Concerns about quality of supplied walnut planking - advice needed!

[Loblolly]

Hi everybody,

 

I'm a newbie starting out on my very first wooden ship build. I like a bit of a challenge so have chosen the Jotika model of the schooner Pickle (Living in Portsmouth a stone's throw from HMS Victory has probably influenced my choice!!). So this is very much a learning experience for me - I don't expect it will be perfect but I know I'll pick up a lot on the way!

 

Anyway, all seems to be going OK so far and I've got as far as the second planking for which Jokita supply 1x4 mm Walnut strips.Having just pulled these out of the box and given it a good going over I'm a bit concerned about the quality of the wood.

 

Being a newbie and not being sure what to expect I don't know whether this is just because it's walnut, but it does seem very "splintery" and loose along the edges. I've attached a couple of pics, but don't know whether these really show the extent of the problem. I have tried sanding a couple of these strips to give a better finish to the edges and have ended up breaking a couple or reducing them in size to less than 4mm - obviously less than ideal! The last pic is the result of what you get from just rubbing a few strips together in my hands - quite a lot of loose stuff comes off. 

 

So, looking for some advice really about what I should do. Is this normal for walnut, or have I just been supplied with poor quality material (everything else in the kit seems pretty good)?  If its the latter, should I go back to Jokita and ask them to replace the walnut, or would I better off with a different wood? I'm slightly concerned I guess, that any replacement material will be just the same. Love to hear from others with experience of Jokita kits or just generally about walnut strips. Many thanks.

 

And finally, just wanted to say that to a newbie like me this site is a true inspiration. Some of the models you guys build are out of this world 

 

 
  

[BareHook]

When I planked my AVS kit, the edges of the walnut were rough, but ended up clean through the tapering of the planks and limited spiling at the bow.

The planks are usually full width near the center and taper narrow at the bow and stern. See the planking tutorials on the site if you are not sure. I found it can be a bit splintery, but if you soak it in hot water, it will flex well, just allow it to dry in shape. You will also find that the strips will have a preferred bending direction, flex them one way and they want to splinter, but the other way holds together better.

 

Ken

[russ]

This is an issue with woods like walnut and mahogony. You can ask them to replace it, but chances are the new material will have some of the same issues. A different wood would be my advice if you do not wish to use the supplied kit material.

 

Russ

[RMC]

I have not had this problem with walnut from Amati.  On the odd occasions I have had your problem I have sanded the edges by putting a sheet of 400 glass paper on a bench then pulling the piece of strip edge-down across the glass paper a couple of times - first from one end, then the other.  It will usually give a good finish to the edges.

 

Colour is a matter of taste, but most of the walnut I have worked with has not been especially dark.

 

All the best

 

Bob (RMC)

[S.Coleman]

I have had he same splintering happen to me the other day. But yeah, if you soak the strips properly before hand its not really a problem. Just be careful as this wood is brittle.

[Captain Slog]

Hi Loblolly,

 

I am building the Caldercraft/Jokita Endeavour and my walnut strip was/is pretty poor also (as well as a good quantity of the tangyka Spelling? decking)

 

Although walnut may not be the best choice of wood it is my humble opinion that Caldercraft suffer from poor quality walnut and have for sometime.  I have read quite a few logs for the past few years where the quality of Caldercraft walnut has been questioned. One of which was started 11 years ago!

 

I have also followed many Amati/Victory Model kits using walnut and looked on in envy at how much better there strip walnut is, being much sharper and 'solid'. Having said that Caldercraft solid sheet and ply sheet walnut is top notch.

 

Don't get me wrong, I think Caldercraft kits are excellent and indeed my next kit is a toss up between their HMS Agamemnon or Model Shipways Charles W Morgan so definitely hasn't put me off I just wish someone from Jotika visited this site to see there is an issue (in my opinion).

 

You might want to share your work by starting a log.

 

Cheers

Slog

[allanyed]

Loblolly

 

Couple points to consider:

 

English walnut has been around for centuries as have ship models.  I don't recall ever seeing or reading about walnut being used on the old models.  Same for models in France or other parts of the old world.  Walnut being rather large trees when mature certainly makes it easier to cut down to modeling size lumber than boxwood for example, yet boxwood is commonly found on contemporary ship models.  I suspect it may partially be because walnut is not the greatest wood for ship modeling.  My own experience with English walnut is not good but better using American (Black) walnut.  It does not fray or splinter like English walnut and seems to be harder than English walnut in that it does hold a nice sharp edge.  Walnut sawdust stinks and is a  respiratory irritant as well as a skin toxin.  I no longer use walnut for these reasons (but I do like to eat  nuts from the English walnut better than from black walnut trees.) 

 

For me, it is better to use box, castello,  some fruit woods such as apple and pear, or a host of other hardwoods. 

 

Allan

[Loblolly]

All,

Very many thanks for your wide-ranging advice all of which is very useful and has given me options to consider.

[NMBROOK]

I think a lot depends on the final finish you are after.Kit manufacturers supply walnut because it is cheap.If the hull is fully painted I would use it,if you are going for a natural finish,i wouldn't .Many moons ago I thought walnut was great but now for a natural wood finish it has to be box or pear,maybe maple if a deck.At the end of the day it is your model,but if going for a natural finish I would spend the money and go for a nice timber and one that is a lot nicer to work with.Jokita do supply pear to order in the uk and twigfolly in norfolk also stock it,beware though it ain't cheap.

Kind Regards Nigel

[mtaylor]

Interesting thread to say the least....  I've got some old walnut from two AL kits and it's really not bad.  It's possible what AL called walnut is actually something else as I have walnut from a wood store and it looks nothing at all like the kit supplied stuff.   I've also some "mahogany" from those AL kits and Billing's kit... and they don't resemble what I find out there for mahogany. 

 

Pity the kit makers won't tell us the real name is for the wood.  I suspect that many times what passes for walnut in a kit is something else entirely.

[mtaylor]

Brian,

 

I have some of that left over from Billing's and AL.  It's a nice wood to work with.  But that's one of those woods that has a name that's not what it really is.  https://sites.google.com/site/shipwrightsfaq/smf-researchnotes/smf-RN-Tanganyika  If you follow that link, it has a bunch of names that each manufacturer seems to use. 

 

I've tried to find it on wood supply sites (not model sites) and it's a tough one to come by.

[mtaylor]

Probably not any more.  These bits that I have are fairly old (10 years?).  The article lists the different names it goes under but then again, kit makers put a name on junk wood and call it good anymore.  For example, supposedly mukali and Tanganyika are same wood, but looked at one from one kit and one from the other and they were different.  I think it was AL supplied both in their Constellation kit... different woods supposedly the same tree.