Benjamin W Latham by frenchguy - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:48 Scale

[frenchguy]

Winter is approaching, this means model ship building season is upon us (or at least me)!

I have been thinking whether I should pursue building my Hesper (http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/723-hesper-by-frenchguy-pilot-schooner-scale-148/?hl=hesper ), or put her on the back burner and start something else. Hesper is a beautiful model, but it’s a scratch build model, and despite fantastic plans from Erik Ronnberg, this model has already tested my limits with scratch building. So Hesper will stay on the shelf at least until next year.

 

There are two other models from kits that have been on my radar for some time: the America Yacht from BlueJacket, and the Benjamin W. Latham from Model Shipways. Both are 1:48 model, the first one is POF, the second is POB

 

I finally decided to go with Benjamin Latham for the following reasons:

1-      I love New England Schooners

2-      The America kit from BlueJacket is fairly expensive (although I found their kits to be of better quality overall that Model shipways)

3-      There are already several logs of folks here building this model - and I will shamelessly steal any good idea I come across J

4-      There is solid information about New England schooners  in Chapelle’s schooner bible

5-      I got  a 40% coupon discount for MS

6-      I love New England Schooners

 

There is plenty of documentation and pictures on her. I also saw a beautiful model of this schooner at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, MA http://www.capeannmuseum.org/collections/objects/schooner-benjamin-w-latham/

So here we are, I just received the box, and inventoried the content. The kit was backordered, but with the discount, it was well worth the wait.  I had printed the manual some years ago, and went through it a few times before (BlueJacket, take note: offering a free download of the manual from your website would be a great idea). The plan sheets are superbly detailed and I also like the down to earth approach of Ben Lanksford when it comes to instructions.

 

Let the building begin!

[Elia]

Stephan,

 

It is good to hear you'll be building again. Ben Latham is a great example of a Gloucesterman. I look forward to watching your new build develop.

 

Cheers,

 

Elia

[toms10]

Hello frenchguy.  Good to see you getting back to something you obviously enjoy.  I am also planning my winter hibernation activities.  It has decades since I built models but I want to get started again.  This might not be the right place to bring it up but I noticed in another post you mentioned you had an AL Constellation kit for sale.  Do you still have it?  Look for a PM that I recently sent you.  I have been scouring all the build logs and this site is a treasure of information and help.  Looking forward to following many of them and "working" with all the helpful members in the future.  Enjoy your build!

Tom

[frenchguy]

Center keel and Keel-Stem assembly

 

The construction of the center keel is different from I have seen in previous kits. The center keel is made of 2 parts, but each part is made of two similar laser cut pieces, each 1/8 inch thick. So the first task is to glue together each part to form the two half keel parts ¼ inch thick.  Needless to say, great care must be taken to ensure that the two pieces are perfectly aligned and flat during the drying process. I used 3/16 pieces of scrapwood (the thickness of the bulkheads) to ensure the slots are aligned perfectly:

Then I let the two parts dry comfortably resting under a gentle 10 lbs of weight.

 

I then assembled and glued the two halves of the center keel, ensuring the waterline aligns perfectly with the plan. After assembly, I cut the rabbet per the rabbet line using mostly a mini planner.

I then assembled the parts of the keel stem and rudder (also each made of two 1/8 inch laser cut parts) and glued the keel/stem assembly, again using a lot of weight to ensure everything is flat.

Finally I drilled a few holes in the stem and glued-in 1/8 dowels along the stem to ensure integrity of the whole keel and stem.

The instructions says to taper the stem and sternpost  before glueing but I prefer to do it after the whole assembly is completed:

Here is a closeup pic of the rabbet and dowel at bulkhead A, also showing the tapering of the stem:

Next, I will start working on shaping the bulkheads for dry fitting before glueing the bulkheads.

Till next time…

Stephan

Edited November 16, 2014 by frenchguy

[Elia]

Very nice! The "keel" assembly looks good. And that is one defined rabbet. The true keel has such an interesting profile with the knuckle at the stem-to-keel join and that aft rockering just forward of the stern post.

 

I look forward to your next update.

 

Cheers,

 

Elia

[GuntherMT]

The rabbet really does look nice.  Can you provide any more information about your mini planer?  The only one's I've found appeared to be complete junk (super cheap Chinese made stuff), so I haven't gotten one, but based on your pictures, it's a tool I should have!

[frenchguy]

Hi,

 

 

Yes, I find the stem bevel on this schooner very "elegant".

The mini planner I use is from Stanley, all metal, very robust, made in USA. Model number is 12-101. I don't recall where I purchased it.

 

Regarding next steps, I decided to work on the rudder and the gudgeons & pintles assembly before I start to glue the bulkheads.It's going to be a lot easier to mortise on the center keel while it's flat. Plus, I am waiting for my B-day gift to experiment  beveling the bulkheads before I install them: a mini disk sander.

