JPett

I'm wondering which way he's going to go in future.  Perhaps a 1:48 HMS Victory detailed down to the treenails on the orlop deck......OR...... the Battle of Trafalgar ---- in a vial?

Ahoy Buck
 
You're are really starting to scare me. Any smaller and you might run afoul and split an atom. Your neighbors would not take to kindly to this.

Ahoy Buck
 
You're are really starting to scare me. Any smaller and you might run afoul and split an atom. Your neighbors would not take to kindly to this.

Ahoy Twintrow
 
If it helps the biggest problem I had when I started out was rushing. Airbrushing requires prep, patience and practice. Lots of practice, I shoot between 20 and 25 PSI, thin the crap out of everything and never rush. Learn to build up layers. The best advice I can give you is to go out and buy some cheap model kits and start painting. Once you get into the grove you will be amazed at how good some of these cheap kits can look with a good paint job. I am a PE addict and love resign kits that have a ton of it. The PE will really test your skill with the airbrush. Especially truss work where you need to paint the inside without over spaying the outside.    
 
If you use Acrylics buy that companies thinner. Guys have all kinds of home brews which do work but in the beginning it is best to eliminate everything so the focus is just on you developing the skill and finding your weaknesses.  I like the Tamiya paints but only if you thin them with lacquer thinner which i know is the opposite of what I just said. I am however past the learning stage and can play. Beginners should try a line staying only with that manufacturers recommended products. Buy only a few colors, some thinner and spray away.  
 
Another big mistake is let your stuff dry. Yes you want to build up layers but once that is done put it away. Some paints take 24 hours to cure. When you start mixing and matching you can cause a chemical reaction that can take a week to cure. I don't paint everything or one color all at once. I paint a few parts, work on something else and maybe paint that , then come back to the first thing I painted in a few days. This way I never fret about getting it all done: I know that chances are that color will be back in the cup in a few days so who cares if I missed a spot or need a touch up. Plus too much air time and I start making mistakes. . 
 
Biggest mistake. Learn to clean your airbrush and do it frequently. Get a cleaning kit. I can break down and completely clean my airbrush in under five minutes. I do mine at the first sign of trouble or when ever I change paint types. I have a little jar that all the parts go for a  swim in, less the body and needle. Then I take them out one at a time, clean them, line them up, and once thier all clean assemble the airbrush. 

Ahoy Mates
 
PRIMING 101 PE and Resin
 
Any of us that have experience airbrushing resign or PE know the importance of a good primer.
 
After much experimenting and many disasters I use exclusively Mr Hobby Resign primer and Mr Hobby Leveling thinner. Either one could be the poster child for dangerous chemicals used in the hobby industry so a proper paint booth and mask are requirements. This combination does adhere to resins very well and not come off when using low tack tape. It also does not flake or ship off when sanded like many other primers. A coat of Johnson's however will make most primers easier to sand. The Mr Hobby can be wet sanded with Tamiya 1200 or 1500 and repainted with no problems  
 
Primers can be one of the hardest paints to apply with an airbrush. Many have a separate airbrush just for primers and flats. These paints dry very fast and will clog the tip of your airbrush in seconds. This is followed by splatter and an unhappy modeler. I use a Neo  Dual-Action Airbrush with 0.35 mm tip and Gravity Feed Cup for everything. 
 
First never thin primers in your airbrush cup when using gravity feed airbrushes. It is impossible to stop the paint from immediately filling the bottom of your cup regardless of how much thinner you have in it. This glob of primer will proceed to your nozzle as soon as you pull back on the stick with negative effects on your airbrushes performance regardless of how much you stir. Use a suitable container and mix yourself up a batch and then use that directly in your airbrush. If you prime everything as I do it will never go to waste.
 
Actually first should have been wash your parts. I use an old paint brush, Ajax dish-washing soap and cold water. Never use hot or even warm unless you want to reassemble them. Then I use air to dry them. Then they sit for a few hours. 
 
Thinning primers. I thin primers as much as 60/40 (sometime more). The 60 being thinner. The thinner you can paint with primer the better your kits will look. Mine is so thin it takes between 5 to 10 coats to cover. The good news is all the coats can be done in one sitting. Apply a light coat, apply some air; a properly applied coat will dry in about 10 seconds. Apply another coat and repeat until the part or kit is covered. My first coat is so thin I can only see it by the shimmer. Buy doing it this way you will have a super thin, super tough primer coat that does not hide the smallest detail.
 
