...we continue... Chapter 7. Lower Deck p.2

 

Then he made imitation bolts on beams and Carlings (elings).
Connection between beams and Carlings (elings) took place by cutting in and fastening with two bolts diagonally. The imitation was carried out, as previously described.

The connection between the beams and the hull did not take place directly to the frames, but to the power rail using two bolts, also placed diagonally.

 The connection between the Carlings and Ledges (slats thinner) took place by two methods. Or the same as the previous ones...

... or by another kind of cutting-in and glowing from above.

I made an imitation with a needle and then rubbed a little with fine sandpaper so that the dust clogged the holes and when applying oil there would be a round trace (2 in the photo on top, and what is marked 1 is an imitation of a bolt that fixes the support to the beam).

For this support, I make a drill (by 4) a small recess to create a place for glue.

And the only detail that I did not stick was the front beam. Beams, which holds the element from below, which passes through the entire hull of the ship and is fixed on the upper deck. Therefore, I will fix both beams at the same time in order to accurately determine the grooves for fixing Pawl bitt pin.

I glued the rest of the elements according to this scheme.

For convenience, so that the beams do not move during fixation, I locked the beams on the sides with ordinary clerical clamps. It's convenient, I positioned bbms without glue, squeezing it on the sides, and then I just took it out, brought in the glue and put the beam in the right place in one motion and pressed it, that's all. Very simple.
Now, a little fixation slideshow... (by tradition).

... continuation of the previous post, some macro and beautiful angles...


 


10.06.2025

 

he final chord on the lower deck is ladders.
You will see them a little less than anything, but the big-eyed will see.
Only these details were included. The steps themselves were not provided, even the instructions do not describe how this is done. Here is my version of the execution. On a real ship, the principle of connection was different, but if you start from blanks, you can do it like this (as I will show) and it will also be correct.
First I tried them on locally... they came up, but with a little - there is a nuance, at the end I will show how I corrected it.

 To begin with, I polished the front and inner surfaces, since they cannot be processed later.

Next, I calculated the distance between the sidewalls (a).

а = width of the opening (where the ladder is installed) - 2b (two width of the racks) - 0.4 mm (grinding after gluing from both sides by 0.2 mm)

 If everything is calculated correctly, then the finished staircase can fit into the opening for it.
Next, I glued all the PVA parts.

And after drying, the glue ground the edges of the steps and 0.2 mm on each side of the wall of the side racks.

 Well, I also polished the remaining surfaces where there were traces of laser cutting.
Here is the before and after result.

 But when I tried on the stairs in their openings and put a figure next to it on a 48th scale, I realized that something did not fit...
If the front staircase (with 4 steps, marked purple) fit and everything with it was fine, it corresponded to the anatomy drawing...

... then the rear staircase (with three steps, marked green) if installed in the opening, it completely blocked it. And this is logical, because in the anatomy of steps not 3 but two!! Therefore, I completely redid the rear staircase, removing the upper step and making the staircase itself and the step already wide.

And after fittings, I realized that it was the right decision. Since now the staircase did not overlap the opening and now it looks like this.

 I didn't have time to take pictures after fixing (the sun set). So, if everything is as planned, tomorrow I will photograph everything against the background of a figure on the 48th scale.
And to be honest, I was shocked how cramped it was inside the ship!! That's right very cramped! Wait and you will see for yourself.



11.06.2025


I wanted to photograph everything together against the background of Nelson's figurine so that the scale of the person could be seen...
but for some reason I made the height of the figure 182cm... which is too much for a sailor of those years.
So below, the result of fixing the stairs, and a little later we will continue with the figures.
Oh yes, there are 576 parts on the ship at the moment!
And in total, 68 wonderful days were spent building this model.
Front staircase:

And the rear (converted) staircase:

Let's continue with the figures...
I took the one already printed (the one that is 182 cm tall) and realized that on such a ship this growth would simply be torment, since there would be very closely tall people.
I asked the chatGPT what was the height of Nelson and the average sailor of those times. This value was +- 165 cm. And since my height is 170 cm, I will print something average (168 cm, this is about 35mm with a 48m scale, plus a hat). And this will not only give the viewer an idea of how cramped the sailors were on the ship, but also to me, regarding my height (as if I were there).
Printing will take 7 hours, so I will do it tomorrow while I am at work, and in the near future I will take a photo to demonstrate the ratio of the dimensions of the ship with the average sailor of that time. It will be interesting!
P.S. Oh yes... (if you do not take into account the photo with Nelson). Today I will start the upper deck...

