La Pinta - Artesania Latina 1:65

[CarlosEcheverria]

I’m finally back at my workbench and continuing with my project of building all three caravels from Cristóbal Colón’s voyage to America. La Niña is already finished—though I wasn’t completely happy with the final outcome, I learned a lot from it. Hopefully La Pinta will turn out better. I’ll be posting pictures and comments as I go, and in the meantime taking time to explore previous caravels built by SOS members to achieve better results.

 

[CarlosEcheverria]

I’ve been taking some time to position the frames on the keel and avoiding glueing until the angles are verified at 90°—it’s very basic once you know how, but the key is not to rush when starting a new model.

Installing and adjusting the deck was a little tricky, but so far it looks good to me!"

 

[CarlosEcheverria]

Spent some time today building a support for my model—installing it on a 'lazy Susan' is a big plus for me..

 

[CarlosEcheverria]

Today I was more inclined to work on the decks than on the hull. Rather than painting lines every 35 mm to simulate planking, I chose to cut and lay individual pieces for a more authentic look. I still need to simulate the plank nails, though I haven’t decided on the method yet—I’m considering either using a sharp pencil for a subtle effect, or ink for a bolder look.

 

[CarlosEcheverria]

While preparing to plank the bow deck, I realized the mast hole was missing. Since the mast comes up from the deck below at an angle, I had to spend some extra time taking measurements to align the hole correctly on the upper bow deck. It turned out to be a great opportunity to use the rotary tool from the mini saw table my daughters gave me a few weeks ago

 

[luiscortelezzi]

Hello: another way to simulate nails. With a small drill, drill where the nails go, with a mixture of white glue and black acrylic paint, pass over the deck strakes. Once dry, sand the surface, the nail heads will appear and the tar between strake and strake will also be simulated.

 

[CarlosEcheverria]

Hello: another way to simulate nails. With a small drill, drill where the nails go, with a mixture of white glue and black acrylic paint, pass over the deck strakes. Once dry, sand the surface, the nail heads will appear and the tar between strake and strake will also be simulated.

Luis, thanks for the tip! I’ll give this method a try and will share the results once I test it out.

 

[CarlosEcheverria]

In my previous build (La Niña), I wasn’t fully satisfied with the fit between the stem and the keel. Now, while working on La Pinta, I’ve run into the same issue—the dimensions don’t seem quite right, and no matter how I try to assemble them, there are always gaps. Adding a small piece of wood to the stem might be the easier solution. Any thoughts?

 

[CarlosEcheverria]

Luis, thanks for the tip! I’ll give this method a try and will share the results once I test it out.

I tried but to much sanding required to remove the tinted glue (small deck). I did use a hand-drill and marked the holes in the main deck, looks better to me. Any additional tips ?

 

[Hatteras]

In my previous build (La Niña), I wasn’t fully satisfied with the fit between the stem and the keel. Now, while working on La Pinta, I’ve run into the same issue—the dimensions don’t seem quite right, and no matter how I try to assemble them, there are always gaps. Adding a small piece of wood to the stem might be the easier solution. Any thoughts?View attachment 542477View attachment 542478View attachment 542479

My solution would be to remove material from the inner side of the false keel, and/or from the frame itself, until they are a tight fit. I suspect it will be only a small amount.
Concerning the tinted plank,: I would attempt to replace it.

 

[Martin By Eye]

My solution would be to remove material from the inner side of the false keel, and/or from the frame itself, until they are a tight fit. I suspect it will be only a small amount.
Concerning the tinted plank,: I would attempt to replace it.

Agreed, looks as if there is a fair bit of feathering still to come on the forward ribs so the forward edge of the false keel frame will also come back with the correct angle applied . This is quite usual with this construction type, they leave extra meat on the frames to allow for some adjustment.

 

[CarlosEcheverria]

My solution would be to remove material from the inner side of the false keel, and/or from the frame itself, until they are a tight fit. I suspect it will be only a small amount.
Concerning the tinted plank,: I would attempt to replace it.

Yip, that’ll do it — just not much room for slip-ups, so steady hands required! As for the tinted plank, I agree it’s best to replace it now — otherwise it’ll bug me forever, like a crooked picture frame on the wall.

 

[CarlosEcheverria]

Agreed, looks as if there is a fair bit of feathering still to come on the forward ribs so the forward edge of the false keel frame will also come back with the correct angle applied . This is quite usual with this construction type, they leave extra meat on the frames to allow for some adjustment.

As part of my learning curve, I’m getting to understand that these small difficulties sometimes feel bigger than they really are… I guess this is where the learning comes from, and SOS members’ feedback is a plus. Let’s see how it goes...