Phantom 1868 by Greg Davis - Model Shipways - 1:48 scale - New York Pilot Boat

[Greg Davis]

Bulwarks have been reinstalled. Beforehand, I did take the opportunity to smooth out the interior side of the bulwarks where the two strakes butt together - easier than if that work had been done with them installed. The hull will still need a little bit of fixing / care due to it being dropped a while back. I'll take care of that work when it is time to paint and copper the exterior.

 

Next up is completing the fairing of the deck beams followed by making a false deck.

[Greg Davis]

Making preparations for the foredeck. I added strips of wood between the bulkheads and near the bulwarks so the subdeck can be secured well in this area. Once they were in place, I faired the 'deck beams' and support pieces.

Then I made a copy of the foredeck plan and was glad to see that it matches the foredeck quite a bit better than the aft deck plan matched the aft deck.

Next step will be to actually fashion the subdeck.

 

Still haven't made a decision on the planking pattern for this deck - nibbed as in plan or herring bone pattern as illustrated in Chapelle. Votes?

[Greg Davis]

Subdeck completed - I decided to make this one out of 1/32" basswood instead of the plywood like on the aft deck.

Next step will to mark out the waterways / margin planks - after that I'm going to need to commit to a planking scheme!

[Greg Davis]

Got a chance to work some more on this project this evening. I marked out margin planks to match those on the aft deck, the forward hatch location, and mast location on the subdeck. Took a few photocopies of the piece and then glued, clamped, and weighted it to the model. Spent some time making up some more 1mm pear for the waterways. I had some more pear that I have been using on the model. Unfortunately, it was 4mm thick and I really didn't want to mill off 3/4 of the wood to make the waterways. Decided to see if it was possible to split the wood in half - turns out that I could. First using successive cuts from both sides of the piece with a slitting blade on my table saw I was able to cut all but about 1/4" of the material out. The remaining material was cut with a razor saw. I ended up with two strips 1.5mm thick. They cleaned up and thinned to 1mm quickly in the thickness sander. Templates for the waterways are now rubber cemented to the pear and await the scroll saw!

[Greg Davis]

The waterway / margin planks have been shaped, notched for timberheads, and glued in place on the foredeck. More material was milled and made into a combing for the forward hatch. Nearly time to start planking the deck! I'm 90% sure that I will be going with the standard nibbed planking pattern.

As an aside, the BR-86 is getting some paint / I'm teaching myself airbrushing!

[vossiewulf]

The first thing I learned about airbrushes was that every time you use one, you disassemble it entirely and clean each part like your life depended on it before putting everything back together. At least you do that if you want your airbrush to work predictably.

 

The planks and the engine look good

 

Edited January 5 by vossiewulf

[Greg Davis]

40 minutes ago, vossiewulf said:

The first thing I learned about airbrushes was that every time you use one, you disassemble it entirely and clean each part like your life depended on it before putting everything back together. At least you do that if you want your airbrush to work predictably.

 

The planks and the engine look good

 

I started to figure that out today - in the afternoon I brushed some red, this evening I did some black. After the red, I had run cleaner through the brush and disassembled / cleaned everything but the needle. After the black I took it all apart - including the needle and yes, there was red paint stuck pretty well to the needle! All is clean and good now, but the cleanup is time consuming. On the upside, there is no way I could have gotten this nice of a finish with a brush. So I think I will probably become an fan of the airbrush.

[vossiewulf]

Yep you got it, airbrush has a high maintenance ratio making it a pain to use at times, but it's also the only tool that can produce a quality finish for a scale project.  Spray cans are like firehoses, airbrushes provide much more control. Also you can decant finishes and paints from spray cans and then apply them elsewhere with the control of an airbrush.

 

[palmerit]

I'm no airbrush expert, but I've been able to use mine (Iwata Eclipse) repeatedly without taking it all apart (I have taken it apart to clean, but only a few times). I use airbrush paint, not watered down regular paint. I use Vallejo Air, which I thin with a mixture of 65% flow improver, 25% thinner, 10% retarder (I just thin in the paint holder). When I tried to use watered down regular Vallejo paint (you need to water it down a lot), it worked for a bit but then it clogged and I had to clean it. I've never tried non-Vallejo paint. When I'm done, I first clean out the paint barrel with hot water several times (dumping it into a bowl). I then run Vallejo thinner through the airbrush a couple times (I have a small glass thing that I can spray into to collect). I then run Iwata airbrush cleaner through the airbrush. It's a few steps, but way easier than taking the airbrush apart (which needs to be done from time to time). I did find after having not used my airbrush in a while that I did need to take it apart and clean it.

[Greg Davis]

13 hours ago, palmerit said:

I'm no airbrush expert, but I've been able to use mine (Iwata Eclipse) repeatedly without taking it all apart (I have taken it apart to clean, but only a few times). I use airbrush paint, not watered down regular paint. I use Vallejo Air, which I thin with a mixture of 65% flow improver, 25% thinner, 10% retarder (I just thin in the paint holder). When I tried to use watered down regular Vallejo paint (you need to water it down a lot), it worked for a bit but then it clogged and I had to clean it. I've never tried non-Vallejo paint. When I'm done, I first clean out the paint barrel with hot water several times (dumping it into a bowl). I then run Vallejo thinner through the airbrush a couple times (I have a small glass thing that I can spray into to collect). I then run Iwata airbrush cleaner through the airbrush. It's a few steps, but way easier than taking the airbrush apart (which needs to be done from time to time). I did find after having not used my airbrush in a while that I did need to take it apart and clean it.

I'm also using Vallejo Air, but I have not thinned and/or used any additives. I've taken the company on face value when they say that the paint can be sprayed straight from the bottle. I do have some of the flow improver - I should give it a try!