 

 **Next, I'll skip the "upper deck creation" stage a bit so I can show the entire process in one chapter without interruption.

 

 

 18.06.2025

Imitation of bolts and fixation of keel to the 1st hull.
Before starting to fully engage in the 2nd hull, I want to cover the first with oil (there will be just time for the oil to dry). But before that, you need to make an imitation of bolts on all frames outside. I'll do that tomorrow. Also need to make an imitation of bolts on the keel, and then glue it.
So, first I circled the geometry of the keel in order to later produce the same for the second hull...

 ... and then guided by anatomy - made imitation bolts where it was needed.




The front part did this: I enlarged the image on the phone to real size and marked all the places of the bolts through tracing paper. Then it was necessary to place them correctly. The scheme shows how in the connection nodes they were installed in a certain way, but in other places, there is not just in the center, but a little staggered so that the bar does not split from the holes in the same places. And here's the result:

After that, it was possible to glue the keel to the hull. But that's easier said than done. It is necessary to glue smoothly and reliably.
I cut into 3x3mm blocks and taped them to stop the glue sticking to them.
Then I taped the space near the glue seam so that only the glue seam remained.

I then applied PVA Titebond II glue (as pictured above). And with the help of clamps, I clamped the keel between the blocks, as shown below.

Since the keel and false keel of the same thickness, these blocks are reliable between the clamps, and most importantly, they correctly position the keel.
And the tape, which I previously glued, does not allow the body parts to be stained with glue. The glue is easily erased from the tape and makes the result clean and without leaks of glue.
 

When I make an imitation of bolts on the frames and it will be a clear day, I will photograph macro photographs of the parts, but for now - general views of the hull with a keel.

 Now, the case looks more complete and you only need to make imitation bolts and cover with oil. I really want to see the color of the case under the oil. ))
P.S. forgot to clarify: on board 583 details... and while for some time it will be fixed... note in the statistics, and 74 days for construction.

 

 

22.06.2025

 

The final manipulation of the first hull prior to oil coating is simulating bolts on the frames from the outside.
Attention! In total, about 2500 imitation bolts were made (taking into account both puncture diameters). These are frames on both sides, keel, knees and all beams. I imagine how much it would take if I first pierced all these places, then drilled, then made pins from wire, then installed and polished them... The imitation took a total of a couple of days and after covering with oil I think the result will be excellent. Although with wire or insoles - more correct, I do not argue... but I am not immortal and I feel sorry for this time.
So, how exactly to make an imitation so that everything is plus minus exactly along the line.
I do not like to draw on the body with a pencil (then dust, dirt from erasure elastic)... I cut a flat strip from the gauze tape (1.25 mm wide - this is half of 2.5 mm, which should be between the central bolts) and glue along the joint of the frames parts. First, under the joint, I do an imitation and then over the joint.

 Then, cut the strip already 4 mm wide and glue above and below the central punctures. And I make two punctures. Thus, 4 mm is already obtained between the punctures.

By the way, I did this with the front frames, where the manufacturer simplified the 3 front frames without making connections in them. I previously made these connections by imitation, and now I have made imitation bolts next to them.

Well, here, in general, the result. I lay out close-ups, since there are practically no punctures on the general ones (only at some angles.)
I hope that after covering with oil - it will become better. But in fact, I wanted to. I didn't really like it when the wire stood out a lot with its black dots. This was the deciding factor as to why I made the imitation punctures, as they are not so much visible.
Finally the end! Now, I can cover the hull with oil.
I am now actively engaged in the creation of probes and tests with coating oils. And I will show you all the long-term results. This is very interesting, since not many people do it (I don't like it myself), but it is very important not to spoil the model. After all, oils in different combinations, dilutions, quantities of the layer and the wood itself behave completely differently, and sometimes unpredictably. And you need not only to have a stable color result, but also to understand the combination of colors that can be applied in combination on the model. I have an idea to beat the color palette of the second body very cool... 100500 more samples need to be taken... oh...

