Fair American by flutlo6180 - Model Shipways - 1:48 - Brig

[flutlo6180]

I've started my next build, the armed brig Fair American circa 1788.

 

This build is going to more challenging for me because the model is more complex and the build directions contain no pictures and fewer drawings which will require more interpretation of the plans.  Fortunately the plan sheets are all full size.

 

The bearding line was already lazar marked which allowed me to jump right in and cut the rabbit.

 

 

 

The bulkheads are removed from the sheets

and I've started with laying out the markings for the bevels.

 

On my prior builds the bulkhead tapers were all done with files and sanding after they were installed and glued in place. For this build the instructions call for starting the bevels before installation using a crafting knife.  I've laid out the bevel lines a bit short of the plans because I'm worried about taking too much off the edges.  I'll finish shaping the bevels for a smooth planking run with sanding after installation but with some of the material already removed there should be less sanding needed. 

 

I'm starting with bulkhead 16 and working to get it shaped so the bottom stops at the bearding line.  The next 2 photos show the current dry fit. Before I continue, I will glue the keel, stem and stern post into place, and will resume bulkhead work while the glue dries.

 

[flutlo6180]

As noted in other Fair American build logs, the keel length was about 1/4" too short leaving the stern post protruding beyond the end of the keel.

 

I thought about 3 ways to fix the issue - add a filler block, cut a new keel from the scrap basswood sheet, or cut the stern post and shape to fill the gap. Because I had already glued the keel in place, I opted to cut a new stern post which I felt was easier then cutting a new keel piece.  After the bottom is painted I don't think my fix will be at all noticeable. In the photo I've placed the original piece next to the repair to show the difference.

 

 

The bulkhead dry fit shows that other than #1 and #16, they all end short of the bearding line. As I get to shaping the hull for planking I'll see if I need to add some small fillers.

 

 

You can see in the first photo above and the photo below that I've glued a small piece of scrap wood aft or bulkhead #3 (on both sides).  I added the pieces to strengthen a repair when I had to glue back the tab which broke off during dry fitting. I forgot how soft the wood is and pushed a bit too hard when slotting the piece in place. 

 

 

I had the same issue with the tab between #14 and #15 and used the same method to strengthen the repair.

 

 

My next steps are to pre-shape the bulkhead edges and then gluing them in place.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 4 by flutlo6180

[flutlo6180]

The bulkheads are installed and glued in to place.  My square isn't small enough to fit between the bulkheads to get alignment, so I used a lego block which worked just fine as a substitute.

 

 

It took me longer than I anticipated but I also finished fashioning and gluing the bow fillers in place.  I completed most of the shaping before installation.  The rough shape was carved with a knife.  Once I achieved a reasonable outline I shifted to a Dremel, files and sandpaper. The approach worked well and allowed me to take small amounts of material and test fit frequently to match the rabbit and curve of bulkhead 1..  I expect there will be some final tuning of the fillers when I get to planking but the amount of additional work should be minimal.

 

 

 

 

[flutlo6180]

Progress on the build continues.  After both bow filler blocks were shaped and installed I moved on to the timberheads and knightheads.  The shaping of the knightheads from the drawing on the plan sheet was difficult for me to envision how the final piece should look and I'm not satisfied with the end results so I haven't yet glued any of these pieces in place. The build instructions indicate that it is ok to use timberheads for both positions and I am considering changing out the knightheads. The camera angle in the second photo makes the bulkheads look out of alignment but that is not the case.

 

 

 

While I consider about replacing the knighthead pieces, I moved on to the stern. As I did with the bow filler blocks, I shaped the stern fillers off the hull with frequent test fittings until I got the result I wanted. The first photos shows the progression from block shape through rough shape and then final shape.  The second photos is a closer view of the rough and final shapes and the third shows both finished blocks side by side.

 

 

I'm now working on the stern frames. 

 

The two frames either side of centerline (SF5 and SF6) and the next frame to port (SF4) came out fine, but SF3 on the far right in the photo turned out to be canted when I went back to recheck positioning and spacing between the frames.

