Armed Virginia Sloop by grayarea - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:48 - First Wood Ship Build

[aliluke]

Doesn't look bad to me at all.

 

for the wale/fashion piece sequence have a look at my log. The sequence shown there worked for me which is the planks underneath the wale first, then a temporary outer wale clamped into position to get the right lines for the fashion piece then install piece and finish the stern and then do the first layer of planks. I'm sure there are other ways.

 

Cheers

Alistair

[grayarea]

The starboard wale went on nicely. I think it was beginner's luck. 

Rather than cutting the curve into a wider plank, as suggested in the plans, I steam bent a slight lengthwise curve where the wale starts its upward swing near the quarter-deck. I also steam-bent the curve at the bow and the small twist in the stern. 

I still had to add 2 small shims where the bulkheads were less than perfect. I thought everything was good and fare, but the small fixes that remain have become fast and easy work. I might be shimming all the way through planking.

 

Incidentally, I tried my Latina planking bender - the pliers kind that scores the backside of the plank. It's a fantastic snipper; with the slightest pressure, it makes a clean, precise cut. I think it cold cut through fire wood - which is what my boat parts become when I try to use it.

Edited March 26, 2014 by grayarea

[42rocker]

Looking Good. Enjoy the build. I have one to finish someday.

 

Later Tim

[HIPEXEC]

Wow! You're off to a great beginning.

Good Luck,

Rich

[grayarea]

tonynewman: The "ribs" or bulkheads are laser cut as part of the kit. But don't let that fool you; they require a lot of shaping; I have more than 45 hours in the build at this point - half of it spent on the bulkheads. 

 

The Pla-Do containers are for small parts. The fine-smelling Play-Do is long gone, as my youngest stopped playing with the stuff a good 12 years ago.

 

This is my first build so I can't tell you if this kit is better than those from other manufacturers, but Model Shipways was highly recommended to me because of the documentation provided. Most kits apparently come with extensive plans, as this one does. But what's extra is an instruction manual that gives you instructions on a good order to follow and some helpful nuance in navigating the trickiest steps.

 

No matter what, though, you'll find that building a model like this is very much a solitary act of self-education. This isn't about "glue part A to part B".

Edited March 26, 2014 by grayarea

[grayarea]

It's funny how different people come to this hobby. I've raced sailboats since I was a kid and have always loved the water. You've built ships. Others crew them. Still others are woodworkers and then there are the serial modelers who come here from trains or dollhouses or whatever. It's a complicated craft that forces you to develop a lot of skills. I'm really enjoying the woodworking; from my experience with RC racing models, I know I'll enjoy the rigging.

[dragzz]

u are doing a vary good job on the boat just take all the time u need no need to rush it keep up the great work

[BareHook]

I just found your build log, its looking good and I look forward to your progress.

Ken

[ortho85]

Hi grayarea,

 

I hadn't seen your log until you posted on mine.  It will be good to keep learning from each other.

 

You're racing away!  Well done.

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

[grayarea]

As spring has come on and work has been through a busy cycle, I haven't posted, but I have continued to take an hour here and there on the boat.

 

The wale and fashion pieces went fine. Between the practica and the instructions, there are - as noted over and over again in AVS build logs - conflicts. My approach has been to reach as much information as I can find, spend time studying the drawings and the boat, and then forge ahead as I seems most logical to me. Based on this, I worked on the wale and fashion pieces simultaneously, then I put on the wale before gluing on the fashion pieces.

I haven't done any final sanding on the fashion pieces; I'm too likely to go too far. So I will wait until I get the 2nd layer of planking on before working to make joints flush.  

 

 

The black strake gave me trouble - specifically the scuppers. 

 

Here's a graveyard of rejected black strakes.

 

I couldn't settle on a method to provide 10 consistently shaped scuppers. I finally settled on a technique using 3 cutoff wheels mounted on my dremel to cut the right width. Then I just had to get the depth of cut right and round out the corners with a riffle.

 

 

I did two layers at a time - basswood and walnut. I set aside the walnut layer for now, and will have them handy when I begin the second layer of planking.

