HM Bomb Vessel Granado 1756 by preservedkillick - Caldercraft - Scale 1:64

[preservedkillick]

Well, here goes again - I WILL finish this one !

I've previously completed the Caldercraft Bounty (think the log got lost when the old incarnation of this forum died), but I also have two large (in fact, enormous) part-completed hulks (Agamemnon and R/C Resolve) that I'm forced to put on hold because I temporarily have less space available - at least until the pesky house sells. In the meantime, I've decided to get my teeth into something (a bit) smaller - hence Granado.

 

First off, a huge gold star for Cornwall Model Boats (CMB) - I ordered the kit 9pm December 23rd, quite happy for it to turn up some time in the New Year, yet here is was, first thing on December 27th. It's the fourth kit I've bought from them (plus a vast pile of consumables and far too many tools), so I know how good they are, but this was good even by their standards. Great customer service is alive and well, and living in Cornwall ! (I have no relation, connection or business interest, other suppliers are available blah, blah)

 

So to that always-anticipated box-opening moment

 

 

 

Seriously stuffed box- somebody *really* thought about how to get all that in there (nice change to have a box I don't have to wrestle with - I think you could get about 8 of these in the Agamemnon box)

 

 

The "miscellaneous" stuff (apart from fittings). The manuals are by far the best I've seen from Jotika (aka Caldercraft) - later design I guess. I've already downloaded the manuals, plus a couple of sheets of the plans, plus a whole set of full colour prototype build photos from the Jot website - excellent !

 

 

The structural stuff - no surprises here (hey, whatever happened to "Surprise" ?)

 

 

- and the stuff you can see

 

 

Finally, the contents of the "fittings" bubblewrap (a small box would be nice guys - like on my previous builds)

Stern decoration looks nice and crisply cast - I look forward to painting it

 

Now to check everything - Jot have been know to make the odd mistake........

 

 

 

 

[jwvolz]

Nice, another Granando. Enjoy the build, It's a tremendous kit. 

 

There are a few builds of her going on right now if you have any questions. 

[preservedkillick]

OK parts check done. Could be worse - one piece of brass extrusion completely absent, and one swivel gun short. Neither needed for a while yet. Email to CMB I guess. I hope Jot's customer service has picked up - they took an age to respond to shortages on my last build (Resolve)

 

PS Don't *ever* be tempted to buy one of these kits and leave it on the shelf to build later - they *always* have little niggly shortages/mistakes in my experience (Agamemnon had what turned out to be some bits of Victory in it....). Check contents carefully and immediately. Caveat emptor!

 

 

Stem & false keel attached, bearding line tapered both sides, holes for stand drilled and support scrap pieces added (bulkhead is dry-fitted to ensure they don't foul it). Seem to recall I glued captive nuts into Agamemnon so the supports could be screwed in - mind you, this one is going to be much lighter

 

Really good instructions - even point out some subtle potential gotchas (don't put bulkhead 7 in the mizzen mast slot !)

 

Edited December 28, 2014 by Alan Ball

[preservedkillick]

 

Bulkheads glued without drama - fit was a bit loose, requiring much use of teeny-tiny set square to ensure everything is aligned

Edited December 28, 2014 by Alan Ball

[preservedkillick]

Bulkheads pretty solid, so move on to fitting planking term patterns and stern extensions, so everything can set rock hard overnight.

Inner stern extensions (#55) are a really nasty loose fit - actually viewed from stern, bulkhead 10 is not quite level - WAIT - 8 and 9 are even worse !

Fortunately with a limited amount of brute force, still possible to remove them, so off with them, realign, and re-glue. I concentrated on getting bulkheads square to keel viewed from above, and forgot to check horizontal levels - duh!. With stern extensions fitted, it's now easy to use the top of the stem as a backsight, and the inner stern extensions as a foresight, and check *all * the bulkheads look level and equal on both sides. Watch out - these parts are a *loose* fit (at least mine were), so alignment needs careful checking.

 

Edited December 28, 2014 by Alan Ball

[preservedkillick]

Several hours of bulkhead bevelling later...

Manual suggests adding scrap to forward face of bulkhead 10 to "increase the area for plank attachment" - to be honest, I'm not sure it would be possible (or at least easy) to attach the planks without this.

