Phantom by _SalD_ - FINISHED - 1/8" scale

[_SalD_]

Coppering the hull is proceeding.  I decided to follow the kit directions for cutting the copper foil by splitting the 1/4" wide strip in half making two 1/16" wide strips.  I did this because I wanted to use plates longer than 2'-0" (1/4") as in the practicum.  I measured the length of the plates from the ship plans and scaled them to be approximately  3'-0" to 3'-6" long.  I decided to make my plates 3'-2" long, leaving 2" for the overlap.  The plate lengths were measured out using dividers and cut using an x-acto knife and straight edge.  Applying the plates started out slow at first but once I got more comfortable with the procedure my pace picked up some.  I used my wallpaper seam rolled to set the plates in place once they were positioned correctly.

 

 

[trippwj]

Looking good, Sal - nice job on this boat!

[patrickmil]

Sal, your coppering job is top notch! Are you sure this is your first wooden ship?

[_SalD_]

Wayne, Patrick, thanks again for looking and the compliments.  And yes Patrick, this is my first wooden ship but I have shingled a roof or two in the past.  I'm just looking for a miniature nail gun so I can put the plates on quicker. 

 

Since I have both your attention (and for anyone else who would like to offer an opinion) I had some questions.

 

Although I won’t be planking the deck for some time, I was contemplating whether or not to use the pre-scribed sheet of deck planking that comes with the kit or to cut and install individual planks per the plans.  At this scale will it make that much of a difference in the models overall appearance installing individual planks?  Is it worth the effort to cut all these planks?  I realize the final decision is mine but I just wanted to get some opinions from people who have more experience in these matters than I do.

If I do decide to install my own planking the fore deck planking seems straight forward enough being made of straight planks parallel to the centerline.  The aft deck, however, has curved planking that parallels the bulwarks.  These planks, do you cut them to that curve or do you cut the planks straight and then bend them to shape?  Can you bend a plank laterally?

 

 

Thanks

 

 

[patrickmil]

Sal, in answer to your question, I'll state my opinion like this... Were it my build, I would put the decking down in individual planks. One, it offers god practice for future builds; two, you can get more realistic butt joints with individual planks; three, you will be able to add the appearance of caulking between the planks. You can always go back and use the scribed material if you're not happy with the way the individual planks turn out. As far as the aft deck, you would want to sand down the planks so that they taper. Whatever your decision will be, I'm sure you'll do well with it.

[_SalD_]

Coppering the hull is continuing.  Had a busy weekend, went to pick up my daughter from college so not too much progress.

 

One side is complete except for the waterline belt and the other side is partially done.  Sorry for the poor picture quality.  The one thing I do recommend for this active is the use of an adjustable keel clamp.  The one shown in the picture is homemade but I’m sure you can purchase them.  It comes in very handy for positioning the hull in various positions to make placing the plates easier.

 

I do have another question on the plank layout for the deck.  I was doing some research into waterways, covering boards and nib strakes and found in the book, “The Elements of Wood Ship Construction”, by W. H. Curtis, published 1919, page 148, that the author recommends;

 

“nibs should be cut when the length of the cut across the end of the deck plank exceeds one and one half times the width of the plank”.

 

If this is the case and assuming that the deck has 6” wide plank, it would appear that all of the planks on the fore deck would be cut into the nib strake, and not just the interior ones as depicted on the ship plans (see previous post for deck plan).

 

Is there a preferred method for deciding when to use the nib strake or is it at the discretion of the shipwright?

[patrickmil]

Sal, I'm certainly no expert on this matter. You wait for others to chime in. I'd say that each plank on this build could be nibbed and go with that, but I also tend to like the look of it and usually go with what I like over historical accuracy as long as it's not too far fetched.

[_SalD_]

Coppering is complete, hull and rudder.  It was a long night but it’s done.  I’m satisfied with the plate size I used, 1/8” x 3/8” (6”x 3’ @ 1/8” scale) instead of the 1/8”x 1/4” as mentioned in the practicum.  It looks good (if I do say so myself ) and it also saved me from cutting 50% more plates and there were enough to cut as it was.  I don't know if I should I seal the copper with something or just leave it ‘au naturel’.  I've read pros and cons about coating the copper so I’m not sure.

 

 

Well, on to the decking.

