened annealed wire.

[Hoppy]

Thank you ccoyle for getting back to me.  Yes, when I said pins for the hatches I do believe the instructions called them eyelets.

 

Thanks again.

Phil

[Tom's Block]

Hello Phil, 

very nice that you will build the HMAV Supply. The supply was also my first kit and I like to send you some pictures of my finished ship. My Kit was from ArtsaniaLatina....not very good and I had to rebuild many metal parts with wood. I wish you a lot of fun to build her

Edited January 8, 2019 by Tom's Block

[Hoppy]

Tom.  Your Supply looks great.  I hope that mine will turn out as nice.  Did your kit come with the sails or did you make them yourself?

Phil 

[Tom's Block]

Thank you Phil, thank you. The sails come with the kit. 

[Hoppy]

After going through the instructions a couple of times I decided that I would go ahead and start. 

I took my time cutting the false keel and all of the bulkheads out then took the next three hours to sand and fit them into place.  The initial fit was very tight. So tight infact that if I were to put them all the way into position I would not need to glue them and I would never have gotten them apart again.  After sanding each part to the point that it would go into position and still be removable they are still perpendicular.  

Now on to transferring the bearding line and sanding down the deadwood before beginning to glue in the bulkheads.

 

Phil

 

Edited January 9, 2019 by Hoppy

[Hoppy]

Today I wanted to get the bulkheads glued into place.  First i had to carve and sand the bearding line.  I first used a knife and chisel to take the first layer of ply off both sides then sanded the deadwood into a taper ending at the center layer at the bottom and stern of the keel.  Hopefully this is correct and the planks will lay nicely.  Only time will tell.

With that done I decided it was time to glue the bulkheads in.  I did one more check that everyone was square then started gluing them one at a time with a lego jig to ensure they stayed square.  

 

Phil

 

[Hoppy]

Another day and a little more progress.  I have now glued on the false decks and beveled the bulkheads.

 

The false decks were more work than I had expected.  Despite what some other builders had experienced mine did not go into place without a fight.  I had to enlarge the holes for each of the bulwarks and even had to shorten the main deck from both sides.  

 

Once they were good and dry I proceeded with sanding the bulkheads so that the planks will lay flat.  I think that I took enough off each one as I can get a plank to lay against each one. One thing that I did notice is each plank seems to want to bend upwards and not towards the deadwood.

 

Will the planks naturally move towards the deadwood as planking progresses or is there something that I am missing? If anyone can offer some advice that would be appreciated.

 

Phil

[Hoppy]

Hello once again everybody.

 

Another day and a little more progress has been made.  Today I have spent a few hours laying the fist two planks.  

 

I began by clamping the first plank in place to see where they needed to be bent. Once I got that I held them over a boiling kettle for a minute or so to soften them up. Once I could bend them I held them in place with a combination of elastic bands and modified binder clips (I took a bung of the clips apart and added one of the 'wings' to a clip so that I can use it to both hold the plank down as well as flush to the previous plank). Once the plank was cool again I removed sections of the elastics and clips so that I could glue them down. After a half hour or so I repeated the process with the second plank.

I imagine that after the first two planks I am going to have to start tapering the planks.  Is it best to lay the plank and then figure out how much to trim from the previous plank or is calculating the taper mathematically better? 

I would greatly appreciate advice from the more experienced builders out there.

 

Thanks for keeping tabs.

Phil. 

[Hoppy]

 I decided on calculating the taper with math instead of laying the plank then marking the overlap.  At this stage in my building career I think that is a little too hard for me.

So after calculating how much needed to be trimmed from the stench and the stern I set out to make my first two planks. 

After trimming a pair I attempted to test fit them when I heard the trouble sound of a crack.  At the stern I pushed my luck a little too far so I made another.  Then it happened again but this time at the bow.  At least they will work for Steelers at the end.  

Once I had two planks again I put them over the steam once again to set the bend.  I did the bend on the bow for both sides and held them in place with my clips and elastics.  After letting them cool for a while I did it all again with the stern bends.  These bends had me worried as they go from the vertical to horizontal. One splintered a little but it should be hidden once I sand the hull.

Phil

[Hoppy]

Moving along with the first planking.  I have changed my approach to bending the planks from using steam to soaking them in water for a few minutes.  It seams to work better. I am guessing it is because it is more consistant than holding them over the steam.

 

I think that if I keep moving along like I am, once complete and have sanded the hull, it will be a nice surface for the second planks.

 

I am having some difficulties at the transom bending the planks without them cracking.  Is this normal? Also, if someone can look at how I have them coming to the deadwood and let me know if it looks correct that would be appreciated.

 

Phil

 

[Tom E]

Hi Phil, 

I had the same splintered wood on my hull. 