So to gunport patterns - nice to have a pattern - had to measure and cut about 50 of the ports on Agamemnon without - pales after about the first six. Even nicer to have a bending template

First worry when dry-fitting is that aligning with top of bulkhead 1&2 upright throws the top edge of the pattern well above the stem and the end of the pattern doesn't seem to have quite the right angle against the stem (as if it wants to sit lower) - well, plan sheet 1 definitely shows the pattern sticking proud (by about the amount I have), also looking at photo 15, the bowchaser gunport is at the right height - so, file the end of the pattern to correct the angle (for a better fit against the stem if nothing else).

Second worry is that the uprights on the forward bulkheads flare outwards somewhat, and I'm not clear if the patterns should try to follow this curve, or remain flat, and leave a gap between pattern and uprights

 

 

- I think the pattern is to thick to try and follow those curves, and it also risks distorting the nearby gunport opening if I try. Think I'll keep the patterns as "plane" as possible. Also need to remember not to use too much glue around the uprights - they need to come off later.

 

OK - significant procedural mistake #1 (if you don't count mis-aligning bulkheads) - I fully attached and glued the pattern on one side only, and left it to dry without even checking that the other side would fit. Bad, bad, BAD. The second pattern was way off - I think I'd pulled something out of alignment in fitting the first side. No choice but to remove the first side and revert to dry-fitting both sides together. Still needed to remove a little from the front edge of one side (despite what the manual says) in order to achieve alignment at bulkhead 7 (and by inference all the gunports)

 

Both sides now dry-fitted and seem to be aligned OK - will keep a close eye on alignment and glue both sides one after the other

 

 

Copy of "Anatomy of the Ship" (AOTS) for Granado turned up - I love those books - missed it on Agamemnon (there isn't one AFAIK)

 

 

 

Edited December 31, 2014 by Alan Ball

[jwvolz]

Alan,

 

From my recollection and re-checking my build log photos, your gunport pattern appears to be at the right height; the bow is like that. You definitely need to do some beveling where it fits into the rabbet. 

 

With regard to the pattern not touching the full length of the extension, just spot glue at the top and bottom and don't try to follow the curve. The extensions get cut away anyway, and I believe Caldercraft kept the gluing surface small to make that easier. 

 

Good progress. 

[preservedkillick]

Thanks Joe

 

Looked at that way, the curves on the extensions make sense

I think the shape (angle) of the patterns is off a little at the stem - but easy fixed

All glued and drying now

[JEvans]

Hi Alan,

I also purchased Granado from CMB in December. The delivery was direct from jotika in the W. Midlands. Like you my kit is missing 2 strips of brass extrusion. I shall chase Jotika in a week or so.

Happy New Year to you all.

John

[preservedkillick]

Gunport patterns firmly in place - couple of minor distortions around ports, but nothing planking/sanding won't fix

First two planks fixed below pattern on port side - I used the provided pattern again to get the curve right - might have been a case for a balsa filler in front of bulkhead 1 to keep that curve correct - done that before with success, but it does take a while. Planking bands laid out. I use flexible styrene strip for this - it behaves reasonably like the timber i.e. doesn't bend too easily laterally, .A thin piece of same also does for measuring distances around bulkhead edges. I tend to do first planking much more precisely than necessary - the engineer in me I guess !

 

 

I'm curious why this one is a chunk more expensive than HMAV Bounty (for example), which has a substantially larger hull, three masts, coppering, and POF boats. Not complaining - these kits are still great value (Jotika - don't read !) in terms of the hours they provide - just curious what drives the price. Maybe a bomb vessel with 10 guns is just more in demand than a mere armed transport with 4 ! The instructions are a *lot* better so perhaps more time was spent in design

Edited January 1, 2015 by Alan Ball

[preservedkillick]

First planking underway. Stern is straightforward, but I'm definitely struggling to follow the curve at the bow - balsa filler would definitely have been a good move. Nothing disastrous, just means more work sanding and filling. Tried both nippers and soaking (on different planks!) - still not sure which I prefer - contrary to the dire warnings in the manual, I don't believe nippers allow the plank to follow an "un-natural" course, provided the "nips" are kept perpendicular 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2015 by Alan Ball

[foxy]

I am told with wood to soak in water if your going to bend it.

