Jump to content

HM Schooner Pickle by rshousha - Caldercraft - My First Caldercraft Kit!


Recommended Posts

Greetings, 

 

There are some wonderful build logs of this vessel on this site so I will focus on the things a new builder encounters along the way and give you my personal take on building models in general. I hope people will find this interesting. 

 

I cracked open the box last night, November 16th, 2014. 

 

The first thing I did was make a list. 

 

Let's see what I can do this evening. I will post at least once a week. 

 

This is going be great fun!

 

Best Regards from Montreal

 

Rick Shousha

 

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First things, first. I sand off my workbenches and give them a fresh coat of varnish for each model. 

 

Now, if I can just figure out how to add pictures to this blog....

 

I'm not complaining; this is really an amazing website. I want to thank Chuck and the other moderators for making this possible. 

 

Well done!

 

Rick 

post-2920-0-98866100-1416286199_thumb.jpg

Edited by rshousha

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the notes, fellows. Just to give you a tour, that box on the right is my spray booth. It has a clear acrylic top so you can look down onto the work while spraying. This way, you're removed from the fumes, even as they get vacuumed out the back. There's a clothes dryer hose attached to a vent that fits right in that window you see whenever I want to use it. Right now, there's a partially completed Corel Corsaro II sitting on top. 

 

On the left is the second Pocher model I ever built. Under the two tables are cupboards that are 27" wide, in order to fit my stash of Pocher kits. That stash is now down to only a handful as I am slowly moving towards building wood ships. After building twenty of those Pocher models, I felt it was time to move on. 

 

Also, I have to say the people on this website, and ship modellers in general, are a great bunch and truly inspirational. 

 

So, let's see what I can do as the model takes shape. 

 

Best Regards, 

 

Rick 

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Rick,

 

Mind if I pull up a chair...?

 

Really looking forward to seeing another Pickle join the fleet!- such lovely boats to make. Just make sure you choose a day (or two) when you're feeling calm to make up the carronade slides :) Blue Ensign's build log on Pickle is so helpful, and well worth a good read, too. It helped me avoid messing my Pickle up a good few times.

 

Rob

Edited by robdurant
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rob, 

 

Thanks for the note about Blue Ensign's build log. I'll definitely have a look. Now that the varnish is curing on my workbenches, I have to wait three days before starting. So, in that time, I'll be building up my Project Management on the Pickle. 

 

I know Pickle is not as involved as some of the Pocher models I've done but the only way to get to the end of a project is to line up the steps and prepare some to-do lists. Also, it's very important, in my opinion, to stick the plan. Otherwise, one tends to do the fun things first and leave the difficult things to the end. The best way to see a project to the end is work in order, cutting through the difficult steps as they appear. 

 

The next post will be on Thursday, when I can spread stuff out on my workbenches. I'll have the steps laid out by then. 

 

Regards, 

 

Rick 

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

November 22, 2014

 

It's time to add a couple of pictures and ask you fellows a couple of questions. 

 

First, here are the pertinent pictures:

 

My first question is probably answered somewhere else on this board. How do you make a straight cut in a piece of wood? 

 

After years of making imperfect cuts, I'd really like to learn how to do this right. 

post-2920-0-01098000-1416715929_thumb.jpg

Edited by rshousha

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And now for the second picture and another question: 

 

How do you smooth out a piece of wood so it fits beautifully against another, with a nice, sharp, edge? In the picture, here, the keel piece has a bunch of protrusions that must be sanded off. I see great pictures of models all over this site where edges are perfectly aligned. This means this kind of protrusion has been carefully and perfectly sanded off. In the picture, the end of the paint brush is pointing to these bumps that need to be removed. 

 

I can use some help here. 

 

Best Regards, 

post-2920-0-26940100-1416716375_thumb.jpg

post-2920-0-93741200-1416716475_thumb.jpg

Edited by rshousha

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And, finally, here is what the little shipyard looks like at the end of the day. 

 

For those who are interested, that is Titebond in the back. I do not use CA glue as I am allergic to the stuff.To make things easy, I always have at least three glue bottles going at the same time. There is always one that is filled right up to the top. This is the one that is in use. By keeping it filled to the top, the glue comes out as soon as I turn it over. 

 

Best Regards, 

 

Rick 

post-2920-0-77030500-1416716703_thumb.jpg

Edited by rshousha

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greetings, 

 

I'm a bit concerned about the bow of my model. I am having trouble figuring out how much to bevel the bow bulkheads. If I want to make everything smooth, i get the feeling I've gone too far. Can someone comment? 

 

Best Regards, 

 

Rick 

post-2920-0-61514600-1417146619_thumb.jpg

post-2920-0-32281700-1417146627_thumb.jpg

Edited by rshousha

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

 

It's looking pretty good!