 

Stephan

Edited November 18, 2014 by frenchguy

[GuntherMT]

Hi,

 

The mini planner I use is from Stanley, all metal, very robust, made in USA. Model number is 12-101. I don't recall where I purchased it.

Stephan

 

Perfect Stephan - $6.57 from Amazon. 

[frenchguy]

$6.57 would be money well spent! Which reminds me I have to purchase new blades...

[dgbot]

There is a link on this forum about prepping a plane for use But I do remember part of it. I had a stanly as well.  After resharpening the blade it worked okay.  I bought a Lie Nielson violin plane that is the cat's meow.  That is the one I turn to.  L-N 100.

David B

Edited November 18, 2014 by dgbot

[frenchguy]

Here is an update on my progress on Benjamin Latham.

 

I have not started to work on the bulkheads yet as I wanted to finish the rudder first. I completed it today, but I have to say I am not happy with the results. I experimented with different approaches for the pintle, and finally used brass strip for the iron straps, recessing them into the rudder. I drilled holes for the bolts, and simulated them by filing the head of brass nails square before glueing them into the pre drilled holes.

The end result looks out of scale, and looking at Chapelle book, they were 3” wide which translates to 1/16 wide on the model. The brass stripe I used is just too large, and I did not do a careful enough job at filing the nails heads.

So I gonna scrap the entire rudder and start from scratch, maybe with just a paper strap as suggested in the instructions in the first place.

 

In the meantime, I received my vertical sander, but the sandpaper provider is way too coarse to use, so I have to find finer sandpaper for it. I don’t think I will use it as to bevel the bulkheads anyway as I was planning; I prefer to do it by hand.

With the long weekend, I may find time to start shaping the bulkheads and assemble the whole center keel and bulkheads.

So until next  time… 

Edited November 26, 2014 by frenchguy

[frenchguy]

I finished preparing the bulkheads, adjusting them so that the planksheer fits nicely and is flush with the outside of the bulkheads. I beveled each bulkhead roughly and will do a final sanding before planking. The transom gave me some worries, as usual, and I decided I will do the beveling after it's glued in place.

After dry fitting everything and ensuring  everything looked properly aligned, I glued all bulkheads with the planksheer  in place, for ensuring proper bulkhead alignment.

 

(that yellow carpenter glued looks really ugly when dried).

 

 

Next, glueing the planksheer and the 1/16 square strip along the hull; then I'm ready to start planking.

Edited December 7, 2014 by frenchguy

[frenchguy]

Things are progressing slowly, I redid the transom part three times, and I think I now have it right, we'll see...

I finished gluing the planksheer and the 1/16 square strip on the outside of the planskhseer. I am ready to start planking.

A few pics of work in progress:

Gluing the square strip along the plansksheer:

 

Close up of stanchion and planksheer, The stanchions will need to be sanded. Not all of them are in this shape, some were damaged and will need some reconstructive surgery 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2014 by frenchguy

[Elia]

Stephan,

 

Looking good.

 

The planksheer and margin plank really helps define the deck planform shape. Very nicely done.

 

The transoms on these schooners are trickier than one might think. The angle of the transom can be at quite a shallow angle with respect to the counter, making for some very long, beveled edges to the transom. I'm sure I made two or three before accepting one.

 

Cheers

 

Elia

[frenchguy]

Work in progress; I completed belts "A" and "D" and belt "B" is in progress.

I am trying to go by the book, although I took some liberty, especially when when it comes to nibbing.

I think end result will be fine, although I am still worried about this transom piece...

Edited December 23, 2014 by frenchguy

[frenchguy]

Good progress during the holidays.

Edited December 30, 2014 by frenchguy

[frenchguy]

Today’s update:

 

I –finally- finished  planking the hull. I am reasonably happy with the result so far, except I noticed there is a problem created by the fact that one of the laser-cut bulkhead (“H”) was not symmetrical to the center line.

I actually noticed when I started to dry fit the bulkheads that bulkhead B was way off center, and I fixed it. But I guess I forgot to verify all of the bulkheads at the time. Kind of weird, because you would expect a great deal of precision with laser-cut parts. I don’t think it will be too noticeable after I finish sanding, we’ll see.

(Note to self: next time you get a model with laser-cut parts, verify they are actually correctly cut).

 

I am now proceeding with the bulwark planking, cutting the scuppers before gluing the bulwark planks. Talking about bulwarks, I pretty much came to the conclusion that I will not use the stanchion extension from the bulkheads, and I will have to replace them all. Several got damaged and the quality of the wood is not great to begin with. So for now I keep them in place as a form as I am gluing the bulwark planking, ensuring that planking is not glued to the existing stanchions. I will then glue the other stanchions, and at the end replace the ones that come from the bulkheads (hope this makes sense)

 

After that, I need to start sanding and preparing for hull painting, after which I will start deck planking. At least that’s the order I have in mind right now. I have been thinking a lot about color scheme for the Ben Latham, and I am thinking of a natural wood color for the deck (not painted), so that’s why I want to paint the waterways first. I know it may not be historically accurate, but I like this approach.

