Thursday 30 September 2010
OMG! WHAT HAVE I DONE?
Even though I've had this St.Roch boat on the go for 4yrs already and I'm also subscribed to DeAgostini's mammoth HMS Victory build, I went and bought the Panart Venetian Waterboat kit today! Can't help myself!
Tuesday 28 September 2010
STAGE 8
26/09/2010. For some reason, I decided to dabble with the St Roch again today. Not sure why because I've got a myriad other things to "dabble" with, but the little boat got my attention in the end. It's been sat here for so damned long, I've just got to get a grip and finish it off.
I'll make no bones about it, the only motivation for completing this project is because I want to use it to hone my modelling skills prior to starting on the gargantuan HMS Victory by DeAgostini. I am tired of seeing this Billing Boat lying around the hobby room and to be honest, I don't care too much how it turns out now. It's nothing but a bit of practise as far as I'm concerned.
The instructions are just abysmal - little more than elevation drawings! Although the Victory project is immensely complex by comparison to the St Roch, I know that I'm going to have a much easier time of completing the Victory thanks to the comprehensive instructions and forum-support.
So, enough whinging - on with this model. I fitted the Railing Strips front and rear and then started to build the Cabin sections. Once done, I attached the cabin to the boat. I also made up a "box" of some sort but at this point, I've not a clue where it goes (crap instructions) so I'll keep it to one side until I figure it out.
I'll make no bones about it, the only motivation for completing this project is because I want to use it to hone my modelling skills prior to starting on the gargantuan HMS Victory by DeAgostini. I am tired of seeing this Billing Boat lying around the hobby room and to be honest, I don't care too much how it turns out now. It's nothing but a bit of practise as far as I'm concerned.
The instructions are just abysmal - little more than elevation drawings! Although the Victory project is immensely complex by comparison to the St Roch, I know that I'm going to have a much easier time of completing the Victory thanks to the comprehensive instructions and forum-support.
So, enough whinging - on with this model. I fitted the Railing Strips front and rear and then started to build the Cabin sections. Once done, I attached the cabin to the boat. I also made up a "box" of some sort but at this point, I've not a clue where it goes (crap instructions) so I'll keep it to one side until I figure it out.
Click photos to enlarge
STAGE 7
05-Apr-2010. After coming back from a great Easter Break, I hurriedly completed the hull by fitting the two balsa blocks at the stern and sanded them down to match the contours of the hull. I started by placing the blocks in situ and marked around the cutoff points with a pencil. I then used the Dremel to quickly remove the bulk of the excess.
Once the blocks were roughly the correct size and shape, I glued them in place and continued to shape them with coarse sandpaper. Finally, I applied some filler in the small gaps and then did a final sanding once it had hardened.
Quite happy with the boat as it stands and will soon start work on the other parts.
Once the blocks were roughly the correct size and shape, I glued them in place and continued to shape them with coarse sandpaper. Finally, I applied some filler in the small gaps and then did a final sanding once it had hardened.
Quite happy with the boat as it stands and will soon start work on the other parts.
STAGE 6
01-Apr-2010. Last night I finished off planking the port side and it appears that I didn't learn a damned thing about planking when I did the starboard side! The standard of planking on the port was nothing less than laughable!
It all started going pear-shaped when I snapped the 3rd plank from the bottom and it got gradually worse from there. No.4 plank proved a challenge too and by the time I got the the middle, there was a very awkward gap in the middle of the hull which was sharply tapered at both ends.
Making a plank to fit such an odd gap was not a problem - at all! The problem is that cock-ups like this don't matter at all on the St Roch because it's being painted, so none of my incompetence will show in the end. But it will show up if I do the same thing on my HMS Victory model. And that's really worrying me.
I've skipped through Donald Dressel's Planking Techniques For Beginners and it reads like rocket science to me! It doesn't help one bit. I've come to the conclusion that I'm thick! Even the relatively "simple" guide from Model Ship World doesn't help me. I read these publications and they seem to make sense but I don't seem to be transferring their methodology to my work.
It all started going pear-shaped when I snapped the 3rd plank from the bottom and it got gradually worse from there. No.4 plank proved a challenge too and by the time I got the the middle, there was a very awkward gap in the middle of the hull which was sharply tapered at both ends.
