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Welcome to Scuttlebutt.
Scuttlebutt is a new blogg spot that covers anything related to building model ships and boats. No matter what period you are interested in, if you enjoy building model ships you will find something of interest in scuttlebutt. We will look how to use the tools of the hobby different techniques and tutorials as well as some fun an interesting facts and history along the way.
Jase ...but why the strange name I hear you ask...
Water for immediate consumption on a sailing ship was conventionally stored in a scuttled butt: a butt (cask) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn. Since sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink of water, scuttlebutt became Navy slang for gossip.
Below you will find the Log Book listing Scuttlebutt blogs in there categories. categories are:
Crows nest - This will be Blogs showing the way something can be done.
Ditty box - Bloggs about consumables.
Block & Tackle - Blogs about Tools
mess deck - Blogs about particular kits
Bilge - General Blogs with no specific category Signal Lamp - Blogs on HistoryLog BookCrows nest
Post 8 - Fixing Planks to a frame
Mess deck
Post 15 - Best model space kit for beginners
Ditty box
Post 18 - Adhesives CA
Post 29 - Adhesives Tacky Wax
Signal Lamp
Post 23 - Rain Rain go Away
Post 25 - Legends On trial - Henry VIII
Post 40 - lamp, The Royal Navy Toast.
Crows Nest
Post 24 - Organising multiple instructions
Post 38 - How to lay a laminate wood deck
Post 39 - The correct way to use Extra Thin Poly cement.
Block & tackle
Post 26 - Planking Fan Tool
Post 34 - Make your own tool, Cordage hook
Bilge
Post 36 - The Christmas Scrounge
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Interesting, look forward to seeing what you come up with 
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 Rank: Super-Elite        Groups: Registered, Forum Support Team, Administrators, Global Forum Support Team, Moderator, Official Builds Joined: 09/11/2012 Posts: 8,520 Points: 24,651 Location: East midlands
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Nice idea. I can see this being an invaluable source of info. Looking forward to seeing what comes up. Regards delboy271155 (Derek) COME BACK GUY FAWKES "YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU"
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looking forward to this Jase I am always looking for different ways of doing stuff Martyn Building ?
Completed. Soliei Royal . Sovereign of the Seas . Virginia . Scotland . San Felipe . Corel vasa , Santisima Trinadad X section , Vasa
Next Build ?
When sailors have good wine, They think themselves in heaven for the time. John Baltharpe
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A topic I'm going to enjoy following, look forward to seeing what you come up with Jase..... Regards Alan
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Rank: Super-Elite  Groups: Registered
Joined: 19/06/2013 Posts: 4,588 Points: 13,553 Location: West Yorkshire
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Sounds interesting Jase, should be well visited by us all.
Al
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Rank: Super-Elite  Groups: Registered
Joined: 28/07/2014 Posts: 4,269 Points: 12,713 Location: Scotland
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Hmm Interesting Jase will be looking in regards Phil COMING SOON =1/72 Italeri diorama`s Battle for the Reichstag and Stalingrad battle at the tractor factory 1/16 Trumpeter King Tiger with loads of extras ON THE GO= refurbishment of 1/25 Tamiya tiger 1 , amt Star trek kits and space 1999 models
So Much to Build,But What a Hobby!
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Thank you Shipmates
Crows Nest. Fixing planks to a hull frame.
For my first blog I wanted to look at a subject that I get asked about more than any other, I have lost count of how many times somebody wanted my opinion on the 'best' method for holding planks in place when planking a hull so this is my take on the various methods
Bulldog Clips (Pictures 1 and 2)
Bulldog clips can be modified by removing one of the clasps and inserting it into the top of another clip to make a tool for holding planks in place.
Advantages of this are that they are quick to apply hold the plank to the rib and at the same time ensure the plank is butting up to the other. In addition the plank is not damaged with holes like other methods.
Disadvantages are, they struggle on tight curves, cannot be used once the gap between planks is to small and difficult to remove excess glue from the area the clip is applied.
Plan Pins (pictures 3 and 4)
Plan pins are long and thin with good heads to allow easy removal.
Advantages are that they are long enough to pin through a thin plank into the rib and can be used on thin ribs on smaller ship kits with ease. being thin they can be used through out the planking process with no limitation.
Disadvantages are that they are difficult to push through thicker planks. when used in the rib they can help keep a plank butted tightly but no pressure can be applied to the plank onto the rib.
