Armed Virginia Sloop by ortho85 - FINISHED - Model Shipways - second model

[ortho85]

Hi Grayarea,

 

I had the same question!  After a bit of research and experimentation, I now use "Timbermate".

 

If you're in Australia, Bunnings sell it - http://www.bunnings.com.au/timbermate-250g-walnut-wood-filler_p1560708

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

[ortho85]

I planked the inside - believe it not, the three small planks above the quarterdeck are really walnut!  Very pale, but they are to be painted anyway.

 

Also fitted the wale and the black strake.

 

 

 

 

 

Painted those, and placed simple masking tape ready for painting the inner planking.

 

Here again I failed to research enough.  For those newbies painting, read this about masking tape - http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/2223-masking-tape/

 

I particularly like the advice to seal the edge of the masking tape with clear sealant.  Next time!

 

 

 

Painted the inner, and started planking the upper exterior.

 

 

 

 

As I started cutting back the planking around the gunports

 

 

 

                                                                                            I realised I had missed the bit in the practicum where I should have placed upper sills in the gunports.  So, I tried to carve some filler blocks, but soon gave up, and grabbed the wood filler!

 

 

 

I then realised my gunports were less than neat, so I filed them to a better shape, accepting that I will need plenty of repainting.

 

 

 

 

 

In fact, I will also have to repaint the wales and strakes, after I finish removing all the excess glue.  More is not better with CA!

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

[aliluke]

Hi Brett

The big hurdles on the upper works are over. Good stuff. The lower hull outer planking isn't too hard. You have got past all of the set out relationships and now you can relax and enjoy.

 

One piece of advice - look after your waterway when you clean up the inner bulwarks - mask it. It a striking feature of the kit and would be a bugger to replace if it got damaged. Also hold on to the spirketing (sp?) plank thickness above the waterway - it should be slightly thicker than the upper bulwark planks and, again, is a nice detail to maintain if you can.

 

My little experience in this craft suggests that major re-works have to become increasingly minor as the work goes on. You are into the finishing stages of the hull and it will, very soon, become a precious thing. I tell myself the same on my current model but still go around in circles of fix/correct/re-fix/ correct....

 

Anyway, nice to see you pushing forward and it looks really good.

[BareHook]

Brett,

Looking good, you should also consider painting parts before installation, then you dont have to deal with masking. I also had varying shades of walnut and it took several coats of paint for the variance to not be obvious on the bulwarks. I ended up lining my gunports with then walnut strips and that worked pretty well also.

 

Ken

[ortho85]

Thanks guys.

 

Alistair, one of the things I find difficult is the tiny differences between timber sizes.  It make the junction of two supposedly different pieces very blurred - even more so after you sand.  It's worse now, because the walnut planks (0.020" in the original practicum) are now 0.030".  So they don't stand out much from the spirketing or sheer strake.

 

Ken, I thought about pre-painting, and will in future.  I worry I would still need to touch them up after planking and sanding.

 

Question - should the walnut planks be left rough?  If not, is there any secret to sanding them without damaging adjacent timber, especially the painted parts?

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

[aliluke]

Hi Brett

I wouldn't leave the walnut rough. To protect adjacent paintwork I suggest; make sure it is fully sealed with whatever clear finish you are going to use (I use Testors Dullcote) then cover it with a low tack masking tape e.g.Tamiya. Don't use high tack tapes as can take off the paint when you remove them. Even with low tack remove it very gently. Also try to avoid sanding the masking tape.

 

Are you painting the exterior? If you are another wee trick is to make the joints between the outer bulwark planks so that the joint is visible through the paint. I did this by putting a small bevel on the edge of the plank before laying them but light and careful scoring of the joint could work too. This can be seen on my log. I think it looks better than a solid painted surface.

[ortho85]

Thanks, Alistair.  I'm just off to buy some better masking tape!

 

I currently plan to just seal the lower planking, and see how that looks.  I'm not convinced about the look of the painted ones, but I will paint if the unpainted looks wrong.

 

Brett

[Blue Pilot]

I painted my AVS but I would sand the walnut very very lightly with a fine grit sand paper then 3-4 coats of wipe on Minwax wipe on polyurethane with a very light sand between each coat. I have had good results with this product. Use the satin variety, It leaves a finish with just a hint of shine but not glossy so it leaves the finish looking natural. That is actually what I did before painting to seal and prep the wood before I painted my hull. So if you change your mind and paint you have not wasted any time. I Dont know if that helps you but she is looking good.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Blue Pilot

[BareHook]

I finished my hull with minwax waterbase satin. Be carefull sanding, the walnut layer is thin.

