HM Cutter Lady Nelson by bryanc - FINISHED - Amati/Victory Models - 1:64

bryanc · January 22, 2015

My previous attempt – The Albatros by Constructo – was just that, an attempt. Because of pure ignorance and inexperience, I made many fundamental mistakes not helped by lack of proper tools, and what I now know were less than good instructions and merely adequate materials.

But I don’t regret it, it was so instructive, and has encouraged me to go onward and upward rather than be discouraged. Not that my current effort is going to be fault free, far from it I expect, but at least I’m better equipped, mentally and physically.

First off the Lady Nelson is a better piece of kit, mind you it should be, it cost upwards of £40.00 more, but the superior quality materials and documentation became immediately obvious as I opened the box. Having said that the ‘Building manual’ has less detail than the one with the Constructo kit, but its better written and additionally has not one, but five 70 x 50cm ‘Assembly Sheets’ which are beautifully produced and so helpful.

Well I say helpful, there are actually not one but two errors in the plans, on Sheet One bulkhead part numbers 2 and 3 and the two sets of plank termination patterns, part numbers 16 and 17 are transposed which could lead to disaster, but fortunately the errors are obvious when you present the parts to their supposed locations.

Note that much of what I write in this build log is going to appear naive, in-experienced and even wrong. Helpful observations would be appreciated.

The Build

The hull construction was completed relatively easily. I made two big mistakes which could have had awful consequences; I managed to snap the ‘walnut prow’ (part no. 21) in two pieces extracting it from the laser cut sheet! Gluing the two pieces back together seems to have worked, but it’s bound to affect its tensile strength. Secondly I completely forgot to glue the last and smallest bulkhead (part no. 10) in place before I glued the false deck in place. Thankfully I was able to tap it into place after.

Ensuring the bulkheads are correctly aligned which is vital of course, is actually made much easier by dry fitting the false deck in position as the bulkheads ‘set’. In this way the deck acts as a jig.

The (infamous) walnut prow, keel and rudder post were then fitted and left to dry before the false deck was finally glued in position – temporarily held in place with pins until dry. The fiddly stern counter frames were glued in place, each set allowed to dry before the next was fitted (not shown in the photos).

There remains the two bulwark strips to fit (they are currently soaking in warm water to facilitate easier bending), then after a thorough sanding is done and I can say the hull construction is complete.

I am under no illusion; this was the easy bit. The planking of the hull now follows, and I am approaching it with trepidation as I consider this the trickiest part of the build, which can make or break the whole endeavour!

tkay11 · January 23, 2015

Great to see another cutter build, Bryan. You've chosen a really nice kit. It was what I was going to do as my first build, but as it was out of stock at the time went with the Sherbourne instead as it was very similar.

There are quite a few logs going of cutters on this forum, as I'm sure you've already found out, so you not only have a wealth of fellow enthusiasts who can share their own experience with different aspects of the build, but you'll also be able to ask questions about difficulties peculiar to the kit as you stumble across them.

If you haven't noticed the part of this forum dedicated to learning resources, have a look at the home page for the forum at http://www.thenrg.org/and then click on the 'Ship Modeling Resources' tab. It includes wonderful guides on planking, for example, which helped me a great deal.

I much look forward to following your log. Are you going to have a log for the Albatros as well?

Tony

bryanc · January 23, 2015

Hi Tony,

Many thanks indeed for the encouraging message, and the very valuable link. I've just opened that now and will have a good look - especially at the planking guides, which as you know I am currently in the middle of! I also accept I have to acquire a proper sander/driller tool (Dremel?), so will have a look if there is anything about them on the site and also of course the cheapest source of them!

I'll be adding to the Lady Nelson build log very soon, it is a lovely model, but as testing as I expected! I will not be doing one for the Albatros. As I mentioned, I made so many fundemental errors in the build, its been put to one side. However I may return to it after the Lady Nelson as I expect to have picked up a little more know-how and experience post Lady Nelson.

Thanks again,

Bryan

tkay11 · January 23, 2015

If you want a small drill, think about the Proxxon tools. They are excellent. I have a Micromot 50/E but the FBS 240/E may be the more useful if you are thinking of using it as a mill and grinder as well. That model comes with a whole range of attachments apart from the collet set, which you'd have to buy separately. The collets are much better than a regular chuck for holding small bits.

