USF Confederacy by Brucealanevans - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:64

[Brucealanevans]

Finished port side first planking belt below the wales.

Only doing perhaps 2 strakes per day - each plank, especially at bow and stern - is a mini project with bending, twisting, beveling, etc, to try and get it neat enough that no filler or painting over filler required. Would like to be able to just give a wipe on poly finish to these planks. The edgewise bending jig included in the kit is a real life-saver!

Bow especially hard and a bit wonky on this side, but overall looks ok. Have given the planks a preliminary sanding to make sure of the look and fit. Will clean up the meeting of planks to the stern counter later.

Now to turn her over and repeat on the starboard side. Decided to really take my time with the planking to try to get it right. It's easy to get tired of it and rush but so important for the final look of the model.

[Brucealanevans]

After planking 10 strakes below the wales on both sides, I inspected the bow configuration. I was very unhappy with the job, and determined that the line was wrong, especially with the planks diverging away from the foremost bulkhead. The problem appeared to be insufficient/downright wrong faring of the block in front of the bulkhead leading into the stem, which should have been gradually beveled better as it moves down towards the keel. The error forced a more bluff contour to the planks which then could not fully contact the first bulkhead.

Ugh.

So, with a heavy heart, I removed the foremost planks to prepare for a better faring job so that the planks lie appropriately. I wish I hadn't talked myself into "it'll be OK" after doing the port side, since I now have two sides to fix. At least I have really learned something from this job. We'll see how the repair goes. I'm happy with the rest of the planking going aft.

[Brucealanevans]

Finished the planking. Only did a couple of strakes per day so took a while. A fair amount of fiddling. Didn't (I guess) taper the bow strakes enough so ended up having some severe tapering and several drop planks added to the final 2 belts. In the stern, ended up with the same problem, probably due to the fact that I wrapped the black painted wales around the stern but didn't take that into account when I started the planking below the wales and blindly added widened planks per instructions.

Overall, met my goal of not requiring filler/painting so I'll be able to clear finish the planking below the wales. Far from perfect - the bow area is a bit uneven on both sides, but overall I'm grudgingly satisfied with the effort. Learned a lot, and were I to ever undertake a planking project of this size again (unlikely) I would do much better.

The light from above for the pictures highlights the imperfections.

Unfortunately, I'm now at a standstill. The stern post piece has a sizeable flaw on the edge that meets the planking leaving a visible gap, especially on one side. Since this piece will be stained, can't use filler, so I've requested replacement from Model Expo and will have to wait for that to arrive before I can fit the stern post and then turn this puppy over and get to work on the stern.

[mtbediz]

Nice job, nice model. I will be following.

[Brucealanevans]

While waiting for my replacement piece from Model Expo for the Confederacy, I got twitchy modeling fingers.

So I turned to the very first ship model I built back around 1980 - Mantua Model 1:50 HMS Schooner Sharke.

I don't remember exactly why I cut that project short after doing most of the rigging. I never properly dealt with the 2 yards after putting the uphauls on them. Just tied a string from mast top to top yard ends and down to main yard tips and then to a belaying pin just to hold them in place. Also didn't mount the falconets - as I recall had trouble getting the uprights for their mounts to stick to the finish on the hull.

At any rate I found I still had the falconets hardware in my stash, and with time on my hands decided to finish the orphaned model.

Placed parrels to fix the yards and added foot ropes and proper braces. Added the falconets, 3 to each side. Just a few hours work. A bit fiddly to add the rigging with the yards already in place.

Now after 40 years (nearly the span of my professional career) it is done and looks much better, ready to honorably take its place with my other builds on display.

Now, if my new stern post comes soon, I can get back to work on the Confederacy.

[Brucealanevans]

Received my replacement piece from Model Expo. Shaped, stained, and fastened the sternpost on and trimmed the keel to fit.

touched up some staining where worn by the clamps of the building board.

In general, reasonably pleased. Not a great look at the bow where the planks below the wales meet the bow stem, but acceptable (except when I look at it of course)

Now ready to start on the stern.

 

[Bossman]

She is looking very nice Bruce. Nice work!

