HM Cutter Alert by Glenn-UK - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64 scale - by Glenn Shelton

[Glenn-UK]

I have been cracking on with the hull assembly today and have made good progress.

 

I started off with a full dry fit of the various items. I was pleased with how well everything fitted.

 

When fitting the bulkheads, as can be seen in the next photo, I like make pencil marks as an indication that they are fully seated.

 

Next I drew the beading line on the keel.

 

To help ensure I remove an equal amount of the keel during the beading process I added a thin tape strip along the edge as a guide.

 

Next I faired the bulkheads, support strips and fillers and then assembled the hull. I will complete the fairing process using planks to check the various contact areas.

 

This is a picture of the bow section

 

This picture shows the main support strips in place

 

This picture shows the stern support strips in place.

 

This picture shows the stern filler piece in place

 

This is another picture showing the stern area

 

This final picture shows the stern frame which are only dry fitted but once glued in place I can then fit the main deck next along with the two two rudder platform bulkheads and rudder head housing platform.

 

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by glennard2523

[KirbysLunchBox]

Much excite!

[Glenn-UK]

I have now completed the basic hull assembly phase and the Cutter Alert is ready for the first planking.

 

I spent quite a bit of time fairing the bulkheads and I am now happy with how my test planks are laying. In particular bulkheads 4 to 2, and fillers pieces 11, 12 and 13 needed plenty of sanding. Also  bulkheads 7 to 9 and filler piece15 required a lot of attention before I was happy with how the garboard plank would fit. Filler piece 20 also required a lot of sanding to make sure it ran flush with the side of the Rudder head housing platform.

 

Once I was happy with the fairing I went ahead and fitted the front stem keel and the rear keel pattern. I did notice the rabbet slot in the front stem would only take the 1st plank. I did experiment with tapering the width of the 1st plank so the 2nd plank could also be located in the rabbet. Although I concluded this would be possible I felt it would be too much additional work and providing I take my time with the 2nd planking I do not think it will be an issue.

 

Picture of the Front Stem Keel piece.

 

Picture of the stern area

 

Picture of the stern showing the beading

 

Using a small piece of 4mm wide planking material I marked the top line position for the first plank.

 

Checking the length of each bulkhead I have estimated the following number of planks will be required.

 

8 planks Bow

12 planks Bulkhead 2

15 planks Bulkhead 3

16.5 planks Bulkhead 4

18 planks Bulkhead 5

18 planks Bulkhead 6

16 planks Bulkhead 7

16 planks Bulkhead 8

17 planks Bulkhead 9

18 planks Bulkhead 10

 

Edited May 9, 2021 by glennard2523

[Glenn-UK]

Today I have been looking at starting the 1st planking. I discovered the quad hands had another use as a template for lateral (side) bending the planks. After soaking the plank I positioned it on the quad hands base, using the quad hands to set the bend angle.

 

Once the plank had dried out the bent plank was test fitted against the hull, 4mm down from the top edge. I was extremely pleased with how the plank laid against the various bulkheads.

 

 

On closer examination I noted that there was a slight bowing issue with bulkhead 2 which is easy to correct with a bit more sanding.

 

I also noted that I need to fair the stern filler piece (20) a bit more so the plank can sit flush with the outer stern frame piece (19) As can be seen in the photo below this is not the case.

 

When the top 4mm top plank is test fitted the problem can clearly be seen. There is plenty of plank material to sand smooth but I need to sand the filler back a bit more however.

[DelF]

Very clever use of the quadhands Glenn - I'll copy that one!

[Glenn-UK]

42 minutes ago, DelF said:

Very clever use of the quadhands Glenn - I'll copy that one!

A very useful tool.

[Theodosius]

Nice start on the hull! Nowadays I understand more, what you are doin' here, and this will become a good one! 🙂

[Glenn-UK]

11 minutes ago, Theodosius said:

Nice start on the hull! Nowadays I understand more, what you are doin' here, and this will become a good one! 🙂

Thanks. I find it much better when I take my time to check how the parts fit together before I glue them in place.