You can find the Proxxon catalogue in English at http://www.proxxon.com/en/catalogues/download_catalogues.php.

As to purchasing, the cheapest place to buy (as Proxxon is a German company) is from SAT Berlin. This is far cheaper than buying in the UK, even with the cost of shipping --€14.90, or £11.64 -- included. You can see the English page at http://www.satberlin.de/en/PROXXON-machines.

If you prefer to buy from the UK, cheapest is at Chronos, which you can see at http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/12_v_Precision_Workshop_Tools_-_Proxxon_etc.html.

If you need any help about tools and accessories, I'll always be ready to help, as I am sure many others will be on this forum -- so do expect them to chip in with their own views. You'll find advice about tools on the pages of the forum that I've already directed you to.

As to sanding, I'd be cautious about sanding the planking with a machine tool as they can easily cut too deep unexpectedly. It might be better to sand the hull by hand.

Tony

bryanc · January 25, 2015

Thanks Tony, alas your advice re. the rotary tool came a tad late as I have already acquired a Dremel 7700 cordless rotary tool. Actually I'm quite pleased with the Dremel and the cost is about the same as the item you mention.

Your advice re. sanding the hull with ordinary sandpaper also came too late, I submitted to the temptation and used the Dremel. You are quite right of course, and I had to use some filler! Thankfully there is a second layer of planking on this model!

Bryan

Edited January 25, 2015 by bryanc

bryanc · January 25, 2015

The Build Continues

Planking is complete. That is, the first planking is complete! I‘m not very proud of it, but for reasons explained below, while it has to be competent, it doesn’t have to be tiptop.

Much to my surprise this ship build has 2 skins of planking, the second laid directly on top of the first, the only difference is that second build also covers the bulwarks, inner and outer. Being a newcomer I don’t know how common this is. My first ship, the Albatros only had the one layer of planking.

The bulwarks themselves were added, and all the bulwark tabs exposed over deck level had to be removed. This boring and lengthy sanding job was made infinitely easier with my new toy; after much research I purchased a Dremel 7700 cordless rotary tool. I like it! It made jobs like removing the tabs blissfully easy, although one had to be careful obviously. (It features in one of the images, at the stern of the ship in the shot looking downwards at the deck. It’s actually going back and being replaced, as the battery unit doesn’t sit securely in either the charger or the actual tool, which can’t be as intended).

Once the bulwark tabs had been removed and sanded down to deck level, the second planking could commence. This is going to be a long job. I’ve elected to start it from the deck; up the bulwarks, then down over the outer bulwarks and down the side of the ship. One photo shows the inner planking in progress. Note my patent pending struts, under tension, helping keep the planking in position as the glue dries. All the apertures in the bulwarks; gun ports etc. have to be kept clear obviously. This is where my set of needle files came in.

The second planking continues. I may well lay the deck planking at the same time when I feel the need for a break in the hull planking.

Edited January 25, 2015 by bryanc

tkay11 · January 25, 2015

Don't worry about the first planking. It doesn't matter at all if you use filler. The whole point is to get a smooth and even surface for the second planking, as well as giving you some experience and confidence with the whole process of planking. You're doing just fine!

Tony

bryanc · January 26, 2015

Thans Tony, thats really encouraging and I take your point about the smooth first planking to facilitate the second.

Bryan

bryanc · January 28, 2015

Continuing…

The second planking continues, slowly. But whilst waiting for some planking to bend (they were soaking), having previously already painted the inner bulwarks, I started the deck planking. It went so well, and I was enjoying it so much, I went on to complete it.

It raises issues for me regarding how it should be painted (or stained) and finished to look most authentic. I have searched through the website and got many ideas, but I wondered what the accepted way of finishing the decking is.

Edited January 28, 2015 by bryanc

tkay11 · January 28, 2015

Great to see such rapid progress, Bryan.

Probably the first thing to do would be to sand it to an even finish. Then it really is down to what you prefer.

Some like to add the treenails, but the obvious comment is that if you were looking down at a deck on a real ship of the period at this scale they would be pretty nearly invisible to the naked eye. I fell to the temptation of drilling holes for treenails, then filling with a very similar coloured wax. It's probably more to show that you can do it and to demonstrate that you understand the process of nailing planks to decks.

