Reference · How-tos · Decks

Planking the upper deck off the ship with thread as caulking seam

Plank the upper deck off the ship with a king plank, 0.15 mm thread between the planks as caulking seam and temporary bulkheads underneath against warping, then scrape and oil.

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1. 1Plank the deck loose and cover the gun deck

   Take the plywood upper deck off the ship and plank it on the workbench; you can reach it far better and the margin plank will always fit properly. Meanwhile cover the openings to the gun deck, because planking produces a fair amount of mess.

   

   Tip from Stephan Kertész: Cover the gun deck with overhead transparency, which is stiffer than plastic film. That way no debris and dust gets down below.

   Watch out: Hans Groenenberg found it harder to fit a fully planked deck than to plank on the fixed deck. You take that risk deliberately.

2. 2Lay the margin plank in sections

   Make the margin plank 9 mm wide and from two pieces, in sections, because trees that long did not exist. On top of it comes the 1 mm bulwark planking, so 8 mm remains visible on deck: exactly twice the width of the deck planks.

   9 mm wide, 8 mm visible

   

   Watch out: Lay a margin plank along the waist too, even if it may not belong there. Otherwise you get a ridge, and that does not work for the planksheer.

3. 3Make and lay the king plank

   Start in the middle with a king plank, a quarter wider than the other planks: here 5 mm. There is none in the kit, but as it is all short pieces you can make it nicely from the offcuts of the margin plank.

   king plank 5 mm

   

4. 4Test the thread as caulking seam

   First lay a trial seam with and without thread side by side. Thread of 0.15 mm corresponds at 1:64 scale to a real caulking seam of 7 to 9 mm. See whether you like the seam before laying the whole deck that way.

   thread 0.15 mm

   

   Tip from Hans Groenenberg: In the past it was done much more often with thread in between, and it is being used again on the Kolderstok fluyt. I would do it.

   Watch out: The oil-based pencil that worked so well on the gun deck had run out and the shops were shut. So the thread was also an emergency measure that turned out well.

5. 5Glue temporary bulkheads with the correct sheer under the deck

   Cut bulkheads with the sheer of the deck from scrap material and glue them temporarily along the whole underside. That way the deck follows the correct sheer while being planked and does not warp. Lay the deck on the model regularly to see whether it is going well.

   

   Tip from Herby63: Your workbench and cutting mat are flat, but the deck has a sheer along its length and across its width. Planking it flat makes the deck stiffer, and then it may no longer take that sheer later. Ideal is a jig in the shape the deck has to take.

   Watch out: My first idea was to put the deck under the cutting mat after every session. That is exactly the fixing flat that Piet and Herby advised against.

6. 6Lay the planks with the thread between them

   Lay the planks one by one next to the king plank and lay a length of thread between each plank. Glue the sides of the planks as well, so the thread is held firmly. Keep to a fixed planking pattern, the three-butt shift from zu Mondfeld (0-1-3-2).

   

   

   Tip from Stephan Kertész: If the thread is loose, fix it from above with matt varnish before scraping. Then you scrape that layer away, the thread is fixed and no longer picks up dust.

   Watch out: In hindsight the seams are just a little too wide, but they look good to the eye. Then make the other side as symmetrical as possible.

7. 7Joggle the planks symmetrically into the margin plank

   Let the planks into the margin plank at the bow (joggling). The planks vary in width between 3.8 and 4.2 mm, so measure and sort, so that the planks joggle in at the same height on both sides.

   planks 3.8 to 4.2 mm

   

   Watch out: Because of the symmetrical joggling, the lines at waist and forecastle deck no longer come out exactly in line. That is the only drawback and I have accepted it.

8. 8Scrape the deck, twice

   After laying, scrape the whole deck with a cabinet scraper, and do it twice. Scraping removes glue residue and keeps the sheen of the wood, whereas sanding goes dull and leaves scratches across the grain. Work carefully and with the grain.

   Tip from Stephan Kertész: The model-building books say you do not sand the deck with sandpaper but scrape it with a blade. The wood keeps its sheen and with a blade you have more control.

   Watch out: Before you know it you scrape the threads out of the butt ends between the planks. Some caution is called for.

9. 9Oil the deck before fitting

   Before fitting, apply a thin coat of Rustins Danish oil and rub it off. First check that your oil is still good; old oil can go off.

   Tip from pietsan: Apply a thin coat and rub it off.

   Watch out: The oil left over from the gun deck turned out to be no good any more. Ordered new Rustins Danish oil.

Result

The thread caulking seams please me very much, even though you rarely see it on the forum. Thanks to the temporary bulkheads the deck took the sheer; I would not have got that in so easily afterwards, as Stephan rightly remarked.