Sir Winston Churchill by Lory - Billing Boats

[Lory]

I started this build a few years ago as a stress reliver and as a distraction from work.  Too late, as I had a stroke about 6 months after I started the build... I choose to ignore what that might mean about the stress of building one of these things.

 

This boat is a pretty simple compared to what I have seen on MSW.  I have built an 18" canoe which proudly sitting on the mantle of my home so now I'm going one better, and bigger.

 

I am writing this as a journal, and to help anyone else who may be building this kit.  It is Billings and not very well done, as a whole.  I think it is one of the older kits because I have to cut everything out a bit more as it seems they missed a few key cuts.  Also, the pictures in the instructions are just horrible, you can't see anything they are so dark.  I found a better set (probably from MSW a couple years ago).  I was going to uplaod them but they are a bit more than 3 Meg... too big.

 

Stay tuned and fingers crossed.

[Lory]

Here's the hull halves at the end of 2012.

 

I know the vessle was steel so I have to get rid of the "wood plank" looking hull.  Here's part of that process.  I am *still* trying to manage that effect and will welcome ideas for getting the hull *really* smooth.

 

The wheel house? cabin? or whatever it is called, has been a real challenge for my skills and i have learned alot while futzing with the copper wire that makes the hand rails.  A new and different use for old soldering skills. 

 

I am now going to go and get a few shots of where I am now.

 

 

 

[Lory]

So, I cleaned up part of my shop in a little out building we have.  What a difference.  Trying to do this on the end of my office desk was a total failure, made stress worse.  Anyway, here's the cradle I made.  It was a lot easier than I thought it would be just using a bit of card paper a scissors I got the hull profile right and then some judicious dado cuts using a file as a dado blade I made up some bracing and, presto a cradle.

 

I mounted the cradle to an old carving mount I had and rather than drill my bench to mount *that* is just mounted it to a scrap piece of 2 X 4 and clapped it in my vice, it works great, and between the carving mount and the vice I can get the boat at any angle I choose.

 

[Lory]

A few questions to anyone that will answer.

 

The "things the shrouds attach to" (whatever they are called) that are on the rubbing strake(?), I am concerned that they are not strong enough and that once the shrouds are attached will pull off.  How much tension does one place on the shrouds? White in this picture.

 

 

I have seem some pictures of this model and the shouds and other lines look... "fuzzy".  Is there a type of line that is better than what I probably got with the kit?

 

This picture shows the shortest application for the copper wire as hand rails.  I have some long runs on top of the cabin that I have been putting off. Even at this length you can tell they are bent and warped looking.  Is there some technique or other option that will give a better result than copper wire? I can get them *mostly* straight, but still not satifactory to my eye.

 

Edited June 7, 2014 by Lory

[Lory]

Finally, for today.  I lost a piece of the kit... somewhere in the last 2 years and had to twiddle a new one.  I am very proud of it and so include it here.  Keep in mind that I am *not* a wood worker and other than the little canoe, this is all new to me.  I now avoid the *instant* glue because of personal injury issues :-) so this was a hell of a time getting done. I did use a really slow version of the same stuff called "Zap-a-Gap", and a crapload of masking tape to help hold it all.  I would have taken pictures but the process used up all five hands I had, sorry. 

 

Now, I mention all of this because this piece was why I stopped in December and was left staring at the model.  I was very intimidated by having to build a curved, tilted compound twisty piece of the boat out of scrap wood.  It was a challenge but only took a few hours.  Thank you everyone at MSW for the tips on bending and steaming.

 

You are all officially caught up and I will try to keep you apprised as I go.  Any answers to the things in bold would be appreciated.

[mtaylor]

Here's a link to probably the best line ever for model ships:  http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/2769-scale-miniature-rope-for-ship-models-by-syren-model-company/   The company is run by model designer and MSW admin,  Chuck P.  

 

As for the tension question... hard to quantify really.  Are there deadeyes and chainplates for the shrouds?

[Lory]

I am having challenges getting wood to look like steel.  I have used a very fine wood filler, rubbed it in well and sanded it to rass, it seem passable, but too much paint has made the rails look horrible.  Now I have to scratch the paint of those and just hit them at the end.  I got the soldering better on the Port side because i did it second and tried something a bit more time consuming, but it worked better.  I have to file the solder blobs off them still though.

 

Starboard

 

Port

 

These pictures show up much more of the detail, what a surprising way for me to see what needs doing.  I didn't notice the "puddle" on the wall face where the rails connect.  I used white glue for those... hmmm. something to think about when I fall asleep tonight.

[Lory]

I am very happy with the test section of planking, it turned out well.  Again, props to everyone on the site, the pencil is the trick.  I even hit it with a bit of Oak stain and it looks great, at least to my eye.  I am not going to try for anything as fancy as nail holes because this is 1:75 so it seems unrealistic to expect to be able to see them.