As to finishes, from what I have seen, most people seem to narrow it down to three choices:

1. leave it natural

2. finish it with a matt or silk clear varnish (water-based or oil-based). For my Sherbourne I put Ronseal water-based quick drying clear matt varnish on.

3. finish it with an oil, such as linseed oil, tung oil or whichever suits your taste.

The problem with an oil is that you will then find it hard to glue things to the deck such as cannon, hatches etc. However you could then pin them to the deck.

I don't think anyone has painted their decks.

It looks as though you have two large holes in the deck just behind the stem. Is that deliberate, or am I missing something important?

Tony

bryanc · January 29, 2015

Hi again Tony,

And thanks for the continuing support! I take your point entirely about the treenails. At full scale the nail heads would be the size of saucers! I won't at this stage contemplate trying to emulate them, though maybe on a larger scale ship! The deck finish? I have some Rustins Clear Satin varnish which I used on the Albatross, and it looks perfectly good, that will be used again, after a good sanding down.

The hull planking continues and I'll post some pics when I've gone a little farther down the hull, but I cannot pretend I'm finding it easy or am satisfied with it.

The two holes in the deck (which I took a ridiculous amount of trouble matching up from the false deck to the deck planking) are the locating holes for the bowsprit bit assembly, which, much to my bewilderment, is located off centre, as indeed is the bowsprit! Of course your Sherbourne is the same - I've just been admiring it, the build is far better than mine, which, I suspect, is down to more patience!

Thanks again,

Bryan

Edited January 29, 2015 by bryanc

tkay11 · January 29, 2015

You'll find that the bowsprit assembly is designed in the kit to be fitted to the deck planking, so you'll need to fill in those holes. Also, note that because the deck is curved, one side of the bowsprit assembly has to be longer than the other. Fitting them to the deck planks makes it much easier to position the bowsprit exactly since you can do it with the bowsprit on the assembly itself, then mark out the assembly base with a pencil.

Tony

bryanc · January 30, 2015

Hi Tony,

I hope we're not talking at cross purposes here. It seems unlikely that such similar kits differ, but my constructed bowsprit assembly has lugs that fit the deck planking holes exactly (see pics). And those holes are present in the precut false deck as you can see earlier on.

Having said that I can see the sense in positioning the the assembly c/w bowsprit on it, exactly to suit when the time comes, so I'll keep my options open!

Bryan

tkay11 · January 30, 2015

Sorry, Bryan, I was thinking of my Sherbourne kit which does not have lugs. I had presumed wrongly that the Lady Nelson kit would be the same. And I can now see that the bowsprit assembly is quite different from the Sherbourne's.

I'll try to be a bit more careful in future!

Tony

tarbrush · January 30, 2015

Hi Bryan, your model is looking good. have you decided how to finish your deck? one thing I like to do is take some of the scrap decking and make up a few test decks. some small pieces about an inch or two square and then try different finishes on them, you can throw them on the deck and see which you like the looks of.

bryanc · January 30, 2015

Fron one Brian to another, I say great work my friend.

Thank you Brian, good of you to make the observation. However the work isn't that great, I'm learning a lot, but still making mistakes!

bryanc · January 30, 2015

Hi Bryan, your model is looking good. have you decided how to finish your deck? one thing I like to do is take some of the scrap decking and make up a few test decks. some small pieces about an inch or two square and then try different finishes on them, you can throw them on the deck and see which you like the looks of.

Hi tarbrush, good of you to comment. I did as you suggest, and am sticking with my original clear satin varnish. In fact I've now done it, and it looks OK except for one "plank" that despite being smoothed down completely, the varnish seems to have "highlighted" one edge of the plank and it gives the appearance of being raised. I think maybe there was a minute gap that the varnish soaked down. I'll post pics next time, but I think I'll have to live with it!

bryanc · January 30, 2015

Sorry, Bryan, I was thinking of my Sherbourne kit which does not have lugs. I had presumed wrongly that the Lady Nelson kit would be the same. And I can now see that the bowsprit assembly is quite different from the Sherbourne's.

I'll try to be a bit more careful in future!

Tony

Well that was an easy assumption to make, please don't worry!

Bryan

bryanc · February 5, 2015

The Build Continues!

