Young America by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper 1853

[allanyed]

The winter has been especially harsh in our neck of the woods but as much as I look forward to Spring this year, I kind of regret better weather coming as it  might be the Siren call to get you out of the house and away from the Y.A. build.  Such actions will surely disappoint those of us following your build.

 

Allan

[EdT]

Thank you all for the comments and likes. 

 

I am glad to see your big smile Micheal, and of course I am always glad when druxey is smiling.  Progress has been brisk  and perhaps, as Allan says, the winter weather has something to do with it - snow blowing breaks notwithstanding.

 

I don't know about fine art, Mark, but I do worship the learning curve.

 

Ed

[Sailor1234567890]

Ed, how about you treat us to a nice overall shot of her? She's beautiful and I'd like to see her in her entirety. I'm sure others would as well. Keep at her, maybe  a launch in late 2015 early 2016?

Cheers,

Daniel

[SJSoane]

 

Ed,

 

I just noticed (which shows how inattentive I am) the white on the bulwarks. I am facing the prospect of white later on in my build. Do you have any advice after trying this? Is this a paint or a stain?

 

Mark

[EdT]

Mark, I am using acrylics for the painting.  The inside of the bulwarks were difficult because of all the nooks crannies and roughness in places hard to sand.  I used a few thin coats of diluted designers gouache first to even out the white.  This is very flat.  I followed this with fluid artists' acrylics - titanium white for the finish coats.  This is glossier.  A lot of brushing.  Also used the fluid acrylics on the hull.  I added the blue waterway after the bulwark painting to avoid have to cut in the edges between the two - and the deck - same approach for the outside rails..

 

Ed

[cog]

Ed,

 

Thoroughly enjoying your wounderful build.

 

Any reason for titanium white and not e.g. zinc white? Will the gouache be 'sticky' enough for the acrylic to stay on? I have never tried those two one atop of the other ...

[EdT]

Thank you, Carl.

 

I do not really know if there is a difference between titanium oxide and zinc oxide, but I have always assumed titanium offered better opacity.  I have never experienced a problem with any acrylic formulations adhering to each other or to shellac primers or thinned flat oil based finishes.  I have used both of these as undercoats for acrylics.

[druxey]

Ed, could you please explain your rationale for using gouache as a primer? Thanks!

[EdT]

druxey,

 

My rationale may not be completely sound on this, but it worked, so here it is:  I wanted to build up the final finish with very thin coats of undercoat and finish to avoid brush marks etc. that would be left due to all the corners in the bulwarks that would be hard to brush out.  I used water based sanding sealer (hard acrylic emulsion) for most of the bare wood to be painted, but the bulwarks could not be sanded effectively and the sealer seems to require it.  Same for the white pigmented shellac I also tried.  I have used acrylic gouache for painting miniatures since it was introduced in the early 70's and have found it to be adaptable to dilution,  hard and durable. The titanium white has also been very opaque, and of course the gouache is dead flat - so top coats adhere very well.  I built up the bulwark surfaces gradually with thin coats until completely opaque - 3 coats?  The final finish - 2 coats? - was somewhat thinned Golden fluid acrylic titanium white.  This left a consistent finish and the desired gloss.

 

I am sure there are alternatives to this.  I tend to use finishing materials I am familiar with and that may be the primary rationale..

 

The painted areas under the forecastle got less attention since the will be mostly hidden - so the photos of these areas in the last post are not very representive.  I will post a picture or two of the more exposed areas in the next part.

 

I seriously considered airbrushing these sections but was afraid of getting overspray into unwanted and hard to access areas.

 

Ed

[Jack12477]

Ed, what is the difference, if any, between gouache and gesso ?  My son uses gesso to seal his paint canvases and at his suggestion I've tried it on my woodcarvings with good results.

[druxey]

Thanks for your explanation, Ed. Does gouache, being water soluble, not dissolve as you apply acrylic paint over it?

[EdT]

Normal gouache will dissolve, of course.  Acrylic gouache does not, since it has an acrylic binder.  A number of manufacturers now offer acrylic gouache - I use Jo Sonja, but their are others - Turner for one.  These are highly pigmented and dry dead flat.   Rowney started making these, I believe, in about 1970 while I was living in the UK.  A few years later they were off the market. Acrylic gouache made a comeback perhaps 25 years ago.  They are very versatile.  I used them diluted to color the rigging on my Victory model. They have proved very durable on the miniature figures, even with frequent handling.

 

Ed

[druxey]

Ah... the missing word acrylic gouache! Traditional gouache is simply opaque water-colour and the binder (gum arabic) is readily resoluble in water. Acrylic binder is not. That is why I was confused. Thanks, Ed.