I’m curious to have comments from readers out there.

[frenchguy]

Basically, zero progress since last update, between vacation, snow shoveling and fixing ice dams in the house. Hopefully I'll resume this weekend. 

[tasmanian]

hello frenchguy i am building the b w latham myself and i did not paint the deck either and now i think that was a mistake.matter of taste

[frenchguy]

I have not posted in a while, but I'm still working on it.

I finished planking the hull and completed sanding. I used shellac for surface preparation before painting. Talking about painting, I went recently to the Cape Ann museum in Essex to look at the Ben Latham model from Eric Ronberg. I decided to paint the deck grey, and will paint the waterway white, along with the semi circles on the deck.

The transom gave me a lot of headache, hopefully it will turn out ok.

As for the rudder, the third version is finally giving me satisfaction !

As a note, I am keeping a log to see how many actual hours I am spending on this model here.

 

I will post pictures soon

Cheers

[dgbot]

I am scratch building the Latham. However last year I had to stop on her do to health questions. The kit was to big for the size so I took the plans and shrunk them down to 1:96 so I cannot help you with the kit. Hoever the plans are first rate along with the book that came with it. As for the hull I made a waterline hull and carved the hull. I then planked over that.. As for your problem take each bulkhead to the plans and find and compare it to the plans and then check out its dimension and location. This might seem tedious but worth the hassle. This will tell you tell you if you are doing it right or wrong.

David B

Edited March 31, 2015 by dgbot

[frenchguy]

Quick update:

I installed the great beam, and I'm in the process of installing all false stanchions (and replacing the ones coming from bulkheads extension). I also drilled the hawse pipes. The hull is ready for painting; I might do a first light coat to identify any problem. I was thinking painting the hull and deck completely after I finish the deck planking.

 

So I will start deck planking soon, but I have a question which may sound stupid but here it is: since I decided to paint the deck, do I need to bother simulating the black caulking between planks on the deck? i don't think it will show up after I paint the deck (grey)

 

Cheers,

Stephan

[Cap'n Rat Fink]

Stephan,

   Why don't you get a few scraps together and test paint it. But I'm thinking you won't be seeing any black. On my BWL I left  the deck natural.

   She is coming along nicely.

 

Mario

Edited April 27, 2015 by Cap'n Rat Fink

[Elia]

Stephan,

 

I suspect one wouldn't see the caulking once the deck was painted. The caulking would have been installed between the deck planks during the hull build up, followed by painting. In photos one can see the caulking of the decks after some time at sea, where the hull and deck have flexed and stained against the forces of the sea, masts, and rigging.

 

As Mario suggested - you could do a trial to see if any is visible beneath some amount of paint. Mario, David, do you guys have build logs of your models? If not would you consider starting them?

 

Cheers,

 

Elia

[frenchguy]

Progress update:

 

I finished installing all fake stanchions, and started planking the deck. Since I’m going to paint the deck anyway, I’m using 1/8 x 3/32 planks instead of the 1/8 x 1/8 provided with the kit.

After a futile attempt to cut nibs on the foredeck planks, I decided my Benjamim Latham will not have any nibing on the deck.

Here is a picture of work in progress. I use the Elia’s patented Lego method to hold the planks in place while the glue is drying   

 

Edited June 4, 2015 by frenchguy

[frenchguy]

Foredeck planking completed! Onto the main deck planking....

 

Edited June 22, 2015 by frenchguy

[Elia]

Stephan -

 

The deck looks great!

 

Cheers,

 

Elia

[GaryKap]

Your decking looks very good.  The main deck planking is a bit trickier.  Study the plans carefully.  I am away from home so I can't be more specific, but you want the planks to parallel the trunk cabin.  Check the drawings to see how the planks lay forward and aft of that.  Also, I did not attempt the "nibs" but in hindsight wish I had.  Good luck with it.

 

<<Gary>>

[frenchguy]

Hi Gary,

 

your timing can't be more right... For the past 2 hours, I have been studying the plans and prototyping so to speak the main deck planking. I agree that I  will have to some sort of nibing, to respect the flow of planks around the main cabin (although I doubt the planking will show after I paint the deck). I suppose if I dilute somewhat the paint, it will still show the hard work 

When I say some sort of nibing, I think I can get away with just tapering the  end of the 3 or 4 planks at the edge. Doing the real nibs will be difficult as the waterway is already glued in. Just curious, how do you folks cut nibs in that case (aside from "carefully"  )

Stephan

[frenchguy]

Well, it has been a very busy summer, but not for model building!

I finally find the time to go back to my Benjamin Latham build. I completed the deck planking, and after a bit more preparation, I'll start painting.

Here are a couple of pics from the deck planking final steps.

 

 

almost done!

 

 

I installed the thick pads for the mast and fifes rails. The thick pad for the windlass, I'll install after the deck is painted (lots of  masking tape in that area). 

Edited September 26, 2015 by frenchguy