HMS Speedy by David Lester - FINISHED - Vanguard Models

[David Lester]

Good Morning,

It's been a while since I have been active in the forum, but that doesn't mean I haven't been active in my workshop. I have just finished my second Bluenose model, this one for my daughter. I didn't do a build log for it as it would be virtually identical to my first one.

 

 

I ordered and receive the Speedy for my next project, but it no sooner arrived that I got a call from my near-by fellow ship modeller, Peter, who asked me if I would like to take on an Agamemnon. It had been his late father's who had started it, but been unable to finish it. Peter already had other things on his model-building plate, and since this particular type and era of vessel is not his chief area of interest, he thought it might appeal to me. He was right, however it is a pretty daunting project.

 

The first planking is finished, the gunports are framed, the framework for the stern installed and the lower deck is planked. Everything to this  point is beautifully done; I hope it isn't downhill from here. I will soon start a separate build log for this project.

 

 

For the first time ever, I have two projects at once. I think I may work on them simultaneously. The idea of being able to move back and forth as the spirit moves me has some appeal.

 

So with all that preamble over, here is my work on the Speedy so far. I have to admit that I am approaching this build log with a great deal of trepidation. There is some pretty impressive work out there and the bar has been set very high.

 

I almost can't believe how precisely the parts have been cut - they fit together perfectly.

 

I did a little pre-beveling on the first and last bulkheads.

 

Notwithstanding the shiny bright finish on the deck of my Bluenose, for these naval vessels, I always prefer a grey finish. I've noticed that not too many others finish their decks that way, but I tend to like them. I wasn't sure how it would work on the etched deck of this model, but fortunately I was able to experiment on the lower deck which is almost completely unseen.

 

I use artists' acrylic paint and make a very thin wash of gray, tempered with some yellow and/or brown. It worked quite well with this etched deck. The lines between the planks show up just the right amount. In a few spots the wash had overfilled the lines, so I ran a razor blade along them very lightly and it worked beautifully.

 

I think I have just a bit too much yellow in my gray mix on this lower deck. For the upper deck, I'll make the colour just a bit grayer. It was great having this "practice" deck to work on.

 

 

That's it for now.

Thanks,

David

 

 

 

 

[Chuck]

Very Good....Looks like you will be a very busy modeler.   I am looking forward to seeing both models progress. 

[whitejamest]

I like the coloring on the deck, it seems realistic and still attractive. 

[David Lester]

I've made a little more progress on the Speedy. It is impossible to overstate how perfectly the pieces fit together and what a pleasure they are to work with.

I added the upper sub-deck which popped into place beautifully. Fairing the hull seemed a relatively easy chore. The mdf is a lot nicer to work with than plywood and with the lower deck and upper sub-deck in place, which essentially serve as guides, it was hard to go too far wrong. I did get a little over zealous on the the second to last bullkhead when I pre-sanded it before its installation. I had to fix it with a thin strip.

 

 

The gunport strips were causing me a lot of anxiety, because I knew that they can be a bit tricky and I've never built a model that uses them before. However, the job wasn't too bad and again, I think it is because they are so perfectly designed and cut to fit.

 

Like almost everyone else, I had a small bit of wrinkling with the bow sections,  but nothing that can't be easily fixed with some sanding.

 

 

The two sides meet up really well with the the two stern pieces. I needed a very small amount of sanding on the port side and just a tad more sanding on the starboard, side.

 

Gunport strips installed -

 

First strip of planking added -

You can see the two spots where there was a little wrinkling and I've done some "experimental" sanding. It isn't fully sanded at this point, of course, but I just wanted to discover if it could be easily sanded out and I believe it can be.

 

I have a new tool - a miniature block plane from Lee Valley.

 

It's hard to tell from the picture, but this thing is small; just 2 1/2" long and 3/4" wide. I intend to use it to taper planks and to bevel their inner edges. I used it on the one plank I've installed so far and it worked very nicely; especially for beveling the edge.

 

That's my update for now. Thanks for looking in, comments, and "likes."

David

 

 

 

 

 

[David Lester]

I am determined to improve my planking skills with this build, so have been trying a couple of experiments with the first layer. 

 

I tried my hand at two of Chuck's suggestions - the first was spiling and the second edge bending with an iron. The spiling works well in that it certainly solves the problem of the planks tending to "step" at the bow. However, it presents its own set of challenges and it needs some wider stock to work with. I tried one spiled plank on the port side, but no need for a picture of it - it's a bit rough and once you see it, you won't be able to "un-see" it. I don't want to ruin anyone's day.

 

However, the iron method works really well and is pretty much foolproof. I bought a cheap iron ($21.99) and set up an ironing station.