 

[Glenn-UK]

Following on from my last post I spent a bit more time this afternoon fairing the bow (bulkhead 2). I then bent the first two planks for both the port and starboard sides. I started with the lateral (side bend) and then added the bend that followed shape around the bow.

 

I then clamped both sets of planks to the hull. As can be seen in the photo below the port side planking is a perfect fit

 

This is a close up of the port side bow area. The planks are a nice tight fit (only dry fitted)

 

This picture shows the port side inner bulwarks are nice and flush.

 

When looking at the starboard side the problem with bulkhead 2 has now been fully resolved however I did notice a slight issue with the fitting around bulkhead 3. I will need to fair bulkhead 3 a tad more before gluing them in place.

 

This picture (which is slightly out of focus) shows the slight bulge at bulkhead 3 (starboard side).

 

This picture shows the starboard side inner bulwarks, as can seen the lower plank is not flush with the upper plank around bulkhead 3.

 

The time and effort I have spent fairing and test fitting the first two planks for this build has really paid dividends. In the past I would have probably gone ahead and glued the planks in place and then either sanded or used wood filler to correct the problems.

Edited May 10, 2021 by glennard2523

[PRS]

Looking good!

 

Let me pull up a chair and watch. 

[Glenn-UK]

1 hour ago, PRS said:

Looking good!

 

Let me pull up a chair and watch. 

Thanks and enjoy 

[Glenn-UK]

Sorry to bore you all with my continued start to the first planking.

 

Before committing to the glue phase I decided to test fit the third plank on both sides. After adding the lateral (side) bend I noted the 3rd plank would need a taper around the bow section. Once I had marked, tapered and had the second bow shaping bend both the port and starboard 3rd planks were clamped in place to check the fit.

 

The port side looks really good.

 

The same is now true on the starboard side. The slight issue I had with the starboard side bowing at bulkhead 3 has now been resolved.

 

The  front on view of the bow section also looks good. The planks will be correctly positioned, when glued, to ensure they are tight up to the stem post as there is no rabbet slot for the third plank.

 

I have also checked the main mast and it located through the deck hole in to the bulkhead slot very nicely.

 

Finally this top view shows how the planking follows the shape of the deck, especially around the bow section.

 

I am now very happy with how the planks look so I will now start to glue them in place forthwith.

Edited May 11, 2021 by glennard2523

[Glenn-UK]

I have now glued the first three planks to the hull. They all went on without any problems. I used Titebond Original pva. I used clamps to hold the first two planks in place as the glue gripped. I used a mixture of clamps and pins went gluing the 3rd plank in place. I am reasonably happy with how the planks are looking so far.

 

I have also bent and tapered (only required tapering at the bow end) the 4th plank. I have clamped the damp planks to the hull as I have now finished working on the model for the day so the planks should hold the shape when they have dried out. I intend to add a few more planks over the next few days. I will then add a garboard plank  and start to plank upwards as well as downwards.

 

In the following picture the first three planks have been glued and the 4th plank is clamped in place.

 

The next picture show the bow area.

 

A picture of the midship area

 

Finally a picture of the stern area

Edited May 11, 2021 by glennard2523

[Glenn-UK]

I have now completed the first planking and the hull is ready for sanding and filling. With regards to the filling (where necessary) I plan to use a mix made up of diluated pva (50/50) and Ronseal natural wood filler (a Jim Hatch concoction from his Sphinx build log). I found this mixture (made  up of 50% pva and 50% wood filler) worked really well when I added a bit to an over faired section of a bulkhead.

 

The following pictures of the planked hull may look a bit rough and ready and I could have done it better. However this is just a base layer for the 2nd planking. Once it has been sanded smooth (and filled where necessary) it will be fit for purpose. I opted not to bend the garboard plank as shown in other build logs. I have used the same method as my previous builds and provides the necessary base for the 2nd planking. I will probably use the same method  with the 2nd planking as the planking will not be visible (below the waterline) once it has been sanded smooth and painted white.

