Nisha by wool132 - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Brixham 'Mumble-Bee'

[wool132]

I started this build on 11-Mar-22 by laying out the pieces needed for the first part of the build.

Things were going along quite nicely for three days until I brushed the aft end of the hull against the edge of my workbench and broke off portions of parts 22, 23 and 24 on the port side.

I did what Grey did (see post 7) after a similar accident and glued part 22 back on with a couple of supporting pieces but I was stumped on what to do about the other two. There wasn't enough of them left to ensure things would be in alignment after a repair. I stopped working on the ship until I could figure out a way to recover from the mishap.

What I finally decided to do is fabricate a replacement for part 24 using the cut-out as a guide, glue the remainder of part 23 to this, then glue the whole thing onto the model.

This is the replacement part 24 made from a scrap piece of 2 mm MDF. It took about 90 minutes to file and sand to shape so that it would fit in the cut-out.

With the replacement glued in, it's on to Step 45 as I repeat the mantra: "I will finish this model. I will finish this model. I will finish ..."

 

Jonathan

Edited August 24, 2022 by wool132

[AJohnson]

Hi Jonathan,

 

Great to see another "Nisha" join the fleet! 😃

 

Do not worry, I have stopped counting the number of times I have broken my "Nisha" 😆

 

Good save by making replacement parts!  👍

 

(Pulling up a virtual chair to follow your build.) 🍿

[wool132]

Welcome aboard and it's great to have your eyes and experience watching over my shoulder!

My build will be somewhat more pedestrian than yours, I'm afraid.

 

Jonathan

[Andyrew]

You're off to a good start Jonathan, it's good to see another Nisha being built. If you need any help or advice just shout. I will be following your build, good luck,

Cheers Andy

[Theodosius]

From my own experience and what I have read here in all the logs, it seems to be not a real first ever model ship project, if you not break a pice at some point :-). Good word so far!

[wool132]

Thanks for your offer of assistance (Andyrew) and words of encouragement (AJohnson and Theodosius)!! And thanks to all the others for the likes 🙂. The Dory and Pram projects helped a lot as an organized introduction to the techniques of modeling (and travails too, such as the gudgeons and pintles on the Pram ☹️).

 

Step 45: While fairing the hull I held the engraved deck (#29) up against the stern timbers to gauge the amount of wood to sand off the two outer stern frames (#24). This was taken after I finished sanding. You can see that I had to remove quite a bit from my (uncharred) replacement part.

I also held the transit rail (#47) in place as another check.

Step 51: Bending and gluing the stern counter fortunately didn't present any special problems. I soaked the piece a long time and used as many clamps as would fit around the edges while it dried.

 

Step 61: This model looks like an excellent opportunity to try and apply the full Chuck Pissarro plankification process as described in chapter two of the Medway Longboat instruction manual. I cut up a bunch of tick strips, printed the planking fan, got a roll of tape, sharpened my pencil, and lined off the hull.

Some of the strips went askew while moving the hull around to take some pictures: I fixed 'em before the final marking of the hull. So next up is planking the starboard side. I'll finish that before tackling the port side.

 

In other news, we've already harvested about 25 stalks from our small asparagus bed and more keep coming up. Yum!

Jonathan

Edited May 1, 2022 by wool132

[AJohnson]

Hi Jonathan, nice careful work and well planned. 👍

And good news about your asparagus crops, love asparagus, griddled with Parmesan shavings and good balsamic vinegar. 😛

[wool132]

I've lined off the hull. I have Chuck's Medway Longboat planking instructions. I also have my bending board, three clamps, hair dryer, travel iron, plank bender, and silicon pad, so what could possibly go wrong?

Well!

I mis-measured at the stern so I wound up a little short on the total plank width, even using the full width available for the nine planks. As a result, I had to add a steeler a little below the future water-line. There is also a glaring gap towards the bow. Lord knows how THAT got there!

