Chapter 16. On the Decks p.1  (2nd Hull).

 

29.01.2026

 

Lower deck.
I'm getting a bit tired of bolts, so I decided to switch to the lower deck.
When I started the second hull, I wasn't planning on doing a lower deck, but I changed my mind. So I left the forward grate open, the central companionway is also open, and the skylight will also allow me to see everything below. The two remaining grating will be practically invisible, but I'll be making the lower deck a little larger for another reason. I want to practice with bitumen coating; there's plenty of material, and the deck is very quick to build, so here's the first part.

The second deck section is almost complete; it just needs sanding.
The second part involves building the walls.

 

 

30.01.2026

 

 I'm putting off working with the bolts in every possible way... Continuing with the lower deck.

 And when I turned the upper deck over I remembered that I had not planned to make a lower deck and the beams on the upper one are very thick... and I had to remove the carlings first...

... and then use a plane to cut off the thickness so that the beams become the required size.

 I also partially cut away the temporary waterway (but didn't remove it) to allow the deck to fit.
After installation, I tried on the previously made gratings and ladders.


Marking the beams.
Since the four load-bearing boards (the ones in a different color) have joints (there was a material shortage), all the seams (the beam center) and the gratings frames had to be precisely aligned to this line.
The logic is that no one will notice from above if a beam is off by 1 mm, but if the nailing line is uneven or offset (if the grating protrudes or doesn't reach the line), it will be noticeable. Therefore, it's better to adjust the beam center line to the dimensions of the grating frames and then plan for even nailing.

So I drew starting lines where the boards would join...

...then he placed the edge of the grating against the first line and drew a second line on the other side.

This way I marked the beam centers everywhere...

...except for two places where there will be pins, but I will do that when I make them.

I'd like to clarify once again: the beam lines aren't placed randomly, but rather slightly shifted if necessary to achieve the correct nail spacing (usually no more than 1 mm). This allowed me to position them so that all the nails wouldn't hit the joints and looked appropriate.

 When everything was ready, I cut the holes for the gratings. But this isn't the final result. The holes are 2 mm smaller on each side (so the frames fit onto the deck itself).

In the end...

...through the openings (not even considering the stairs that would further obscure the view) it's practically impossible to see anything. BUT...
My wife suggested a brilliant idea...
...what if we installed lighting inside. Specifically, in the captain's cabin and the officers' quarters? I'm thinking of mounting two dim yellow LEDs on the ceiling above the lower deck, and running wires through the metal pins of the stand and connecting a Type-C connector. In short, this needs some more thought, but it's a good idea...soon I'll try to visualize the approximate result and then decide whether to implement it.

 


03.02.2026

 

 Since the lower deck will be practically invisible, the main parameter in its implementation is speed. Therefore, I made all the filling, as we say: “dendrophycal” method (excuse the expression) “from shit and sticks.”
That is, I used all the leftover materials, scraps and uncalibrated blanks. I did this so that there was more space for experiments with coating with oil and bitumen. I'm thinking of covering the hull with Rustins Tung oil, but with the deck either the same or Danish Rustins oil. I'll see how it all turns out under the bitumen.
So, I installed walls and imitation doors on fragments of the deck. I repeat! The location of the walls, the height of the deck itself and other elements may have errors (they will still not be visible). And there were no central walls near the mast at all (I installed them as a visor from the lighting that I am planning).

I made primitive stencils to create the outline of the doors, and scratched them with a needle.

 Oil coating is next... uh...

 


04.02.2026

 

So now comes the most interesting part – the oil coating.

It's not for nothing that I did all the things that won't be visible... I'll be experimenting with exactly all of this.

