Worth to note, that even ones best efforts to build as authentic as possible, modern times let themselves show. See the paint and, even worseHi Grant. You are absolutely right that they were only painted a sort of white below the waterline.The red is indeed a modern measure which I can only assume is to combat fouling.
, the provisions for the propeller in the picture of the launch of the Witte Swaen in post #753.
Absolutely Johan! On the one hand that space for the propeller is really sad, on the other, I suppose, it's a case of function over form.Worth to note, that even ones best efforts to build as authentic as possible, modern times let themselves show. See the paint and, even worse
That is perfectly understandable Hans. The builders should actually be commended, because they have done that very subtly.
There's no argument from me there. It only demonstrates that it's near impossible to build a historical accurate 17th century ship. With respect to the builder's achievements.
Thank you very much Dean - this part was actually trickier than what I had anticipated.Looks great! Good work Heinrich!
Thank you my friend - I appreciate your very kind words. The picture and the red circle I have specifically included, because I did not notice that until I took the picture. And it just shows again, there is always something that keeps us humble!I don’t know Heinrich, seeing that boo-boo circled in red I think you should send the hull to me and I’ll send my components to you to try again.
Hope you know I’m joking. The hull looks fantastic!!! Well done my friend.
Ron
Thank you very much, Jan! I am relieved that everything went so well up to this point. As to sending your kit to me ... it might turn out to be a very long wait, my friend. If this month is something of the past who knows when again I will be in a shipyard and how much time I will be able to devote to shipbuilding.
Indeed finding time to build is a never ending problem. You have two builds to finish, I’m trying to split my time building two kits also. As I write this little note it’s snowing at rate of about an inch/hour, so the rest of the day will be spent shoveling decks and snow blowing the driveways. Nevertheless your progress so far is astonishing, the trial and error, cutting and fitting and the final sanding, all require the luxury of having the time to do them. The documentation of your progress and the historical background you’ve provided are incredible source of information.
Thank you so much for your very kind words, Roger. If I were you, I would certainly not abandon any books
! I am very glad that you are enjoying the log and honored that you are finding it informative - but ultimately it only focuses on one type of ship, one type of build and one way of kit construction. As to any other type of build you would be well advised to consult your research material.
Thank you very much Peter. The keel beam does give the little ship a rather robust appearance - doesn't it! I wish I had your talent for taking some remarkable pictures of your build to show the hull lines properly. But, alas ... just like my painting skills, my photographic ability and creativity are both non-existent!
My dear Heinrich.Thank you very much Peter. The keel beam does give the little ship a rather robust appearance - doesn't it! I wish I had your talent for taking some remarkable pictures of your build to show the hull lines properly. But, alas ... just like my painting skills, my photographic ability and creativity are both non-existent!
An exemplary build and an inspiration for many.Today was the turn of the centre keel to be laid down. For this I followed the same method that I used on installing the stern and stem keel sections, and which is probably the used by most modelers to secure keels – that of brass pins, wooden dowels, cocktail sticks, toothpicks, etc.
Earlier on in my postings I have already mentioned that the centre keel comes in two sections which are joined by a scarf joint.
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I had already joined these two pieces ages ago so I test-fitted the centre heel onto the hull making sure that it fits snugly into the notch provided by the stem keel and does not overlap too much at the stern keel. When I had a more or less satisfactory fit, I marked out the positions where I wanted to insert my toothpicks.
By now you all know I love working with walnut, but if it has one drawback it is the fact that it has a tendency to crack open along the grain when drilling a hole or inserting a pin. Therefore, I started by hand-drilling five 0.8mm pilot holes into the keel which were then enlarged to 1.5mm and finally to 2,0mm.
Next, I applied glue to the keel, waited 10 minutes or so until the glue was really tacky and then carefully placed the keel onto the hull in its correct position. Then I inserted push pins (the same ones I used while planking the hull), into the pre-drilled holes and tapped them lightly into position with a hammer. 30 minutes later, one push pin was removed, and using the 2.00mm hole as a guide, I drilled a 1.5mm hole into the hull. A toothpick was cut in half, dipped in glue and inserted into the keel. The 2.0mm hole in the keel provides a snug fit for the toothpick while the 1.5mm hole in the hull is just big enough for the sharpened tip of the toothpick to go into. Grab aforementioned hammer and hammer home the toothpick until it is fully home and starts to mushroom from the hammer blows. Cut off the remainder of the toothpick with a side cutter and move on to the next one. In my case I used five.
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Her you can see the centre keel installed on the hull and the five toothpicks that were used to secure the keel permanently. That keel is not going anywhere in a hurry!
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Port Side
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Starboard Side
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Starboard Side: Front Three-Quarter view
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Thanks to this pic, I see I still have some "surgery" to carry out in the red circle.
So, at the end of the keel assembly the obvious question is: Which method is best? Placing the keel first and then doing the planking (like I have done and which is also the way the instructions advise) or placing the keel first and then doing the planking? My honest answer: I am not sure
Whilst I did the planking, I loved the fact that I did not have to worry about a keel that got in the way of pinning the planks properly and giving them a good sanding. But getting that keel to fit afterwards without gaps and be perfectly aligned on both sides, was no joke. It took me many hours of filing, fiddling and sanding. The main issue was that when sanding the hull, the starboard side required more sanding than the port side. This meant that the planks on the port side were thicker and therefore fit better into the rabbet than on the starboard side where the planks were thinner (however small that difference might have been). I countered that by sanding a very slight bevel on the starboard side of the hull edge which allowed the keel to be moved closer to the starboard planks, thus ensuring a proper fit.
And here is a last look this evening at a hull that is intact. The next step? Gunports!
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All while Big Brother is watching ...
