Jump to content
New Publication - Ship Modeler's Handbook ×

TBlack

NRG Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,265

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by TBlack

  1. TBlack
    John, I'm not sure about the mugs. When I was in the Navy we used to bring a mug up to the bridge to stay awake while standing watch at 0200. The XO got so fed up with dirty coffee mugs cluttering up the bridge that he threw them all over the side! Tom
  2. TBlack
    More on the pilot house. I'm working on the interior, although I've also cast the windows. They won't go in until I've put the" skin" in place, and I'll do that after I've installed the pieces that go on the flat parts of the pilot house, namely the doors. On the left, in the picture, is the form I used for making the doors. I'm using the sandwich method that Danny uses to build his doors. So between two door panels will be a window and 3 wooden panels. The picture also shows the beginnings of the door from the pilot house into the captains cabin. Then there's the pilot house floor and chart table. There will be a seat on the other side of the door. Tom
  3. TBlack
    Well, Mike, don't leave us in suspense! How DID you catch the sheave before the saw spun it off to eternity? Nice photography, by the way. Tom
  4. TBlack
    Frank, I'm coming late to this party, and I have no excuse except that there are so many parties on this site that it's hard to keep up. Nevertheless, I wanted to join the chorus of praise on 3 fronts: first, your return from the hospital (many of us are getting to the age where the medical profession looms more largely in our lives!), second, for the sails work. I've often wanted to include them in my models, but I get scared off by the needlework involved...They look good! Finally, the video, which played fine for me with Chrome, a nice idea, especially because we get to hear your voice which just adds another dimension to our connections to one another. Thanks for posting. Tom
  5. TBlack
    Andy, I'm inclined to think that the masts breaking when they did is the good news. Suppose you were in the middle of rigging and attaching shrouds, putting on a little tension, and then... well let's not go there, as they say. Tom
  6. TBlack
    Michael, You're pretty adept with that CAD program; I'm not sure I can measure out to the ten thousandths on my ruler. I'm reminded of the days when I was a real estate developer. My architect would provide detail plans on some aspect of the build, and my contractor would look at the plan and then "build to fit". What I'm seeing from you is that the mullion and the center of the frame needs to be pushed forward to nearly flush with the outside skin. Tom
  7. TBlack
    John, Steve, Michael, Thanks so much for your attention and thoughts. I hope I'm worthy of your efforts; I'll try to be. Michael, Of course, my pilot house dimensions are a guess simply from looking at the photographs. One of the reasons to build the pilot house "plug" was to see how it fit on the model and did it look like what was in the photos. I think I'm pretty close. Having said that, I've got to hand it to you. The radius of the pilot house is, indeed, 48". Or, it's 8 feet across from outside wall to outside wall. This scale is 1:48, so the actual dimension is 2 inches wide. Also, just as a construction tidbit, when I built the windows for the salon, aft of the pilot house, I used the same window mould as on the main deck, and cast the windows from that mould. But the salon windows required a mullion similar to the pilot house windows. I inserted a piece, gluing it top and bottom, in the window frame. The window pane behind it gives it some stability.
  8. TBlack
    Bob & Michael. I'll grant you that the middle window of the first picture looks like it might be in 2 planes, but look at the window next to the door above; it's flat. And, I'd argue, so is the middle window above or else the reflection wouldn't be consistent on both sides of the mullion. So how about we compromise and make the 4 windows on either side of the center window in 2 planes and the remaining 3 windows flat? Tom
  9. TBlack
    Michael, Now I know you want that beer! But doesn't your approach end up with a window with an angle in it? Look at this picture; the windows look flat to me.
  10. TBlack
    Michael, Art Downes, Paddlewheels on the Frontier check on Amazon; readily available for little money. I'm new to this styrene stuff and am just learning how to handle it. I haven't tried the scraping yet, but it's in my future. Here's the close-up of that moulding around the roof. Also, notice the window insert; on the sides, it's maybe an inch wide? My first shot at casting those had them showing too much around the edges (see photo back a couple of entries). So, I've got to re-do those as well. But I think this is going to be doable. The end result, I hope, will be a lighter, thinner structure than building up in pieces. Tom
  11. TBlack
    Meredith, welcome back to good health! I know nothing about stains/paints, so I can't be much help there, but your joinery work looks first rate! Good luck with this; it seems to turn into a proud little ship. Tom
  12. TBlack
    Popeye, I don't know what kind of an idea it is, but it's different! Love your yacht America! Meredith, Thanks for looking in. Somewhere on this site is a thread about why we build the ships we build. I can tell you that I'm doing this as a break from tying ratlines, and I wanted to do something with a state of Maine background. And I can draw up the plans either, so I just throw myself at the mercy of my community (please see M. Mott's entry above). This is a great place. Interesting place you come from...can you give me a phonetic spelling? Tom
  13. TBlack
    Thanks guys, I did actually manage to break the rib...glad I've got spares! Anybody know how long it takes to fix these things? Michael, I woke up this morning at 2:00 AM with the realization that you've put quite a lot of thought and work into my project. I'm not sure I thanked you adequately in my last message. I think the uprights are narrow enough that they won't need "rounding". But the rabbet concept is brilliant!(If Andy's reading this, it's a wabbit!). When I'm next up in the Edmonton area, I'll buy you a beer! Tom
  14. TBlack
    I've had slow going on the pilot house. In part, because I was trying to make it out of one piece, and in part because I fell off the back porch and busted a rib and bashed my face up really good. Any way, after several failed attempts I realized the pilot house skin had to be in several pieces. The really tricky part is the dividers between the windows. They are thin and close together and so ANY deviation from parallel or thickness stands out. Easier to do them separately. So that's what I did. What I didn't do, and should have, was, as Michael has just suggested, to allow for a rabbet on the inside of the window partition for the inner liner. that can be fixed. On the subject of maintaining the curve, I think I can take the wooden plug and cut off the bottom up to flush with the bottom of the 2 doors (about 3/8") and use that to maintain the proper shape along the bottom. A thinner one around the roof ought to take care of the top. Once I put the interior paneling in place the walls ought to be stiff enough to carry the roof without bowing? The styrene is .030" thick. And Michael, I'm all over that 1/2 round under the windows. It's the moulding at the roof that is more interesting. David Antscherl gave me a tip on how to approach it; let's see if I can carry it off!
  15. TBlack
    Len, Thanks for putting this back. As I recall, you provide a lot of very useful information and experience. One thing, back in your first post you mentioned that you bought sheet stock from Cornwall. I'm assuming that you did that to get lumber dimensioned in mm rather than in.? Sorry to miss you at RI, but I know it's a long haul for you. During the event the various ship model clubs were called away for a group photo. At the next event we could do a MSW group photo as well! Tom
  16. TBlack
    Volume 4? Does that mean that you have the previous 3 volumes? David is around here somewhere; bet you could get him to sign it! Also, this book is focusing on what you call "the dark side" (I'd call it freedom!); does that mean that you're getting closer to the edge? Tom
  17. TBlack
    Thanks, Andy, I'll give it a try right after I fix the garage door opener. And I read your entry about how the Engineers saved the day! Tom
  18. TBlack
    Thanks, Andy, but what about the uprights between the windows? Are they going to be misshapen in the process? BTW, when I mentioned your 2 options, my wife immediately thought the hot water technique was preferable (she has no idea), but she wasn't going to give up her hair dryer! Does this reply mean you're back home? Tom
  19. TBlack
    OK, sounds intriguing. And the styrene will hold its shape when dry, right? Also will the uprights between windows wrinkle in the heating process? Notice how thin they are in the photo. Tom
  20. TBlack
    OK John, I get it, but my mandrel is wooden does wood ignite before styrene melts? Do we have any chemists on this board. Oh, wait, yes, we have Themadchemist! I definitely need professional help!
  21. TBlack
    I'm not sure I understand about the heating thing. How do you apply that and how hot does it need to be? Tom
  22. TBlack
    OK you guys, but if it doesn't work it's your fault and if it does work I get the credit! Anyway, can't do anything about it until Sunday. Tom
  23. TBlack
    Thanks, guys, but I'm still a little hesitant. I want to build the exterior of this pilot house out of one piece of styrene. I'm told, however, by experts who have gone before me that I should build it up piecemeal. I'm either a fool or a genius!
  24. TBlack
    Dan, Whoa! huge improvement! lookin' good! Yes, they probably are line brakes; I'm a dinosaur and used to cleats. See you Sat. Tom
  25. TBlack
    Dan, I'd echo Druxey's comment. Also, when I look at the photo of the actual boat it looks like the forward part of the handhold is even with the forward edge of the short skid pad. So maybe your holds need to be longer? Or it may just be the perspective that is throwing me off. Also, and this is not about the model, but on the boat, the lines coming through those jam cleats look awfully small for that size rig, and would be hard to haul on? Tom

