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7. THE HULL AND STAND

Further Information about the Wohk on the Hull of "Royal Albert," particularly with Reference to the Stem Head. Gunports and Wales.

After the main portion of the hull of the Royal Albert has been completed as described in Chapter V., there is a considerable amount of detail work still remaining to be done, including the building up of the stem head, the completion of the wales, making gunports and numerous other items which for convenience can be looked upon as being parts of the hull.

Unfortunately it is impracticable to divide the work into definite sections. It is inevitable that some things have to be made and fitted in what would appear to be an incorrect order; this is due in some measure to the fact that on the real ship it is easy to have access to all parts of the vessel, whereas on the model such facilities are denied, and conse­quently it is necessary to do the work as opportunity offers. However, as far as possible the related work has been grouped into chapters in this book, but readers should always refer to other chapters when it is needed to ascertain more about some details that may only appear in the photographs illus­trating a particular section, or be mentioned briefly in the letterpress.

In a previous chapter, various methods of making hulls in general were described, particularly the laminated system, which  was   recommended   as   the   desirable   method   for  a representative scale model,  such as  that which forms the subject matter of this and the following chapters of this book.

The hull should therefore be built on the laminated system as described in Chapter V., and be shaped from the keel upwards to the level of the upper gun deck. On the working drawings this deck shows a slight sheer, but so little of it is actually visible on the finished model that it can well be left flat, which greatly facilitates subsequent operations.

The next procedure is to prepare a thick plank or planks to extend upwards from the level of the upper gun deck to the highest point of the top rail, but excluding any handrails. This plank can be sawn to shape as before and then carved on the/ outside so that it completes the external contours of the hull, for which purpose it should be temporarily screwed to the main hull block. Remove it after the outside has been shaped, and proceed to saw out as much of the interior as possible, thus leaving a thin wall with the correct external contours and sheer. Now with the aid of the small spokeshave and with the chisels, proceed to carve the inside face of this plank until it is as thin and smooth as practicable. The thickness of the walls should be of the order of ^ inch or thereabouts, as it represents, in part, the bulwarks, and if they are too thick, the boat looks clumsy and also reduces the apparent length of the gun barrels as they cannot reach far enough through the hull side to project sufficiently.

When the plank has been shaped as described it should be well glued and fixed to the upper gun deck with a few long thin panel pins driven down very carefully through the wood. Give the whole of the exterior a rub down with sandpaper, and then proceed to prepare the stem piece.

This can be sawn out of a piece of 5-ply wood measuring J inch in thickness, an operation that is easily performed with the aid of a fretsaw as shown in fig. 53, where the saw • and the work have been photographed as they appear to the eyes of the worker.

The outline of the stem has first to be drawn on the wood, and a sufficient amount left on the inner part to enable it to be fitted into a slot which has to be cut at the bows; the shapes are of course taken from the drawings on plate No. 3.

Fig. 53.  Shaping the Stem Head.

This slot is formed in the bows by making two parallel saw-cuts barely \ inch apart, and then chiseling out the intervening wood, using a very narrow chisel and cutting downwards from the keel towards the deck, the hull mean­while resting upon a block of wood with the keel uppermost.

Take great care to make the slot absolutely upright, that is, parallel with the vertical centre line of the hull, and see also that the sides of the slot are parallel to the fore and aft centre line of the hull. Try the stem piece into place as shown in fig. 54 until it fits exactly, then put it aside until a later time when it can be fitted permanently. Make and fit the deadwood at the stern in exactly the same way, this part being clearly shown in fig. 63 on page 82.

Now fit the various bulkheads or transverse walls as shown on the drawings, noting that the upper edges of all of them must have a corresponding camber, as all the decks, other than the upper gun deck, exhibit a sheer or longitudinal curve, and a camber or transverse curvature. These bulk­heads can be cut to shape with a fretsaw, then carefully fitted into place, after which any windows, doors or the like should be modelled or painted on them according to the style of finish desired. This done and their surfaces varnished, they are glued into place and secured by a few very fine pins driven through the hull sides.

