Scottish Maid by mrangus - Artesania Latina - first build

[mrangus]

This is my first model. I started this model about 12 years ago (!) and put it down shortly after I started. My daughter found the model downstairs a while back and asked what it was all about. After her urging, I picked it up again. I definitely have the bug now.

 

(6/15 update) I found some older pictures of the first planking, and wanted to add them in, so I thought I'd stick them here.

 

[Stockholm tar]

Mrangus,

 

Good for you, that you have begun again on your Scottish Maid, and she looks a competent build so far. However, according to the MSW 'rules', the gallery is reserved for completed models only. I see this is your first post, so you may not have realised.

 

A good idea is to start a build log, under kit built models (yes, you can do this even though the build is started) which you can add to whilst still working on her. You are likely to receive comments from other members, which are always constructive and helpful. In that way not only can others see your progress, but can also offer advice.

 

I hope you don't mind me mentioning it. Good luck with your Scottish Maid.

[mrangus]

Okay...

My daughter actually found the ship about 2 yrs ago. I had the bulkheads built, and half the planks on the deck done. When I started planking the deck 12 yrs ago, I was using basswood boards (3mm wide) for the decking material and thought I was being creative. Well, I finished the decking and started the first layer of planking, and about 10 planks into it, I realized that the thin strips were for the deck and not the hull! So that's when I put it back down....

 

Coming back to it when my daughter found it again over Christmas, I had a few evenings where I could actually read about the right way. so I did, stripped the decking planks, and added the hull planks. These pics represent the finished product. This was also when I had the realization that the deck planks didn't look to-scale at all.... and that's when I thought about re-doing the deck.

[mrangus]

I decided to remove the first attempt at the deck. Here's what it looked like close-up. So I ended up sanding the deck off by hand with 80 grit. Took about an hour and a half (a very painful hour and a half) but I got down to a very thin layer on top of the false deck.

 

I decided to make a test run of it, and lay out where the frame lines were. I liked the sample and so went for it, and much happier with out the deck came out. The deck planking wood in the kit was a bit rough - Mulaki 6mm x 0.5mm - all pieces had curves in them, and the wood was a bit rough. So I used a graphite pencil for the tar and worked pretty well, especially after sanding. Didn't have the 'perfect' look that some decks did but I wouldn't expect a ship this old would have perfect lines. So I went with it...

 

(Note the holes in the sample were because I used the planks that I had originally put on as the hull.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mrangus]

Here's the result of the new deck.

[GLakie]

Welcome to the forum Mrangus.  You came to the right place for help and info if you need it.

I don't know of you're from the UK but if you are, I actually have family there in Angus and Forfar. Anyway, have fun and I'll enjoy following along.

 

Cheers 

[mrangus]

Added the tree nails. This was something I stressed over for a while. Do I use a small drill bit, do I just use a sharp point? So I did more tests... and what I liked the best (and was easiest) was a very sharp #2 pencil. I have a very old hand sharpener that gets pencils sharper than any electric or modern manual sharpener. Since it's right by my work area, it was easy to have an always-sharp pencil. I also liked that a little bit of graphite would be left in the hole to highlight but not over-do the look.

 

Pictures of the "Model L", as well as test run and completed on the ship.

 

 

[mrangus]

And before I take a break thanks for the guidance, Stockholm tar! I appreciate all input an advice since this is my first go-round both on a blog as well as on a ship. I have more pics to upload to catch up, but it's late and I have to get up at 5am tomorrow to catch a flight to Atlanta. Lucky me.

[mrangus]

Putting on the bulwarks. A little trickier than I thought it would be but in the end I liked the way it came out. I used the Mulaki plank strips for the inner bulwark planking, which will be sheltered by the timber heads and gunwales so I didn't put too much stock into chopping them up "to size".

 

 

[mrangus]

Now that the bulwarks are on, I used some modeling paste for first layer (Liquitex) sanded, and then some wood filler to get the hull really smooth. And lots and lots of sanding.

 

[mrangus]

I cut the bulwarks in haste and ended up having to glue them back on. I was confused by the angle of the transom, and after I made the cut, the transom just didn't line up. So after studying (and studying...) a number of pictures both online as well as from the instruction book, I realized the error I made. The main issue I found was that the angle on the hull wasn't cooperating with the angle required for the transom to fit. so I ended up sanding down the back of the hull to match the angle as best I could.

