Securing planking while drying

[Laggard]

Working on a smaller model and simply cannot think of a way to hold planking in place while the glue dries.  
 

I have watched all the tutorials and read the FAQs but can’t find an easy way to do it.   Besides holding in place manually.  I suppose I could take some time off work.  
 

thanks

[Bob Cleek]

First off, if one shapes their planks properly, each plank should lay down as it should with very little need to hold it in place. Thereafter, any sort of springy clamp, e.g. small binder clips (below,) can be used to hold the plank against the frame face. Some also have success using a drop of CA glue to hold the plank in place and then flood the joint with diluted PVA glue. Another approach is to use a heated plank bending iron or travel iron for a few seconds against the face of each plank at each frame. The heat from the iron will speed the evaporation of the PVA and quickly set the joint. 

 

Another method, while more labor intensive, also works well. Drill a hole that is slightly smaller in diameter than a dressmaker's pin through the plank and about half way through the frame. Then pin the plank to the frame with the dressmaker's pin. (The pin must be a tight fit in the hole to hold the plank. If you don't drill a hole, you will risk splitting the plank when shoving a pin through it.) When the PVA is dry, remove the pins and replace them with pegs ("trunnels") glued into the holes. Then cut and sand the pegs flush with the plank face. If you are going to finish the hull with paint, you can forget the pegs and just fill the holes with putty and sand fair before painting. Of course, if you are going to finish the hull "bright' (showing the bare wood,) you should take care that your pegs are the proper scale diameter and are placed as they should be in the prototype vessel. (The pegs should not be of a contrasting color of wood, but should be the same color as the planking. The pegs can be got out of scrap planking stock using a drawplate.) The planks will significantly strengthen the plank fastening to the frames.

 

I don't think anybody has had much success with the many (expensive) "planking clamps" sold by the hobby tool vendors. 

 

You should find the forum's planking techniques section helpful. (It's in the drop-down menu at the top banner under "More." https://modelshipworld.com/forum/98-planking-downloads-and-tutorials-and-videos/

 

 

Edited July 4, 2021 by Bob Cleek

[Jaager]

Worse comes to worst, you can use a hitch chock.  With PVA, the strength of a bond is directly proportional to the clamping force.

 

Bob's admonition about making sure that dry fit conformation of the plank is correct is important.

 

Factors involved.

The diameter of the brass pin should be ~ 1-1.5" in scale.

The pre-drilled hole thru the three layers should be snug,  Not too snug if you intend to pull the pin.

The pin can be nipped and filed if brass trunnels are what you are after.

The hole placement is important.  There are prescribed rules for this.

If the pin is pulled, the hole can be filled with a push fit bamboo trunnel,  or wood flour/PVA if a belt and suspenders is not your practice.

 

If both surfaces are pre- coated with PVA and the coats allowed to cure, the plank can then be ironed and the heat will allow the PVA to act like a sort of contact cement.

Edited July 4, 2021 by Jaager

[druxey]

Elastic bands are often very useful.

[allanyed]

The tutorials here at MSW by Chuck Passaro and David Antscherl give two great methods for preforming the planks and both work well.  If the plank is either pre-bent with a form and heat or spiled, it can be held in place for about 30 or 45 seconds with finger pressure when using PVA and will hold.  No clamps needed if the planks are properly shaped and bent ahead of time.

Allan