Speaking of the bow, here's a close-up showing the two planks that are significantly shorter than they should be. I started with the garboard plank and the one right below it then the first two strakes just below the bulwark. I struggled with determining where the planks should end at the stem until I ran across a comment by Craigie65 in Glomar's Nisha Blog. He suggested dry fitting part 58 to determine this. I fitted the part and drew a line to show the ending point. That helped a lot when fitting the five remaining planks in the middle.

The other problem at the prow is that I've tapered some of the planks so that they vary significantly in width. One is rather narrow and another, right below, is much too wide. I suppose I was trying to get back on track with my tick marks.

Meanwhile the stern didn't seem to come out too bad (after inserting the steeler). I used the hair-dryer-twist method so that the planks didn't need much pressure to fit in place. I like using woodworker's glue wherever possible. I dispense it with a hypodermic needle, smear it around a little into a thin layer using a toothpick, and finger-clamp the plank in place for a minute or two (or three if it's being cranky) until the glue dries enough to hold it in position, then move on to the next plank. I imagine distributing my fingers across the length of the plank is good practice if I ever decide to learn how to play the recorder. 🙂

I discovered that storing the syringe in a bit of water keeps the glue from drying out and clogging up the 18G needle, though I do need to press out a little glue before using it to get rid of any watery bits at the tip.

 

So, feeling rather chagrined but still hopeful, I'm moving on to the port side for another attempt.

 

As usual, any advice and counsel would be greatly appreciated!

 

Jonathan

Edited August 24, 2022 by wool132

[wool132]

Later that very same build ...

 

Having finished the first layer of planking on the port side, I turned to the starboard side. The results were better, at least at the stern.

With three strakes to go there was going to be a 0.05" gap so I tried to distribute that evenly across the four edges, given that everything would be covered up by the second layer of planks. The bow was also a bit ragged.

 

There was quite a gap between the counter and the bulwarks...

... but some filler cleaned that up.

There were no gaps amidships after the second planking (I finally got it right - yippee!) but the bow and stern areas on both sides needed some filler in the problem areas.

Given all the filler, it was easy to make the decision to paint the entire hull, starting with Badger Stynylrez for the primer.

I had to fashion a thin piece of pear to help fill the gap between the counter and the stern board as it was too wide for filler alone.

As you can see, I need to improve my sanding and painting techniques.

 

Jonathan

[Craigie65]

Wow that is progress.  Second planking looks good to me.

 

I had that same problem on the counter. As it is painted I just used filler to blend it in.  

 

Have you picked a colour scheme for her?

[wool132]

I'm going to use the Andyrew approved colour scheme. I was shooting for the DB789 look with the natural gunwale (minus the white racing stripe) but it looks like there will be a big gap between them and the stern gunwale that'll need a bunch of filler. Phooey. Maybe next time... (It's like home projects such as putting up drywall or tiling a bathroom: just about the time I actually get good at it, the job is done.)

 

Jonathan

[DB789]

She’s looking great Jonathan. I thought there was going to be a gap between the port and starboard gunwales and the stern board but instead I opted for a not very noticeable gap between my stern gunwale and the stern board but it is why I rarely show photos of my Nisha from astern…

I have to own up that my colour scheme was entirely borrowed from AJohnson.

 

Dan

[Craigie65]

Looking back at my build I see I filled the top not the bottom of stern board. You can still see the gap at the outer edges.

[wool132]

Thanks y'all for the likes and comments! Helps me keep going. Like, say, during construction of the infernal Companionway. I can imagine the conversation now:

James (working on the prototype): "Hey Chris, these hinges are so large that they're actually easy to put together."

Chris: "I can fix that! Bwahaha!"

 

Dan (DB789): Thanks! And if you just take photos of the stern from a high enough angle, nobody would suspect a thing!

 

Craig (Craigie65): It's almost as if you have to start with the fitting of the gunwale and stern gunwale, then work back from there until you reach Step 45. That way you'd know how much to sand off the stern frames before proceeding. I think I read somewhere that Malcolm Darch doesn't like to glue anything until all the relevant parts fit together like the proverbial glove.