[EdT]

I should have emphasized the word acrylic because acrylic gouache is not as common as the gum arabic, water-color variety.  I have been using it for so long that I often forget that.

 

Jack, gouache and gesso are two completely different animals.  As druxey points out above, gouache is an opague water thinned product, traditionally very much like watercolor but very opaque.  Acrylic gouache, much less well known, uses an acrylic emulsion as its binder making it water resistant when dry and more durable.  Like the traditional type it is also thinned with water.

 

Ed

[cog]

Ed,

 

That's where you got me confused. Gouache to me is still the paint from e.g. Windsor & Newton without the acrilic base! It re-desolves quickly when getting moist, and get's 'dirty' (like smudged) when you mix it to much when putting multiple layers one atop the other. Now it's clear.

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 113 – Forecastle

 

The first picture shows the margin plank on the forecastle installed and planking started along the centerline.

 

  

 

The next picture shows the completed planking – as yet untreenailed.

 

 

In the next picture the forward end of the fancy rail has been made and is being fitted around the knightheads.

 

 

The adjoining pieces of the fancy rail are being fitted in the next picture.

 

 

In the next picture the sections of fancy rail have been painted white and are being glued down.

 

 

All treenailing of the forecastle deck has been completed in this picture.

 

The last wo pictures are of the full hull – as requested.

 

 

I have to do quite a bit of clutter removal to take pictures like this.  This picture also shows some progress on the port side cabins of the cabin deck at the stern.

 

The last picture is from a different angle.  The part below the black will be plated.

 

 

The bowsprit is just a dummy.  The channel edges are unpainted because cap moldings will eventually be glued to these edges.

 

Ed

[Jack12477]

Beautiful, Ed !!

[CaptainSteve]

Spectacular ... as always !!

[mati]

Ed,

Spirit and effort which you giving to your build and logs is impresive...

...and the effect is breathtaking!

Hats off!!   

Cheers,
Matt

[realworkingsailor]

Simply stunning.

 

Andy

[GLakie]

What can I say Ed!  You're a magician with wood! 

[rwiederrich]

No wonder the efforts were extreme to prevent hogging on these extreme clippers.  There is so little for and aft material to be buoyant in the water. The ends were suspended by the amidships.

 

Fantastic Job for sure.  I'm finally getting to rigging the yards for my *Glory of the Seas*.....following your build has been nothing short of an exhilarating motivation.

 

Rob

[dvm27]

Wonderful work, Ed. Could you discuss how you handled the joggled planks? Were they fashioned and traced onyo the margin plank which was then cut to receive them or vice-verso?

[Krelis]

This blog does me no good, makes me feel like a cave man but...incredibly joyful to follow

[EdT]

Thank you all very much for all of the positive reinforcement.  I hoping she will be ready for launch - meaning hull completion - in a month or so.

 

Greg, to answer your question, the 14" wide margin plank was installed first with uncut edges.  Planking was worked out from the center - 6" wide planks.  Central planks were mitered at the end until the angle of the cuts reached about 45 degrees.  Before installed the last mitered plank, it was laid in place to mark the intersection of its outer edge  with the inner edge of the margin plank.  Before installing the last mitered plank, a cross cut - one-half plank width - was plunge cut with a chisel or hobby knife into the side of the margin plank.  The unshaped joggled plank was then laid in place to mark its intersection.  The angle of the joggle was then cut with a chisel between the two marks.  After fitting the last mitered plank, the first joggled plank was tapered at the end to fit the joint.  Before installing it the margin was marked in the same way for the next plank.  Below is a picture showing the marking of some later planks.

 

 

This process was fast and worked well.  If I were doing it again, I would make the forward curved piece of the margin plank shorter so its scarphed joint would occur before the first joggled plank - to avoid having to joggle a plank into the scarph.  It never too late to learn.

Edited March 12, 2015 by EdT

[michael mott]

Fantastic work Ed, your description of joggling the planks brought back memories of doing on Maria last summer because I basically used the same method.

 

The overall shots are great.

 

Michael

[druxey]

Sweet, Ed!

[rtropp]

Ed,

Watching you, and reading the first volume of your Naiad book, I realize that I might be too dependent on sanding and need to start using my chisels more.

 

Richard

[dgbot]

Beautiful I am learning something new every time I look in.  Your craftsmanship is flawless.  I would love to see that model up close but would probably drool over it so I will admire from a distance.  How would your acrylic work with an airbrush or is it best with a brush by hand?

David B

[allanyed]

Ed,

 

If I have learned nothing else from this build it is that I do not own enough chisels!   I use mine a lot, but now see areas where a few new shapes and sizes are needed in my tool box. 

 

Allan