Lady Nelson by dmalcolm72 - Amati/Victory Models - 1:64

[dmalcolm72]

Well, I'm back again. This is my third planked hull and hopefully I can do this one as it should be done." I say third hull because my second has not been finished. I paused it after planking the Occre Polaris so that I can transfer it to the Southern Yard (see below for view from the window...).

For those unfamiliar with the package, here's the obligatory box photo.

I successfully inventoried the contents to ascertain all parts are as specified...took me three passes to get a complete, correct count (might have been the rum!)

 

After rigorously studying the two pages of instructions and poring over the first two drawings I liberated the false keel, the bulkheads, the "plank termination patterns," and the temporary construction stand. Next up was some gentle sanding to remove all of the sprues.

 

First success was a few nights back...I assembled the construction stand.... 

I'm now in the process of preparing the false keel to accept the bulkheads. I'm preparing a rabbet to accept the planks forward and the garboard planks along the keel. It will simply be a shallow bevel (not all the way to a point) deep enough to accept both planking layers.

 

Now the tricky part for me...because I've never done this part before...and I'd like some guidance on this...the plans do not include a bearding line. What I've done so far is to clamp the bulkheads in place and mark the bottom of the last 3 bulkheads on the false keel. I then used a set of French curves to draw what I think is a fairly smooth curve on one side of the keel. I then transferred the curve to tracing paper. Placing the tracing paper on cardstock I used my knife to cut the curve templet in the cardstock. After matching up the templet on the original curve I then used it to trace the curve on the opposite side.

      

If this sounds like a good approach, my next step will be to sand the beard to a point at the stern and then move forward with installing the bulkheads and then the stem and keel.

 

Stem and keel will be glued into position, and then drilled and pegged with 24 gauge wire.

 

That's it for tonight...my updates are random but usually after a notable milestone or encountering a potential trouble spot. I look forward to your thoughts and inspiration....

Edited September 17, 2021 by dmalcolm72

[glbarlow]

Your bearding line is fine, it can be half that following the same curve you’ve drawn. Don’t overthink it, it’s only purpose as far as this model goes is for the frame and finished two layers of planking be equal to the width of the stern post. That’s accomplished by thinning this deadwood area, not covering it with the first planking, or a combination of both. Just need to plan that out. 

Edited September 12, 2021 by glbarlow

[dmalcolm72]

After laying off last night I decided to work on rough sanding the deadwood below and aft of the bearding line. I used 220 grit paper and a flat sanding block...I was aiming for a taper to a final edge about 1 mm thick at the bottom and the stern. I'm classifying this as a "rough" sanding because I plan to go back and complete it when the bulkheads are installed to hopefully get a better "flow" to the whole structure. Here's the progress for tonight...

      

 

And we have the first FUBAR of the build...I had not recognized how soft the composite pieces are and as a result I was probably too aggressive in my sanding. In sanding the curve of the bearding line (while feathering the deadwood) I ended up rounding the keel...

 

Luckily this will be covered by 2 layers of planking, the sternpost and the keel, but I'm perturbed that I did this. 

 

I think the solution to this may be to cut out this section and insert a piece of scrap and CAREFULLY re-sand it. The alternative would be to let it go and fill the void with planking and cover it with the keel and sternpost....I think I'll sleep on it and "fiddle" around with it tomorrow evening.

 

"La Jefa" got her new passport in the mail today so nothing should prevent our departure for the Southern Yard...It'll be good to get back. I can retire to my Cueva del los Barcos and work to finish the "Polaris." I've also got a scratch-built "Battle Station" (1:32) by Navy Board Models that I've started cutting wood for. I haven't decided if I'll take it down this trip or get further along on it before transport.

 

[glbarlow]

You’ll definitely have to sort out the keel back to square. I’m not sure what to suggest, but it won’t work as it is. Maybe running the first planking out and gluing the insides together after attaching the keel?

[dmalcolm72]

On 9/14/2021 at 9:45 AM, glbarlow said:

You’ll definitely have to sort out the keel back to square. I’m not sure what to suggest, but it won’t work as it is. Maybe running the first planking out and gluing the insides together after attaching the keel?

