JPZ66

Bob - I have spent about 2 years doing the 4th option. So now I want to have fun with a relatively easy model.
 
And yes I plan on painting her. No unpainted or uncoppered hulls for this guy! You might see my planking!!

I look forward to your build ! You have a really cool concept in mind.
 
For figures, I would suggest a search through ebay for 120mm figures or 1/16 figures. Much easier to convert than to sculpt entirely from scratch.
Here is a link to a male nude that might be a good starting point to modify......http://www.ebay.com/itm/Verlinden-120mm-Academy-Figure-Male-752-/180538829031?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item2a08f3e8e7
 
Good luck with your project !
 
Joe

I'm using GRS QC half round gravers (0.2 & 0.4 mm). They are useful for carving very thin grooves e.g. pilaster reeds.
 
Kostas

Has anyone considered using jewelers hand gravers ? They come in a wide variety of profiles and can be quite narrow. They are had either in high speed or carbide steel. There are a number of shapes / styles available for the wood handle as well. They could well make carving in tight confines a lot easier. Could be used for moldings as well, but I think the razor blade with a cut profile works best and is most uniform for that.
 
I would think that re-profiling (take care not to overheat) the back of the graver to yield a sharper blade angle might suit the job of wood cutting a bit better. I know I will experiment with this idea when I am moved and in my new shop..... For anyone curious now though, just look up " graver " and you can see what I mean.
 
Joe

Thank you all for you're  still here.
Sorry for this delay but I had to travel to UK to see my new grandson.
You see, I became grandfather for a second time.
Back to work now...
Soon as I got back I painted the cagemast and I placed the fitting of the open bridge.
I must admit that this cagemast is a model by itself...

Thanks

Happy New Year to all.
Well the ladders have arrived and have been placed between the floors.
It's hard to be seen in the photos inside a room, so I took the chance to use the Greek sky as a background even in January...
I think you can see two ladders between the first and third floors.

 
I placed also the shelves for the searchlights and the observation post at the top of the mast, all made by pieces of plastic.

 
It can't be seen but I haven't placed one last wire because I need an open, through which I will place some fittings
of the open bridge (a ship's wheel, compass). As some other items, they have to be waiting the painting of the mast.
Thanks

 

I was trolling some forums of other hobbies, and ran across this home built vacuum hold down saw for ripping veru small pieces of wood. I am posting the link in case anyone is interested in the idea. I do think the concept has merit !
 
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20046
 
 
It appears to work quite well. With a little bit of refinement, could likely be a great tool on the cheap !
 
- Joe

I was trolling some forums of other hobbies, and ran across this home built vacuum hold down saw for ripping veru small pieces of wood. I am posting the link in case anyone is interested in the idea. I do think the concept has merit !
 
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20046
 
 
It appears to work quite well. With a little bit of refinement, could likely be a great tool on the cheap !
 
- Joe

There are some pictures illustrating the macking of rails (boxwood).
 






here is short description of scraping process:

The width (and as also as possible the depth) of the profile cut in the razor-blade must correspond exactly the width of the strip, otherwise the blade follows the wood grain and does not run straight. With the first 2 to 3 courses the pressure of razor blade against the strip should be low, afterwards step by step with higher pressure. For a profile shown I need 20 to 30 courses, depends which kind of wood. I tried different woods and mostly the results were good, the boxwood I choose because of the color, and due to the fact the timber is very hard, which is an advantage with fine small profiles.
 
The rails in place with gun port and part of main wale.
 

 
The plankin get close to end:

 
and finally done:
 


 
Best regards

Alexander

So after some more twisting I made a few feet of some .045 rope which is using 9 strands of Guttmann 50ne 100% cotton and 25 feet of .093 which is 3/4 inch diameter in 1:8 scale it took 3x21 strands. and I walked 1575 feet to string up the tools, for just this one rope, and calculating the 1/2 inch ropes it all ads up to 4950 feet that is almost a mile. Who would have thought this modelmaking hobby would provide exercise as well?
 

 
I think it looks pretty close, it will do for this model.
 

 
And the equipment.
 

 
Michael
 
 
 
 

Hi All,
 
Just a quick update.....
 
I have the resin casting article written up. I do not yet have photos edited into the article. I hope to have that done by mid-March. Work has me tied up right now, and then I will be on vacation the first week of March, so it will have to wait until I return.
 
Chuck has previewed the text and given it a "Thumb's Up", so I think (hope) you all will enjoy it.
 
-Joe

Hi All,
 
Just a quick update.....
 
I have the resin casting article written up. I do not yet have photos edited into the article. I hope to have that done by mid-March. Work has me tied up right now, and then I will be on vacation the first week of March, so it will have to wait until I return.
 
Chuck has previewed the text and given it a "Thumb's Up", so I think (hope) you all will enjoy it.
 
-Joe

Doris,
 
Wow, what talent and artistry ! ...Wow....
 
- Joe

Oh yes, that is really looking wonderful ! You have the touch !!
 
Joe

Piet,
 
I think it looks outstanding.
 
I will say this though, and you already know it.....you must build it to YOUR satisfaction.....if you don't, no matter what anyone else has to say, you will not be happy.
 
Cheers,
 
Joe

First off I need to say thank you to all those who look in and click on the like button.  It’s so nice to log on to MSW and see that red signal that says someone likes what you said or did. Again thank you.
 
