Bluenose by MajorChaos - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2130 - 1/64 scale - Canadian Fishing Schooner

[MajorChaos]

I’ve been at this much of yesterday and most of today. So far an estimate 90 pieces - sized, cut, trimmed, sanded, soaked if needed, dried if needed, glued and held in place. The glue drys quick enough. 
 

I’ve got a planking holder vise coming tomorrow so holding this should be easier. 🤞🏻. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GGibson]

So far, your planking looks superb, Major!  What kind of vise are you getting? Will definitely make the job easier, though. 

[MajorChaos]

4 hours ago, GGibson said:

So far, your planking looks superb, Major!  What kind of vise are you getting? Will definitely make the job easier, though. 

 

Thank you. It’s humpy bumpy but should sand out good. Every piece is a slightly different size, drives me crazy. The ends of some runs flattened out and didn’t curve. I did 4 bulk head or 3 openings per piece. (Edit, it supposed to be 5 bulkheads and 4 openings. Gasp, way to late now.)

Amati Keel Klamper Swivel Vise for Ship Builders, from Micro Mark. Almost all of the others looked unusable or a challenge to keep stable. It’s delivered, I’m at work. I’m the boss so I can’t leave yet lol. 

Edited August 28, 2023 by MajorChaos
Planking notes

[MajorChaos]

Now it’s getting real. All I’ve done is mount it. It folds over. It had a heavy base, it’s not falling over. It’s stable enough to push against. It could use a rubber foot to keep it from sliding to easy. 
 

Something I learned today. Building a ship, any ship, any complexity, it will be unique to the person building it. No two ships will be identical. I see all kinds of mistakes in mine. I’ve looked at almost every Bluenose build log. I tried to find my old build log or any pictures, they are gone, I have no archive. This Bluenose will be as good as I can make it for my current skill level. My goal is to finish. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GGibson]

Ahhh, yes.  I have the Keel Klamper!  Has worked pretty well for me when needed!  I also have this foam thing that my Bluenose is currently sitting in.  I like it because of its short height.  With the Keel Klamper, the ship sits higher than I like for some things, especially when working on the deck.

 

 

Your planking will work itself out.  Sanding will do wonders and, once painted, the casual observer won't know how many planks you placed... 

[MajorChaos]

8 hours ago, GGibson said:

Ahhh, yes.  I have the Keel Klamper!  Has worked pretty well for me when needed!  I also have this foam thing that my Bluenose is currently sitting in.  I like it because of its short height.  With the Keel Klamper, the ship sits higher than I like for some things, especially when working on the deck.

 

Your planking will work itself out.  Sanding will do wonders and, once painted, the casual observer won't know how many planks you placed... 

 

I did notice it was a bit higher. I have an adjustable office chair so I may be able to raise it some. I'm working on a table on a sheet of 3/4 wood with the stand, so its getting tall for sure. It was very workable so far. Its better then the towel I was using. 

 

[LEGION 12]

9 hours ago, GGibson said:

Ahhh, yes.  I have the Keel Klamper!  Has worked pretty well for me when needed!  I also have this foam thing that my Bluenose is currently sitting in.  I like it because of its short height.  With the Keel Klamper, the ship sits higher than I like for some things, especially when working on the deck.

 

 

Your planking will work itself out.  Sanding will do wonders and, once painted, the casual observer won't know how many planks you placed... 

I have the same foam cradle . 

[MajorChaos]

Anyone bored of micro updates? 

I’m getting better at this the closer I get to the bottom. I see some things I missed keeping the planking following the lines. The dips are pretty deep. The light shining down doesn’t make it look good, but it does help to see when planks are not lined up. 
 

I think I have at least 20 hours into the planking. At least 20 hours to go. 
 

Some of the last planks go from 1/8 wide to 3/16 wide and the bottom (garboard plank I think) is 1/4 wide. I’m missing some details on the plans and picking up on others. 
 