 

I say this as a complete newbie, but this is how I tried to work it out for my pickle, so if it's helpful, great! :)

 

I found using a strip of the first planking wood, and putting it along the bulkheads to see how it lay was really helpful. It should be a smooth round curve, without forming flat sections or kinks in between... and it should lie flat up against the frame rather than just touching at the front / back... I ended up taking off more wood than I thought I'd need to and it still wasn't quite as much as I think I probably should have, in the end, but it worked out nice eventually. It might be worth considering filling the gaps with balsa, as that can help you to see the curve more easily? I only realised others had used this approach after I was planking, so it was a bit late.

 

An example to look at is Blue Ensign's excellent Pickle build log on this forum - especially post number 3, where you can see the way he's used balsa to fill the gaps.

 

Hope that helps. 

 

Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the subject of removing the protrusions from the keel the easiest way is to use a disc sander though you have to control your hand pressure to ensure you don't sand too much.

 

Otherwise you could use a chisel to remove the majority of the extra material (bit dont try and remove it all) and then gently sand so to the level.

...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Matrin, 

 

Thanks for this. I've tried both the disc sander and the chisel, sandpaper, and fine sanding blocks. I'm not happy with the results. When I look at some of the excellent builds on this site, I have a hard time believing that the work is done by hand. It just seems too perfect. I don't know how anyone can make such sharp edges by hand.  I was thinking of getting either a Proxxon saw or something from David Byrne, although I find he doesn't answer emails. 

 

What do you think? 

 

Best Regards, 

 

Rick 

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

December 5th, 2014

 

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I started this model. I really should be putting in a few more hours each week. OK, so here we are with a couple of interesting issues. I was careful when I installed the bulkheads, making sure, to the best of my ability, that they were square to the keel. Well, it turns out I didn't plan far enough or add some components that would make the frame even stronger than I thought I needed. 

 

The problem happened when I installed the gun port template. I forgot to bevel a couple of the bulkheads and had to install one side at a time. It seems the template pulled the back of the boat out of alignment. In one picture, I've placed a straight strip along the keel. You can see where it deviates at the back of the boat. In the second picture, you can see the twisting. 

 

Hmmm, this is going to be interesting. 

 

Lessons learned: 

-add a significant amount of extra support inside the hull

-check and recheck that the beveling is done. Use a colored pencil on all bulkheads

-when designing the new replacement frames for these models, in a larger scale, ALWAYS add the T-rail. 

 

Here are a couple of pictures showing the misalignment. Any help with this, or just commiseration, is welcome. 

 

Indeed, why do we do this?

 

Best Regards, 

 

Rick 

post-2920-0-72822300-1417811932_thumb.jpg

post-2920-0-08854500-1417811942_thumb.jpg

Edited by rshousha

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your point about the top of the keel versus the bottom is also very interesting. I have a nice jig for the bottom of the keel and it is nice and straight. The curve is at the top only.

 

Anyway, let's see what I can do about removing those patterns. 

 

Regards, 

Rick 

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are all crazy. Definitely get the little drill from Proxxon. I don't know how I ever worked without it. Make sure you get the adjustable collet as the little ones that come with the drill are too big for the majority of holes you will want to make. 

 

I think I have some of that alcohol somewhere. I will try it out on a piece of scrap as I don't want to end up with a bigger problem than I have now. 

 

I could redesign the whole thing, add a building jig right into the parts, and cut them on my laser cutter....

 

By then, I'd want to make it at 1/48 scale and do the photo-etch stuff, as well....and make the cannons on a 3D printer....

 

OK, stop.

 

Regards,

 

Rick 

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gentlemen (and ladies, if there are any of you reading this). 

 

I'm very sorry that I haven't been on the site lately. I've been spending my evenings watching Downton Abbey on CD. We're anticipating the start of the new season and need to catch up on the details. 

 

What fun!

 

Regards, 

 

Rick 

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Rick,

 

Just catching up on your build log. Looks like you've got a challenge there with the keel ply, but I'm sure you'll get through it. Is the warp as pronounced at the bottom of the keel too? I had a minor bit of twist too, when I'd got the gunport patterns on, but it brought the top of the stern-most bulkhead top about 1mm lower on starboard than port, and I decided I could live with that... especially when the stern fascia was mounted level. 

 

Looking at the second picture you posted, it looks like the pattern's a few millimetres higher on the starboard side than the port, which might account for a little of the twist you're seeing?

 

Hopefully with the gunport patterns off it will just pop back into line... and as Spyglass says, they'll be nicely curved ready to refit, which should give you an easier job this time round.

 

All the best

 

Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rob,

 

You are right, the pattern is a little high on the starboard side. 

 

The keel was nice and straight at the bottom, and still is. I have a little jig for that and it slides in with no effort. The twist is in the top of the keel. 

 

I'm not convinced the gunport pattern is pulling the keel over. I pre-bent them carefully for a couple of days and I even think they were more curved than needed. 

 

I saw an awesome "strong-back" on an HMS Victory build somewhere on the site. I think these boats should come with a disclaimer "no jig, no boat". It's fun to build the jigs, anyway. 