As far as the spray pattern I only pull the lever back (Double action) about 25% and work close to my project for the small stuff. Larger areas I am further back but still only around 50% on the throttle. With this much thinner, pull back any more and you will only flood the surface and cause a run. It is important to find your happy place too and do this off your work. I spray into a paper towel and get the setting and then without changing a thing move to my project. I also never stop while the brush is aimed at the project. Spray away then stop. The distance where the paint is wet on the surface of your project, barley covering and not flooding is where you want to be. The good news is with this much thinner if you do flood or saturate an area just switch to air and disperse it. In most cases you will never see it after it dries.
 
Good luck and happy modeling 
 
Pic is of a PE assembly for Alliance Model Workshops SMS Vulkan 1:350 scale primed as described. It is a total of 5 parts CA'ed using Jet Super thin.
 
Edit: I removed the text regarding this primer and PE. Although it does work it is no better then the Tamiya which is also quite good 

Ahoy Mates
 
With all the interest I see here on MSW about airbrushing I thought it would be helpful to have a thread that allows those with more experience to share what they know with those who are just starting out in. 
 
If there are enough responses I will request the thread get pinned  
 
Please free free to post what ever you like, questions, answers, practicums, links to your videos or other logs here on MSW that you think might be helpful to others 

Ahoy Buck
 
You're are really starting to scare me. Any smaller and you might run afoul and split an atom. Your neighbors would not take to kindly to this.

OK, I was intending to hold out until I finished this lantern to post pictures, but I ran into a snag and need to order some K&S brass 1/32" angle. Nobody stocks that size around here, as apparently, nobody else around here is stubborn enough to try using it! The angle will be used as corners to connect the top and bottom plates of the lantern.
 
The top and bottom plates were made from .010 sheet brass. I used end cutters to trim the sheet metal and then folded the tabs while gripping them with the ground end cutters shown on page 1 (post 13) of this thread. The tabs were gripped and the plate folded over while tapping with my miniature Dremel hammer. The round cap was domed with a ball end on the little hammer while the brass was laying over a hole in a piece of wood.

 
Since I was unable to find any tiny brass angle here, I tried a couple of things. First I tried folding the .010 sheet into some angle pieces, but it ended up a bit wavy. I then tried cutting the corners from a 1/16" piece of square tubing. I wasn't satisfied with the results because when the 4 corners were cut loose, it was really hard to hang onto one side of the angle while trying to file the edge of the opposite side. I'll wait for some actual angle to continue.

 
The lantern has a round chimney on the top with little vent holes and a domed cap and handle. The chimney has a 1/8" outside diameter so I needed to rig a holder to drill a bunch of .028" holes in it. I sharpened the heck out of a steel brad nail and used it as a center punch. The holder is a small chunk of wood that has a 1/8" hole through it. A sloped reveal was chiseled out of the business side because it was too hard to see the tubing to drill it with it poking out of a square face. A kerf was cut down to the hole so a clamp could squeeze the tubing to keep it from rotating.

 
The pieces were soldered together and the square end of the wood holder was used to square up the top plate with the chimmney tube, which passes through a hole drilled through the top plate. The pieces are still a bit rough since there will be more soldering before I can start filing and sanding.


 
I now need some help figuring out the wooden lantern keg that holds the lantern. How would it open? The top has a lanyard cleat so I don't think the top would come off. Do you think that the top and sides would have been held to the base with latches? Because of the banding, I don't see that there could be a door in the side of it that would open. What do you folks think?? Any thoughts would be appreciated. I did try emiling the curator at the Mystic Seaport museum, but I think the address on the website is no longer a good one. 

 
Best wishes,
 

20 midship frames are cut (which makes it 50% of overall frames!):

 

 
Looks ship-alike!

 
Starting from the midship ones because other frames are much more complex, I can get some skill and experience on an easier midship ones.
 
Overall build status:

(the frames I currently have installed on a model would be replaced by the newly produced - they are made out of different wood, more yellow-ish)
 
Next step is nasty, and I am trying to push it down the road - sanding the face of every frame on a sanding board. Produces lots of dust, takes around 20 min per frame..
So will switch to the keel instead, then simulate the iron bolts with monofilament, then...

Ahoy Mates
 
With all the interest I see here on MSW about airbrushing I thought it would be helpful to have a thread that allows those with more experience to share what they know with those who are just starting out in. 
 
If there are enough responses I will request the thread get pinned  
 
Please free free to post what ever you like, questions, answers, practicums, links to your videos or other logs here on MSW that you think might be helpful to others 

Ahoy Mates
 
With all the interest I see here on MSW about airbrushing I thought it would be helpful to have a thread that allows those with more experience to share what they know with those who are just starting out in. 
 