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2014 by grayarea

[aliluke]

One thing I never attempted to do was take the scuppers right through the hull. Getting the alignment right would be very difficult in my opinion and faking them as dead ends from both the outside and inside is an option. My scuppers are very small compared to yours - I'm not sure whether there is a right or wrong in this regard.

 

Have a look at the first four photos in my #4 post on my log and you can see that my scuppers are dead ends. Makes it much easier to get the positions correct - particularly on the inside face. But if you are game to take them right through go for it.

Edited April 28, 2014 by aliluke

[Guest Tim I.]

Grayarea,

 

Your Armed Virginia Sloop is looking great so far! Also welcome to the hobby!

I am also a fan of a glass of bourbon once a build session is over. I look forward to following your log as your ship progresses.

 

- Tim

[grayarea]

One thing I never attempted to do was take the scuppers right through the hull. Getting the alignment right would be very difficult in my opinion and faking them as dead ends from both the outside and inside - I'm not sure whether there is a right or wrong in this regard.

 

Have a look at the first four photos in my #4 post on my log and you can see that my scuppers are dead ends. Makes it much easier to get the positions correct - particularly on the inside face. But if you are game to take them right through go for it.

D'oh! I'm not building real scuppers out of some twisted need for heightened authenticity. But I've got them set already through 3 layers - both black strake layers and the spacers where those exist. Just 1 more layer to go, which I figured to do from the outside with a micro-drill and small files. Maybe I'll figure out how to fake them afterall. But I have time and my mind is kind of done with the project until later in the week.

[aliluke]

I managed to accidently delete part of my post just before I posted it so that it didn't make sense - edited it above.

Edited April 28, 2014 by aliluke

[alde]

Thank you for taking the time to post so much detail on your build log. I will refer to it when I start my AVS. It will be my second build.

[GuntherMT]

Hi Grayarea, how is your build going?  It's looking great, but then nothing since April.  I love the detail you give in how you got everything to work when fairing the hull and bulkheads.

[grayarea]

Brian,

Thanks for the note and the kind words. My build has been on vacation since the weather turned beautiful and the outdoors beckoned. But today is the autumnal equinox. Cooler weather is arriving, and every time I pass by my build - waiting calmly in its keel vice - the itch to get back to it grows a little stronger. 
I do still have a lot of fall cleanup to do around the house in preparation winter, but I expect to take up the consistent work again over the next several weeks. Meanwhile, I have continued to put in an hour or two at a time here and am surprised at how far the planking has come since I last posted photos here. 

In fact, I've gotten far enough that I'm guessing my build log won't be one of the best at documenting the various trials involved with the first layer of planking.

 

Before beginning, I made about two-dozen plank clamps from 1.5" sewing pins. I got the idea from the build log of someone here who has built many beautiful models. I meant to credit him for the idea, but I got it so long ago I don't remember whose it was. But you can see the clamps in the photo below. There work beautifully; the hold the plank tightly to the bulkhead and allow fine adjustment so you can snug the new plank's edge closely to that of the adjacent plank.

 

This series of photos is from late April 2014. I began planking with Belt A. I carefully measured and marked the location where Belt A should end on each bulkhead and then pinned a batten in that location as suggested in the instructions. If you're paying attention, you'll notice the batten is one of my discarded attempts at creating scuppers. No scrap is completely useless.

 

If you read any build log for this boat, you'll read about how touchy it is to make the sharp bend at the stern, where Belt A planks turn nearly 90 degrees to meet the transom. And they tell the truth - it's touchy. 

But I honestly had less trouble with this than I do with shaping the curve in each plank at the bow. You need to take into account both the upward rise in the plank along with the inward bend - which will cause the plank to rise naturally anyway. Unfortunately, the proscribed turn and the inward bend don't quite match. Add to that the taper in the width of each plank, and the job became a matter of careful trial and error. 

I couldn't figure out any way to translate what's on paper onto a plank of wood. One may exist, but I had more success holding each plank against the bow, marking on the plank where it wanted to meet each bulkhead and slowly using those marks to create a curve that usually looked something like this. . where each bulkhead would mea - a combination of fitting, marking and trimming as many times as it took to get a shape that fit well.

