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Post by rod on Aug 13, 2008 21:27:22 GMT 1
Thought it time I posted how my progress is going, so you can see what we're up to here down under in Australia. Here are some earlier pictures of the super structure going up. Note I contacted the agency Markus uses and they were ale to supply a whole crew. I suspect in my quest for really cheap rates, they may have given me, shall we say, some questionable visa status types... The Bow early on when I tried the wrong colour filler. Note the chef is just chasing lunch, nothing to worry about. This shot shows the gap between the foredeck and the main deck - its about 2 mm. Strange because everything else lines up. I don't know what impact that will have later on with the deck pieces. Thomo with the buzz saw is just smoothing the edges. I had to cut my resin anchor hawser in half to decrease its width. It was way too big. Seems to be ok now. Rest of the crew working on the superstructure. Iasked for strong dock workers and they gave me someone who suspiciously looks a little feminine, but who can tell these days.. And then there was the stern piece. Huge gap between the transom and the resin piece. I ended up filling this with gap filler and glueing the resin piece to the deck rather than do any shortening modifications. I'll post my tribulations on the hull sanding shortly. cheers Rod
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Post by rod on Aug 13, 2008 21:51:52 GMT 1
Onto the sanding and filling part. I'm right in the middle of doing this right now, place is a mess. Getting the hull perfectly smooth is a real challenge. At the moment my method is sand, fill, sand fill, primer coat, sand, fill, primer coat...but its starting to come together. I have never done this before so any comments welcome. I believe the key to success is patience... This is after the second coat of primer - found some issues on the stern portholes so sanded it right back ready for another coat of primer. Here is a closer shot. The bow is interesting and probably the hardest to get smooth. I'm still progressing. I found a problem though. When I stuck the bow porthole ply on it sticks up way above the level of the other planking. Not sure what to do about this yet. I think it will just be a case of sanding down the top until its level with the other planks. Does this mean I put the second planks up too high though?
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Post by ph on Aug 13, 2008 22:14:42 GMT 1
looking great Rod. so thats wot i`v to look forward to. keep up the good work
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Post by eric on Aug 13, 2008 23:04:12 GMT 1
Your getting on very well Rod.
What filler are you using? Mark recommended car body filler, I used it and got great results with it. It filled these little gaps between planks and sanded down very easily.
I think the main reason that the ply part at the bow SEEMS to be standing up too much is because you haven't fitted the foredeck supplied in issue 18 yet. Once that is in place the ply part will be about level with it. Dont sand it down without attaching that deck part first. Also, the little deck part (part 60) that fits over the resin anchor part will need fitting at about the same time, I think.
keep up the good work, You are going to have a superb model there!!!
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Post by griffin247 on Aug 13, 2008 23:14:24 GMT 1
mmm looks like the same work force too lol looks great
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Post by rod on Aug 13, 2008 23:58:04 GMT 1
I'm using normal wood putty for the filler. It seems to be doing ok. I might get some car filler just to see the difference. The wood putty is non toxic and doesn't create an issue when sanding, although I still use a mask.
When I first put it on, I let it dry for half a day then sanded it down, then wiped it with a damp cloth. Oh what a mistake that was, wiped most of the putty off because its water soluable. I let it dry for 1-2 days now before doing anything to it and I Never use a damp cloth anymore.
I'll take a picture of the foredeck sitting on the bow so its easier to see what I mean about the ply sticking up. It would almost be better to let the ply cover the side of the foredeck rather than let the foredeck rest on top of it as I have done with the rest of the main decking. Nothing that putty somewhere can't fix but its just annoying. Maybe I should actually read the instructions for a change, there might be some pearls of wisdom there.