 

Finally, a shout out to James H. and Chris Watton for numbering the steps in the documentation. It makes trading information a whole lot easier on the forums.

 

Jonathan

Edited May 31, 2022 by wool132

[Craigie65]

Jonathan,

I think you have it right there.  I played about with the build  sequence to get a decent fit at the stern. As you say how do you know how much to sand by to get a decent fit.  From memory I was seeing how the frame fitted against the counter before fitting the final engraved counter.  I was worried the counter would be too far forward and create a gap or too far back and need a lot of sanding.

 

I had a lot of sanding on the top of stern to get a flat fit to the frame.  Even then I ended up with a gap.

[wool132]

The Badger Anti-Fouling Red Oxide paint arrived on Saturday. I decided to go with DB789's white racing stripe after all.

(The starboard side looks the same).

While awaiting the paint, I got a head start on the deck paraphernalia (companionway, main winch, ladder, fish hatches, steam winch, mast, etc).

In other news, I've started Volume XIV - The Age of Reform in my quest to read the entire Oxford History of England series. A side benefit of all my effort is that "1066 and All That" is now even more hilarious! 

 

Jonathan

 

[Craigie65]

Looking good Jonathan!

 

What colour are you doing the capping rail?  looks as if you will have this all done before the summer.

[wool132]

I used Badger Stynylrez black primer for the finish coat above the waterline. I was so happy with the Red Oxide that I forgot to take a picture from the top. 🙂

I've spent the last couple of days poring over the rigging plan sheets and reading @Dr PR's excellent series of posts on the subject over in the Masting, rigging and sails forum. 

 

Jonathan

[DB789]

Looks great Jonathan! 

[wool132]

Thanks Craig and Dan and thank to all for the likes! We're moving on to the Rigging!! 🎉

Jonathan

 

[wool132]

I couldn’t help myself: I ordered the Fife. It’ll be here tomorrow.

 

Jonathan

[wool132]

Based on DB789's extensive research (Thank You!), I dyed the sails using 75% Scarlet and 25% Cocoa Brown.

They were darker when I first took them out of the pot but lightened up after drying/ironing. Although the label on the bottle said this would happen, I'm still somewhat surprised by how much lighter they are. Next time I'll know to leave them stewing until they look too dark. Then, by the time they're dry, they should be just right.

 

The wooden spoon I used to stir things up also came out a lighter shade. No complaints from the Admiral as I do most of the cooking ("I am an Admiral for goodness sakes, not a scullery maid!").

 

Jonathan

[Craigie65]

I think they will be a nice contrast to the dark hull, Jonathan.

 

Looking forward to seeing this one completed.

[wool132]

Bit of a snag.

 

I remember building a Revell USS Missouri when I was but a wee lad of five way back in nineteen hundred aught 54. I don't recall having problems with the decals (though I do remember a few of the 5" guns annoyingly sticking to my fingers because of the globs of glue). Nor do I recall problems with the decals on the B-29 Superfortress I built around the same time. But when I went to apply the Nisha decal in the stern, I screwed it up when I decided it would be a Good Thing to rub the decal One Last Time to get it really nice and flat.

 

So I ordered some dry transfer lettering.

 

Meanwhile, I resumed work on my Bounty Launch model. Today I got to the part where I need to make the sails.

 

Me: "I need to sew some sails for my ship model, so I was wondering if you could show me how to work your sewing machine, at your convenience." The at your convenience was a nice touch, I thought.

Admiral: The Look.

 

So I ordered a super-basic sewing machine from Amazon for $38 that a) might work and b) last long enough to put some stitches into some cotton fabric.

 

The lettering can't arrive soon enough.

 

Jonathan

[Craigie65]

Ouch, but you are not alone.  I know I have had problems with decal when going to far.  Sometime it is difficult to know when to stop playing with them, until it is too late.

