US Brig Syren by Redshadowrider - Model Shipways - Scale 1:64 - First wooden ship build

[Redshadowrider]

LOL...  This is why I am taking a break from RC scale.  I spend as much time detailing out the cockpit as I did on the rest of the plane.  In the red and white plane earlier in the thread, the instrument panel is a copy of a full scale plane. (Post 160)  You can go down the rabbit hole really quickly when deciding how much you want to do.  In one plane, I even have a scale Time magazine laying on the back seat.  😄   I am sure I will fix it.  Just seeing if there is a better mousetrap on how to do it.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Redshadowrider

[Redshadowrider]

Ready, Soak, Snap.....

I have now wasted 2 cap strips for the transom.  For the third attempt, I have made a form that will provide better support during the bending process.  The issue is when bending the strip onto the sides of the transom.  Other than that, I did manage to cut the piece in 1/2, but the curve from top to side still doesn’t want to follow the curve.  I am using hot water to soak the strip, but I am thinking, I need to get it to the boiling point.  Will add pics later.

[WalrusGuy]

I had to thin the strip down for it to bend without cracks. It also looked more in scale with it thinned down. 

[Redshadowrider]

Thanks Walrus, I have been reading several blogs, and tutorials.  It seems that the internal wood temperature needs to reach around 200 degrees.  Hot water doesn’t get it to that temp, boiling or steaming is recommended. 

[Overworked724]

Yep.  Snapped a bunch. I ended up scaling down width as well. Made it easier. 

[Redshadowrider]

I plan one try with the strip in boiling water.  I can then determine if the wood is easier to shape.  The critical part for me is what happens when the strip goes over each top to side transition.  The wood tends to crimp and leave a shape like a hose over a sharp edge.  If the form allows for a smooth curve transition then I think I can be successful.  I have done some final sanding on the transom and sides as well.  To make the form, I traced the shape onto a narrow board from the lite ply form the part was cut from, then sanding it to the outside edge of the mark.  It is almost exact.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Redshadowrider

[Justin P.]

If it helps, I was successful soaking in recently boiled water for 10 minutes or so, and then bent over the form using a small clothes iron as I bent.   Did mine in one piece and all in one go, no breaks.    Clamped down and left to dry for several days. 

[Overworked724]

If you microwave the piece while it’s bent across a former (I used a wood block) it holds its shape really well. 

[Redshadowrider]

I have 2 RC plane building tools that I will use with the boiling water.  A Covering iron, and a heat gun, which are used in attaching the shiny colored film on the frames.  The covering iron does pretty much what you would think.  We tack down the covering on the frame using the iron.  Then using the heat gun, you shrink the covering until it tightens against the frame.  It takes practice, but gives a professional look to the plane. 
 

Using these 2 tools should give me the control I need.

 

This is a wing that I recovered recently.

Edited January 6, 2021 by Redshadowrider

[abelson]

I had a similar problem. For me, the simplest solution was to fill it and paint it black. Then it's out of sight, out of mind. I have not regretted it. Black paint covers a multitude of sins. On the other hand, it does covers a lot of detail.

[Redshadowrider]

👍  Soaked, Cooked, Bent, & Clamped:  

Got it done!.  I soaked the strip in cold water overnight.  Cooked the strip in boiling water for 5 minutes, and let set for 10.  Bent it slowly around the form, and clamped it in place.  I think I got it now... yay.  Now according to the Admiral, I have a pot to clean in the kitchen.  😃   According to her, she doesn't like the taste of wood.  hehe

 

 

[Justin P.]

One way or another we all get there in the end!  Nice job.

[Overworked724]

Yep....looks familiar. 😊

[Redshadowrider]

Question @Overworked724  I have been trying to find a source for the .009 cutting discs shown in your log.  So far it seems that I can only get them from Dedeco.  I tried Amazon and they require a business account and a healthcare license.  Can you tell me where you got yours?

[Overworked724]

32 minutes ago, Redshadowrider said:

Question @Overworked724  I have been trying to find a source for the .009 cutting discs shown in your log.  So far it seems that I can only get them from Dedeco.  I tried Amazon and they require a business account and a healthcare license.  Can you tell me where you got yours?

I got them direct from Dodeco. 
 

https://www.dedeco.com/browse/113/AO-Thin-Discs-Dura-009s/

[Redshadowrider]

Thanks Patrick.  I have seen these, but was looking at your picture and the disc appears to be silver.  I thought the terra-cotta colored discs would fit the Bill, but wanted to make sure.   👍

[Overworked724]

These were the ones I used. They aren’t silver so much as pressed carbon I think. 
 

***correction...the A/O stands for aluminum oxide. I’m an idiot. 😂
 

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by Overworked724

[Redshadowrider]

Yep, Still Here:

 

I can say without a doubt that the toughest part of this build so far is the stern and transom.  Numerous small separate pieces that need cutting and shaping so they fit together.  Add to that the cap rail, it is a phase that needs a lot of attention, then add the painting and it becomes a challenge.  Not one that cannot be overcome, but one that can be frustrating at times.

Add to this, cold weather stops and starts, keeps one from getting into the flow of the build.  However, I am 99.5% ready move to the next chapter with only a small amount of clean up and detail painting left.  

 

Onto Chapter 7

 

 

 

[Overworked724]

Those trim pieces turned out very nice, Red!  Hope the scraper was easy to make. 

[Justin P.]

I totally agree, the transom took me ages to get through and even then when I thought I had finished I would come back to it another day and decide I needed to work on it some more.   At one point I tore bits off and redid them.   Progress is slow, but the wait is worth it!

