Adventure by Claudius_Rex - Amati - 1:60 - Piriate Ship - First Build

[Claudius_Rex]

This is my first build so I rushed into gluing on the bulkheads before consulting my primary reference material, Ship Modeling Simplified by Frank Mastini.

The main and forecastle decks are flush with the keel but I can already see a gap between the keel and the quarter deck, but I was able to nail and glue it to the bulkheads.

 

The mast hole were misaligned, this was something that was noted in the YouTube video I'm following so I was expecting it. I filed the holes to properly align.

 

I was unclear what to do with the wooden pieces that support the aft (unclear if I'm using the right terminology here) seen in IMG_4591 from the instructions, which are sparse and in Italian. But I was eventually able to figure out that I needed to cut and taper them to align with the curve of the aft bulkhead. I used a round sanding bit on my dremel and eyeballed it. I'm pretty happy with the result.

 

The instructions tell me to plan the deck before the hull but based on what I've read in here I am going to proceed with the hull planking first.

[JacquesCousteau]

Nice start!

[Claudius_Rex]

I've only been able to find small bits of time to work on this but I've been watching a lot of videos on how to use planking fans.

 

I was able to add the first two planks to the port side and use my electric plank bender for the first time, which was a fun learning experience. Something about bending the wood to a nice curve is very satisfying. It's becoming more apparent that my bulkheads are not perfectly aligned and I'm regretting not waiting for my book to arrive before diving into that.

 

I'm a bit surprised that my longest bulkhead is #8, closest to the stern, I was expecting it to be one of the middle bulkheads.

 

 

[Claudius_Rex]

Planking is getting easier as I go but I've learned some key lessons:

• Make a bow filler, it will help shape the curved planks. I'm struggling to find the right curve at the top of the bulkheads without it.
• Soak your planks for an hour or so, they are so much more pliable and easier to insert pins into.
• A pin pusher is an invaluable tool. 
  • My current pins are 7.5mm and I find them to be a bit too small. I ordered some 10mm pins but I don't know if they will fit my current pusher.

 

Some notable mistakes in my current build:

• There's a big gap between the planks and the false deck at the bow. I don't think I'll be able to fix it so I'm planning to fill it when I plank the deck.
• The planks were curving way to much on the port side by bulkhead #3, so I had to cut 4 of them to stretch them into position. I'll try and fill that gap later and cover it with the second planking.
• I wasn't soaking my planks long enough at the beginning so I had to drive my pins all the way to secure them. I think this will cause issues when I'm sanding, but we'll see.

 

Questions for the group:

• How are things looking? Any major flaws that I'm not seeing that will cause problems later?
• Can I use wood filler + sanding to overcome a lot of the small gaps, especially at the bow, or should I taper some planks and wedge them in between?
  • Mastini really pushes for some precise tapering to fill all the little gaps but he is being a perfectionist and I think the few pages he wrote on hull planking assume are written for a single planking.

Thanks again for reading my log and any advice you might have.

• 

[JacquesCousteau]

To be honest, I think you're going to have a hard time getting a satisfactory second planking with the first layer like this. There are a lot of large gaps and general unevenness. Getting a decent second layer requires a smooth first layer. There would be a lot of very tedious filling and sanding required at the moment to get to that point, and it would be quite challenging. The area over the square cutout at bulkhead 3, for instance, will be very hard to plank over without having an incongruous flat spot there.

 

From the photos, it looks like the bulkheads weren't faired enough, which explains the gaps and probably the space between false deck and planking at the bow. You should be able to run a batten (a thin strip of flexible wood) over the bulkheads, at every point in the hull, such that it touches all of them evenly without bulges or spaces. Especially near the bow and stern, this usually means substantially beveling the bulkheads and taking off a surprising amount of material--usually there should only be a thin line of laser char left. There's an example of this in post #21 in my NRG Half-Hull build (and you can see the long slow process of fairing in the posts before that one): 

All of which is to say, I think you'll have a much easier time down the line if you remove this planking, fair the bulkheads more, and redo it. Following Mastini's advice to taper the planks is also a good one. Planking a hull is one of the hardest parts of ship modeling, so I wouldn't feel discouraged, but I think it's worth it to try to get it right to avoid frustrations down the line.

 

Edited September 24 by JacquesCousteau

[Claudius_Rex]

@JacquesCousteau, noted! I think you're right. It's frustrating to have to start from scratch but I want to make sure I get every part of the planking process down with this first model. Thank you for your advice.

