Atlantic by closehaul - FINISHED - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - 1:96 Scale

[BobG]

12 hours ago, closehaul said:

I wish that the final painting of the transom area was cut cleaner than my skill allowed but I'm going with it.

I'm my own worst critic and it bugs me to no end when I have see little flaws in my build. They stick out like a sore thumb to me but, when I show them to my wife, she always says, "You're the only one who will ever notice any of those things," and, the truth be told, she's correct. Once the model is completed those flaws seem to "vanish" when looking at it as a whole. Your model is going to be wonderful from the looks of your work so far. 

[closehaul]

Masts, davits, hawse and port holes have been drilled and decks masked over for hull priming and sanding. After first prime coating the hull I noticed several discontinuities exposed by the primer. This process of priming, applying putty then sanding with 400 grit was repeated 3X's until the final prime coat was lightly sanded with the same 400 grit paper and now ready for the flat red underbody painting.

[closehaul]

Having fine sanded the prime coat with 0000 steel wool, the waterline was marked using a laser level mounted on a tripod, after being unable to mark it with a pencil per instructions especially around the stern.  The 3M fine masking tape was much easier to lay on than trying to get the pencil around the hull. Next the bottom paint was thinned to a milk like viscosity mixing 3 drops thinner to 10 of the paint. The instructions advise to allow the paint and subsequent coats to dry overnight. To kill time between coats I turned a few pages ahead and started work on the channel and chainplate assemblies. These are built from scratch utilizing basswood 1/16 stock and scrape pieces off the etched brass sheet. The heads of the pins aren't to scale so they have to be filed down a little and as for the channels, I'll get them down with a few more attempts. This really gives me an appreciation for the scratch model builders.

 

[closehaul]

It seems as though a thinner to paint ratio at 3 to 10 wasn’t sufficient to eliminate brush marks on the first two coats. I lightly sanded with 400 grit and increased the thinner by 4 to 10 on the 3rd and fourth coats. That didn’t fare any better. On the 5th coat even more thinner at 5 to 10 and still not shaking out the brush marks. The 6th coat I cut to the chase and went 10 to 10 thinner to paint mix. That stopped the brush marks but makes for a coat that has thin spots. This latest photo is of the 8th coat, staying with the 50/50 thinner - paint ratio. The thin spots are becoming fewer but will probably need several more coats at the present ratio. I think I’m on the right track here but if not I’m prepared to sand it down to wood and start over. Comments and input are welcomed. Also finished assembling the chainplates and channels.

[closehaul]

The hull bottom required 11 coats to achieve full coverage. I gently rubbed it with 0000 steel wool to blend it to an even finish. After removing the tape it was quite a relief to see the clean delineation of the waterline with only a small area at the stern that I can easily correct. I applied 1/4"  fine masking tape to mark off the hull topsides and put on the first coat using the 50-50 thinner paint ratio as the bottom and allowing 24 hours between each coat. The one glitch was when I removed the masking tape protecting the deck. It left an adhesive residue from it on the cap rails that had to be cleaned and sanded smooth for repainting. I reapplied the 3M fine masking tape over them and covered the deck to avoid a repeat of that situation. All said, I'm quite pleased with all the work so far.

Edited November 21, 2020 by closehaul

[closehaul]

The 9th coat of black at a 50/50 thinner paint ratio produced sufficient coverage for the topsides. After lightly sanding with 0000 steel wool, all tape and paper coverings were removed and the final results exceeded expectations. Only a sliver a primer failed to receive black but it will easily be concealed under the white boot striping yet to be applied. after posting this I noticed the top photo had something on the starboard bow. Checking the model proved the paint surface to be clean and soon realized it was a reflection of one of the Admirals plants behind the photographer.

Edited December 3, 2020 by closehaul

[Josh Williamson]

Really enjoying this build log.  Good clean work on this one!

[BobG]

She looks super good!

[closehaul]

Thank you Bob. The hull painting in your  Pen Duick build log inspired me as to what can be achieved. In fact I picked up a set of sanding blocks used in your log that gave the smooth contours to Atlantic's hull needed for stepping up on the painting process.

[BobG]

20 hours ago, closehaul said:

Thank you Bob. The hull painting in your  Pen Duick build log inspired me as to what can be achieved.

I almost embarrassed to admit how many times I had to redo the paint job on the hull of my Pen Duick before I got it right but thank you anyway!

[closehaul]

The CA glue is so unforgiving. In attempting to attach the scroll work per instructions to the bow I ended up with a chocolate mess. Repainting the entire hull is not an option having come this far. There is plenty of the flat black original paint remaining in the pot to redo the damage. As always comments and tips are welcomed.

[MrBlueJacket]

Here's a really good way to control the application of CA glue. Look at the tip of the month:

 

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1105166336677&ca=64bf22da-704d-496c-8e70-95bc1220ea79

[closehaul]

Thank you Nic for the link. Although I'm putting a small quantity of CA glue into an old contact lens case lid, I've been applying it with the end of a toothpick which I now see as the problem. I'll be rigging a needle in a small dow to use as an applicator from here on forward.

