Sultana by SardonicMeow - Model Shipways - Scale 1:64

[SardonicMeow]

Deck planking continues.  I did a test fit to make sure my mast and bowsprit holes were still accessible.

[Overworked724]

Wonderful ideas!  I wish I had planked my decks BEFORE I completed the planking above the deck level to create the bulkheads.  Your idea for caulking is also novel.  Love how much you are using 'scratch building via technology' in this build.  Really fun to watch.

 

Have you thought about how you are going to mount it?  Just wondering as once you are adding bulkheads, cap rails, etc. it can be troublesome to drill holes in your keel. 

 

Great job so far!!!

[lmagna]

Stop reading for a few days to handle a few things outside of MSW and you have the ship half done! Great work Peter

[SardonicMeow]

Thank you all for following along.

 

Here are some shots of the planking / caulking procedure.  I first cut a length of strip to just larger than the required size, then slowly sand one end a little at a time until it fits perfectly.  Then I cut a matching length of the plastic.  Glue is applied and the strip is added as shown below, with a tiny space between the old and new strips.

Then the plastic strip is put into place between the two deck planks.  I start at one end, then run my finger down the length of the strip.  After that, the deck plank is firmly pushed into place and excess glue is removed.

And at last the deck planking is complete.

One particular challenge was the hole for the rudder.  This picture on the site ship25bsa.smallsquareddesigns.com was especially helpful in creating the detail of the hole.

Next I need to decide how to handle coloring the deck and adding trenails.

 

 

[Overworked724]

Trenals!!  I vote toothpicks. 

[SardonicMeow]

On 4/3/2019 at 9:47 AM, Overworked724 said:

Have you thought about how you are going to mount it?

Have a look at this update in Blue Ensign's build log for Cheerful.  I'm thinking of doing something similar.

On 4/4/2019 at 7:25 PM, Overworked724 said:

Trenals!!  I vote toothpicks.

I'm currently experimenting with several methods, toothpicks included.

[SardonicMeow]

Some trenail and stain experiments.

[Matt D]

Wow, Peter!  Your model looks amazing!  I’m following this and really like your work.

[SardonicMeow]

I was hoping to find a less-tedious solution, but after further experiments, I have accepted that the toothpick method is the way to go.

 

I used tape to define the location for the trenails.  Holes were drilled along the line.

The toothpicks are glued in.

After drying, the toothpicks are chopped off and the surface is sanded down.

Getting a straight line is a challenge.

 

 

[Overworked724]

Fantastic!!!!  You’ll love how the cross grain of the toothpicks will make the stain pop. I used Tung Oil. 

 

I have a suggestion on how to get perfectly aligned straight lines. 

 

Use the same Tamiya tape you are using. Lay it down on the deck/hull with the edge where you want your treenails to be. Then take a T-pin or pin sized awl and score a hole/dent in the wood plank right at the edge of the tape. Then use the scored dent or hole as a guide which will give you perfectly lined up holes when you drill the actual holes with your pin vise or dremel. 

 

 

Edited April 9, 2019 by Overworked724

[Overworked724]

And I just realized...you have the same toothpicks I have!!!  I swear to God...couldn’t find those things outside of Japan!  The shaped ends come in handy if you want to use them for your stanchions!!

Edited April 10, 2019 by Overworked724

[lmagna]

By the time you locate them in the store you will think you have walked to Japan but these are a little closer.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Diamond-Elegance-Long-Toothpicks-250-Count/24659704

 

[Overworked724]

34 minutes ago, lmagna said:

By the time you locate them in the store you will think you have walked to Japan but these are a little closer.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Diamond-Elegance-Long-Toothpicks-250-Count/24659704

 

Holy crap...really?  

[lmagna]

The first time I went looking for them in a Walmart it took me twenty minutes and that was AFTER I asked someone where they were! Of course I was on the wrong side of the store, where they stock............ TOOTHPICKS! Who would look for them there?

[SardonicMeow]

Yes, those are the exact toothpicks I've been using.  😀

[SardonicMeow]

Trenails are done.  Next step is to apply stain.

What am I to do with all these tipless toothpicks?  When someone spends 20 years building the Taj Mahal out of a million toothpicks, is this how it starts?

 

 

[Overworked724]

Get a dremel with a sanding barrel - turn it on...and sharpen them by spinning the blunted tip against the spinning barrel.  Takes one sec..and you can reuse the toothpicks for applying touches of PVA or CA glue. 

 

I love toothpicks....things are miracles!

 

Looking great!!!

[lmagna]

3 hours ago, SardonicMeow said:

 

What am I to do with all these tipless toothpicks? 

Send them to Patrick.

Edited April 12, 2019 by lmagna

[Overworked724]

28 minutes ago, lmagna said:

Send them to Patrick.

<Evil Laugh>

<Wrings his hands in sick delight>

[Matt D]

Peter, I love your transom windows.  They look really nice.  I especially like The way you built the assembly up.

[SardonicMeow]

A bad cold and a variety of obligations made me put the build on hold for a few weeks.

 

The deck has been stained.  In spite of lots of sanding, there was still enough glue to make the stain cover inconsistently.  However, if you look at pictures I've posted of the deck earlier, there is some inconsistency due to weathering, so I'm not too upset.

 

The bulwarks were added and painted red on the inside.  Figuring out the right height for the bulwarks was a challenge.  Six slots for the scuppers were added on each side of the main deck.  I did not completely succeed in making them perfectly rectangular.

Here's an image of the scuppers on the real ship.

 

[SardonicMeow]

The hull was painted.  Multiple coats were required for good coverage.

[Overworked724]

Nice job!  What paint did you use?  Everyone seems to have a favorite. 

[SardonicMeow]

3 hours ago, Overworked724 said:

What paint did you use?

Artist acrylic, because that's what I had on hand.  Naples Yellow from Liquitex was the closest match I could find for the yellow color of the hull.

[Overworked724]

It’s almost a dead on match!  👍🏽

[SardonicMeow]

Strips for the wales were bent, painted black, and glued into place.  The contrast between the black wales and the light hull colors is striking.

[MtZigg]

very impressive from the CAD work to your progress so far

[Overworked724]

Really nicely done!  Paint job is superb. Was it brush or airbrush?

[SardonicMeow]

3 hours ago, Overworked724 said:

Was it brush or airbrush?

Brush.  I thinned the paint a little, which is why it took several coats, but helped to keep the paint smooth.  As long as my brush strokes followed the flow of the planks, they were nearly unnoticeable.

 

[Matt D]

It looks great, Peter!  Thanks for sharing it.