Hi there! So...i've been reading here for a while and collecting the mags for a bit now, up to issue 15. I've started to have a look at some of the parts yesterday but unfortunatly 2 of the 4 keel parts are warped. I'm hoping that they will straighten out with some warm water and a large slab...
does anybody have advice/tips on how to do it? As far as i understand you soak the parts for about 20mins in warm water and then place them on a flat surface under weight.?

Hopefully while that sorts it self out i can get on and make the dry dock.

for now i've dry fitted the keel together with clamps untill i can flatten them. I suspect i'll have the same problem with the ribs aswell. going to be a lot of soaking and pressing...

Feel free to comment and offer up suggestions

Hi,
Welcome to the "madhouse"
A couple of things to help get you started;

I have never had a warped part on my SOTS (lucky I guess)but,I just started the Victory and the bow section of the false keel had a warp in it. Like you say it will need a soak and pressing,make sure that what you use as pressure plates are seriously flat and strong or it could end up worse.
I used two large pieces of timber and a pair of sash cramps and then left under pressure for two days, result:Flat.

I also see you are about to build your dry dock, have a look at other build diaries and make your mind up as to which you think is best. Look at bracket sizes and positioning but most of all take your time to make sure everything is straight and square, any errors in this part will be reflected in your build.

Good Luck and don`t forget this is the best place to get help and advice.

Regards
delboy271155
(Derek)

Hi
As the old saying goes"There`s more than one way to skin a rabbit",but it`s the end result that counts.
You use what you have to hand, WTG.

Regards
delboy271155
(Derek)

thanks for the info guys(and/or gals) Going to soak and press my parts this morning after finishing work (12hour night shifts suck)...

as for my dry dock...i've tried metal brackets but finding it near impossible to get square ones... i do however have some of the plastic ones from sleco
failing that i was going to try cuting some blocks of wood at 90* angles and using those.

Thanks and i'll post pictures as i get them :)

Thanks

Hi Aescleahs, sorry to hear of your problem with warped parts, we all experience them from time to time. If you have been reading my build diary you will have noticed I had exactly the same problem with a warped bow spirit, no matter what I did over a period of 3 weeks the parts just went back to their warped condition.... in the end I resigned on the issue and ordered replacements... Sometimes you just get badly made parts that cannot be rectified.... Good luck in whatever you decide to do.....

Regards

Alan

Right I'm back...I was mooching through my parts today and found a section of the forward keel that i'd originaly abandonded (due to the stregthening joints being skewif...
as best i can tell though its dead straight so..after some tactical trimming with a mitre saw and some files...it looks like i'm back in the game so to speak.

anyway I've cracked on a little bit and started putting the rib formers on to the false keel (I'm not going to glue them just yet)

so far the only real problem i've come up against was when i put rib 7 in place it seemed to want to twist...but after a bit more of a trim on the support (only about 2mm in total) it fits much better although i think i may have to invest in some form of a support to keep it straight either the block method or possibly balsa in fills. (i'm still very cautious of this as i don't want to have any more accidents (the missus has already chewed my ear off about having to re order the keel ><

pics bellow including a rather messy work area/photo studio..

Don't worry too much about one rib wobbling around in it's slot at this stage.
Wait till you have the lower deck ready to fit.
Then glue in each rib, one at a time, using the slots in the deck pieces to check the rib alignment. Put in wooden blocks for the rib you have fitted (as in masterclass issue 9). When the rib glueing is dry, remove the deck pieces, glue in the next rib and again, use the deck pieces as a jig for alignment. Leave the wobbly-fit rib till last, so that the deck and the well-fitting ribs will keep it in place.
A bonus is that your deck will now fit perfectly when you glue and pin it in.
Well, that's what I am going to do anyway.
If you still have any on the keel joints to glue up, can I suggest that you dry-fit the ribs either side of the joint, then glue in the bracing plates, which should be a kiss-fit between the ribs. Remove the ribs before the glue sets, as they might get stuck in with any excess glue squeezing out.

So cracked on today got the keel fitted together and once again had a slight issue...I only had one part 18 (god knows where the other has gone...) but after a bit of diy on a spare part 24 all is well with the world. got up to rib 20 assembled and dry fitted to the keel.
I'm going to follow the advice and fir the decking first to make sure things are in the right place.

I also had the realization that some how i've managed to order enough duplicate issues to build at least 2 sets of the keel and ribs :S (lets keep this one quite from the missus...no idea how i managed it)

anyway the little ones just got up so thats put a hold on my sanding and gluing for the day. pictures to follow tonight


PS further updates may be a tad slow over the next week I've got to prepare a presentation for an interview for promotion at work...so if anybody wants to help fill in " What ideas can you bring to the controller role to balance managing resources, hit performance and ensure meal breaks are taken appropriately to support the trust in maintaining patient care" then please feel free to pm me :D

Hi Aescleahs. Here is my immediate thoughts on what I see. You say the keel is perfectly straight so I will take that as read.. (first thought was banana boat syndrome, ie keel not straight and true along its entire length). With that in mind I would hedge your ribs are not set at 90 degrees to the keel both on the horizontal and vertical plane, my best bet is some of your ribs may be out slightly horizonatally. Measure the gap between the outer edges of each of the ribs, they should be exactly the same on both sides of the hull...

Hope this helps.

Regards

Alan