 


25.06.2025

 

I did a lot of testing with finishing oils, and looking ahead, I'll say that I coated the first hull with Belinka Tung Oil... which I partially regret.

Over time, the hull darkened considerably (you'll see later); it took forever to dry from the oil. And it smelled terribly. If I could go back in time, I'd definitely use Rustins Danish Oil. It dries quickly, doesn't stink, and doesn't darken the apple wood so much. Sometimes darkening the pear wood is helpful, but it definitely wasn't necessary with the apple wood.

MY NUMBER ONE TIP!!

Take pieces of wood (each sample you use for something on the model) and coat them with different oils. Place identical pieces in a dark place, in the shade and in the sun. After a long time, you'll see the difference and understand what the colors will look like under different lighting conditions and different oils.

In short, Tung oil provides the darkest shade, but a matte finish. Linen oil provides even more. Danish and Teak oils provide the least shade, but they can produce a sheen, which intensifies with repeated applications.

1. In more detail, Rustins Danish oil initially impressed me greatly, then disappointed me and I passed on it, but ultimately, I regret not choosing it. It's moderately thick and is best applied with a cloth. It produces a sheen with repeated applications, so it's best to apply it all at once.

By the way, if you apply several coats of Danish oil and don't wipe off the excess, you can achieve a glossy, shiny surface. I'll use this effect to coat model stands. I'll talk more about that later.

2. Rustins Teak oil. Its characteristics are very similar to Danish oil. It doesn't smell like regular oils, more like varnishes. And they both behave like varnishes. They dry quickly and don't leave a scent, but they don't really enhance the wood. Teak oil imparts a slightly stronger color to the wood than Danish oil, but it's not comparable to, say, Linseed oil. The second drawback is the same shiny film if you don't remove excess. It's very pronounced in its pure form or when diluted slightly. And if you dilute it heavily with solvent, the effect is even less. For the same reason, it's difficult to remove excess on all surfaces, so this oil isn't suitable for me. Incidentally, even if you remove excess, but apply a double coat, both Teak and Danish oil retain their shine even on the second coat, even when thinned with solvent.

3. Linseed oil. It would seem the simplest and most accessible. It doesn't leave a shine even after 3-4 coats, so you don't need to dilute it. BUT! There are several drawbacks. One subjective one is that after a while, this oil smells strongly of salidol (or old machine oil). But the biggest drawback is that linseed oil yellows light-colored woods. Over time, the wood's white or light color changes to a deep yellow, ruining the entire look. Be very careful with this!

4. And finally, tung oil (Belinka).
I tried applying it both neat and diluted in a 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2 ratio, and the results were the same! The oil dried completely without wiping off any excess, leaving no glossy film. This is a huge plus if you can't remove excess from hard-to-reach areas. BUT! I got burned on this one. Excess must be wiped off! Otherwise, this crap will sit for months and never dry. In short, I'm disappointed with this oil, and if I were to use it, I'd use Rustins.

Finally, I'd like to share a few more experiments. As I already said, linseed oil yellows light-colored woods, but it also affects dark woods. I noticed that after some time, the dark pear wood stained with linseed oil is much richer and darker than the one with tung oil. Although initially, after the coating, they were identical. Here's an example of how the dark pear wood color changed after a few months.
The top grate (under linseed oil) is darker than the one on the right (under tung oil). The difference may not be significant, but that's because they're so far apart. Look at the bottom left frame. The frame around the ladder is much darker than the frame around the dark frame. And here, the color is very different. Even though they're the same wood and were coated several months ago, the darker one was coated with linseed oil, and the lighter one with tung oil.

