HMS Victory by BikerMart - Caldercraft - 1:72

[BikerMart]

I couldn't resist adding a sixth model to my list of works in progress.

I must say that I think that I prefer the CNC-routed approach of Caldercraft to the laser-cut approach of Amati. My fingers don't get so dirty!

Pictures will follow. So far the bulkheads, false deck and dummy barrel strips are in place.

 

[BikerMart]

As per previous post, bulkheads, lower gun deck and dummy barrel strips are in place.

 

[BikerMart]

A start has been made on the first planking.

 

[BikerMart]

Three weeks on and the first planking is completed. Now I need to sand and fill and fill and sand.

 

[BikerMart]

Maybe not the place for such a joke but I couldn’t resist. This is for the oldies among us. Fill and sand fortifies the over forties, right?

[BikerMart]

First planking filled and sanded, and work has started on the stern galleries. The location of the center wale has been marked in readiness for starting the second planking. Instructions say to start the second planking from the center wale down to the keel, although the illustrations of the prototype on the JoTiKa site show the planking starting from the main wale down. I guess I'll follow the printed instructions.

 

[BikerMart]

I just offered up the inner bulwark pattern, part 275. The gunport openings appear to be about an eighth of an inch out of vertical alignment. I am pretty sure that the outer gunport pattern is in it's correct position - about 1mm above the top of where the upper deck would be. I can of course trim the one eighth of an inch off the bottom of the inner bulwark, but thought that I would see if anyone had a similar experience with their Victory build before I did so.

Thanks! Martin

 

[Charter33]

Hi Martin,

Yes - definitely trim off the excess! I made the mistake of not doing so, assuming that because the lateral alignment was fine all was okay. Wrong!

Overcame the problem but it wasn't easy, as you will see in my build log, posts #15 and #16. 

Good luck...

Graham

[BikerMart]

Thanks Graham, that was really helpful. Can you say whereabouts in Berkshire you are based? I spent the first 50 of my - about to be - 70 years in Reading.

 

[Charter33]

Happy to help out - mistakes are there to be learned from, and it's even better when it's someone else's error!

I'm in Bracknell, about 12 miles from Reading. Lived here for 60 years. My eldest son and his wife now live in the west of Reading in the Tilehurst area.

Cheers,

Graham

[mort stoll]

I too trimmed off the excess.

[BikerMart]

Tilehurst was where I was born and raised; then Caversham when I got married and started a family. I lived in Bracknell briefly; shared a council flat in ?Wordsworth? if I remember correctly. Anyways, as per suggestions, I shaved off the bottom of the inner bulwarks and used dowels for alignment while the glue set. Tapered paint brushes held the dowels firmly in place. Worked a treat!

 

 

[BikerMart]

Work proceeds on the stern galleries and the second planking. Oops! I painted the stern galleries black and realised that parts should be yellow. I don't know how many coats will be required to cover up my mistake; about 3 coats have been applied so far.

 

[BikerMart]

Small update. Second planking continues and some progress has been made on the stern galleries. Gunports need to be cleared - a tedious business that I would be happy to sub-contract!

[allanyed]

Your first layer of planking looks to have the strakes tapered and spiled which is great.  Will you be doing the same for second layer?  It is so nice to see proper planking techniques with your kit.  Was this part of the kit instructions or did you do this on your own?  Either way, it is great to see!

 

Allan

[kiwiron]

Hi Bikermart. Before you go too far with the second planking check other Victory posts around the keel where the beading line is. I'm sure the first planking should go to the stern rubber post and to the keel. Not sure if it makes sense, Check out you tube Paul Vickers Victory.

[kiwiron]

Check out Robert29 page 3

[BikerMart]

Both layers of planking are/will be spiled and tapered. By spiling, I guess that you mean edge-bent, as per Chuck Passaro?

The instructions for this kit - and others - suggest tapering, but I have not seen spiling/edge-bending mentioned in any kit instructions. Research into build logs and planking tutorials on MSW showed the benefits of edge-bending, and so I have been using these methods for the latest builds - Pickle, Vanguard and Victory. Certainly a lot less filler is required with this method!

