Martin W
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Everything posted by Martin W
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Nice details on the Blue cutter. I especially like the flooring. As for the oars, I believe Chuck had a thread -- it might have been back in the antediluvian MSW.1 -- on making oars. I followed it and got nice results, and I'm only a beginner. Cheers, Martin -
Probably wise -- why have tools you don't need? Wait a minute, did I really just say that??? Martin
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Well, Bob, I can't say I know Port Hueneme (we Oregonians veer away from SoCal), but the Channel Islands are simply beautiful. Cheers, Martin
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Your technique is pretty much the same as mine -- grocery store bamboo skewers, draw plate, and sore fingers. (That is, bamboo on the darker wood, such as the cherry -- which my kit had instead of the swiss pear; walnut on the holly). I did use the twisty kind of pin vise, though, and it got pretty tiresome. Oh, and I drew lines across the planking to keep my holes in their proper place; an old fashioned eraser got rid of the lines prior to insertion of treenail. Vanda Lay industries has a treenail maker, which is what Bob Hunt used. But I've read a number of people on this site say that it isn't worth it (and I've read even more people say they WON"T put treenails!!). Cheers, Martin
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Hi Bob -- even before I got a chance to marvel over your wheel, you've already moved on. Not only are you skilled, but fast! And I'll bet it was nice indeed to sail out of SF Bay to the Channel Islands! Oh my. Cheers, Martin
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Yeah, I know about those sore fingers. I got the drawplate from Jim Byrnes, and it does work a lot better, but the fingers still ache. And I chose to use walnut for the treenails in the holly, so I lost quite few since walnut splinters easily. JPett used his Dremel to draw the treenails, so you just might go look at his log to see how he saved time. Cheers, Martin
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A small taste could last you a long time. Martin
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Well, I can't help but be impressed: you got those treenails done in sweet time. It's looking good. Martin
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Sorry for your loss, Brian. Hope everything works out smoothly. Best, Martin
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Eric -- It looks good! As the others have said, sanding will work wonders, smoothing out the mistakes and accentuating the wood's natural good looks. Treenailing is its own thing -- once you commit yourself you have to go all the way and resist asking yourself just how nutty you've become. So paint is probably the healthier option. Cheers, Martin
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Actually, I bought the kit, the plans, Bob's instructions, and the wood as a complete set from someone else. (and I should hasten to mention that the guy I bought everything from had permission from Bob). The wood was indeed from the previous supplier, ie, Lloyd Warner of Warner Woods West. I subsequently bought a fair amount of wood from Jeff Hayes. The reason I went with boxwood is that I had bought some pine or birch dowels -- and I believe some also came with the kit -- but so many of them were warped that I decided to go with the boxwood, following the guidelines of David Antscherl, which aren't that far from Bob's. I'll see if I ever wrote down the dimensions of the wood stock I used for the masts & spars. If I can compile a list, I'll be more than happy to pass it on. Cheers, Martin
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Russ & BE -- thanks for the clarification. In looking back over the MS plans I see that only one line comes down to the iron horse -- the "several" was the result of my anxiety overblowing a detail. And thanks Brian for the link. That picture helps especially to show just how tall the horse needs to be (roughly 2 hands at the withers, I'd say). I'm also going to have to go back and look at both the Hahn & Mamoli plans more carefully, since I realize I hadn't seen any equine on them. Cheers, Martin
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Friends -- I've made a wee bit of progress, mostly attaching eye bolts, cleats, and the final blocks (and doing checks to make sure I've actually done them all, especially in those hard to reach places). No photos this time, since eyebolts aren't the most photogenic details. But I have a question that I hope someone can help me with. The MS plans show an "Iron Horse" just behind the tiller, and to which several lines of the running rigging are attached. Well, I can't find a reference to this ferrous equine anywhere else, and wonder if someone can give me a clue, a hint, a clear explanation of just what it is and why. Would it really be metal? The MS drawing is basically a line that makes me think it might be a kind of smallish bitts. Any ideas? Cheers, Martin
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JSG -- Those wood issues are somewhat persistent throughout the build. You might just want to go through the chapters on the hull and check on all the different kinds of wood and their dimensions, and then put in an big order with Jeff Hayes -- that's basically what I ended up having to do after also nickel & diming him. I also decided to use boxwood for the masts & spars, so added those to everything else. Those wedges look nice & smooth -- well done. Martin
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I think you're right on that point, JPett. Going through all the different sources on the Ratt, as well as Lees, Peterson, Antscherl, and Steele, I've concluded that there would have been a number of variants on individual lines, such as where they end up and how they get there from their starting point, and what the spars look like -- eg, plenty of ships have stun'sails, but no plans or drawing that I've seen of the Ratt show those at all. And I think that figuring these details out, going through as many sources as are available is part of what makes working on these ships loads of fun. The heartbreak of learning every day that one's skills are not terribly impressive is countered by being able to see how much went into making and running these babies. As for cheap scotch, I've always said that in certain instances the end fully justifies the means. Cheers (and bottoms up!) Martin
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I hear ya. The reason I bought them full price is that I was well underweigh with the rigging and getting more confused by the minute.
