Twelve Apostles by jack.aubrey - De Agostini - Scale 1:100

[yvesvidal]

Jack,

 

I believe you figured out the best way to plank that complicated bow. The planks will butt against part B, while being glued to all parts C and your intermediate filling. Part A will protrude and will be use used to mount the front pieces of the bow. It will require some serious bending of the planks to make all fit cleanly and tightly. You can put the kettle on the stove...

 

Yves

[jack.aubrey]

Friday, August 23, 2013: planking test

 

As mentioned a few days ago, I completed the beveling of the stern area on the left side of the 12 Apostles . . . the stern also is quite difficult but here there was no need to intervene to correct anything, just "elbow grease".

 

I then decided to continue with the installation of a couple of planks on this side to see if:

- the beveling I performed in the way I interpreted it is correct;

- become familiar with the provided strips that they are of a wood (birchwood, this is written in the instruction) that I never used and it is important to understand how it behaves.

 

Regarding the birch strips I immediately experienced on my skin that are not like those of lime or beech: where you can bend them without many problems and often without even having to get them wet. With these birch strips this doesn't not work, so I built a "homemade" bender which is in fact a classic of its genre and works 100 times better than the power tools sold in the hobby shops.

 

Components of the tool:

- A table of MDF of adequate size,

- A metal can, you may build many of then to get various types of curves,

- Two bolts 3mm diameter, with a flared head, so that can sink in the MDF and do not protrude.

 

Below you see the finished tool. .

 

01

 

However, two vital elements for a proper use are missing:

- A gas lighter,

- some candles like the ones shown below.

 

02

 

To use it, light the candle and place it inside the can, then take the strips to fold, previously put to soak in water for about fifteen minutes, put them above the hot can, bend at will, waiting for the wood to dry (a matter of seconds), and you're done.

 

And now let's to the planking. .

 

I applied three planks on the left and my interpretation demonstrated to be right. As you can see from the pictures, the entire bow area now collaborates in supporting the strips carefully and the keel, the famous element "A" of my previous photo, is completely free.

 

The strips were glued with vinyl-glue and I held them in place until drying with small brass nails that I had the foresight not to hammer completely into the bulkheads. In this way, subsequently, I was able to remove the nails without problems. A slight sandpapering to make sure that the wood-dust fills the small holes of the nails and the grooves between planks and I immediately applied a thin coat of diluted glue, without dusting. In this way, the grooves and the nail holes are permanently filled. Simple trick but it works well . . ..

 

03

 

04

 

05

 

Next I'll post more detailed images of the bow and the stern, where we see even better as all the planking runs smoothly on the bulkhead.

 

High Resolution Images:

01 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090630.jpg

02 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090631.jpg

03 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090632.jpg

04 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090634.jpg

05 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090637.jpg

[Sjors]

Hi Jack,

 

That first planking looks smooth !

Thanks for the tutorial with the can and the candles…..

 

[jack.aubrey]

Completing the series of images relating to the previous post . .

 

These images are mostly details of the bow and the stern, hull areas where it needs to pay more attention to that in the central hull, practically straight. The strips here have been previously bent with the tool discussed above and cut to right length before applying.

 

01

 

02

 

03

 

04

 

This last image, with the hull capsized, shows that the beveling of the bulkhead was performed only in the upper part of the hull. I have deliberately not worked on this lower part because I need to overthrow the hull to work and I am afraid to kick some top timbers (I finally found the english term for "scalmotto"), in spite of the reinforcement applied. When the top is over, this danger will disappear, and you can work without worries.

 

05

 

Now I'll have to treat in the same way followed for the left, the right side of the hull and then begin to apply planks on this side too.

 

Sincerely, Jack.Aubrey.

 

High Resolution Images:

01 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090635.jpg

02 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090636.jpg

03 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090633.jpg

04 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090639.jpg

05 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090638.jpg

[yvesvidal]

Great work Jack. And thank you for that beautiful and so useful hot tin can, used to bend plank strips. What a great idea.

 

The ship looks great and will be quite a monster when done.

 

Yves

[jack.aubrey]

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

 

It's almost from August 25th  I'm doing nothing, neither  for the 12 Apostles nor for the Soleil Royal. I've been busy on other matters and I had not time left for anything else.