I'll try this in my next experiments with dark pear wood. And for the experiment, I also coated cherry wood with linseed oil.

But that's not all. I re-coated a small area (which I'd previously coated with tung and linseed oils) with tung oil (a second coat). As I mentioned before, linseed oil doesn't provide a shine even after multiple coats, but tung oil begins to shine slightly after the second coat. It's not comparable to Danish or Teak, but there's still a subtle sheen at certain angles. Here are the results.
Below is the signature "+ Tung 2:1," and to the left of it, you can see that the sheen is barely noticeable, but it's there. This is also important to keep in mind; if you accidentally don't coat the entire surface twice, the shiny and matte areas will be patchy.

However, I decided not to wait for this result and coated the first body (skeleton) with Belinka 2:1 Tung Oil. I'll show the results in the next post, but for now, I'll share a life hack. To make the lighter areas (light wood) less noticeable, I break off a piece of lead from a mechanical pencil and run it across the wood.
This slightly stains the area, and I rub it with a glove, which creates a slight shading. Don't go overboard here; just a little shading is all you need.

So, let's summarize the results of the tests I mentioned above...

Why I chose Tung Oil.

It doesn't leave a shine after one coat, even without dilution (like Teak and Danish oils. But remember, the shine appears after the second coat). I dilute it 2:1 with odorless artist's solvent for easier application of the thinner consistency. After applying Tung Oil, you don't need to remove any excess, and the oil won't leave a glossy film. (CORRECTION - you do need to remove it!) And again, with the second coat, a slight shine (semi-matte, satin) appears. And it intensifies with each coat. Therefore, ideally, for a matte effect, you should apply one coat. Tung oil doesn't change the color of wood over time, meaning it doesn't yellow light wood or darken dark wood like linseed oil. (CORRECTION - BUT it darkens the wood very much.) It doesn't smell as bad as linseed oil (CORRECTION - it still stinks like hell), but it's also not odorless, like Danish and Teak oils. Plus, you can even glue Tung oil with PVA, just like with Linseed oil. However, due to the film formed by Teak and Danish oils, they can have problems with adhesion. Tung oil also has one of the highest penetrating properties, which provides greater protection from atmospheric changes in a single coat compared to other oils. However, I wouldn't rule out combining it with Linseed oil to create a darkening effect on dark pear wood. That is, first coat with Linseed oil, then after a couple of weeks with Tung oil, but this still needs to be tested. Plus, I wouldn't rule out two coats of Tung Oil to create a semi-matte (satin) finish. That is, a slight sheen effect, but not like varnish. Again, we'll test it. For now, here's how the hull was coated up to the upper deck. This is while it's still wet. Once it dries, I'll definitely show you the results, in about a few weeks.

The result immediately after applying Belinka Tung Oil:
So far, I have mixed feelings... On the one hand, the wood has developed and gained color... but I probably expected it to be a bit lighter. It's especially dark inside the case. This is likely because the oil hasn't dried yet (I hope). Plus, the imitation nails, as I expected, are only visible at certain angles (which is exactly where I photographed them), but because the case is facing downwards, they're mostly invisible. But then again, if you look at it from all angles, the effect is there, and overall, I'm more than satisfied with the result. I'll wait for the case to dry.

Later, I'll show you more tests with pear, hornbeam, and boxwood. I'll also show you different nailing methods... I don't know how many people will be interested, but it will definitely be of interest to those who have already studied wood and finishing oils...

 

 

26.06.2025


After coating the deck sample with Tung Oil, this is what I discovered...

1 and 3. Dark pear - I initially rejected it because of its dark color. But you'll understand later why I changed my mind, and after coating it with Danish Oil, the color will be lighter.

2 and 4. Light pear (like 5, it's from a single piece), but I'll say ahead of time that the log cut was improper, and the entire pear was striped and completely unsuitable for decking.

5. This is exactly the pear, or rather the color, that I really like (peach). But it was extremely insufficient, so I used it on the side.
Next, I made a sample of the side.

