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Chippa

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Round Rock, Texas
  • Interests
    Model Ships, Rockhound, Lapidary, Guitar, Futures Trading.

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  1. Wow, yours look way better then mine. If mine looked like that I would use them too.
  2. Hi Erik, I think I have the same kit that you do. Mine stalled a long long time ago. I did not like the stern metal etching plates that were supplied with the kit. Mine are really in very poor condition. The etchings were not etched properly, and not only that they are really kind of ugly. I sort of stalled on the kit, with the idea of replacing the whole stern with my own version made from wood and fancy toothpicks. How are your stern metal etching plates? Are you going to be able to use them?
  3. As long as you don't put up a sign that says "Wrong size plank used", then who in the world will know that you did? It looks good to me. By the time your finished the model, that size detail will be swallowed by the rest of the Ships details. You can always put another sign up in front of the finished model that says "I like this size planking better".
  4. I decided to recycle an old "Laser" which was originally used/attached to my radial arm saw blade. After I purchased the darn thing, I decided I didn't like the idea of having to offset all my measurements by 1/8". So I took it off a long time ago and just left it in my toolbox. Then I decided to put it to good use as a homemade "Laser Level Guide". I attached it to my ancient, really ancient sears drill press accessory, which was originally used for mounting electric drills for use as a drill press. I also drilled out the Laser circular thingy and soldered in a push button switch. I needed this to verify that all my lines on the hull are at exact heights relative to each other. It works great. The picture shows a huge splash of red light on the 10th bulkhead from the stern. But, trust me, it is actually just a small red dot. I guess my eyes and the camera see things differently.
  5. Some updates have been done. Although I don't get to spend as much time on this as I would like too. Perhaps an hour or two here and there. I managed to get the lower gun deck glued in. After the glue dried I had to take the Xacto knife and trim off the edges of the deck, because they extended out beyond the bulkhead frames, just a little. Next Step was to get the lower deck cannon carriages made up, so that I could get an accurate height between the gun carriages and the dummy gun barrel mounts. Good thing to because the instructions didnt say anything about this, and If I don't do this step then the dummy gun barrels will be mounted much lower than the carriage guns. Next up was the mounting of what the instructions call "brackets for planking" at the bow. It seems like I won't need filler blocks with these extra frames at the bow. Much of the "fairing" has been done to. Next up is the dummy cannon mounts and frames for the cannons, once this is done maybe I can begin planking.
  6. Hi Jerry, I like the way steelers and drop planks look. Have you seen this picture? http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/bluff_bow_planking_primer.pdf
  7. Got to spend a little time on this model. This one shows the bulkheads with the "Longherons" in place. I'm showing this one in case someone else decides to build this Mantua model. Those longherons gave me some headscratching. There no sizes listed as to length of cut, and width of plank. The instructions more or less just sort of give me the idea of "just do it". So I "just did it", and hope all is alright. Much filing of the slots on the keel and bulkheads to get everything to fit. Although, these longherons do serve a good purpose. They make sure that all the bulkheads are the right height, and do help aid in preventing the twisting of the hull. But it is really tricky getting them cut to the right length. Some dimensions in the instructions would have been helpfull. The bulkheads are just dry fit, no glue as yet. Next is to finish adding some more supports. Then find some small right angle aluminum to help square up the bulkheads for gluing.
  8. Thanks for the hints. I think I have figured out what "Longherons" are. My picture shows two strips of wood up near the top. I believe those are the longherons, that need to fit into those slots on the bulkhead frames. Unfortunately, not all the frames fit. So I will have to sand those slots to get a sliding fit. Also I can't mount one frame at a time. I will have to put the "longherons" through all the slots first, then mount the whole shebang on to the keel. It's gonna be tricky. Although I appreciate the idea that those "longherons" are there to help prevent twisting of the hull.
  9. Oh Brother. I am trying to fit the Frames to the Keel. But the instructions make no sense whatsoever. Problems before even starting. The instructions say: "Place all the sixteen frames into the longherons 17 and keel 18; check the centre line ot framing and glue." Haha. what in the world are "longherons"? Italian to english translation says "backstay, frame member, spar." sheesshh Then what in the world is "centre line ot"? Huh? what is ot? Here's the problem: I think those longherons are supposed to be a strip of wood going through the center of the frames. But again, no instructions on what size wood to use. And it appears that there are two strips one above the other. Oh man, this model is gonna take a lot longer then I thought. Anybody out there understand these Italians?
  10. Here's my USS Constitution kit, I got this off of craigslist for $25.00. I had to get it at that price. So I'm taking the first step. Step 1: - Open the Box. Step2 : Make sure it's all there. Step3: Get a "Dry Dock" workstation going. I went ahead and took an old aquarium stand (48 gallon) and added the 2x4 supports to hold an overhead 2 bulb flourescent lighting system. I am an old fart, and I need bright lights to help me see better. I have nestled this Dry Dock in between my "Rockhounding" and "Lapidary" collections. My first chosen task - made a "Build Board". Or maybe some call it a "keel Clamp". Well that's all for today. According to the "instructions" my first task is to cut out all the bulkheads, and mount them. Hopefully I will get time to do this part sometime this week. I really hope I haven't started to early, cause I have a lot of other things to take of. Like looking for a job, and writing automatic stock trading programs.
  11. I did something similar to your 1st photo. I just used two 2x4 uprights, slotted with a dato, to fit the keel board, then, mounted those 2 uprights on a 3rd 2x4, and clamped the setup in my homemade board clamp. It was really sturdy and worked well. It worked a lot better then my planking abilities.
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