thibaultron

I use Popsicle sticks, available cheaply in large packs, for the same purpose. The fact that they are wood and they absorb the paint in a similar way as model components helps me with fine tuning.

Ahoy Mates
 
In my never-ending quest to improve my airbrushing techniques and models  I have found this video
 
It is not an airbrushing video although he does use airbrushing paints. Most noticeably Vallejo's new Metal Model Air colors which may be of interest to many here. What he achieves is impressive. The author has also turned me onto a new hobby.
 
Airbrushing plastic utensils.  They are cheap and provide an excellent surface in which to develop painting skills, new techniques or possible color combinations before applying them to your models. I am developing a collection of spoons that are weathered, have panel lines and rivets, depth to color, fades, and even look like their made from everything from leather to metal. I plan to paint a spoon, knife or fork (forks are good practice for covering multi layers objects) before I paint anything on my kits. It only takes a few minutes and confirms my mix, pressure, airbrush and warm up the operator before the main task. 
 

Richard, if you are going to use an oil based varnish you might want to consider getting yourself a cheap single action airbrush to apply it. I bought a very cheap one for $17 an I apply a 50/50 mix of satin polyurethane and low odour turpentine. I find the cheap single action is fine for this job and it is easier to clean out an oil based product from it than it is from my more expensive double action sparmax DH103.

This article by our very own Wayne Kempson is a "must read" for anyone starting out lofting in CAD:
 
http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/plans_and_research/DraftingShipPlansInCADwayne.pdf
 
I use TurboCAD (for Mac) and found Wayne's article a tremendous help, even though it's not TurboCAD-specific. The commands are all fairly common across software packages (I think). Wayne will also answer any specific questions you might have if you PM him.

Wiley,
 
I'm not sure I understand your question about objects.
 
One can do some pretty impressive modelling in 3D with TC.  Creating a hull form such as we deal with in the eighteenth century is something of the Holy Grail of TC modelling.  One can get pretty close, but one almost always runs into a quirk or two for various reasons.  At any rate, the 3D hull is built off 2D lines anyway.  After drawing up plans for Euryalus in 2D I did put together some 3D modelling.  For the purposes of making patterns for cutting out timbers 2D was sufficient.  That said, I did use 3D to test fit parts.  Also, I found that using 3D was an easier way to project the stern timbers, and maybe the head timbers, but that's about it.  
 
Some of the fun of drawing (actually, redrawing) plans is connecting with the methods used by the old guys in the loft.  
 
Just for laughs, attached are some 3D renderings.  Other programs are better than TC for making and texturing 3D ships.
 
Wayne
 

 

 

Gentleman, thanks one and all for your replies. Looks like the elusive "easy button" remains just that BUT each of you has relevant thoughts. I also know that most, if not all, of you learned this the old fashioned way, one step at a time.
There is only one high school in my county and they are lucky to keep an athletic program. Adult education is beyond them. There is indeed a community college about 45 minutes away but nothing turned up searching their web-page. Other potential resources are further away than I’m willing to drive.
I checked out the TurboCAD forums and was delighted to see topics on lofting specifically. My hopes are twitching with reanimation…
Tony I absolutely believe you, I’ve just reached a beaten-down state in trying this one. There is enough meaningful information here that I might be able to rally again… maybe…
Wayne! Oh my! 79 pages of how to do it in an already-assembled guide? I’m beginning to hear angels singing…
Based on the collective ideas so far this looks like the path:
Become a member of the TurboCAD community.
Read Wayne’s tiny treatise, taking each working section to the actual software. Use the forum (this and TurboCAD) to explore each functional area for currency/efficiency and thoughts on current best-practices.
Frank, since you are starting the TurboCAD climb as well perhaps we should start a mutual support group/survivors club?
Wayne, have you thought about tutoring? Did I mention I’m paying? <one last shot at the easy-button>
 
 
Thanks all,
Wiley

Here is a great video on airbrushing by the owner of Badger Airbrushes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsW-vN0_lHw&list=PLCBpnrOqQtw0q8e3ET10-hp_Vd9suOzri&index=13
While he of course recomends his produces, he also does not do so exclusively, nor is he afraid to tell when you should by another brand. Lots of useful beginer, and advanced stuff. The War Gamer Consortium site has a lot of great airbrushing info.

Here is a great video on airbrushing by the owner of Badger Airbrushes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsW-vN0_lHw&list=PLCBpnrOqQtw0q8e3ET10-hp_Vd9suOzri&index=13
While he of course recomends his produces, he also does not do so exclusively, nor is he afraid to tell when you should by another brand. Lots of useful beginer, and advanced stuff. The War Gamer Consortium site has a lot of great airbrushing info.

