Blog

Gun, Decks and Capping Strips

Having suddenly remembered that my wife is dragging me off for two weeks in Mauritius next Tuesday, I thought I had better update things. Construction of the windlass was very satisfying so I thought I would jump the gun (sorry!) and build the 12 pounder. Another annoying incorrect part number for the gun platform (399 read 361), but the remainder of the mini build went OK. The suggested use of scrap 0.8mm ply as a spacer ensured parallel planking on the gun deck platform and again, the white metal parts required very little fettling. Instructions say to fix the stanchions in place, then thread the 0.2mm railing wire. I think it would be easier to thread the wire onto the stanchions and then glue them into place. I also found that the vague instruction to leave a gap in the railings on the 'left rear side' for the ladder, required fine tuning to avoid the bottom of the ladder coming up against a cowl vent. Shouldn't have jumped the gun! Next job was to glue the ply capping rails around the top of the hull. I used which gave a quick fix, together with the usual stuck fingers. However, once sanded and painted the end result was very pleasing. Supplied are sheets of 'screen printed' deck overlays, which are detailed with planking etc. Instructions say that these decks can be lightly stained, which I initially decided to do. Not a good move! Even a light staining masks a lot of detail. Luckily, I only messed up the foredeck, so a trip to Jotika for a replacement. A chat with John (Jotika) resulted in leaving the decks unstained, which will later be clear lacquered. It seems that the decks were originally screen printed giving much 'heavier' detail which would take a stain. However, the current decks are laser etched so the planking isn't as heavily defined. (More about that later). Ok, I have been ordered to start packing my case, so more in a few weeks.

5 years ago by cormorant

Blog

Anchor Windlass

With the hull fitted out I decided that a few coats of paint was in order. For some reason the plan recommends (Humbrol) colour 127, which is 'US' ghost grey. I refuse to use an American colour on a Royal Navy boat, so I have chosen RN Admiralty medium grey 507B, by Lifecolor. I have used Lifecolor in the past and find it gives an excellent finish with no brush marks. Below the waterline, the good old favourite Halfords red primer in the 'shake and rattle' tin. I plan to mark the waterline with a boot stripe so "you can't see the join". Having promised to be able to control the anchors I thought I had better investigate the practicalities before going any further with the build. Why not spend half an hour or so making the anchor windlass as a start? I found this to be a model in itself, which took a couple of days! Very satisfying though. First, read the instructions. Then assemble the 35 or so parts on the bench, then read the instructions again. The white metal fittings took some fettling, as usual, but the mouldings were much better than most I have come across. (Jotika tell me that they are tooling up to 3D print the fittings in the future.) The written instructions missed a few part numbers, but this was compensated for with a full page exploded plan view and a full page drawing of the completed item. I found it better to dry fit as much as possible to ensure all the bits lined up and the cogs meshed. Once happy, I used . The pictures show the windlass in the raw, but I'm sure it will look much better with a careful paint job. When I said "read the instructions again", this was in hindsight, as I am sure you rivet counters will spot my mistake in the completed build. However, if, like me you use the two foot rule, my error in construction should go unnoticed.🤞

5 years ago by cormorant

Blog

Forecastle Bulwarks and Hull Fittings

Now for the good bits! This is part of a build which I really enjoy, when the boat starts to take shape. With 750 white metal parts there should be plenty of detail. With the main sub decks in place, I fitted the bulkhead facias, together with the extended bulkhead. The parts are pre cut to take the white metal portholes and watertight doors, which I glued in with . The holes needed enlarging to allow the portholes to fit correctly. (Irritating). Using the screen printed sub foredeck overlay as a guide, I drew around the curve to give the position of the breakwater. The breakwater is made of ply and to achieve the curve, I soaked it in water for 10 minutes which made it supple enough to follow the line I had drawn. To get a quick and secure fix I used . Cutting the gaps in the forecastle bulkhead down to deck level was straightforward, but if you use a dremel cutting disc, don't get over enthusiastic and cut into things you shouldn't! The last bit of this section is fitting the portholes, ash shute doors, hawse lips and and mooring port lips. All these are white metal and the hole centres are marked on the hull. Having used a small drill to start the holes off, I enlarge them with a reamer to prevent the gel coat cracking. The portholes on the hull have rigoles (eyebrows) and when I have fitted these in the past, I have always got some of them on the scunt (aka crooked). Having taken great care to get the first one correctly orientated, I drew a line through the rest of the holes, which helped aligning the remainder. I found that the hole centre for the hawse lip was close to the waterline and to maintain the correct distance I had to enlarge the hole upwards (if that makes sense). The fitting of the mooring port lips was straightforward and for extra detail they are both inside and outside.

5 years ago by cormorant

Forum

two part epoxy resin

You'd love our Chinese $2 shops here Colin. I recently bought about 10 x 33ml tubes of genuine German UHU for $2 each (Hobby shop $10), plus I buy 90% of my and epoxies from them as well. The epoxies are $4 but cheaper than big hardware stores (which sell the same Chinese stuff probably with different labels) s work as well as more expensive ones such as Loctite which can be 5x the price.

5 years ago by jbkiwi