 

 

The hold-down is important, because without it, it's still possible for the plank to "buckle." With the hold-down, it works very smoothly.

 

 

And here is the plank in position -

 

I am now a convert to this method. I'm expecting it to be especially helpful for the second layer. In the past I have sometimes found the second layer more difficult and frustrating because if the plank doesn't lay perfectly flat, the glue doesn't hold and sanding results in gaps. I think this is going to improve things for me considerably.

 

Thanks for checking in.

David

 

[DelF]

Excellent work so far David. Great to see another Speedy on the go, and I’ll follow your build with interest. I was particularly interested to see your approach to colouring the decks. I haven’t yet decided whether or not I’m going to use the kit-supplied decks in my current build (Duchess of Kingston) or make my own, so I may try your method as an alternative. 
 

Derek

Edited October 26, 2021 by DelF
typo

[David Lester]

Thanks Derek,

I've coloured the upper deck already and I'm quite a bit happier with it than the lower deck (which was the sacrificial trial case.) The upper is more gray, less yellow. A very light sanding lets some of the wood show through and I think it's a good natural look. It will make its appearance in due course.

Thanks again,

David

[David Lester]

A little more progress on Speedy -

 

I have finished the first layer of planking. This is not a difficult hull to plank and the whole process went smoothly. I chose not to line off the hull, creating belts. The instructions didn't indicate that this was necessary and I decided since it is a small hull, I shouldn't have any problems if I didn't do it. So I just eyeballed the amount of tapering for each plank at the bow, taking off just about half or slightly less and planning to address any issues once I got to the bottom. I worked straight down, but installed the garboard before added the final two planks above it. There really were no problems to speak of, just a matter of fitting the last plank against the garboard.

 

I used my new little Lee Valley plane to taper the planks and I found it to be very effective and pleasant to use. (which I'm relieved to discover, since it was about the same price as a used Hyundai!)  I can never seem to hold a ruler firmly in place when using a knife. This way, you just hold the plank on its edge and run the plane along it. It works really well and you have quite a bit of control. I didn't ruined a single plank this time, which is not typically the case for me with a knife and ruler.

 

 

 

 

Having really only built Model Shipways kits before, I am used to drawing the bearding line and reducing the centre keel before adding the planking. This kit doesn't include that step, but rather asks you to simply apply the planking first and then sand the stern area to a very thin width afterwards. I wasn't sure how easy a task this would be to do, but it proved to be easier than I anticipated and I think I have an acceptable result. I know it looks rough in the picture, but that's only because of the the contrast in colours. It's actually very smooth where the planks feather out.

 

 

I think this is the first hull I've planked where I don't need a gallon of filler (and I'm talking imperial gallons!) I will use some though, just to even out a couple of spots, but I think it will need only a minimal amount. And that's it for now.

 

Thanks again for comments, likes etc.

David

[James H]

Nice, tidy job. 

 

I hate filler, so I know what you mean. 

[Chuck]

Wonderful work David

[glbarlow]

Nice to see another Speedy underway, the sister to the Flirt I'm working on now. You're off to a nice start.

 

I too am a convert to plank bending, its so easy to do and makes such a big difference.  I started with the hold-down on my bending station but determined I didn't need it and like being able to apply the iron to the whole area being bent.  Either way it's such a superior method.

 

I taper planks with the ruler and knife, the opposite of you I can't handle the planer consistently. I'd be interested to see how you hold the plank while you're planing it to fit.

[Thukydides]

It looks really good. I am also all in on the plank bending train. I have learned the hard way that if you have to force the plank into place it will never look as good as if you had just got the bend done right so it just naturally sits there.

 

[Peanut6]

The iron you used is the same as the one the Boss got me as a Father's Day present when I went the edge bending route for planking my Jolly Boat over the summer.  I use my Dremel with the sanding disc for tapering and chamfering my hull planks which gives me 100% control.  I mark the plank width at each frame member and connect the dots using a straight edge.  I sand down just shy of the line and hand sand as needed to fine tune the fit. Knocking off the edge takes just a minute.  Hope you don't mind me following along, this is another I'm considering for my second build. 

[BobG]

On 10/30/2021 at 1:25 PM, David Lester said:

I used my new little Lee Valley plane to taper the planks and I found it to be very effective and pleasant to use. (which I'm relieved to discover, since it was about the same price as a used Hyundai!)  I can never seem to hold a ruler firmly in place when using a knife. This way, you just hold the plank on its edge and run the plane along it. It works really well and you have quite a bit of control. I didn't ruined a single plank this time, which is not typically the case for me with a knife and ruler.

 

Holding the plank on its edge while planing it seems like it would be wobbly and difficult to control but it sounds like you've got it mastered. Really nice work, David!