Here is a great video on airbrushing by the owner of Badger Airbrushes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsW-vN0_lHw&list=PLCBpnrOqQtw0q8e3ET10-hp_Vd9suOzri&index=13
While he of course recomends his produces, he also does not do so exclusively, nor is he afraid to tell when you should by another brand. Lots of useful beginer, and advanced stuff. The War Gamer Consortium site has a lot of great airbrushing info.

Pride in the Pacific 1982
 
In late 1976 I got a job as a laborer on a construction site in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.  At the site they were building a Baltimore Clipper schooner named Pride of Baltimore.
Pride under construction in November 1976, just about when I started there.
 
Five years later, on my 21st birthday, I reported on board as Pride's newest crew member.  I spent two months aboard the boat in charge of her guns as she took part in the bicentennial reenactment of the battle of Yorktown.
    Yours truly is at the top right, in the cocked hat.
 
A summary history of the boat is available at my site, as is an album of the few photos taken during my time aboard.
 
In 1982 I acquired a copy of her plans from Thomas Gilmer with the intent to build a sailing model, but I was young, moved around a lot and it just never happened.
 
In November of 2011 I got to seriously thinking about actually building a model of Pride and figuring out what size to make her.  The upper limit was as large, overall, as Constellation, but there was a lower limit also.  I tried scaling her the same as Constellation (1:36), but looking at what she would need in terms of batteries, winches, servos, etc; I didn't see how I could fit the equipment needed to control so complicated a rig.  I decided to make her 1:20 scale, as large as I could and still stuff her into a van or SUV.
 
With her lines scanned and scaled up I printed her stations on paper.  There were glued to 3/8" CDX plywood, cut out, sanded, etc, and stood up on the old building board Constellation was built on.
A work in progress: every item I draw in scale gets added to this plan.
 
 
 
There they stood for nearly a year.  On November 19, 2011 I cut out the keel, mounted it on the forms and began planking.  I learned my lesson on Constellation and fully planked the hull, but I taped the edges of the forms so the planking wouldn't be glued to them, and they could be removed - leaving me with full access to the very limited space.
 
 
The hull was planked in pine strips 1/8 thick and 1/4" wide.  They were glued to each other, but only pinned to the forms.  The pins were akin to half-length straight pins and bent at the slightest look, making planking extremely tedious and hard on the fingers.  I wasn't doing the next one that way.  I also didn't spiel the planks, but just laid them on from the keel up, and the sheer down, leaving that football shaped hole to fill.  The hull being glassed and painted, it wasn't an issue visually, except that it bother's me constantly.  I'm not doing that again either.

 
By Halloween, the hull was planked.

 
The hull was filled, sanded, filled, and sanded some more.  The aft-most form with the counter and transom forms was given a tap with the handle of a screw-driver and came right out.  Soon the other forms followed, leaving the hull open.
 
 

 
The inside was sanded and then  painted with diluted Tightbond III to get into the nooks and crannies of the planking and glue everything up.  It was then given two coats of poly resin.
The stern post was too tall, a sign of advanced planning.  I cut it down with a rotary tool - you'll see why later.
 
The stern and then the sides were fiberglassed with 4 oz cloth.
 
 
  Pride's plan compared to Macedonian's
 
  The concept
 
I restarted the build logs for Constellation and Macedonian that were lost in the crash.  There never was a build log for this model on MSW, but, what the heck, there is now.

As stated in post #15, Chuck has already posted them here on this site.
 
Cheers 

Nice work!
Many years ago I was clamping a part to one of my models with super glue. I left it to set over night. The next day I removed the clamp and then grabed it by the bottom pad. The glue had sat all night without setting, but instantly set gluing the pad of my thumb flat on the c clamp base pad. Took and hour and most of my bottle of de-gluer to work my way around the edges repeatedly until it came loose.

continuation
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I'll be following this build also! I'm presently building the old Pyro model of the skipjack "Carrie Price", and have both the Midwest and Model Shipways kits waiting, in the wings. In the future I pland to scratch build the Carrie Price in 1/32nd scale to match the MS Willie Bennet.

