Martin W

Very impressive work, Ian. You've transformed some mediocre kit-supplied guns to some high-quality guns. You did a great job of maintaining, and even improving the overall dimensions. Great research, great craftsmanship. Cheers, Martin

It doesn't matter how many power tools you have, when it comes down to it, skill is always the key factor. And if you can accomplish a task with hand tools, all the better, sez I. Nice work, Jon. The problem I've had with my mill is that the brackets that fit into the slots of the x-y table require metric machine screws (that don't come with the machine), of a size that Lowe's doesn't keep in supply. Any clamp or other device necessary to set up a job (and as anyone will tell you, that's the most important and longest step) has only sort of fit, because the brackets are both too small and because they don't quite tighten. Probably a person with greater knowledge of machining could get the accessories to fit better than I can, but so far I've found it to be a waste of benchtop space, and money. On the other hand, I did use it to cut the razor blade into a moulding scraper with very satisfactory results. I admire your progress, Jon. Cheers, Martin

You are a true scholar of O'Brian, Peter, and an ingenious craftsman to boot! Martin

Terrific find, Nils. Your eye for analogous structures is astonishing! Martin

Nice work, Ken. And I know what you mean about the tight fit for everything. Looking at the overhead shot of those 2 guns, I recall that I had a heckuva time seating the bowsprit in between them. And I'll echo Jon's comments about carving -- you never know, but it might prove to be loads o' fun! Cheers, Martin

All right, Mike! Take it on! That is an exciting decision. I have always thought of a scratch build as the ultimate goal, but have felt daunted by my clumsiness & ignorance, so I'll be cheering you on. The scale is also an interesting question, and I agree heartily that 1:48 would allow for loads of detail -- and would be easier on the eyes; but four feet is pretty doggone big, and as I found out when I moved into a bigger house, that means more materials. But the payoff would be in the greater beauty and detail of the larger build. Good luck to you, Martin

Nils -- Why am I not surprised that your display case shows a high skill in framing? Your work has been, and will continue to be, a real inspiration to all of us remaining Swanners. Congratulations on your completion, Nils. And like everyone else, I'll be looking forward to more of your craftsmanship on KWdG. Bravo! Martin

Cut away, Doctor Mike! These modifications look daunting, but you obviously have put some thought into the matter. And planning is the best first step. Know what you mean about planking burnout. Cheers, Martin

Well, Jon, before I bought my Proxxon, I used the old "poor man's lathe" setting the wood in a hand held drill. I broke a good number of spars, but still got the job done. As for MicroMark, I made a similar mistake as you when I bought their milling machine. Aaargh! nothing fits it. I should have gotten the Proxxon. Cheers, Martin

Good luck with the milling, Jon. I think if you follow Bob Hunt's process (and FFM's) of trimming the square stock into and octagonal, then rounding over, you should have not problem. Or, you might buy a lathe -- Texxn has some good deals on the Proxxon. Cheers, Martin

Sorry to hear about the fender bender, Jon. And I can definitely commiserate with you over those knots slipping and eyebolts popping out. I think my biggest frustrations in rigging came with belaying everything here at the pointy end -- and under the main mast top, where it's almost as crowded and more inaccessible. Still, you're doing a great job -- your Rattler looks meticulous. Cheers, Martin

Nice work, and I certainly understand the desire to work in the larger scale. But don't I spy some treenails in the smaller version? Cheers, Martin

Hi Mike -- I didn't put any oil on the redheart, which is something of a departure from my usual practice after sanding. I simply sanded the completed capstan -- going from a 180 grit to 400 -- and then put the poly on. Some of the discarded pieces that I stuck in a box in a drawer have kept their bright redness, but not the capstan itself. And I think I see what I did wrong in staining the wales -- I put on 2 coats, without thinning either. That thickness is surely what obscured the T&B pattern. Ahh! we learn -- and hope that we'll remember!! As I recall, my fixed blocks are only about 3/8" long, which doesn't provide a whole heck of a lot of room for detail, unless you have a steady hand, sharp eyes, and a milling machine. Cheers, Martin

