Greek Warship Bireme Question

[NicholasManila]

Hello everyone, this is my first wooden ship model I have ever built and I'm determined to make a beautiful ship! I've ran into quite an embarrassing road-block my first day and I would like a little help. The first photo is my ship, the second photo is another person's ship. The top frame pieces on my ship are not flush to the keel like they should be on the second photo. The instructions with this kit are not clear at all, am I supposed to cut a larger opening to fit the pieces better? Please excuse my ignorance and thank you for your help! 

 

 

above is my ship

 

above is another user's ship I am comparing mine to

 

[Ron Burns]

Welcome to MSW! Although I've never built this particular model, there are a few completed build logs right here. Have a look here https://modelshipworld.com/topic/16920-greek-warship-bireme-by-moreplovac-finished-amati-scale-135/  . It looks like you might have a bit of filing to do for some reason. One good thing is that 'it's better looking at it than for it' and removing a bit of material is to me better than having to add some. Is there a parts layout on the prints that you can compare with? At any rate it looks like it will make a beautiful model and I look forward to watching it being built

[Louie da fly]

Welcome to the ranks of galley-builders, Nicholas.

 

Can't answer your question, but I'm sure someone here will be able to help. Are there notches in the false keel that correspond with those two bulkheads, so the slot in the bulkhead slides over the slot in the false keel, as in a halving joint? It's not unusual to have to "bash" a kit to get it right, but gather as much information as you can before you commit yourself to something you might have to repair later .

 

Good luck with it!

 

Steven

Edited January 7, 2021 by Louie da fly

[Rodolfo Bigoni]

Is it possible to see the keel and the frames free, not coupled ? May be it should be possible to evaluate the relative depth.

Rodolfo

[NicholasManila]

one more question, do I apply my BSI insta-cure glue around the edges of the frame? or do I apply it on the openings on the keel?

[NicholasManila]

thank you everyone for your responses I really appreciate it. I found quite a simple solution which involved simply sanding the pieces better so they fit into place better. thank you al!

[Louie da fly]

BSI insta-cure glue - that's CA or cyanoacetate (super-glue), yes? A couple of problems with that stuff (apart from its toxic fumes) - first it's not very forgiving - once you put the pieces together you have very little time to make sure you've got it correctly aligned. Second, there are doubts about its longevity. Do a search in the "Search" function (top right of the page) on CA glue - there are several discussions about it. Some people swear by it, but for a newbie it might be better to use PVA (white) glue. I very rarely use CA, I find PVA is best for about 95% of the gluing I do. And when I make a mistake (as we all do), often I can pull it apart and remedy it before the glue has dried.

 

You only need to put glue on the surfaces where the joins between pieces are - I'd be putting a thin layer of glue in both the slots of the false keel and the slots of the frames - if I put glue on only one surface it seems to get soaked up by the other surface and the joint doesn't "make" properly. But that's with PVA - not sure about how it goes with CA.

 

Good to hear you've resolved the problem with the frames fitting properly.

 

Steven