 

This is a view of the bow section, there are a few very small gaps to be filled

 

This is the view of the stern. I have trimmed the excess plank material from the ends but it still needs some more work to get flush so the stern post can sit flush.

 

Midships

 

When fitting the plank next to the keel I did chamfer the edge to get a good fit. In the picture below I used a small piece of planking material to experiment with the chamfer.

 

The test chamfer plank looks OK

 

This shows the actual plank fitted with a chamfered edge.

Edited May 15, 2021 by glennard2523

[Glenn-UK]

Today I have sanded the 1st planking on the hull. I am now happy with how it is looking. I took my time to reduce the planking thickness around the stern area so the 2nd planking can be added and will align with the keel and stern post. I was able to utilise the sheets that the bulkheads were removed from as templates to double check the shaping of the hull around the bow area. This proved to be useful as I did note a couple of high and low spots which I was able to correct.

 

 

 

I then moved on to adding the stern planking which sits below the stern counter pattern

 

Stern counter planks fitted but not trimmed

 

After trimming

 

To complete the days activities I fitted the stern counter pattern. With the pattern dry fitted I marked and removed the excess material form the sides. I then added a chamfer to the lower edge so there would be a nice clean join with the lower stern counter planking.

 

The two top 4mm planks have been soaked and bent in to place using clamps. It will now be left overnight to dry before they are glued in place. I did use the spacers provided with the kit to set the start point of the top plank from the stem post.

 

I will be ready to start the 2nd planking phase in the morning.

Edited May 16, 2021 by glennard2523

[DelF]

Your first planking looks really good Glenn - should be a sound foundation for the second layer.

[Glenn-UK]

20 minutes ago, DelF said:

Your first planking looks really good Glenn - should be a sound foundation for the second layer.

Thanks Derek

This is, by far, my best planking attempt.

[Oboship]

20 hours ago, glennard2523 said:

I was able to utilise the sheets that the bulkheads were removed from as templates to double check the shaping of the hull around the bow area. This proved to be useful as I did note a couple of high and low spots which I was able to correct.

I particularly like the idea to use the original sheets as template for the final shaping! Very nice work with the first planking, too!

Uwe

[DelF]

6 hours ago, Oboship said:

I particularly like the idea to use the original sheets as template for the final shaping!

Me too - another idea I'll pinch!

 

Derek

[Glenn-UK]

3 minutes ago, DelF said:

Me too - another idea I'll pinch!

 

Derek

I got the idea from my Yamato build (model space) which included a set of hull templates (as a pdf file) which I printed out on to card.

[Theodosius]

I'm realy looking into, how you will do the 2. planking with the pear. I have some issues with this wood, I mean the planking stock.

[Glenn-UK]

1 hour ago, Theodosius said:

I'm realy looking into, how you will do the 2. planking with the pear. I have some issues with this wood, I mean the planking stock.

Hello Theo.

I am being more selective with the planks I am using above the waterline. I am not so bothered with the quality below the waterline as these will be sanded smooth and painted white.

 

Progess is slow with regards to the 2nd planking but I hope to add some pictures of my progress in the next day or two. I am working from the top down and from the keel upward at the moment.

[Glenn-UK]

I have made a slow start to the 2nd planking. I have added the first four strakes at the top. These planks fitted without any need to taper. I did chamfer the top edge of the bottom three of these strakes.

 

I am taking my time to ensure that these planks look good and will require the minimal amount of sanding for a nice smooth finish. I am expecting that I will need to start tapering with the next strake. I will also side bend the strakes, if necessary to ensure they are a nice flat fit.

 

I have also fitted the first two strakes at the keel. I am reasonably happy with how these strakes are looking. Once again I am taking my time to ensure the strakes look good when fitted.

 

I will continue to add the strakes in both directions for the time being.