About us

Modelshipworld - Advancing Ship Modeling through Research

SSL Secured

Your security is important for us so this Website is SSL-Secured

NRG Mailing Address

Nautical Research Guild
237 South Lincoln Street
Westmont IL, 60559-1917

Model Ship World ® and the MSW logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,929,264 & No. 6,929,274, registered Dec. 20, 2022)

Helpful Links

About the NRG

If you enjoy building ship models that are historically accurate as well as beautiful, then The Nautical Research Guild (NRG) is just right for you.

The Guild is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to “Advance Ship Modeling Through Research”. We provide support to our members in their efforts to raise the quality of their model ships.

The Nautical Research Guild has published our world-renowned quarterly magazine, The Nautical Research Journal, since 1955. The pages of the Journal are full of articles by accomplished ship modelers who show you how they create those exquisite details on their models, and by maritime historians who show you the correct details to build. The Journal is available in both print and digital editions. Go to the NRG web site (www.thenrg.org) to download a complimentary digital copy of the Journal. The NRG also publishes plan sets, books and compilations of back issues of the Journal and the former Ships in Scale and Model Ship Builder magazines.

Our Emblem ®

Modelshipworld - Advancing Ship Modeling through Research

Nautical Research Guild ® and the NRG logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,999,236 & No. 6,999,237, registered March 14, 2023)

×
×
  • Create New...