 

One more thing I wanted to mention, for anyone else building this ship, is that the roll of copper tape that comes with the kit is more than enough to do the hull with quite a bit left over.  In the beginning I wasn't sure how much there was so I was reusing bits that I had trimmed from other pieces.  You don't need to worry about running out. 

Edited May 20, 2014 by DrWatson

[gulfmedic1]

Sal

I noticed on my copper roll that there is a little glue on the copper itself, did you use the glue on the copper roll or did you add another glue to make it hold

[_SalD_]

gulfmedic1, I just used the self-adhesive backing that came on the tape.  I did not use any other glue. 

[gulfmedic1]

Thanks Sal

 

Scott

[patrickmil]

Sal, the coppering looks great. The copper will develop a nice patina if left untreated. Some folks coat their copper in a clear coat to keep it nice and bright. The option is purely for aesthetics. 

[trippwj]

Nice job on the coppering, Sal.  Looks really crisp!

[_SalD_]

Patrick and Wayne, thank you for the comments on the copper work and to everyone for the 'likes' comments.

 

I’m still working on how best to do the deck planking.  I've been experimenting with a few different methods before attempting the real thing.  One thing I am learning is patience.  I need to keep reminding myself that I am not in a rush and this ship isn't leaving port anytime soon.

 

In conjunction with working on the deck I made the rudder hardware and installed the rudder.  Using strips of brass I cut from a larger sheet, I first soldered hinge pins (using actual pins) onto the pintles. I kept the brass strips flat while soldering the pins on and then bent them around an 1/8” square piece of wood.  This gave me the square shape needed to fit the rudder and stern post.  I did the gudgeons the same way except for the pins.

 

 

I also wanted to try blackening the brass because sometimes me and a paint brush just don’t get along.  I followed directions I found on ‘The Model Boatyard’ website.   For my first attempt I was satisfied with the results.  I think I need to do a little better job of cleaning the parts before placing them in the blackening agent because there were some areas that did not blacken.

 

 

After blackening and prior to installing the hardware I trimmed the pieces to their correct length.

 

Pintles installed

 

Rudder installed

 

 

[patrickmil]

The rudder hardware looks great Sal. You're really turning out a beautiful model.

[_SalD_]

Thanks Patrick, hope your feeling better.

 

Decking is complete.

 

I first tried cutting individual planks, 1/16” wide with the intention of planking the deck with them.  This proved, however, a bit beyond my current skill level. What I opted to do was use scribed planking.  Not the one that came with the kit but one I made myself.  First I made two planking templates, one of the fore deck and one of the aft deck.

 

 

I then finished a sheet of basswood ,1/32” thick by 4” wide x 12” long with 4 coats of polyurethane.  After the sheet had dried completely I taped the deck planking patterns onto the basswood and using a steel point, traced over the lines to score the wood.  Next I painted the decks with a dark brown acrylic paint and them immediately wiped the paint off.  The paint came off the polyurethaned areas but stayed in the scored lines.  Finally I cut out each deck section.

 

 

I like the results but I think I may have scored the wood a little too deep because the caulking lines appear a bit too thick, or maybe I should have used a lighter color paint so they don’t stand out so much.  I can't take credit for this method because I did read how to do it in a book whose title and author escapes me right now.  Amended 5/28/14 - the book is 'The Built-up Ship Model' by Charles G. Davis pages 106 to 107. 

 

I also chose to cut in the cockpit area and made a template for that planking as well.

Edited May 28, 2014 by DrWatson

[_SalD_]

Cut in the scuppers and added the timberheads along the bulwarks.

 

I drilled the scupper slots as described in the practicum and filed the openings smooth.   One thing in hindsight that I should have done differently is not to have installed the waterway until after cutting in the scuppers. I would have set the waterway in place to get the correct location of the scuppers but then removed it so as not to damage it while drilling the scuppers.  I used the manila folder paper as described in Chuck’s practicum for the waterway.

 

 

The timberheads went in easily. Cut them all a little long and then sanded them down to the height of the bulwarks.  I also pre-painted the wood to keep down the number of coats I would need to give them in place.   One thing about the bulwarks though, they seem to keep growing.  I thought I had sanded them down pretty thin but every time I look at them they get thicker and thicker.  Have to stop looking.

 

[gulfmedic1]

beautiful

[Mirabell61]

Cut in the scuppers and added the timberheads along the bulwarks.

