Polaris by JDillon - OcCre

[JDillon]

So for my first build i decided on the Occre Polaris as quite a few beginners have opted for. Just finished the decking but i made a pigs ear of it. I know its my first build ever but wanted to get this right first time. didn't want to pencil in joins so opted to plank the whole lot. joggling stuffed me.

[ccoyle]

Hi, JD.

 

Since it looks like you've started a build log, I took the liberty of renaming your topic and moving it to the correct area. Good luck with your project!

[CPDDET]

Hey JD. To be truthful, I've seen much worse. Don't be too hard on yourself. While the hobby can be very rewarding, it can also be very frustrating. We all live and learn. I'm always thinking about how I can do things better on my next build. 

 

Carry on and enjoy yourself!

 

Dave

 

[Cathead]

Yeah, that looks fine for a first build. Keep at it!

[JDillon]

[JDillon]

Anyone know where i can get spare decking strips for this, in the uk i didnt reslise the bulwarks were also covered. needs to be the same wood as yhe deck strips. Occre dont deliver to the uk.

[ccoyle]

Try Cornwall Model Boats -- they get a lot of mentions here.

[clearway]

there is also a company called Always Hobbies (hobbies.co.uk) which sells various types of stripwood/ metal and Caldercraft fittings - it is where i got the walnut strip for my Terror build. Chris has mentioned Cornwall Model Boats and they are my main go to for a lot of things shippy

 

Keith

[JDillon]

Iordered my polaris and terror from cornwall mb as well as a ton of accesories. im impressed with their delivery times.

thoughts on castyouranchor? 

 

Syren ship models, can't see if they ship to uk as ordering is down for maintenance today.

 

Opinions of painting my palaris black and white please?

[clearway]

looks nice

[ccoyle]

4 hours ago, JDillon said:

Opinions of painting my palaris black and white please?

 

As I am 99.99% certain that this kit models a generic vessel, you are at liberty to paint it however you like.

[catopower]

Hi JDillon, I wouldn't worry too much about little errors here and there, especially if you are trying out new skills/features like joggled planking. It's why we have "first builds"! 🙂 It gets easier and better as you go.

 

Might be too late to comment, but you know there's no reason the bulwarks planking has to be the same as the deck planking. In reality, they'd be very different looking after a while, even if they started off being the same wood. Plus, if you're painting... paint, as they say, covers a multitude of sins.

 

Black is a very common color for early 19th century ships hulls, often with the sheer molding painted another color, so it's not so stark. Inside bulwarks were often white or green. But, similarly to what Chris wrote, it's your ship and you can paint it however you see fit. Many people like the look of natural wood, and like to just put a finish on it - a more stylized approach to ship modeling.

 

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

[JDillon]

Thanks Cato, being my first build i thought painting it black and white would match my Terror, my next build. It may also hide my mistakes but i will decide when ive finished the hull. White Bulwarks inside was also what i was thinking. Thanks for your comment. I might hide my joggling with a few well placed barrels at the bow 😂

 

Joe

[JDillon]

[bruce d]

Looking good, Joe.

BTW, ignore my advice in the other thread about Cornwall Model Boats, I see you have already found them.  👍

[Edwardkenway]

Good start, Joe.

BTW Syren do ship to the UK

Not an easy thing to do, joggling, I dared not do it on my first model, so big up to you for giving it a go!

[clearway]

for a first planking attempt not bad at all, If painting you should get away without 2nd planking, If adding a 2nd layer just add a layer of the cheapest 4 or 5mm x 1mm planking using the first layer to guide you.

Keith

[JDillon]

I've just started second planking and oh my god what a ball ache, first off the contact glue is a pain so switched to pva. Second i wiped excess pva off with a hardly damp cloth and the planks started to curl. Thirdly im trying to trim the tiny bits on the rear behind the rudder and they split or come off! im using a brand new scapel blade and its a pig to cut. Any ideas before i check out youtube?

 

also i am amazed i got the hull done, it actually looks much better than the pictures, some learning has been made so il call it a win at this stage. thanks for everyones support.

 

Joe

[Cathead]

If you're talking about trimming the ends of planking sticking out past the hull/transom, you might consider getting a fine-toothed blade or just using a razor saw. Those can be more effective at cross cuts than a smooth blade, no matter how sharp. I've also used a pair of nippers (flat on one side) to cut off such a plank just outside the hull, then sanded down the rest. You don't want to nip right against the hull because of the slight crushing action nippers produce.