 

Bow area

 

Midships

 

Stern area

[Glenn-UK]

Work is still slow and steady with the 2nd planking. At the moment I am using Titebond original pva for the second planking which are held in place with map pins. The method I am using is much more time consuming than the more common method of using ca glue (or ca gel)

 

To start the process the planks are shaped as necessary. Next I chamfer the edge so it is a nice fit to the plank it adjoins.

 

Once I am happy with how the plank looks I mark (on the back) the area to be bent. The planks are then soaked in water for around 5 minutes and bent using a heated plank bending tool and then pinned in place. I usually leave the planks pinned for around 30 mins.

 

Each plank is then given a coat of Titebond original and pinned in place a various points along the length of the planks. The map pins are  normally removed after about 30 mins.

 

4 wet planks pinned in position

 

Wet planks pinned in position

 

 

The end result

 

The next planking strip will cover up the map pin holes.

 

Edited May 19, 2021 by glennard2523

[DelF]

I'm watching your use of PVA with interest here Glenn. I seemed to develop an adverse reaction to CA gel when I used it a lot on Speedy's copper plating. Now I can only use the thin odourless version which I don't think would work with planking. You seem to be getting on well with Titebond - would you recommend it?

[Glenn-UK]

2 minutes ago, DelF said:

I'm watching your use of PVA with interest here Glenn. I seemed to develop an adverse reaction to CA gel when I used it a lot on Speedy's copper plating. Now I can only use the thin odourless version which I don't think would work with planking. You seem to be getting on well with Titebond - would you recommend it?

Hi Derek

Last time I used ca glue for planking I ended up sticking more planks to my fingers than the hull.🤣🤣

 

I really like the Titebond Original. I normally put a small amount in a dish, enough pva for one plank usually. I use an old paint brush to apply the glue. It grabs very quickly which I really like.

[drjeckl]

Glenn - Glad I found this.  Pulling up a chair to watch and read.  Looks beautiful so far.  And I love to read your great descriptions of how to each task.  Keep it up....

 

John

[Glenn-UK]

3 hours ago, drjeckl said:

Glenn - Glad I found this.  Pulling up a chair to watch and read.  Looks beautiful so far.  And I love to read your great descriptions of how to each task.  Keep it up....

 

John

Thanks John

It should be an interesting build, and once have completed the 2nd planking (which I am taking my time with) I should be able to crack on much quicker. I will keep up with a detailed build log of my methods.

 

You might also enjoy my build log for the Duchess of Kingston (Vanguard Models) which I completed earlier this month.

[drjeckl]

Oh, I was on that one also, just keeping quiet.

 

John

[Glenn-UK]

I have continued on with the 2nd planking and I expect to complete this task within the next 2 or 3 days time. I do have an Amati water line marker but I have never been happy with it as I have found that the pencil tends changes position when I attempt to add a waterline mark. I have therefore ordered the waterline marker from Vanguard Models (new tools section) which I hope will be better, fingers crossed it will arrive in time.

 

I have been using my quad hands to add the lateral (side) bend to the planks. One advantage of using the quad hands for side plank bending is they can be stacked up so multiple planks can be bent at the same time. In the picture below I have a left and right side plank being bent after a quick 5 second dip in water.

 

With regards to adding the second planks I have continued to use a combination of Titebond original and map pins. Initially, when working in both directions (up and down), I was adding 4 planks at a time (2 port and 2 starboard). However once I reached the waterline mark (at the bow), which is where the up and down planking met I moved on to just adding 2 planks at a time (one per side). It takes around 5 to 10 minutes to shape, bend and chamfer the planks. Once they are glued I normally leave them for around 30 mins before removing the map pins and moving on to adding the next plank pair.

 

The following set of pictures shows the current state of play. The holes left by the map pins can be seen, but will be covered up when the next layer of planking is added.

 

A small amount of filler is required below the water line where some planks meet the stem post.

 

 

Before I was adding the lower stern planks I sanded the depth of the plank to try to get a smooth line with the keel and stern post. It may not look like that in the picture, but is pretty much the case as it stands.

Edited May 23, 2021 by glennard2523