Hi Mike -- My NMM plans of the Fly show a sweep port in front of port #6, but not 7. Now, I've proven myself fully capable of mis-reading the NMM plans before, but I just now stood and stared at them for several minutes and that's still my reading. You're right about those steps, though, the sweep port is smack in the middle of them. The fixed blocks gave me a bit more of a problem than I had thought they would, and I really mean in their fabrication. I didn't have the challenge you do of matching different colors, but I did have problems cutting the sheaves as neatly and symmetrically as they should be. That was one of many times that I went cross-eyed! I can really understand why people like the larger scale. Oh, and your stain does look good on the wales -- the T&B shows up nicely. Maybe I put on too many coats? As for the possibility of bleeding, I had no problem at all with that, since as a water-based stain, the GF doesn't seem to penetrate the wood in the same way as an oil stain. I was looking at my capstan last night -- made out of redheart -- and noticed that even with a polyurethane finish it's definitely mellowed, even into something approaching russet. I still like it, though. Keep at it! Martin

Welcome back Herb. One thing about this hobby is that there's never a rush! Cheers, Martin

I got my burrs from Livesay's. Like Frank, I have an overly suspicious dentist, and one who holds no familial relation to me. Cheers, Martin

Hi Peter -- Obviously someone has done some planning, and has planned well, but it is the execution that matters in the end, and you've taken care of that with skill. A lovely build every step of the way. Cheers, Martin

Bob -- I like the natural look of those carriages! And let me follow up Erik's question about the blocks with one on the rigging line: what diameters did you use? As someone currently engaged in that repetitious task of gun rigging, I like your idea of breaking it up into units (a light has gone off in my head!) Cheers, Martin

Hi Mike -- Glad those chisels came in handy. As Mark says, the procedural order that makes you comfortable is the one to follow. On my Fly, I believe I laid down the outer planking first, and then set in the port linings so that the linings would have something to rest against. And the way I worked with them was to cut and install the bottom pieces of the linings first, since they would determine the length of the side pieces -- FFM points out that there is no top piece of the lining, which makes matters simpler. I also stained the 3 pieces of each lining before gluing them in. I used 1/32" stock, and didn't worry too much about the width: once I got the 3 pieces in, I trimmed them all flush with plywood strip in order to bring the inner bulwark planking over them, covering their edges. As for the quarter badges (which I have barely even begun to think about), you might go look at Alistair's log of his Fly, since he labored on his badges for some time, and worked out a number of nice details. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/2797-hms-fly-by-aliluke-amati-164/page-17 Glad to hear you're planning on carving the stern decoration. I've started on my own, but haven't worked on it for a while. It's probably a good idea to get some decent modelling clay to practice with and to work out the basic problems of details like what planes make up a face. When I started on the carving for my Rattlesnake, I got Bill Short's really helpful practicum on power carving (you can find him here on MSW). For the carvings on the Fly, however, I'm considering trying to fabricate some ultra small ("teen-incey" I believe is the Latinate technical term) carving tools from pins & needles. So far, every "micro" gouge I've bought and tried out has proven to be much too large for the scale we're working in. Like you, I used the General Finishes black stain on the wales. And like you, I'm pretty happy with the result, though did find that it obscured my T&B planking just a bit (I was going to show it off to the carpenter doing the remodelling on my bathroom, and couldn't get it to show up ). It's always good to know there's another Swan modeller laboring away! Cheers, Martin

Fine work, Mike. I'm especially impressed by the neatness of the planks butting up to the stern counter -- that part gave me serious fits with all the spiling and bending. The red heart along the top will really be a stunning touch, and I can't wait to see it. Cheers, Martin

Fear shouldn't be a real factor: remember that you can always do something over.

Great work, Toni. Why is it "bad news" that the acanthus leaves were carved? Now you get to do some carving -- that sounds like good news! Cheers, Martin

Hi Ken -- Nice progress. And your foray into the decorative carving looks very good. You might find that these will need a touch of vertical trimming to fit into their space, but that shouldn't be much of a problem, and there's no way of knowing until you begin setting them in. Can't wait to see more! Martin

Best wishes for the New Year, Nils -- it's sure to bring many joys and surprises in the ship modelling world! Best, Martin

Nice progress, Mike. I certainly know what you mean about both the time involved in spiling and any possible relief from it. Possibly one of the biggest issues in spiling -- or planking generally -- is the effect one plank will have on others a few rows later on. Happy holidays to you and your family. Martin