Sandman interlude

Sanding isn't complete, but we're getting there

The last thing I did Sunday before bed was sit with a sanding block and rub away at the bow and stern, which a couple of days before I'd shored up with the kit's reinforcing blocks. These blocks help maintain spacing between the fore- and sternmost frames, and they'll also be a convenient spot for the (real; not-penciled-in) nails that hold the planks in place.

I'm nervous about planking the hull, i.e. taking long, sturdier pieces of wood (called strakes) and creating the curved, lower shell of the ship. There are two approaches I'm considering:

• Soak the planks in water overnight, making them pliant; line up on frames and nail home.
• The "electric plank bender," or converted soldering iron: dampen part of a plank, apply high heat, bend slightly, and repeat until plank is bent in right shape. A template/mold to assist with bending came with the tool.

I'd like to get to the latter, but I'm leaning toward the former for now: it seems more forgiving, less frantic, and potentially kinder to my desk and fingers. (Concern about kindness to the desk tells me, yes, one day it will be nice to have a work bench I can knick, burn, and spill paint on.)

There'll be a bit of a test run with some upper deck work, i.e. attaching the gunwales: there's enough give to follow the slight curvature at the stern, but I'll need to bend them to follow the sharper curvature of the bow.