Swift 1805 by jarero - FINISHED - Artesania Latina - Virginia Pilot Boat - First Build

[jarero]

I apologize for the delay in updates to the build log.  I have been so preoccupied lately finishing it instead of posting about it.  Now that I am done I will try and get this caught up in the next few days.....

 

I cut out these pieces for the deck, not sure what they are called but I figured out later that I did this all wrong and that they should have been standing on edge when installed and not laying flat on the deck.

 

 

 

 

Of course I didn't realize my mistake until much later in the build.

 

Edited March 6, 2013 by jarero

[jarero]

At this point I decided that I should drill my hole for the bowsprit. Since I was afraid the glue joint at the point of the bulwarks would not withstand the torture of drilling I reinforced the outside peak of them with a chuck of balsa that had a "V" cut in it. I glued this to the bow and then drilled from the inside out, if that makes sense. After the hole was drilled I removed the balsa and sanded away the glue and wood residue left behind. I should have taken pictures during the process but I didn't.

 

This is a really bad washed out photo but is gives you an idea....

 

At this point it was time to do my second planking. I don't remember why I decided to do the second planking at the stern but it did turn out pretty good in the end.

 

 

I took a few liberties here and decided to run a single plank down the center of the keel from bow to stern. In retrospect this wound up causing bigger problems later that it was worth. I wouldn't advise this approach.

 

 

In this picture you can see that I have already planked the outside of the bulwarks and it also shows the hole for the bowsprit.

[jarero]

Here are some more random pictures of the planking progress....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[russ]

^{The planking looks good so far.}

 

^{On the bowsprit hole, you have the stanchions on the inside of the bulwarks to help. The two that go just to either side of the bowsprit are the knightheads. They will support the bulwarks where the bowsprit goes through.}

 

^Russ

Edited March 6, 2013 by russ

[jarero]

^{The planking looks good so far.}

 

^{On the bowsprit hole, you have the stanchions on the inside of the bulwarks to help. The two that go just to either side of the bowsprit are the knightheads. They will support the bulwarks where the bowsprit goes through.}

 

^Russ

Thanks Russ.

 

I read your comment the first time and thought I understood it perfectly until I read it a second time. Now I'm confused (happens all the time). I was at first thinking of the two pieces that go on either side of the bowsprit on the outside of the bulwark (the anchor chains go through these pieces) but you say the inside. For some reason I can't picture what you are referring to. Maybe it will help when I am home and in front of the ship again.

Edited March 6, 2013 by jarero

[jarero]

 

 

 

 

[jarero]

While waiting for the glue to dry on the planking I killed some time by making the bowsprit.

 

After the fact I decided that I should have tapered it a bunch more than I did, in fact I should have done the same on the masts as well.

[jarero]

Now the fun starts! I decided that I would put the nails in the hull planking by following an example that I saw in a post by Dan V (that post vaporized with the old MSW0). Fortunately I was able to commit the method used to memory before it disappeared.

 

I used tape to lay out the location of the nails.

 

 

Then I used a pin vise and drilled about 4 billion little holes and turned my ship into swiss cheese.

 

 

Now I used some wire on a spool for the nails.

 

 

Cut the wire to length and then placed them in the holes I drilled one at a time. After that I filled them flush with the hull/

 

 

 

 

My special helper when the wife is at work.

[themadchemist]

Hello Jarero

 

Holy Smoke, is that an Attack Pug? My wifes family has always raised them.

Nice work on your Swift so far. Ive recently started an older version of the kit. I'm up to the planking stage At the moment.

To Nail or not to Nail, that is the question. The Answer: how much patience does one have?

I haven't even attempted to decide whether to nail yet or not. I can't wait to see the walnut and brass done on your Swift so I can decide. I course It'd help if you told how many hours/days/weeks it took of mind numbing tedium. Have you become comfortably numb (sorry for the PF reference, but John started it with his momentary lapse of reason comment  )

 

Shine On -/\=

Keith

[jarero]

Hello Jarero

 

Holy Smoke, is that an Attack Pug? My wifes family has always raised them.

Nice work on your Swift so far. Ive recently started an older version of the kit. I'm up to the planking stage At the moment.

To Nail or not to Nail, that is the question. The Answer: how much patience does one have?

