lamarvalley
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Everything posted by lamarvalley
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Snowmans, Yeah, I'm with Tom on this one. Wood is different depending on species so it matters. Also, most of the wood we use for kits is kiln dried to a very low percentage (I forget the standard % but it's single to teen numbers) and will suck the moisture almost instantly. If you don't have the bend in the first hour or so you're not going to get it and I don't think 6 hours beats 2 in terms of flexibility. Ramdy
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Robbyn, The staining looks rich and deep. Nice! It keeps some of the red and some of the brown too. Real nice. I'm not sure, when I get there, if I will stain or use a tung oil natural finish. I just don't know... ...yet! Randy
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Good day Snowmans, I think the answer is yes, it can soak too long. My thinking is the water swells the fibers and while they will dry out they probably will not dry out to the degree they were before the soak, especially not by the time I want to glue. Maybe in time it won't matter but I tend to soak up to a few hours and when done for the day I soak no more. I start again when ready to go. Right or wrong, it's what I do. I also bought a sealing iron (used by model plane builders to put the thin skin on wings and such). It really is a just a small iron, about 4" long that basically steams the bend into the wood. Was $20 US and it works great. I also note that the longer the soak the fuzzier the grain but all in all everything gets a hefty sand so that isn't really a big point. So, I guess as long as the wood is dry enough to glue and not warped from too much moisture... no big deal so long as it works. Hows that for a non-answer? I really wasn't trying to be ambiguous. Randy
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Yeah, I think you're right Adrieke. The first planking iron I saw was like a soldering iron and I was surprised by what the hobby shop had - expected a lot smaller. Good luck finding one in oz... I like that, never heard it before.
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Good day Adrieke, Your build is quite elaborate but you look like you doing fantastic. Beautiful vessel and I love the diagonal decking. As to the sealing iron that I'm using on the San Francisco, here at Hobbytown USA it was only $20 and now that I have it I realize it is basically an iron. Fancied up for the hobbiest but essentially, still an iron. My point is, find the smallest clothes iron you can that has a non-stick bottom and you will have pretty much the same thing. It' just adding high heat to wet wood in a small area and bending the fibers as it generates steam. I agree... it's nice but I wouldn't spend $55 either. Just a thought. Randy
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Yeah, it's a bit crowded with the ladder/steps so close. I'm not real sure what the fix could be as I haven't really thought about these steps yet. Spent part of the day redoing the doors and then realized I made 6, forgetting about the large one on the stern. Oh well, that one will be different I guess. I also looked into and and bought a planking iron or as the hobby shop calls it a sealing iron for attaching and smoothing the skin of a model airplane. Holy freaking cow... how great wood bends when it is wet and being steamed by this miniature iron. Nice call, thanks! What did you do to your cannons to blacken? Is it just flat black paint? I'm changing some color schemes and am leaning to black more than brass.
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The supplied crows nest bug me. I'm not sure how yet but I'm going to give it a whirl. Soon.
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I'm with you, I much prefer to see the natural grain and coloration of a fine wood than to stain unless I must. I also did not like some of the metal fittings so I spent the last hour or 2 creating doors. Not sure that I like them so I might go with yet another version. The thing I really want to redo is the birds-nest or whatever it's called. Those metal ones are not very attractive. That ones a bit harder tho and I haven't figured how to tackle it yet.
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Looks good Eric. I love the color of the mahogany, did you stain or is it a natural oil or lacquer? I also like your doors... simple but far better than the stamped metal that came with the kit IMO. I also have played with a replacement but it's not ready for a showing yet, still planking the hull.
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Caroline, This is a wonderful build. I like the number of pictures, taken in so many tiny increments, it is very helpful in 'getting' the point or understanding what sometimes become confusing concepts. Watching this build, especially the hull planking is very educational not to mention beautiful. Thank you. Randy
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Well, isn't that what we all want for our ships... sailing to far away islands. Love it! Randy
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Hello Juan and welcome to MSW II. Another San Francisco 2 and she is beautiful. Good detail work and I notice a few finish changes which I like such as the antiquing finish on the rail balusters. How did you finish your cannons? I like the gray, almost natural patina versus the brass. Randy
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Brad, #150? Jeez, beats me by about 130 pounds or so. But I do like the thrill of the hunt... will it be a keeper or firewood? Darn it... I didn't need another thing to take my time but it was fun... I guess one hobby just morphed into another.
