Lady Nelson by Freezing Parrot - Amati/Victory Models - 1:64

[Wacom]

Those cannons look really good.

On  my Winnie I used thick acrylic paint for the capsquares, at that scale its difficult to tell any different. 😎

[drjeckl]

I think I got a capsquare tip from from Glenn; seems like he found a better one, but I think he suggested black card stock.  I got some stiff stock from Amazon and a black permanent marker.  Seems he has moved on to his black tape method.  Haven't got there yet.  A little tip I picked up from Vossie was to paint the heads on the carriage bolts black.  That made it really look realistic.

[drjeckl]

For some reason this didn't get posted this morning and it's on the companionway. 

 

Here's one on the companion way installations which gives some different reasons for doing it either way.  Tony is a great builder.

The Sherbourne is in the same class as the LN.  So there was a lot of cross-pollinating going between the two sets of builders back in the day of this build.  I only know cause I read most of them.  I highly recommend you look at his build.  Still haven't figured out how to link a post, cross-post cleanly.  Here's the link and it's on page six, about in the middle, search for the title:

Captain’s companionway

 

I’d been looking at the plans and decided I’d scrap my long companionway, build a captain’s companionway to the height it is in the plans and place it aft, by the tiller.

 

This left me with a dilemma. If I placed the doors of this companionway facing forward, it would leave small room for people moving in and out since the next hatchway is only 2 feet in front. If I had the doors opening to the rear, they would be getting in the way of the tiller. I didn’t think of making them open sideways – partly because the plans show a line on the companionway going side to side, which seemed to me to indicate the roof opening in the fore/aft direction.

 

In the end I decided I’d have the doors opening forwards. I reckoned 2ft was still room to get in and out, and the doors certainly opened comfortably into that space.

 

Interesting reading and we'll have to take some measurements on our deck layouts. From the plans, it looks like we have room either way.  This, I think is possibly the clearest way to make you decision.

 

Kirby, are you planning to install the hatches and this before you plank the deck?  If you do, you'd better make your decision on the orientation of this beforehand.  If you don't, Yikes!!

 

Edited July 24, 2021 by drjeckl

[glbarlow]

18 minutes ago, drjeckl said:

suggested black card stock

Actually black card is better for capstans, my impression Mike isn’t comfortable with that. Cheerful and my Nelson in fact use black card, I’m offering an alternative and one I use for masts and yards. 

Edited July 15, 2021 by glbarlow

[KirbysLunchBox]

I started messing with the carriages and canons as soon as I opened the box.  They definitely look better when you file down the parting lines and sharpen up some of the soft edges. I had to put them to the side though.  Hopefully I will have a good plan by the time I need to attach them!

[Freezing Parrot]

2 hours ago, glbarlow said:

I use black masking tape cut into 1 or 2 mm strips with an exacting knife I got from Amazon. I’m not sure about consistency using beads of glue. 

 

seems like you need some 18/0 and 10/0 paint brushes, easier than a toothpick. 

Thanks for the idea of masking tape! I was worried about consistency, as well as having excess glue running down the sides of the gun carriages. I’ll have to check out those sizes of paintbrushes, too.

 

1 hour ago, Cathead said:

My hands shake a bit, too, I've learned to balance my forearms or even wrists on something when doing delicate work.

I like that suggestion! Why is it that the simplest solutions are often revelations to us? 😁

[Freezing Parrot]

1 hour ago, drjeckl said:

 A little tip I picked up from Vossie was to paint the heads on the carriage bolts black.  That made it really look realistic.

I saw that and tried to copy the idea, but couldn’t get precise enough. Maybe I’ll be able to with super small paintbrushes.

[Freezing Parrot]

1 hour ago, drjeckl said:

Here's one on the companion way installations which gives some different reasons for doing it either way.  Tony is a great builder…

I highly recommend you look at his build.  

 

 

Thank you, John, for telling me about that build log. I ended up reading the whole thing, and got quite a few ideas for my LN. You’re right, @tkay11 is a great builder!

Edited July 15, 2021 by Freezing Parrot
typing error

[Freezing Parrot]

Okay, 2nd planking is at a critical juncture. The upper 4 planks are installed on the bulwarks. Now the tapering and edge bending start. I'm familiar with making the tic strips, using the planking fan, marking the hull, etc. My question involves dividing the hull in two sections for planking. Is that done before the tic strips are made? If' so, how do you determine where that dividing line should be? I've read build logs where the builder used thin tape, others where they used black thread. But nobody really explained how they determined where it should lay.

[drjeckl]

Take a look at Vossie's LN build log in that section.  He agonizes over various looks of where he does the division so that may help give you an idea.  Me, I just tried to divide the gap into 2 equal sizes or at least one band having only one more plank than the other.  Do the tic strips after you create the bands.

Edited July 17, 2021 by drjeckl

[Freezing Parrot]

Thanks John! You're right, rereading his log did help. At the very least it reassured me that I'm not the only one who's had trouble choosing the right line. I will keep experimenting.

[Freezing Parrot]

While sighting down the hull from the bow, I noticed that somehow I have a twist in the stem. I think that when I clamped it during installation, I knocked it out of alignment and never noticed. Grrr.