Planking Clamps (pictures 5 and 6)
Planking clamps come in plastic and metal and screw into the rib clamping the plank into place.
Advantages are that the process of screwing the clamp into the rib apply positive pressure keeping the plank in place without making holes in the plank.
Disadvantages are that they cannot be used on the few rows once the gap between planks is reduced. they are an expensive option compared to all others. plastic clamps can bend under pressure. The screw damages the rib which could cause weakness and they cannot be used on smaller kits with thinner ribs.
Map Pins (picture 7 and 8)
These have a shorter wider shank than plan pins.
Advantages are that they are easier to push in than plan pins, the lip of the plastic handle can be used to keep the plank against the rib whilst butting up the plank. They are cheap and easily available.
Disadvantages are that the thicker shank can cause ply ribs to split. They can be less affective on curves.
Brass nails(picture 9 and 10)
These are often supplied with the kit and very cheap to buy. Designed to be nails through the plank into the rib.
Advantages are that they have a thin shank so they push through the plank easily. can be used through out the planking process. can either be removed or cut ff and filed down leaving evidence of the building method
Disadvantages are that they can split the ends of the planks if not carful and you may have to drip pilot holes in the planks to avoid this. They can be a bit fiddly and you need to purchase either a pin pusher or modellers hammer to drive them in place. leaves holes that need to be filled if removing them.
So in all honesty I use all of the above depending on the task and material they all have merit and I don't have a preference, but do tend to use nails most of the time using other methods if it works for the build.
let me know your thoughts do you agree or disagree with the above? do you have a different solution?
Until the next blog
JaseFile Attachment(s): jase attached the following image(s): “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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 Rank: Elite  Groups: Registered
Joined: 20/04/2012 Posts: 1,787 Points: 5,292 Location: Thurso
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Nice first blog Jase. Personally, I usually pre-bend the planks and either use the bulldog (foldback) clips or thick super glue on the frame with activator on the plank and pva along the edges although the latter is not for the fainthearted as there is virtually no adjustment time.
Graeme
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pemberg wrote:Nice first blog Jase. Personally, I usually pre-bend the planks and either use the bulldog (foldback) clips or thick super glue on the frame with activator on the plank and pva along the edges although the latter is not for the fainthearted as there is virtually no adjustment time.
Graeme Hi, thanks for the insight into how you work I am planing some bloggs on plank bending in the future 👍🏻 “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Good start Jase and a good insight into the various methods of holding planks in position. A couple of other disadvantages of using map pins, the first being a word of caution. If you try to push the pin in place by simply using your thumb then care should be taken, it is possible for the shank to come through the pin head and into your thumb - a very painful experience.....  The other is when removing the pin there is a high probability the head of the pin will simply come away leaving the shank in place. I use these pins quite a lot but treat them as a use once and dispose of kind of item - thankfully they are nice and cheap..... Cheers Alan
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Gandale wrote:Good start Jase and a good insight into the various methods of holding planks in position. A couple of other disadvantages of using map pins, the first being a word of caution. If you try to push the pin in place by simply using your thumb then care should be taken, it is possible for the shank to come through the pin head and into your thumb - a very painful experience..... The other is when removing the pin there is a high probability the head of the pin will simply come away leaving the shank in place. I use these pins quite a lot but treat them as a use once and dispose of kind of item - thankfully they are nice and cheap..... Cheers Alan Hi Alan, Many thanks for your contribution, you raise a couple of good points Jase “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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I use a method very like Graeme's using wood glue and super glue this makes for speedy planking Current builds:-C57,Zero, Lamborghini Countach, Caldercraft HMS Agamemnon,Robi,R2-D2, MFH Cobra .
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Thanks for your thoughts Andy. I have used super glue but not my preference. as you say great for speedy building but you need to know your stuff as their is no margin for error. Jase “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Mess deck, Best model Space kit for beginners.
Thought I would blog this while its on my mind. I have seen this question asked numerous times on the forum "Which kit do you recommend for my first ship build?' given the wide range to choose from a fair question! 
My stock answer for the last 6 years has been HMS Victory, the instructions are excellent the build materials easy to work with, not overly complex but still challenging not too fiddly but plenty of detail, a good all rounder.
