HMS Indefatigable 1794 by Glenn-UK - Vanguard Models - 1:64

[Glenn-UK]

2 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

I’m surprised you’re continuing with that single joint down the center, even painted that’s going to stand out. Even if you shifted each row by two bulkheads left and right of center making a shift pattern of three it would result in a better look. The tapering at at the bow looks great. 

I had already started to shift the joint position. Maybe not as much as you have suggested, many thanks for the great advice.

 

The top area will be filled, sanded and painted so will probably not be that noticeable. Depending on how the planking turns out below the water line it will either be left as planked or I will add the copper tiles. I had been considered adding planks lengths of 90 to 100mm to simulate 6m ship planks with a 4 butt shift pattern

[Glenn-UK]

Once I have checked where the approx. position of the waterline and assuming I have not already starting planking below the waterline I might switch to a 4 butt shift pattern. This means, when completed, if the boxwood planking looks Ok I might leave as bare wood rather than covering with the copper.

 

From a little bit research it would appear the typical hull plank length would be 5 to 6 metres. 6m would equate to 94cm at 64th scale (6000/64 =  93.75).

 

I understand the 4 butt shift pattern follows a bulkhead sequence 1 - 3 - 5 - 2 - 4. First plank starts at  1. The next full plank beneath would start at position 3, next full plank beneath would then start at position 5, next would start at position 2 and then position 4 before the sequence repeats again.

 

Therefore if I make each full plank 96mm (which is divisible by 6 and a length of 16mm per position) then I will have a nice repeatable sequence for the 4 butt shift pattern as can be seen in the attached picture and pdf file. I would welcome any comments if my research / calculations are in error.

 

4 Butt Shift.pdf

Edited April 22, 2023 by Glenn-UK

[glbarlow]

Excellent research. Did you look at the plans? They might show the pattern and provide for longer runs, or at least show the pattern visually. 

[Glenn-UK]

2 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

Excellent research. Did you look at the plans? They might show the pattern and provide for longer runs, or at least show the pattern visually. 

I did not look at any plans. I found that the hull plank repair work on HMS Victory were 6m long, click link for description. Also found a reference on Ships Of Scale which mentioned 5 to 6m lengths. With my limited knowledge I therefore assumed max plank length would be 6m

[Kevin]

i went against having all the same length, i put the joints in where the bulkheads were, which would be different again if every frame was there, also i made some planks longer, if the joint was near the bow where it comes in quite fast, as this would have been very short boards, 

and yes i read that the 3 butt system was 1,2,,4,3  where as mine are 1,2,3,4

Edited April 22, 2023 by Kevin

[Glenn-UK]

Second Planking – 4 Butt Shift Hull Planking

As the planking continues on the left-hand side very slowly I have now moved on to using a 4 butt shift pattern when fitting the planks. Historically hull planks seemed to be 5 to 6m long which equates to approx. 94cm at 64^th scale. I decided that the plank lengths would be best suited to a 4 butt shift pattern arrangement if the plank lengths were divisible by 6, e.g. 96mm. After a bit of experimentation with spreadsheet arrangements I decided to double the plank lengths to 192mm and came up with the following plan.

 

After fitting three planks up from the keel, I determined the maximum infill area would be 90mm, thus requiring 18 full width 5mm planks. For easy of tapering planks I made some simple calculations, as can be seen in the next photo.

 

I then made a template based on the calculations to mark the positions on the hull for 54mm (3mm), 72mm (4mm) and 81mm (4.5mm). The 4.5mm became necessary as the planks taper towards the stern down to 4mm and then from that point to the stern post requires reverse taper back to 4.5mm. The 4.5mm reference also became an important taper reference point between the 5mm and 4mm run from midships toward the stern.

 

As I started to add the planks I found it beneficial to have a template 192mm long plank with marks set for the planking sequence.

 

For the bow planks I am taking a plank a long length and applying the required taper. Next I apply the lateral bend, as can be seen in the next photo. When I am happy with how the plank looks I trim the plank into the required lengths.

 

The next photo shows the stern area, which looks Ok apart from one plank which caused me no end of problems to get a decent fit (blue arrow). In the end I decided to live with it as this area will be painted black so filler will hide the bad workmanship.