First, I polished everything with Borma Wachs 000 steel wool (a fantastic wool, all the varieties from 0000+, 000, and 00, highly recommended!!)
Then I made a special jig for applying oil. This was used by masters of the day who applied shellac paint and varnish to musical instruments, but the principle can be used here too.
The idea is not to coat the oil with a thick film with a brush, but to polish with at least a 1:1 ratio of oil and solvent (I use thinner for artists' oil paints, it's odorless).
I experimented with two oils at once (Tung and Danish oils from Rustins).
First, I dilute the oil in a separate container, then pour it onto wool threads or pieces of fabric and wrap them in cotton cloth, making a sort of teddy bear. This creates a marker effect. The excess oil is always inside the wool, preventing it from dripping, and the oil evenly saturates the wood through the cloth. If you notice less oil, simply press harder on the wool, and the cloth will become damp again, but not dripping wet.
This method isn't very convenient in corners (there, it's better to use a damp, but not wet, brush with oil diluted more than 1:1)... and it's better to use it on larger surfaces... but since I was simulating the effect by applying it to the upper deck, I did it this way. Apply along the grain with a buffing motion, then wipe off any excess with a paper towel.
And here are the results:

 На фотографиях сложно понять разницу, но от Тунгового цвет более коричневый и насыщенный, и от этого более темнее. А от Датского более светлее (как выгоревший цвет), но оттенок в холодный бежевый цвет. Моей жене, как и мне понравился результат от Тунгового, хоть он и темнее, что для палубы не самый идеальный вариант. Но здесь вопрос с грушей.. она в любом случае будет темная, а на сколько это уже не так критично. 

Теперь подождем месяц и посмотрим что будет тогда, ну и через месяц покрою битумом. Кстати о нем. Я ранее использовал Idea Patina 710, но с ней сложно работать. Она густая как смола и ее нужно разводить с растворителем, но проблема в том, что невозможно высчитать пропорции и с повторяемостью точно это не про нее. 


It's hard to tell the difference in the photos, but Tung's color is more brown and rich, and therefore darker. Danish's is lighter (like a faded color), but it's a cool beige. My wife, like me, liked the result of Tung's, even though it's darker, which isn't ideal for a deck. But the issue with the pear wood... it'll be dark anyway, and how dark it is isn't that critical.
Now we'll wait a month and see what happens, and then in a month I'll coat it with bitumen. Speaking of which, I used Idea Patina 710 before, but it's difficult to work with. It's thick like resin and needs to be thinned with solvent, but the problem is that it's impossible to calculate the proportions, and that's definitely not the case with it.  

The one I want to try (Antique Bitumen) is already liquid, and you can calculate exactly how much you need and how much solvent, which is convenient. Incidentally, it's from the same company as the steel wool. There's also Antique Patina from the same company, but from the video review, I realized it's not brown, but more of a gray tone. That's not quite right, since I want a dark, dark brown, not a dark gray. Anyway, I'll show you the results in a month.

I'll say in advance that I stayed with the old version of bitumen, since the new one smelled very strongly.

 

 

11.02.2026

 

Lower Deck Gratings and Hatches.
To be able to test how the gratings would look under oil, I decided to make test gratings for the lower deck. They won't be visible, but I'll be able to test different oils and bitumen on them.
This time, I'll be making them regular.
There are 4 more small hatches on the lower deck: two in front for the spirit room and the coal room.
(There are also fore and main hatches with gratings, which I already showed earlier)...
...and also two small ones at the back: to the powder room and for lighting the powder room.
I decided to make them too:

I had some gun hinges left over from the Victory project (modeled and 3D printed, then spray-painted with matte paint), so I glued them on for clarity. They're unlikely to be visible, but I don't mind.

 On a small fragment that I made specifically for this purpose, I made an imitation of nails and I liked the result, I did the same on the main gratings.

I made the imitation with a needle and then treated everything with 000 steel wool.