 

Yesterday, I decided that I had to stop this kind of "fasting" and, equipped with a change for dresses, I set a good pace to bevel the bulkheads on the right side of the model, in the same way as I did in August for the left side.

 

After a couple of hours and a good dose of sneezing I finally unlocked the situation. This afternoon I want to apply at least three rows of planks as I did for the left side and, if there is enough time left, I'll continue in parallel on both sides upwards until I finish all the strips provided by De Agostini with the current received parcels.

 

I remember that I am still waiting for the parcel with the numbers 26-29 . . . I could go to buy the not yet received strips of the same size in a model store but honestly I'd prefer to save this money . . .

 

That's all for today, more news to follow tomorrow, maybe with some pictures.

Regards, Jack.Aubrey.

[jack.aubrey]

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

As promised yesterday afternoon I applied the first three planks on the right side of the hull. Now both sides are simmetric and today I  have installed three other planks on both sides, coming to a total of six.

 

But now I really finished the birchwood strips, only three of them are remained, it would take to complete another row and then I have to necessarily stay idle, waiting for other new material.

 

Below a few pictures at the bow and at the stern.

 

01

 

02

 

The photo below shows a further reinforcement that I have applied to the first top timber for further protection because, after having beveled it, this piece is really very fragile. I think, with this solution, to stabilize the risk.

 

03

 

Kind regards, Jack.Aubrey.

 

High Defintion Images:

01 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090643.jpg

02 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090644.jpg

03 http://i75.servimg.com/u/f75/12/86/14/83/p1090645.jpg

[yvesvidal]

Jack,

 

I understand your pain and frustration waiting for the parts.....

 

Yves

[jack.aubrey]

Friday, September 20, 2013

 

Good morning to everyone. .

 

In these last few weeks I have been totally absent from this wonderful forum because I had a quite serious health problem.

In practice, about two weeks ago I discovered a serious problem in my right eye. Medical diagnosis: detached retina resulting in immediate planning for an intervention in the hospital.

 

Everything went well, now I'm at home recovering and I'm very happy with how the things are evolving, but I'll have to stop for a while all physical activities, including shipmodeling, as long as the doctors will not let me restart.

 

However, with respect to the 12 Apostles, I would still be stopped, as, inexplicably, today I have not received any new material from the De Agostini. In the newsstands there is issue number 36 available, I'm (but not only myself) stuck at issue 25 since end July!

 

Regards, Jack. 

[ZyXuz]

wow! the hot can is a great idea!!! and the result is awesome too!! 

thanks for sharing it!!

[ianmajor]

Jack,

 

I am glad all went well with the operation. Giving your eyes a rest is most important. I will wait patiently for your next update to the model.

[Anja]

Hello Jack,

 

I'm glad everything went well. Take your time to let it heal.

I hope your vision will be as good as it was before the operation.

 

Take care.

 

Anja

[jack.aubrey]

Thursday October 17, 2013

 

Just few lines to update all of you regarding my health . .

 

During the last control medical examination, the eye doctor (who operated me for retinal detachment on the right eye in September) persuaded me to perform a cataract operation in the left eye. . he assured me that I should virtually regain all of the sight of this eye.

 

In the meantime the right eye is recovering and progressing very well.

 

On November 4, I will be operated.

That means you'll have to be patient about news on my 12 Apostles and my Soleil Royal.

I hope that everything will go well . . . I'll keep you informed.

 

Regarding ship modelling we will meet again at beginning of December, when I reasonnably should be able to resume all my modeling activities.

 

Kind regards, Jack.Aubrey.

[ianmajor]

Jack,

 

Best of luck with the operation - and take care.

[SkerryAmp]

Wonderful work on the 12 Apostiles Jack.  Really looks impressive and your diligence is showing through.   The can idea for bending planks is ingenious!  So simple and from the looks of it so effective!

 

Good luck with the operation!!

[Anja]

Hello Jack,

 

I'm glad the recovery of your eye is progressing well.

Good luck with the surgery.

 

Anja

[jack.aubrey]

Tuesday October 22, 2013

 

There are still a couple of weeks until November 4th, the day when I will be operated for cataract and during this time I feel a bit like hanged in a "limbo". I don't want to embark myself on serious things. So yesterday I started to install some new planks on the 12 Apostles.

 

Nothing special, I got quiet to make sure to properly bend the strips over the bulkheads and, above all, between them.