[BikerMart]

The kit instructions for Vanguard indicated to terminate the first planking at the bearding line, and that is what I did. It reduced the amount of tapering required before applying the second planking. I just followed suit when it came to Victory.

 

 

[allanyed]

6 hours ago, BikerMart said:

By spiling, I guess that you mean edge-bent, as per Chuck Passaro?

Actually these are completely different roads to get to the same endpoint.  Chuck uses edge bending while spiling is cutting the plank to shape.  I have found success with both most of the time, but edge bending can be a problem with tight turns and hard woods, whereas spiling is fail safe.  There is a very informative article on spiling here at MSW in the articles section written by the author of the The Fully Framed Model series David Antscherl.

Allan

[allanyed]

15 hours ago, kiwiron said:

Check out you tube Paul Vickers Victory.

I would ignore his videos when it comes to the second layer of planking as they look nothing like any ship ever built.  His videos over all are interesting, but his planking uses neither Chuck Passaro's edge bending nor spiling and as a result, it looks like many of the strakes fail to end at the rabbet on the stem as they should.  The second layer pretty much looks like many other kit planking methods that were never used on any ship.  He does not mark out the lay of the planks to get the appropriate widths along the strake with stick strips or any other method so it is near impossible to get the planking tapered correctly.  Actually he does not appear to bother with any tapering, thus the inappropriate end result.  Look at time marker 8:14 on video number 6 and then compare to the planking on contemporary models.  One example to compare follows.   Note that every strake below the wales tapers and other than one drop strake, ends at the rabbet at the stem. 

Edited July 22, 2022 by allanyed

[BikerMart]

Allan. HMS Litchfield. Are you sure about the 't'? The city of Lichfield in England has no 't'. The town - and county - of Litchfield in Connecticut does have a 't'. That's where I got my last divorce.

 

[allanyed]

Biker Mart  According to contemporary sources it was spelled both ways.

One example is below from RMG, plan J4030 which is based on the original versus the 1730 rebuild.  By the way, the pencil notation on the drawing for the 1695 version is incorrect and RMG has been told about it, which they acknowledged.  The give away on which version the J4030 below is, is the doubled wales which are 17th and early 18th century designs.   The later version of 1730 was built to the 1719 Establishment which had solid belts of wales.  It states that the main wales and stuff between were equal thickness worked hook and butt for a total of 42" width. The channel wales has a total width of 26 1/2".  Each of the lower wale strakes on the drawing below are each 12 1/2" and the width of the channel wale strakes are each 10 1/4"

Allan

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by allanyed

[BikerMart]

Interesting. Given that the ship was, apparently, named after the English city of Lichfield, I wonder just when that ‘t’ got introduced. 

[allanyed]

1695 is the J4030 drawing.   Interestingly, the  contemporary drawing J4031 for the 1730 rebuild is also called Litchfield with a "t" .  The town was founded in the 12th century so somewhere in between 1100 and 1695 is my guess.  RMG describes both plans as Lichfield and noting it was also spelled Litchfield.  No matter for the model as the Admiralty disallowed names on the ships until 1780 and then after about 10 years stopped allowing them again in 1790.  I have seen a couple exceptions on contemporary models, but that may have been for presentation purposes only.

Allan

Edited July 23, 2022 by allanyed

[BikerMart]

Progressing slowly on the second planking. One plank per side per day. This job will take me through to the end of August.

[BikerMart]

Still planning to complete the second planking by the end of August....About 10 planks per side to go on the hull bottom.

 

[allanyed]

 The tapering you have done on the planking so far looks great!!  Be careful getting the garboard right.  It may be better to use tick strips to get the tapers of each of the remaining planks just right, but get the garboard in first so it does not rise too far up the stem or come up too short. 

Allan

Edited August 18, 2022 by allanyed

[BikerMart]

Thanks, Allan. I will take your advice about completing the planking.

 

[BikerMart]

Planking completed, but not quite as the master intended. I did fit the garboard and calculated the tapering of the remaining planks, but obviously dropped the ball somewhere. I needed a little droop plank at the bow and some squealers at the stern. Oh! And a 'correction' plank for good measure. But I am happy - this has been my best planking so far and will, of course, now be covered in copper anyway.