Making a plank to fit such an odd gap was not a problem - at all! The problem is that cock-ups like this don't matter at all on the St Roch because it's being painted, so none of my incompetence will show in the end. But it will show up if I do the same thing on my HMS Victory model. And that's really worrying me.
I've skipped through Donald Dressel's Planking Techniques For Beginners and it reads like rocket science to me! It doesn't help one bit. I've come to the conclusion that I'm thick! Even the relatively "simple" guide from Model Ship World doesn't help me. I read these publications and they seem to make sense but I don't seem to be transferring their methodology to my work.
Go on Homer - Hit that damned hull
STAGE 5
30-Mar-2010. Tonight I started the planking on the port side. After placing a couple of planks at the top, I moved down to the bottom of the keel and the first 2 were quite straightforward. The 3rd one however, was a bit of a pig and I'll admit to cocking it up by not preparing it for the severe twist and turn it takes at the stern. It snapped!
I had to cut out the damaged section with a sharp scalpel and then make up a new piece. This time though, I prepared it properly with a Plank Bender. It then fitted into place with relative ease. This area is without doubt the most difficult part of the build (as far as I'm concerned anyway).
At the front end, I packed in an amount of filler and made sure that it was firmly packed in to offer support for when I start to sand the hull in a few days. Bear in mind that this is probably the weakest part of the model, so the filler provides a helping hand. This will take at least a full day to thoroughly harden off so no more work for now.
I had to cut out the damaged section with a sharp scalpel and then make up a new piece. This time though, I prepared it properly with a Plank Bender. It then fitted into place with relative ease. This area is without doubt the most difficult part of the build (as far as I'm concerned anyway).
At the front end, I packed in an amount of filler and made sure that it was firmly packed in to offer support for when I start to sand the hull in a few days. Bear in mind that this is probably the weakest part of the model, so the filler provides a helping hand. This will take at least a full day to thoroughly harden off so no more work for now.
Above: Damaged Plank Cut Off
STAGE 4
29-Mar-2010. Way, way back in 2006, I decided to shelve this little project because the planking was going pear shaped and this coincided with me buying a new motorbike and also starting a major restoration of an old 70's motorbike. Truthfully? - I kinda "fell out" with model making for a while. Other projects were more attractive to me.
Anyway, the very thing which prompted me to quit the model, was the same thing which prompted me to restart it - the planking. I recently subscribed to DeAgostini's HMS VICTORY magazine and the thought of planking that monster filled me with dread, so I figured it would be a good idea to get some practise in. Hence the resurrection of this model.
So, I forced myself to finish off the planking and have now completed one side (yes, I know now that I was stupid and should have worked on both sides of the hull equally). Despite my fumbling foolery, I managed to complete one side and will soon be working on the other and hopefully will do a better job, having learned a few things (the hard way).
Earlier planking (in 2006) has set the pain barrier quite high. It's left me in a tight spot with lots of tapering to do. Good job my sins will be covered with paint! LOL
Anyway, the very thing which prompted me to quit the model, was the same thing which prompted me to restart it - the planking. I recently subscribed to DeAgostini's HMS VICTORY magazine and the thought of planking that monster filled me with dread, so I figured it would be a good idea to get some practise in. Hence the resurrection of this model.
So, I forced myself to finish off the planking and have now completed one side (yes, I know now that I was stupid and should have worked on both sides of the hull equally). Despite my fumbling foolery, I managed to complete one side and will soon be working on the other and hopefully will do a better job, having learned a few things (the hard way).
Earlier planking (in 2006) has set the pain barrier quite high. It's left me in a tight spot with lots of tapering to do. Good job my sins will be covered with paint! LOL
STAGE 3
08-Oct-06. Been too busy at work to progress much, but today I thought I'd drag myself back to the planking of the hull. I managed to get a total of 7 planks on from the top down before having to start from the bottom and work upwards.
I'm guessing that this will be the very worst part of the build, because when the two sets of planks meet, there's going to be some very awkward spaces to fill. Anyway, in using this technique I'm following the advice of Jim Hatch, so it must work!
The first bottom-plank laid was the worst because I had to cut the leading edge to exactly match the curvature of the hull. I wasn't sure (and I'm still not at this stage) whether this is the correct way of doing it, but we'll see.