Here's a photo of a discarded plank in progress:

 

 

There's lots of glue everywhere. I'm using CA to afix the plank to the bulkhead, but using white carpenter's glue on the edge of each strake to join the planks to each other. It's the CA that's making the mess, as I'm using super-thin/fast-setting to to ensure a good bond between plank and bulkhead. I was self-conscious about how blotchy the build looks in the photos, but looking around at other build logs, I'm realizing this is simply what a model looks like in progress. At least a rookie build. 

I'll have to reevaluate my gluiing method for the second layer of planking to I don't have quite as much mess to clean up. 

 

There is certainly a lot of sanding in my future. But I've faired the bottom of a real boat; the work required here isn't going to bother me.

Edited September 22, 2014 by grayarea

[DocBlake]

I'm beginning to rig my AVS.  I have Bob Hunt's practicum and it was invaluable in the build process.  I would be happy to help, adding my two cents worth if you have questions.  I learned a lot the hard way!

 

Dave

[grayarea]

Dave,

Your build looks beautiful. I'm guessing that's where I'll be a year from now - and I hope it looks nearly as good as yours. 

I'm using a combination of Bob Hunt's practicum, the instructions provided with the kit and experiences recorded in build logs here. I don't have the same gripe that others seem to have about the instructions being inadequate or out of order.

 

It's obvious there is more than one way to tackle each step of this craft. An enjoyable part of the process for me is simply comparing the information available (including build logs), coming to an understanding how things are supposed to go together and how they're supposed to look, and then deciding how best to approach it based on my skills. 

 

It involves a lot of time sitting with the plans spread out on the dining room table - nowhere near where the build is actually taking place. But so far, my many mistakes have been small, and I've been able to recover from them.

Edited September 23, 2014 by grayarea

[grayarea]

Here's a couple photos of Belt C, which was actually pretty easy. I've only finished this Belt on the starboard side. Port side awaits for colder weather. 

I don't know why my images are suddenly importing upside-down, but I'm going to leave them, rather than try to upload again. You get the idea of how things look.

 

Edited September 22, 2014 by grayarea

[egkb]

Love the updates G. you are racing along !

 

Any chance of a 'How To' on those snazzy looking Plank Pins Thingies you have there ?    They look the Business!

 

Take Care Mate,

 

Eamonn

[grayarea]

I'm a bit embarrassed to respond to your request Eamonn, because I picked these up from someone else's build log. But it was several months ago and I don't remember whose it was, so I can't give proper credit. 

So let's just emphasize: I didn't invent these.

With that said, here are the clamps:

To make them, take a 1.5" straight pin, bend it 90 degrees, then 180, then 90 again until you have them shaped as in the photo. 

Then apply a little solder at the bend, so they hold together when you push and pull at them. 

You can make a pile of them in about 45 minutes, once you get rolling.

Here's an example of one in use. It goes into the bulkhead, and the protrusion in the clamp holds the plank fast against the bulkhead and tight up against the adjacent plank. The beautiful thing about them is that the hole made by the pin is always going to get covered by the next plank. 

I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be able to use them for the outer layer of planking as well. They'll go right into the first planks without regard to bulkhead locations.

They do break over successive uses, so I've had attrition and have since made a second batch.

Such an elegant little tool, I wonder that everyone doesn't know about them. I feel fortunate to have stumbled on them early in my first build.

Edited September 22, 2014 by grayarea

[egkb]

Thanks G.. they are indeed a snazzy bit of kit.. and you say you invented them too.. nice   (TeeHee Just Kiddin    )

 

Eamonn

[grayarea]

The weather has started to turn, so I've returned to the workshop and am making progress on finishing the first layer of planking. 

My biggest challenge, consistently, has been carving the curve at the bow – particularly higher up toward the wale, where the planks are a bit wider and the curve toward the stem is more extreme. 

 

As I've worked farther down, I've been able to make peace with the process - thanks largely to the reduced inward curve toward the stem, and the ability to put some bend into the narrower planks along the length of the grain. 

 

I'm also not satisfied with the lack of uniformity in the width of the planks at the bow. The plans seem to show varying widths and I tried to match those in Belts A and C. But I seem to err toward oversized, which means the planks in Belt B are all narrower than shown in the plans. It looks odd and I'll be happy to cover it it. 