 

Ken

[ortho85]

Thanks for that info, Ken and Blue Pilot (do you have a real name?).

 

Ken, the current kit has outer planks that are 0.030" thick.  A bit more to play with when sanding than the old 0.020".

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

Edited May 16, 2014 by ortho85

[ortho85]

All the reshaping of gunports and sanding the upper outer planking meant I had to redo the black paint on the wales and black strake.  I bought some decent quality 3M masking tape, and applied it carefully, then sealed it with clear sealant:

 

 

After that I redid the gunports and inner plank painting:

 

 

According to the instructions, next would be the cap rails.  As I stated before, I had trouble trying to figure out how these would work on the cabin area.  I knew I would have to cut down the planking there, as mentioned on 4th May, but I couldn't find any exact levels anywhere.

 

Finally I decided that the planks on the cabin deck would need to butt up to the inner edge of the cap rail there.  So I tacked a couple of pieces of scrap basswood to simulate the future planking:

 

 

Then cut down the planking, while constantly checking with my cap rail timber:

 

 

After much fairing, shaping, and tweaking, the cap rails and taffrail were ready.  This time I realised they should be painted before being glued.  And here they are:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next will be the stress of the lower planking.

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

[grayarea]

Looks great. Nice progress.

[aliluke]

Looking good Brett. Getting those cap rails on is a big hurdle to cross. I had to scratch build mine at the bow as the kit bits and the hull curvature didn't align. There is another strake that sits below the cap rails; they are slightly proud of it and it is proud of the planking below. I can't tell if you have added this yet or even intend to?

[ortho85]

Hi Alistair,

 

They are there, but the outer walnut planks are 0.030" (0.76mm in the civilised world), and that strake is 3/64" (1.19mm).  The difference is so slight I can't really see it.

 

I wish I had used a thicker strake, and I may veneer it with an 0.020" strip later.  In the instructions they paint the "sheer" strake blue, but I plan to leave the walnut unpainted (you know what is said about plans).

 

BTW, my oldest son is currently around Nelson, enjoying the snow at Woodstock!

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

[aliluke]

Snow in Nelson? Well it sure is cold here.

 

I guess I won't turn you towards a painted version but it does pick up those details...photo taken this afternoon in the sun.

[ortho85]

Yes, Alistair, I admire the painted vessels, but I'm gunna try unpainted first.

 

May even take someone's idea of painting just one side and turning the model occasionally.

 

Sunny Wellington, eh?

 

Snowy Woodstock this afternoon (from my son):

 

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

[ortho85]

And so began the lower hull planking - or not!

 

I spent a long time trying to understand the multitude of tutorials, videos, PDFs, etc about planking, but failed to get a grasp of the concept.  As with most things, I felt I could only learn by plunging in.  As usual, I learnt by my mistakes, and hope to do better in my next model!

 

I am following Bob Hunt's practicum, and at that stage I wished I had not.  In his version, the first layer of planking is done with full length strips, leaving the fun to the outer, walnut planking, done with more realistic length planks.  Oh, how I wished I had been smart enough to practice my planking skills with the basswood first layer - then my outer layer would have been better.

 

The first step was the hardest.  After much procrastinating I realised that the overarching concept was to break the lower hull into sections, and plank each section as an entity.

 

I drew vertical lines at several strategic parts of the hull.  I marked the length of each line on card.  I then divided each into quarters, and transferred the 3 marks back on to the hull.  Joining the marks with blue tape allowed me to visualise each band/belt.

 

Here is the first belt planked and the tape moved down ready for the next:

 

 

The instructions talked about staggering the joins of the planks, suggesting that they should line up every 4 rows of planks.  I couldn't get this to work with my model, so settled for every 3 rows.  Then messed that up!

 

Although I thought I was following instructions carefully, I realised that I had made a big boo-boo.  There was an awful angle at the join of 2 planks.  Because I was using CA glue, I was stuck (sorry!).  I thought of trying to grind them off, but chickened out.

 

In the end I decided to "bodge" it, and do better on the starboard side.  So, I stuck in a thin triangular section of plank as seen here:

 

 

On I plodded, deciding to settle for planks that were thinned out at one end, and full width at the other.  I didn't want to try stealing.  This "stealing" sounded like calculus to me - something I will learn when I absolutely can't avoid it.

