Nuestra Senora del Pilar by Occre - Build log

Hello Phil,
I have begun watching your build and your excellent craftsmanship.
Being a retired commercial photographer I especially want to commend you on your photos, Good lighting and depth of field accentuate the quality of your work and enhance your accurate descriptions.
I have been considering the purchase of this kit for a while but your log has confirmed it’s quality and I will definitely make the purchase when I return home from an extended Xmas vacation.
I only hope that my build will come close to the quality of yours and I will be following your log for guidance and inspiration.
Sincerely
Tom (tfcobra)
 
Cannons and their carriages.
Crafted from laser cut plywood parts. Each cannon barrel has been blackened using Brass Black. I had to drill holes for the eyelets in the bulwarks so I adapted a long model saw handle to use as a pin vise to hold the small drill bit needed. To secure the cannons on the carriagevia the trunnions, I made brass plates which were then drilled then nailed (pre-drilled holes for the nails to prevent splitting). The brass plates had to be shaped so I made a little jig from plexiglas, aluminum and brass rod. Used a hammer to create the shape needed. Added blackened eyelets at locations on the carriage as shown in the instuction booklet. Also added rope to the appropriate eyelets.

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Cannon port doors. Note that I added two ropes to the backside of the doors _ this is not included in the instructions_ and threaded them through holes in the hull. To insure each door was drilled for their respective eyelets, I made a jig to hold them in place and allow drilling in the exact same location on each door. Doors were glued to hull with CA.

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You can be well pleased with the first three strakes, Phil. It is slow-going now with cutting out the gunports, but it is far better doing it now compared to after the planking has been completed (as in my case). I love your steambox - it certainlo looks the part!
 
Thank you Phil. Drill, X-Acto knife, Triangle File and Sanding Stick! :).
 
Philski said:
Build Log: OcCre Nuestra Senora del Pilar

Planking has started. This first planking will later be painted per the plans. The instructions calls for pinning (nailing) the planks to the bulkheads with the provided "brass" nails - which are not brass but brass plated steel pins. Then it advises after using them to attach the strakes, the heads should be "sanded off". Which would leave a steel pin shaft exposed and not brass. I opted to go without the nails and will add appropriate sized pins later in the build. The pins provided, in real life size, would be huge and not close to scale. So these strakes are glued only.

I started off by steaming a few of the wood planks then put them in a form and allowed to fully cool and dry. This gave me the bend I needed to form to the bow of the ship.

I steamed for about 45 minutes before removing from the steam box.

I added 3 strakes to the port side to start. Additionally, I had to carve out the appropriate openings for the lower cannons.

Next up, to plank the starboard side in the same fashion as the port side. Once there are 3 strakes on each side, the planking will continue upwards.

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Planking looking great Phil. That is a clever steam box you made...like a sauna for your wood.ROTF
 
Philski said:
Build Log: Nuestra Senora del Pilar (OcCre)

Planking fun! Spent yesterday at the bench adding strakes to the port side. The aft strakes are not yet shaped to the stern.
There is going to be a copious amount of sanding done. And there is more upper planking yet to be completed. At this point I am going to now start the planking on the starboard side. I want to keep both sides as symmetrical as possible.
One thing I find a little frustrating is the varying thickness of the lumber provided in the kit. Its not really perceptible unless you place the pieces side by side or try to install them on the bulkheads. I'll go through the rest of them this morning and sort by apparent thickness to make my work a little easier.
Still not using pins/nails at this point. Titebond CA for Woodworking is the ticket and it holds very very well.

I find for a better fit when planking, sometimes bevelling the inner edges (the side that goes toward the bulkheads) is the way to proceed. Not always but as needed. I use a very small Veritas block plane to bevel and if needed, I can put the strake in a wood vise I have beside my work desk.

Pictures attached for your viewing pleasure.... Any suggestions or comments, as always, are greatly appreciated. This is my second only build and I learn more from you.

Side note: One thing I am considering is the add a box or mitered frame to the gun ports in the future. They're not shown on the plans but the look of raw end grain of the strakes bugs me. They would be constructed very delicately from Sapele or mahogany veneer I have on hand. Just thinking out loud.....
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She is definitely a beautiful ship.
 