 

I drilled the scupper slots as described in the practicum and filed the openings smooth.   One thing in hindsight that I should have done differently is not to have installed the waterway until after cutting in the scuppers. I would have set the waterway in place to get the correct location of the scuppers but then removed it so as not to damage it while drilling the scuppers.  I used the manila folder paper as described in Chuck’s practicum for the waterway.

 

IMG_0315.JPG

 

The timberheads went in easily. Cut them all a little long and then sanded them down to the height of the bulwarks.  I also pre-painted the wood to keep down the number of coats I would need to give them in place.   One thing about the bulwarks though, they seem to keep growing.  I thought I had sanded them down pretty thin but every time I look at them they get thicker and thicker.  Have to stop looking.

 

IMG_0318.JPG

 

 

love your Pilot boat Sal,

 

deck an Cockpit look very nice

 

Nils

[trentjones]

Howdy everyone, 

New to the site but can tell I'll spend hours reading and learning from you all.

I just have a few questions that I hope y'all can answer for me. 

I am going to be starting this build soon I hope, but while I wait for the kit to come in the mail, I planned to gather the other materials and tools that would benefit greatly in helping me complete my first ever build. For starters, I have don't have any of the tools that I see many of you using or extra pieces of basswood, copper, dowels, etc. Could anyone give me a good starting location to what tools are considered an every day need and what extra materials I might need so when I begin this build I won't have to take countless trips to the store. We have a neat model shop in Hou. Tx but they really only cover plastic models so I might have to target things online to avoid wasting gas and time driving down there. There is a good art supply store that a buddy of mine told me has a good selection of basswood sheets and sticks, along with some tools, so I might have better luck there. I believe its called Texas Art Supply (not that it matters to much). I can tell this will be a hobby I stick with, so I don't mind getting things that can help later on down the road when I start to move on to more complex builds. Of course if there are kits or sets that will limit the time spent collecting different things- I'm all for that as well. 

 

Thanks in advance, and Sal, I can't wait to see how your Pilot ship continues to go; it looks wonderful, and I can only hope mine comes out as great as yours. 

 

I know this might not be the right place to post this, but I guess my main question is what is most needed for this build for someone jumping into this hobby. I have read most of Chuck's practicum on the Phantom, and realize he uses more than the kit supplied materials and as I'll be following his guide the most on my first build I would like to be able to have some of the same supplies to avoid mistakes. 

 

Thanks,

Trent

[_SalD_]

Scott, Nils & Trent, thanks for following my build and for the compliments.

 

Trent, for tools my dremel with the flex extension comes in very handy, a hobby knife (kit) is a must. Pin vise with mini drills, mini file set, a cutting mat, self closing tweezers, good set of drafting dividers.  The only extra material I purchased that didn't come with the kit was a sheet of 1/32" x 4" x 24" basswood and a sheet of brass foil.  You may want to post this question in the Modeling Tools forum also to get some suggestions from people who have a lot more knowledge about this hobby than myself. Good luck on your build and I hope you post it so I can follow. 

[_SalD_]

A little indecision

 

The cap rail is complete but not installed.  Having trouble deciding what color to paint or stain it.  The admiral wants one color, the first mate wants another and the swabbie (moi) wants another.  I know it’s my ship but sometimes you got to keep the admiral happy.    This indecision however is sort of a blessing in disguise.   I found it easier to mount the hawse pipe and the inboard eye bolts and cleats without the rail in place.

 

 

I marked the position of the hawse pipes from the plans and then drilled a pilot hole through the hull.  Fortunately the drill bit came out right above the waterway.  I then enlarged the hole using  progressively larger bits.  I then glued the hawse pipe to the hull and painted it.  I also drilled the four other smaller holes through the bulwarks as mentioned in the practicum.  I’m not really sure what these holes are for though.

 

 

I blackened the eye bolts prior to installing them.  I also used the left over 1/16” square wood strip I used for the bulwark stanchions to test fit the eye bolts and cleats.  This gave me a chance to determine the proper hole diameter required and it came in handy to cut the eye bolts to their proper length.  I pushed the eye bolt stem through the wood strip and then snipped off the part protruding from the back.

 

 

At first I was going to use the cleats as they came in the kit.  Then I held one near the stanchion that it was to be mounted on to see what it looked like.  The thing looked like it belonged on the Titanic!  Needless to say I filed them down a bit to make them look a little more realistic.  They’re still a little large but will have to do.  Painted them black and glued them in place.

