Sir Winston Churchill Model 706 from Billing Boats

[Ralph PayneParticipant @ralphpayne77696]

Help, can anyone suggest a good way to fix the hull planking such that the bow has a clean sharp, (pointed) edge from top to bottom please. Thanks.

[Ralph PayneParticipant @ralphpayne77696]

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hi Ralph

Try overlapping one side over the other i.e. right over left

Paul

[Ralph PayneParticipant @ralphpayne77696]

Paul,

Many thanks for the help. The hull is constructed in 2 separate halves. Only when both sections have been completed are they joined together. Because, as per instructions, each half is pinned to a base board for planking overlapping does not seem possible.
I very much appreciated your input and thanks once again.

Ralph

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ralph

I see the problem and you are correct that overlapping wont work.

It might be possible to glue a small wooden insert into length of the bow after the two halves of the hull have been glued together, this insert could then be worked into the sharp bow that you want to achieve without taking to much 'meat' out of the hull sides.

We could give you a better idea if you post a photo of the model with the 2 halves of the hull temporary held together, this way we can see exactly what needs to be done.

Paul

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Ralph,

I have a partially completed model of a Billings kit which uses the same method of construction. If yours is like mine then the kit contains two plywood hull profiles to which half section frames are glued and then the planking is attached over the top.

The plywood hull profiles provide the shapes of the keel, stem and stern of the model so what you need to do is to plank just short of the extremities of the hull profiles. This means that the ends of the planks, particularly at the bow, need to be chamfered to get a good gluing surface. It is also a good idea to introduce wood filler into the wedge shaped gap behind where the planks meet the plywood hull profiles. Ronseal two part wood filler is very good for this. When everything is glued and set you can sand the planking around the bow so that the plywood profile protrudes to give you a 'stem piece' of the right shape. This may entail sanding through the ends of the planks in which case you will be glad of the filler underneath!

When laying the planks you will also inevitably get gaps along the length of the hull as the planks will not always lie the way you would like them to! These gaps can be filled in with 'stealers' (short lengths of planking tapered to fit) and filler. It is usually best to start planking from the top and bottom of the hull and then sort out the gaps where the two lines of planking meet!

The whole hull then needs to be sanded down to a smooth finish.

The hull of the original ship was built of steel, not wood, so there is no need to show any planking on the model. You can either paint the hull as it is or you could represent the plating using gumstrip paper which, when sealed, will take paint very well.

Hope this helps,

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 18/01/2014 17:57:18

[Ralph PayneParticipant @ralphpayne77696]

Colin,

Many thanks for the info. The description you have given seems exactly the answer I have been searching for.

I will certainly give it a good go.

Thanks once again.

Ralph

[Ralph PayneParticipant @ralphpayne77696]

Paul,

It is a good idea to post photos and I would have done so were it not for the fact that Colin has actually created a model exactly like mine and has given me chapter and verse on how I should proceed.

Once again many thanks for your input and willingness to help. Greatly appreciated.

Ralph

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