I modified it a bit during the process, but overall, all the wood species I'll be using for the second hull are here:
I'll be using mostly light and dark pearwood for the sides. Black hornbeam for the velvet and railings. I'll also be using boxwood for the railings and blue hornbeam for the decorative strip that was on the original ship.

I honestly really liked this blue hornbeam. It doesn't look exactly like the photo, although it's close, but in person it's absolutely beautiful. And most importantly, this is exactly the color the ship had, and I got this hornbeam by chance. The person who helped me cut the wood just gave me a couple of blanks of this blue hornbeam... and it was perfect for me... I'm thrilled that now I don't need any paint (since I already have black, yellow (boxwood), and blue), hooray!
Only instead of white, below the waterline there will be a dark pear color. I'll talk about this in detail a little later...

And here's the result after applying Tung Oil to the sample.
I made the dowels from birch toothpicks. NOT bamboo!!! The end grain of the bamboo toothpicks consists of small cylinders (pores), which is very noticeable and looks unnatural when combined with the wood.

Getting ahead again, I want to talk about how I did it, not how I originally intended. I attached the birch toothpick dowels without glue and only to the Carvel sheathing. I made all the clinker sheathing with copper bolts.

Disregarding the dowels on the clinker, the color scheme was planned as follows:

 

 

27.06.2025

 

Today was a noisy day... may my neighbors forgive me)))

Spent several hours sawing the slats for the main part of the side planking.

Light pear. (It's quite striped, so I'll need to choose the slats so there aren't too many color variations.)

And dark pear.

To give you an idea, these are more than just meter-long pieces. There's a half-meter ruler next to it. And I took this fragment.
 To avoid confusing the sides or planes, I drew this beacon...
So that I could see it later on the ends of the slats. And then I laid them out in order and signed them at the end.
This is necessary so that the slats can be matched to the exact same color later, to avoid a checkerboard effect with noticeable color differences.

And here's what we got:
If I didn't have to match the color, there would be enough slats for four hulls here. But I hope after selecting the slats, there will be enough to perfectly lay out the entire uniform color.

As a reminder, I'll be using the light pear wood (besides the deck) on the sides above the waterline, and the dark pear wood below.

Now you need to select everything according to a uniform color... and here the question is - should I first develop the wood with oil, or should I still do it all dry... I need to check whether after covering with oil the wood will react to polishing and glue when fixing.

 

 

17.06.2025

 

I'm still struggling with the first hull. And it seems like I'm winning... but that's not certain)))

Almost two weeks have passed since I applied Tung Oil (2:1 with solvent). Conclusion! Dilute at least 1:1 and MUST remove any excess after 20 minutes. Otherwise, you'll have to take my word for it. So learn from others' mistakes.

Dust! Here's another blow to me. I did a thorough cleaning, protected the model from dust, but (naturally) didn't cover it, because how would it dry then? And then, a few weeks later, I discovered dust... and not just the kind that's easily blown away by a stream of air, but dust stuck to the oil, and even between the frames... Oh, my! I spent several hours fiddling with the hull today and thought it was all gone, but (spoiler alert) no!

So, I alternated between the two procedures. The first is wiping with a lint-free cloth soaked in oil paint thinner (and this is a very tedious, boring, and monotonous job)...

And the second procedure is removing dust using a vacuum cleaner attachment.

The result was practically unnoticeable after the first few passes, but I kept going, and after at least 7-8 passes, I saw a clean hull, free of dust, almost no stains from glossy films, and so on. And I was incredibly happy.

I'll let it dry as much as possible (while I still have work to do) and hope it dries completely (as it still feels like the curing isn't complete). I also hope that the dust that will appear during the process and then after sanding the upper deck won't stick to the surface anymore and can be easily removed with a vacuum cleaner attachment. At least, that's what I hope.

Well, since it's unlikely anything will change in appearance, I'll show you how the hull looks now. It looks like it's been coated with bitumen, exactly what I originally wanted. It's a pity that some fragments are a little lighter, but that's how it is (they all had to be replaced first), but maybe there's something in this, what do you think?

 

 Next...

  


/ copyright. serykoff 2009 - 2026 - /