[Brucealanevans]

Finished up the initial work on the stern and on the bases of the quarter galleries.

Some of the alignment of the pieces was not perfect, but by and large I was able to compensate. Getting all those pieces starting with the stern frames and the associated bits in perfect alignment was the hardest thing on this build for me so far (except for the endless planking).

Now on the the bulwark thinning (UGH). I have not been looking forward to this from the very start.

 

[Edwardkenway]

Coming along very nicely  Bruce 😁👍

[Brucealanevans]

I need some help here from Confederacy veterans. I know I need to thin the bulwarks at the top to 1/8”. 
how thin do they need to be at the deck level for the deck planking to work out?

[Brucealanevans]

Finished the bulwark thinning. Not my favorite modeling job.

Only working on the model a couple of hours a day so took a while.

Now onto the quarter gallery construction!

 

[cdrusn89]

Bruce,

    I am going to start my Confederacy shortly and am going to review your log in great detail as I get started.

    Hope I can do as good a job as you have done. I have never planked a hull that was not painted and thus have used Bondo and wood putty to "cover my sins". Hopefully I will be able to at least "do better" on the Confederacy.

[Brucealanevans]

Brief side trip to install cap rail on the transom. 
note to those who follow : if you use the laser cut cap rails on either side (as I did) since the exposed 1/4 “ surface is cross grain it will stain darker than the thin strip in the middle that completes the cap rail. (Noted after staining by this builder. Not a huge deal but appearance would be improved if I had anticipated this) Maybe a sealant would help

[Brucealanevans]

Finished the transom and quarter galleries, ready for the windows.

This involved a lot of re-work and not an inconsiderable amount of wood filler. Every slight error or discrepancy in the placement of the stern frames, side blocks, curve sanding, and placement of the initial planking strakes can add up. Doing this again, I'd be even more meticulous about precise placement with engraved lines, distances prescribed, and sanding the gentle curves of the stern and the transom prior to placement of the transom piece. I think building the rear of this model accurately, beginning with the frame placement, is one of the most difficult aspects, at least for me.

Also to watch out for: be certain that the spaces between the trim strips (some of whose placements are dictated in the end by the above tolerances) are sufficient to allow placement of the decorative pieces to come.

 

At any rate, next the windows (having verified that the decorative pieces will fit).

Unfortunately, real life puts the shipyard on hold for a while - we are in the midst of selling a second home condo in Minneapolis (75 miles away), buying a second home in Marblehead Massachusetts, and moving everything from one to the other and getting that place set up.

Probably a month before I get back to the Confederacy.

[Bossman]

 Bruce, we are all our worst critics. She looks pretty darn good to me. Once everything is added, a lot of the mistakes will disappear. Good luck on the move.,

[Brucealanevans]

Thanks

I have a day or two so may work on the windows.

[Brucealanevans]

Finished the transom and quarter gallery windows, and re-positioned a trim strip on the transom to make a more symmetric appearance and make certain of a constant height space for the decorative strip below the windows and the "CONFEDERACY" name letters.

Next will be the decorations, but that will have to wait until after our 2 visits out east to put our Marblehead second home in order.

The closeup makes the black paint look bad - much better in person.

 

[Brucealanevans]

Returned from a month at our second place in Marblehead, MA (no shipyard in the house there at this point) and got back to work on this monster of a model.

Have finished up the stern and quarter galleries with all decorative trim items.

Pretty happy with the result given all of the minor mis-alignments, insufficient sandings to follow the prescribed curves, and so on causing multiple work-arounds to have things at least OK in the end.

Unfortunately, it does look like the yard-hand putting the letters on the stern had a bit too much grog.

End of a chapter. I cleaned up the shipyard prior to moving on to the rudder.

 

[cdrusn89]

Bruce I am just starting my Confederacy - just putting the false deck on.

 

I have a question that maybe you can answer.

 

On the carrier sheet that contained the FR1-15 filler blocks that went on each side of the bulkhead former at each bulkhead there were six additional pieces labeled as Fore, Main and Mizzen Mast Filler - two of each. I checked the Fore Mast Filler and it indeed would fit between bulkheads D and E where the fore mast would be. I also checked the provided mast dowel and the bulkhead former and the fillers already installed are thick enough to fully support the masts.