Note that each plank is glued on initially with Cyano and then later followed with a "fillet" of wood glue. I've done this throughout the build on every single joint. It should result in an extremely strong model.
I'm guessing that this will be the very worst part of the build, because when the two sets of planks meet, there's going to be some very awkward spaces to fill. Anyway, in using this technique I'm following the advice of Jim Hatch, so it must work!
The first bottom-plank laid was the worst because I had to cut the leading edge to exactly match the curvature of the hull. I wasn't sure (and I'm still not at this stage) whether this is the correct way of doing it, but we'll see.
Note that each plank is glued on initially with Cyano and then later followed with a "fillet" of wood glue. I've done this throughout the build on every single joint. It should result in an extremely strong model.
STAGE 2
30-Sep-06 Disaster struck today! Looking at the model, I realised that I'd attached the bulwarks in the wrong location. I'd fitted them level with the decks instead of level with the top of the frames. In fairness to myself (remember I'm a rank beginner with no knowledge of boats), I had worked off the kit drawing which is a little ambiguous. To be fair to Billing Boats though, this kit is for the Advanced Beginner, so its not really fair to criticise them.
Anyway, it took me about an hour to carefully detach the bulwarks and in the process I managed to stick the scalpel blade deep into my thumb - ouch!!!!
With a full weekend in front of me and the project at a complete standstill, it was time to bring the big guns in. I contacted Jim Hatch of MSW to see if he could spare some time to pull me out of the hole I was in. Jim very kindly invited me round to his home and within minutes I was stood in his workshop getting some great tips and advice from him.
Jim decided the model needed a small modification at the stern, which confirmed that there was something wrong after all. Once he'd made the minor mod, he explained how I should chamfer the edge of the frames to maximise contact with the planks and then he advised on how best to tackle the planking.
Finally, Jim gave me some spare planking and a load of Model Boat mags to read. The icing on the cake was having the opportunity to see some of his work. WOW Thanks very much for your help Jim. You're a star!!
So, with renewed confidence, I got home and restarted the work. Bulwarks were attached at correct height and then I fitted my very first plank! Then another two! Hmmm, not an exciting part of the build is it? Quite a tedious task in fact. Ah well, before I ended for the day, I clamped the two halves of the hull together just to see if there were any obvious problems. They seemed to go together fine, so no nasty surprises later, thankfully. I'll probably continue with the planking tomorrow (Sunday).
Anyway, it took me about an hour to carefully detach the bulwarks and in the process I managed to stick the scalpel blade deep into my thumb - ouch!!!!
With a full weekend in front of me and the project at a complete standstill, it was time to bring the big guns in. I contacted Jim Hatch of MSW to see if he could spare some time to pull me out of the hole I was in. Jim very kindly invited me round to his home and within minutes I was stood in his workshop getting some great tips and advice from him.
Jim decided the model needed a small modification at the stern, which confirmed that there was something wrong after all. Once he'd made the minor mod, he explained how I should chamfer the edge of the frames to maximise contact with the planks and then he advised on how best to tackle the planking.
Finally, Jim gave me some spare planking and a load of Model Boat mags to read. The icing on the cake was having the opportunity to see some of his work. WOW Thanks very much for your help Jim. You're a star!!
So, with renewed confidence, I got home and restarted the work. Bulwarks were attached at correct height and then I fitted my very first plank! Then another two! Hmmm, not an exciting part of the build is it? Quite a tedious task in fact. Ah well, before I ended for the day, I clamped the two halves of the hull together just to see if there were any obvious problems. They seemed to go together fine, so no nasty surprises later, thankfully. I'll probably continue with the planking tomorrow (Sunday).
STAGE 1
The very first step for me here is to take a good look at the contents of the kit and compare all the components with the plans and the instructions to try and feel familiar with it all.
Another very important step is to invest some time learning all the shipping terminology and apart from reading some good books, one of the best places is Bosco's Visual Glossary.
29-Sep-06 Started the model tonight! Carefully identified the parts and marked them off. It would seem that you build the hull in two halves which feels odd but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The first half of the keel is pinned to a "building foundation" which is a piece of supplied MDF. Then the frames are attached, followed by the decks.