 

[aliluke]

Hi Sal

You are doing so much precision work on Phantom that I haven't seen before on this kit. It always struck me as an awkward model to make clean and crisp. Perhaps it is but you have overcome that. Great stuff - precise, clean and crisp. It is a pleasure to look at your work.

[_SalD_]

Alistair,

 

Thank you for the kind words.  I try to take pride in the things I do as I'm sure we all do.  This being my first wooden ship I might be taking a bit more care. Thanks for watching by build and please keep looking.

[gulfmedic1]

Thanks Patrick, hope your feeling better.

 

Decking is complete.

 

I first tried cutting individual planks, 1/16” wide with the intention of planking the deck with them.  This proved, however, a bit beyond my current skill level. What I opted to do was use scribed planking.  Not the one that came with the kit but one I made myself.  First I made two planking templates, one of the fore deck and one of the aft deck.

 

IMG_0295.JPG

 

I then finished a sheet of basswood ,1/32” thick by 4” wide x 12” long with 4 coats of polyurethane.  After the sheet had dried completely I taped the deck planking patterns onto the basswood and using a steel point, traced over the lines to score the wood.  Next I painted the decks with a dark brown acrylic paint and them immediately wiped the paint off.  The paint came off the polyurethaned areas but stayed in the scored lines.  Finally I cut out each deck section.

 

IMG_0297.JPG

 

I like the results but I think I may have scored the wood a little too deep because the caulking lines appear a bit too thick, or maybe I should have used a lighter color paint so they don’t stand out so much.  I can't take credit for this method because I did read how to do it in a book whose title and author escapes me right now.  Amended 5/28/14 - the book is 'The Built-up Ship Model' by Charles G. Davis pages 106 to 107. 

 

I also chose to cut in the cockpit area and made a template for that planking as well.

Sal

where did you get the pattern from it doesnt look like the one on the kit

[_SalD_]

Scott,

 

The patterns for the fore and aft deck are something I drew up using a combination of the deck plans that came with the ship, from research I did on ship decking and my own thoughts as to how the deck planking would be laid.  If you would like a copy of them I can send you a .pdf file or if you have AutoCAD I can send you the original .dwg file for your use.  I don't know if I can send them to you though this site or if I need your email address.  If you would like them send me a PM with your email address.  I'd be more than happy to share them with you.

[trippwj]

Sal -

 

Excellent work on this.  The Phantom is a nice first build - and I am taking notes to help motivate my boys to work on theirs!

[_SalD_]

The crew finally came to a mutual agreement on the cap rail color and decided to go with a medium brown stain.  I wanted a color that was not too dark so all the attachments to the rail would stand out more.

 

One problem I ran into and didn't realize it until after I installed the cap rail was that I didn't leave enough of an overhang on the outboard side of the bulwarks.  While reading ahead in the practicum on how to make and install the chainplates for the deadeyes, I realized the amount of overhang I left (~1/32”) was not going to be enough to install the chainplates through.   I thought about just cutting the plates into the bulwarks but thought I would have to cut them in too deep.  My solution was, in lieu of making a new rail, to carefully cut the rail off, then split the rail at the stern so I could spread it out a little on each side and then reattached it to the bulwarks.  Filled the gap with wood paste and stained it after it dried.

 

 

Made and installed the fairleads.  I used a small brass strip left over from the pintles for its base and the thin wire from the kit.  These were a bit of a challenge to solder.  Blackened them and glued them in place.

 

 

Made and installed the splash rail.  I formed the splash rail on a homemade jig made on a piece of ¾” pine.  I had traced the shape of the cap rail onto a piece of cardboard before I installed it (the first time) to layout the splash rail, then used finishing nails to form the curve and push pins to hold the piece in place.  I had soaked the wood strips for a few hours before putting them in the jig and then let them dry overnight.  Sanded them down to shape, painted and glued them in place.  I then filed the notch into the top of the rail.

 

 

I measured the location for the two masts from the plans and drilled the holes in the deck.  On the advise of my brother-in-law, who is an avid sailor, I put a coin in the bottom of the mast hole, I figured I could use all the luck I can get.

 

[patrickmil]

Sal, That is outstanding decking. The cap rail looks great too.

[_SalD_]

Wayne, thanks for your continued support, and if you find a way to motivate your boys let me know so I can try it on my daughter.

 

Patrick, welcome back; hope you’re more relaxed.  Glad you like the deck and the rail.