JPZ66

After a Thanksgiving that couldn’t be beat, it’s back to the shipyard.  The main lower yard was installed and most of the rigging tied off.  Since the lines that attach to the main mast cleats are now in place, the main gallows are installed and the staysail halyards are tied off.  The brace pendants are attached but I will not be showing the tackles as the FA plans don’t have places to tie them off to.  As per the Syren documentation, the buntlines/leech lines are not glued in place, just wrapped around their shroud cleats. 


Cheers

You may want to check this video made by Paul Budzig. Paul is a Master Model Maker, and has a number of excellent videos posted on YouTube. He mostly builds scale model aircraft, cars and some armor, but the tutorials are applicable to many areas of model making / building. This particular tutorial is on soldering...... Joe
 

I was really suprised that I did not find a build log about the Naval Cutter Alert on MSW 2.0. I know that there exist some pictures of a model on the old MSW
 
The first source for building a model of this small vessel are Peter Goodwins book "The Naval Cutter Alert, 1777", published by PhoenixPublications Inc. 1991 and the two original drawing of her sister Rattlesnake (1776) which you will find on the homepage of the NMM.
There also exist two paintings of Joseph Marshall of the ship, which are exhibited in the Science Museum, London.
I found also an Sheer and Profile drawing of Alert which was published by the NRG.
 
The sheer and profile of the NRG and Goodwin differ from the original drawing. They show the maximum width of the ship not at frame 0. Perhaps my Engish is to bad, but I could not find any reason for this. So I decide to draw my own lines. which were based on Goodwin and the original drawing.

 
The drawing is not finished, because I decided only to draw what I need for my build.
 
Next step was the keel. Goodwin shows for the pass between keel and lower apron a solution which I could not find on any original cutter drawings.

 
For the after deadwood he does not offer any possible solution

 
I decide to follow the original drawing of Cheerful 1806 for the pass between keel and lower apron. The flat joint at the foremost keel part is shown on original drawings of this period (for example on HMS Triton). For the after deadwood I decided to use a bearing line. I am not sure if this is common for ships of this period.
The next picture shows my completed keel drawing:

 
Goodwin uses for his design the common frameing pattern of double and single frames. I am not sure that this design was used for the original ship. For the Swan class sloops only single frames were used. This you will also find on the drawing of Cheerful and other cutters. Also the wide of the frame parts are not clear. In his drawing he uses much smaller futtocks than he descibed in the text part of the book. In his "Construction and Fitting of Sailing Man of War" he gives a third solution.
What now? Alert is a practice model for me to get the experience to continue my HMS Fly build. Marshall shows on his paintings an simplified frameing design, so I decided to use this. Every frame is 8'' width followed by 8'' space. For the port side I like to show the clinker planking.
On my drawing the final design for the last frame and the hawse pieces is missing in the moment.

 
The drawings for every 31frames and 21cant frames are finished.

 
I am not sure in the moment if I will use the original practice with chocks or the simplified method of Harold Hahn for my build.
 
It will be very nice if you have further information about the cutters of this time. I found the Marmaduke Stalkartt on Google-books, but they didn't scan the plates. Perhaps one of the MSW user can help me to confirm my decisions.

You may want to check this video made by Paul Budzig. Paul is a Master Model Maker, and has a number of excellent videos posted on YouTube. He mostly builds scale model aircraft, cars and some armor, but the tutorials are applicable to many areas of model making / building. This particular tutorial is on soldering...... Joe
 

While I agree with you entirely, Pat, I can see the day fast approaching when the coming breed of historically-minded ship-modellers will fret over getting the details 100% correct in their Solidworks design for every, single part and fitting before it is 3D printed.
(Yes, even on an Age Of Sail model.)

In a mechanics tool box are many wrenches.  Ratchet, open end, box end, etc.  Each has it uses. Resistance soldering is great for some things.  The advantage of the resistance solder machine is that it is fast.  At the spot you touch the metal and solder will get hot enough to fuse in about a second, but if you leave the tip or tweezers there too long the heat will radiate out and get the whole part hot just like any other heat source.  I saw a jeweler resize a ring without removing the stone because he could solder the spot before the heat got to the stone.  On the other hand, if you want to chase the solder down a joint it is no better than any other heat source.
 
