Scottish Maid by mrangus - Artesania Latina - first build

[mrangus]

More planking accomplished.

[mrangus]

I had to revisit my planking lines I had originally drawn, so I got out the 3x5 card and re-marked the remaining plank lines.For the stern I wanted clear flow of planks, so I drew explicity on the hull to better visualize the completed planking. I included a picture of how the planks are coming together from the two sides of the hull. Be interested in hearing some feedback from the experienced modelers on advice/criticism.

 

I'm also thinking of taking off the stern post to help with planking. Anyone have experience with that?

 

Thanks all

 

Robb

[mrangus]

Transom Planking Challenges:

 

I'm running into a situation where I just don't think I'm going to be able to bend/shape the thin, walnut planks effectively to conform to the run over the transom. I'm now thinking of putting in a small stealer to help where I cannot make the bend properly. I think I will only need one, My dilemma is how should I shape the stealer? Should I just add a small piece that would be short and triangular right near the base of the stern post, or should I create a more "classic" stealer, that looks longer and more spear-like?

 

The second area of confusion is the nature of the outside ends of the transom (where I have yet to plank). Do I continue with the run of the planks and angle the remaining planks to continue the flow, or should I have the planks go parallel to the outside edge of the transom?

 

 

 

[mrangus]

Planking Half Way!

 

Overall I'm fairly happy with how the planking is coming along, and it's finally starting to look like a planked boat.

 

will have a lot of finishing work to do on the hull to make it look nice though. But one step (plank) at a time...

[GLakie]

Your planking looks fine, and she's going to be a lovely ship when you're done.

 

Cheers

[dgbot]

You are doing fine.  As for the stern try making a male female mold.  Then boil or steam your planks and put them in the mold and clamp it when dry they should fit your curve without snapping.

David B

[mrangus]

Thanks GLakie and David - never too sure when haven't been down this road.

 

David, if I may ask - when you say make a female model, what do you use to create that? I haven't come across that technique in the different journals.

I'm leaning toward one stealer on each side but am interested in your idea, may come in handy now or in the future....

[GLakie]

I think David's talking about  plank forming jig's, one each for the port and starboard sides. 

[mrangus]

Well gents I had a little time tonight so here's what I did...

As you can see from pics, I cut out stealers and fit them as best I could between the two "problem" planks. I think they came out ok, although one side is a little better than the other. I included a pic of the stern post which will cover up most of the area that didn't look quite so good. So I think I'll go with this for now...

 

Rest of planking hopefully will go smoothly given the relatively straight runs now. I'm starting to get anxious on what I should use for finishing the hull. I was reading the other night about water based stain and urethane, which sounds a bit easier to use than other products. Anyone have thoughts on this?

 

Thanks again for the ideas, please keep sharing as it does help.

 

[mrangus]

A few more planks added....

[GLakie]

Your planking is going very well I think. Looks good! 

 

Cheers

[mrangus]

Thanks GLakie! it's a slow process to get the planks to fit nicely. I'm finding the thin planks have their plusses and minuses. I'm in Florida with my family this week (Orlando) so no progress for the next few days.

I've been using CA to glue the planks down, and naturally a little bit of glue gets on the outside of the planks. I have concerns that this will distort the staining when I get there. How much do I sand to get to wood? or do I use a flat blade and scrape?

There are also a couple of planks that I think I'll need to pull up and re-plank - they just aren't fitting right. Debond or scrape out?

[mrangus]

More progress...

Taking the picture from the stern and seeing the black on one side confused me. that is not visible to the naked eye at any angle, I'm wondering if it's some graphite that I use to "tar" the edges. Not sure if it will impact if/when I get to staining and/or finishing the hull. Anyone ever see that?

 

[mrangus]

I had to shape a few planks for the curves on the boat, I couldn't get the shape right by just cutting and sanding the board. The first picture shows the problem I'm having.

so here's what I did. I soaked 4 planks for a bit in hot water and stacked them on top of each other. Then I used push pins to bend the wood in the long direction, as in the picture. They bent nicely, but the wood is no longer completely flat. Because the planks are so thin, small buckles show up in the wood. Do I re-soak and press them with something very heavy to try to re-flatten them? or would using plank bender to "iron out" the bumps be good enough?

 

 

[GLakie]

In the "Articles" section of the Database, there a planking practicum by Chuck, that's good and covers this. Also on his Syren site, I think Chapter 3 or 4 of the Cheerful practicum, covers edge-bending with a hair-dryer, without water, that seems like a good method.

[mrangus]

Thanks GLakie - I reviewed and it gave me some ideas.

 

 I came up with a fairly creative way to give the thin planks a little "bend". After running under hot water and massaging them to loosen the wood up a bit, I pat dry and put on a large (spare) bathroom tile, and tape down with painters tape with a little bend to it. I do this for several pieces. Then I take a second tile and place face down to keep them nice and even. I increase the pressure with a heavy weight and let sit for a day. The curve stays nicely in the wood. What a difference in shaping a plank with this approach - I'm no longer "fighting the wood".

 

A little more progress, should have planking done (hopefully) by the weekend. But that's all dependent on what the big boss and the little boss have to say.

[mrangus]

Almost done... got a few more planks done last evening. last part will be a little tricky to get them to fit just right. Lots of sanding...

I've been saving the sawdust (can be seen in the picture with the pink piece of paper) I'm hoping to use that for some filler for the areas that I didn't get quite right. Does anyone have experience mixing the sawdust into a paste? I tried the last time when filling in the keel spots with less than stellar results.