 

Here is the second belt on the port side completed:

 

 

I was working on both sides of the hull, one belt at a time.  After my dramas with the misshaped joint, I decided to use PVA glue on the starboard side.  That lasted one row of planks, before I gave up and went back to CA.

 

Here we are with 2 belts each side done, and 2 to go each side:

 

 

 

Time for a break.

 

I really would appreciate any advice/criticism about planking.  Or anything!

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

[HIPEXEC]

It looks like your doing a credible job with planking. Nobody does it with some boo boos.

[aliluke]

Hi Brett

Struggling to understand your issues. Do you have a picture of the stern or from the stern?

[ortho85]

Hi Alistair,

 

No issues - just looking for any decent tips or tutorials to hone my planking skills.

 

I've actually finished the hull planking, but wanted to break my posting.  The deck planking awaits, but that won't need the same techniques, I guess.

 

Thanks,

 

Brett

[aliluke]

Hi Brett

That's great - I thought it looked good! Look forward to pictures of the completed phase.

[BareHook]

Dont forget CA glue can be removed with the debonder. I used PVA, but had sore fingers from holding the planks in place until the glue set enough to stay in place. You'll be suprised after a light sanding it will look fine. You will need to add a couple stealers at the stern though to fill in the extra gaps.

 

Ken

[ortho85]

I thought the debonder was just acetone?  Or is it different?

 

I have had no luck with straight acetone in ungluing CA.

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

[BareHook]

Yes, I couldn't remember, they also sell it labeled as debonder

[Bindy]

I really would appreciate any advice/criticism about planking.  Or anything!

 

Hmmm I can't be much help sorry Brett as I think it looks great!  To be honest I can't even really see the "oops"

 

I guess one bit of constructive criticism though would be that I don't think the blue planks in the bottom picture really go with the other ones sorry 

[ortho85]

Ah, well Bindy, if the blue planks worried you, wait until you see my artificial seaweed attempts!     BTW, if you're serious about not seeing my oops, just click on the image, and you'll get a large view, that will reveal all!

 

This was the situation approaching the final belts of planks:

 

 

 

 

 

As the practicum suggested, I next used a 1/4" plank at the keel (others were 3/16" up to now).  I was left with space for 3 rows of planks.  Because I was staggering the joins every third row, it was simple to line up this row:

 

 

 

I managed to avoid any stealers at the stern, by occasionally cheating and cutting down a 1/4" plank, instead of 3/16" ones.  Again, this resulted in a couple of skinny areas, but I got there:

 

 

 

 

 

The green bits are vinyl glove remnants that pulled off with the CA I was using.  Not seaweed.

 

Tip for Australians - Parfix CA sticks badly to vinyl gloves (don't bother with latex!!!!).  The home brand CA from Woolies is more forgiving.  And don't use the runny Reject Shop $2 packs, either.

 

Now it's time to sand and see.

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

 

5 weeks to retirement, but who's counting?

[BareHook]

Leaving bits of skin looks more natural than gloves

The planking looks great! Give her a light sanding to remove the excess adhesive.

 

Ken

[ortho85]

Ken obviously has a different definition of 'light sanding'!  It took me several hours.

 

Despite careful application of masking tape, I still will have to retouch a couple of bits of the black paint.

 

After sanding, I applied 2 coats of Minwax Wipe-on-Poly Gloss.  I bought this accidentally, but was later unable to find the Satin version.

 

Recently I managed to get Feast Watson Satin Wipe-on-Poly, and these photos show the model with 1 more coat of that.  I plan to rub down and apply several more satin coats later:

 

 

 

 

 

For anyone starting this model, a hint.  The practicum leaves the oar sweeps until this stage.  It would be better to cut/drill them before sanding/painting/sealing.  I have just started making these and it is messing up my earlier sanding and artistry.

 

Here are a few different views.  I still think I am going to stick with sealed rather than painted.  The colour looks different with differing light conditions:
 

 

 

 

 

 

It's the middle of winter here in Brisbane.  Only 21.4 degrees.  That's Celsius!  For those from foreign parts, I think it equals about 70.5F.  We got it tough!

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

 

4 weeks to freedom.

[Littlebob]

Looks very nice after you did the sanding and the poly coat.

[aliluke]

Looks really good Brett. You can keep that natural finish with pride.

 

Middle of winter here too of course. Blue skies, no wind but hell we struggle to muster 21 degrees in summer!