If there are enough responses I will request the thread get pinned  
 
Please free free to post what ever you like, questions, answers, practicums, links to your videos or other logs here on MSW that you think might be helpful to others 

I have used a similar type - Optivisor.  The one  had been using for years just wasn't cutting it any more and at a trade show I tried their glass lenses  - this made a bid difference.  Check the Optivisor brand with the glass lenses.  They are a bit pricier but they are so much better - 8 hours w/o eyestrain.  The Optivisor plus good bright light makes a world of difference.  A big help for aging eyes.
Kurt

It's been a while.
 
I was working on Victory, but then I was sent my new designs for the Prince in laser cut and PE parts, so I figuered I'd build up the prince hull first, so that I can courier the hull over to Amati. They will then get a very good carver to make all new carvings for the model, have them cast, and then send me back the hull and loose catings. I can then continue, and finally finish the Prince!
 
When the prince is with Amati, I shall complete the Victory drawings/plans/instructions, which should be no later than Summer.
 
I know Amati are keen to finalise both Prince and Victory, and I am hoping Victory will be ready for release either late this year or very early next.
 
I have attached a couple of pics of Prince in progress. I have just completed the first planking. I re-done the designs to include three more main bulkheads, (almost) full length decks from lover gun deck upwards, and the new gun port designs that are now intergeral to the hull, rather than the 1mm ply gun port patterns of the old design.

Ahoy Mates
 
I don't think there is a wrong way or better tool. I think it depends on what kind of finish you want on your ship.
 
I always use my airbrush on plastic and resign kits but it has not touched any of my wooden ships yet. This does not mean it won't, but just that I have not found it necessary yet. For stains and dyeing wood, a brush or rag is the better tool; but should I decide to do a clear coat my ship with a dull urethane when I am done I will use my airbrush to do this. It will do the best job to preserve all the detail, especially on the deck. Truth be told a spray can could also do this.  A brush however would not do a good job here. For PE, metal parts that are highly detailed it might come out or I might try blackening. I considered a translucent color to represent bottom paint but let all the detail show. Again something for the airbrush.
 
I put the airbrush with the Sherline mill and Brynes saw for shipbuilding. They are each really nice to own but not really necessary for shipbuilding. Yes these tools will expand your possibilities but only after you learn to use them which can be a task in itself. The airbrush does have a slight advantage over the other two: you can't cut your finger off learning to use it. You will however spend a lot of time. 

Ahoy Chris
 
One of the biggest mistakes people make is not shaking the can enough. The hot water trick is good but if the paint is not properly mixed its worthless. If you can still lift either one of your arms its not shaken enough.  
 
I use an airbrush now but when I used rattle cans I would tape them to a long sawsall blade and run the tool for at least 5 minutes. Before this brainstorm I would go for long walks with my spray can. I am not sure I would recommend the walk method today.  
 
Proper shaking makes a big difference in the particle size, finish, splatter and clogging. Works for the color coat too. Heat it and you can achieve coats only an airbrush can top. Well someone whose good with an airbrush and that's another can of worms.
 
Another mistake which I am sure you know about but I will mention it for others is how far away you spray from your work. This distance will change depending on the weather and where you paint. You want the paint to be wet when it hits the model. If its drying in the air and then landing on your kit you will get what's called "orange peel". Your paint will look like the surface of an orange. Too close too thick. This is especially important for primers and flats that dry fast.
 
Good luck, its a beautiful kit

Ahoy Chris
 
One of the biggest mistakes people make is not shaking the can enough. The hot water trick is good but if the paint is not properly mixed its worthless. If you can still lift either one of your arms its not shaken enough.  
 
I use an airbrush now but when I used rattle cans I would tape them to a long sawsall blade and run the tool for at least 5 minutes. Before this brainstorm I would go for long walks with my spray can. I am not sure I would recommend the walk method today.  
 
Proper shaking makes a big difference in the particle size, finish, splatter and clogging. Works for the color coat too. Heat it and you can achieve coats only an airbrush can top. Well someone whose good with an airbrush and that's another can of worms.
 
Another mistake which I am sure you know about but I will mention it for others is how far away you spray from your work. This distance will change depending on the weather and where you paint. You want the paint to be wet when it hits the model. If its drying in the air and then landing on your kit you will get what's called "orange peel". Your paint will look like the surface of an orange. Too close too thick. This is especially important for primers and flats that dry fast.
 