I don’t like wordy posts, does any one read all this? Lol
 

 

 

 

[MajorChaos]

I’m randomly capable of seamless joints. 
 

I like pictures in logs it really tells the story best. 
 

Each plank is generally fitted. If it takes a bend, it gets soaked in the cup for a few seconds. The wood fibers can the be broken by gently twisting or bending to get the flexible. Once it has a bit of flex it gets held in place, then dried with the hair dryer on low. 
 

I use a #17 1/4 in blade as a spatula with the glue and cleaning the excess from the joints when placed. I like to have very little to no glue overrun so it don’t have to clean it off later. 
 

The last 5 or 6 rows I’m really getting into the grove. My first rows I can see I didn’t get the planks placed well in and out. The next ship that planks like this will be much much better.

 

I faired the hull at least 6 times. I kept going over it after not looking at it for a few days and saw more to sand off. Some of the pictures you can see I added material to bring it out. I’m glad I did that, so far it’s working out nicely. 
 

The instructions and the plans give great tips to achieve a good hull. It’s certainly not clear unless it’s been done before. As I progress some of the tips make more since. 
 

Too many words, here are the pictures lol. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by MajorChaos

[MajorChaos]

 

 

[allanyed]

On 8/29/2023 at 10:54 PM, MajorChaos said:

I don’t like wordy posts, does any one read all this? Lol

Some of us do, and yours are concise anyway😀.   

Did you bevel the edges of the planks where the station has a lot of curve?   It is surprising to some how much of a gap there can be if they are not beveled.

Allan

 

Edited September 2, 2023 by allanyed

[MajorChaos]

1 hour ago, allanyed said:

Some of us do, and yours are concise anyway😀.   

Did you bevel the edges of the planks where the station has a lot of curve?   It is surprising to some how much of a gap there can be if they are not beveled.

Allan

 

 

🤣. Thanks for reading! 
 

Yes, beveled the edges. I cheated thought, I only sand one side, it makes it longer but after final sanding you can’t tell. 
The transom area gave me some trouble, I rounded the inside of the planks on the tight curves to get them to lay down good. 
 

Each plank is flat sanded on each edge to remove the tool marks. The flat block sander is great for this. When I trial fit if it needs beveling I sand it again on the edge to get the bevel where needed til the joint tightens up. 
 

Each plank I get better and better at it. As I get closer to finished the fit is better. For the first few rows I didn’t see that I placed them poorly. The next ship planking should be even better.  I try to produce a fit that won’t need filler. My Dutchman is a hot mess, but it’s supposed to look rough so I certainly did so lol.    

Edited September 2, 2023 by MajorChaos

[MajorChaos]

Port side planking complete. 
3/16 and 1/4 planks didn’t seem to work out as well as keeping on with 1/8. 
 

The belt lines worked out to 1/16 or less of adjustment. I didn’t mark the belts, I kept some what of an eye on it. I made a tick strip to check the last 1.5 inches of planking. 
 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2023 by MajorChaos

[MajorChaos]

The stern is looking good so far.

The sales/completed model for pictures, aft keel picture always drove me crazy looking at the wavy lines and poor finish, I always figured I could do that good or better. 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2023 by MajorChaos

[MajorChaos]

Three-four more rows left. 
 

The stern and the transom look great. A lot of planning to make the main rail fit. 🤞🏻
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dr PR]

It's just a scratch!

I'm invincible!!!

[GGibson]

Lot of curves on that backside, I remember!  Excellent work, Major! 

[MajorChaos]

One may look upon this and see no mess with the glue. The trick is the type of glue. It has glue all over it lol. It dries clear so it makes for a very clean finish. 
 

I estimate at least 40 hours planking. Every piece is glued and fitted on all four edges. I wish I would have seen the plank depth issues earlier, but they should sand out and might need a bit of filler in a few spots. 
 

It’s far from perfect but I’m pleased with how it looks so far. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MajorChaos]

[JacquesCousteau]

Great job, the hull looks fantastic!

