RMS Titanic 1912 by klaasvg - Amati - Scale 1:250

[klaasvg]

 

I have bought this kit and started building now about 10 years ago! Though a fan of the Titanic, I have not much experience with model building. I got stuck in this part, applying the bow strips. No idea how to do it and fearing I would forever destroy the model at this stage, I parked the project and the ship was slelved for many years. 

Now I plan to continuw working on it but still need some advoce about putting the bow shelves on... Do you have any advice? I will insert an image of the current stage of my model! TIA

[drobinson02199]

Klaasvg:

 

Not sure what you mean by "bow shelves".  Have you looked back through my log to see what I did for the part you are concerned about?

 

Regards,

David

[klaasvg]

Thanks David for your reply. I actually meant the hull shelves, which are apparently difficult to apply. I am reading now through your log and see that there is apparetnyl missing some information in the manual. Also I read that some of the bulkheads were not correct, making the bow too shallow. This cannot be corrected anymore for me, apart from not having the materials for that so I hope it sill not be a show stopper... I will continue reading your posts and hope for some clarity sbout this subject! 

[drobinson02199]

If you mean the hull strips that you cut out, I think I used some CA medium and instant setting spray to help that process.  Use a sharp set of scissors (good kitchen or office scissors are ideal) to cut them out.

 

Regards,

David

[klaasvg]

18 hours ago, drobinson02199 said:

If you mean the hull strips that you cut out, I think I used some CA medium and instant setting spray to help that process.  Use a sharp set of scissors (good kitchen or office scissors are ideal) to cut them out.

 

Regards,

David

I think the hardest part is to make the hull planks fit by tailoring them in shape for the bow and stern. The manual mentions this very shortly on Photo Album Pages 10-11: 42)
"As the planking neas the bow there will be the requirement to taper the planks to allow them to lay alongside each other, this also applines to the stern"".
This is actually the part I got stuck some years ago, the planks are too thik to cut with a normal pair of scissors, is will probably be possible to cut them with a stanley knife  but still you need to know exactly how to cut them. Did you use some big pair of scissors or another method? 

 

[drobinson02199]

Klaasvg:

 

OK, I looked back in my Titanic log and remembered how this ship is planked, and I think we've been miscommunicating.

 

The section of the manual you are referring to deals with the FIRST layer of planking.  For those, when I needed to taper, I used a planking vise.  Marked the start and end of the cut and then put it in the vise that way and ran a knife along the vise.  If you don't have a vise but you do have a steel ruler, you can use that and run the Stanley knife along the ruler -- you just have to keep it from slipping, which is harder on long cuts.  Clamping the ruler onto the strip can help.

 

The scissors part refers to the second layer, which really isn't a "layer' but is strips cut out of the large piece of thin board.  You paste the template onto the board (I used Gorilla spray rubber cement), and then use sharp office or kitchen shears to cut the strips out.

 

To see my first planking, go back to my October 20, 2018 entry in this log, and then follow from there to see how the second layer strips go on.

 

Regards,

David

[klaasvg]

Thanks again David for your quick reply! Indeed I an still in the early stage of the first layer of planking. I noticed already that the planks must be tailored to fit neatly when nearing the bow and stern. I do not yet have the best equipment but I gave it a first try using a stanley knife. I notived that the planks not only need to be tailored, but also are too think. Or maybe I need to file/sand the bulkheads of the bow and stern to make the planks lay a little deeper and also glue better? This will probably be a length operatino using only a file or some sand papter. Or can I use another tool for that?

For now I stopped after the first plank, I can probably still choose another approach if this is not working. On my photos you cna see that the plank does not really aligns smoothly with the rest of the structure. If you have anyt advice on this it is surelyy welcome, tomorrow I can eventually buy some extra tools if needed

Regards, Klaas

 

Edited December 22, 2019 by klaasvg
Second upload failed with -200 code

[drobinson02199]

Klaasvg:

 

Not sure from here, but it looks like you need to taper your bulkheads a bit more.  Use a sanding block or sandpaper on a block of wood -- or you can use a Dremel rotary sanding drum if you take it carefully and check.  When I do mine, I take a piece of planking and lay it flat at the center of the boat (no glue), then bend it around to see how it lies, and then take the bulkheads down on gradually increasing angles, checking my work with the dry plank as I go until it aligns and there is a good flat fit with the angled bulkheads.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

David

 

 

[klaasvg]

Ok thanks a lot again David, I will surely give that a try. Not sure whether I shall buy a Dremel sanding machine for this project only.... but good old sanding paper should do it too I suppose. It wll definately take some time and practice...

 

One more (hopefully last) question about the bulkheads. I understand that bulkheads 3 to 8 are malformed, I have the PDF file which shows the missing parts in red. In my project they are definately also malformed but they are in place already. Is it  really crucial to corret this? I do have a (very old) fretsaw and can possibly get a pieve of triplex of the right thickness so if it is really an essential step I will give this a try too. I suppose a very strong superglue  will be needed to put them in place with only the small sides touching each other!

Regards Klaas

[drobinson02199]

Klaasvg:

 

If you look above to the picture from Puctored, it shows the shape of the bow with the original uncorrected frames.  At the end of this log or in my gallery pictures of the Titanic, you'll see my bow and can decide if the difference is worth it to you.

 

If it is, then if you go backwards in time from the post I referenced above, near to the beginning of this log, you'll see how I used laminated strips to correct the frames.  I suspect you could try that on the frames you have mounted -- but looking at Puctored's picture above, I doubt that it would be worth it.  I'd just go ahead and use the frames you have.  It's certainly NOT critical.  You may need to soak the first layer planks to get them to bend at the point where it narrows.