 

I've been giving this some thought and, short of contacting Amati and requesting a new keel, this seems the better option. I will soldier on as you suggest. I am wrestling with obtaining some 0.5 or 0.6 mm walnut for the second layer of planking....not quite sure which way to go....

 

That being said, I will begin installing the bulkheads tonight. Some of the build logs suggest presanding the bulkheads before installation...I think I would prefer waiting until after they are in place. I've done 2 other hulls and I've done both that way...I seem to visualize the shape better.

[dmalcolm72]

I ran across something tonight on Facebook that may help explain my FUBAR a couple of nights ago. It's called the Dunning-Kruger Effect. The graph below is a representation of this concept...

 

Now, my current position on this curve is way over to the left...the following curve clearly displays the left of the above graph...I think I have navigated its entirety...

 

😕😕😕

[ccoyle]

We lose a lot of zealous newbies in the "Valley of Despair" -- they just need to stick with it until they get to that "Plateau of Sustainability."

[glbarlow]

You can’t pre-sand bulkheads other than a rudimentary start.  Fairing the hull requires being able to run a plank smoothly from bow to stern, the bulkheads have to be installed to fair the hull properly.  As I recall the MDF in this kit is very soft, so go slow.  Leave the back edge of the char on bulkheads forward of midships and the front edge of those aft of midships. I think the aft most bulkhead requires a lot of up angle so plan it out.

 

If you could get a new keel I would, but I doubt Amati would be all that responsive.  Between the keel and stern post hopefully you can sort it all out.  We all make mistakes, half the fun of modeling is overcoming them 

[dmalcolm72]

So in thinking about things, I went ahead and lightly pre-sanded the edges of the three forward and three after bulkheads and lightly edge sanded the center bulkheads to remove the char. I then test fitted all of the bulkheads and squared them using my Legos. Everything looked good so last night I glued one of the center bulkheads in place and blocked it on all four quadrants with Legos while it set up and dried. I did forget to score the bulkhead tabs, but will do that tonight. From here I will probably do two bulkheads each night (remembering to score the tabs) until complete.  

 

    

                             Initial Fairing Bow                                                                     Initial Fairing Stern

 

    

                             Dry Fitting Bulkheads                                                           Gluing First Bulkhead

 

[Thukydides]

Just a word of warning from one first time builder to another. Make sure you really take your time with the faring and check it with strips many times particularly around the bow. My failure to do this caused me a lot of grief.

[dmalcolm72]

57 minutes ago, Thukydides said:

My failure to do this caused me a lot of grief.

Thanks. I appreciate the insight. I finished the Model Shipways 18th Century Longboat a year ago. It was a single plank layer...I planked it at least 4 times before I got it how I liked it. 

[dmalcolm72]

Well, I'm continuing to glue in the bulkheads this weekend. I did punch out the keel and the stem. I lightly sanded them to remove the char and also to clean-up the sprues. Oftentimes I struggle to keep my sanding square and true. A while back I came up with using this sanding surface. The scrap piece of granite countertop is perfectly flat and the straight side cuts are 90° true (I verified with my carpenters square). By placing a sanding block of the proper height (I can adjust that with a scrap of wood) I can keep the sandpaper square to the surface and then use the flat face of my surface to keep my part true.

 

[MiraMarSteve]

I'm thinking of building this kit myself for my first attempt but before I even start, I find myself in the "Valley of despair". Will this kit be too difficult as a first build?, what is a bearding line?, do I have enough time to learn all that I need to know, to do it right. I'm looking forward to follow in your footsteps.

 

[glbarlow]

57 minutes ago, MiraMarSteve said:

building this kit myself for my first attempt

You can’t learn until you start. This is a beginner kit and a good one to start with. Jump in. 

[Thukydides]

6 hours ago, MiraMarSteve said:

I'm thinking of building this kit myself for my first attempt but before I even start, I find myself in the "Valley of despair". Will this kit be too difficult as a first build?, what is a bearding line?, do I have enough time to learn all that I need to know, to do it right. I'm looking forward to follow in your footsteps.