 

The next photo shows the stern area. I have never planked a bow area this well before but it is certainly not of a high standard. The blue arrow indicated where the next plank join will be.

 

The final picture shows where a plank join is on the marker (blue arrow). It also shows the 81mm (4.5mm plank width) position (yellow arrows).

 

[Esap]

> I have never planked a bow area this well before

This is what it is all about man! Congratulations! A little bit better every model

Edited April 28, 2023 by Esap

[Glenn-UK]

Second Planking – Left-Hand Side Second Planking Completed

I have finally completed the second planking on the left-hand side of the Indy. I used a 4-butt shift pattern for the planks below the water line which really made the task a lot easier. I kept up with the tapering and lateral bending around the bow, I did not have to resort to adding any stealers. I also tapered the planks at the stern, below the transom.

 

Compared with all of my previous builds the completed Indy LHS second planking is a big improvement but there is still plenty of room for improvement. I am planning on painting the upper section black and yellow, as per the plans. I am still undecided if I will leave the area below the water line as plain boxwood or if I will go ahead and add the copper tiles. The copper tile finish does have great appeal. I remember adding over 3000 copper tiles when I built HMS Victory (Caldercraft) and loved how the hull looked.

 

I will now spend the few weeks adding the second planking to the right-hand side. In the meantime I have included a few photo's of the completed LHS planking.

[James H]

That really looks superb. So jealous that you did this without stealers...

[chris watton]

Glenn, that is a fantastic job you have done there, well done!

[Glenn-UK]

4 minutes ago, James H said:

That really looks superb. So jealous that you did this without stealers...

Thank you. I kept the checking the gap measurements when working out the tapering requirements and I was really pleased everything worked out.

[Glenn-UK]

9 minutes ago, chris watton said:

Glenn, that is a fantastic job you have done there, well done!

Than you, I am pleased with the outcome and hopefully, the RHS will even better.

[glbarlow]

Very precise, well planned and thought out, very well done Glenn! Proof positive that a good planking job doesn’t require stealers and how pre-bending and good planning pay off. As far as the troublesome plank, sometimes a shim behind the plank can help correct a low spot. Or if you have the wood cut a thicker plank.

 

At any rate, you should be justly proud of taking on the challenge of a butt shift pattern and making it work this well!

[Glenn-UK]

1 minute ago, glbarlow said:

Very precise, well planned and thought out, very well done Glenn! Proof positive that a good planking job doesn’t require stealers and how pre-bending and good planning pay off. As far as the troublesome plank, sometimes a shim behind the plank can help correct a low spot. Or if you have the wood cut a thicker plank.

 

At any rate, you should be justly proud of taking on the challenge of a butt shift pattern and making it work this well!

Thank you. I'm planning on adding a shaped filler plank to correct the fault with the troublesome plank. The lateral bending certainly was the way to go as was the 4 butt shift pattern, albeit I went for simulated 12m long planks rather than 6m long planks.

[Kevin]

that looks fantastic

 

[Glenn-UK]

15 minutes ago, Kevin said:

that looks fantastic

 

Thank you Kevin

[allanyed]

Nicely done Glenn

For the future, there are a lot of contemporary planking expansion plans on the RMG Collections site, both inboard and outboard that you may find helpful as well.  One example is https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-83495

Allan

[Glenn-UK]

17 minutes ago, allanyed said:

Nicely done Glenn

For the future, there are a lot of contemporary planking expansion plans on the RMG Collections site, both inboard and outboard that you may find helpful as well.  One example is https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-83495

Allan

Thank you

[Glenn-UK]

52 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

Very precise, well planned and thought out, very well done Glenn! Proof positive that a good planking job doesn’t require stealers and how pre-bending and good planning pay off. As far as the troublesome plank, sometimes a shim behind the plank can help correct a low spot. Or if you have the wood cut a thicker plank.

 

At any rate, you should be justly proud of taking on the challenge of a butt shift pattern and making it work this well!

I have now added a filler bit (Yellow circle) which sorted out the troublesome plank. I also added a smaller filler shim (blue arrow).