As for the heat shield, I usually use an old asbestos tile I’ve had since the 50’s.  But I also have fire bricks.  The reason I used the bricks this time is the part looked like a toy top and I placed the shank between the bricks to keep it square.  I do not use tiles because if I get one small spot of it hot without getting the whole tile hot it stands a chance of breaking due to thermal expansion.  The space shuttle tiles are a different type of ceramic which would be absolutely the best, if you could find one.
 
Bob

You may want to check this video made by Paul Budzig. Paul is a Master Model Maker, and has a number of excellent videos posted on YouTube. He mostly builds scale model aircraft, cars and some armor, but the tutorials are applicable to many areas of model making / building. This particular tutorial is on soldering...... Joe
 

You are correct about the filament being an important part of the equation. They are not all the same, nor are all the printers, drivers, software, etc, so one has to carefully research the various items a bit. Right this moment, if I were looking to print something, I would send my files to a service like Shapeways...as they have machines that are far too costly for most of us, and those will yield the best quality. Mostly when we think of 3D printers we think of the types using filaments..or FDM type...Fused Deposition Material....usually PVA or PLA.... Each material has distinct charachteristics. Frankly I don't think they can do quite what most of us really want right now. On the other hand, if the parts you want to make can be easily post finished, by sanding and priming, etc, they may be acceptable.
 
Regarding wood filament, you can currently get these in the same sizes as other filaments and they perform about the same. Again, for broad areas that can be sanded and dressed up, they should be fine. Small tight details would involve a much greater effort to get a nice clean finish.
 
That being said, there are now a few options in the SLA category...Stereolithography 3D. For hobbyist units there are DLP and Laser type systems. Each of these use a liquid resin for the material. They have their own demands and quirks, but offer a much better surface finish with thinner layering and higher resolution. I know of at least 3 or 4 models in this category that are priced under $4000 dollars. Some of these machines can also print 'castable' resins. What this means is that the resins, once printed, can go into investment molds and be burned out cleanly for investment casting.....this of course is aimed at the jewelry market, but would also be suited for the model ship people that cast brass.
 
Again, I am certainly no expert, but I have been researching these for some time, and test running a few differnt things to try and see if it is something I want to invest in.
It's tough right now because so many new products are coming out so quickly.
 
Hope this information helps !
 
Joe

Well, I am not surprised that you got that sort of answer from the local source..... I beg to differ however. This "gadget" is about a $25,000 tool, and there IS NO POST PROCESSING ..... I hear this 'post processing' argument all the time, and that was indeed the case a year ago... It is also one of the reasons I am quite interested in Creaforms product..... There is no post processing of the scan file needed. I also found this video, which demonstrates the scanning of a statuette, perhaps similar in size to what you have and wish to scan.
 
I have worked with about a dozen scanners, and about a dozen 3D printers over the last 10-12 months, and I have watched marketing videos, read reviews and technical papers and conducted my own independant research on these technologies. This is not a gimmick, nor a toy. These are serious pieces of equipment. All I can say is that advances and improvements are made in these areas almost weekly, and if one does not stay current with industry developments then much is missed.
 
I am not trying to be argumentative, but rather to share with you and all the readers here some of the newest and most interesting technology in the hope that it may help or find useful applications in the hobby we all love. - Joe
 
 

Janos,
 
First off, I will say that these systems are not exactly inexpensive, however, I have found several scanning services where you can rent them or even hire a technician to perform scans for you.
 
With that said.....YES, using Current Technology, you CAN get incredibly detailed scans...not just that, but SCANS THAT CAN GO DIRECTLY TO PRINT, without post scan processing work. Watch this video and pay close attention to the specs....this is here now...not tomorrow. Perhaps this is what you are looking for. -Joe
 

Inability to see might be related to having one's blinders on!  
 
Seriously (and again as I've said elsewhere), if your goal is to make a wood model of a wood ship, then by all means that's the best thing to do. 
 