 

[mrangus]

I got the transom on and fit pretty well. Sanded down, installed coamings, and ready for second planking.

 

I'm all caught up with my images now. It's real-time from here forward.

 

[mrangus]

I've begun the outer planking. After thinking through and looking at a number of pictures of various editions of the Scottish Maid, I decided to follow the practicum that is advised in the kit, so I used the mulaki strips for the outer bulwark down to the rubbing strake. I also thought about how to place the rubbing strake on. In many models, the rubbing strake is placed on after the planking is complete, but I thought that it would make sense to insert between the mulaki and walnut strips which would give it a tighter fit. I did spend the time as well bending the rubbing strakes to make the fit more exact, which worked pretty well.

 

Now I need to run the hull planks. From all accounts it looks like careful planning is required to get a natural run of the lines. I was planning to measure at the broadest part of the hull to determine number of planks and narrow from there. Thoughts on how to do this efficiently? Because I've seen some write-ups that make a thesis of the process.

 

here are some pics:

 

 

[mrangus]

I created a plank soaker because I couldn't find a good sized trough for the strips as long as they are. (Primarily needed for the first layer of planking.)

I took an old piece of plumbing PVC and sawed it in half with a skill saw, which took a bit to get lined up correctly. Should've seen the plastic chips everywhere, it took me forever to clean it all up. I had a couple of plastic caps that were about the size of the PVC tubing so I sawed that in half as well, and glued each half onto the end. Works like a charm. Here's what it looks like:

Edited March 4, 2015 by mrangus

[GLakie]

Your planking process seems to be working nicely. Chuck's planking practicum follows the same way you've mentioned by dividing at the widest part, and tapering from there.

 

Cheers

[mrangus]

I've spent the past several hours painstakingly marking off the "run of the planks" as I think they call it. I took the advice of some logs to divide the hull into the planks and graduate down as the hull gets smaller. I think it's worth the effort - even if I don't follow the lines exactly, it helps giving a feel for how the planks should taper.

 

I've also noticed in a number of well constructed ships that the tapered planks appear in the middle of the hull. I'm assuming that's because planking starts at both ends and works its way to the middle. Thoughts on this?

 

Here's how it looks laid out:

[GuntherMT]

I actually started my planks in the center and worked towards the ends.  I'm new to this, so even though it worked good in my case, I don't know that it's the preferred way to do it.

 

I know some people go all the way to having a complete planking 'plan', and know exactly where every plank will be, prior to putting the first plank down.  I'm way too impatient for that.  

[mrangus]

Hey GuntherMT, thanks for the input. Loved your builds - very impressive and nice eye for detail. I think I'm going to stick with the plan. Since I have my rubbing strake already on, I want to get a tight fit so will start from the top as they say. I think I'm about as planned out as I can get - have a good feel for the run, and should be able to make it work based on the outline.

 

I stopped in at Michael's tonight. The store that I thought I'd never go into, until I got into this.... and now I can't seem to leave. I picked up among other things an artist's curve. I'm hoping this will help some with some of the cuts that will be needed. I had a heck of a time with the Mulaki trying to cut with the grain, it would catch really easy and ruin a cut. Not very skilled and working with basic tools may be acerbating the issue.

[GuntherMT]

Thanks!

 

I did start at the top (below the black strake), but I placed the first plank mid-ships with the end right behind a gun port, where a frame would be in the real ship, and then laid everything else off of that one, until I had 8 full rows in.  I then placed the garboard plank (first plank above the keel) and then worked from there up, as it's a lot easier to make adjustments for that last row if it's somewhere near the middle of the ship, rather than at the bottom.

 

If you read the planking tutorials where the 'lining off' is explained, you should also see how to break the planking into 'bands' (I used 4 bands) to make for manageable sections to work with.  I did the top two bands, then switched to the bottom.

[mrangus]

Well after much contemplation and a few deep breaths, I started on main hull planking - I'm following the pattern I laid out, it's working pretty well but takes time to shape the pieces accordingly. I mostly shave down with sandpaper - trying to cut these thin pieces of wood never seem to go the way I'd like. I seem to always catch a grain,  Any thoughts on how to do this more efficiently?

 

I'm still using the graphite pencil to edge the boards to give more definition to the planks and simulate tar for the walnut planks. Seems easier than using black paper, I think these boards would be difficult with that method given how thin they are.

