Issue 17, assembly of the rear framework, aft lower deck halves and the setting of the hull.

There is a lot to do in this issue which is probably the most important of the entire build, so its worthwhile taking time to understand what is required and how to go about it, the method described for setting the hull is that of Artesania Latina.

Frames - Carefully sand any ash deposit from the tops of frames 21-30 and from the top of the keel.

Insert frames 21-30 into the corresponding aft keel slots double checking the numbers as you go, but do not glue them, ensure that the top of each frame is level with the top of the keel.

Aft Decks - Align the deck halves on a flat surface, and draw a line across both halves which is placed centrally within each deck frame slot, also draw a line across the stern end 15mm in(which becomes the pin reference point for frame 29).

Slide one half of deck into the aft framework and repeat for the opposite side, ensure both lie flat and that the central joint line follows the central line of the keel, you may need to ease one or two of the deck slots to achieve a perfect alignment, do not glue the decks into place.

Remove both of the left-hand-side decks, ensuring that the centre edges of the remaining decks are exactly aligned along the centre of the keel, then (using a pin pusher), secure the outboard edges of the decks into place, you should position the pins along the centre lines drawn, about 10mm from the keel.
Repeat the process for the left-hand deck pieces, now pin the outboard edges of the deck, position each frame so it sits centrally within each frame slot, and drive in pins at least 10mm in from the edge of each deck notch (so it does not interfere with later parts), then drive a third pin half way between the previous two.

Setting the Hull - Turn the hull over, and place on a flat surface to ensure it doesn't twist, mix some PVA glue with about 30% water to make it flow more easily, and paint this mixture into all the joints. Leave the hull upside-down on a flat surface under just enough weight to hold it all down and allow to dry overnight, and as a further measure you can add a fillet of neat PVA into all joints.

Forward Deck Beams - Take the two forward beams (formed at issue 16) and locate into position, to fit the slight upward curve of the deck, both beams may need to be tapered slightly at each end along the bottom edge, then mark the beams with vertical lines to indicate the centre position of each frame in the same way you did on the deck, then mark a line on each beam where the front and rear halves of the deck join, then remove and cut to length. For the gun deck cutaway version, the starboard beam should be cut at the aft face of frame 17.
Secure the forward beams into place with PVA and one or two pins, but to assist driving of the pins into the frames, make pilot holes into the beams where the pins are to be located.

Aft Deck Beams - Take the aft two beams supplied with this issue, bend, taper and trim them to length as you did with the forward beams, and secure into place in the same way, and for the gun deck cutway the starboard aft beam needs to be cut level with the forward face of frame 20.

Deck Support Beams - Take the 1.5x4mm strips supplied with issue 16 and in this issue, lay them across the frame inner supports for the middle gun deck level, mark and cut to length where need be.
At the frames that fall into line with deck mast holes, cut 10mm lengths and glue onto the deck beam supports, which in turn will support the middle deck at these points.

Deck Beam painting - The deck beams will serve as dummy gun barrel support beams, whether you have chosen a natural or painted finish, you will need to paint the outside of each gun deck beam, the deck and the sides - but not the edges - of the frames black.

Issue 19: Aft middle deck halves and a barrel stack.

You'll need to dry assemble the middle deck sections and deck beams before gluing into place.

Place the deck halves onto the framework with part numbers on the underside, and if necessary ease them with sandpaper to get a good fit, then locate the forward deck beams into place and cut to length.
Then fit the aft deck beams and where necessary make the shallow cuts (as before) into the beams to aid bending, the beams should be a snug fit but do not glue into place yet.

To allow for the entry ports, a section of the aft deck beams on both sides of the hull between frames 21 and 22 will need to be omitted.

If your building with the Cutaway section, you will also need to omit part of the starboard deck beam between frames 17 and 20.

Removed both aft decks from the hull, and use a pencil and ruler to draw planking lines upon the deck surface to simulate decking which will be visible through both entry ports, then seal the drawn area with matt varnish.

Apply glue to the deck suport beams and fix the middle deck sections into place, be careful not to apply too much weight to the decks, when dry paint the deck beams black remebeering to omit the area of both entry ports and the cutaway section.

Barrel Skids: Cut the strip into two equal lengths of 34mm and taper the end of each strip.

Using a 0.5mm bit, drill a hole 4mm in from each end of the two strips, and if you have opted for the painted finish, paint both strips black.

Cut the thread in half, feed about 5mm through the eye of an eyelet and fold it back on itself, place a drop of PVA glue onto the thread and roll it between your fingers, this will glue the thread to itself to simulate a splice, repeat for the second thread, then use superglue to glue the two roped eyelets and two remaining eyelets into the holes of each strip.

Barrels:

The barrels need to have three black hoops at each end of both barrels, you can use painted masking tape cut into strips or a black self adhesive fine line tape such as Model Technics 'trim line'.

Align the barrels and glue together with a spot of PVA, then glue the barrel set onto the skids and tie off the thread over the barrels at the opposite eyelet.


Thats it for this week, the start of hull planking is at issue 20!

Issue 20: Bow fillets, fairing the hull and planking of the Gallery supports.

Add the two 8b bow fillets either side of the false keel, the front and top should be flush with the keel, clamp together and allow to dry overnight before you proceed.

Fairing of the hull - This is fully covered in the magazine, its a time consuming process which is to prepare the hull for planking, its particularly important at the bow and stern to form a smooth curve, and the width of the keel at the stern is thinned to 2mm (but do not chamfer its edges), work methodically and check the shape frequently, and use a plank to check the flow across the formers.

Planking of the gallery supports - Cut a piece of planking long enough to overhang both sides of the gallery supports by 5-10mm, lay it across the concave part of the supports so its rear edge is in line with the point where the supports start to slope, apply glue and insert pins but do not insert them fully.
Continue the gallery planking noting that as you move up the gallery each plank will need to be slightly longer than the last, dont worry if there is a small gap at the curved section of the transom as this will be covered by the main hull planking.


Issue 21 is the start of the planking of the hull.