 

[Lory]

I am trying a "bondo" product on a test section too, as a filler to get rid of the wood grain... it worked very well.  I hope my next build is supposed to look like wood, but I suspect that presents new holes I can wait to fall into until that time, for now, my wood looks like steel.

[Dan Vadas]

Hi Lory, and welcome back.

 

To get a really smooth finish to the hull I suggest you use a Sanding Sealer, available at any hardware or paint store.

 

Regarding your rigging line - what Mark said above. Chuck's rope is fantastic stuff - a bit dearer than any aftermarket kit rope, but you won't need all that much on this model and it's DEFINITELY worth the small extra cost .

 

  Danny

[popeye the sailor]

getting wood to look like metal,  is a hard feat indeed.  it can be done using resin.....just give it light coats and sand.  to be honest,  your so far along on this build,  it might be something you'd want to save for the next build.   I also had the privilege in starting my wood modeling with an old Billing's kit.   deck and stuff printed just like yours.........and of course......not laser cut.   sorry to hear of your situation.....I hope your doing better.......scary to say the least. 

[Lory]

Thanks folks, I will be getting the suggested rigging for sure.  I looked at the stuff I have and it is bad.  I would make the rigging look like, in the day they used strips of camel hide - not good enough.

 

Re metal finish, I tried Sanding sealer and didn't get what I needed, I could still see the planks... smooth filled in planks, but still "faceted" on the horizontal.  I fully expect it was the result of shoddy workmanship on my part but the bondo is doing the trick.

 

I taught myself a neat little cheat tonight.  I was trying to hold the peeny little brass port hole rings and was having trouble until I stuck a rare earth magnet on the inside and another on the outside with the brass port hole ring sandwiched between.  It squeezes the ring against the glued surface beautifully, just don't do two really close together... "CLICK!!" and the whole lot go flying.

[Dan Vadas]

I was trying to hold the peeny little brass port hole rings and was having trouble until I stuck a rare earth magnet on the inside and another on the outside with the brass port hole ring sandwiched between.

 

Neat trick, and one I haven't seen before . Masking tape usually does the job when there is NO WAY to use a clamp.

 

  Danny

[Lory]

... okay, modify that... just use the magnet on the inside and a screw, head towards the magnet (anything metal) on the outside.  I picked one of the rings off trying get the darn magnets apart.

 

Lesson learned.

[Lory]

Forgive me father for I have sinned... it's been six months since my last touching the Sir Winston Churchill.

 

Happy New Year everyone.  Time to pick up the model and get back at 'er.  I joined Big Brothers again have been pretty busy with that and work.  Trying to get balance between work and play (My boat) is tough.  I built a really cool old fashioned advent calendar for my grand nephew so have been working with wood quite  bit ini the last few weeks.  I think that is what sent me back to the model. 

 

Anyway, going to try to get some decking done, wish me luck!

Edited January 3, 2015 by Lory

[Lory]

So another lesson learned.  I am starting to think that each build is just to learn lessons for the next.  Anyone who has ever planked a deck will know what I did to get this neat pattern... I made a mistake and had to do the best I could with what I had.  Regardless, learned the lseeson *before* I started the main deck.

 

Please feel free to comment on the error(s). I now know "start in the middle" and anything else I am open to hearing before I mess up on the main deck.

[foxy]

Excuse my Ignorance  but what scale is this and what type of ship are we looking at, be it a schooner.

 

Nice work so far and good luck with your build.

 

On the tension of shrouds, they do not have to be to tight.

Frank

[ianmajor]

Lory,

 

It is interesting that you restart work on this model at this time since soon, on January 24th, it will be the 50th anniversary of the death of the great man himself!

Edited January 5, 2015 by ianmajor

[Lory]

Hey Frank.  It's a 1:50 Billings 3 masted schooner. I can't find much help from others who have built it because I suspect they know better than to try to build a really old Billings kit.  I have gotten a *lot* more from this site and pictures than I have from the instructions.

 

In theory is should look like this.

[Lory]

Lory,

 

It is interesting that you restart work on this model at this time since soon, on January 24th, it will be the 50th anniversary of the death of the great man himself!

 

Thank you, I did not know that, whicih s odd since I actually read a lot of his books and my favourite pub here in North Vancouver is "Churchill"s" and I am planing on displaying this there if I can ever get it done.  Jan 25th is also the birthday of my G (x5) grand father, Robert Burns.  An auspicious week.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Lory

[Dan Vadas]

On the tension of shrouds, they do not have to be to tight.

 

 

I disagree with Foxy - get them as tight as you can or the ratlines will be very difficult to tie (assuming the model HAS ratlines??).

 

Going back to your question on the previous page, and Mark's answer which you may have missed, there are usually Chainplates which attach the deadeyes to the channels and are bolted to the hull underneath the channels. These do the work of carrying the tension of the shrouds. The channels merely hold the deadeyes outboard from the hull, and the tension on them is toward the hull, not upward, so you don't need to worry about the shrouds pulling them upwards.