I haven't even attempted to decide whether to nail yet or not. I can't wait to see the walnut and brass done on your Swift so I can decide. I course It'd help if you told how many hours/days/weeks it took of mind numbing tedium. Have you become comfortably numb (sorry for the PF reference, but John started it with his momentary lapse of reason comment  )

 

Shine On -/\=

Keith

TMC,

 

You're half right, it's a pug alright but the attack part...hmmm, not so much. His name is Kona and he is almost 2yrs old and our first pug. I really hate to play favorites as I love all our dogs but Kona has become the favorite.

 

I will be happy to follow another Swift build and of course help if I can although as my first build I am still fully sided in the novice category.

 

The best way to describe working on the nails:

 

-It was tedious

-I would estimate it took 20hrs

-It was tedious

-I was nervous the whole time that I was ruining my ship

-It was tedious

-It was one of the most satisfying parts to finish on the whole ship and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

 

Hope that helps, oh and by the way.....it was tedious.

[themadchemist]

Jarero

That answers my question then. Why build boats/ships if tedious isn't your thing.

Im not surprised it was the most satisfying part, the tough stuff always is, when it works.

 

...and keep that ferocious Kona under control, pugs are fun dogs with lots of personality. Tammys dad's last pug lived to be 16, which is old for a pug. So how many dogs do you have. 2 here and I wouldnt take a million dollars for them. Pets are great ! 

 

Keith

[jarero]

themadchemist, on 06 Mar 2013 - 18:44, said:

Jarero

That answers my question then. Why build boats/ships if tedious isn't your thing.

Im not surprised it was the most satisfying part, the tough stuff always is, when it works.

 

...and keep that ferocious Kona under control, pugs are fun dogs with lots of personality. Tammys dad's last pug lived to be 16, which is old for a pug. So how many dogs do you have. 2 here and I wouldnt take a million dollars for them. Pets are great !

 

Keith

We have officially caught our limit at 4 dogs. Kona however is the biggest of the gang. All told they don't equal the size of a lab. In order of size from largest to smallest I have the Pug, a Shitzu mix, an English toy Spaniel and Chihuahua. The Chihuahua is female, the youngest, only weight 3lbs and is definitely in charge, go figure.

[Sjors]

That is some very great planking Jared.

You are really do an great job!

It look terrific!

Are you varnish her?

 

Sjors

[jarero]

That is some very great planking Jared.

You are really do an great job!

It look terrific!

Are you varnish her?

 

Sjors

Thanks for the compliment Sjors! To answer your question about varnish I will post some more pictures.

 

Here is the first coat of varnish on half of the ship:

 

 

 

 

[jarero]

I realized at this point that I need to turn the ship right side up and work on it and I needed something for it to sit on that wouldn't hurt it. After scratching my head a few minutes and armed with a contour gauge and some balsa I cooked up this little jem:

 

 

 

 

 

[Sjors]

Nicely done!

 

I need also one for my San Ildefonso so you gave me a great idea.

 

Sjors

[Adrieke]

yes very well done

 

i would also put something soft hwere the ship touches the balsa wood just to make sure

[jarero]

yes very well done

 

i would also put something soft hwere the ship touches the balsa wood just to make sure

I didn't line it with anything and fortunately for me it didn't cause any damage that way (I am finished with the build now and just catching up the log) but if I was to do it again in the future I would probably take your advice and line it with some self adhesive foam weatherstripping for doors and windows. Thanks for the tip! Edited March 7, 2013 by jarero

[Adrieke]

no worries Jared

 

and sorry i forgot you al ready finished it just got caught up in following your nice build

[jarero]

no worries Jared

 

and sorry i forgot you al ready finished it just got caught up in following your nice build

No apologies needed!!! The great thing about posting my build here is that even though it is too late to implement fixes on this build I can use the great information that you and other provide on future builds as well as others that read this when they are working on their Swift's.

[themadchemist]

Hey Jared

 

I agree, Im building a Swift and appreciate the photos.

I Love the brass nails, it WAS worth the 20 hours. Your pictures have convinced me to nail mine.

Now the quetsions (or more questions), you said you filed the nails after cutting IIRC. Did you have problems getting into the wood doing this and does the wire sand evenly with the surrounding wood, As the nails appear flush I assumed you sanded after filing. Thanks also for reviving Dan's tape method for drilling, I would have tried freehanding it by eye, the symmetry of the nails make it POP, which make a huge difference.

 

Keep those pictures coming, looking forward to seeing the rigging and deck fittings.

 

Shine On -/\=

Keith

[jarero]

Hey Jared

 

I agree, Im building a Swift and appreciate the photos.