 

The best way to learn is to make those mistakes. Starting your own build log is helpful as people here can give you advice and encouragement as you go along.

 

There are a lot of good lady nelson build logs on this site. Read as many of them as you can to learn from other people's mistakes. The lingo is a bit confusing at first, but as you read more logs you will start to understand what people mean by things like bearding line and false meek etc.

 

In any case you can always ask questions on other people's build logs (as long as the question is relevant to their work) your own log or some of the specific topic areas of the site.

[Thukydides]

On 9/19/2021 at 9:27 PM, dmalcolm72 said:

I can keep the sandpaper square to the surface and then use the flat face of my surface to keep my part true.

Good idea, it is always interesting to me to see the different solutions and approaches people have to the problems presented by models.

[dmalcolm72]

8 hours ago, MiraMarSteve said:

I'm thinking of building this kit myself for my first attempt....

 

Go for it! You won't get the first one done without doing starting. 😎

 

So far this appears to be a relatively simple (in my limited experience) build. That said, I did make a mistake early on in the build...so I still have much more to learn.

 

This is not my first build, I have two done and one more in the ways. "Lady Nelson" will be my first build with guns and ratlines... two new experiences and more skills.

Edited September 21, 2021 by dmalcolm72
Deleted non-essential wording.

[MiraMarSteve]

Thanks guys, I'm going to continue to follow dmalcolm72 and this build. I may lurk but will be learning for when I am ready. I'm going to get a Model Shipways Dory and Sailing Pram and do those before I jump into this kit. 

 

 

[dmalcolm72]

10 hours ago, MiraMarSteve said:

I'm going to get a Model Shipways Dory and Sailing Pram and do those before I jump into this kit. 

 

 

Excellent idea, go for it. I built a Midwest Crabbing Skiff along with/during my first build and it really helped...with skills and with confidence.

[dmalcolm72]

Dang! It's been almost a week and not a lot to show...oh well, some weeks are more active than others...there will be a 9 week hiatus from late October to the first of the year as I switch to the "Polaris" in the Southern Yard (and get in a couple of dozen dives).

 

Now, since the last post I have been reading and thinking (yes...it hurt ). I finished attaching all of the bulkheads except the transom. After much rumination I decided to fit some balsa blocks aft of the first bulkhead and also in the stern (yet to be done). This will provide more surface area for the first planking to attach. I've rough carved the balsa blocks for the bow and have glued in the first pair. I still need to cut and carve the after blocks, but will do so this week. The bow blocks have been sanded and installed so things are coming along. The following pictures show the filler blocks at the bow and the hull with all bulkheads installed. All are square within +/- 1/64".

   

              STBD Filler Block                                                      Port Filler Block

 

                              Installed Bulkheads

 

I dry-fitted the false deck and everything seems good to go. I do like the idea of installing wider planking around the bulwarks and will be getting these planks and studying how to edge-bend them to fit.

 

I've been thinking about how to do the hull planking....the 1mm first planking is pretty much tied in with the bulwarks...the two are paired and probably shouldn't be messed with to avoid dimensional issues, but the 1 mm walnut second planking is a lot of thickness for a veneer. I'm probably going to pull the trigger on 0.5 or 0.6 mm veneer in walnut for the second planking. Checking sources now and will order this week.

 

Also, when we cleaned out my mother-in-law's house we found several fabric wheel cutters...I tried one last night and with a straight-edge it does an amazing job of trimming planks....

Edited September 28, 2021 by dmalcolm72
Miscellaneous corrections

[dmalcolm72]

Sorry, I haven't accomplished much this week...I had other things going on. Tonight I sat down and glued in some 3/4" long 1/4"x1/4" reinforcing pieces into the false keel-bulkhead joints to strengthen them for later when fairing the hull and installing the first layer of planking. (As a side note, I have some 0.6mm walnut planking coming for the veneer.)

 

I have dry fitted the false deck and it looks to sit well...I need to sand the counter to be sure the deck has a good flat attachment point.