cheers
Rod
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Post by rod on Aug 14, 2008 10:34:58 GMT 1
Here is my bow problem. I placed the foredeck on to show what the gap is. You can see in this picture the ply porthole piece sticks out far wider than the foredeck and almost comes up level with the foredeck itself. In these shots you get a better idea of the height of the plywood porthole piece. weird huh? Then here is the bow without the foredeck. I've got this far without striking any real issues I can't resolve but this one kind of has me stumped. At this stage I can only think of grinding down the ply wood to the right level. Any suggestions or similar experiences welcome to be heard.. cheers Rod
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Post by griffin247 on Aug 14, 2008 13:43:29 GMT 1
mmm did i spy the swedish chef there in one of your pics , i had a similar problem i would build up the gap from the inside attaching the planks to the planks below them using verticail strips of wood or lay the strips needed to build up in place , then use miliput on the inside to hold them in place to the ones already there when all try sand the planks to shape required is easyer when they in place than trying to get the fit without them glued in place. hope it helps
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Post by rem2007 on Aug 14, 2008 14:03:58 GMT 1
Hi Rod,
I believe your prolem at the bow area where the foredeck joins is due to the fact that your foredeck should have been attached awhile ago. Check instructions, I'mk at issue 66, but have yet to complete my hull, There are quite a few builds on here who are in a similiar situation. As we still have may months to go, there is no rush to complete the hull, unless your in a rush to do water trials. I would try removing the ply pieces with the portholes, using an iron to heat the glue and pry it off. If this fails and you break them, don't worry, you can replank this area and use the templates provided in issue 54, I think it is. But attach the foredeck before you do the planking or re-attach the ply piece. And after all that if you still have a gap, run some of the planking along there and sand it to blend in, or wood filler will do the trick. At the end of the day it is just a model, but an impressive one nonetheless, so enjoy it and don't forget, this is where you'll get the help you need. It's a learning curve on here for most of us on here, but we always have the German sites as good reference.
Hope this helps.
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Post by rod on Aug 16, 2008 9:04:06 GMT 1
Well here's what I ended up doing. Trying to get the ply off was a definite no no so I cut it down to size. NO big deal in the end and the deck actually ended up sitting quite nicely over the cut down version. Now all I need to do is put some wood putty in and it will look as good as new. As for the rest of the hull, I think its just about there. For those of you who are like me and never done this before I can tell you the sanding and the filling does pay off and it does pay to have patience. I've used different grits of sanding paper. Started with 80 grit, then went to 280 and finished with wet and dry. That wet and dry is essential to get the really smooth finish. Nothing else will do it. Thank for all the advice on this one. cheers Rod
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Post by markus on Aug 16, 2008 11:31:59 GMT 1
hi rod ! what about the bilge keels markus
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Post by rod on Aug 16, 2008 12:19:12 GMT 1
Left them till last on purpose so I could sand the hull a lot easier. They're already made ready to fit. Just have to glue them on. I think i saw some advice on the forum that suggested that and it certainly made it much easier to achieve a smooth surface with the keels not in the way. Note I still need to give the hull another spray of primer. This is just the first coat. Thanks for your eagle eye though Markus, keeping watch over all of us beginners. Rod
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Post by griffin247 on Aug 16, 2008 12:23:40 GMT 1
hey good going there , i to a beginner on this type of model but i ve been building plastic kits for years and did build and fly electric aircraft and slope soarers , so i guess i not a real beginner but great work there
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Post by russ on Aug 25, 2008 13:34:03 GMT 1
hey i to am a beginner and i to have the endless filler and sanding issues but i no there is more to come when i finally finish my second planking and get to primer stages, looking verry good though your model is
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Post by rod on Oct 4, 2008 6:21:17 GMT 1
Thought it worthwhile to show some more progress. I've had a bout 3 months worth of brass just sitting waiting so I got stuck into it this weekend. The crew was really helpful and got involved to make sure everything ran smoothly. There was a bit of angst with the catapult, a few parts not quite fitting nicely and a few people doing some finger pointing as to whose fault it was. But it came together ok in the end. Here's the whole boat sitting in the docks waiting for its fitout. The foreman and the supervisor having a bit of a discussion regarding why the brass is jsut left lying on the deck. Strangely enough the slick grey haired sales rep just turned up to see what else we need. I'll be hitting him up for some stanchions by the looks of Markus's latest post. Sigh, more brass to look forward to and another catapult to go.. Rod
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