Lowell Grand Banks Dory by lraymo - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:24

[bobandlucy]

Looks good! I know what you mean, as one pokes around on this board and sees what is possible, and all of the experience and skill evident, it is humbling. There are many kind people here, and it turns out that is one of the best aspects of this hobby.

 

Bob

[Keith Black]

MSW is a treasure trove of knowledge and experience. 

[lraymo]

Help!.  My first MAJOR mistake... I broke the Sheer Strake!  Right at the bow where the hole for the becket is, I glued the sheer strake too low on the bow, so I tried to remove it.  I had used the yellow wood glue, and tried multiple applications of isopropyl alcohol, but when I tried to lift it off the broad strake, it broke.  Any ideas on what I need to do to fix this?  (Will Model Shipways send me a new piece?  Can I use wood filler or putty (neither of which I know how to use)?  Looking for advice.. I'm really discouraged...

What can  I do?  You can see that part of the sheer is still glued to the broad strake.  I really made a mess of this!  And is the alcohol supposed to work on Yellow glue?  Or just the white?  Thanks for any suggestions!

[druxey]

Isopropyl alcohol works on both white and yellow glue. The trick is patience. It takes time (sometimes up to a day) and multiple applications of solvent to soften the glue. Never force a joint apart - but you know that already.

[dvm27]

In addition to what Druxey has said always gently try to pry apart a joint. Start at an edge and insert the side of a hobby knife. Once you see some daylight you can add some more isopropyl, wait a few minutes then gently pry apart.

[lraymo]

Thanks @druxey and @dvm27.  I need to learn patience!!!  Is there anything I can do to fix this?

[Keith Black]

druxey is the one to answer that question.

[druxey]

If you insist! Well, there are at least two solutions. The easiest would be to carefully remove the broken end and reglue it to the rest of the plank. If there is enough wood left on the sheet you could mark out and cut a new plank, using the web as the pattern.

[lraymo]

Thanks druxey!  This will be interesting!

[lraymo]

Ok, I've done my best to "fix" the end of the sheer strake.  

 

 

It's not perfect, but I am satisfied with how it turned out and I can go forward now and finish the planking.  My hope is that final sanding and paint will cover a multitude of sins!

[druxey]

Good! All part of the learning process - how to fix 'oopsies'.

[Keith Black]

Iraymo, it turned out great. Good save!

[jlefever]

Repair looks good so far. I think one of the great satisfactions in modeling is earned over time... the ability to roll on past disasters. We all have them.

[lraymo]

Whew!  I'm sure there will be many more mistakes on which to learn and practice "fixes"!   Thanks for the encouragement!

[lraymo]

I’ve finished the planking. Didn't look too bad at this point, or so I thought!

 Made the little “false stem” too.

 

But freeing the frames from the frame tops proved a bit more difficult. Broke a frame in the process.

 

At this point, after attaching the side cleats, I took stock of my progress.   It's not good!  Broken frame, lots of excess glue blobs, strakes that don’t attach to the frames, frayed wood planks, and many other imperfections. At this point, it’s looking really bad...

 

And what I am learning about myself is eye-opening. I know I’m not a perfectionist, and that’s ok. But I always thought of myself as a patient person. Not so! I wanted to “get this done”, so I didn’t take time with gluing, or taking care of the frames, or staying patient with the process. I kept thinking it’ll be “good enough”… 

Not sure I can salvage or fix any of this, but I'm hopeful that by continuing, some of this will be resolved (or covered up!) with the gunwale and cap rail going forward.  And I think some additional wood filler and creative sanding will help too!

(The good news is that if I turn it sideways, and don't look too close, it looks better!)   

 

[Ryland Craze]

Looks like it can be fixed with some glue and clamps.  Just glue the broken piece back on and once dried, place wood glue between the frame and the plank and clamp until the glue is dry.  Be sure to place a scrap of wood between the plank and the clamp so that the clamp does not leave an impression in the plank.  You can get good clamps at a very reasonable price from Harbor Freight.  You can never have too many clamps.  Your model looks good.  Do not be too hard on yourself as this model is a learning experience for you.

[Keith Black]

 Iraymo, you're not going to paint a Mona Lisa the first time you pick up a paint brush. This is your first build, it's a learning experience and I think you've done a wonderful job considering it is your first build. The next one will be better and the one after that will be better yet. I really do think it looks good. 

 

 One thing, when gluing, if your using yellow glue, use a water moistened Q-Tip to wick away excess glue. If your using CA (super glue) use a dry Q-Tip. This will save you time and help in the overall appearance of your model. Regarding the broken rib, try fixing it by carving a piece to fit the break. It may not work but it's good practice. You have to try, just like you did the repair on the plank and that came out swell.

 

 You'll get there, patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to modeling.  

[lraymo]

@Ryland Craze@Keith Black  Once again, thank you for your encouragement!  I really didn't think there was much I could do, but you've inspired me!  I'm using yellow wood glue, so i'll try the wet Q-tip idea.  And I lost the broken piece, but I think I can carve a new one, so I thank you for your suggestions, and I'm feeling better about going forward!