Especially when it started to bend towards the bow of the ship. 

With some sanding and wood filler later on, it should smooth out.

Just be careful not to sand the wood too thin. 

I didn't fair my bulkheads enough. It was a learning moment. 

 

The below pic shows after a good sanding. A coat of primer showed where I needed wood filler. 

 

I also do the same with my planks.

I soak them in hot water for about 15-30 minutes.

It may be overkill, but It works for me. 

 

Tom E 

 

[cpt. Tom]

Hello Tom,

 

hmmmmm I think the best way to handle your planking is.........put Wood Filler on, then grind well...do this twice and at last you need a second planking 0.5mm Planking made of basswood. This Wood Typ is easier for a beginner to handle.

Do not be disappointed if some things do not work the first time. I broke off my first planking and tried it a second time ... then it worked.

Nevertheless nice progress and please stay with it

 

I send you the Pictures from my HMAV Supply earlier as Tom´s Block

Edited January 20, 2019 by cpt. Tom

[Thunder]

Hi, enjoying your build and wished I had spotted it earlier. Reason being that could of warned you about problems planking at  the stern due a fault in the bulkheads. If you look at most builds you will see an inward curve / depression between bulkheads 9 and 10 before the hull shape swells out again. This is due to one of the bulkheads being incorrect. I had to pack out 11 to get the planks to run correctly. This really helps take away some of that angle that is making your planks splinter. I have attached a couple of photographs of how mine turned out. Unfortunately not found any of the first planking yet.

[Hoppy]

Wow, that is amazing.  I hope that mine turns out half as nice.  I did see that one of the bulkheads was small in other build logs. I thought that I had corrected enough for that when I faired the bulkheads, but I am beginning to think that I didn't.  It is a learning process after all. 

I think that I will have to take my time sanding the first layer to ensure that I have a nice smooth curve for the second planking.

I hope that you will continue to watch my build log.  I would appreciate any advice you can give.

 

Phil

 

[Thunder]

You think you would learn but if you look at my present build you will see that I have spotted that I have the same problem again.

[Hoppy]

Supply's progress continues nicely ( I am happy so far). First planking is almost done. I have six planks left to close the hull then I just have to finish the upper deck area.  

All in all, I think that the planks are going down nicely, especially now that I have given up on using steam to bend the planks. The bow looks pretty symmetrical to me and the planks at the stern are almost exactly lined up. Overall the stern is looking much better and I haven't been having the cracking anymore, Thank you all once again for your advice.

 

If the rest of the model is as much fun as planking I really can't wait to be able to move on.

 

Phil

 

 

 

[Thunder]

Phil,

 

Does this come with ply sections to form the stern. If so just check them for size as I am a little concerned that your planks at the stern are touching down on the parts numbered 17. It is a while since I built this so you may be right but worth checking now whilst there is only one to modify.

 

I love the first planking because it is now you really see the ship taking shape.

[Hoppy]

Thanks for the observation.  It does come with the ply sections for the stern fascia.  I will have to double check the fit to ensure that the planks are in the right place.  I think that I tapered #17 so that the second planks will neatly blend into the ply pieces but never hurts to double check.

[Thunder]

The other two to remember are:

 

• Using the bulwark capping rails to check shape at bow and stern.
• When coming to positioning your wale make a check to ensure the position is correct so that the shroud chain plates will reach it. - I usually forget this one.

[Landlubber Mike]

Hey Phil, looking very nice.  Caldercraft makes very nice kits.  I started with the Brig Badger, a model very similar to the Supply.

 

Two things I’d point out:

 

1.  The reason you are getting cracked planks at the stern is that the last bulkhead wasn’t bevelled enough.  You can see that sharp line on the aft edge of the bulkhead which is causing the issue.  The last bulkhead usually needs to be bevelled a lot to have a smooth line to the counter.  I didn’t fully appreciate how important bevelling is, and ran into similar issues on my Badger.  

 

The important thing is that the plank lay as flat as possible along the full width of the bulkhead, without kinking or gaps when running the strip to the prior and next bulkhead.  When bevelling, I usually start in the middle of the ship where the bulkheads don’t need much bevelling and work towards the stem and then to the stern.  I lay the plank on the target bulkhead, and then see how the run is when it comes to the bulkhead in front and the bulkhead behind it, sometimes going out two bulkheads.  You’re looking for gaps between the plank and bulkhead and kinks in the plank when running it to the surrounding planks.  You may find that you have to go back and work on a bulkhead you finished earlier, sometimes needing to add back material.  But taking your time during the process, as dull as it may be, will save on sanding or otherwise fixing issues with the first planking.