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I haven't tried this lately but some years back I turned a ton of bowls and vases along with table legs etc. The legs were from kiln dried wood bought from a hardwood supplier and had to be perfect and matching but for the bowls and such I used scrap leftover from jobs but also found a lot of my stock from wandering the woods. A lot of dried dead wood litters the woods and sometimes gems can be found. Many a burl was found in this fashion. I would grab what looked solid, take it back to the shop and remove anything that looked spongy, cracked, etc., paint the ends, keep it cool with good air flow and let it dry for a time. No science involved, just eyeballing it. Not all worked out but when it did it was fun to take what would be soil in a matter of time and make a nice bowl out of it. I don't see why this wouldn't work well for boats, like making planking material. It might require a bit more volume than making a vase from a single burl but it could be done. The downside would be a nice walk in the woods without any wood to show for it and the upside... wood. I'm not new to wood but I am to this hobby. I never considered harvesting my own...until now... this thread was a nice find. Randy
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Larry, I found the titebond transparent at Rockler Woodworking. The guy said they carried it for quite a while... never noticed it before.
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Thanks Larry. Who knew? Another 'tool' in the arsenal.
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Andy, As a guy who has an allergy or two I can say it doesn't need to be a huge volume of an allergen to cause the body to react. My allergies are mild and it's easy to avoid cats, I like 'em but my immune system doesn't so it's controllable, but look at those people that have peanut allergies. Just the odor molecules can cause a reaction so sure, a tiny amount could do it. Wear rubber gloves, don't touch it, don't breathe it and maybe it'll be no big deal. As to something else for string, in a response a few before this one, Larry (lb0190) mentioned translucent titebond. Never heard of it but I'm intrigued and am going to find some. Randy
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I'm with Larry Maltbyguy, the pva is my go to almost all of the time. I also really doubt that there is a 'cure' for your sensitivity to whatever is in CA so avoidance is your best bet. I'm allergic to cats and am never around them... so no problems. Why make yourself miserable or put yourself at risk when there are alternatives? Just mho.
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Sounds like it is the inhalant part rather than skin that causes your allergy. What about hi-end breathing protection? Like Airstream. They make self-contained breathing hoods and helmets and all kinds of things. Or- skip the CA all together. I use it maybe 1% of the time but it is not essential (to me).
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Is it every CA glue, like super glue from Walmart along with the better stuff from the hobby store? It could be just one component that affects you but knowing which one may not be worth the trouble. I don't know your symptoms but I think i would just avoid it. Not a fix for the hobby but is a fix for the allergy. Randy
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Well Robbyn, based on my novice eyes your skill level is pretty high. Go advanced and challenge the heck out of yourself. You know you're itching to especially after your unscheduled break.
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Congratulations on the Silver medal. Stunning details. Randy
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Before I bought the San Fran II by AL I bought the Adventure from Amati, a pseudo pirate ship. The kit was okay from a parts standpoint but the directions were horrible. You think AL lacks... you ain't seen nothing yet until you've seen these "directions". I sent it back and that adventure cost about $50 for shipping both ways and a restocking fee that I chalked up to learning. Here are 2 images of the very beginning of their instructions... they did not get better than that and the complete thing was about 2 pages of English like this. They assumed a lot from the builder I guess like the rastremare instruction... taper parts? The only photos were on the box lid. So... IMHO, I can't say which is best but I can say which I consider the worst... especially for a newbie. Randy
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When I built furniture and cabinets I had big equipment... 36" wide belt sander, 24" planer, big this and big that. All gone... to my ex-business partner who bought 'em off me... now I need a whole new assortment... little this and little that... fun times. I have found my nirvana... with mahogany I mean... 25 to 45 minutes works well when I bend it first around a can and let it dry somewhat into shape. Then dry fit to the hull and adjust... so far so good. Right now I have one glued on and drying, one clamped on the other side and drying from the soak, and one bending on a can. Time for breakfast.
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Good point Floyd. That'll be version II... I sort of feel like Edison with the light bulb... I'm going to have a bunch of versions of all kinds of things... but that's not a bad thing... I mean, is there such a thing as TOO many tools, jigs, apparatus's etc? Can't imagine that world. Thanks.
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