But not all ships are wood, and neither must all models be wood, and not all modelers are limited to age-of-sail.
Is wood the best medium to recreate the Bell Mk17 carriage for the twin Browning 50 caliber machine guns on my 1942 PT boat? Maybe not!
Care to form the air cooling holes around those Brownings' barrels by whittling a twig? Yikes! How about recreating the conical sheet metal surrounds with their beaded lips from a block of burl? I think not.
 
Also, not all builds are the leisurely exercises of hobbyists with infinite time on their hands. The PT boat above was a commission, and 3DP helped enormously in its rapid completion- 4 months from laser cutting the first hull frames to the posting of these images of the finished model.
 
There are reasons enough, believe me...

Pops,
 
Yes..two things to note in the article and wish they would provide the standard or definition of... Highly detailed and Affordable....
 
The reson that sticks out, is that it is very subjective....
 
Based on all of the models and types that I have looked at so far.... Yes, currently, high resolution equals greater cost. I think it will be a little while before there are any really good hi-res printers for under$ 1500 dollars. One issue is speed...everybody wants it 'now'....most makers of printers who are focusing on low priced, easy to use machines are really pushing the speed. Interestingly enough, if you take some of these units and slow them down, tweak the settings and use the best available filaments, you can actually get some pretty nice looking prints.
 
On the other hand, again based on what you can get right now.... There are specifically two SLA machines that I am aware of, one priced at around $ 3000 and one priced at around $ 4500 that can do some pretty tight printing. Any and all of these (FDM or SLA) prints will require post finishing to some degree if you want absolutely smooth finished parts. The good news is that a number of printer manufacturers are working to make resolution even better for the lower priced units.
 
I have seen so many articles over the past year, that are quite frankly, very poorly written...mainly due to the fact, that many of these reporters have not done their homework, have not checked the facts and seldom report actual specs. I have been researching these and looking for the specs and the parameters under which they got those results.
 
My angle is a bit different as well. I am not looking for a machine to make party favors and iPhone holders or the latest cartoon character on. I am not looking for the neatest new gadget to impress my friends with. I am looking for the machine that will perform and be viable as a tool to streamline production and increase the quality of parts and pieces for my small business. As such, I am willing to spend a little more, though I certainly don't have 50k to invest at this time. However, something in the $3000-$5000 dollar range is perfectly acceptable to me. I like the fact that I can print with castable resins. This means That with minimal clean up on a print, I can go right to investment molding and produce the cast metal parts I'm looking for. The current machines CAN produce highly complex and accurate models much faster than I can do by hand. Many of these designs cannot even be accomplished on CNC mills in one piece as you can do with 3d printing.
 
Btw- you have to have print files, obviously, to make something....and even this area has jumped ahead tremendously. 3d modeling is different than traditional engineering, and software makers have made things easier. You no longer have to be a CAD master to create what you need. - But that is a topic unto itself, and I won't go into it here.
 
In the end, it is incumbent upon the purchaser to decide what they need, what they want and what they can afford. Up until very recently, I have not seen a printer in my price range that could do what I wanted. I think that has now changed.
 
Joe

...And here is the thing.... There are many 'generalizations' regarding various resins. It's always best to read the manufacturer's specific literature for any given material.
 
There are soooo many types of resin and resin systems out there. The reason for that is the fact that over the years the formulations have been tweaked for specific applications. Some clear systems are designed for casting, some are for surfacing, like découpage, some are crystal clear, others are not, some will have UV inhibitors, others will yellow when exposed to sunlight... On and on. Some systems can be used for things the manufacturer didn't even design them for.
 
A lot of times it comes down to experimenting and testing. Try to find the most cost effective solution.
 
 
In looking at the quarter window frames that you made ( quite nice btw ) .....based on the size, and the fact that you dont want the 'glass' too deep......
What about backing up the windows with clear sheet stock, glued in from behind and carefully seal the edges, then , from the front, carefully add a small amount of MM Crystal Clear, in successive layers until you achieve the thickness and level of fill you want ? ...is that a possibility ?
 
Joe

Pops,
 
Yes..two things to note in the article and wish they would provide the standard or definition of... Highly detailed and Affordable....
 
The reson that sticks out, is that it is very subjective....
 
