Very neat work Jack.

You certainly know your builds well and that looks a good idea to addin those extra strength pieces.

Hope it all continues well for you.

Thursday 9 November 2017

New but latest images, with more focus on certain construction details. .

At the moment I am applying a coat of diluted vinyl glue +/- to 50% over the entire structure.

This operation helps to make the surface of the plywood more durable by saturating it with glue and preventing the various pieces from falling or jerking against sanding operations. It should also make the wood less subject to humidity changes, which, in these days here in Calci, is very strong because of recent rains.

Soon I will have to prepare myself to shape the bulkheads with the correct camber and apply preshaped sweet wooden blocks where necessary, especially at bow and stern, to best fix the ends of the planks.

In the idle time I'm trying to finish the second HMS Guadeloupe boat.

Soon, Jack.


01 Ragusian Carrack/07112017/20171107_132826.jpg


02 Ragusian Carrack/07112017/20171107_132916.jpg


03 Ragusian Carrack/07112017/20171107_132926.jpg


04 Ragusian Carrack/07112017/20171107_132953.jpg


05 Ragusian Carrack/07112017/20171107_133005.jpg

Tuesday 21 November 2017

It's some days without news from me since my last post because I had to spend several time on other matters. However I have not been completely inactive on this model.
Not a lot but during these days I have:

1) finished the second of the HMS Guadeloupe lifeboats; now only another rather small one is missing, and then I'll finish with these boats;
2) I set up, in the prow area, some filling blocks, made of several layers of poplar plywood glued together; they are now rough, but still to be finished properly;
3) I'm building the stern post, especially at the top, made with 2x5 soft wood strips; also here I just have to refine before applying the last layer planks.

Lastly, some considerations on the kit and subsequent decisions regarding the future tasks for this project.

The wood available in the kit for planking the hull and decks consists exclusively of 4 x 1,5 walnut strips. They are of great wood, even if, for my opinion it's a wood too dark (you can have an idea by looking at the previous post where, in some photos, you can see them on the visible side of some bulkheads).

Obviously, only one planking is planned.

Recalling my previous experience with an identical approach based on walnut planking and evaluating the problems encountered during hull refinement and smoothing, I have considered the pros and cons of using this material.

So I decided to proceed on my way using the double planking technique, also because I found the material I needed:
a) in a model shop near to me (among other things, well-stocked) I bought some 1,5x5 mm lime strips to be used for the first planking; since lime is much sweet than walnut I should be able to work much more easily and quickly; in addition, being them wider strips, I should go furtherly faster.
b) I have found veneer sheets, 0,4 mm in thickness, of CHERRY wood at a timber reseller. It's nearly a century I dreamed to use this kind of wood for a model of mine . . . so I decided right away.

The technique is super tested having used it for two of my previous models and also for several boats, so it's like playing soccer in your own home field . .

Of course I have no pictures of the work done on the carrack to show, but I don't think it's a big loss as there is not much to show. At most, I'll show you a couple of photos of the two Guadeloupe boats . .

01 Brick de 24/Brick by JackAubrey/IMG_20171115_154048.jpg


02 Brick de 24/Brick by JackAubrey/IMG_20171115_154030.jpg

Hi Tony,
The veneer I bought is in sheets, as shown in the image below. the wood in the photo is chestnut and tanganika. Cherrywood is more dark and red.
I make the strips simply using a spacer jig, a iron ruler and a xacto knife; it's very simple and fast.
Regards, Jack.

03 P1070688.jpg

Thursday 23 November 2017

Some pictures of the work made on the stern, aimed at the construction of the stern post. This element is definitely finished, ready to receive, in due course, the last layer of cherry wood strips.

A view of the inside, left raw . .

01 Ragusian Carrack/21112017/IMG_20171121_152153.jpg


And two exterior views, smooth and ready for the next steps . .

02 Ragusian Carrack/21112017/IMG_20171121_152137.jpg


03 Ragusian Carrack/21112017/IMG_20171121_152143.jpg


The filling blocks in the bow area, still under construction and to be refined . .

04 Ragusian Carrack/21112017/IMG_20171121_152215.jpg


05 Ragusian Carrack/21112017/IMG_20171121_152230.jpg


I have reinforced the tops of the 9th, 10th and 11th bulkheads that could break during the hull manipulations planned in the next steps . .

06 Ragusian Carrack/21112017/IMG_20171121_152201.jpg


That's all, see you soon, Jack.

Jack

That is such a clean build it looks wonderful.

Great update Jack you are real skilled modeler excellent regards Phil

I do like the coluring on the decking you have done so far. Looks so different to the usual walnut strip wood colour - have you added some additional staining or paint finish? Either way it looks nice but can understand if you prefer a different finish then that is the correct step for you to follow.

Hope it all continues well.

Hi Tony, the wood has not been stained, it is in its natural color, while beautiful, in my opinion it is too dark to cover a deck . . keep in mind that in the real world the wood used for decks was pine or spruce, and the color was clear and after some time became medium grey . .

PS: thanks to all the people following my thread for the continous appreciations . . thanks again, Jack.

Always love your work Jack. This candle and can method you use to bend your planks... could you explain your process a bit more? How do you handle really sharp bends?