[palmerit]

I found a lot of people online recommend thinning Vallejo Air. Most say never to use water.

 

I wasn’t clear on what to do: I use 50% Vallejo Air paint and 50% that flow improver / thinner / retarder mixture. I premix it and keep it in a dropper bottle. So if I add 20 drops of paint, I add 20 drops of the mixture. 
 

I keep my airbrush at around 25 psi (unless it’s primer, which I bump to 40 psi). 
 

I’m no expert, but this works for me and I rarely need to fully clean my airbrush. 

Edited January 6 by palmerit

[Greg Davis]

Not much modeling today, instead I'm working on revamping my workspace. As it is in transition it is a mess right now. For quite awhile, I have been making use of a couple of work benches from Harbor Freight and a drafting table that was my Dad's.

While I've had the HF benches for years, they have always had a couple of disadvantages for me. First the drawers don't fully pull out so they are difficult to fully utilize; second, and most importantly it is very difficult for me to sit near the bench and work. The drafting table is great when I am drafting - which is infrequent - but is deeper than I like on most days so it isn't the best use of space for me either. As I get older, I find that I would rather sit than stand when working, hence the revamp.

 

So today I got a start on the remodel by building a pair of benches that I can sit by. They are each 5 feet long and 2 feet deep at a height convenient for sitting on a typical office chair. They will get moved out of the basement and up a couple flights of stairs soon. I plan on putting a shelf above the benches for storage and have a couple of shop lights attached to provide better work light as well. I have additional storage drawers on the way to hold what was in the HF benches (and more).

More modeling soon!

 

[Greg Davis]

17 minutes ago, palmerit said:

I found a lot of people online recommend thinning Vallejo Air. Most say never to use water.

 

I wasn’t clear on what to do: I use 50% Vallejo Air paint and 50% that flow improver / thinner / retarder mixture. I premix it and keep it in a dropper bottle. So if I add 20 drops of paint, I add 20 drops of the mixture. 
 

I keep my airbrush at around 25 psi (unless it’s primer, which I bump to 40 psi). 
 

I’m no expert, but this works for me and I rarely need to fully clean my airbrush. 

Thanks for the details - I wonder if the flow improver / thinner / retarder mixture is a big part of why your airbrush is keeping pretty clean on its own.

[Paul Le Wol]

Just to add to the airbrush topic. @Landlubber Mike suggested in a post to check out Vince Venturella’s Hobby Cheating YouTube channel. #213 is about cleaning. Excellent channel.

[Greg Davis]

Packed up a whole lot of stuff so that I could get tables and new lighting in place. Unpacking after the new organizer cabinets arrive at the end of the week.

[Greg Davis]

On 1/6/2025 at 7:36 AM, Paul Le Wol said:

Just to add to the airbrush topic. @Landlubber Mike suggested in a post to check out Vince Venturella’s Hobby Cheating YouTube channel. #213 is about cleaning. Excellent channel.

Paul

 

Thanks for the info - his process makes sense (and a lot of other interesting videos as well)!

 

Greg

[Greg Davis]

Organizers arrived, were assembled, and filled - time to try out the new setup!

[yvesvidal]

Very nice workshop.

 

Yves

[Greg Davis]

Today I milled enough 1mm thick holly to complete the foredeck. I'm also getting a new building board made up to better support the hull through the deck planking phase. I need something much more stable when time comes to cut into the waterway for plank nibbing.

[Greg Davis]

Got the new cradle made up today. I always find making these to be tedious - getting the bevels in the supports and having most everything level is never fun for me!

Now that it is done, I can get back to the planking; probably start up again tomorrow.

[Greg Davis]

First plank laid on the foredeck! I always give the first plank quite a while to dry before pushing additional planks against it - so more than one can be added tomorrow.

[Greg Davis]

After a little cutting and chiseling, the first nibbed plank is in! Not sure how long the whole process will take - but probably best to take it one plank at a time.

[Greg Davis]

A few planks at a time now. Outside of the hatch the planks will have a four butt shift for a few stakes.

[wmherbert]

Looking very nice.

How are you determining the amount/shape of each ribbing? Overlaying each plank and marking the intersectionsof the waterway and the plank? How do determine the angle of the long cut on each plank?

Bill

[Greg Davis]

1 hour ago, wmherbert said:

Looking very nice.

How are you determining the amount/shape of each ribbing? Overlaying each plank and marking the intersectionsof the waterway and the plank? How do determine the angle of the long cut on each plank?

Bill

Bill -

 

Yes, that is what I am doing. I'm making the tip about half the width of the plank and then where the plank intersects the waterway defines the angle. I've been cutting the plank first and then marking what needs to be removed from the waterway.

 

Greg

[Dr PR]

Greg,

 

Your model is looking very niceI I nibbed my decking just as you are doing, making the end of the plank half the plank width and tapering back to where the outer edge of the plank intersects the nibbing plank/margin board.

 

I have noticed some variations on nibbing methods. It looks like you are cutting the end of the plank perpendicular to the sides of the planks. Some books show the plank end cut perpendicular to the side/axis of the nibbing strake/margin board. There really isn't much difference, and you have to look hard to tell how it was actually done.

 

Another variation is the width of the end of the plank. Some models seem to have the end cut only 1/3 the plank width.

 

I suppose somewhere there are "standards" for various navies and countries, but I don't have them. I really didn't know if there was a "right" way for nibbing decks in the 1800s. But on the three modern (mid-1900s) US Navy ships I served on the deck plank ends were cut perpendicular to the plank edges and half the plank width. So that's the way I planked my schooner model, and how I will plank the minesweeper.