Fig. 54.  Testing the Fit of the Stem Head.

The work at the bows or forecastle is clearly shown in fig. 55 and consists of a forward transverse piece which fits against the vertical ends of the upper plank; a second bulkhead fitted about 1 inch behind the first, and the ship's galley represented by two parallel longitudinal pieces and one small transverse piece. Three little slots have to be cut in the galley walls and deck beams fitted into them as is clearly shewn in fig. 55.

These beams must be cut to shape from "stripwood" measuring Jinch deep and -|inch thick, then glued and placed in the slots with their ends butting against and glued to the inner faces of the hull. A fourth deck beam is then fitted just in front of the galley, and like all the others is slightly cambered on the top edge. The galley windows and doors are represented as before, prior to fixing the part. The forecastle deck is next prepared and fitted, but is not finally fixed until some time later.

Fig.  55.  Building up the Forecastle Bulkheads and Beams.

Now comes the representation of the gunports, which on this model are done in two different ways. The ports which come above the level of the upper gun deck are pierced through the hull sides, those below that level are dummies and represented by port-lids or covers.

The position of every gunport should be marked on the surface of the hull, and those to be pierced should then have a hole drilled through the centre, doing this carefully to avoid breaking or splintering the wood on the inside.

Next proceed to square up theports by means of a small chisel as shown in fig. 56, exactly as if making a mortice. The chisel, which must be very sharp, is held in an upright position with the left hand while it is driven down into the wood by a blow from the base of the palm of the right hand. Make an incision in this way on all four sides of the opening, then gradually chisel away the unwanted wood.

Fig. 50.  Cutting out the Gunports.

Do the same on the inside of the bulwarks or hull sides and gradually chip out the wood, then finish off the holes by filing their sides witha sharp square file as pictured in fig. 57 to ensure good clean edges and neat square corners. The dummy port-holes, and the port-covers can be left for the moment, while the docksare prepared. Alternative methods for this work arc described and illustrated, but the reader can adopt whichever seems most appropriate to his own skill and ability. The more important decks are in any case preferably made of a close-grained white wood, holly or white sycamore being the best.

Fig.  57.  Filing the Gunports to Shape.

The latter material, measuring J inch thickness, was used for the quarterdeck, and is shown in fig. 58 during the fitting stage.

To prepare such a deck, draw the outline of it on the surface of the wood, noting that the grain thereof runs from end to end of the boat, never across it; then cut the wood to shape with the fretsaw and carefully plane the edges until it fits nicely between the bulwarks. The after end of the said deck rests upon a fillet—a narrow strip of wood—glued and pinned to the bulkhead, while the middle part rests on the top edge of the forward bulkhead, and the outer or bridge portion is subsequently supported by miniature columns. This deck should be fitted properly, but not fixed permanently until much later on, certainly not until the guns have been fixed in their places, as if the deck is fixed before that is done it will be found impossible to get the guns into place.

Fig.  58.  Fitting the Quarterdeck.

When the deck has been fitted all the exposed edges must be rounded off and nicely sandpapered. The upper surface is then lined with a soft blacklead pencil to represent the planking, and the marginal plank drawn in and coloured a warm reddish brown.

Fig. 59.  Covering the Upper Gun Deck.

Give the deck a coat of crystal varnish to prevent it becoming soiled. The topgallant, poop and forecastle decks are prepared in a similar way and fixed later as may be convenient, the fixing being done with glue and fine pins.

Fig. 60. The Dummy Staircase to the Upper Gun Deck.

As the surface of the wood block which represents the upper gun deck will not be of sufficiently pleasing appearance, it should be covered with a sheet of 3-ply "Bristol board,' cut to fit easily into place, as shown in fig. 59, lined out to represent planking and coloured to match the sycamore. On this model the lower decks are not shown, but a miniature staircase is represented to give an illusion of depth. This consists of a hollow V-shaped cavity cut across the hull and having steps at each side; it is clearly visible in fig. 60 and is also shown in greater detail on the working drawings plate No. 4.