 

The pic below shows the Channels, Chainplates and Shrouds on my Vulture - the chainplates on your ship will be different as they are much more "modern" but you can see the basic principles involved :

 

 

  Danny

[Lory]

Thank you sir.

 

I had concerns over the "channels" tearing loose, which is becoming unlikely given stronger (read: more) glue and paint now holding them.  The Churchill does not have "chainplates" but instead the deadeyes simply attach to the hull so they can carry the least load of everything.  Reality aside, this model's "channels" are going to be taking any load from the shrouds.

[Dan Vadas]

Lory, the deadeyes on the "real thing" would have had some kind of chainplate or they simply wouldn't have worked - they'd have torn loose the first time any load was put on them !

 

Here's a link to bhermann's Bluenose which shows another type, probably later than Winnie. Click HERE. The Billings kit probably doesn't go into this kind of detail (surprise surprise ).

 

  Danny

[Lory]

Taking a break from the decking I have been painting and staining.  Technology really helps because I can see that the binnacle on the left has a dab of red paint that should not be there... using the one on the right (Starboard?) side.  I can't actually see that small with just my eyes.  Odd, since I painted it.

[foxy]

Cheers Lory mate.

 

Others know better than me on this kit, I assume the chainplate is attached to only one deadeye, and this is secured beneath the channels to the hull.

 

In larger ships there are as in Danny's picture more than one chain plate holding down the deadeye..

 

Not having built any Billings boats, only plastic sailing ships, having two wood one's in the stash of other manufacturers, its a learning curve for me too.

 

Thanks Danny for the info on shrouds tensions, I thought a little slack was ok. 'I stand corrected' .

 

Cheers Frank

Edited January 6, 2015 by foxy

[Lory]

So I figured out that I could use Banjo strings for railings, after the copper looked so horrible.  You can see how neat and clean the railings up top with be when compared ot the bent lumpy copper wire on the side of the cabin.  I am probably going to redo the latter.  I first used the strings on the Crowsnest because the copper kept ripping the stanhcions off, they were just too weakly attached.  I precurved the banjo string with a pen and slid the curved wire through the stanchion holes and it worked perfectly.  The soldering is hit and miss but I am getting better at it as I practice.

Edited January 15, 2015 by Lory

[Lory]

Now to the "Please help me" part of the experiance.  I am having real trouble cutting the brass bits off the stamped sheet.  I bought a pair of the smallest clippers I could find but even aver modifying them... just not good enough.  What doe sone use to clip such peeny little things?

[popeye the sailor]

they do have cutter for photo etch........but you could also try finger nail clippers.   I get the large ones with the concave curving outward,  but I also have a couple that have it curved inward as well.   as long as your cutting brass,  or light metal,  they retain their sharpness for quite a while.   of course......it kinda stinks when kits supply that brass plated metal stuff......it tends to dull them out quicker.

 

nice work......BTW     I'm not a big fan of the supplied copper wire either......little wonder why I have so much of it in my inventory 

[Turatopgun]

Hi Lory

 

My son has just bought me  "the Winston Churchill as a Christmas gift.  After reading your saga I believe it might be a poison chalice.  Still I am going to give i a go.  I have only built plastic airplane models previously as a kid so this is quite different.  I am buying a basic wooden boat builders kit but I am still unsure what type of glues I should use.  I have seen wood glues and superglues of various types but am not sure of the best for the build. Any hints or thoughts would be appreciated ...from anyone!!!  This is my first boat and first post.

 

Regards

PhillB

Edited December 31, 2015 by Turatopgun

[Lory]

My son has just bought me  "the Winston Churchill as a Christmas gift.  After reading your saga I believe it might be a poison chalice.  Still I am going to give i a go.  I have only built plastic airplane models previously as a kid so this is quite different.  I am buying a basic wooden boat builders kit but I am still unsure what type of glues I should use.  I have seen wood glues and superglues of various types but am not sure of the best for the build. Any hints or thoughts would be appreciated ...from anyone!!!  This is my first boat and first post.

 

Phil, the best thing I can tell you, consider it a warning... there will be times when you will really want to turn around and heave the damn thing - never throw it.  Poison Chalice... it sure felt that way a few times but I didn't start the thing to finish it.  I have had a lot of reward doing it.  

 

Glue... this is one of a zillion opinions you can read and I am *not* an expert, and in fact consider myself a real novice.  I used "Super Glue" on a lot of it.  There's a fancy name for it iso-cyanrite something or other.  It works great for planking but it's hard to use.  I have stalled on the decking because it's dull... and I joined Big Brothers so have used a bunch of my free time that way.  Your email has been timely, I am going to rev it back up again.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Lory