Vasa - 1:65 DeAgostini [COMPLETED BUILD]

[Maarten]

Hi Uwe, thanks for checking in. I have no idea why I marked the frames on the outside of the first planking!
I guess I assumed I would need that information later but since you're asking I guess the answer is that I won't. See - I really am new at this!

For the record, I don't like the way I have been told in the instructions to plank the hull. They very explicitly say: follow our pattern because you'll need these specific plank locations for measuring something later (I assume for gun ports?). The problem with the layout they suggest is that it includes planks that end at a spear point in the middle of the curve forming the bow of the ship. No drop planks. But in 1628 the Dutch contractors hired to build the ship would have used drop planks, right? I have looked ahead and see the instructions call for repeating this planking pattern in the second layer. See the following image from the instructions:

View attachment 180993

That's incorrect isn't it? I'm a long way from doing the second planking but I sure could use some advice here! I've looked at pictures of the original vessel at the museum and it's hard to see the planking pattern on that part of the ship.

I visited Vasa two years ago and do have pictures of the bow at the bottom of Vasa. Have to check my pc to find them for you.

 

[dockattner]

I visited Vasa two years ago and do have pictures of the bow at the bottom of Vasa. Have to check my pc to find them for you.

I would be most appreciative Maarten!

 

[dockattner]

Hello friends. I thought I would post a few photos to update you on my progress. I have completed the primary planking on the lower half of the hull. I'm not super impressed with the quality of my work but...

Clearly I'll need to add some filler...





I also made some progress on the decks:





I discovered the first problem with my kit - I was missing two of the large cannons/carriages and 15 of the dummy cannons. An email to DeAg was answered promptly and they have promised me replacement parts... to be shipped from the UK.

I ordered some wood strip samples from several suppliers. I'm thinking about upgrading the second layer of hull planking. The instructions for the DeAg Vasa call for painting the hull (brown above the waterline and an ivory/white color below). The original ship hull wasn't painted - but according to Fred Hocker at the museum it did have an ivory/cream colored coating below the waterline. I'm going to depart from historical accuracy in this case (unless my secondary planking is so bad that it needs to be hidden!).

Thanks for checking in!

 

[Maarten]

Hi Paul,

See herewith the pictures, I do have some 350 pictures of Vasa if you need them send me a PM.

 

[dockattner]

Hi Paul,

See herewith the pictures, I do have some 350 pictures of Vasa if you need them send me a PM.

Thank you very much Maarten. Some of the planks narrow down quite dramatically! I may ask for specific images in the future if it won't be too much trouble.

 

[Maarten]

Thank you very much Maarten. Some of the planks narrow down quite dramatically! I may ask for specific images in the future if it won't be too much trouble.

Hi Paul, no problem just let me know.

Yes in Vasa planks even end in a pointed end. It seems no rules applied that these are not allowed to narrow more then 1/3 of the plank width to avoid rot.

 

[vintagemodeler]

I did not realize some ships had pointed planks either. Just goes to show how important good references can be.

 

[Maarten]

These ships were not build according text books and drawings as we are used to now but purely by experience and materials available. Pure hand work and craftmanship.

 

[Dean62]

Having spent nearly 8 hours yesterday laying hull planks (the product of which was only 6 lines of planking on each side of the ship ) I decided to do some painting today. I had a free afternoon so I chose the lion's heads that festoon the gun port covers. Here is what I ended up with:

View attachment 179834

I'm considering whether I need to add some shading to the recessed areas of the mane. I added some very subtle highlights but feel like the whole thing comes across as a bit monochromatic. Since I'm not an experienced miniatures painter I'm struggling with technique. And after painting 57 (!!!) of these bad boys I needed to take a break before I ruined anything...

View attachment 179835

Thanks for checking out my build log and feel encouraged to share your suggestions for improving my work!