 

These birchwood strips work well , they especially folds beautifully thanks to my jig I've shown long ago.

 

But I want to highlight that anyway I prefer the strips that were provided with the Soleil Royal: this birchwood is much harder than the so-called "ramin" of Soleil (I never discovered what real kind of wood they are) and its sanding requires a lot of efforts.

 

I usually proceed to a first quick sanding after putting four / five rows of planks, just to proceed by steps, separate the work and leave the final sanding easyer and lighter. Working in this way I realized this additional difficulty and I begin to think, in contrast to my consolidated beliefs, that may be a useful an electric sander for this job . . I'll see.

 

This afternoon I decided that I will continue with the same program yesterday . .

 

Regards, Jack .

[jack.aubrey]

Wednesday 23 October 2013

 

Another day of work yesterday afternoon. . .

 

Of course, I continued to apply planks , focusing in particular from midship to the stern area, where I'm now close to the handrail.

 

I found a problem with the birchwood strips which should all be 5 x 2 : 5 is accurate but the 2 is quite variable. Obviously, the problem lies in the fact that these strips are shipped in different packages and small differences in thickness are quite common in these situations.

 

I'll have to work hardly during the sanding phase to level these unintentional thinkness differences but they will struggle greatly, especially with this birch wood rather difficult to sandpaper.

 

Today, in practice I only partially removed the nails used yesterday to hold in place the planks, but tomorrow afternoon I'll resume the remaining work: this time I'll be working on the bow, where it is necessary to first bend the strips .

 

Now I became a master in bending the planks with the can and the candle . . I can also do some warping that was very useful at the stern.

 

Regards , Jack.

[jack.aubrey]

Adding of the last hour: this afternoon I found myself coming back to my lab and, since I had with me my new smartphone (bought about a month ago to replace the old traditional cell which was practically undone), I took three photos of the 12 Apostles.

 

The photos are of very bad quality (improving as a photographer from mobile will be a future task) but they give an idea of ​​where I'm now.

 

Regards, Jack.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2013 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

Friday, October 25, 2013

 

Even yesterday I continued to install planks on the 12 Apostles. . a small work every day, with calm and, above all, without any hurry.

 

These days seem to play a positive role in my, say, waiting condition for November 4th, a psicological attitude that, in my case, does not encourge any hasty attitudes, indeed. .

 

So I'm enjoying these activities with carefreeness reaching points and levels of incredible pleasure . .

 

In such a mental state of grace I gradually came to adopt a method of applying the planks that, without any boasting, is practically perfect, made ​​up of many small tasks but if well coordinated . .

 

• I start with preparing the strips folded (where necessary) with my strip bender done with a can, after having soaked the wood in water for +/- half an hour. Once bent to the right shape I let them dry until the next day . . installing them wet you can run the risk that they retire . .
  

• Then I try positioning the strips, I cut them at the right length and I draw with a light pencil marks in the position where I have to plant the nails . .
  

• So with the mini drill, using a bit of a tenth of millimeter smaller than the diameter of the nails, I trim the hole in the places previously marked with pencil . .
  

• Then I apply the glue on the bulkheads and on the narrow side of strip . .
  

• Finally, I fix the new plank in the proper location having care to make it adhere perfectly to the bulkhead and to the adjacent plank. To keep hold I put the tip of a nail in the small hole and I partially hammer the nail slightly, so it can be removed later without big efforts . .
  

• When the glue dried, but almost always the next day, I remove the nails and I give a light sandering to smooth a little bit . .
  

 

In short, a quiet and precise method of working that gratifies me very much. I enclose a couple of pictures of the (small ) daily progress . . Jack.

[jack.aubrey]

Saturday, October 26, 2013

 

Yesterday also continued to work on hull planking (at the top of the hull).

 

Now both sides are perfectly symmetrical in terms of number and position of the planks .

Now planking is missing from the end of the bow and the last strip on the gunwale . Today I have in mind a light working session: only two strips at prow on both sides . Then I have to stop to think about the last three strips always located at prow area: there are a couple of adjustments that must be carried out before proceeding. For example, I decided to set the famous piece 46b contained in issue 20 , even though I know I'll have to work with a drill and drills to get room for the bowsprit.

In one picture here presented I show this particular element only positioned, then it will be necessary to put the strips on the bridge, before applying the gunwale planking .