Based on all of the models and types that I have looked at so far.... Yes, currently, high resolution equals greater cost. I think it will be a little while before there are any really good hi-res printers for under$ 1500 dollars. One issue is speed...everybody wants it 'now'....most makers of printers who are focusing on low priced, easy to use machines are really pushing the speed. Interestingly enough, if you take some of these units and slow them down, tweak the settings and use the best available filaments, you can actually get some pretty nice looking prints.
 
On the other hand, again based on what you can get right now.... There are specifically two SLA machines that I am aware of, one priced at around $ 3000 and one priced at around $ 4500 that can do some pretty tight printing. Any and all of these (FDM or SLA) prints will require post finishing to some degree if you want absolutely smooth finished parts. The good news is that a number of printer manufacturers are working to make resolution even better for the lower priced units.
 
I have seen so many articles over the past year, that are quite frankly, very poorly written...mainly due to the fact, that many of these reporters have not done their homework, have not checked the facts and seldom report actual specs. I have been researching these and looking for the specs and the parameters under which they got those results.
 
My angle is a bit different as well. I am not looking for a machine to make party favors and iPhone holders or the latest cartoon character on. I am not looking for the neatest new gadget to impress my friends with. I am looking for the machine that will perform and be viable as a tool to streamline production and increase the quality of parts and pieces for my small business. As such, I am willing to spend a little more, though I certainly don't have 50k to invest at this time. However, something in the $3000-$5000 dollar range is perfectly acceptable to me. I like the fact that I can print with castable resins. This means That with minimal clean up on a print, I can go right to investment molding and produce the cast metal parts I'm looking for. The current machines CAN produce highly complex and accurate models much faster than I can do by hand. Many of these designs cannot even be accomplished on CNC mills in one piece as you can do with 3d printing.
 
Btw- you have to have print files, obviously, to make something....and even this area has jumped ahead tremendously. 3d modeling is different than traditional engineering, and software makers have made things easier. You no longer have to be a CAD master to create what you need. - But that is a topic unto itself, and I won't go into it here.
 
In the end, it is incumbent upon the purchaser to decide what they need, what they want and what they can afford. Up until very recently, I have not seen a printer in my price range that could do what I wanted. I think that has now changed.
 
Joe

You are correct about the filament being an important part of the equation. They are not all the same, nor are all the printers, drivers, software, etc, so one has to carefully research the various items a bit. Right this moment, if I were looking to print something, I would send my files to a service like Shapeways...as they have machines that are far too costly for most of us, and those will yield the best quality. Mostly when we think of 3D printers we think of the types using filaments..or FDM type...Fused Deposition Material....usually PVA or PLA.... Each material has distinct charachteristics. Frankly I don't think they can do quite what most of us really want right now. On the other hand, if the parts you want to make can be easily post finished, by sanding and priming, etc, they may be acceptable.
 
Regarding wood filament, you can currently get these in the same sizes as other filaments and they perform about the same. Again, for broad areas that can be sanded and dressed up, they should be fine. Small tight details would involve a much greater effort to get a nice clean finish.
 
That being said, there are now a few options in the SLA category...Stereolithography 3D. For hobbyist units there are DLP and Laser type systems. Each of these use a liquid resin for the material. They have their own demands and quirks, but offer a much better surface finish with thinner layering and higher resolution. I know of at least 3 or 4 models in this category that are priced under $4000 dollars. Some of these machines can also print 'castable' resins. What this means is that the resins, once printed, can go into investment molds and be burned out cleanly for investment casting.....this of course is aimed at the jewelry market, but would also be suited for the model ship people that cast brass.
 
Again, I am certainly no expert, but I have been researching these for some time, and test running a few differnt things to try and see if it is something I want to invest in.
It's tough right now because so many new products are coming out so quickly.
 
Hope this information helps !
 
Joe

...And here is the thing.... There are many 'generalizations' regarding various resins. It's always best to read the manufacturer's specific literature for any given material.
 
There are soooo many types of resin and resin systems out there. The reason for that is the fact that over the years the formulations have been tweaked for specific applications. Some clear systems are designed for casting, some are for surfacing, like découpage, some are crystal clear, others are not, some will have UV inhibitors, others will yellow when exposed to sunlight... On and on. Some systems can be used for things the manufacturer didn't even design them for.
 
