Getting started

September 18-21, 2015

Meet the Black Prince:



The box didn't contain a lot. Two (very) large plans with small text in a multitude of languages, a bundle of wooden sticks and some plastic bags with the tiniest items like window glass, cannons and anchors. The description of the wood types threw me off a bit (it's all in code), but apparently it's a generic description that is reused in all Mamoli's models.
The hull was quit obvious and all elements were clearly numbered. 1 to 13 and you've got a ship. Sort off...
It's deck was there as well.
The clamps are awesome. I use them a lot, they were worth the investment (2.99!)
So lets glue the whole thing together. The woodglue is called Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue. It says it's waterproof, but if you make a mistake and soak it in water it'll release and you can re-do your mistake (which is called 'Water cleanup' on the bottle).

Fairing and Fillers

When preparing for planking the hull, there are two things that need doing. Fairing is mentioned in the instructions, but my main resource for understanding the planking process and it's preparation I got from a document called: Simple hull planking techniques for beginners
This has been a major help for understanding why you need to do certain things.

Fairing is the process where you sand off enough from you bulkheads to make the planks fit properly on the bulkhead. I've lifted an image from the above document (chapter 7. fairing the hull):
Fillers are blocks of wood that make your planks fit better. Unfortunately on this particular model I didn't really see the use or had any benefit from them.


Lessons learned:

1. Check for warping.
The main plank isn't exactly straight and it would have been (in retrospect) a good idea to soak it in water and press it under something have to make sure it's straight.
2. Fillers are kinda useless when they're tiny

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