 

 

To keep the frame true and vertical with the same SF5-SF3 gap width as between SF6-SF4 I fashioned a spacer from scrap and used the spacer and a Lego block to keep the frame aligned in both axis while the glue dried.

 

 

I'll shape and insert the top and bottom frame supports next and then work on the outer frames, supports and wings.

 

 

 

 

[flutlo6180]

Slow but steady progress on the build over this last week.  I completed the framing for the transom.  It took me several attempts to get the outer frames placed for a smooth flow for the planking but persistence and patience paid off and I am generally pleased with result. The plan sheets show the transom with a smooth arc but with the wing extensions installed it didn't look correct and I decided to shape the top for a look closer to the diagrams in the plans. It's not quite the smooth arc I planned but I am concerned that if I make the arc at the top of the transom more pronounced I will need to take off too much material. 

 

 

 

And then on to the windows. I decided not to use the metal windows from the kit and opted to make my own.  The photo below shows the completed frame and 2 windows at different stages of construction.  I've included one of the metal windows for reference.

 

 

After I finish making the windows and gluing on the window frame I plan to plank the inboard and outboard faces of the transom before I make and install the transom cap.  The cap is suppose to be flush to the inboard face and I think it will be easier to get that alignment with the planking in place. I'll paint the windows gold off the model and install them when I get ready to paint the inboard bulkheads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JLong]

Hi Ken,

 

Nice job so far with the framing. I like that you've made your own window frames - it's a nice touch.

I had a lot of trouble with the transom cap myself. Even with soaking it for 2hrs, it was hard to clamp/glue it to the right shape without it splitting.

[flutlo6180]

On 7/22/2024 at 12:13 PM, JLong said:

I like that you've made your own window frames - it's a nice touch

Thanks. I didn't like the way the metal windows looked and thought making my own would force me to have patience and pay attention to detail - both skills I know I need to work on.

 

I've continued the work on the transom and counter with the window frame installed and the planking installed. When I started planking the counter I realized that instead of the stern blocks stopping 1/32" short of the wing counter that I had them extending 1/32" beyond. What made the error even more frustrating for me was I had shaped the blocks to fit correctly, thought I had made an error, and shimmed them to  extend a bit from frame 16 and beyond the the wing counter (must have been tired that day).  You can't see it from the photo, but I did get them carved back so the hull planks will align properly.

 

 

 

Then on to planking the inboard side of the transom. It was easy to see every slight misalignment of the frames and required some additional shaping of the transom extensions to get a smooth run so the planks would lay flat.

 

 

The instructions state that you need to heat bend the hull planking at the stern so I purchased one from Model Shipways.  I've never used heat bending but I thought it was needed to shape the bends in the transom cap.  There is definitely some technique involved to get the proper shape and not split the piece at the bend.  I did several trial runs with some scrap planks from an earlier build and am glad I did.

On 7/22/2024 at 12:13 PM, JLong said:

I had a lot of trouble with the transom cap myself. Even with soaking it for 2hrs, it was hard to clamp/glue it to the right shape without it splitting.

I had the same issue with splitting the cap on the first 2 trials, and then decided to soak the piece overnight.  My third trial looked good and gave me confidence to move on the actual cap piece. With the curve for the port side shaped, it was a matter of getting the piece to lay properly while the cap dried. A thick rubber band and a clamp did the trick.

 

 

 

My plan is to let the piece dry overnight and glue it on in the morning. I've yet to shape the starboard cap bend, but I have a piece soaking and will work on that tomorrow.

 

I am a bit worried about making a hash when cutting the scarf joint and made the tail after the bend is left a bit long so I'm not trying to cut the scarf on the curve.  I'll practice on the pieces from my earlier heat bend trials and if these practice runs go badly I probably go with a butt joint.

[Wawona59]

Beautiful fix on the stem and keel in post #2; very craftsman like.  As in this case, sometimes the fix is better than the kit part.  You're doing a great job so far.