US Brig Syren by Bill Gormley - Model Shipways - 1:64

[Bill Gormley]

It's been months since my last update, but I'm still chugging along with my build (and enjoying it immensely).  I've been watching other Syren builds in the meantime in the hopes of avoiding pitfalls.  Unfortunately, I'm a zero when it comes to woodworking, so every little thing becomes a side research project.  Going back to my previous update, I needed to correct the frames on one side where I had drastically over faired them.  I finished that task and went on to frame the ports and sweeps and sand both sides to an equal degree.  Per the instructions, I then added the stern and supporting pieces below the counter to aid in planking.  Progress pictures below with a number of questions ...

 

 

 

1 - Should I address this or will it not really show up under a coat of paint?  If it should be fixed first ... wood shim or better to use filler?

 

 

2 - Are the sills supposed to be sanded to the same thickness as the frame?  What I'm showing here is my sills are a little bit wider.

3 - It's hard to see in the photo, but this is a shallow divot where I wasn't careful with my sanding stick.  Should I fill and restore this divot (and others like it)?  Not sure whether it will cause trouble later on when it comes time to plank the deck.

 

 

 

And two more questions...

 

4 - What do you use to get nice straight cuts?  I have been using a razor saw which cuts the wood easily enough ... but is there some basic technique or trick to get a straight cut?

5 - I'm about ready to paint the gun ports red and I was planning to use either Tamiya or Life Color paint from my plastic modeling stash.  Do I need to prepare or seal the wood first?   

 

Thanks for reading this far ... all input and feedback welcome!

 

Bill

[Overworked724]

On 12/31/2020 at 4:54 PM, Bill Gormley said:

1 - Should I address this or will it not really show up under a coat of paint?  If it should be fixed first ... wood shim or better to use filler?  Wood shim might be more supportive and you can sand it down.

2 - Are the sills supposed to be sanded to the same thickness as the frame?  What I'm showing here is my sills are a little bit wider. I think the practicum addresses this.  The lower part of the frames can be a bit wider.

3 - It's hard to see in the photo, but this is a shallow divot where I wasn't careful with my sanding stick.  Should I fill and restore this divot (and others like it)?  Not sure whether it will cause trouble later on when it comes time to plank the deck. Uniformity and symmetry are important.  If there is a gap in the deck the planks will not lay true.  I'd fill it with a shim or filler and ensure there is continuity between the frames...otherwise you will have a dip

4 - What do you use to get nice straight cuts?  I have been using a razor saw which cuts the wood easily enough ... but is there some basic technique or trick to get a straight cut? A chop saw or table saw...something automated rather than manual.

5 - I'm about ready to paint the gun ports red and I was planning to use either Tamiya or Life Color paint from my plastic modeling stash.  Do I need to prepare or seal the wood first?    I used Tamiya paints without issue.  But I am woefully horrible at painting.  I'd research this and come up with your best solution and ensure you are conformatble with it before throwing it on the ship...see my blog and the recent screw up I needed to address with regards to painting the bulkheads....

 

Thanks for reading this far ... all input and feedback welcome!

 

Bill

 

 

Hope this helps, Bill.  Happy New Year!!!

[Jamie Coleman]

18 hours ago, Overworked724 said:

On 12/31/2020 at 5:54 PM, Bill Gormley said:

1 - Should I address this or will it not really show up under a coat of paint?  If it should be fixed first ... wood shim or better to use filler?  Wood shim might be more supportive and you can sand it down.

2 - Are the sills supposed to be sanded to the same thickness as the frame?  What I'm showing here is my sills are a little bit wider. I think the practicum addresses this.  The lower part of the frames can be a bit wider.  I think what he means here is the sill is further inboard than the frames.  They should be in line with one another, but like Pat says, they can be thicker than the top of the rails.  You can save this sanding until after you plank the hull if you want so there's more structure, which is what I'm doing.

3 - It's hard to see in the photo, but this is a shallow divot where I wasn't careful with my sanding stick.  Should I fill and restore this divot (and others like it)?  Not sure whether it will cause trouble later on when it comes time to plank the deck. Uniformity and symmetry are important.  If there is a gap in the deck the planks will not lay true.  I'd fill it with a shim or filler and ensure there is continuity between the frames...otherwise you will have a dip  You can over build it, and then sand/file/chisel is back the the right shape, it's a lot easier than trying to make the perfect plug and glue it perfectly in place.  Sometimes it's easier if you cut more of your base material away if you need to get a flat surface to glue.

4 - What do you use to get nice straight cuts?  I have been using a razor saw which cuts the wood easily enough ... but is there some basic technique or trick to get a straight cut? A chop saw or table saw...something automated rather than manual.  For end cuts, you can make a little fence set up to use as a saw guide and get pretty square.

5 - I'm about ready to paint the gun ports red and I was planning to use either Tamiya or Life Color paint from my plastic modeling stash.  Do I need to prepare or seal the wood first?    I used Tamiya paints without issue.  But I am woefully horrible at painting.  I'd research this and come up with your best solution and ensure you are conformatble with it before throwing it on the ship...see my blog and the recent screw up I needed to address with regards to painting the bulkheads....  Others have more experience than me in painting, but I've found I can use less coats to cover if the wood is sealed/primed.  I've liked using a sanding sealer on other projects (Zinsser has a wax free shellac based one that dries very quickly and the literature says it plays well with acrylics), but there are plenty of options, just make sure your primer/sealer is compatible with your top coat if you use one, oil and water play together funny.