There were no problems to speak of. Any "issues" were down to lack of modeling experience rather than kit errors. One example of this was that once I'd glued all the frames into their slots, I noticed that a couple of them stood proud above the deck level. Because the keel was pinned to the foundation board, it made it difficult to correct. I had to unpin the assembly and sand the frames down slightly before gluing the decks on.
One very positive tip I picked up on MSW was to dry-run all the assemblies and that saved me from making another couple of errors. Because this is my first model, I'm going at a snail's pace and feel like this thing's gonna take forever at this rate :-)
Another very important step is to invest some time learning all the shipping terminology and apart from reading some good books, one of the best places is Bosco's Visual Glossary.
29-Sep-06 Started the model tonight! Carefully identified the parts and marked them off. It would seem that you build the hull in two halves which feels odd but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The first half of the keel is pinned to a "building foundation" which is a piece of supplied MDF. Then the frames are attached, followed by the decks.
There were no problems to speak of. Any "issues" were down to lack of modeling experience rather than kit errors. One example of this was that once I'd glued all the frames into their slots, I noticed that a couple of them stood proud above the deck level. Because the keel was pinned to the foundation board, it made it difficult to correct. I had to unpin the assembly and sand the frames down slightly before gluing the decks on.
One very positive tip I picked up on MSW was to dry-run all the assemblies and that saved me from making another couple of errors. Because this is my first model, I'm going at a snail's pace and feel like this thing's gonna take forever at this rate :-)
UPDATE : 26/9/11
I'm editing this section for a VERY good reason - when I completed the hull and had planked the frames and the decks, I then realised that Billing's had made a pretty vital omission. They fail to tell you that you need to cut some slots in the false keels to accommodate the masts later on! Do this BEFORE anything else; ignore it and your life will be much harder later on - believe me!
Below is a photo which hopefully explains what I mean. Cut a slot in both keel parts where the masts will sit. The slots need to be around 25mm deep and exactly the width of the masts (the two masts are slightly different diameters - measure!).
THE MODEL
2006. This model was my very first wooden boat kit. In fact, it's my first kit of any description for decades!! What made me buy it, I'm not altogether sure. Something just "came over me" and I went out to a local model shop, looked around and took this little baby home.
Once home, I could see that I'd probably done the wrong thing. The instructions were abysmal to say the least! On the side of the packaging, it said "Advanced Beginner" but I doubt very much that it was in the right category. Looking at the guide, I figured that you needed quite a bit of previous experience at working with wooden models and you needed a fair knowledge of boats in general. I had neither.
The St. Roch was built at the Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver in 1928, intended for sailing in Artic waters. It was the first ship to sail through the North-West Passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic. In the summer of 1944 the St. Roch sailed from Halifax to Vancouver, thereby becoming the first ship to complete the journey in both directions.
Once home, I could see that I'd probably done the wrong thing. The instructions were abysmal to say the least! On the side of the packaging, it said "Advanced Beginner" but I doubt very much that it was in the right category. Looking at the guide, I figured that you needed quite a bit of previous experience at working with wooden models and you needed a fair knowledge of boats in general. I had neither.
The St. Roch was built at the Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver in 1928, intended for sailing in Artic waters. It was the first ship to sail through the North-West Passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic. In the summer of 1944 the St. Roch sailed from Halifax to Vancouver, thereby becoming the first ship to complete the journey in both directions.
The St. Roch is probably the most famous Canadian-built Arctic vessels. She had been ordered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as both a supply ship, and as a floating detachment. As such, many special design features were incorporated, from having both sail (she was schooner-rigged initially) and diesel power, to an ice-strengthened hull shaped to ride up over squeezing ice, and accommodation for large sled dog teams.
The St. Roch took three seasons, from 1940 to 1942, to make its first transit of the Northwest Passage; this was only the second time it had been accomplished, and the first time from west to east. In 1944 she was able to take a more northerly route back to Vancouver in only 86 days. After being officially retired in 1948, she became the first ship to circumnavigate North America when she went through the Panama Canal en route to Halifax. A lengthy effort to preserve her began when she was returned to Vancouver in 1954, and she is now the main exhibit at the Vancouver Maritime Museum.
The image below is a photo of the finished model as shown on Billing's website. I can't see mine looking anything like that when it's done, lol.
Click to enlarge
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)