 

I also have an open question for those who have experience in this phase. Not sure whether I need to "fit" the planks to the keel as I build and put the keel on afterward, or if that needs to be installed now. Would be great to hear experience from other members....

 

Here are a few pics I took at the start.

 

Thanks

 

 

[GLakie]

Looks like a nice start. They say having a plan ahead of time is half the battle. From what I've read so far, I would think the keel, stem and stern post should be in place so the planks have something to butt into. There are planking tutorials in the Building, Framing and Planking section here: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/forum/14-building-framing-planking-and-plating-a-ships-hull-and-deck/

 

Cheers

[mrangus]

Thanks GLakie... and I will chalk this up as a learning experience as I should have at least fit the false keel to the boat. When I tried it was nowhere near close to fitting. So with a lot of filing/rasping, I got the keel to fit nicely - but the damage was done. I have some work to do to repair now...

 

 

[mrangus]

Well went for it. I realized that I'd have to re-plank the boards that abut the keel, so I carefully removed all three rows that had been nicely fit. I tried the CA remover but found that using the xacto flat blade as a chisel, I had decent results removing the boards. It was a bit scary at first but I remembered a comment from another member - it's only wood, you can pretty much re-build anything.

 

[mrangus]

I took a break today from my chess studies and devoted a few hours to the model with good progress. I installed the keel, including the stern post. That was tricky, I had to do a lot of filing and sanding to get the post to fit nicely into the back, I was also conscious of where the pole for the rudder will be coming through from the deck. I think I got the keel lined up pretty nicely. The one issue I need to figure out is the gaps that clearly show on joining areas for the keel. Set aside to set nicely.

 

Once back, after carefully sanding down the stripped area, I re-fitted each plank to the keel with mixed results. One side of the planking was off and I had to adjust by shortening the top plank a little. it's noticeable if looking for it but I didn't want to start again, besides I'm getting low on the mulaki strips...

 

I also refitted the end of the rubbing strake to butt up against the keel. This was tricky, I had to create a small piece from leftover walnut and sand to fit. This was challenging - there is a bit of a gap on this as well, I hope to possibly fill with sawdust.

 

Tried out the new files I got recently -- purchased both a diamond set an a carbide set. They are both phenomenal. Made a lot of this work much easier (than the rusty old files I had been using).

 

Now I can begin the long haul of planking the hull with the walnut strips.

[mrangus]

Here's a closeup of the fix to the rubbing strake, which shows where I need to fill.

 

If I take this approach with sawdust, what do I mix with to avoid changing color? Any ideas?

[GLakie]

Nice job fitting the keel, stem, and stern-post!  Now, after cutting a rabbet next to them, your planks will have something to seat into. The sawdust I would use is some from the same wood as the plank right there. It won't match all of it but having 3 different colors right there makes it tough. The best way would be to pull that section of plank out and cut one with a better fit, then use the darker color on the stem to fill the rest. IMHO.

 

Cheers

[mrangus]

Slow work, this has been a busy time for me. Work is quite crazy and I've been bearing down on my chess studies. When I get brain tired, I do a little work on the boat.

 

But the planking is coming along. I like having the plan on the hull, so far so good. I've been using a compass to measure the width of the plank at each marking on the hull, and then transferring this to the board - works well and fairly efficient.

 

The transom requires me to bend in two directions. I'm finding that to be more difficult than appears - when I think I have it right, the board doesn't quite fit. Took me a while to get that third row on.

 

I have a question for those who have been doing this for a while. What to use to finish the wood once on? I've seen a number of different approaches, but need a basic guidance of options (or option...) that is spelled out - i.e. what is the product and where can one find it?

 

Thanks all...

[mrangus]

I forgot to mention the addition to the workbench. I have an old marble-top that I put onto a wooden frame, but it wasn't big enough, and I needed a better surface to be able to do the work - so I got some strong press board and cut to fit on top with a little extra room, making the table that much bigger. Also fit into the corner of my stone foundation. Gives me that much more room to spread even more tools and other stuff all over.... organizing always feels like a waste of time (until I can't find something).

 

Also a closer view of the planking. I'm still using the graphite to darken the edges.

 

[dgbot]

You are making a good start.  The Scottish made is a real beauty when done right.

David B

[mrangus]

Thanks David. I smile when you say "good start" as I feel like I've been working on this for a long time now. But I know based on observing other posts that once the planking is done, it begins to feel like the start of a finished project. Anyways thanks for the encouragement. I'm having a lot of fun with this.