Well it’s time to start building again.  I’ve been working on the plans for an early friendship sloop.  The friendship sloop was originally a fishing boat similar to the Muscongus Bay lobster smack, but since it did not have a centerboard it became popular with the cursing and day sailing crowd.  That is the way I plan to build this one.  Start with the plans drawn by Chapelle, remove the fish well and enlarge the cabin.  I plan to hold to Chapelle’s sail plan with two head sails no shrouds and no topsail.  First I scanned Chapelle’s plans into the computer and drew the keel parts and bulkheads.  After planking the bulkheads will be removed except for the lower portions which will become the floors.   Now it’s time to slice up some wood for the planking.
 
Bob
 

 

 

Yes, RC and scale can go together.  When I was with the Indy Admirals RC Club in Indianapolis they would have an annual get together of RC’ers from all over the country.  One of the competitions was the best detailed scale boat.  There are some fine boats out there. 
 
Bob

Thanks!

I thought others might like to see this.
 
On a build log someone showed a strip cutter made out of black plastic with a slot to hold an Exacto knife.  Someone else asked if they work.  This was my response.
 
Yes, it is used for cutting strips of wood from a sheet.  The idea is good but this tool is not that accurate so I made my own.  I made it longer to ride against the sheet better and I mounted the blade more securely so that it did not wobble in the holder.  I use mine all the time for soft wood like poplar.  I have cut strips as thin as .015 inch.
 
Bob
 

 

 
Someone then asked how it is used.
 
First loosen the screws with the knobs on top.  Adjust the plate on the bottom to the width of strip you want.  Place cutter on sheet with edge of strip pressed against plate.  Slide cutter along sheet.
 
Bob
 

 

 

Windlass 2.0
 
The final version....no photoshop this time 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've just about finished a short course on 'Shipwrecks and Submerged Worlds'. This was a 4 week on-line course run by the University of Southampton via the 'Future Learn' organisation owned by the Open University. This was a free course of about 3 hours a week, all you had to do was register. It consisted of short videos and some text reading with lots of links to associated material. It covered Maritime Archaeology as well. I can say that it was/is (I have about an hour to do) a fascinating course. I have done some others as well, up to 8 weeks, 3 hours a week. The web site is 
 
https://www.futurelearn.com/
 
There are a good selection of courses - I should think that this one will be repeated - some of the others were. Worth having a look at. I can vouch for the fact that it is free, there is no annoying advertising and that the courses are quality material presented by professionals in their subject.
 
Al

Thibaultron, one of the great new things you can do is use Photogrammetry software to capture a 3d model of an existing real locomotive and then print it. A few great free apps are available for this, like 123DCatch. This might be a real solution to those hard to find models.

I don't think 3D printing will kill the hobby, anymore than plastic models, laser cutting, or resin casting did. Manufactures simply have to adapt. As far as models that are completely 3D printed, great, more subjects will be available, just like when plastic models came out. If 3D printing gets cheap enough manufactures can start selling printed kits. Not everyone will be willing to generate their own files for complex subjects, nor will they have a 3D printer of great resolution in their homes for a long time.
As far as laser scanning, that's great, but you need and original to scan.
Let's take Model Railroading (my other hobby) as an example. I like the Santa Fe Railroad, in the steam era. My problem is that the SF built almost all of their steam locos in house, to their own designs. 95% of those locos were either never offered by manufactures, or made in now rare and very expensive brass locomotives. I therefore either have to shell out BIG bucks, or do with generic models decaled for the SF. There are some models that have the correct frame and drivers for the loco, and others that have tenders that are close, but that requires buying 2 or more locos to make one. 3D printing would be a great help. I could make my own locos (maybe), but 1 would probably take me years.

On the post about the USS Constellation, the model depicts her as she was setup until the 80s or 90s in Baltimore Harbor.  It was not until more recently that she was rebuilt to resemble her as built. The ship was originally claimed to be built in the late 1700s, research later proved that she was built in the mid 1800s, configured as she now is. So while the kit does not show her as built, it does show her as she was when the kit came out.

On the post about the USS Constellation, the model depicts her as she was setup until the 80s or 90s in Baltimore Harbor.  It was not until more recently that she was rebuilt to resemble her as built. The ship was originally claimed to be built in the late 1700s, research later proved that she was built in the mid 1800s, configured as she now is. So while the kit does not show her as built, it does show her as she was when the kit came out.

On the post about the USS Constellation, the model depicts her as she was setup until the 80s or 90s in Baltimore Harbor.  It was not until more recently that she was rebuilt to resemble her as built. The ship was originally claimed to be built in the late 1700s, research later proved that she was built in the mid 1800s, configured as she now is. So while the kit does not show her as built, it does show her as she was when the kit came out.