 

Thanks for reading this far ... all input and feedback welcome!

 

Bill

 

 

Hope this helps, Bill.  Happy New Year!!!

 

Hi Bill, added a few (far from expert) comments in myself, happy new year indeed.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

On 8/30/2020 at 6:16 PM, Bill Gormley said:

The color isn't in the same zip code and the stain penetrated very unevenly.

A few thought to share: 

• The surface of your wood counts for a lot! Wood sanded with just 280 grit sand paper will look more uneven then wood sanded with 500 grit or Fine steel wool.
• testing on scraps is always your friend!
• Many of the instructions for kits show a prototype of the kit being built, not the actual kit. More importantly, the model in the instructions may be built with another wood than what is in the kit. Bass wood is the most common wood found in kits but if you poke around here at MSW, you will see a variety of other woods being used. Alaskan Cedar, Pear, Holly, Boxwood, Cherry, etc. are all in play, each with a different hue and color. Plus each species has color variations!
• If you look at the work of @Chuck, you will see a similar shade of yellow to the instructions you are following. He is partial to the aforementioned Cedar and I believe he wrote the instructions you are following, if I’m not mistaken.
• Given all the above, I suggest playing around with 320 or 400 grit sandpaper to see how that changes the blotchy results of the staining. There are stains that can get the color yellow if you wish it but don’t feel you must achieve that exact shade of yellow for your model!
• Historical colors is a vast and tricky field of inquiry - not all the recipes nor materials are known, nor had they fade or oxidize or darken due to exposure, use or added materials. Books have been written on the topic!

Keep up the great work!

[Bill Gormley]

Four months since my last update ... boy, am I moving slowly.  I've managed to get the initial planking above the wales done as well as the counter and transom.  Progress photos and a few questions below.  

 

 

In the photo below, I'm thinking the counter will need to be sanded back further at the bottom left to accommodate the next three planks, but we'll see.  For the Syren experts out there, did you you pre-form the planks to follow the shape of the stern - or just glue and clamp the planks?  It seems like a severe shape to try to force wood to hold with just glue alone.

 

Another question - when I add the garboard plank is it designed to sit flush where it meets the stern post?  There isn't a rabbet the plank can fit into so want to check I didn't mess by not chiseling in further.

 

 

Man, the camera is merciless.  That gap above the first gun port looks bad but isn't so terrible under normal lighting and from a normal viewing distance.  What is the best way to address that?  I was thinking about taping around that gap, then pressing some diluted wood filler into place, and sanding it smooth.

 

 

The edging around that first gun port is wonky ... but it was my first attempt so I'll let it slide.  I was just relieved to get a fairly good fit at the bow.

 

 

I dreaded adding the counter and transom but they weren't that difficult.  Getting them on the model really does a lot to create the impression of a ship rather than an ugly skeleton.  Looking at the planks along the rear quarter, that isn't all pencil edging to simulate caulking.  The wood was really rough in some cases ... I'll live with it for my first model.

 

 

And one last question ... does it matter when I stain the model?  Safe to wait until all planking is done?

 

 

 

 

[Ryland Craze]

I would stain the model after you have completed the planking and sanding.  Here is a link to my Longboat build log where I stained the basswood with Minwax products. 

 

The Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner is a must if you want the stain to cover evenly. The Syren built by Chuck Passaro was built using basswood and this is how he explained how he stained his model.  Unfortunately, his Syren build log on MSW was lost in the great server crash of 2013.

[Overworked724]

I think it's looking great, Bill!  Keep in mind you'll be sanding/staining, adding the cap rails, channels, cat heads, port doors, carronades, etc.  There a ton of visual noise which a viewer will see and ignore the small things.  You see them because your are the modeler and you suffer the same curse as the rest of us...perfection is the only bar!  😃  But don't shoot for perfection....shoot for enjoyment....it's a lot more fun.  You're doing superbly!!

[Bill Gormley]

Thank you both for the advice - very much appreciated.  Can I ask how you would address the situation below?  Initially, I thought simply trimming / shaping the front section of the plank would do the trick.  Now I am wondering whether I need to bend it as well.

 

 

[WalrusGuy]

Have you tried soaking the plank in some water? I did that in my build and that made the strip much more malleable to bend in those tricky sections. Then you can use clamps to hold them in position to dry. Also look at Chuck's technique (dry bending) 

 

 

[Bill Gormley]

That's brilliant ... which is probably why I didn't think of simply soaking the planks then clamping them in place and letting them dry there.  Thank you for the nudge there to engage my noggin.  On the plus side, I did get the planks attached on one side yesterday without too much pain ... just needed to go slowly.  

[Overworked724]

Honestly….I preshaped my garboard and first three after the garboard for 24 hours each. The placed them on the shop….pinned/clamped them in…and watched a movie. 
 

Be patient. If you get them preshaped…glueing is easy.