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Thread: Building a J-Class Sailboat

  1. #16
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    Glue-up finished. Fairing the deck.


    The instructions didn't call for it but I have been advised by experienced model builders to fill in between the frames with balsa. Those little L-N planes are great for fairing the hull.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  2. #17
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    The balsa shortage crisis continues to impede progress.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  3. #18
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    Lots of shavings and filings...


    Looking down at the deck and a shot of the tools I have used mostly to get this far. No power tools were worn out in the making of this model.


    With all the balsa backing completed, the fairing the hull is all that is left before planking begins.


    The bottom of the keel required a more delicate touch.


    The fairing is going more slowly than expected. Certain areas resist sanding while on other areas it's easy to sand too far.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  4. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Julie Moriarty View Post
    The fairing is going more slowly than expected. Certain areas resist sanding while on other areas it's easy to sand too far.
    That's a pain. Balsa comes in a wide range of hardness. I built R/C model airplanes for a number of years. Some kits were notorious for having balsa with a mixture of hardness where it was not needed. The only way I know around that is to buy your own balsa so you can select for hardness.

  5. #20
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    Since I'm very new to this, I'm being extra cautious (most of the time) with each step. I have read many stories about modelers sanding through the hull trying to fair it. I have also read how some were terribly disappointed to find wavy hulls only after they applied the finish. This model has two layers of planking. The first one is meant to eliminate the need for backing but that is where modelers have said they sanded through. The second planking looks to be African mahogany. I have read several comments where a modeler finds the finish sunk into the wood pores. They didn't fill before final finish.

    I won't be doing any more work on this until after we're moved into the new place and the shop is set up. And when I will have some free time. HA! This may sit for a very long time...
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  6. #21
    looks challenging. Any progress?

  7. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin Burandt View Post
    looks challenging. Any progress?
    Not since we moved into the new place. Too much work here. So far we've painted the exterior; re-landscaped the front with new sod; Gutted the master bedroom down to the block wall and installed new electric; firring strips, insulation and drywall; set up the new shop (still in progress); built a new bed frame (still in progress) and a few other things. And we still have to replace the flooring, do some interior painting and finish the master bedroom. Then I can get back to the model build.

    But last week I did set it out to so I wouldn't forget it.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  8. #23
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    One of her sister ships taken off my balcony as she spent the night in St. Thomas, on the way to St. Barths. I believe this was Velsheda.

    image.jpeg

  9. #24
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    Boats like that are my Sirens - I'm immediately drawn to the sea...
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  10. #25
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    I've some catching up to do...

    The first planking...





    Port side...


    Attaching a shop-made keel


    1st planking complete
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  11. #26
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    I am now experimenting with the 2nd planking. I didn't like the dark wood supplied with the kit so I took some mahogany veneer and ripped some 2mm strips.

    The plans call for the planks to run bow to stern but I'm liking the diagonal planking.


    This gives an idea of what it would look like. The rudder is jatoba. I thought I grabbed a piece of mahogany but as soon as I started shaping it I realized it was jatoba. I went ahead and finished shaping it for practice but will make another rudder out of mahogany for the final.

    Never satisfied... I'm also looking at using different colored woods to identify the waterline and top stripe/star.


    The curvature at the stern requires some fancy plankwork


    I decided to use hot hide glue on the 2nd planking. I ordered a glue pot and some hide flakes. Then I can start gluing the 2nd planking in place.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  12. #27
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    Outstanding work. Outstanding progress!

    What a beauty.

    Thanks for posting and photo's. Makes my day!

  13. #28
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    Thanks, Terry. You made my day!
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  14. #29
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    While waiting for the glue pot and hide glue to show up, the lifeboat won over my attention.

    The instructions show to just lay the planks on the form and glue them edge-to-edge. No keel or frames. That didn't seem like a good idea so I took some of the planks, included in the kit for the 2nd planking on the hull, and laminated a keel. Instead of using the same dimensions as the form, I extended the keel out a bit on the bow and took the bow a little out of plumb.


    Then I took an X-acto knife and cut a small dovetail section out of the keel and shaped one end of a plank to fit in it. The dovetail holds the plank in place nicely. Much better than nailing the planks to the form as the instructions call for.


    The keel scales out to about 4.5" x 4.5". The lifeboat scales out to a little over 13'. I do not know if that keel is the right dimension or not. I'll have to go with what looks good.

    FWIW, here's what the instructions called for:
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  15. #30
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    Great work,Julie!!!! You have done a great job. Especially with the difficult task of planking. The idea of putting a layer of balsa under the planking certainly paid off. It gave a surface that was no doubt exceedingly useful for putting pins in to clamp the planks down. It also gave you a huge increase in the area where you could apply glue to secure the planks.

    A good idea for looking for uneven places in dull finished surfaces before you commit to adding a finish is this: Darken the room. Have a light source,especially diffused light such as daylight at the other end of the room. Get opposite of the surface you want to check out,and look at the reflection of the light off of the surface. Any dips or lumps,even small defects will readily be seen.

    I was asked how to look at unfinished surfaces by a nearby wind tunnel model maker years ago. Dynamic Engineering. They were making their models from wood at the time,even if the wooden model would be used subsequently to make a fiberglass model later on in the process. They were very glad to get this information. They were using a mahogany like wood called jelutong(sp?),to make models because it was quite stable in changing dimension or warping from humidity changes. Quite an un interesting wood to look at,I must say. But,it did serve the purpose.

    They privately invested about $3,000,000.00 in an unauthorized model of an SST(supersonic transport plane). Got their proposed design and model all done. Then,SST's were banned from some airports due to noise,and when the one crashed on take off(from hitting a piece that FELL off of another aircraft that had taken off shortly before,they were permanently grounded. I wonder if the company survived that large loss of money?

    You have the skill to equal that professional model that you posted pictures of. You just need to invest in a small metal lathe. Those metal parts look mostly like aluminum was used for them. At least the turned ones do.
    Last edited by george wilson; 09-11-2016 at 5:49 PM.

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