Now it's time to apply the oil...
A week has passed, and here's the wood tone under the oils:
Visually, it's clear that the Tung oil darkened the wood more, while the Danish oil is lighter.
I like the Tung oil better in terms of color, but it shows more of the difference between the light and dark areas, making the grain clearer. While I don't like the Danish oil as much in terms of shade, it's lighter and doesn't show as much of the difference in the wood. Basically, I'll wait another 2-3 weeks and then seal it with bitumen, and then I'll know which is better. One question is whether I should reapply the oil (and how that will affect the gloss and texture)... and I'm also concerned that after the Tung oil has cured, at a certain angle, an uneven texture is visible (alternating matte and semi-matte patches)... it's difficult to explain.
Now, just a comparison:

 The Danish finish (left) has a more rippled frame, while the Tung finish (right) has a more uniform frame.
Below, you'll see dark details on a light deck and vice versa, and dark details on a dark deck and vice versa.

 Well, below I changed the gratings for comparison and this option:

And in the end, I still have no idea what I'm going to do on the main deck, and everything will be determined only by the appearance after applying the bitumen... and maybe a second layer and then bitumen... it's complicaaaaaaaated with that...


 

17.02.2026

 Calculations... calculations... and more calculations.
Some people simply build models, others review their builds... but I also really love to study everything related to what I'm building. I spend a lot of time reading literature, anatomy, and drawings. And since Alert's anatomy is written with significant errors, inaccuracies, and omissions, I regularly question all the information in this book.
In order to continue working on the deck, I need to know exactly what needs to be where, so I can get all the nail placements right.
The gratings and ladders are partially positioned, and now I need to determine the exact location of everything else. I understand that there are drawings for this... but that's the problem... there are no drawings, only anatomy, which is full of contradictions, so everything needs to be done on site.
To start, I made dummies of several elements.

 The Windlass is a dummy, just to illustrate its dimensions and position. I'll say right away that I intentionally made it wider, as it needs to rest on the load-bearing boards (which is more logical), and there needs to be enough room for the anchor lines, ribs, and rigging blocks. This is the only thing I intentionally changed slightly; the rest were modified solely based on the original archival drawings and when there was a clear error in the anatomy.
 I also made dummy pumps with the ability to adjust the correct angle. They're also positioned a bit wider, but you'll see later why this is a logical step.
By the way, I'm going to redesign the bilge grating! Based on the grate's ridge count, I made it the specified width, and after comparing the dimensions with the archival drawings, I realized I needed to add another ridge to make it wider. But I was already planning to make a duplicate grate (you'll see why later, but then I changed my mind, and now it's possible).
And all this work for one...
...for what the ship lacks! That's space for a lifeboat!
Not to mention that, anatomy-wise, a small boat doesn't correspond to common sense or reality (but more on that later), and there's simply no room on the hull for a cutter that's the right size for this ship.
To help me understand all this, I made a dummy of the boat as well.

 I glued pins to the rectangular bases and pinned the boat to them, adjusting its height.

 Once I had determined the height, I made temporary stands for the boat.

 I didn't just pluck their design from scratch; it's common practice on such vessels. These supports were bolted to the beams on the sides and also to the grating frame for reinforcement.
The boat was then secured with ropes to ribs in the deck.
Even with the boat so low, the pump was in its highest position and could operate without any problems.

 And the boat in front doesn't interfere with the windlass.
The boat should be as low as possible for stability and to keep the boom low. An inverted second boat (most likely a yawl) was also placed on it. But it couldn't be any lower, as it would interfere with the pumps or bump into the front.
And finally... in the original archival drawings, the ladder (with a sliding door) led from one side to the other. But the author of the anatomy designed the ladder so that it led from front to back, which simply didn't allow for room for a boat, and which simply wasn't a reality.

 And since this defied common sense, I did as in the photo below. I simply rotated the entrance 180 degrees. And since the stairs from the upper to the lower deck weren't permanent (meaning they could always be removed to increase space and reinstalled in case of an emergency or need), this design is not only logical but also completely legitimate.

 This is just a small part of the work I've done on the drawings. I'll simply post the material as I structure it into coherent threads (because I'm working on so many aspects at once, it's easy to get confused).