[Redshadowrider]

On 1/23/2021 at 8:15 PM, Overworked724 said:

Those trim pieces turned out very nice, Red!  Hope the scraper was easy to make. 

LOL.....  Before I got the discs, and the scrapers, I decided to try my hand at doing them myself.  I used an awl for the grooves, and a few rippler files to smooth it, then I dipped into Tung oil and hung them up to dry.  Thanks for the compliment.
I do have the scrapers and the cutting discs now.  It should be easier now. 🙂

[Redshadowrider]

Warmer Weather & Progress:

 

Although I say warmer, it is pretty relative.  For here, when you get to the temperature that you can glue and paint, you have to move forward.  

 

Just finished the inboard bulwarks, with one coat of paint, and minor filling on the transom cap.  Still needs another coat in order to balance out the coverage, and a little flat black on the cap edge front.  Then I will do as others have done, start the deck planking before the cap rails are installed.  Just seems to give a little more room and shouldn't make a difference.  (Unless I missed something.)

 

Question on the Cap Rail:  Although it is a little out of focus,  the outside planking at the bow extends higher than the deck side with the bulwarks sticking out above.  If I sand it level, it will cut into the sheer strake and I can't tell from the pictures in the instruction booklet.  I have counted the planks above the port sill and I have 6, but in pictures of the bow planking there are 7.  Leads me to believe that the plank does not extend the entire length of the hull.  

(Never mind this question.  I reviewed several build blogs and found out how @Overworked724 handled the same issue.  I am moving ahead.) 😊

 

Any input on the sanding of the cap rail bulwarks is welcomed.  (Here are some pics.)

 

 

Edited February 2, 2021 by Redshadowrider

[Redshadowrider]

Ready to Plank:  Not much else to say at this time.  Other than 1 vaccine shot down, one more to go..  next week. 😀

 

 

[Redshadowrider]

Snow, Ice, and Covid:  

Well, no, I haven't been slacking off, but weather and such has conspired to slow me down.  However, I have completed the margin planks and the first set of planks for the deck.  All the ones that are covered by the deck furniture are in place and now, it is nibbing I will go.  I have copied the deck layout and will cut out each deck grate, etc, so I can lay out the location of the tree nails.  And, I will start my first nibbing exercise.  The garage (my dry dock) has been too cold to work in, so I brought what I could indoors.  Here are the pics of my progress.

 

 

[Overworked724]

Nice job so far, Red!  That margin was a bit of a buggy bear for me. Yours looks really good.  Are you using pencil on the facing edges of the planks to simulate caulking?  
 

Looking really good!!!  Can you invest in a little space heater for you garage?

[Redshadowrider]

Yes, I am adding pencil to the planking.  I think it will be more visible when finish sanded, and the Tung oil brushed on.  I was pretty lucky in the margin planks.  I only needed a little sanding, and their flex was enough to clamp in place for gluing.  I do have a space heater for the garage, but when the temperature is below freezing or below zero, as it was last week, it’s just too small.  And, we don’t get that cold here very often.  Thanks for the nice comments.  I have learned a lot about ship building and many of the working skills have transferred from my primary hobby.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Redshadowrider

[Redshadowrider]

Knib One, Purl Two..........😀

 

Just finished the deck, sanding done, and first coat of Tung oil on.  If you don't look close, you can't tell I didn't get staggering the butts 4 planks apart.  For some reason, I just had a problem with it.  I am pretty sure it was at the start and it was based on a difference in plank lengths.  One of the books I read had planks on a ship this size at 20'... or 3.75 inches.  So I cut quite a few planks ahead of time. (My Bad)  The instructions say to use a 4 bulkhead stretch, which would be much longer than than 20'.  I couldn't make a 4 board pattern work with such short planking.  So I put down whatever worked.  And I don't think it came out half bad.  Anyway, no one else will know..  😎

 

I test fit the waterway before I added the Tung oil, and it is right at the 1/16" the instructions call for.  After the surface dries, I will do the deck lay out, so I can add the tree nails where needed.  And I will note one item.  I noticed that the tree nails on the bulwarks did not have a clean look.  I am attributing that to the wood I used is pretty soft.  Once they were in, I think the tree nails deformed slightly during sanding and finishing.  I think I have some harder wood of about the same color and am planning to use it for the decking.

 

On another note.  I am glad that I held off on the cap rail until now.  With it not being installed, I have just a little more room to work on the deck and waterways. 

 

Here are a couple of pics:

 

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by Redshadowrider

[Overworked724]

Turned out beautiful!

[Redshadowrider]

Thanks, @Overworked724.  I have to say that I am very pleased at how it turned out.  That first cut into the margin plank was nerve wracking, but after that, it got easier.  Then as the details jumped out as I brushed on the Tung oil, I couldn’t believe the difference.  Today, I completed filing out the scuppers, and am trying to figure out how to do the waterways. Although, I am still not sure how to file/sand a piece of square stock only 1/16” thick at a 45 degrees.  Next, I need to start assembling the press for each copper plate.  Until then, I just sit here and look at how it came out.  😁

[Overworked724]

13 hours ago, Redshadowrider said:

Although, I am still not sure how to file/sand a piece of square stock only 1/16” thick at a 45 degrees.  Next, I need to start assembling the press for each copper plate.  Until then, I just sit here and look at how it came out.  😁

 

Take a look at my log - post #477.  I provided the way I did it, and it was quick and easy.  The triangular pieces actually turned out beautifully.

 

 

Edited March 1, 2021 by Overworked724