[David Lester]

Bob - I found that holding the plank on its edge worked just fine for the first layer of planking (1.5mm) but wasn't sure it would work as well for thinner material. I haven't started the second layer yet, but I experimented with some 1mm planking and it is in fact too wobbly. So, I've built a jig that solves the problem. I don't have a picture of it, but I'll get one tomorrow and post it. I just glued four strips onto a scrap piece of 1x2. Two of the strips are 1/8" x 1/4" and they're glued wide side down and 1mm apart. The other two are 1/16" x 1/4" and they're glued down the same way, 1mm apart. They hold the planking strip perfectly. I start with the 1/8"  and then move to the 1/16" as I remove more material.

 

Kev - your system sounds like it would work well. If you're thinking of the Speedy as your next kit, I would recommend it highly. I'm not too far along yet, but so far, it is an absolute pleasure to work on.

 David

[David Lester]

Here's the little jig I made to hold the 1mm planking. The two strips in the foreground are 1/8" high and the two behind are 1/16" high.

David

[David Lester]

I've just started the second planking. I have the stern area done. So far, so good.

 

This wood is very nice to work with.

 

 

That's all for now. I'm afraid it's back to raking leaves. We are knee deep in maple leaves. However, there are still plenty more to come down which always presents a challenge. There's always a very small window between the last leaf falling and the first snow. At this point it's just a matter of volume reduction.

 

Thanks for checking in.

David

 

 

[David Lester]

Good Morning,

I've made good progress with the planking.

 

 

 

This is not too difficult a hull to plank. I didn't soak any of the planks. I just used my new steam iron to bend the planks laterally at the bow and I also gave them a slight bend at the stern as well. With this "game changing" method they all fell into place very nicely.

 

I had no serious problems or issues, but if I'm being totally honest, I did have to correct two small missteps. I discovered a glaring gap between two planks that I had failed to notice as I was working on them. It was just too big to fix with filler, so I had to remove a couple of planks below the gap. I brushed on acetone and was able to salvage them. I replaced them with new planks and saved these salvaged ones for a location below the water line.

 

Also, initially I had the garboard planks located quite far down so that a portion of the keel would have been covered by them. I wasn't sure if that was right or not, but it occurred to me that the width of the the copper piece provided for the keel would indicate how much of the keel should be exposed. From that it was clear that the full depth of the keel needed to be exposed and the garboard planks were in fact too far down,  so I planed and sanded them back and everything appears to line up correctly now.

 

So now it looks like it's on to the the inner bulwarks and deck.

 

Thanks for checking in and the likes.

David 

 

[BobG]

She really looking good, Lester. Nice work!

[David Lester]

I've spent the last little while working on the bulwarks.

 

The first job is to remove the bulkhead extensions. This was quite easy to do; most of them just popped off -

 

 

 

Bow and stern areas painted. I'm using Admiraly Red Ochre -

 

 

Fitting the deck. It fit perfectly and didn't need any fine tuning at all -

 

The first plank -

 

The rest of the planking - The kit calls for the same 1x4 mm pear as is used for the hull planking, but I opted to just use some basswood I had in my stash. I'm afraid I might run out of the pear when I plank the outer hull around the gun ports. Planking above the wales and cutting around the gun ports is a really critical part of the build and it's very unforgiving. The odds of my having to do one or more "do overs" before I get an acceptable result are pretty high and I really don't want to run myself short of the pear because of that, so I can see no downside to using this basswood for the bulkwarks.

 

As it turns out, cutting around the ports for the bulwarks went without any problems, so that bodes well for the outer planking. I hope it goes as smoothly.

 

 

Drilling the holes for the guns and cleats - There are many ingenious design elements to this kit and this is certainly one of them. The places to drill are marked on the outside. They can be located perfectly and are a lot easier to drill from the outside than they are from the inside. The only caveat is to be sure not to allow any tear-out. I placed a piece of masking tape on the inside, and while it doesn't show it in the picture, I also held my finger behind the spot where the drill would emerge. (didn't hurt too much!)

Sanded and ready to be painted -

 

Finished bulwarks -

 

And now with some trepidation, (but plenty of pear), it's on to the outer planking.

 

Thanks,

David

[DelF]

Neat work David - you're making good progress. Have you treated the deck? Sorry if I've missed the explanation, but it looks different in the last few pics.

[whitejamest]

Nice neat work on the inner bulwarks, and I like the weathered look on the deck. 

[David Lester]

Hi Derek,

It's a real trick of the light. The deck actually has the same finish in all the picture, but for some reason it looks quite different in the last two. In reality it looks like the first couple of pictures. I applied a thin gray wash using acrylic paint and then rubbed it with steel wool.