There are a few techniques I like to use for this, which are common practice, you can dry brush or do a wash, or a combination of both.
Dry brush technique - paint the dark color first, then get a lighter color, or mix one, and get paint on the brush and wipe most of it off on a paper towel until it is almost dry, then brush across the high surfaces of the piece. This will require multiple applications to get the amount of highlight desired.
Wash technique - paint base color, and then get your dark color and thin out a small amount to the point there is very little paint pigment left and brush liberally on the piece and it will run into the low areas and dry darker.
I like to use both techniques together to get more depth! And you can dry brush with more than one color to get more effect. Basically you can add white to your base color and dry brush one coat, then add more white and dry brush highlights. So as you can imagine, you can get a lot of depth on pieces this way.

By the way, you're doing a great job so far!

 

[Dean62]

I would also like to point out the advantage of double planking is that you can use filler and shape your hull better by sanding the thicker first planks. And the thinner outer plank will lay down very well. Unlike a single plank hull, which I unwisely chose for my first ship thinking it would be less work...lol. In addition I would be cautious with wood filler choices and don’t get something that dries too hard, especially harder than the wood used. A lot of people prefer dry wall filler as it’s soft and will level nicely without removing too much surrounding wood.

 

[dockattner]

There are a few techniques I like to use for this, which are common practice, you can dry brush or do a wash, or a combination of both.
Dry brush technique - paint the dark color first, then get a lighter color, or mix one, and get paint on the brush and wipe most of it off on a paper towel until it is almost dry, then brush across the high surfaces of the piece. This will require multiple applications to get the amount of highlight desired.
Wash technique - paint base color, and then get your dark color and thin out a small amount to the point there is very little paint pigment left and brush liberally on the piece and it will run into the low areas and dry darker.
I like to use both techniques together to get more depth! And you can dry brush with more than one color to get more effect. Basically you can add white to your base color and dry brush one coat, then add more white and dry brush highlights. So as you can imagine, you can get a lot of depth on pieces this way.

By the way, you're doing a great job so far!

Thank you, Dean. Others have suggested using a 'wash' as well so I did some research and learned how to do it on websites dedicated to painting miniatures. I had no idea how BIG of a thing miniatures were... I also learned about dry-brushing so your affirmation of these techniques is encouraging. I haven't given it a shot yet on my lion's heads but plan to the next time I get tired of planking. Thank you for the tip of adding highlights progressively - that seems worth trying out.

 

[dockattner]

I would also like to point out the advantage of double planking is that you can use filler and shape your hull better by sanding the thicker first planks. And the thinner outer plank will lay down very well. Unlike a single plank hull, which I unwisely chose for my first ship thinking it would be less work...lol. In addition I would be cautious with wood filler choices and don’t get something that dries too hard, especially harder than the wood used. A lot of people prefer dry wall filler as it’s soft and will level nicely without removing too much surrounding wood.

Hey Dean. I'm confused. Should I not just use carpenter's wood filler? I think I have Elmer's brand from finish carpentry projects around the house. It never occurred to me that this would be an issue. What do others use?

Thinking about using drywall compound now has me wondering about something else. How do I glue down the second layer of hull planking (when I get around to that sometime in 2014/2015...)? Along the whole strip or just at points along the way? Will the glue stick to drywall compound? Wood glue or CA? Aargh! I wish I knew what I was doing!

 

[dockattner]

Hi Paul, no problem just let me know.

Yes in Vasa planks even end in a pointed end. It seems no rules applied that these are not allowed to narrow more then 1/3 of the plank width to avoid rot.

And how would you ever repair/replace a rotted plank fitted to a point?!? I've already learned how difficult it is to fix stuff laying basswood strips in perfect conditions (albeit at scale)! I can't imagine trying to do that with precision in the real world...

 

[Jimsky]

Hey Dean. I'm confused. Should I not just use carpenter's wood filler? I think I have Elmer's brand from finish carpentry projects around the house. It never occurred to me that this would be an issue. What do others use?

Thinking about using drywall compound now has me wondering about something else. How do I glue down the second layer of hull planking (when I get around to that sometime in 2014/2015...)? Along the whole strip or just at points along the way? Will the glue stick to drywall compound? Wood glue or CA? Aargh! I wish I knew what I was doing!