It’s been a while since I've continued the build log, I’ve been a bit busy with other things, and have experienced a lot of problems with this! However I'm soldiering on (or is that sailoring?).

Enormous problems with my ham-fistedness and lack of patience, but I'm learning, and enjoying learning which is more important. The main wale proved tricky, the planking used just wouldn't take pins, it was really hard wood! Plus I made such a mess of it, when in desperation I tried superglue that wouldn't stick either, too much wood glue saturating the planking perhaps. I did win in the end, but it was a major battle.

My ham-fistedness (together with some really brittle laser cut sheets) meant split components which had to be painfully glued together, before I could use them. I've also discovered that somehow the deck has ended too high up the bulwarks. No real problem in itself, but it’s going to be an issue when the cannon are put into position, they will foul the gun port openings, so will either have to be set back further on the deck, or wedged at the rear somehow.

Of course I'm now close to another decision; should I paint the lower hull white or not bother? I don't actually like the finish I've seen on other modellers ships, but having said that, on mine the paint would cover a multitude of sins! Then there's the rudder, that’s proving a challenge to! I had it successfully mounted on its hooks and eyes, but had to remove it for some reason, now simply cannot get it to cooperate again.

Oh joy!

tkay11 · February 6, 2015

Very neat, Bryan -- you're certainly cracking on at a good pace. We all bemoan our own perceptions of mistakes, but mostly we are the only ones to notice them in reality. They're a kind of spur to achieve better next time. It's all part of the learning and acquisition of skills we all do with each build. And the problems are the fun part once we find a way around them -- a bit like any puzzle or strategy game.

Luckily questions about finish are entirely yours to make -- the creation is for your pleasure alone.

Tony

bryanc · February 6, 2015

Very neat, Bryan -- you're certainly cracking on at a good pace. We all bemoan our own perceptions of mistakes, but mostly we are the only ones to notice them in reality. They're a kind of spur to achieve better next time. It's all part of the learning and acquisition of skills we all do with each build. And the problems are the fun part once we find a way around them -- a bit like any puzzle or strategy game.

Luckily questions about finish are entirely yours to make -- the creation is for your pleasure alone.

Tony

Thanks Tony, and you're right of course, and you put it all very succinctly! As for the finish, right again, I'm the captain; it’s my ship to finish how I please :-)

Bryan

bryanc · February 6, 2015

This addition is something of an aside, and, at the risk of looking foolish I thought I'd share it. Like, I suspect, many others, there is an abundance of tools I'd like to possess but simply cannot justify the purchase price. One of the primary ones being a keel clamp. One of the better ones is the lovely one costing a little short of £50.00.

Well, I was in Aldi this afternoon, actually went specifically to have a look at one of their "specials", a table vice, which I thought could maybe pressed into service as a keel clamp, and with other uses. The vice edges are rubber sheathed to protect the object in the jaws. I bought one. Getting it home I thought perhaps it was a waste of money, its quite a robust thing, die cast aliminium and weighty with it. However I tried it; I was pleasantly surprised.

Have a look at the photo just taken.

Its bulky and its use will be limited, but I can see it proving useful for some tasks. Its available as a clamp mounted thing that clamps to a table edge or similar or a suction mounted one. And why am I making such a fuss? Well it costs less than £7.00!!

bryanc · February 8, 2015

Ruined deadeye assemblies. Insurmountable Problems!?

I’ve hit a snag which might mean completion of my build might be in jeopardy. Or at least won’t get any higher than deck level.

The photos will reveal the problem; all but three of the eight deadeye assemblies have been rendered useless. Getting the deadeyes into the brass fittings proved all but impossible, and while I thought I had got one side complete, three of the four just snapped off! You can see the remains in the photo.

Has anyone any inspired ideas, or does anyone know of a source of replacement parts so I can at least have another go?

Edited February 8, 2015 by bryanc

tkay11 · February 8, 2015

There are two ways round this.

The first is to write to Euromodels/Amati and ask them for the spare parts, explaining what happened to yours. In nearly all cases they send you the replacement parts.

The second is to make your own. This is not at all hard, seeing you have the deadeyes intact. You just need a strip of brass sheet and some copper or brass wire. You could even make this from old electrical cabling if you happen to have wiring that is that thick.