I Love the brass nails, it WAS worth the 20 hours. Your pictures have convinced me to nail mine.

Now the quetsions (or more questions), you said you filed the nails after cutting IIRC. Did you have problems getting into the wood doing this and does the wire sand evenly with the surrounding wood, As the nails appear flush I assumed you sanded after filing. Thanks also for reviving Dan's tape method for drilling, I would have tried freehanding it by eye, the symmetry of the nails make it POP, which make a huge difference.

 

Keep those pictures coming, looking forward to seeing the rigging and deck fittings.

 

Shine On -/\=

Keith

Keith,

 

To answer your question I would have to divide the nails into two categories, those that are driven into solid wood and those that are hollow under the planking.

 

The method I used with the solid wood areas was to first drill the hole approx 3/16 to 1/4" and then insert a piece of wire that was a few inches long (so it was easy to hold onto with pliers) into the hole. I would then use a pair of wire cutters and cut off the excess as close to flush with the hull as possible. Then I used a small flat file and filed the pinched end of the wire (pinched from cutting) until it was flat. If the nail wasn't flush with the hull at this point I used a small hammer to drive it the rest of the way.

 

When there wasn't solid wood to drill into and hold the nails I would drill a hole in the hull that was slightly undersized and then insert a precut approx 1/4" piece of the wire that I already filed flat on one end. These were just held in as a friction fit but I never had any problems with them backing out or driving in too far. Just make sure you slightly undersize the hole you drill. You might want to experiment on some scrap wood first, at least it helped me.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Edited March 8, 2013 by jarero

[themadchemist]

Hello jarero

Know wonder you said tedious so many times. Precutting and filling had to be maddening, and I would know since I am themadchemist. I understand the pinching effect well as my wife does chain maille and they must be cut with a saw or the edges wont butt together on the maille rings. For that reason she usually buys them premade. But I did recently buy a jewelers saw and wonder if cuting or filing many nails at once would work. Maille rings are usually made by wrapping a correct Inner diameter dowel, then sawing the length of the dowel across the maille rings. Wonder if cutting 20 of so nails and taping them or clamping them side by side in a vise then filing would speed up the manufacture process, just trying to think like henry ford and save individual processing. I knew there had to be a trick as personally filing them all down in my case would have destroyed the outer planking, either that or my sanity (oh wait I already lost that). I think one doesn't have to be crazy to build ships, But it helps.

 

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

 

Keith

[jarero]

Hello jarero

Know wonder you said tedious so many times. Precutting and filling had to be maddening, and I would know since I am themadchemist. I understand the pinching effect well as my wife does chain maille and they must be cut with a saw or the edges wont butt together on the maille rings. For that reason she usually buys them premade. But I did recently buy a jewelers saw and wonder if cuting or filing many nails at once would work. Maille rings are usually made by wrapping a correct Inner diameter dowel, then sawing the length of the dowel across the maille rings. Wonder if cutting 20 of so nails and taping them or clamping them side by side in a vise then filing would speed up the manufacture process, just trying to think like henry ford and save individual processing. I knew there had to be a trick as personally filing them all down in my case would have destroyed the outer planking, either that or my sanity (oh wait I already lost that). I think one doesn't have to be crazy to build ships, But it helps.

 

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

 

Keith

What a coincidence, my wife (also on the forum building ships) does chain maille as well. She started off by buying the rings pre cut but then I bought her a saw and the mandrels, etc. so that she could make here own jump rings. The wire I used for the nails was actually part of her supplies for making rings.

 

I guess I got so wrapped up in the process of making the nails one at a time that I never thought to manufacture them in advance. I guess if I went out to the garage and looked at the ford in there I might have been inspired to mass produce them. Thanks for the idea!

[themadchemist]

Sarah definitely has the patience for chain maille if she building that 3/32" = 1' scale model ship. Steady hands also. Perhaps the chain maille was good practice for the small detail patience needed.

Tammy's already agreed to help rig if I need assistance, my eyes aren't as good as they use to be and my arms seem to be getting shorter also (dang farsightedness). Tam works in the ER so she's use to detail work. She trained with a plastic surgeon as a surgical tech so she has great knot tying skills.

Has sarah ever made one of the Maille balls. Not to clog up your log but I've attached a couple a pic's. The first is Ruebens collar and the maille ball, the second is our cheif galley officer Rueben (hound - and he loves his food rations)

It's interesting how occupations and hobbies lend to ship building, ship building seems to be the perfect mix of everything, wood, metal and cloth working as well as engineering and math, plus that added touch of art.

