Hi guys. Several years ago I made a start on the AL Cadaque but had a lot of problems with the hull and like many others gave up on it. The last few days Ive been watching a lot of videos relating to various ship models being built and have found a renewed interest in wanting to complete the Cadaque. Im now at the stage of having almost completed the first layer of planks and Im encouraged by the fact that Ive got this far.

So as to the questions.

First off is how do I taper the mast without any tools? I don't want to spend out on something like a mini lathe until Im sure that I will be making other ships, particularly if they have masts. My woodworking skills are limited so I need it simple at the moment.

Secondly. Ive been watching a series of videos of a Russian chap building the Hatchette HMS Hood. Unfortunately there is no speech in the videos so I have no idea what the following might be.

In #80 he sands the hull and then coats it in diluted PVA glue. Once that is dry he then proceeds to coat it in some sort of paste that reminds me of something like polyfiller. So what is the substance he is using? And is it necessary on any planked ships like the Hood? You can see what Im talking about in the following video.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Antony

Thanks Colin. Never would have thought of that. As I paint (oils and acrylics), I have some brushes hanging around. A quick check showed me that a long handled size 4 was just about right.