 

The good news is that this is just the first planking.  You can probably sand away most of that hard edge and add filler if necessary to get a smooth run to the stern.  

 

2.  I think the Supply might be one of the older Caldercraft kits that may not have the detailed instruction manual that some of the newer kits like the Badger has.  You could always download the Badger manual.  It really helped me, though I might have done some of the things in a slightly different order.  For example, I’m a lap modeler and would have finished the exterior of the hull with the rails, etc. before installing the cannons.  I can’t tell you how many times I knocked into the cannons and had to reset them and sometimes re-rig them.  Almost threw the model out the window more than a few times!  Now I try to do all the exterior hull (and in some cases, interior) work that requires me to manhandle the hull and then do the more fragile work.

 

Good luck!

[Hoppy]

Thanks for the advice.  I will keep that all in mind as I progress and for subsequent models.

 

Phil 

[Hoppy]

I have finally finished the first planking and trimmed everything at the bow and stern to make sure the keel will fit as well as the stern facia.  Now on to sanding it all for that nice finish before starting all over again with the second planking.  

 

I have certainly learned a few things during this stage if the build.  One thing that I still need to figure out is how do you figure out how to trim the ends of the planks at the bow and along the keel so that they have that nice curve that I see a lot?

 

Also, would you glue the keel and bow in before or after the second planking?

 

[riverboat]

Hi Hoppy....... your build is looking good...... the bow came out with a real nice run..... unfortunately  the stern need some work   Mike was correct about the bevel on the last bulkhead

you didn't have enough. with out redoing the whole planking again you might try cutting back those planks that are cracked on the last bulkhead and try putting in a balsa filler block at the stern and just re-plank those small pieces. you have to get a nice run there. I built this same ship a few years ago. You can ck it out by clicking on mhy finished builds thats on my signature.

Good Luck and have fun!!~

 

Frank

[Hoppy]

15 hours ago, riverboat said:

Hi Hoppy....... your build is looking good...... the bow came out with a real nice run..... unfortunately  the stern need some work   Mike was correct about the bevel on the last bulkhead

you didn't have enough. with out redoing the whole planking again you might try cutting back those planks that are cracked on the last bulkhead and try putting in a balsa filler block at the stern and just re-plank those small pieces. you have to get a nice run there. I built this same ship a few years ago. You can ck it out by clicking on mhy finished builds thats on my signature.

Good Luck and have fun!!~

 

Frank

Thanks Frank for the kind words and advice.

You are correct that there wasn't enough bevel.  Unfortunately I think that cutting that section out and filling it is beyond my current abilities.  What I did do is sanded the stern more to flatten the section out some more.  Hopefully it will be enough in the end.  Only time will tell.  As this is my first build I am going to chalk that up to a learning point for future builds.  I will continue to post pictures as I move along, and as always would appreciate pointers.

 

Phil

[Hoppy]

A little over a month ago I posted that I had finished the first layer of planking.  Well since then I took my time to lay the second layer of planks and install the bow piece as well as the keel.  Following that I spent what felt like as much time sanding it all down.  

I now have the hull complete and ready to proceed with the detail aspects.  I know that there are mistakes, but with it being my first build I was expecting some.  For example, my inexperience in fairing the bulkheads have the forward most part of the bow less rounded then it should. There are some other areas that could have been better and I am sure that subsequent builds will be better.

 

A question for the experienced builders.  Would you apply a wood finish at this point then add the whale and paint water line after or would it be better to add all the details first then finish and paint after?

 

Phil

 

[Hoppy]

Another update to the build.  

 

I have now finished laying the deck planks.  I looked through several different build logs and saw a three plank pattern, so I decided to go with that. I also traced the planks with a pencil to give the impression of caulking. Hopefully when I add all the deck fittings along with finishing the wood it look like I hope it will.

 

Now on to capping the bullwarks and adding the whale along with the hulls details.

 

Phil

[Heinrich der Seefahrer]

Hello Phil,

 

That is an amazing progress you did. To bash your kit please do not use the grit given to you in the kit - change it to the realistic one. Here a quick build guide (I didn't find the right link so far again.)

 

Hope this helps to avoid this typical too deep and unrealistic grits.

 

Over hete the original way to build.

 

And to make it perfect you can saw the plywood under the openings a bit away and add some dark brown paint to give some deep. 

 

Hope you like it.

[Hoppy]

Hello everyone.

 

Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to continue with my build in the last six months. But I am now back from sea and have gotten back into the build. I will upload some pictures soon, but I have been working on finishing the hull with the Whale and other trim prior to painting.  Once that is complete and I am happy with it, it is time to tackle the deck fittings and probably the part I am most worried about, the masts and rigging.

 

More to come.

Phil