Bending Hull Strakes

  Bending Hull Strakes:  Put a small amount of ammonia (clear type, not lemon scented! LOL) in the water (hold your nose!). Don't worry, the model won't smell like cleaning fluid. The ammonia evaporates quickly. And use a fan for ventilation. A water trough, like the ones used for wetting pre-pasted wallpaper is great for this purpose. The ammonia helps, especially with sharper bends. The plank section must be dry before gluing. I use a bending template jig (diagram below) made of hard wood (with radii to match the different hull curves) to let the sections dry, while gluing each preceding dry piece. Position a hair dryer (on low) near the jig. Helps speed up drying time. The radii are slightly over bent to allow for 'spring back'. Really sharp bends, or hard woods may need steam bending. Wear gloves!