There are lots of builds that show the variety of ways to do this on this forum. There is also the late Hubert Sicard's superb site for novices called 'Wooden Ship Modeling for Dummies' which has an enormous range of tips for making your own parts -- with many illustrated by silent videos. You can peek at bits of it for free, but for its full use you have to pay a one-off fee of 40 Canadian Dollars through PayPal. It really is worth it. The link is http://www.shipmodeling.ca/, and is a resource used by many on this forum (including myself). Some of the English translations from the French are a bit ropey, but it's easy enough to understand.

Of course there are lots of books as well, many of which you can obtain through your local library.

The advantage of making your own is that if some break you just make some more -- instead of waiting on the kit manufacturer to send you replacements.

Tony

bryanc · February 12, 2015

There are two ways round this.

The first is to write to Euromodels/Amati and ask them for the spare parts, explaining what happened to yours. In nearly all cases they send you the replacement parts.

The second is to make your own. This is not at all hard, seeing you have the deadeyes intact. You just need a strip of brass sheet and some copper or brass wire. You could even make this from old electrical cabling if you happen to have wiring that is that thick.

There are lots of builds that show the variety of ways to do this on this forum. There is also the late Hubert Sicard's superb site for novices called 'Wooden Ship Modeling for Dummies' which has an enormous range of tips for making your own parts -- with many illustrated by silent videos. You can peek at bits of it for free, but for its full use you have to pay a one-off fee of 40 Canadian Dollars through PayPal. It really is worth it. The link is http://www.shipmodeling.ca/, and is a resource used by many on this forum (including myself). Some of the English translations from the French are a bit ropey, but it's easy enough to understand.

Of course there are lots of books as well, many of which you can obtain through your local library.

The advantage of making your own is that if some break you just make some more -- instead of waiting on the kit manufacturer to send you replacements.

Tony

Hi Tony,

Many thanks for coming to the rescue again. I've bookmarked the sites mentioned for later, and will, in the first instance, have a look at making my own! Thanks for the inspiration. I am actually waging ahead and fitting out the deck, c/w my own inovations! My camera is misbehaving or I would post some pics, but hopefully soon.

Thanks again,

Bryan

AntonyUK · February 12, 2015

Hi Bryan.

Mabe these are of the same type as you need.

http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/amati-chainplates.html

Regards Antony.

Thunder · February 12, 2015

Hello Bryan, I am a little concerned that you are galloping ahead but have not planked the stern. It may be just the photos but does look like you have missed it.

Concerning your deck. It looks flat. Does it just need pinning down as should curve downwards either side towards the gun ports.

Adrian.

bryanc · February 14, 2015

Hi Bryan.

Mabe these are of the same type as you need.

http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/amati-chainplates.html

Regards Antony.

Hi Anthony,

Many thanks, looking at them now, I'm having a go at doing my own (at least the deadeyes) with brass wire as Tony suggested, but will get some chainplates from your source if I can't think of a way of fabricating them myself. Thank you.

Bryan

bryanc · February 14, 2015

Hello Bryan, I am a little concerned that you are galloping ahead but have not planked the stern. It may be just the photos but does look like you have missed it.

Concerning your deck. It looks flat. Does it just need pinning down as should curve downwards either side towards the gun ports.

Adrian.

The stern is planked Adrian, (albeit not very well) and just doesn't show in the photos. I've got to clean it up and add the rudder of course yet (something I didn't make a very good job of first time round, so must redo). I've a horrible feeling you may be right about the decking, as I said before the cannon foul the gun port openings (too high to fit through), so it must be because the deck is set too high (or the bulwarks too low). I can't really see how it is the case though, as the decking was laid directly on the supports as far as I remember, but if its meant to curve downwards as you say that would explain it. Lack of emphasis in the instructions! You'll see from the photos I'm about to post, I've had to set the guns back from the ports. Too late to do anything now though! The decking is absolutley solid with no give whatsoever.

All a learning experience!

Bryan

bryanc · February 14, 2015

Up to date photos

The latest photos as promised; things are moving on, I’ve had a lot of fun with somewhat “creative” deck fittings, all kidology, and not out of the manual, but hey…!

Now to the less fun activities of the cannon rigging and the creating of “new” deadeyes etc. Then the rudder…..

Bryan

Edited February 14, 2015 by bryanc

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