Edited December 5, 2020 by closehaul

[BobG]

3 hours ago, closehaul said:

The CA glue is so unforgiving. In attempting to attach the scroll work per instructions to the bow I ended up with a chocolate mess. Repainting the entire hull is not an option having come this far

I know the feeling! I have a small, 2 inch crease in the paint on one side of my Pen Duick hull that occurred when I pushed too hard on the cap rail while trying to move it over just a smidgen in one spot. It pushed the plank just below the cap rail just hard enough to create a crease line that is only really noticeable when you hold the model up and look closely at it. However, it still bugs me but I'm afraid any attempt at trying to lightly fill the crease, sand and repaint the area would probably create a bigger problem so I think I'm just going to live with it...

 

It looks like your fix will work out quite well though. 

[closehaul]

I repainted the glue damage, attached the prop and have now moved topside installing the first deck fittings (bow pins and pin rails).

[BobG]

Excellent fix on the paint!

[closehaul]

Next step is cutting and sanding the deck furniture. The hull has been blown clean of the mahogany sawdust on it and temporarily set aside as work on the deck cabin, engine house, companionways and skylights starts taking shape.

[closehaul]

Progress has slowed over the holidays but Was able to finish the woodwork on companionways and skylights. The macro shot on the quarterdeck companionway showed me what my eyes couldn't. Steel wool should help and the clear satin finish should brighten things up.

[closehaul]

All wood deck furnishings (cabin, engine house, skylights, companionways and hatch) are completed an set aside until installation. This portion of the build has been done in advance of the deck fittings (cleats, bits, eyebolts and fife rails) while waiting for paint and metal parts. The metal parts were all accounted for with the kit but in attempting the fife rail assembly there were some failures that required parts replenishment. 

[closehaul]

Approaching my second attempt at the fife rails, I have to comment on the quality of the Bluejacket kit britannia metal stanchions for rails. They have been so finely finished I dare not take a file to them. Following the kit instructions the pieces were brushed with thinner for cleaning then the first coat applied.

[closehaul]

Except for the 2 optional square yards that get affixed to the foredeck area, all deck fittings, hardware and mahogany furniture have been completed and painted. The mahogany pieces, placed on deck for display, are to be set permanently further on down the build. The windlass is yet to be placed also.

Edited January 23, 2021 by closehaul

[ERS Rich]

About the scroll work.  Good job dealing with the problem at hand!
 

Have this kit and wondered about attaching the bow scroll work.  I’ve done, it but glueing a part on a painted surface seems less than ideal.

Perhaps use brass pins to help.

 

Drill two holes in scroll work, off the model.  
 

Use scroll work as a template to mark the two hole locations on the hull, and drill the two holes.  
 

Make hole depth less than pin length.

 

Hang the scroll work loosely with the pins.  
 

Apply CA to underside of scrollwork - slide scroll work along nails to contact the hull.

 

Cut the heads off two brass nails.
 

Fielders choice...

 

Looking forward to seeing your completed Atlantic!

 

 

[closehaul]

The ship's boats are the last pieces to be completed before the masting and rigging begins. I've been filing and sanding their hulls as smooth as I can but there are slight cavitations on the hull surfaces in certain areas that shows up in the paint. I'm thinking of using small amounts of body putty to remedy this. Any one think this is a good fix?

Edited January 25, 2021 by closehaul

[closehaul]

Another question is the disposition of the anchor on deck. I've assembled it with the crossmember in place. I noticed on gsdpic's build log of America the crossmembers are unjointed from the anchor and laying flat with it. Have I erred again? lol.

[schooner]

I think body filler/putty should work fine for the larger flaws and CA can take care of the smaller stuff that is too big to sand out. As far as the anchor goes, what do the plans say about where it goes and does it get lashed to something? If so, it might not be a bad idea to show the stock in the "folded " position since that would have been the most space-saving.

[MrBlueJacket]

52 minutes ago, schooner said:

I think body filler/putty should work fine for the larger flaws and CA can take care of the smaller stuff that is too big to sand out. As far as the anchor goes, what do the plans say about where it goes and does it get lashed to something? If so, it might not be a bad idea to show the stock in the "folded " position since that would have been the most space-saving.

Schooner is exactly correct.

[etubino]

On 9/20/2020 at 4:26 PM, closehaul said:

So I added putty and wood to an oversanded keel. I'm satisfied with the over all results at this stage.

 

 

I really like yor Model and Work!

[closehaul]

7 hours ago, schooner said:

I think body filler/putty should work fine for the larger flaws and CA can take care of the smaller stuff that is too big to sand out. As far as the anchor goes, what do the plans say about where it goes and does it get lashed to something? If so, it might not be a bad idea to show the stock in the "folded " position since that would have been the most space-saving.

Hi schooner and thank you for your reply. I never considered using CA for the small flaws so I'll apply both where needed on all hulls. As far as the anchor, there isn't anywhere on the sail plan that shows it at all. The instruction book describes the rigging and wooden deck pads for the anchor flukes to rest on and it's davit but there is no mention, depiction, or photo of that crossmember. I'm going with your advice and laying both anchor and crossmember flat on the deck. Thank you and everyone for the wonderful support and encouragement that's been given me.

[closehaul]

6 hours ago, MrBlueJacket said:

Schooner is exactly correct.

Thank you Nic. I just can't say how enjoyable it is looking at less and less parts as I complete Atlantic in the homestretch.

[closehaul]

1 hour ago, etubino said:

I really like yor Model and Work!

Thank you Etubino, all my woodshop classes from high school have come in handy even on this small scale.