Gunboat Philadelphia 1776 by Allamagoosa (Devin Matlock) - Model Shipways - Scale 1:24

[Allamagoosa]

Good day to you all. It has been a bit more then a year since I have done any model work. I moved into a new home just over a year ago and between work and unpacking and well, you know. Anyway. The new home is great and nice to have a model bench to set up and ready to go.

 

I plan on building the Model Shipways Gunboat Philadelphia built in 1776 as my first project in the new home. This will also be my first build log so I plan to take pictures from the very start and discuss my thoughts on the kit, etc. I am still very much a mid-level builder so don't expect great craftmanship here. But I will do my best to learn, practice, have fun, and do the Philadelphia gunboat justice.

 

Thanks,

 

-Devin (aka Allamagoosa)

 

[Allamagoosa]

So, the first step includes removing parts 17, 18, and 19 and gluing them together. 17 is the keel with the parts 18 and 19 being glued at the ends. Read the instructions of course and examine Details (One of the large sheets) and glue on a flat surface.  I am using Titebond Glue here and I was kind of sloppy on the workbench first laying down paper and having the glue stick to that. So I need some kind of wax paper or something to help me glue the items together without having it stick to paper or the counter.

 

 

 

[Allamagoosa]

So, the first step includes removing parts 17, 18, and 19 and gluing them together. 17 is the keel with the parts 18 and 19 being glued at the ends. Read the instructions of course and examine Details (One of the large sheets) and glue on a flat surface.  I am using Titebond Glue here and I was kind of sloppy on the workbench first laying down paper and having the glue stick to that. So I need some kind of wax paper or something to help me glue the items together without having it stick to paper or the counter.

 

 

 

[Oldsalt1950]

Don't sell yourself short Devin. Being this is a long slim boat when you get ready to glue the rib formers to the keel, start in the middle and work your way towards the stem and stern. Doing so will eliminate most of the chances of having issue with the hull being out of alignment. I'll be pulling up a chair to watch your progress.

 

Jim

[Allamagoosa]

Ok, so I managed to lose a piece already. Should be easy to fabricate from part of the kit template. But kind of annoying. Below is the gluing of the first 3 pieces together. Note that while sanding the keel part of the piece 19 broke off and I had to glue it back together. Should not be a big deal of course but be careful and don't sand too vigorously. See the red circle on the left where the piece broke off while sanding.

 

The picture below are the pieces for the next step which I believe I have to glue to either side of the end pieces on the keel. Note only 3 as I managed to already lose one but I will make it from scratch. Probably find it right after I am done with this step.

 

-Allamagoosa

 

 

[Allamagoosa]

2 minutes ago, Oldsalt1950 said:

Don't sell yourself short Devin. Being this is a long slim boat when you get ready to glue the rib formers to the keel, start in the middle and work your way towards the stem and stern. Doing so will eliminate most of the chances of having issue with the hull being out of alignment. I'll be pulling up a chair to watch your progress.

 

Jim

Good to know and thanks for the tip. I didn't know that about starting in the middle. Please continue to give advice as I want as part of the fun for me is patience and taking the time to do the best I can and improve my technique. Cheers!

[Oldsalt1950]

Wax paper should work for keeping excess glue off things but look for a glue applicator bottle that has a syringe type needle on it and put your wood glue in that. You'll use less glue and gluing will be more precise.

[Allamagoosa]

Thanks. I have been meaning to try wax paper. That is what I use for doing larger wood work in my wood shop. So far I am just using wood glue and I put some on some paper and then apply it with a stick or q-tip.

[Allamagoosa]

So, turns out I didn't exactly loose one of the pieces. The cat came in and dragged it away and subsequently ate most of it. I had to create the item out of spare wood which was not too hard to do. I did this by taking the vacant space created from the punch out of the missing part and tracing it over another piece of wood and then cut it out.

 

[Allamagoosa]

Next up are 4 more pieces to create a surrogate rabbit for planking. These are parts 18a and 25. I found it easy to take these parts and create the sanded slant first before gluing them to the keel ends. I did this with a cordless Dremel using one of the drum cylinder sanders. The material comes off quite quickly so be careful.

 

[DocRob]

I like large scale ships a lot, as it's possible to show a lot of detail. Lately I found some pictures of the Philadelphia kit and was immediately attracted. I hope you don't mind, if I take a seat and follow your build.

 

Cheers Rob

[Oldsalt1950]

Devin, looking good. I was however looking at the part 18a you duplicated. The grain runs across the part from top to bottom and if it were to stand alone on the stem when you went to fair it, it would be very prone to breaking. I see from the plans however that it is supported on both sides by other pieces. The grain is something you will need to take into account for making any future parts to avoid just such a mishap. 

[Allamagoosa]

21 hours ago, DocRob said:

I like large scale ships a lot, as it's possible to show a lot of detail. Lately I found some pictures of the Philadelphia kit and was immediately attracted. I hope you don't mind, if I take a seat and follow your build.

 

Cheers Rob

Please do. I am going to try and make this a detailed build log. This is my first build log and I am enjoying it. Every few steps I plan to write a more detail summary of what went wrong and what went right. I agree the gunboat is very attractive and so far I like the scale and size.

[Melissa T.]