 

Thx

Edited May 15, 2015 by Mr.Angus

[GLakie]

I've made filler out of wood glue before, but only for wood furniture. Never for something of this small of scale. I do know you'll want to use a "stainable" glue, then use just enough of it to make a thin consistency paste. Be careful though, and try to only fill the area of the hole without getting much on the surrounding wood. The glue/paste will be harder to sand than the surrounding wood, making it easier to sand gouges in it.

[mrangus]

Major Accomplishment: Planking is complete! Took far longer than I thought it would.

 

Overall I'm pleased with how it came out... I could have done a little better in some areas but I will label this a very instructive learning experience.

Shout out to GLackie and dgbot for the comments, suggestions, support and just paying attention! Thanks.

 

Now after admiring for a few minutes, I have a new list. And lots of questions.

- Sand - how much can I sand the thin strips?

- put stern post back on.

- clean up excess CA on wood - how?

- stain and varnish. I read about water based stain and poly which appeals to me. anyone have experience with this? I was reading about it in a blog a while ago but don't remember where.

 

Anyways, here's what it looks like:

 

[GLakie]

Congrats on reaching this milestone Mr.Angus!!  The planking looks marvelous and shouldn't need a whole lot of sanding anyway, so I'd say just get her smooth and then stop. Acetone used sparsely should clean up a little CA, just not so much it de-bonds your planking. Great job man! 

[mrangus]

Thanks GLakie!

 

So it's known... my dog's name is Angus. See profile pic.... I go by Robb.

 

Upon hearing that the planking was finished, my daughter was quite excited. See pic below. Her comment: "It seems like you've been working on planking for 300 years now." Yep. The voice of encouragement.

[GLakie]

Thanks Robb!  Calling people by their avatar name just isn't the same.  Yup! --Kids always know just what to say.   Grey Lab? Good dog and great with kids. 

 

Cheers

[JesseLee]

Just found your build. I just finished this kit recently. I like her sleek hull design. You are doing nice work. Like your deck planking!

[mrangus]

Thanks Jesse! I have referred to your build many many times and has been extremely helpful. Your feedback is motivating. Sometimes I feel that my work is less than ideal... Might have a few questions for you if I get stuck... Have been keeping an eye on your latest Syren build. Looks great thus far. Thanks again!

[mrangus]

I've run into a bit of a problem....

 

The stern post isn't fitting well to the area where I planked. In particular, the base of the stern post where it attaches to the hull, there's nothing solid to be able to build on. I'm afraid I'm going to need to do a little deconstruction to make this work. Any thoughts? I've provided a few pics that hopefully will help.
 

On the good side, the sanding makes quite a difference. Should I try Tung Oil or just and acrylic varnish? I've been reading up on several approaches to finishing the hull and it seems that it comes down to a matter of preference. (I'll build a few test models to see what I like but would be interested in others' perspectives.)

[JesseLee]

Would probably be best to remove the planks over that area. It's easy to glue thin strips & pieces of wood to build up where needed or you could mix carpenters glue & fine sawdust - use it like a wood putty. Its hard to do this without getting it on the outer planks. These planks are so thin trying to sand something off the surface of them might sand right through them & you would have to replace them anyway.

 

I used varnish but that is because it's what I had on hand. I've heard of great results with the oil- I just have never had it to try.

[harlequin]

good looking build so far........they say you are not a proper model ship builder untill you have to deconstruct part of it.......on my current build i have deconstructed parts of it at least three times....cest la vie.

[mrangus]

Thanks gents for the input. Yep I was trying to find a way to make it work without taking a few planks off but I just don't see it happening that way. Oh well just when you think you're done with a step it seems like there's always one more thing.

 

Stopped at the local art supply store this evening and picked up some acrylic varnish to test out. Will also compare with tung oil which I will pick up later this week. I don't have any finishing experience other than the deck, so this is all trial/err for me.

[mrangus]

Ok, a lot accomplished....

 

I decided to run a little experiment to compare Tung Oil to acrylic varnish. I built two sheets of planking, complete with a little glue on top that was sanded off, as well as the graphite pencil rubbed between the planks for tar. I thinned the varnish with water, and thinned the Tung Oil with mineral spirits. Taking a look a the results, its clear that I will try the tung oil because I like the look of it. rich colors...

 

On to the boat. I took a look at what I had to do and ripped out the offending planks (the stealer planks), filled the holes with wood filler, and let dry overnight. Then with my +1.75 glasses on, I carved a slight channel where the stern post sits to try to get the planks a little closer and have less of a gap. it's a bit of a hack job but the best I could do with the situation. I really didn't want to rip out all the planks, file down the stern a little more, and then re-build everything. I'm going to chalk this up as a really good learning experience and move on. The gaps are minimal now and hopefully won't be too obvious once the rudder is on.

 

 Then I carefully carved out the stealer spots remove the excess filler and prep the new planks. In the end, I created the two new stealers as well as a small triangular piece of planking that fit right underneath the stern post. I thought it was going to look terrible, but with a lot of sanding, it's ok.

 

Finally I sanded with 220, then 400, and wiped down with some mineral spirits. Ready to finish with the oil once dry!

 

Question. What takes longer - planking or rigging?

[mrangus]

One more question. Tree nails on the hull? I've seen both but not sure what will look better. Tung oil certainly highlights everything...