 

The instructions seem to be silent on when (if ever) to install these. In fact I have gone through the instructions and cannot find where the masts are addressed at all.

 

Did you install the mast fillers?

Have you found where the masts are addressed in the instructions?

[Bossman]

Looking good  Bruce!

[Brucealanevans]

No I didn’t use those. In fact once the false deck is on the holes for the short mast “stubs” - this is an admiralty model - are quite shallow with the central spine of the frame just below the holes. 
I suppose if one wanted to do a fully rigged model one could cut out from the frame and use those for support. 
or they’re just for setting the angle of the abbreviated masts. But then why 2 of each. 
mid PM Chuck P and ask him. 

[cdrusn89]

Thanks Bruce.

[Brucealanevans]

Milestone of sorts today. I finished the exterior of the hull - rudder constructed and placed, and photo-etch bits including the sweep port hinges.

Next work day begins work on the interior!

In general I'm reasonably pleased with things so far, given that this model is at the bleeding edge of my abilities.

I didn't want to take the rudder off after the number of times I had pins snap off, so I've decided to leave it in place and fix it with a couple of clamps (removed for the pictures) to protect it from inadvertent forced movement.

[cdrusn89]

Bruce,

53 minutes ago, Brucealanevans said:

the bleeding edge of my abilities.

You took the words from my mouth. I am just getting to the gun and sweep ports (no planking yet) and am finding it much more difficult than I anticipated keeping everything spaced according to the drawings.

[Brucealanevans]

Yup

there is a lot of exacting work in the construction of this hull. 
I have a Dusek galley and Grenado in my stash but I don’t know if I’ll get to them. I’ll be working on the Confederacy for some time yet. 
would like to build the galley but may give the grenado away.  I have a very fiddly Fokker triplane model I’ll eager to build. I may take that to our second home to work on when we spend time there, as I would only need a smaller set of tools and no need for my power tools or airbrush stuff. 
Running out of display room in the house anyway - 5 ships not including the current project. Thank goodness it’s an admiralty model. I’m not at all eager to take on another fully rigged ship or a big planking project after this monster. 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Brucealanevans

[cdrusn89]

Bruce,

   I finally solved the display problem (at least for now) with two display cabinets. They were almost cheap compared to buying BlueJackets display cases for every model. Now I need to figure out what to do with the three "orphan" cases now taking up space in my workshop. I have the Model Shipway's Emma Berry and US Brig Syren on the shelf but if Confederacy works out "okay" I may try Chuck's Winchelsea next. I have a spot in the display case for another Admiralty sized model. 

 

[Brucealanevans]

Each of mine in its own display case scattered around the house(s) ....

 

[Brucealanevans]

Thanks for the likes. Each time I make a decision about what to do next I lean towards something “different”. Don’t think I’ll ever build another masted gunship. Been there done that. 
If I ever finish this build I believe the galley is next. After a visit to Malta a few years ago I will modify the La Real (Dusek) to at least resemble a Knights of Malta galley  from the era of the Great Siege. 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Brucealanevans

[Brucealanevans]

Finished the inner bulwarks and painted them. Placed a few of the beams to double check that all was shipshape and symmetric.

Glad to have reached this point, with mainly deck work to go for a while (to say nothing of lots of cannons).

Speaking of which, I am undecided as to whether to fully rig the cannons other than the main rope, given that this is an admiralty model and I do plan on leaving half of the quarter deck unplanked to show both the construction and allow a view of the underlying quarter deck compartment.

I'm sure a double take at the size of the blocks involved and the idea of placing a fabricated hook into each will not play a role in this decision.

Any advice?

 

[cdrusn89]

Bruce,

 

    I decided to build the guns and ship's boats before starting the hull so you can see what and how I handled the gun carriage blocks here:

Also Bossman has some detail, on how to make the small hooks if you decide to go that route.

 

If you have any specific questions I will be happy to provide what I can.

 

Gary