Devin - Great start, and definitely a great idea to do the build log - they are fun to do, and the support you receive from this community is priceless.  The Philadelphia is on my short list of future builds, so I’ll be following along with much interest.

[Allamagoosa]

On 6/6/2022 at 12:07 PM, Oldsalt1950 said:

Devin, looking good. I was however looking at the part 18a you duplicated. The grain runs across the part from top to bottom and if it were to stand alone on the stem when you went to fair it, it would be very prone to breaking. I see from the plans however that it is supported on both sides by other pieces. The grain is something you will need to take into account for making any future parts to avoid just such a mishap. 

 

Good catch. I hadn't noticed that and should have. It is fully glued to another piece to produce a rabbit so I don't think it will be a problem here but noted for future reference where it easily could be. Thanks! These are the kinds of tips I am looking for.

 

With luck, patience and drive, I want to become at least a competent craftsman.

 

[Allamagoosa]

OK, So, I have almost finished the 1st page of the manual (about 12 pages long) which means length wise I am about 8% done but of course this is the very easy part so likely more like 3% done time wise I estimate. Here are some thoughts on what went well and what to look out for.

• Number everything before removing it from the wood cutouts. The directions suggest this and the parts are so similar it is extra important to do this. This is also pointed out in John Gummersall's build log for this kit. 
• I found I broke a lot of the wood pieces. They are very fragile and command a very light touch. I expect this is more typical than I recall in pretty much every boat kit but watch out for this. Of course if you break something you can generally just glue it back together. 
• The direction in the manual was to bevel the for and after parts after connecting them to the keel. I found this to be cumbersome as the keel is so long it is swinging around and hard to wield while you bevel the ends. The build log done by John Gummersall demonstrated the foresight to go rogue and do it their own way which I applaud and think was a better way to do it. 
• As always, read the steps in advance multiple times to help clarify what you're doing. I did this and was grateful that I learned this lesson long ago. I found the best thing is to read the directions, look at the full scale plans (on my wall of course) and then review other build logs to make sure I understand what I am doing. Take your time and enjoy this part of it and you will be rewarded.
• I did this slowly over 2 weeks but really this 1st page as I am still setting up and organizing. Time wise it really should take maybe 1 to 2 days to do well even taking your time. Of course this is still very much the easy part.
  • I found using a Dremel to bevel the bulkheads to be the easiest and safest way to complete that task. The Keel is once again so long and if you sand by hand it is easy to damage and crack things with the long lever arm. That is it creates a lot of torque. 
• I cut all the decking between the bulkheads 11-12 and 5-6 first and pre-fit all of them before gluing. Not sure this was necessary but I recommend doing this at least for peace of mind.
  • Don't forget about the bailing well when fitting and cutting the planks and supports between bulkheads 5 and 6.
    • I found the baling well a bit of a puzzler on what the exact dimensions and setting should be. John's bailing well in his build log looks to have the well a bit smaller than what it looks like to me on the plans. 
    • NOTE, John also points out that the plan does not include an edge to support the lid. I decided to put in a lip so I can create a lid and place it on the model when done.
      • See image green box number 2
• I am not happy with the planking lengths (See image below). I used a miter box to try and saw square and consistent lengths but I seem to have made an eradicate line. When oiled or died I think it will look OK but I wish I was able to do a better job. So I am going to look at the miter box and the hand saw I used. Maybe it was too dull and the wood moved around, etc.
  • see the image between the two green boxes.
• Other Build Logs for this kit that I found useful. I wish to thank these folks (and others on this website) for paving the way and making my job easier.
  • Joseph F Build Log
  • Bob Cardone
  • John Gummersall
  • Bruce
• So those are the highlights on the first page of the kit instructions. I am really enjoying this so I am ready to proceed. Please comment, make suggestions, or as questions on what I can do to do better or make a better build log. 

 

[Oldsalt1950]

Devin, you are doing great and have taken some very good work practices to heart. Making perfectly square ends when cutting stock to length is hard but if you mark the piece and clamp it in the miter box it won't move or flex, this should help. It took me awhile to realize that that was what was happening. Don't worry about how much time you are committing to a job. This isn't a race, enjoy the time you spend working on each phase and you will be rewarded in the end. 

[Allamagoosa]

12 hours ago, Oldsalt1950 said:

Devin, you are doing great and have taken some very good work practices to heart. Making perfectly square ends when cutting stock to length is hard but if you mark the piece and clamp it in the miter box it won't move or flex, this should help. It took me awhile to realize that that was what was happening. Don't worry about how much time you are committing to a job. This isn't a race, enjoy the time you spend working on each phase and you will be rewarded in the end. 

Thanks! Actually I find going slowly, learning, and even redoing things that aren't up to my skill level or standards really poses no problem. I am not trying to get to the end as much as the path getting their. I really find this very relaxing. 

Frankly I wasn't clamping the wood or the miter box down so the whole thing was kind of wobbly and I will do that moving forward.

 

I have some wood strips soaking for the top exterior shrakes and wail if those are the proper terms. Took me a bit to find the correct width woods. I am going to clamp them in and let them dry into shape as the directions instruct. Frankly with such a long keel I am not sure this is absolutely necessary but it looks like maybe some twisting is needed (not just bending) so going to default to following the instructions here.

Edited June 16, 2022 by Allamagoosa