Now to get on with the boat.  The planking is almost done.  A little more clean-up in the stern and mount the transom and keel.  Also the planksheer so I can mount the stanchions and the bulwarks and then paint.  Wow, I shouldn’t list things like that it makes it sound like a lot of work.  Anyway here’s the pictures.
 
Bob
 

 

 

 

Piet,
 
I think it looks outstanding.
 
I will say this though, and you already know it.....you must build it to YOUR satisfaction.....if you don't, no matter what anyone else has to say, you will not be happy.
 
Cheers,
 
Joe

Piet,
 
I think it looks outstanding.
 
I will say this though, and you already know it.....you must build it to YOUR satisfaction.....if you don't, no matter what anyone else has to say, you will not be happy.
 
Cheers,
 
Joe

Vivian,
Skills only come with practice, but  I am telling you, Plans are the key to open this treasure.
If you want the most detailed plans available, Jean Boudriot is the man. Not only he will provide the good information, but he will do ALL the research for you.
If you want plans with methods on how to do it David Antscherl is the man.
With the coming of Internet, you have now Forums where many peoples to help you.
With organism as Nautical Research Guild you can now have your own private mentor.
For wood planking, Hobby millusa.com can provide all the precut wood you need, this means no big power tools to buy.
For the tools, the main reason I use a lot of tools is just to go faster. Many tools make the work easier to do, but they are not absolutely essentials. You cannot buy all the tools you could dream the first year you begin to make model ship. To get tools is a long process, before to buy a tool you have to need it and you have to know that it exists then you need the money to buy it.  
At the end, you chose the way you prefer kit or scratch, but kit or scratch need time to learn the way, the first scratch will always be difficult, but the learning curve will be much faster.
When you like to build with your hands, you find the time to do it and for a young person like you, there is still plenty of time in front of you.  

Druxey, as usual you are right, though asphalt aging effect is also interesting. May be some day I will find a replacement. I will have a look at this place:
 
http://www.kamapigment.com/store/index.asp?lang=0&catpage=2401
 
For now, another turn of the wheel.

No no no...
one doesn't need a lathe to make masts.  The masts I've made using just a a chisel and sandpaper are better looking than the turned ones.
 
Space issues though - I'll give you that one
 
Colin

Here's the seemingly mandatory history:
 
This ship caught my attention the first time I saw the plans because it had a white flag. Laughed a bit until I researched it. But then the lines caught my eye. She's a 32 gun, frigate of the 8 pound gun class.

A bit of history... built 1755 in Brest. Not too much in the way of history available except for some highlights:

1756 - Carried troops to Quebec.

1757 - with Marsaint's divsion on the 21 Oct. A "most bloody conflict" with the British off Santo Domingo. No ships lost on either side, but a high casualty count.

1762 - expeditions against British shipping and the Sale pirates.

1778 - she was part of a small fleet in company with Le Belle Poule, Hirondelle and Le Coureur. They ran into Keppel's squadron. Licorne as surrounded and captured. La Belle Poule had a famous two-hour duel with the British and escaped to a nearby bay.

For the next five years it was known as HMS Licorne  in the British Navy.

1783 - Sold out of the service.
 
From the plans, it appears to be a good beginner scratchbuild. Clean lines, minimal carving. Some things from the Hahn plans needs changing such as the mast caps and the cannon rigging. I'm still researching via Boudriot and Frolich.

I'm planning on completely planking her, but that may change.
 

Not being familiar with the Janka Hardness scale, I looked up the definition which helped me to understand the numbers a bit better.....
 
 
Wood Hardness
 
What is Janka Hardness?
 
 
The Janka hardness test measures the force (in pounds-force) required to embed a .444 inch steel ball into a piece of wood up to half of the steel ball's diameter. It is an excellent measure of how well the wood withstands wear and denting. For example, Verawood has a Janka hardness of 4500. This means that 4500 lbs-force (2 1/4 tons) is required to embed that .444 steel ball into the surface of the Verawood until half of the steel ball's diameter is in the wood. This tells you that Verawood is incredibly hard. Google "Janka Hardness" for more information.
 
Cheers,
 
Joe

Hi All,
 
Colin answered that pretty well. The quality of the master is very important......especially in resin casting, what you see is what you get.
 
You choose an appropriate resin to cast with and along with well made molds ( a big key here ), you get your castings.
 
Metal is a bit more involved..... Typically metal castings are done on centrifugal casting machines, using vulcanized rubber molds. The caster must have a good understanding of many factors that come into play.
 
White Metal is a generic term. There are many formulas to be had here, depending upon the mix. Tin, Antimony, and copper are the primary metals used in this mix, and the casting properties can be affected by the ratios of each metal used. Furthermore, the purity, the temperature, the spin speed, flow distance, part orientation and plate pressure of the mold clamps can all play a part. Most casters develop their own feel for it and manage to come to workable settings for the type of casting they do. It is part science, and part experience. Play with any of those variables and you can have any number of quality issues....mis-cast, porosity, drossy or dirty parts, brittle or crystalized looking parts, etc. Get them all right and you have clean, crisp, dense and well structured parts.
 
Trust me, there is a learning curve to production white metal casting !
 
As for the finished items and how do different materials compare, if the quality of the castings are equal - be they resin, metal or some other material, well painted and detailed parts will show no difference. For the hobby modeler who wishes to make castings, I would recommend RTV silicone molds and a low odor casting polyurethane resin.
 
- Joe

That's a model ? Thought I was looking at a real whale boat on some old giant pier ! Nice !!!
 
- Joe