[MajorChaos]

3 hours ago, JacquesCousteau said:

Great job, the hull looks fantastic!

Thank you. The slow extra effort is working out. 

[MajorChaos]

One side sanded. 
 

The very dumbest thing I’ve said to myself, “It’s ok I can sand that out later.”
A few of the pieces I worked better. A few I left, and it sure is a pain. 
This wood density is different for many pieces,  they sand different because some are soft and some are hard. The wood being different sizes and hardest makes this more challenging. 

 

I need to learn how to seal the grain so I can get it painted as best I can. After I make more dust. A small shop vac was a great purchase! 
 

 

 

[Quimp Slattery]

On 7/30/2023 at 3:02 AM, MajorChaos said:

 

For a moment there I thought you were getting into a Kobayashi Maru situation but reading through to the latest updates I see you have nailed it. Well OK, glued it. (I'll look for some of that thick and quick Titebond, sounds good.) She's looking really good now, nice steady work. well done!

 

BTW I like best the updates where each photo brings out a few words. Too many photos without captions confuses me and too many words without pictures ... confuses me. Ha! I am a bear of very little brain.

[Quimp Slattery]

22 minutes ago, MajorChaos said:

how to seal the grain

 

I use a product called sanding sealer. It's ready mixed shellac with talc mixed in as a micro filler. Shellac is alcohol based and dries fast. It sticks to everything and everything sticks to it so it's compatible with any paint.

[bhermann]

On 9/4/2023 at 10:02 AM, MajorChaos said:

One may look upon this and see no mess with the glue. The trick is the type of glue. It has glue all over it lol. It dries clear so it makes for a very clean finish. 
 

I estimate at least 40 hours planking. Every piece is glued and fitted on all four edges. I wish I would have seen the plank depth issues earlier, but they should sand out and might need a bit of filler in a few spots. 
 

It’s far from perfect but I’m pleased with how it looks so far. 
 

 

Sanding and filler are our friends, first some sanding, then some filling, rinse and repeat, finishing with a fine grade sandpaper.  Taking the time to get this right will be a big benefit in the long run.  Looking good!

 

Bob

Edited September 5, 2023 by bhermann

[MajorChaos]

22 hours ago, Jack-in-the-Blue said:

 

I use a product called sanding sealer. It's ready mixed shellac with talc mixed in as a micro filler. Shellac is alcohol based and dries fast. It sticks to everything and everything sticks to it so it's compatible with any paint.

 

@Jack-in-the-Blue

Would you mind sharing the product name or link or brand. I’m not seeing exactly what you said you use. Please and thank you. 

Edited September 5, 2023 by MajorChaos

[Quimp Slattery]

Here's the finish/sealer I use. It's a British product which has been around longer than I have. There's no mention of a North American office on the bottle but there must be an equivalent over there. 

Edited September 5, 2023 by Jack-in-the-Blue

[MajorChaos]

@Jack-in-the-Blue

 

You are correct, I can’t find it in the states. I can’t find exactly that but we have some good options here. As long as I can seal the grain it should paint up good. Thank you for the suggestion! 

[MajorChaos]

It looks like I have worked my way to the main rail construction. I’ve fretted about this for at least 15 years. I’ve passed the point I stopped at years ago.

 

The transom area requires accuracy to the plans within 1/64 inch or better. I’m off about 1/64. While poorly presented the instructions and plans provide every clue to be successful, skipping or not minding just one note will build to an error. Many of the notes make more since when you get to further stages. I missed a couple of things in detail I wish I had done. 

 

Please find my version of the nose area. The bow spirit exit isn’t drawn great that I could find. My work looks like a few of the drawings.  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GGibson]

Nice work, Major!  Looking sharp.  And you were able to salvage the bulkhead stanchions! Like several before me, I chopped mine off and did fake stanchions the whole way.  Nice job, sir!