A lot of times it comes down to experimenting and testing. Try to find the most cost effective solution.
 
 
In looking at the quarter window frames that you made ( quite nice btw ) .....based on the size, and the fact that you dont want the 'glass' too deep......
What about backing up the windows with clear sheet stock, glued in from behind and carefully seal the edges, then , from the front, carefully add a small amount of MM Crystal Clear, in successive layers until you achieve the thickness and level of fill you want ? ...is that a possibility ?
 
Joe

For molds, I always vacuum degass the mix before pouring... For castings, I have used vacuum, pressure or nothing at all. If the working time after mixing allows for vacuum degassing of the resin, I will often times do it, though with low viscosity materials it really isn't necessary.
 
Also, as Mark mentions....sometimes a careful application of heat can be used to break air bubbles. More often than not, I am casting in closed, two piece molds, so that's not usually an option for me. Pressure casting is a good idea for epoxy clears, but again, it depends on a number of factors, and often won't make any difference.
 
There are so many factors that come into play when dealing with casting resins ! What type of resin, working time / curing time, amount or mass, the type of molds being used and so on. Different resins respond differently to various techniques. This is where trial and error and experience come in. Clear epoxies are a bit of a different animal as compared to polyurethane resins.
 
I could probably write a couple of pages just on the aspect of bubbles....the origin, the type and how to deal with them.
 
 
I hope some of this proves helpful, and feel free to PM me if I might be able to help further !
 
Joe

By the way i found this tutorial showing how to make diorama waterline (sea, ocean)..Its complicated but final effect is outstanding (especially for tall ship models)
 

 

After you've watched those two, check this guy out.
(He's a little bit easier to follow ...)
 


 

You are correct about the filament being an important part of the equation. They are not all the same, nor are all the printers, drivers, software, etc, so one has to carefully research the various items a bit. Right this moment, if I were looking to print something, I would send my files to a service like Shapeways...as they have machines that are far too costly for most of us, and those will yield the best quality. Mostly when we think of 3D printers we think of the types using filaments..or FDM type...Fused Deposition Material....usually PVA or PLA.... Each material has distinct charachteristics. Frankly I don't think they can do quite what most of us really want right now. On the other hand, if the parts you want to make can be easily post finished, by sanding and priming, etc, they may be acceptable.
 
Regarding wood filament, you can currently get these in the same sizes as other filaments and they perform about the same. Again, for broad areas that can be sanded and dressed up, they should be fine. Small tight details would involve a much greater effort to get a nice clean finish.
 
That being said, there are now a few options in the SLA category...Stereolithography 3D. For hobbyist units there are DLP and Laser type systems. Each of these use a liquid resin for the material. They have their own demands and quirks, but offer a much better surface finish with thinner layering and higher resolution. I know of at least 3 or 4 models in this category that are priced under $4000 dollars. Some of these machines can also print 'castable' resins. What this means is that the resins, once printed, can go into investment molds and be burned out cleanly for investment casting.....this of course is aimed at the jewelry market, but would also be suited for the model ship people that cast brass.
 
Again, I am certainly no expert, but I have been researching these for some time, and test running a few differnt things to try and see if it is something I want to invest in.
It's tough right now because so many new products are coming out so quickly.
 
Hope this information helps !
 
Joe

Janos,
 
Email sent....
 
 
If resin is an acceptable material for the reproductions, and please note that there are hundreds of materials to choose from, then molding and casting would certainly be a most cost and time effective way to go. Don't let deep undercuts throw you off. The proper techniques and materials can be used to reproduce nearly anything ! I will be posting much more on this subject in the not too distant future.
 
