A couple of newbee questions

[Antony Wright 1Participant @antonywright1]

[Antony Wright 1Participant @antonywright1]

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

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Re the mast you have options. Firstly you can simply wrap some abrasive paper round the mast and sand it down towards the top end to give you the taper you want.

Another option is to cheat! It is very easy to pick up cheap artists paintbrushes in handicraft stores and the suchlike. Uually they come in handy packs. A typical example is here:

**LINK**

Very often you can find the mast you want here, they are already varnished and nicely tapered and you just need to cut the bristles and some of the bottom off to get the length you need. I have used this method on several occasions.

Colin

[Antony Wright 1Participant @antonywright1]

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.

[Empire ParkstoneParticipant @empireparkstone]

clamp your electric drill in vice or bench stick appropriate dowel length -in it and you have your lathe

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