The deck card, after it has been painted, is varnished withcrystal varnish and then gummed into place, the back of the card and the surface of the wood being liberally coated with gum and the card then pressed well down into firm contact. If carefully done theresult is extremely effective as can be judged from several of the illustrations.

Fig.  61. Fixing the Chessruns to the Hull.

The next features of the hull to receive attention are the wales, doublings and chessruns, all of them represented by strips of stout Bristol board, gummed to the surfaces of the hull.

Fig. 62. Shaping the Stern of  Royal Albert.

Fig. 63. Fitting the Rudder to the Deadwood at the Stern.

The whereabouts and dimensions of all these strips are given on the drawings; they have only to be cut to size, and where necessary to the proper curvature, and the inner faces coated with Seccotine or other adhesive. Apply the strip promptly but carefully to marks previously made on the hull, and press it firmly into contact. Some of the strips will pass across the gunports, and at those places the card has to be cut away after the adhesive has set. The chessruns are vertical strips and are applied double; a pre­liminary layer—shown in Pg. 61—being followed by a second strip, so that it stands out beyond the wales. The entry-port, which is dealt with in Chapter X. on "Deck Fittings," is made up as a separate unit and fitted later on, but the recess into which it will fit is clearly shown in this illustration, immediately to the left of the chessrun.

When the hull was carved, as described in Chapter V., a surplus of wood at the stern was mentioned, and it is now time to carve this roughly to its proper shape, as the stern gallery should by now have been built up as described in Chapter VIII. The best way of dealing with this part of the work is to glue and nail two narrow strips of wood to the outer corners of the hull, so that the lowest deck card on the stern gallery can bear upon them. Put the stern gallery into place and secure it with a drawing pin, then draw on the hull the contour of the lower edge of the stern gallery, and indicate the positions and exact shapes of the two supporting brackets. Remove the stern gallery and then proceed to carve away the unwanted wood as shown in fig. 62, resting the hull on two blocks of wood as shown and keeping it in place on the bench by three other blocks, nailed to the bench in such a way that the stern of the boat is held by them. The shape and general aspect of this part of the work is clearly shown in fig. 63, but at a slightly later stage. All the carving is done in the usual way with chisels and gouges, but any little deficiencies can be filled in and the scrollwork on the brackets modelled with plastic wood.

The rudder is sawn to shape from 5-ply wood \ inch in thickness, and is secured to the deadwood, as shown in fig. 63, by two long panel pins, also by straps made of thin card gummed in place to represent the iron straps of the pintles and rides; those on the rudder should be fitted first and those on the deadwood, or sternpost, immediately beneath them, and the pintles represented by little pieces of thin rounded wood which can be glued into the bends of the card strips.

Fig. 64. Fitting Gunport Cover over a Wale.

The gunport lids are small rectangular pieces of 4-ply card, with two tiny strips of thin card gummed to the top edge, half overlapping the card and half projecting beyond it, the relative proportions and positions being shown on several illustrations. The card is then painted, the rect­angular part black and the two hinge pieces a dull yellow to represent brass.

The port covers are gummed into their places on the hull, but where they fit over a wale or doubling the latter must be cut away as shown in fig. 64 to allow the lid to lie flat. The covers which belong to the other ports, which are pierced, are treated in a different way, as shown in fig. 65, the hinge pieces being bent to a right angle and gummed to the hull so that the covers project, this being done at a much later time,  preferably after the guns are in place and the bulk of the work in the model has been completed.

Fig. 65. Fitting Gunport Cover with Hinges.

When fitting these covers, steady the hull with the left hand and place the cover in position with a small pair of tweezers, manipulated with the right hand, the illustration (fig. 65) showing this operation as it appears to the eyes of the worker.

Work at the stem includes the figure-head, stringers, knightheads and a few other details. Mention has already been made of the method of preparing and fitting the stem piece; this should now be carried a stage further by drawing upon it the outline of the figure-head (in this case a lion wearing a crown), and also the positions of the two holes for the gammonings, the latter being drilled, pierced with the fretsaw and then filed up smooth. The outline of the figure-head should be sawn away as far as possible, and cleaned up to the true shape or profile.