Maybe the wood your using is harder, or is that thicker in the width.

 

Nice work Alan, watching with interest.

 

Frank

Edited January 17, 2015 by foxy

[GuntherMT]

I've gone to using a heat gun and doing almost all my plank bending with just heat.  For the more severe curves at the stem and stern, I'll soak and then use heat, which depending on how long you soak will allow crazy tight bends without breaking basswood or walnut.  For moderate bends I don't even let the wood soak, just dip it into the water and go to the heat gun.  Just don't apply too much force, just let the heat work and you'll feel the wood soften and start to bend.  Of course you need to be careful not to burn the wood!

[preservedkillick]

Hmm heat gun - that's something I hadn't considered - something else to try - do you use just a normal DIY-type gun, or something smaller ?

I think the problem at the bow is not the bending - simply that the gap between the stem and the first bulkhead is quite wide and there are many different curves that would go in there - without some sort of guide, it's hard to know which is correct. The supplied gunport pattern works higher up, but the curve needs to change as you work down. I don't think this one is any worse than Bounty, which I did without balsa (since I knew no better!), but on the other hand that one is coppered, so any slight irregularity lower down is covered, whereas this one, being painted, will probably tend to emphasise them

[preservedkillick]

First planking done and dusted (emphasis on dust!) 

No great drama. Did get a sort of "dimple" under the curve of the bow on both sides - not sure why - maybe inadequate bevelling ? Anyway, the filler neatly did away with it in both cases. I guess the filler is a bit of a telltale for places where the underlying planking wasn't as true as it might have been (note to self - this is *first* planking - duh!)

 

Jot came up with the couple of missing parts from the kit - took about 3 weeks overall, allowing for New Year and hassling via CMB, so not too bad - I guess their CS has picked up again

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2015 by Alan Ball

[GuntherMT]

Hmm heat gun - that's something I hadn't considered - something else to try - do you use just a normal DIY-type gun, or something smaller ?

 

Missed this question earlier Alan, sorry about that.  I just use a generic heat gun I got for 17 or 18 bucks off of Amazon.

 

This one actually - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006Z9LUDG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Gundorph]

The first layer of planking looks great... gonna be a nice ship..

[Timmo]

That first layer smoothed up nicely. Good work.

[preservedkillick]

Moving swiftly on to the wales....

What does anyone use for gluing second planking ? The manual says use medium CA, but I've previously just used PVA, using push pins to hold down the edges of the planks so there are no holes. The only drawback is that it takes longer as you can only fit one plank at a time (one per side I usually do). Have to say I really don't like CA, and prefer to avoid it if I can - at least for for large areas and where there's a choice

[jwvolz]

Alan,

 

What I usually do is put a dot of CA at each end of the plank and then PVA along the length. The CA locks it in place without pins or clamps while the PVA is setting. 

[GuntherMT]

Moving swiftly on to the wales....

What does anyone use for gluing second planking ? The manual says use medium CA, but I've previously just used PVA, using push pins to hold down the edges of the planks so there are no holes. The only drawback is that it takes longer as you can only fit one plank at a time (one per side I usually do). Have to say I really don't like CA, and prefer to avoid it if I can - at least for for large areas and where there's a choice

 

I use PVA only, and it doesn't slow me down at all.  I build each plank section to fit, and PVA tacks up quickly when applied in very thin coats to both pieces and then set with moderate pressure.  Except for a few oddly stressed pieces right at the stem or stern, I never stopped specifically to let a piece dry, I just worked on making the next piece, and when it was ready, removed the pins holding the previous piece and glued.

 

I actually made a short time-lapse video of my final planking band in my AVS log (last page or two of it currently) showing the progress.  It was done over two days, but only about 6 hours total in that time lapse.

 

The glue technique was learned from someone else here on MSW - apply a very thin layer of PVA (I use Tite Bond original) to the plank, set aside.  Apply a thin layer of glue to the hull where the plank will go (I use a syringe for this), and use a piece of scrap to spread it out and remove all excess.  By this time the layer on the plank should be almost dry (only takes a few minutes).  Put the plank in place, and then apply moderate pressure (as much as you think you can safely apply) with your fingers and the plank will stick in place almost as quickly as using CA.  Use pins as needed to hold in place for more complete drying, and start shaping your next plank.  Repeat.