[slagoon]

I haven't made one of those, but here is my dragonscale that I'm most proud of (I'm wearing a necklace and each of my bridesmaids have a bracelet I made)

[themadchemist]

Jarero

Just wanted to let you know, I approached the admiralty (Tam) and it was highly agreed upon that nailing WILL be done, "stow the grumbling about 20 hours of tedium cadet". I'll be borrowing her jewelery wire along with all the other tools I'm claiming in the name of the build.

 

Sarah

Nice pieces of jewlery, although hard to see, it does look quite wide and looks like a fairly tight weave, which means small links or tight multi-linking weave. Either way its lots of tedious work, I see now why your smoke stack turned out so well. That was a great idea for brides maid gifts, something personal. Tammy makes lots of jewelry and gives it all away. We've been out and someone will say "oh I love that bracelet" and she'll take it off and give it to them. The favorite piece she's mad was a byzantine weave with copper and brass, it was in really small rings.

 You can see why I've kept her around (more llike from running off, living with a chemist isn't easy) for 27 1/2 years now. We'd love to get setup to do silver casting. Ive recently been making rings from 1/2 dollars ( the 90% Ag, 1964 or older). snagged one at the auction tonight for $12, less then the silver value. The best deal was this clock someone brought and dropped, They smashed the glass and face (which I felt sorry for that) but as we left it was in the trash. It looks mahogany so I salvaged it for wood planking. SCORE!

 

Keith

[jarero]

Jarero

Just wanted to let you know, I approached the admiralty (Tam) and it was highly agreed upon that nailing WILL be done, "stow the grumbling about 20 hours of tedium cadet". I'll be borrowing her jewelery wire along with all the other tools I'm claiming in the name of the build.

 

Sarah

Nice pieces of jewlery, although hard to see, it does look quite wide and looks like a fairly tight weave, which means small links or tight multi-linking weave. Either way its lots of tedious work, I see now why your smoke stack turned out so well. That was a great idea for brides maid gifts, something personal. Tammy makes lots of jewelry and gives it all away. We've been out and someone will say "oh I love that bracelet" and she'll take it off and give it to them. The favorite piece she's mad was a byzantine weave with copper and brass, it was in really small rings.

 You can see why I've kept her around (more llike from running off, living with a chemist isn't easy) for 27 1/2 years now. We'd love to get setup to do silver casting. Ive recently been making rings from 1/2 dollars ( the 90% Ag, 1964 or older). snagged one at the auction tonight for $12, less then the silver value. The best deal was this clock someone brought and dropped, They smashed the glass and face (which I felt sorry for that) but as we left it was in the trash. It looks mahogany so I salvaged it for wood planking. SCORE!

 

Keith

That is really cool, I can't wait to see how it goes. Let the tedium commence!

 

Sounds like you're a lucky man to have a wife like you do.

 

Casting... Now that could be really fun to start making castings for the ships. I wonder how many people do that already?

 

Well I suppose it is time for another update:

 

I had to hold my breath and drill another large hole in my ship, this time for the rudder...

 

 

Then I installed the belaying pin rails:

 

And now I installed these thingys (sorry for the technical terms here but I can't remember what they are called at the moment):

 

 

If you look carefully at the picture you will notice that I have blocks installed at the stern verticle end of these pieces. The reason for this is that they were too short to reach all the way to the stern. I saw someone else have this same problem in the past and they lengthened the pieces instead by cutting them in the middle and adding a section or wood to them. That would have probably been the better way to solve this problem as my solution created issues latter with fitting other parts. I had to remove them and then cut the blocks down to the footprint of the part itself and not have it over sized (hope that's not too confusing).

 

Another issue I found with these same parts is that the assembly photos that came with the kit show these parts being much wider than they really are. That wasn't a big deal until I saw that they wanted eye bolts installed through them. There wasn't enough material do drill the right size hole through. More pictures on that later.

Edited March 11, 2013 by jarero

[jarero]

Next I installed the rudder and tiller. The only really challenging part here was getting the brass shaped correctly but I think it turned out decent.

 

 

 

[Sjors]

Hi Jared,

 

It looks good but one question…...

Is the helm stick not to high?

I mean that he goes to far upwards.

Maybe that's the way, but when I not asking something, I never know….

 

Sjors