 

Regards,

David

[klaasvg]

It is already a long time ago since my last post, again I postponed the project because of other priorities and the difficulties I encountered with the planking of the hull. I finally managed to apply the first planks, using water with some ammonia to soften the planks and bow them into position by first nailing them on the hull.

I still have a way to go but will show my progress up until now. I still have some issues, the small nails used to attach the planks need to be removed later and than can be difficult and damaged the planks. But because it its the first layer, I think this is no a big problem yet.

Also the planking on the stern site looks not so nice to me. I use some tools like sandpaper and an electric Dremel device but it still look a bit crude.

Also things can become more difficult as I am approaching the bottom section of the hull. So any comments are welcome!

Regards, Klaas

[drobinson02199]

Klaasvg:

 

On the planking:

 

1)  I have a small steamer that I use to bend planks, and it really works well.  You can get one online.  They are normally used to steam clothes.

 

2)  You can use a putty knife and put a layer of wood filler on the stern planks, then sand and varnish before painting.

 

Regards,

David

[klaasvg]

On 6/2/2024 at 4:14 PM, drobinson02199 said:

Klaasvg:

 

On the planking:

 

1)  I have a small steamer that I use to bend planks, and it really works well.  You can get one online.  They are normally used to steam clothes.

 

2)  You can use a putty knife and put a layer of wood filler on the stern planks, then sand and varnish before painting.

 

Regards,

David

THanks David, I think that the steamer will essentially have the same effect as the water and actually I have finished the planking now. But there are still some holes and cracks so using the wood filler is probably a good idea!

[klaasvg]

On 10/27/2018 at 2:46 AM, drobinson02199 said:

Pic 1 shows the horizontal paper strips mounted on the thin plywood.  I used spray adhesive.  They are then cut out for mounting on the hull according to the guides pictured in my previous post.

 

The instructions call for mounting the strips with pins only (there are about 18 on each side), then outlining them in pencil, then removing them to remove the vertical guides, then gluing them on again.

 

I realized that the only reason for that two-step process is to get the vertical guides off the hull, and it occurred to me that I could just pencil mark their position, then remove them, and then mount the horizontal strips with glue in one step.  Pics 2-4 show the marking process, and it should save me a bunch of time.  I also hate pinning things as the pins come loose, or put holes in the wood that have to be filled, so this avoids that.

 

Pic 5 is the first strip I've cut out.  Strong sharp scissors work fine.  I'll post again when I have some strips glued on.

 

Regards,

David

 

Hi, I also picked up the work at this model and finally made some significant process since the last 10 years or so!

I finished the first layer of planking, using a bottle of water with some ammonia to soak and bent the planks. This worked pretty well. See my pictures.

Now I am at the second layer of planking. I put the vertical markers on the hull and cut out the horizontal markers and glued them on the piece of wood for the second layer, as described in the manual.

ACtually a nasty and time consuming job and it is very easy to mess it up when there occurs some folding in the paper and the planks are not in the right shape anymore. But I tihnk I glued them pretty carefully.

But cutting them out is another thing! I only cut one shelf now and it did not go too well. A pair of scissors seems to be too crude and not always handy because I can only operator a scissor with my left hand. Also I tried to cut it out using a Stanley knife but even then it is difficult to exactly folllow the line it it is not straight.

Any hints here? I have only one chance to do it well and not mess up the planks!

Best regards! 

Klaas

 

[klaasvg]

One additional question, I wonder what to do with this part of the paper print while this same part is already in the package as a cut out part. 

[drobinson02199]

I wish I could help you but at this point I don't recall what that is for.

 

Regards,

David

[drobinson02199]

I just saw your first question.  I remember using scissors to cut those strips out.  It's the only way to follow the paper cutouts.

 

Regards,

David

[klaasvg]

I am making progress with the second layer of planking and applied the planks of the starboard side. I already glued the planks from the stern side, but notice an issue with the bow planks. It seems that they are a little too long (or the bow a little too short) . Especially this can be a problem when applying the special wooden part containing the anchor hole which now comes almost 1 cm beyond the bow. Also the other planks are too long.

I think the planks are applied correctly so can the maybe be related to the bow bulkhead issue from this kit? As mentioned before, I had corrected this with the bulkhead extensions from a PDF file.

So what is the best option now? Cutting the planks or somehow lengthen the bow? I think tje last is not really possible...  And what to do with the anchor hole part? Maybe cut the 3 pieces directing to the stern with a cm or so?

[drobinson02199]

I would just cut the planks and the wooden part back where they extend past the bow.  I don't recall whether I had a similar issue when I built the ship.

 

Regards,

David

[klaasvg]

I finished the second layer of planking and it was a h*ll of a job with cutting the strips, drilling the holes and fix some anomalies. My Dremel drilling machine was really of much value here, especially for drilling the portholes!

I still need to do some sanding work, also the pre-drilled oval scupper holes did not exactly match trhe corresponing holes on the upper paper strip. Or it was noty exactly in the right position... I filled the 4 holes I make with wood filler and will drill them again.

Also the bow I am not totally content with. It is not really sharp so needs more sanding I think. But the distance from the anchor holes to the bow aloready looks too short. Buty probably not a real show stopper.

 

Last issue are the tiny ladders which already should have been glued to the upper deck even before the planking started. See photo from the manual. But glueing those into position  means the model cannot be put upside down anymore which would be very annoying during the planking so I postponed this to a later stage. 

Way to go... 😃

[klaasvg]

Maybe some hints about the bow because I am not fully confident that it looks good... 🤔

[drobinson02199]

Your bow looks a bit more blunt than mine,  You might consider trying to sand it down to more of a knife edge, but be careful not to sand out the planking detail.

 

Regards,

David