Instruction Manual - Nature Coast Hobby Shop
Instruction Manual - Nature Coast Hobby Shop
Instruction Manual - Nature Coast Hobby Shop
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FIG. 21<br />
FIG. 23 FIG. 25<br />
Bow under-planking below bulwarks. Bow completely covered with under-planking. Under-planking at stern clamped to false keel.<br />
FIG. 22<br />
FIG. 24<br />
FIG. 26<br />
Bow under-planking ready for stealers.<br />
Under-planking faired to false keel.<br />
Stern under-planking below bulwarks.<br />
12<br />
STAGE B<br />
SURFACING THE HULL ASSEMBLY<br />
What follows are the steps explaining<br />
how to properly plank the various areas<br />
of the hull from the keel up to the bulwarks<br />
and its railing. This will include<br />
various finishing requirements for those<br />
parts of the hull assembly and planking<br />
which will make finishing a lot less difficult.<br />
Each step will advise the type of finish<br />
required for either the painted or “all<br />
natural look” options. This particular<br />
hull shape is one of the easiest to plank<br />
and should cause little difficulty.<br />
1. Lower Hull Under-Planking<br />
The first surface to be covered is the<br />
lower hull below the first planking strake<br />
and below the bulwark plates (see figures<br />
21-Bow and 26-Stern). All strakes are<br />
1/16” x 3/16” basswood and require no<br />
finish before mounting. The only purpose<br />
for this planking is to provide a surface<br />
for the second and final layer of<br />
planking. For this reason, you can save<br />
time by not worrying about tapering<br />
planks toward the bow unless you want<br />
the practice. All initial applications of<br />
planking are left full width and allowed<br />
to take a natural line along the lower hull<br />
starting initially at the top.<br />
Other strakes can be laid along the false<br />
keel bottom even with the 1/8” width<br />
that was chamfered when the hull frame<br />
assembly was built (see figure 25-Stern).<br />
As you work up from the bottom and<br />
down from the top, there will be tapered<br />
openings left in the hull areas. These<br />
openings should be filled with “stealers”<br />
(“short lengths of plank worked in<br />
among other strakes to facilitate rounding<br />
off in parts of great curvature”).<br />
Stealers were and are still used in the<br />
planking of life-size ships. These stealers<br />
can be made as required from the planking<br />
material (see figures 22-Bow and 27-<br />
Stern). Doing this step affords the modeler<br />
additional practice that will be helpful<br />
when it comes time to apply the final<br />
planking surface.<br />
2. Applying Filler<br />
to the Under-Planking<br />
When finished with the under-planking,<br />
apply filler to any small cracks that may<br />
exist. This will give a uniform surface for<br />
the next layer (see figure 23-Bow).<br />
When the glue and filler have set, usually<br />
overnight, shape the under-hull by filing<br />
and sanding. Flat files can be used on the<br />
convex surfaces and rounded files will<br />
work best on the concave areas. The planking<br />
must be faired into the 1/8” width of<br />
the false keel edge (see figures 24-Bow, 28-<br />
FIG. 27<br />
Stern under-planking ready for stealers.<br />
FIG. 28<br />
Under-planking faired to false keel.