 

David

[David Lester]

Hello All,

I've finished the upper planking and wales and everything has gone without  problems.

 

I was worried about cutting around the gun ports, and was all but certain that I'd need more than one attempt to get it right, but I was actually able to get an acceptable result on my first try.

 

Here is the port planking done, before cutting out the gun ports and sweeps -

 

 

And here is the end result with a finish applied. I debated what to do with the finish. The instructions refer to matte varnish, which I assume is intended for this planking. However, I thought I might like a little bit of sheen so I used shellac. I find that even satin polyurethane tends to be too shiny, but shellac, when rubbed down with steel wool and then burnished with a paper towel gives a very gentle sheen -

 

 

I used some masking tape to mark the location of the wales. I used thick CA glue to attach it and it went on (and stayed on!) quite easily -

 

 

 

And now, I think I'm ready to begin applying the copper plates -

 

 

 

Speedy is proving to be a very satisfying project and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

 

Thanks again for checking in.

David

[Peter Rumgay]

David, building two ships at the same time is beyond me, never mind planking two hulls. I have trouble enough just finding my way home. Both ships look great keep up the good work.

[BobG]

That's a lovely finish on the hull, David.

[DelF]

I agree - she's looking great. I'm glad to see someone else using shellac - one of my favourite finishes. One thing I'm sure you're aware of though - rubbing down with steel wool can cause problems unless you manage to get rid of every last tiny piece, otherwise they'll rust and spoil the finish later on. In future you might be safer just buffing - I use a piece of soft, lint-free cloth once the shellac has dried. 

 

Derek

 

 

[David Lester]

Thanks for the comments guys!

Derek, I'm a big fan of shellac, especially orange (or amber.) On very pale wood like basswood or birch dowels it gives a really good even colour if I'm looking for a natural finish - a little richer than with just polyurethane, with none of the problems of trying to get an even colour with stain and it tones down to just the right degree of sheen.

 

I always have a canister of compressed air handy. It's great for removing all dust and debris as I work. I don't think I have any little bits of steel wool hanging on.

Thanks again,

David

[CiscoH]

I use shellac almost exclusively on my woodworking projects.  While I think it looks best after 0000 steel wool you can also use any of the synthetic abrasive pads, like the scotchbrite green or blue sponges, if leaving metal bits is a concern.  But its probably not an issue unless you have a coarse wood that can catch strands, or possibly if you use a water-based polyurethane as a top layer.  

[David Lester]

Good Morning,

I have had a bit of a coppering adventure. This is the first time I've used copper plates. In the past I've only used the self-adhesive copper tape, so this turned out to be a not very successful learning experience.

 

I did the port side first. Things started out ok, but it was looking really bad at the bow. Where the plates lay in straight rows it went smoothly but I found the transition from the hull to the stem to be very difficult to do. I finished the port side, but was not very happy with how it was looking at the bow. I decided to leave it alone and consider it to be my learning side, ie. the "bad" side that would face the wall. I have no pictures of the port side.

 

I moved on to the starboard side and like the port side, it started out ok. But even at the outset I wasn't very pleased. The plates are easy when it's straight and even, but as soon as there's a bit of a curve, I couldn't figure out how best to handle it smoothly.

 

 

At the bow things really fell apart. I redid the bow area four separate times and each time my results seemed to get worse. My terrible port side was beginning to look like the good side. I couldn't bring myself to photograph any of this, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

 

I also seemed to have a lot of trouble getting the corners of the plates to lay flat, and of course, when I dealt with that by placing glue right at the corners, I also got it on the surface as well. I knew that wasn't too big a problem, as it will clean off, but it wasn't helping my frustration level.

 

I was a bit surprised by my problems, as I haven't read very much, if anything, on the forum of others having such an unhappy experience.

 

In the end, I abandoned the plates altogether. In frustration, I ripped them all off, smoothed down the hull and started over with the self-adhesive tape. Perhaps it doesn't look as good as well applied individual plates, but believe me, it looks 10 times better than my previous best efforts, so this is what it's going to be.

 

 

In the past, when I've used this method, I've simulated the nail heads with a ponce wheel, but always thought the effect was a bit over scale, so this time I eliminated that step and I think the result is at least as good, if not better.

 

 

 

 

I think I'm still going to have a decent looking Speedy, so I'm not disappointed in that, but I am a little disappointed with myself that I was so easily defeated.

 

I still have the hull of the Agamemnon ahead of me. I want to use the supplied plates for that if I can. They are the same size as the ones for Speedy, however the hull is about four times as big. I'm hoping that that will give me a slightly bigger margin of error. We shall see.

 

Thanks again for comments and likes.

David