[preservedkillick]

Joe/Gunther

 

Thanks for the thoughts. I must say I find the Caldercraft manual a bit "you must do it like this and only like this" in places, whereas there are invariably several ways to "skin a cat" (sorry cat-lovers!). Actually - I bet that phrase originates with the nine-tailed variety, so belongs here ! 

 

Alan

[preservedkillick]

Looong gap since previous post due to various domestic issues, but back in harness now (ship-wise, not domestic !)

Completed both wales. Not sure whether to paint these now, or after the rest of the planking is laid and sanded. Obviously painting wales now means no masking, but I can't see how I'd avoid damaging the paint whilst sanding the rest of the second planking - seems like masking off the wales after all is sanded will be easy enough - the only risk is paint bleeding into the unpainted planks either side I suppose. Hmmm.

Edited March 28, 2015 by Alan Ball

[Timmo]

Nice wales. Easy enough to paint them now and then you won't have to worry about the masking. You can always touch up later if needed.

[preservedkillick]

Second planking progressing without too much drama. I think painting wales either now or later would work - decided to go with "later" - I'm used to uber-complicated masking on plastic kits, so masking basically straight lines holds few terrors. I'm not sure why the wales are separated out - on Bounty the entire hull was planked first, then a second set of planks added to represent the wales - seems to me this avoids any issues with discontinuities between wales and rest of planking.

Few minor issues with planks going a little "clinker" around the curve of the bow, but nothing sanding won't take out, and anyway in painted areas below the waterline, so filler would even be possible (purists, look away !). This seems quite a "benign" hull shape compared with both my previous builds. Haven't soaked at all (don't like the shrinkage after fixing) - just used nippers around the curves. The "my way or the high way" manual has a real downer on nippers - I'd agree if one were using them to try and bend a plank away from its natural run, but if you've got the plank in the right place on the hull (you can just about see the lines where I marked out the planking bands before starting), then using nippers just to get the curve around the hull works fine. Used purely PVA and push-pins to hold, which does mean only one plank at at time per side, but that suits how I like to work. Looking forward to the bands next to the keel - I find planning and fitting stealers strangely satisfying.

Don't see too many issues with the quality of the walnut - maybe a lucky batch.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Alan Ball

[preservedkillick]

Starboard 2nd planking below wale complete. No particular problems. Took 3 stealers of increasing length to deal with the usual fanning out towards the rudder post (manual seems to show two, but this isn't an exact science by any means). I notice they bring their stealers to a sharp point - I never do that - always put a blunter angle right at the end - as shown in AOTS (which refers to them as "deadwood knees", the planks between keelson and keel being " deadwoods" - new one on me!)

Started reading the manual for the next stage (mortar housings), which must mean I've nearly had enough of planking. Small matter of sanding to go of course....

Edited April 5, 2015 by Alan Ball

[jwvolz]

Planking looks very nice Alan. I'm glad you got some better walnut than I did, mine was unusable. 

[Timmo]

That planking should look good after a sand. Nice work Alan.

[preservedkillick]

OK, planking below wale finished on both sides. Stern trimmed along rudder post and counter. Obviously wasn't quite as careful at the stern on the port as some of the ends haven't gone down as flush as they might - all within the bounds of sanding though

 

Looking ahead a little..

 

What's the thinking on hull paint colour - I haven't painted a hull before (only coppered) - have a feeling just pure white may look a bit too pristine ?

 

Also looked at the mortar housings a little - how about chemical blacking of metal parts (e.g. ring bolts) rather than painting - I tried this on my first build (years ago) and found I had to leave the parts in the stuff for hours to get a significant effect - has it got any better ?

 

Edited April 9, 2015 by Alan Ball

[jwvolz]

Alan,

In terms of color I used Polly Scale "Aged White" for the area below the waterline. It is slightly dirtier and yellower than regular white. If you can't get that a drop of yellow and gray in a regular white would do the trick. Experiment a bit to see what looks right, but I agree plain white may be a bit stark.