Hi Blev
And welcome to the forum, PVA or Alphatic I generaly use PVA which sits on the surfaces of the joint to be glued so not so strong a bond but alphatic has been designed to soak into the joints and the surrounding wood being glued therefore giving a stronger bond the only downside with alphatic is some brands can stain the surrounding area of the joints yellow where it is used so be wary with it when laying the top layer of planks if its a light wood like say lime
As for your tools I wouldn't be too worried it sounds like you have more than enough to cover most needs, I would just buy the odd tool you really need when and if its needed. Hope this helps
regards
Andy

Hello Blev and welcome to the build. I started with PVA then changed to aliphatic, when i started the planking, found it was quicker drying. Some of the other builders have used super glue for the second planking, jury is still out for me as im not there quite yet. And i would recommend superglue gel for the launch planking, you need something quick to hold.

As for the tools. make sure you add a thimble to your kit, this is great for lightly pushing the pins into the planks. you will need to drill every pin position if you intend to use the bamboo supplied, so thats a lot off pins for an un protected index finger.

Good idea to start late and if you check out some of the members build diaries, there is loads of extra info.

Happy building

Stu

Ask Customer Services for replacement parts.
Some ply pieces can be straightened by soaking and then pressing - but the keel is critical. A keel jig will not straighten out faulty parts.

Ok then, taking it slow and steady, I've just about finished the hull up to planking. Now I've gone back and started finishing off all the non-hull bits and pieces.

So - part 1 - if you've still got it, have a look at Issue 16, page 12, photo 12. If you look closely, you'll see that the left hand side of the stern deck extension finishes outside the rib frame while the right hand side finishes inside the rib frame edge. Well, my keel has developed a bit of a twist and replicates that perfectly. I'm hoping that an excess of sanding will solve the problem.

Question 1 :- Am I right or am I goosed?

Part 2 - I've just received my monthly posting which was Issues 18 - 21 and therefore a big pile of planking. Taking them from the packets ready to put them in storage, I noticed that some had a kink in them. A closer inspection revealed that this problem is widespread with only 11 of the 132 bamboo planks received so far being unblemished. The kink can vary between a bit of a double bend thru to a fair old dog leg with, perhaps, a loss of material on the inside of the bend.

Question 2a, is this normal?

Question 2b, as a cure, are we talking the old hot water and a soak job? I ask because this wasn't particularly successful with the ply used in the hull construction.

Question 2c, I'll probably manage to use some of the worst where the kink is near the end in places where trimming of the plank will remove it. And for some of the smallest kinks, another bout of sanding will get rid. However, should the worst happen, are there enough bamboo planks issued to allow me to discard them?

Thanks,

B

A. you are working with wood and not brass.

Thank you but I'm already aware of that as I've mentioned in #5.

B. wood will shrink and warp with changes in the atmosphere.

Thank you but that was why I was removing the planks from their wrapping. And that point raises another concern as in :- unless the bamboo planks were cut in 98% humidity in a factory in Jakarta, it's entirely possible that any changes in the atmosphere will make the warp worse.

c. as you haven't built a jig are you not surprised that the keel is banana shaped?

Aren't I using a jig? And the keel isn't banana shaped, the front piece of the keel was. If the keel was banana shaped then the stern deck extension wouldn't be offset laterally, it would have an angled gap between it and the decking. It appears that the rear piece of the keel is warped vertically and the sanding undertaken during construction has part hidden the defect - it has flattened out the deck extension but left the offset. The photo in the magazine is far better than I can take.

d. the planking is bambo, so you will have knots and blemishes. is was supplied to aid in the bending for beginners.

So all the knots, blemishes and warping are normal?

e. have you checked tomicks excellent official build diary? he covers all the faults, and is very helpful in the build itself.

Yes, I have.

f. And finally,have you considered putting up some pics so we can judge what needs to be done to bring it up to something that you will be proud of, this model and ship modelling in general has a very sharp learning curve, weither your young or older.we all have to learn new skills.

Unfortunately my camera is unavailable. And I have yet to come across the common misnomer of a "steep learning curve"*, what I do lack are experience in standards of materials and knowledge of the nautical terms used - and the second one is a matter of reading.

B

* A "steep learning curve" is one where lots of stuff can be learnt in a short time. On the other hand, a "shallow learning curve" should be feared.

Can I add my two pence worth, Blev?
I am at an early stage, like you, having just received issues 22-25.

First, your issue with the stern deck extension.
I found, as you have, that this will not fit correctly. Lengthening the slots in this piece gives you the leeway to glue it in centrally. Otherwise, it puts a strain on the no. 49 pieces which will not glue flat to the keel. My build diary shows this.

Second, the bamboo - quality and quantity.
Yes, many of the pieces contain knots/nodes.
Some of them lie flat, some cause a waviness in the planks.
I agree with you, that you need to avoid using the knots where possible, by selecting planks where the knots will be cut away with the waste.
This is especially important in the first five rows that you place. These cover the area where you will later be cutting gunports. Knots here might make the hole-cutting difficult.
Being a fussy person with offcuts and waste, I have selected planks where the knot will only just fall outside the plank that I want, so the offcut does not have a knot in the middle, but at one end where it can be cut off - leaving the longest possible good offcut.
Offcuts come in very useful later on for infills etc.
Check out issue 46 in the official build diary - a whole pack of 22 planks, all to be cut to 47mm lengths.
The total amount supplied will be 352 planks. This is 16 packs of 22: issues 17-21, 23-28, 31-34, 46.
I reckon you will need 241 for the lower planking - from the middle deck (where you start planking) down to the keel. 36 layers x 3 planks x 2 sides.
Later on, you will add 8 rows above that deck, using 40 planks: 8 rows x 2.5 planks x 2 sides.
Then a few for the stern and the upper works, say another 20.
Total, about 300.

Third, your issue about a bend in the keel.
I was lucky to have good straight bits and did not use a keel jig.
If you have a slight bend, please do not use infills at this stage as they will set the keel solid. Fit the first deck and let it pull the keel into line. The rib slots are cut perfectly in the deck - do not enlarge them and they will do the straightening for you.
My method was then to let the second deck perform the same action, pulling the ribs straight a bit higher up. If you do this, don't glue the stringers in place to the ribs, or again they will set any fault solid. My build diary shows this too.
At this point, you could add balsa infills if you want. I didn't.
Of course, if your keel pieces are too bad, you can ask for free replacements.

Hi Blev
If you don't mind paying,then lime first planking will make the job 100 times easier.It will come straight and shouldn't have any knots.I didn't even unrap the bamboo I got.Another problem with bamboo is it won't bend into a smooth curve if there is a knot or node in the bend.Another good thing about using the lime is you can fit it in full lengths,avoiding any kinks around the joints.Cutting the gunports will be easier and you should only have to predrill for pins when you have a narrow taper.I did mine in 5x2mm lime and didn't have to predrill any pin holes.As regards price,for limewood,everywhere is the same give or take a penny or two.
Rgds Nigel

Hi Bev,

you have an interesting thread any chance of you putting som pics in it so as to illustright your points and chosen solutions.

will be watching with interest

P.S. nice to be chatting with a local