[Cathead]

If there's one thing I've learned in modeling, it's that the final product almost always looks better than the sum of the mistakes made along the way. There's something about a finished model that draws the eye into the essence of the whole and away from any given detail. Especially for most viewers; a contest judge or expert will notice flaws, but most people will think it's pretty neat that you built anything at all, and the overall impression is often more important than the detailed nuances. Especially so for a beginner project like this. If I look closely at my earliest models, I can see all sorts of things wrong. But they still look cool on my bookshelves and any visitors find them appealing. At worst, you eventually shuffle the early ones quietly into less prominent places and thank them for their service because you now have something even cooler to feature.

 

You should also be proud that you chose such a good simple kit as your learning experience; far too many people dive in over their head. Imagine making beginner mistakes on a $600 ship of the line!

[lraymo]

3 hours ago, Cathead said:

If there's one thing I've learned in modeling, it's that the final product almost always looks better than the sum of the mistakes made along the way.

Hi Cathead, I sure hope that's true, because there's a multitude of mistakes on this!  But I appreciate what you are saying, and yes, I am VERY happy that this kit was only $49!  (And with tools, since I didn't have any, it seemed like the best choice!)

 

So I went ahead and replaced part of the broken frame with a newly carved piece, and it seems to look ok.  And as you said, the end result hopefully will result in a good "overall impression", if people don't look too closely at the details!  (I have friends who are amazed that I'm even attempting this!)

A little bit crooked, but hoping no one will notice!

 

 

[Keith Black]

 Iraymo, the repaired rib looks good. You can see it with camera magnification but I bet you have to look hard to see it when viewed normally. 

[lraymo]

On 5/4/2021 at 4:39 AM, Keith Black said:

I bet you have to look hard to see it when viewed normally. 

You're right, Keith! It looks better from a normal viewing distance!   So I put on the bands and the risers, tried to sand it down to look like the picture in the book, and then cut back the frame tops to get ready for the gunwale.  I'm trying to be a bit more careful, and a lot more patient!  But giving up for tonight, as my eyes are bleary from staring at this!  I already wear progressive lens glasses, but I may need to get some magnifiers too!

Tried to show my close-up like the pic in the book.  I ended up doing more sanding on the top of the sheer, after seeing this pic.

n

And finally, for tonight, cut back the frames to get ready for the gunwale.  I'll need a large segment of time to work on fitting the gunwale, and its just too late to start now!  And I may take some time to try to remove all this excess glue while I'm at it!

[Keith Black]

That's looking great! 

[Ryland Craze]

Good fix.  Once the interior is filled with risers and thwarts and painted, you will not see the repair.

[lraymo]

Almost ready to paint.  Can't believe I've made it this far!  Attached bands, risers, gunwale, breast hook, and frame head irons.  (those were difficult.  I used a yellow playing card to make the little pieces, and without the right tools they aren't exactly identical, but I wanted to practice doing tiny piecework.) I'll need more practice.

 

Inserted thwarts (just to see if they would fit).  Thwarts 2 and 4 came out of the kit looking identical, so I trimmed the sides to fit the opposite ends of the boat. 

 

 

Also, thwart 1 was too long (I made Frame 1 too narrow), so i carefully took some length off the thwart, only to realize that the actual problem was that the notch that fits around the frame wasn't deep enough for my narrow frame.  So I increased the notch depth, and it fits better now (but nerve-wracking to mess around with it!)

 

Next step - prime everything (I have a spray can of white primer), and then begin the painting process!  And lots more to do after that... oars, cap rail, tholes, becket.  But it's well on its way!

[Keith Black]

 Iraymo, she looks really really nice. Well done!

[lraymo]

Started the painting process.  White primer, 1st coat, 2nd coat.  The main thing I am learning, (for my next build!) is to be waaay more careful in applying glue!  The excess glue is really showing up with the paint.  After primer, I tried to scrape some of the blobs off, but didn't have much luck. The first coat looked really blotchy, but the 2nd coat is looking better, and I think it will be ok after the 3rd coat, as long as (again) no one looks too close!

At this point, is there anything I can do to remove the excess?  I found a "reciprocating micro sander" that I could buy on Amazon, thinking i could "sand off" the excess glue, but not sure if this is a reasonable purchase at this point in my beginning shipbuilding.  Any thoughts?  Is this a helpful tool?

First coat also shows excess glue as well as ragged planks too!

2nd coat is better, but hoping 3rd coat will even out the paint.  I just wish I could eliminate the excess glue blobs.  But, its all part of the learning process, and I will be CAREFULLY applying glue going forward!

[Keith Black]

 Iraymo, you know how to correct the excess glue problem on your next build. Hold off buying the sander for glue removal as a reason unless you can see where it would help you in some other area. I'd get rid of that foam brush, bristle brushes are much better especially for fine detail. I love your little dory. 

[lraymo]

Thanks Keith, for your advice!  For painting, I am using the regular bristle brushes that came in the kit.  But good eye noticing the foam brush!  I'm also sanding the oars, and I'm using the foam brush to "brush off" the shavings as I'm going along. 🙂 I also appreciate your words on the sander.  I'll hold off... it costs more than the Dory kit!!!

And thanks for the kind words!  I'm enjoying this, and really happy I started with this little boat!  Someday I'll get to my dream of building a three-masted schooner with rigging and sails, but I need to learn so much more before I attempt it!

[druxey]

Depending on the glue you used, it can be removed. With white or yellow glue some rubbing alcohol on a brush with soften it and you can remove the softened blob carefully using  a pointed tool. Be aware that the paint will be removed as well, so you'll need to repaint after.