thibaultron

10 years, my how time flies while you're hopefully having fun.   As for "never being done"..... that's a sign of success.

Thanks guys....Its crazy.   Just made those 3/32" single blocks two days ago and they all but gone.  So before I can make the next size I have to doubleback and make more.  Im never going to get done at this rate.
 
 

Wow ten wonderful years! Congratulations.

Congrats on the 10 years anniversary and to miles and miles more of ropemaking and selling thousands of thousands of blocks! 😉

Congratulations, and best wishes for future continued success!

Happy tenth anniversary!  We are eternally grateful for your contributions.
Maury

I am starting a new topic as the last one just got huge....over 2000 replies.
 
Its fitting that I would do so today actually.   Today marks ten years since I have started Syren.  Its been a long and interesting journey.  Ten years and miles and miles of rope made and thousands and thousands of blocks sold.   Here's to the next ten years.  Maybe not that long, LOL.
 
For a bit of news....I have finally received the parts to maintain my CNC Mill.  So blocks are on tap over the next few weeks.  In fact I have already started.   3/32" singles and doubles are now in stock.   More will follow. Although half of the 3/32" singles already sold out.  UGH!
 

 
Onward and upward as they say.
 
Chuck

You may find less warping problems if you thin your acrylic paint with alcohol. Experiment with scrap material to be sure this will work with your particular paper and paint.
 
I think the task you describe would be best accomplished by using an airbrush. "Full bodied acrylics from a little pot" are not the best for retaining detail. Retaining detail requires a light application of thin paint, generally in multiple thin coats. 
 
 

You might want to see if you can find ARTEZA brush pens, They are water colors and do not warp paper when used and will allow the laser cut lines to show through. Here is a link to their website: Real Brush Pens. Hope this helps
 
Jim
 

I'm building a paper lighthouse model, a compromise with my wifew on nautical displays to balance all my little work boats. I got a 1:72 model of the Westerheversand Lighthouse from Shipyard. There are some nice details of bricks and blocks cut part of the way through the pieces with the laser. How do i paint those pieces but retain the detail? My last model didn't have much of it and I am using the paints from that kit, full bodied acrylics in a little pot. I tried to thin my paint with a little water but, predictably, I got a lot of warping of the pieces still uncut from the page.
 
Any ideas? The pictures of the model still show the detail and the details under white, red, and black paint subtly, and the lines on the black portions look slightly brassy (but maybe just their photography). If you have an idea and a picture, I would be very grateful.
 
Glenn
79C3B3C4-0981-4394-868B-37542631C535.heic 92E4DEE9-A93D-4720-AEA3-FAC45CB4DAAE.heic

Nicely done!

Almost finished! (I might see about trying to hide some of the more obvious seams/edges with markers…)
 


I really enjoyed this build! It was just challenging enough to be fun, simple enough to be a quick build, and has a reasonable amount of detail for its size! 
 
Ok, now I’m going to get back to work on my longboat project…

Rear deck!

The funnel was challenging, but I think it came out ok…

For those of you (like me) who use the free 2017 version of SketchUp (the last one that let you do all the work on your computer, not online through them), they have disabled the Extension Warehouse feature, due to "Security Concerns".  This even though 90% of the offered extensions still worked with that version.
 
I'll have to back up my operating system onto another drive in case mine dies, My files are far to large to do them over the net, even if I wanted to allow SketchUp, or someone hacking them, access to them.
 
 

Maybe I'm the only one, but I like the smell of old books, and old furniture. . . 

I solved the same problem (90%) by wrapping the book in a thick layer of newspaper after spreading some baking soda on the outer sides of the book. Then I put the parcel into my deep freezer for a couple of days (4-6 days). After that I slowly unwrappped the book and brought it to normal temperature in a dry environment. The musty smell was strongly reduced, the remainder is not so bad and the more you scroll through the pages the more the smell will go.
 
Joachim

Ozone generators are commonly used to remove the smoke smell from items that were damaged by smoke from a fire. They are not too expensive ($70 or less on Amazon) and are very effective at removing smells. Because ozone is poisonous, you can't be in the room where the ozone generator operates, but it quickly turns back into O2 after an hour or two.
 
We had a fire in our house many years ago, and the company that cleaned all of our belongings placed everything including books in an ozone chamber to remove the smell. We bought one after the fire and have used it numerous times to remove musty smell in the car and garage.
 
John

I'd leave textile spots alone.  Trying a 'spot remover' might only make them worse.

Thanks for the tip - I’ll have to give it a try. These were used books and none are valuable antiques. Should I worry about the spots on the (what I assume is) linen or textile covers?

'Left my car windows open and an unexpected thunderstorm got water inside.  The seats dried OK the next day (which was sunny) but water soaked seep into the floor carpet and a musty smell was quickly generated.  Even after several sunny summer days had likely allowed the water too evaporate, the musty smell lingered.  What I did was to use a whole box of baking soda sprinkled all over the floor carpet and 'worked it in' a bit.  Then after a day I vacuumed the powder away, and the smell was greatly reduced.  So I repeated the treatment and the smell then was mostly gone - then after a month it was completely gone.  I don't leave my car windows open anymore ... since water is the real culprit that allows mildew to proliferate.
 
 Sooooooo, this is why the second solution pasted below holds promise.  I used to know a librarian that had knowledge of paper conservation methods, and she said acids in the paper greatly contribute to premature yellowing (aging) and weakening of wood pulp paper.  VERY old books (pre 20th century) are more likely to have paper made from rags (cotton fiber), which last a lot longer.  I imaging that sprinkling a little fine baking soda BETWEEN the pages can also be effective in odor removal (just a couple days in a sealed container), before fanning the pages to let the powder fall out.
 
Fresh Air
Very light cases of musty pages can be cured with a little exposure to fresh air. If the book is not a valuable antique, you also can treat it with a few hours of direct sunlight. However, before you begin this or any other book-cleaning method, it is essential to make sure the pages of the book are not damp. If you see wet or damp pages clumping together, stand the book upright on a table, and gently fan out the pages to separate them. Next, let it stand in a warm, dry spot. If the book is very old or valuable, do not place it sunlight. It may fade pages and cause them to permanently curl up.

Baking Soda
The same baking soda that absorbs bad odors in the fridge can absorb the bad odors in your books. Place a cup of baking soda or an opened box in a plastic box or bin with a lid. Put the book in the box with the baking soda and close the lid. Leave it for 48-72 hours, then check on the book. Repeat until the odor is gone. This method is ideal for multiple books.
 

I have done some searching and am trying to determine if anyone has successfully removed the musty, mildew smell (and potential marks) from old books? And if so which method did you use? I’m currently going through a few of my books and trying to decide if they can be saved or not. Hoping to avoid the weeks/months of storing them in a sealed container if it doesn’t really work.
 
TIA

Hatches and crane done!
 

 

Hatches…

 
and more hatches…

There’s a lot of hatches…

Decks installed!


 

 

 
Didn’t have a lot of time so this is all I did tonight…
 
 

I built this kit a couple years back.  The guy who makes these has them pretty detailed.  I don't think they are to a specific scale, but they do have a decent offering of Great Lakes freighters.  I might check out some of their other models one day.  Too bad they don't have any Canadian fleet boats.
 
Have fun with this though....looks like you are making good progress!