 

When I tackle this aspect in the hardwood layer, I'm going to aim for a uniform width of all planks where they meet the stem – at least below Belt A. I'm already thinking about how I'll set up a jig or gauge to achieve that.

 

I'm glad there are two layers of planking; while I'm fatigued from the process and could use to move onto something new, I'll look forward to the chance to put what I've learned to use to make the hardwood layer look better. I've got some trepidation about the hardwood being less forgiving, but like everything else in this process, I'll just take it one plank at a time and keep sipping the bourbon. 

 

At the very least, I feel like I'm getting better with every plank.

 

And I still have plenty to do before getting to the hardwood layer anyway. I'm just about to close up the bottom of the hull, but I've saved the planking above the wale - so that will be next. Then I'll need to fair the hull. Probably January, at this rate, before I pull out any hardwood planking.

 

WIth that said, here are a few recent pics.

 

That hole in the bow above is just from two consecutive planks that I managed to cut a tiny bit short. It looks a whole lot worse in the photo. I plan to fill it when fairing the hull so the hardwood layer will have a good surface to adhere to.

 

The last plank on the starboard side is fitted and ready for glue.

Edited November 5, 2014 by grayarea

[GuntherMT]

I don't think you can really plank based on the plans, as your specific hull will never be exactly like the plans so the plan planking scheme won't match it.

 

Instead, look in the planking sub-forum here and there is a sticky with a bunch of different planking tutorials, all with excellent information in them.  Each plank has to be cut and shaped to lay correctly.  It's nice (and I certainly have been trying on mine) to get them to match up nicely at the stem, but ultimately, keeping the surface good for the 2nd layer is more important.

 

Once  you are done filling and sanding, if the 2nd layer of planking has a good smooth surface that allows you to make a great 2nd layer, then the first layer has done it's job!

[ortho85]

As another amateur in planking, I found the first layer good training for the walnut layer.  Not full training, but a start!

 

All the faults in planks (but not curves) get hidden by the second layer.  You can fill any gaps or dents with woodfiller, and no-one knows - unless you post pics here!

 

Where possible, I like PVA glue for planking.  Allows me to redo my mistakes.  Yup, that's probably correct - I do redo my mistakes sometimes!

 

Stick with it!

 

Cheers,

 

Brett

[grayarea]

Thanks Brian. I appreciate the reference to the planking section; I wasn't aware of it. 
I've never allowed myself to forget that the role of the first layer is to form a good, fair base for the second. But as this is my first build, I'm glad for the opportunity to learn with a layer that's going to get covered up.

[aliluke]

Looks like a good planking base for the second layer to me. Are you planning on painting the hull (I could look back in your log for that answer I guess)? I fully painted the hull and still find it to be a very nice way to finish it.

[grayarea]

Yes, I'm planning to paint the hull. Having never been much of a woodworker, I'm probably a few builds away from building one in the buff. I like the realism anyway of the paint job.

[grayarea]

Except for a little mopping up, I've finished the first layer of planking. I've been keeping rough track of time spent and I'm at about 75 hours on the build to date. I know that's not fast; not sure if it's slow. But it's the right pace for me. 

 

I've been adding some wood filler to fair the hull - catching some of the places where I had gaps or was a little aggressive in bending planks along the grain, resulting in some laps that needed to be smoothed over.

 

I've sized the cannon ports but have stopped short of finishing them, since I still have to add layers on both the outside and inside. 

 

Funny to have spent so much time at this point and still have no more than 3 pieces that will actually show in the finished model. But that's also a good thing. Not being an experienced woodworker, I needed the learning curve of the inner layer and now feel better prepared to tackle the hardwood layer. Though I'm sure that too will have its share of blemishes.

 

I struggled to maintain an authentic planking pattern, and frankly stopped worrying very much about it - except to plan how I'll do better on the outside layer. Since I struggled most with achieving the right curves at the bow, I think my approach will be to plank the bow section first - being most careful to use that as the launching point for an authentic planking pattern. Once established at the bow, I don't think I'll have any trouble maintaining correct distance between places where planks end.

 

The other thing I'll need to concentrate on is achieving more uniformity in the width of adjacent planks. Again, I think the secret to that, for me, will be getting it right at the bow and letting everything flow back from there. 

Edited November 17, 2014 by grayarea