 

Now I know. 

 

Since I'm building this as a "my first Jotika kit" I'm just as happy to see these difficulties. 

 

Cheers, 

 

Rick 

Edited by rshousha

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, it worked! I never would have thought it. Thank you so much, all of you, for the encouragement. I have to say this is great fun. First, the rubbing alcohol at eight o'clock in the morning sure got my day off to an energetic start (that, and shoveling out the driveway) and now I have a little success in modeling. 

 

Here's picture, with the rear of the starboard bulkhead detached. I guess the bow had a nice curve but the stern was too straight. 

 

This is most interesting. 

 

Thanks!

 

Rick 

post-2920-0-16126800-1418220103_thumb.jpg

Edited by rshousha

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL! I'm afraid of breaking them. Already the port side is in two pieces and I'm not sure how I'll sort that out. 

 

However, it turned out to be pretty easy to take them off with the rubbing alcohol, though. 

 

I'm thinking of resorting to ventilation, a mask, and some (gasp!), CA glue to put them back on. As I may have mentioned, I developed quite an allergy to the stuff and I haven't used it in years. 

 

Cheers, 

 

Rick 

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greetings, 

 

This whole business of twisted keels and bulkheads got me thinking about the work I am doing forging myself a place in the industry. Why are we using wood in the first place for these parts? With the variety and availability of glue out there, wouldn't it make sense to start making the frames out of a material that is flat to start with? 

 

I was thinking of Renshape. It comes in a variety of dimensions and densities and is really easy to work with. What do you think? 

 

Regards, 

 

Rick 

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Greetings, 
 

I was excited that the frame was straight after I removed the bulkheads but, in fact, it still has some twist at the top. I readjusted the gun port template and re-installed it only to find the problem was still there. 

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Happy New Year Everyone!

 

Well, it looks like I was able to straighten out my keel without taking everything apart. Instead of installing the first planking, I installed the deck first. This meant the structure was still somewhat flexible and aligned itself to the deck as I squeezed it into place. 

 

The solution may be a little unconventional but, hey, it solved the problem and made the construction a little exciting. 

 

Now, I can get to the planking and get the assembly back on track. 

 

Cheers, 

 

Rick 

post-2920-0-71585900-1420232591_thumb.jpg

Edited by rshousha

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Greetings, 

 

 

Wow, it's amazing how one thing leads to another and another and another. Now I realize it may have been easier to start the job over at the beginning but, hey, I'm having fun. 

 

 

OK, so here's what's happened: 

 

 

The interesting work noted above brought on a new problem, which I managed to fix, sort of. Since I built up the deck off the boat, it was quite stiff. Also, it warped in the wrong direction as the glue dried. In other words it had reverse camber once it was ready to be installed. Note to self: check camber of decks before installing.

 

 

This means I had to create some jigs in order to bend it back into the correct direction. However, the pressure I needed to use was quite high and I was afraid to blow the entire frame to smithereens as I put pressure to get the deck to follow the curvature of the bulkheads. This means the curvature was not perfect all the way along the deck and this meant the gun port openings were no longer perfectly aligned. It’s amazing how one thing just leads to another and another and another. Who knows what else this will bring later on? 

 

 

So, I basically created a new bulwark all the way around, at the correct height above the deck. I still kept the original gun port pattern but there's a tiny, tiny, adjustment in between the outer and inner top planking. This means I can now cut new gun ports at the right height off the deck, as well. Note that I switched to 3mm board instead of the 4mm that came with the kit. I just thought that was too big. 

 

Note that the starboard side you see there is not yet smoothed out to match the curve of the deck. I will fix that to look like the port side. Those are the in between pieces you see there. 

 

 

OK, now I have to take a few days off and do some paying work to pay for all this fun, 

 

 

Cheers, 

 

 

Rick 

post-2920-0-02567100-1420556140_thumb.jpg

Edited by rshousha

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, indeed, that's what I did. I had to figure out a way to straighten out the upper part of the keel with the least amount of effort. I do believe that laziness is the mother of invention. 

 

So, considering it was only the stern three or four bulkheads that needed to be adjusted, I thought of squeezing the deck into place to push the end of the frame to the side. This is why I did not put the planking on the hull. Putting on the planking would stiffen the hull completely. 

 

However, as I tried to install the deck without its planking, it just bent out of shape as the bulkheads were stiffer than the deck. Once I added the planks, the deck was now still enough to move those stern bulkheads into alignment. 

 

 

 

Cheers, 

 

Rick 

Edited by rshousha

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

Greetings! I'm back. After a long hiatus I'm finally back at the workbench. I am a little disillusioned by the quality of my work, especially since I know I can do much better buy, hey, it's better to get back at it, and learn something new, than to go back to the "same old, same old".

 

I'm just finishing up the first planking. Once i have the second planking done, it should look like something. 

 

I'll upload pictures soon. 

 

Regards, 

 

Rick 

Rick Shousha

Montreal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...