 
Joe

Here are some photos I scrounged off the web, that give a little sample of what a 3D printer can do....Note that the battleship gun turrets are printed in ONE piece, yet they are ARTICULATED ! - Joe

Janos,
 
If the goal is to reproduce your wonderful sculptures, why not look at ( though you probably have ), utilizing CNC routing ? Not the big heavy duty stuff, but the highly accurate 'engaving' type, benchtop machines, that have a very high level of fidelity ? A number of very nice tracing stylus fixtures and software exist to allow a trace to be done, generate a file and then cut it. By using a 4th ( rotary ) axis, you can develop very complex 3D shapes, and if more angles are needed, it could be run on a 5 axis machine, which will cut deep undercuts. Just a thought.
 
For many of the things I currently do or am getting back into, reproduction is not my primary issue, as I make great use of molding and casting......whiich of course is another option for you. (Should you ever desire to have any of tour carving work molded and reproduced in cast resin, please don't hesitate to contact me, as I would be very happy to assist.)
 
My primary interest in this technology as a whole, is in the area of accurately recreating scale models from full size subjects.
 
And yes, I interpreted your previous post incorrectly, so my apology for that !
 
Cheers,
 
Joe

Well,
 
First off, I agree - as I said before - currently, and for the forseeable future...none of this will replace the master artisan and the handcrafted skills in this arena. However,
There are currently scanners on the market, such as models from Creaform, that can scan and require no post processing or clean up work...meaning you can go from scan directly to CNC or print operation.
 
Next is the fact that, on the high end of 3d print technology, there are printers that can print multiple materials in the same print run at the same time. Wood filament is fairly new, and I would imagine, will only get better in time. Remember that once upon a time, very few people had inkjet or laser printers in their home and would have to go to a copy house to have their papers or newsletters printed.... Not so long ago either... But now you can easily publish things right in your home, that look every bit as good as professional printing did just 10-15 years ago. At the rate of advancement that this segment of technology is experiencing, it won't be that long before some form of 3D printer is as common in the home as a TV.
 
Also, a few years ago, this technology and the materials that could be used was quite limited...not so today. You can 'print' various metal, wood, plastic, paper and even edible materials. Not to mention that you can scan a complex object and reverse engineer it and deconstruct it via the software. Variations and changes are a simple matter. It can be difficult to grasp the full implications. In the medical field, they have even successfully printed stem cells for tissue and organ replication.
 
Before long, I imagine, people will be able to go online, download a file of their favorite subject and simply print it out. For you plastic model builders, dont be surprised when the day comes that instead of buying your model kit in a box, you will log onto, say, the Tamiya website, and simply download your kit and print the parts directly at home !
 
The technology is astounding and will become more and more viable and cost effective in the future. My feeling is that you can poo poo it if you want to, but it is here now and will only get better and much more user friendly as we go forward.
 
Joe

Well,
 
First off, I agree - as I said before - currently, and for the forseeable future...none of this will replace the master artisan and the handcrafted skills in this arena. However,
There are currently scanners on the market, such as models from Creaform, that can scan and require no post processing or clean up work...meaning you can go from scan directly to CNC or print operation.
 
Next is the fact that, on the high end of 3d print technology, there are printers that can print multiple materials in the same print run at the same time. Wood filament is fairly new, and I would imagine, will only get better in time. Remember that once upon a time, very few people had inkjet or laser printers in their home and would have to go to a copy house to have their papers or newsletters printed.... Not so long ago either... But now you can easily publish things right in your home, that look every bit as good as professional printing did just 10-15 years ago. At the rate of advancement that this segment of technology is experiencing, it won't be that long before some form of 3D printer is as common in the home as a TV.
 
Also, a few years ago, this technology and the materials that could be used was quite limited...not so today. You can 'print' various metal, wood, plastic, paper and even edible materials. Not to mention that you can scan a complex object and reverse engineer it and deconstruct it via the software. Variations and changes are a simple matter. It can be difficult to grasp the full implications. In the medical field, they have even successfully printed stem cells for tissue and organ replication.
 
Before long, I imagine, people will be able to go online, download a file of their favorite subject and simply print it out. For you plastic model builders, dont be surprised when the day comes that instead of buying your model kit in a box, you will log onto, say, the Tamiya website, and simply download your kit and print the parts directly at home !
 
The technology is astounding and will become more and more viable and cost effective in the future. My feeling is that you can poo poo it if you want to, but it is here now and will only get better and much more user friendly as we go forward.
 
Joe