 

If your planks are curling, you may be using too much glue. It takes only a very thin veneer of any glue (CA or PVA) to join wood face-face, and as glue is made of liquid, if you use too much that liquid has to go somewhere (either squirting out and requiring messy cleanup or being absorbed by the wood and causing deformation). Try applying a very thin bead of glue on a plank, then spreading it to a very thin layer with something like a brush or a piece of scrap wood. Test on scrap material first if you want, to generate a technique. You'll be surprised to work out just how little you need for a strong join.

[JDillon]

Thanks Cat, i will try your method, i dis use nippers but too close and sanding seemed to split it. I will have another go later after work.

[JDillon]

From the Occre Polaris build video, this guy makes it look so easy but trimming with my craft knife and a brand new quality blade it splits, doesn't cut easily. Im taking a guess that it may have been several times until they got it right, that or im a spaz a ship building 😂 Cathead, this is what i was following, please tell me following the manufacturers buikd videos are unrealistic in real life. 🤪

[clearway]

I glue the 2nd planking using evo-stick fast setting wood glue (thin bead on the plank then wiping excess with finger tip) and using dress makers pins to hold in place till dry (see early on in my terror log). regards trimming i glue all planks on first then trim back till a few mm from the hull then sand back with fine sand paper. 

Ignore occres planking runs - planks taper towards the bow and from deck level till the rudder post. for example if the frame at the bow is 10mm the frame at midships could be 20mm so you will need to taper from where the frames start to lessen towards the bow/ stern.

hope this helps (from my endurance log)

Keith

[Cathead]

I recognize that wood from my crappy Corel build; it does split easily. I don't have any experience following manufacturer's video logs so can't really advise you there, though I'd think they'd be more helpful than written instructions simply given the 3D nature of most tasks. But I still wouldn't trust these kit makers to really think through how to teach people to do things, rather than just show them.

 

I'd suggest taking some planking scrap and making a few mockups of the task, then practicing on those until you work out a tool/method that you can do. This is good advice for any task you're not sure of. Most kits have enough scrap that you can make small mockups of things. All you need is an inch of solid wastewood and a few 1/2" pieces of planking, just enough to make a joint like that on the transom and practice trimming it.

 

Also, not sure what exact technique you're using, but think about what you're seeing when the wood splits and adapt to that. For example, how is the grain running, and can you change your knife angle to avoid catching in the grain? Or to avoid finishing the cut on an exposed edge where it's most likely to split? 

[ccoyle]

Are you trying to cut through the entire plank in one motion? If so, shaving it away with small cuts made away from the hull will work better.

[JDillon]

Quick update, Hull is almost and i have learned lots on this build. Great beginner model even with its flaws so far, but i suppose if it was perfect then i wouldn't have learn valuable skills.

 

Trying to decide what colours to paint, I did want to have a wood running above the waterline and below the rubbing rail, but as the rudder and front keel are of a darker wood, or eve. sanded light they do not match up when staining. i was thinking white hull

black rubbing rail

white bulwark

mahogany taffrails with black and mahogany deck features. see attched picture. I like RH-J's scheme but my ocd just cant take the mismatched timber on the keel 1😂

[JDillon]

Any ideas on the correct size in mm to cut out gunports?

[clearway]

i would just leave her as merchant ship to be honest-  at work at the moment so no access to reference material.  mostly governed by size of gun being used really as victory has various sizes depending on cannon size.

 

Keith

[ccoyle]

I agree with Keith about leaving this one as a merchantman. A lot of factors must be taken into consideration when considering what kinds of guns might have been carried and where they might be mounted aboard such a small vessel. Long guns are quite heavy, and warships are robustly built to handle them. A pilot schooner or coasting vessel, if armed at all, might have been armed with a few swivel guns. But I'm no expert on this topic, and others will no doubt have better-informed opinions.

 

Cheers!

[JDillon]

Hi Keith, i was looking at doing something like this that Baltic Submariner has done.

[Cathead]

I'm no expert, but those cannons look awfully packed together. No room to work around or behind them. Plus no room for a train tackle (to haul the guns inboard after firing). 

 

When you post other peoples' photos, can you provide a link to the build log or other location you got them from? That way they get proper credit, and readers can follow up (for example, understanding the gun spacing shown here would be easier if I could locate the relevant log).