Lowell Grand Banks Dory by MrPross - Model Shipways - 1:24 Scale - First Build

[MrPross]

Good evening, I'm Mr Pross, a green behind the ears model builder on the East coast of England. I have always had a fascination with the sea, sailing, pirates and marine folklore. I recently rediscovered plastic model building after picking up a beginners airfix kit while shopping for Christmas presents. I really enjoyed it and have aquired a few more Tamiya aircraft model kits, but fancied having a go at something built from wood and a boat seemed like the logical project. After reading "ccoyle's A Cautionary Tale" here I decided on the Lowell Grand Banks Dory kit by Model Shipways, it wasn't easy to find here in the UK but I think it's been worth the wait. The instructions are fairly clear and there is plenty of instruction on technique, which is very helpful for a beginner. 

I have recently been reading a fantastic book about the local Wherry boats "Black Sailed Traders by Roy Clark". One day I'd like to try building one of these iconic vessels from scratch, but in the meantime I am enjoying the Dory!

 

However, it hasn't all been smooth sailing, the stem caught in my cuff this afternoon and I heard a crack, luckily I caught it before I snapped the bottom planks in half and a little pva and a couple of clamps fixed the damage. I'm a little concerned I don't have the stem and stern straight, any tips on how to get them true?

 

I only have a few basic tools at the moment; a scalpel, some tweezers and some crocodile clamps. Would love some recommendations for tools that would help me complete this build to a decent standard.

Edited January 1, 2023 by MrPross
Grammar

[allanyed]

Welcome to MSW.

 

13 hours ago, MrPross said:

I'm a little concerned I don't have the stem and stern straight, any tips on how to get them true?

You can make a simple jig fixture to hold everything straight while assembling the various parts.   It can be set up so you can take the boat out of the fixture to glue on a part, then back into the fixture to hold everything true while the glue dries.

Allan

[VTHokiEE]

15 hours ago, MrPross said:

Would love some recommendations for tools that would help me complete this build to a decent standard.

I haven’t built this kit so I can’t say for certain if you’ll need it if not but a small hand drill (or pin vise) with some small bits can be helpful. Also you may find some small “squares” useful, but these can potentially be found around the house - I have seen many people use LEGO blocks to keep parts square while they are clamped for the glue to dry.

[MrPross]

1 hour ago, allanyed said:

Welcome to MSW.

 

You can make a simple jig fixture to hold everything straight while assembling the various parts.   It can be set up so you can take the boat out of the fixture to glue on a part, then back into the fixture to hold everything true while the glue dries.

Allan

Thanks Allan, do you know of any good examples you could point me too? This is all fairly new to me still and while I'm enjoying researching and finding solutions to problems as they come up, a bit of direction from an expert is much appreciated. 

[MrPross]

3 minutes ago, VTHokiEE said:

I haven’t built this kit so I can’t say for certain if you’ll need it if not but a small hand drill (or pin vise) with some small bits can be helpful. Also you may find some small “squares” useful, but these can potentially be found around the house - I have seen many people use LEGO blocks to keep parts square while they are clamped for the glue to dry.

 

Great idea; I have a pin vise on order as for "squares" maybe a good excuse to "invest" in some LEGO  

Edited January 1, 2023 by MrPross
spelling

[allanyed]

Legos work in a lot of instances.   Machinest squares work better in other cases.  As for your situation Legos may not be well suited.  I look forward to seeing your solution.  As to examples, there are many hundreds of build logs here at MSW, some of which have photos of their building set up.  They can be as sophisticated as that shown by Ed Tosti in his build logs or something simpler but using the same principals.   If you spend some hours perusing the build logs you might find something you feel fits your needs.  Look at the both scratch bulit and kit build logs. 

 

Allan

[MrPross]

Today I finally got the bottom to bend, 3 times I followed the instructions to wet the bottom and weight the middle, each time I took the weight off the boards sprung back to their original shape. I know heat is often used to bend planks so I damped them down weighted the centre and then used a hairdryer to apply some heat. Hey presto the boat bottom maintains it's shape after removing the weight!

I also built the frame, as others have said in their build logs for the Dory, some of these where a little larger than the diagrams but rather than risk an uneven shape I decided to stick with what I've been given, time will tell whether this will work out.
When adding the transom holder it was a little tight, and being a damn brute, I forced and broke it. PVA to the rescue again I think it will be fine, going to give it overnight to go off before I attempt the next steps bevelling the frame and fixing the boat.

[allanyed]

5 hours ago, MrPross said:

so I damped them down weighted the centre and then used a hairdryer to apply some heat

I am thoroughly enjoying your build log and your willingness to press forward when finding a problem!   In order to avoid a confrontation with the Admiral if you happen to use HER hair dryer, there are industrial heat guns with a higher heat capability for $20 or less.  (Don't overdo, it can burn the wood)

 

Allan

[MrPross]

8 hours ago, allanyed said:

I am thoroughly enjoying your build log and your willingness to press forward when finding a problem!   In order to avoid a confrontation with the Admiral if you happen to use HER hair dryer, there are industrial heat guns with a higher heat capability for $20 or less.  (Don't overdo, it can burn the wood)

 

Allan

Thanks Alan, Admirals are a little thin on the ground at the moment, perhaps a model Dory will persuade one to volunteer?

 

Still perhaps a heat gun is in order, less likely to send my plans sailing to one of the far corners of the office, I'd assume.

 

I've noticed the centre frame is considerably shorter than the rest, slightly concerning. Not quite sure what to do about it yet, perhaps I can use a couple of shims to raise it a little.

[allanyed]

Sorry I have no answer for your question regarding the frame height.   But, I do have a question for you as you have piqued my curiosity.  What is the object you are using as a weight in the photo.   If you mentioned it already and I missed it, my apologies. 

Allan

 

[MrPross]

On 1/3/2023 at 10:22 AM, allanyed said:

Sorry I have no answer for your question regarding the frame height.   But, I do have a question for you as you have piqued my curiosity.  What is the object you are using as a weight in the photo.   If you mentioned it already and I missed it, my apologies. 

Allan

 

That is a flint I found in the garden, it appears remarkably like a primitive axe head so I kept it. Our local museum wasn't interested so perhaps it's nothing, a fluke. Perhaps I will find an expert to have a look at it one of these days, in the meantime it made a convenient weight.

Edited January 5, 2023 by MrPross
Grammar

[allanyed]

Very cool! The most interesting thing I ever found when digging our veggie garden MANY years ago were three ceramic insulators and a racoon skeleton.  Your find is WAYYYY better.

Allan