 

An interesting detail: it will be a case or a slap on the *** (is it the right term ?), but by applying the latest gunwale plank in the midship and aft area, it is perfectly aligned and properly located on both sides, apparently without even a visible and measurable difference: doing it on purpose I'm sure I could not achieve it . .

 

Regards, Jack.

[jack.aubrey]

Saturday, October 26, 2013

 

Even a small step in the planking of the 12 Apostles. At this time I finished the planking in the central and aft areas.

Virtually no problem.

It now remains to finish only the forward part of the hull, that I leave for tomorrow and maybe even later.

 

To speak with the Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano  I'm "scialando" (means feeling a lot of pleasure) to do this work . Now the 12 Apostles is the sixth hull I planked, since 2006, and I can see the benefits thanks to the drowing experience: no problems at all. .

 

New photos below show the work done. It should be emphasized that in the areas with the hull finished I proceeded to remove the reinforcement strip that I glued on the internal side of the toptimbers as temporary reinforcement.

 

I used the cyan acrylate glue. To detach these strips, it was enough to point the blade of a cutter in the right place and "tock" , the strip was immediately detached.

 

This comment is to remember what are the merits but also, in many cases, the defects of cyan acrylate glue. Just a flick and you're cheated . .

 

And now here are the pictures . Regards, Jack .

[yvesvidal]

Beautiful work Jack. It is going to be a lot of fun, drilling all the gun openings.....

 

Yves

[jack.aubrey]

Beautiful work Jack. It is going to be a lot of fun, drilling all the gun openings..... Yves

 

Hello Yves. . what you wrote is right, in a near future I'll have to work a lot to drill out more / less 130 gunports, even high demanding work effort. 

Regards, Jack.

 

Some lines to report an experience that I'm living from the first time with the 12 Apostles: bending in advance the planks for the hull areas where this is needed, for example in the bow area; here virtually for all planks but also in the area stern for the first three planks.

 

In the attached picture you can see four strips for the bow, two for each side, ready to be used. They are the first two of the last five missing planks, those that will interact with the area of the bowsprit and which will follow a slightly final curvature.

 

It shows the components needed to perform this bending operation. After a bit of practice it is simple to be successful and I'm wondering why I never tryed it before . . really effective.

 

In this way, the application of the planks becomes a game . . the photo is not technically the best but enough to make people understand that beautiful curves, narrow hips and anyway harmonious, you can achieve with this system.

 

Regards, Jack .

[SkerryAmp]

Excellent planking work Jack!!

[jack.aubrey]

Excellent planking work Jack!!

 

Thanks for you positive comment, Adam.

[jack.aubrey]

Sunday 27 and Monday 28 October 2013

 

Again four new strips on both sides at the bow . . I'm almost at the end, three strips on each side and I got to the roof. I have already prepared the next two strips to install Tuesday.

 

while waiting for the four strips be properly soaked in water for bending I thought to a reinforcement of the gunwale that is shown in the third photo. The complete reinforcement will consist of three rows but I have to wait to finish another task . . to long to explaint, it will be clear at the proper time.

 

Regards, Jack.

[WackoWolf]

Excellent planking, doing a little at a time pays off big time. Might take longer doing it that way but your get better results by not trying to do to much at once. I wish you luck with the cataract, I have two but they are not to the point where they have to come out yet (Thank God). Keep the pictures coming, I have been watching this since you started. Very nice work.

[jack.aubrey]

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

 

Today I finished to plank the top of the hull of the 12 Apostles.

At the moment I do not have pictures because I just finished and the hull is full of clamps to hold the strips in place.

 

Next planned operation according to instructions is to equalize all the bulwarks at the same height: 15 millimeters. A task for the next few days.

 

Then sandpapering and "elbow grease" to smooth the hull in order to draw out the locations of the gunports and proceed with their opening. But the task inside this last paragraph are postponed after the end of the cataract operation and after the convalescence is finished . . 

 

It will mean that from tomorrow to Monday, I'll try to set up some mini activities to enhance the work already done. In this case I will give you proper information.

 

Regards, Jack.

[jack.aubrey]

I am attaching some pictures of the finished planking after removing the clamps. It seems to me that the curve at the bow is coming really well. . power of the new tech jig: candle and can . .

 

Thanks Joe and Randy for your encouraging comments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 31, 2013 by jack.aubrey