 

 

20.02.2026

 

 Mast and bowsprit.
Since I still haven't bought a lathe and need the parts now, I decided to make them myself. To do this, I first need to mark out the trapezoid shape from a rectangular blank.

 Then, using an angle grinder, I make trapezoids from the rectangles, but so that their dimensions are 2 mm larger than the finished parts and, naturally, longer.

 Then I mark the axles and screw in a screw on one side to secure the bearing I'll be holding. On the other side, I make a taper to fit the screwdriver.

But before the "turning work", if you can call it that, I first make an 8-sided polygon with a plane, then a 16-sided polygon, and bring the part closer to a cylinder.

 Then I do as shown in the photo below. The key is to ensure the rotations of the screwdriver and grinder counter-rotate to achieve greater friction.

 The method is, to put it mildly, specific, but the main thing is that the working friction zone is as in the photo below.

 Just like in the good old days, I do everything on my knee)))) But here is the result:
By the way, this is my second attempt at making a mast... Initially, I made it out of dark pear wood and miscalculated the thickness, so I had to remove a little more than half a millimeter...

... and it would seem that half a millimeter is nothing, but feel the difference in volume.

I had to redo it, but I'm glad I did, because I didn't really like the dark version. It was spotty and had a pronounced pattern. But the biggest drawback is that dark pear wood is much more flexible than light wood. The bowsprit, which is thinner than the dark mast, is much stiffer. And this is important here, because standing rigging can significantly bend soft wood.
Especially since this will be the sixth shade of pear wood (in addition to the five already available) that will be used on the model.
Next, I aligned the bowsprit horizontally in a milling machine and made a square piece measuring 10.1 x 10.1 mm, which is a 1:48 scale. By the way, the deck will be 11.1 mm thick. I will update all the dimensions and drawings in the corresponding thread about this ship's rigging.

I didn't bother with the square section of the mast, as I didn't need it for the deck. I tapered it at the bottom so it would fit into the aluminum cylindrical holder inside the hull. First, I determined the center (axis) and mounted the mast on a milling machine, securing it at three points.

 This method isn't suitable for the finished version; the milling cuts are wavy, which I filled with putty. But this section will be inside the hull and won't be visible... and the most important thing for me is to maintain the alignment of the axles, and I succeeded. The mast is vertical along the side.

The bowsprit is still longer and the frames need to be reduced so that it fits evenly, but I put it there to visualize the dimensions.

Next comes the anchor mechanism... and then we can finally set up all the nail positions on the deck.

 


23.02.2026

 

 According to the anatomy drawings, the hold grating has a specific number of combs. By calculating them with a pitch and a size of 1 mm (precisely the right number), my grate ended up slightly smaller. I didn't mind, since the ship is already small. I thought there would be more space on the deck, but... it wasn't the case. Once I'd finished it, both in terms of the entire deck and the size of the sailor (figurine), I realized it was still a bit small...
I had to add another comb to both the width and the length (for proportion) and redesign the grating.
All the manipulations are practically the same as before, but I changed a few things to speed things up and simplify things... In particular, I defined the shape of the arch right away and then milled around it.

 Due to constant power outages (war, shelling of our power plants...), I didn't notice that the cutter was pressed against a drop of glue and accidentally turned on the router... -8 euros...

And even though the grate will be barely visible under the boat and behind the supports, I'm still glad I redesigned it.
And the smaller one I made earlier will be used in the installation for the first skeletal hull.
The idea is this: the skeletal hull will be on a stand with frames and minimal planking. The deck will be laid out without planks. On it will be the frames without grates and windlasses, but without the gun carriages and cannons. And on the base plate of the storage box, I'll place the stove as a separate element, the gun carriage (maybe all 12, or at least one or two), and the anchors. Ropes will extend from the anchors and lead to this grate... and the ropes will dive into the rope holes. That's the idea. To show the hull as transparently as possible, but also to show what was inside it, but nearby on the plate...

 

 Next...

  

 

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