That looks excellent Phil! Thumbsup You have made it so much easier for yourself by planking around those gunports now. You can be well satisfied with your result on the port side and whatever irregularities may show now, will sand away in no time. Funny, I also always start planking on the port side!
 
Hammock rail placement. Note that I made mine from bending brass rod and soldering pins to the bases instead of hammering a flat spot and drilling for a nail insertion. Completed hardware was blackened. Some touch up painting will be done in the future. A necessary gap was allowed at the rail where the ladder comes up on the hull.

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Philski said:
Build Log: Nuestra Senora del Pilar (OcCre)

Planking fun! Spent yesterday at the bench adding strakes to the port side. The aft strakes are not yet shaped to the stern.
There is going to be a copious amount of sanding done. And there is more upper planking yet to be completed. At this point I am going to now start the planking on the starboard side. I want to keep both sides as symmetrical as possible.
One thing I find a little frustrating is the varying thickness of the lumber provided in the kit. Its not really perceptible unless you place the pieces side by side or try to install them on the bulkheads. I'll go through the rest of them this morning and sort by apparent thickness to make my work a little easier.
Still not using pins/nails at this point. Titebond CA for Woodworking is the ticket and it holds very very well.

I find for a better fit when planking, sometimes bevelling the inner edges (the side that goes toward the bulkheads) is the way to proceed. Not always but as needed. I use a very small Veritas block plane to bevel and if needed, I can put the strake in a wood vise I have beside my work desk.

Pictures attached for your viewing pleasure.... Any suggestions or comments, as always, are greatly appreciated. This is my second only build and I learn more from you.

Side note: One thing I am considering is the add a box or mitered frame to the gun ports in the future. They're not shown on the plans but the look of raw end grain of the strakes bugs me. They would be constructed very delicately from Sapele or mahogany veneer I have on hand. Just thinking out loud.....

On my desk top you'll notice a bottle of Elmer's School Glue. I am going to use it to make a filler from sanding dust from Bass wood and see how it performs. It dries clear and I am thinking of the color matching for any small cracks that need to be filled.

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Looking great Phil. The filler plan using the elmers school glue is a good plan. The planking around the gun ports is done very well indeed.
 
Philski said:
Build Log: Nuestra Senora del Pilar (OcCre)

Planking fun! Spent yesterday at the bench adding strakes to the port side. The aft strakes are not yet shaped to the stern.
There is going to be a copious amount of sanding done. And there is more upper planking yet to be completed. At this point I am going to now start the planking on the starboard side. I want to keep both sides as symmetrical as possible.
One thing I find a little frustrating is the varying thickness of the lumber provided in the kit. Its not really perceptible unless you place the pieces side by side or try to install them on the bulkheads. I'll go through the rest of them this morning and sort by apparent thickness to make my work a little easier.
Still not using pins/nails at this point. Titebond CA for Woodworking is the ticket and it holds very very well.

I find for a better fit when planking, sometimes bevelling the inner edges (the side that goes toward the bulkheads) is the way to proceed. Not always but as needed. I use a very small Veritas block plane to bevel and if needed, I can put the strake in a wood vise I have beside my work desk.

Pictures attached for your viewing pleasure.... Any suggestions or comments, as always, are greatly appreciated. This is my second only build and I learn more from you.

Side note: One thing I am considering is the add a box or mitered frame to the gun ports in the future. They're not shown on the plans but the look of raw end grain of the strakes bugs me. They would be constructed very delicately from Sapele or mahogany veneer I have on hand. Just thinking out loud.....

On my desk top you'll notice a bottle of Elmer's School Glue. I am going to use it to make a filler from sanding dust from Bass wood and see how it performs. It dries clear and I am thinking of the color matching for any small cracks that need to be filled.

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This is becoming one heck of a planking job!Thumbs-Up
Whenever I take a look at the bow, the bluntness of it strikes me time and time again. What were those shipwrights thinking?
 
The addition and build of the falconet guns, ships lantern and anchors will be accomplished AFTER a lot of rigging is completed. I think it will be easier that way and won't be in the way of the ropes.... not as instructed in the manual's steps.

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