[JacquesCousteau]

Best of luck! Using a flexible sanding stick can be helpful for sanding several bulkheads simultaneously, which can really help keep them fair.

[Claudius_Rex]

Thanks again @JacquesCousteau for the comment on fairing. I can't believe I skipped that step entirely. 

I spent the weekend creating a bow filler and it's make a huge difference. I have 6 planks, 3 on each side, pinned on right now to help me along with fairing and I'm still smoothing out a few bumps but I'm feeling so much more confident about the first planking. 

I will post a proper update with photos of my progress once the fairing is done but just wanted to jump in and say thanks again for the help & advice. 

[Loracs]

@Claudius_Rex, Greeting, I'm pleased that you took the time to post your progress here.  This is one of the great ways to learn the craft.  Let me try to give you few pointers.  I hope this will help you here and in future build. Amati kits are not too bad of a choice. Some kits are better than others and I am not familiar with this one.

 

First, you came here:  fantastic decision.  My first general suggestion will be to read. Wood modeling is all about learning the various techniques involved.  There are many... I'm still learning after nearly 3 years of building model, so never get discourage.  I'm giving couple links to section of the forum to get you started.  There are far more out there.

Shop Notes, Ship Modeling Tips, Techniques and Research - Model Ship World™

Nautical Research Guild - Articles and How Tos

 

Second, try to locate here and/or YouTube build logs for this specific model... read then all.  Build logs are a perspective from someone else, how they progressed and often the methods the use.  THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM THEM. Not everyone presents a detailed build, but that ok... it gives YOU an idea of what is coming and potentially how to do it.

 

Third, Never, ever rush into the project. This is a recipe for disaster.  Model building is as much patience and dedication (there a lot of repetition) than skills.

 

Lastly, let get to your build. 

First planking is all about getting a solid and smooth foundation to the hull. It will be hidden so you have an opportunity to PRACTICE and develop your skills at planking.  Your planking still needs a lot of work...  AND THAT OK!  Reading the methods and practicing them are keys.

 

My suggestion:  Wood model is a labor of love. You need to be gentle, accurate and rigorous in your approach. RULE NO 1:  If you have to force it, you are using the wrong approach.  Something is not right, and you will have difficulties.  I think you try to force the planks in place here.  This is your first mistake. There are methods to deal with this.

 

Second, Ships are all about symmetry and style, with gentle flowing curves.  Keep that in mind as you work on the model.  Is there symmetry?  yes, how will I make identical on each side.

 

This is just a starter comments.  We just can't write full tutorials it will take too long.  But it is up to you to read as much as possible.

 

LAST NOTE: you mentioned and assumed that the hole for the mats is miss-aligned.  Amati is generally good at design. Ask yourself: for this kit, is it a mistake OR is it by design?  In many ship the mats are not necessarily perpendicular to the deck... often it leans back (relative to the bow) by few degrees.  I just don't know about this model to answer. But make no assumptions.

Edited September 30 by Loracs

[Loracs]

I forgot to mention...  you may need to invest in a couple tools. Something you will find useful is a plank binder. It allows to shape planks to follow the, sometime pronounced, curves of the ship. This allows you more flexibility in placement since you won't need as much force to get everything in place.  Plank binder uses heat and water (steam) to shape or round planks.  I use this one but there many others.  If you shape the planks beforehand, you won't really need to use nails (which btw are not that easy to use in planking), just glue and few clamps.  Note, this can get very hot.  Careful not burning yourself or the wood.  Keep the plank moist with water.

 

In real ship building, they used a steam box like here:  Steam box - Wikipedia

 

Another trick is to use the bulkheads to hold the plank in place. A simple modification of a standard clamp is good enough (see last picture, taken from @peterbrowne). It will hold the plank sideway (no gap when planking the hull) and apply pressure from the top (while the glue cure).  The right tools for the right jobs help so much.

 

LASTLY, you can shape the plank without plank binder. Wet you plank for 5-10 min in hot water then slowly place it to the corresponding hull position.  Hold it with clamps you made above. DO NOT glue it yet. At the bow, you may need a hair dryer to help bend the plank in place without breaking it.   Water and heat are the key.  Then leave it there for few hours until dry... you then have a perfectly shaped plank to work with. 

 

There is more to hull planking... but this will get you going while you read.

Edited September 30 by Loracs