The stem piece is then placed in the slot in the bows and secured temporarily with a wedge while the knees and stringers are prepared. These can all be cut from veneer or very thin frctwood, but the novice is advised to use a good grade Bristol board; a thick card known as "watercolour board" is very good for the purpose and was used on the present model. The exact shapes of these parts can only be ascer­tained by trial and error, as they must fit exactly, but the diagram (fig. 66) gives their approximate outlines.

Fig.  06. Diagram of the Stringers.

Commence by fitting the lower knee as shown in fig. 67, which incidentally reveals the outlined figure-head and the gammoning holes. The second knee and lower stringer are made in one piece and fitted as shown in fig. 68; the lower part must fit closely against the hull, but the upper part has to be twisted at the top so that it will lay flat against the figure-head. These cards should be held in position by pins but should not be permanently fixed for the time being.

Fig.  67. Attaching the Lower Knee to the Stein Head.

Fig. 68. Shaping the Knee and Lower Stringer.

Fig. 69. The Stringers Temporarily fixed to the Stem.

Fig. 70. Further Progress of the Work at the Stem Head.

The three stringers proper are then fitted temporarily as shown in fig. 69, the lower reaching from the intermediate upper wale to the stem head, the next from the underside of the cathead to the figure-head, and the upper one from the side face of the queen-post to the upper part of the figure-head.

Fig. 71. Plan of Bow Rails and Gratings.

Fig. 72. Half Front View and Cross Section at Bows.

The lower knee-piece is shown straight in the preceding illustrations, but when it is finally fixed it has to be bent between the fingers to a graceful curve as shown in fig. 70, where the final fixing of one of the stringers is pictured as it appears to the eyes of the worker, and after the figure-head and other parts have been completed and fixed.

Reverting to the work at the stage shown in fig. 69, the stringer pieces should have their surplus ends cut off, be carefully sandpapered on all edges, flattened out and used as templates for a second set which have to be fitted on the opposite side.

Fig. 73. Side Elevation of Bows and Figure-head.

After both sets have been prepared, they are laid aside and the figure-head and other parts completed including  the  gratings  and  gammonings,   the  construction of which are described in Chapters X. and XI., pages 143 and 147. Detailed drawings of these parts are given in figs. 71, 72, 73, which are, however, reproduced to a smaller scale than the plates.

Remaining items on the hull which can conveniently be mentioned here are the channels, doublings and chain-plates. The channels consist of pieces of ⅛-inch fretwood, cut to shape, fitted so that they project from the ship's side, and strengthened by angles fitted to the upper side, as shown in fig. 74 and on the working drawings.

Fig. 74. Fitting the Chain Plates.

The chain-plates are made from No. 20 gauge hard-drawn brass wire formed into a loop at the top and encircling a dead-eye, the wire being passed  through a hole drilled through the channel before it was fitted, and terminated by sloping it downwards, inwards and sternwards and fitting it into a hole drilled in the side of the hull. The end of the wire should be bent over as shown in fig. 74 and pressed into the hole. The doublings are shaped pieces of card, which extend over the hull side from the forward end of the fore-channels and reach from the upper gun-deck to the lower or main wale as shown rather lighter in colour in fig. 74; the purpose is to strengthen the hull and protect it from damage when weighing anchor.

As before mentioned, some of this work must be done at different stages, but various operations have been grouped together as far as possible in a connected manner in this chapter.  

Little need be said about the stand; it can be a simple affair comprising a shaped baseboard with two transverse members shaped on their upper faces to the contours of the hull and painted in any inconspicuous manner.

Alternatively, it may have a heavily moulded base with elaborately turned metal pillars, or be dealt with in any way that fancy or inclination may suggest. Full details of this work, as well as the construction of showcases and stands—all within the compass of the novice—are fully described in How to Make Clipper Ship Models, published by Messrs. Brown, Son & Ferguson, Ltd., price 12s. 6d. net, a companion work, uniform with and written by the author of the present book, which should be obtained by all ardent makers of representative scale model ships.

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