Good luck, its a beautiful kit

Haven't really made enough progress for a proper update but there's something important I need to point out ... and now is the time.
 
The bulkhead beakhead doors were made the usual way by laminating 3 sections together, thinning them down, applying the finish and hardware.  They required only minor adjustments to fit the openings properly.  The two outermost doors will be covered by the roundhouses down the road.
 

 
Next, we fabricated the bowsprit step out of 3/16 and 1/4" strips.  After painting, it was securely pinned to the deck:
 

 
OK, here's what I wanted to discuss.  The bowsprit hole in the beakhead is quite a bit undersized for the bowsprit.  The bowsprit will be tapered but the hole still needs to be enlarged.  With the stem already in place, getting the proper angle and size on that hole is somewhat problematic.  Also, the next steps will include installing additional deck fittings as well as forecastle deck beams which will largely cover the bowsprit step.  I could visualize painting myself into a corner and being unable to properly fit the bowsprit 6 months from now.  So I fabricated and aligned this NOW and I'd strongly suggest you do something similar.  If you check Rusty's great Confed log you'll see that he left off the upper part of the stem (that which holds the figurehead) at this point ----that would give you room to work.  But I didn't think that far ahead.
 
I don't like breaking out my dad's old Craftsman 1/2" drill for work on a 1:64 ship model.  So I slowly enlarged the hole using slightly tapered sticks (old paint brush handles) wrapped in sandpaper.  Yes, it's just this side of Neanderthal (and slow) but it works..... and nothing got destroyed in the process.  Here's what we have:
 

 

 
The bowsprit has a tenon cut in to sit nicely in the step.  That will need to be painted red just prior to final installation.
 
Didn't mean to bore anyone with this as I'm sure you all know it's good to think ahead.  But now my conscience is clear.
 
 
 

here some more pic for u all bit more done
 
 
 

Ahoy Chris
 
One of the biggest mistakes people make is not shaking the can enough. The hot water trick is good but if the paint is not properly mixed its worthless. If you can still lift either one of your arms its not shaken enough.  
 
I use an airbrush now but when I used rattle cans I would tape them to a long sawsall blade and run the tool for at least 5 minutes. Before this brainstorm I would go for long walks with my spray can. I am not sure I would recommend the walk method today.  
 
Proper shaking makes a big difference in the particle size, finish, splatter and clogging. Works for the color coat too. Heat it and you can achieve coats only an airbrush can top. Well someone whose good with an airbrush and that's another can of worms.
 
Another mistake which I am sure you know about but I will mention it for others is how far away you spray from your work. This distance will change depending on the weather and where you paint. You want the paint to be wet when it hits the model. If its drying in the air and then landing on your kit you will get what's called "orange peel". Your paint will look like the surface of an orange. Too close too thick. This is especially important for primers and flats that dry fast.
 
Good luck, its a beautiful kit

Here are photos of the two sets of gears on my serving machine.
 
On one end we have the gears with the crank handle and on the other end we have the gears at the other end. The lower gears are connected with an axel so that when the crank is turned, the gears on both ends turn.
 
On the crank end, the upper gear is fitted with a hook and its counterpart on the other end has an alligator clip. These hold the line to be served. The serving line is tied and glued onto to the line to be served and then the crank is turned to spin that line and the serving line is rotated onto it. The serving line is kept under tension during the process and that is very important. If the serving line goes slack, then you have a big mess. So long as the serving line is taut, it will be kept very neat as it rotates onto the line to be served.
 
Hope that helps.
 
Russ 
 
 

Some more progress. Here is the ceiling taken up to the lower deck clamps.

 
And here is the outer planking completed with some finish on it.

 
More later.
 
Russ
 
 

Here I have attached the bulwarks planking and the wales. The wales have been painted. 

 
I also started the bottom planking.

 
Questons and comments welcomed.
 
Russ
 
 

Deck Planking

It seemed like it took me forever, but I finally got to the planking of the deck!  For whatever reason -- perhaps because I’m not using any paints or stains -- I did not envision this model with the classic light colored deck.  So, after much deliberation I decided to plank the deck with Swiss pear.
                   
Had I known about Hobby Mill and the availability of Swiss pear at the outset, I probably would have done the entire model in this beautiful wood!  It has been great to work with and the way it holds edges made the cutting of hooked scarphs really fun.
 
Robert
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Well on the 13th month anniversary of the start of the build the final full frame has been installed.
 
Ben

Ahoy Augie
 
Nice
 
The fit you have achieved on these pieces is just amazing. You have really stepped it up on this whole build
 
Thx for sharing it