 

 

I took a sanding block to it, along with some fiddly sanding with a small piece of sandpaper, and got it looking better, at least. It's still not right, but at least it won't drive me crazy every time I look at it.

 

[glbarlow]

You should read chucks .pdf on lining the hull, he tells you everything you need to know. The 1/64th artist tape is a simpler way than glue and string, but same thing otherwise.

 That stem is a real pain, mine was such cheap wood I broke it like three times. Keep in mind the bowsprit has to lay along side if it. That’s another challenge with how this model was designed, Chris told me Amati would change his designs sometimes. 

 

[KirbysLunchBox]

I got lucky. I only broke the stem once, but my keel has a twist right at the stern post junction. The wood is very finicky. I have been struggling to make a clean cut for the grating frames. 

[Freezing Parrot]

1 hour ago, glbarlow said:

You should read chucks .pdf on lining the hull, he tells you everything you need to know. 

 

It is an excellent set of detailed instructions, but I didn’t see where he explained how to determine where the tape or string should go. If you clamp a piece of string halfway down the stem and halfway down the keel and pull it tight, it dips down close to the keel, which is too low. I didn’t see an explanation of how to determine the right line it should take.

[glbarlow]

4 minutes ago, Freezing Parrot said:

to determine the right line it should take

He sort of does, it’s the art part. I went through the same process. Once you separate the bands, start on the top band and  at the middle, the lines go towards the aft and bow with the flow as you visualize it.  Basically it’s how and when you think it looks right. It takes some time and truthfully it’s harder to do on a small hull than it is on a larger one. It sort of comes to you.  I know it’s not a great answer. 

[drjeckl]

Looks like you got the stem better than it was.  My question is why did you let your dog chew on the bulkhead former (part 16), where the first first hatch is supposed to go?  What's with that?😁  What, did you buy the ZHL LN knockoff?  Just kidding.😛

Edited July 18, 2021 by drjeckl

[Freezing Parrot]

9 hours ago, glbarlow said:

Basically it’s how and when you think it looks right. It takes some time and truthfully it’s harder to do on a small hull than it is on a larger one. It sort of comes to you.  I know it’s not a great answer. 

 Thanks Glenn. The more posts I read about the process, the more I started to realize that what you're saying is probably the most accurate answer. It seems like it's less of a technical skill and more a sense of familiarity with the flow and lines of a hull. Some people have that artistic sense already, and others of us (hope to) gain it through practice.

 

9 hours ago, drjeckl said:

My question is why did you let your dog chew on the bulkhead former (part 16), where the first first hatch is supposed to go?  What's with that?😁  What, did you buy the ZHL LN knockoff?  Just kidding.😛

Good eye, John. 😁 I'd say it was shipworms, but they're definitely not that messy. Chalk it up to indecision. During 1st planking, I thought about cutting out sections of the bulkheads under each hatch in case I wanted to put small platforms and ladders down from he hatches or companionway. It would have been easy to make nice cuts before the planking was finished, but I kept changing my mind. Once the hull was closed up, I could cut straight down through the hatch opening, but had to tear away the MDF with pliers. It's not good enough to drop in small platforms, so I should have just left them intact.

 

I may or may not be indecisive.

[Freezing Parrot]

After many attempts, I have a tentative line dividing the hull for planking. I know the bow and stern views show it not quite symmetrical, but other than that, how does it look? Does anybody foresee any problems with this line? 

 

[drjeckl]

That division could work.  I made my bands after I installed the garboard plank and the one above (the "first plank"?).  Those will likely be full sized, like the the bulwark planks.  Your band planks will be tapered.  Then once you have your bands, figure out how many planks in each band.  I don't think you want a wide spread in that.  An equal number of planks per band, or a one plank difference is probably best.

 

Mike, I have not really seen any consideration of band size.  I'm just basing this on some common sense.  I did that on my LN, 8 and 7) and the it turned out ok.

 

Maybe Glen has some better insight..

 

 

Edited July 19, 2021 by drjeckl

[Freezing Parrot]

Thanks, John. Yeah, yours did turn out really well! 

[glbarlow]

2-3 at the top are full width, install those. As John noted do the garboard. Then do a tick strip midships at widest point between this installed planks. Divide that length by the width of your planks. If it’s even divide in half, if odd the one more in the upper band. Then line the hull from there following the pdf. 
 

Remember, especially as this is your first you’ll want to adjust every 2-3 planks as nothing is perfect. The goal is to more or less have equal width planks at the bow and most important have the same number of (skinny) planks at the bow as you do midship. 

Edited July 19, 2021 by glbarlow

[Freezing Parrot]

Thanks Glenn!

[Dale Hallier]

Thanks for the comments on my Victory log. I decided to come over and see how your build is coming along. It is looking great! My Victory would be impossible for me except for the really detailed instructions (I am on page 526 now). Having all the people on this site as a resource makes this hobby much more possible as well. Your log has great detail - good luck on the rest of your Build.

[Freezing Parrot]

Thanks, Dale! I'm hoping to get a chance to work more on it this weekend.