 

Fingers crossed the dry transfers fix you problem

 

Sewing sails sounds too hard!  I think I will stick to the pre made beauties from Mr Watton.

[Andyrew]

It's looking good Jonathan, I used Microset and Microsol on the decals to help position them. Can't remember which one does what at the moment due to the fact that I am on holiday and my brain is in full relax mode. Decals are best applied onto a gloss finish which helps stop the "silvering" where the carrier film is visible. Good luck with the sails.

[wool132]

After celebrating The Launch of the Bounty Launch, I returned to the Nisha after a six week interlude in the build. The first thing to do was to use dry-transfer lettering to replace the botched-up stern decal. I didn't center it quite right ...

but it's not really noticeable if you view it from the right angle 🙂.

(Note: Funny how that works. I started out with the intent of constructing a model that would make Malcom Darch proud but by now I'm thinking that if it looks any where near half-way decent then that's great.)

 

So now I've started on the rigging. First up are the main shrouds. I used the Thanasis tool to apply the seizing for the deadeyes off the model. On the first one, I tried using the DelF method to more accurately reflect how it was done in practice. Here's how it turned out after a lot of finicky and tedious work with the beige thread:

As you can see, the results were not that good. I used plain old seizing on the second one. Although it was not as authentic it certainly looked better than the first so I've elected to continue with the easy way for the rest (see Note above).

After threading and fastening the lanyards, I ran the top of the shroud around the mast and wrapped the line around the shroud six or seven times for the seizing. I found that it was rather difficult to slide them up towards the mast to tighten up the shroud so I've started to use only four turns.

It was also difficult to manage all the threads involved so I've started to hold the top of the shroud together with a large piece of thread (to make it easier to untie the knot when the upper seizing is finished).

One problem with using the Thanasis tool is that it can't be used for lines that are looped around the mast. For that, I had to revert to use the toolless method. This was hard to do because it was on the model in a rather tight space and because I had not done any using this method having relied on the tool for all prior seizings. Now, after the third one, I'm starting to get the hang of it.

After the first bottom seizing at the top of the mast I elected the easy way out and started using a succession of knots tied to the left and the right of the line as described in DelF's HMS Speedy build (left/right was easier than top/bottom).

 

Meanwhile, the ratlines are looming in the background (cue the cellos playing two short notes 🦈).

 

Jonathan

[Craigie65]

The plain seizing looks fine.  I tie the top of the shrouds off the model using a piece of appropriately sized dowel. You need to play around a bit with the build sequence but it works for me.

 

Ratlines will be done in no time, only three knots per ratline😎;  compared to a three mast-er an absolute doddle. You will have your Nisha launched in two shakes.

Edited August 17, 2022 by Craigie65

[wool132]

This model is finished.

 

Craigie65 was right - the rigging didn't take all that long to finish up (though I had my doubts 🙂). I found that I had to get the main sail and the top sail in place before I could do any final adjustments with the length of sheets, halyards, etc.

 

The major problem was the bottom ring on the mast which was glued in too low so there is not enough clearance for the boom over the steam winch. I recalculated the distance between the bottom ring and the top of the main mast and what should have been 5.47" (after measuring the distance on the plans and multiplying by the requisite 7/6 to account for the printing error) was actually 5.65" on my model. Had I measured/calculated correctly in the first place then there would have been no clearance issue. Piffle.

 

If you're interested, the total time spent on the model was nearly 190 hours: 30 for planning, updating the build log, and research, 20 hours each for hull construction, first planking, second planking, and for building the rudder and painting the model. All the deck paraphernalia, decals, etc, took 50 hours and the rigging 30 (10 of that was spent in Ratline Purgatory).

 

Thanks y'all for your support, advice, interest, and good cheer. I hope that these updates have kept up my end of the blog bargain.

 

Jonathan

[ccoyle]

Congratulations! Looks fabulous!