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lamarvalley

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Everything posted by lamarvalley

  1. lamarvalley
    Stunning work Giorgio, true craftsmanship. Inspires me to do better and I look forward to each new showing. Randy
  2. lamarvalley
    My first attempt at soldering was a disaster. It was one of the reasons I bought so much tube and bar... quite a few mistakes. What ended up working for me was basically 3 things... flux on both pieces, a jig that held everything in place before i hit it with heat, and quick high heat. That way nothing moved except the placement of the solder. In any case, your oar mounts are better than what you would have had if you "followed directions"
  3. lamarvalley
    Welcome back Wolf... I wondered if we lost you too. I, IMO, think your created cannon doors are awesome. Huge improvement over the supplied things... I tried painting mine several times with various paints and styles and finally just went flat black overall... not too thrilled with them but they look better than the sloppy paint-job that I was achieving. Yep, looks good on the ship too. Now, just make 21 more Randy
  4. lamarvalley
    Harvey, Tom and Geoff, thanks. Much appreciated.
  5. lamarvalley
    Your king is looking sharp Adrieke. Since you ask... I think I prefer the solid door on the right... it gives contrast to all the windows with glass. The left one is good, well done, but it isn't as distinctive as the solid door. IMO of course Randy
  6. lamarvalley
    Thank you David, I appreciate that.
  7. lamarvalley
    No sandbagging Tom, I swear. I am a novice... at model boat building. I know my way around a woodshop tho. The soldering...it wasn't smooth sailing at first... I didn't take a picture of the 4 or 5 that didn't survive... It was a learning experience.
  8. lamarvalley
    Thanks Mike. I think I really now know what 'bashing' means
  9. lamarvalley
    Looking ahead eh? What do they say... it's the journey, not the destination... but I get it, oh boy do I get it. I see so many new kits that I salivate over and yet I still have months to go on my San Fran. I have so much more to do and at every turn I decide something else needs to be 'bashed' rather than kit supplied. At this rate I'm never going to get to the next one :mellow: IMO... regarding soldering... I used a solder iron the first time I tried the hinges and the parts are so freaking small that capillary action made the part and the solder and the iron stick together. I switched to a propane torch and it worked a lot better. All it took was about a second to heat the brass so the solder flowed... other people no doubt love their solder irons but for me it was just plain frustrating.
  10. lamarvalley
    Thanks Richard.
  11. lamarvalley
    Well, I started this thread so I might as well tell of the final product. The cause of all this was the thin and generic hinge straps that came with the kit. I bent them so many times trying to follow the pin or the rudder that they snapped like metals do when bent back and forth over and over. I appreciate the advise Von Stetina, and it will remain in my arsenal of tricks but fortunately this time I bent them once and only once. It was nice working with a bit stouter brass... it could take a bit of work. I ended up buying .5mm sheet brass along with brass tube and rod. After a bit of trial and error I cut the sheet to appropriate size, filed each strip down to uniform widths and bent them to an initial U shape over a piece of wood the same thickness as the rudder. Again, a few stutter starts and finally got the soldering down. There were 6 hinges, each had tube with 3 of them getting a rod to act as a pin. Pulled out the files and sandpaper and eventually with a blackening I had hinges. The rest is detailed in the pictures... Randy
  12. lamarvalley
    I see what you mean by wheel-less carriages... I think my kit was developed after yours and was the next version as it was out of stock until late February. I feel almost positive that they switched out the apple wood for walnut but stuck me with goofy cannon carriage. Yin yang I guess And you're making great progress on the furniture... looking sharp.
  13. lamarvalley
    IMO.. Maple is a great furniture wood so I would imagine it would be good for models too. There are variations of maples; hard, soft, curly, figured, spalted, and birdseye to name a few and all except the very softest are strong and beautiful to work with. Machines well, sands well and finishes well too. I think it's a good choice and should make a good strong frame. Randy
  14. lamarvalley
    Indeed TMC, very observant. I got tired of the saddleback stork... going with a more nautical theme.
  15. lamarvalley
    Dear Lord!! Just when you think the pieces can't get any smaller... they do!! Brilliant job Danny! : You definitely set a high bar for the rest of us. Thank you.
  16. lamarvalley
    I like the black and white theme on the carving. Sometimes less is more and with so much to see on the transom, painting bright colors might distract. Good call.
  17. lamarvalley
    Give The Lumbermill a shot. http://www.dlumberyard.com/index.htm Randy
  18. lamarvalley
    Ah, now I see where your spending your time rather than on the San Fran. I like your cannon carriages better than the die stamped ones in the SF. Big improvement. Randy
  19. lamarvalley
    It's good to see you back as well. Looks like you're about ready for masts eh? Your SF is really looking sharp! The oars do look long but not out of proportion. Think about the 16 or 20 sailors crammed in there and the length works. To me at least.
  20. lamarvalley
    The beak looks great! You've made some serious progress in the last few days...and she's looking terrific! ... it's almost rigging time isn't it? More adventure to be sure!!!
  21. lamarvalley
    Your patience is obvious and rewarded in a beautiful end product. Awesome! Randy
  22. lamarvalley
    Klaus, I used the same product on brass cannon. I kept the cannon in the solution for about 25 seconds and then rinsed in a tub of water. None went full black but got that dark brown color you're seeking. One cannon needed to be re-dipped as it was too light. According to all I've read each metal reacts differently and also depends on how it is cleaned. I cleaned my cannon beforehand with 91% isopropyl alcohol and allowed to dry. Additionally, there doesn't seem to be a true 'science' to this... I mean different metals with different alloys with different cleaning methods all yield different results and even give different results even when it seems everything is the same. Now, I know none of this is helpful in solving your problem but what I would do is take a small sample of the brass black and dilute it, with water, and see what happens. I don't think any other solvents or chemicals should be added without knowing how those added would react with the acids in the product. Or perhaps when all else fails... contact the company... I think should know, eh? Randy
  23. lamarvalley
    Thanks for the advise Tom. A soldering expert I am not so I appreciate the trick. Randy
  24. lamarvalley
    Thanks guys. I kind of came to the same conclusion... eventually. And, you're right, I can blacken them as I did with the cannon. My biggest objection was the generic straps that came with the kit so I was looking for some alternative that I could craft myself. It's hard to replace the ease and versatility of brass tho so...this morning I picked up some sheet brass, rod and tube and am making my own. Never soldered anything so small tho so this should be interesting.
  25. lamarvalley
    Ilhan, Just found your build and it is a pleasure to see. Very precise craftsmanship. Randy

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