[Blue Ensign]

Well done Glenn, that will clean up very nicely.

 

B.E.

[Glenn-UK]

33 minutes ago, Blue Ensign said:

Well done Glenn, that will clean up very nicely.

 

B.E.

Thank you.

[Glenn-UK]

Second Planking – Right-Hand Side Second Planking Started

I have started the second planking on the right-hand side. I have completed the section down to where the main wale will be fitted. I still need to clear all the gun ports. I will be using a butt shift pattern for fitting the remaining planks down to the keel. I will also be adding the lateral bend for planks fitted around the bow area. I will taper the stern planks once I have planks under the transom. If all goes to plan,a s with the right-hand side, there should be no need to fit any steelers.

 

[Glenn-UK]

Second Planking – Right-Hand Side Second Planking Progress

The work on completing the second planking on the right hand side is progressing well. I only have 5 strakes left to fit. I have used a butt shift pattern and this has made fitting the planks so much easier. As with the left and side I fitted 192mmL planks, noting 96mmL and 64th scale planks would be more representative of the actual ships 6m planks.

 

Around the bow area I have used the lateral bend method to ensure I have a good fit, and I now fully understand why Chuck's method works so well.

 

After completing the planking under the transom, I started to taper the stern planks which require a double taper. From the midships they are tapered down to 4mm at the narrowest point. From there a reverse taper is applied up to 4.5mm where the plank sits against the stern post. By keeping the faith the tapering (at bow and stern), and regularly checking the taper points, no stealers will be required.

 

The planks, in the attached photo’s, look a bit messy, but once the planking is complete and they have been sanded smooth it will look much better.

 

[Glenn-UK]

Second Planking – Right-Hand Side Second Planking Completed

The work on completing the second planking on the right-hand side is now complete. This completed planking represents a big improvement on my skills in this area and I am very pleased with how much ability to plank has developed with this build, especially with the use of lateral plank bending. The correct tapering of the bow and stern planks meant I did not have to add any stealers. My hull fairing skills, particularly around the transom, still requires much more work however.

 

I opted to use boxwood for the second planking with the idea that I could leave the completed planking in their natural state with a nice, varnished finish. On reflection this was perhaps bit optimistic on my part as my completed planking is not as clean and neat I was would have liked.

 

Once I have inspected the completed hull, I will fill in some of the small gaps, either with filler or thin slivers of off-cuts and then I will give the hull a good sand. Once that is done, I will be better placed to make a final decision on weather to paint and copper or to simply varnish the boxwood.

 

 I have attached a few photos of the completed planking.

[Esap]

Its definitely your build and your decision, but I think the natural finish sounds great. You have mentioned a few times how it is a big improvement against prior builds, and that is worth proudly showing if you ask me. Good luck with the sanding!

[Blue Ensign]

I think you will get an acceptable  finish  Glenn, well done.

For those minor gaps in the strakes, run a bead of pva along the gap, sprinkle Boxwood dust over it, smear with your finger, and sand. Repeat as required.

 

B.E.

[Glenn-UK]

10 minutes ago, Esap said:

Its definitely your build and your decision, but I think the natural finish sounds great. You have mentioned a few times how it is a big improvement against prior builds, and that is worth proudly showing if you ask me. Good luck with the sanding!

Many thanks for your comments and advice.

[Glenn-UK]

6 minutes ago, Blue Ensign said:

I think you will get an acceptable  finish  Glenn, well done.

For those minor gaps in the strakes, run a bead of pva along the gap, sprinkle Boxwood dust over it, smear with your finger, and sand. Repeat as required.

 

B.E.

Many thanks your comments and sound advice Maurice. I have a long weekend away in the Lake District so I will be making plenty of sawdust filler on my return early next week.

[Thukydides]

The run of the planks looks good so I think if you fill in a few of the gaps with sawdust as BE suggested and then sand it down so it is level it will look great.

[Glenn-UK]

5 minutes ago, Thukydides said:

The run of the planks looks good so I think if you fill in a few of the gaps with sawdust as BE suggested and then sand it down so it is level it will look great.

Many thanks