Hello Doc,
I wouldn't suggest using a drywall compound on the wood. it is designed for drywall so best use there. As you mention above, Elmer's 'carpenter's Wood Filler will be your best bet, IMHO.
- it dries fast
- it sands smooth
- it is stainable (if needed)
- ...and it will not crack over time (unlike the drywall compound

depends on your skill level you might use the entire plank length for the second layer and then simulate but joint. This way is much easier. I suggest using the wood glue for any woodwork, specifically for planking. CA penetrates into the wood and makes it impossible for varnishing. You will have 'white' spots all over the place

 

[Dean62]

Hello Doc,
I wouldn't suggest using a drywall compound on the wood. it is designed for drywall so best use there. As you mention above, Elmer's 'carpenter's Wood Filler will be your best bet, IMHO.
- it dries fast
- it sands smooth
- it is stainable (if needed)
- ...and it will not crack over time (unlike the drywall compound

depends on your skill level you might use the entire plank length for the second layer and then simulate but joint. This way is much easier. I suggest using the wood glue for any woodwork, specifically for planking. CA penetrates into the wood and makes it impossible for varnishing. You will have 'white' spots all over the place

Thanks for the clarification, I have seen drywall plaster mentioned in builds on the first plank as a filler. I have not used it myself. But understood the potential benefit when using a softer wood. And since it will be planked over and can be primed, I figured it was a viable solution when using a soft wood.

 

[Dean62]

Hey Dean. I'm confused. Should I not just use carpenter's wood filler? I think I have Elmer's brand from finish carpentry projects around the house. It never occurred to me that this would be an issue. What do others use?

Thinking about using drywall compound now has me wondering about something else. How do I glue down the second layer of hull planking (when I get around to that sometime in 2014/2015...)? Along the whole strip or just at points along the way? Will the glue stick to drywall compound? Wood glue or CA? Aargh! I wish I knew what I was doing!

I only mentioned it because I saw someone use it in their build on the first plank as a filler, and it seemed like a viable solution for dealing with soft woods. But like Jimsky said, the Elmers stainable wood filler will work. Sorry, I didn’t mean to confuse you or give you bad info. My main point is to make sure you don’t use a wood filler that dries harder than the wood you are using. For instance balsa wood is very soft and can be a problem to sand with the wrong filler. I’m no expert on wood fillers myself, just had a bad experience with using on soft wood before.

 

[Jimsky]

Thanks for the clarification, I have seen drywall plaster mentioned in builds on the first plank as a filler. I have not used it myself. But understood the potential benefit when using a softer wood. And since it will be planked a over and can be primed, I figured it was a viable solution when using a soft wood. I have experienced some fillers that were harder than the wood (like balsa), that created problems sanding. If the Elmers is an all around good choice, soft enough to use with soft woods and stainable, then I agree it would be a better choice.

Thank you for your feedback. Generally, it is just a matter of personal preference. I have seen people used compound and happy, while others using automobile's putty with great results. A compound contains plaster, it has a tendency to crack...

 

[smelly]

elmers wood filler is the best option

 

[dockattner]

I only mentioned it because I saw someone use it in their build on the first plank as a filler, and it seemed like a viable solution for dealing with soft woods. But like Jimsky said, the Elmers stainable wood filler will work. Sorry, I didn’t mean to confuse you or give you bad info. My main point is to make sure you don’t use a wood filler that dries harder than the wood you are using. For instance balsa wood is very soft and can be a problem to sand with the wrong filler. I’m no expert on wood fillers myself, just had a bad experience with using on soft wood before.

No worries, Dean. I truly appreciate your interest in my build and find it helpful to confess my naiveté so I can make predictable progress. Keep sending me suggestions and collectively we will all learn!

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Use Elmer' wood filler and you can choose either PVA (Polyvinyl acetate or yellow carpenter's) glue or CA (cyanoacrylate). For speed, use CA. For flexibility of the joint (non brittleness) use PVA.

Filler looks like this after sanding




If you fill and sand all low spots, inspect for depressions or hard curves that betray the location of frames, the glue on the second layer of hardwood planking, the hull appears as one smooth flowing shape.