But I think I now have to revise that view. I am part way through planking the hull of the Constitution, and what breeze that is. Unlike the Victory the gunport are pre cut with ply patterns, an increasingly popular approach amongst kit manufacturers and certainly a helpful one. A really nice touch is the use of ply formers at the bow and stern massively reducing the amount of plank bending required, making the perfect curve much easier to achieve I love this feature.
in addition the instructions are just as good as Victories and if anything the cast parts are sharper. The cannons come with a loverly matt black patina that looks very authentic, no need to paint them and no need to clean up seams. from what I have seen so far I am going to have to change my view and promote the Constitution as an easier build for a novice.
Do you agree? let me know what you think!!
Jase“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Your right to say that Constitution kit is less complex than Victory as they are very different ships. However, the instructions for Victory as superior as they are more in depth in conveying the techniques.
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I have had a suggestion to create an index for scuttlebutt, and a very fine suggestion it is. Please note I have now created an index in Post 1 under "Log Book'. No doubt I will add to this as we tack around more Bloggs Jase “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Ditty Box. Adhesives - CA
I thought for my next Blog would discuss something that we all deal with all the time but strongly dont talk about very often, Glue!! I am going to come back to different adhesives over time but thought I would start off with super Glue aka Cyanoacrylate Adhesive, and commonly referred to as "CA".
Cyanoacrylate Adhesive are moisture activated using acids as stabilisers. moisture overpowers the small amounts of acid present in the CA, when CA is applied to a part, moisture from the surface of that part and from the atmosphere cause the CA to form a bond. In the world of building wooden ships dampening the wood acts as an accelorator.
Although common believed that CA will bond anything that is not the case for example the surfaces of some plywood, spruce and balsa, have a natural present acid content which may over-stabilise the acids in the CA This could cause CA to take longer to cure or to not cure at all. So its always worth checking the recommended mediums for the glue before you buy it.
Its also worth checking out how to store and handle your adhesive. All adhesives will have a safety data sheet and thees can normally be found on line such as this one for Zap a Gap
https://supergluemsds.co...ev.%2017%20-%202014.pdf
Typically CA comes with a verity of viscosity which makes them suitable for different tasks generally the thicker the glue the stronger the bond.
Thin - cures in around 1-3 seconds great for fast assembly of etch components attaching wire to white metal parts and so on.
Medium cures in around 10-15 seconds works well for filling small gaps in metal components or resin or where you need more strength
Thick cures in up to 2 minutes ideal for bonding areas that may have some stress or several parts come together in one spot.
Ultra thick or Gel usually cures in around 30 seconds but up to a couple of minutes. its thickness makes it great for reinforcing joints or gap filling and where you need time for positioning. it is also easily spreadable and once decanted into a jar lid or similar to work with will stay usable for much much longer than other CA. making it ideal for copper tiles.
Other adhesives may be better for your task and we will look at these separately. the advantage of CA is that it offers a strong bond in quick cure times, however on the flip side they can be very difficult to sand and care is needed not to remove the material leaving the glue behind, especially on wood. generally CA is not as good at capillary action as some other Glues PVA or liquid poly and the fumes can be more nasty than other adhesives. but I cannot imagine ever building a kit without using CA in some form at some point its the model builders best friend
Do you have any thoughts on this, please share
Until the next Blog don't get cordage tangled!“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Some history on super glues the medical part may be of interest as it was used to stop bleeding in the vietnam war. First discovered in 1942 believe it or not. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate
I use medium C/A mostly the thin is deadly as it gets everywhere you dont want it to go. Andy Current builds:-C57,Zero, Lamborghini Countach, Caldercraft HMS Agamemnon,Robi,R2-D2, MFH Cobra .
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arpurchase wrote: Some history on super glues the medical part may be of interest as it was used to stop bleeding in the vietnam war. First discovered in 1942 believe it or not. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate
I use medium C/A mostly the thin is deadly as it gets everywhere you dont want it to go. Andy I use super glue on cuts. It’s actually better than a plaster, being a mechanic plasters don’t stay on lol. I agree with the thin super glue, it gets everywhere usually on fingers to parts. Medium is easier to use and you get a little longer to readjust. Gel super glue is good for PE as it stays where you need it. I use Thick for filling in gaps with a squirt of activator. Chris On the bench 1/350 Revell Tirpitz Platinum Edition (Pontos PE and Wooden deck) plus extra Eduard PE set and extra MK1 door sets.
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