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I'm with Russ & Brian. I thought the quarter badge looked obtrusive (and its odd angle posed too many challenges to my anti-geometrical mind), so I left it off. And you're absolutely right about that cast britannia stuff -- yecch. As Brian sez, Lankford drew the MS plans (at least his name is on one of the sheets). Brian, do you have the Admiralty drawings? Did you get them from the National Maritime Museum? Cheers, Martin
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JSGerson -- I held off getting the MS plans for a long time (too long) because Bob Hunt follows Hahn's plans. But when it came to the rigging, where Bob follows the Mamoli plans, I set off on my own and got the MS plans at the advice of some folks on this site. I think for the simple framing and planking, Hahn's show plenty. But the rigging sheet is very informative. Martin
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Hey Bob, just a small question -- that map would seem to indicate where the Malabar is headed. So where might that be? A nice build, well crafted. Martin
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What do you use your mill for ?
Martin W replied to captainbob's topic in Modeling tools and Workshop Equipment
Very nice link, Meredith. That's something to fantasize about!! -
Hi JPett -- Here's one suggestion for locating the gunports (for what it's worth): if you look at Lankford's plans, you can measure up from the wales, since Lankford says the width of the planking is accurate in his drawing. You can then see how the bottom of the foremost ports cut further into the plank that the ones in the midships do. You might even photocopy that part of the plans, cut out the section of the hull drawing from the wales up, and tape it to your own hull. I don't think the level strategy will work. But you might use a water line marking tool. Cheers from your fellow Ratt, Martin
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Yo Brian -- I like the look of those blocks!!! Those are the sort of touches that make an individual build stand out. As I've been rigging my Ratt, I've found that the size of block that I use most often is the 4mm single. Now these are blocks that I bought from Lloyd Warner, and each supplier seems to have their own sizes. I've found that it's imperative to drill the sheave hole a bit bigger, but the reason I like his blocks so well is that they are the only ones that approximate the roundish shape of an actual block from all directions. The rigging line in my Mamoli kit all seemed way too fuzzy and coarse, even after staining and/or waxing. I've used Lloyd's line before -- it's linen, and is very nice to work with -- but because I'd stumbled across a place in England that has Egyptian cotton line, I decided to use that. Unfortunately, the guy there who sold it to me, Keith Jewell, seems to be quite ill and is not filling orders. Keith also had some blocks with working sheaves -- though they were mostly of a larger scale. You might take a peek at my log, since I list the sizes of lines & blocks that I used on the different spars. Cheers, Martin
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What do you use your mill for ?
Martin W replied to captainbob's topic in Modeling tools and Workshop Equipment
Mark and Ian -- those are helpful bits of information. Many thanks. And thanks in particular, Mark, for explaining the difference between the two Micro Mark mills (or Grizzley). Plenty of people have pointed out that accessories can raise the cost of a piece of equipment significanlty, so it's good to have in mind which ones will actually matter when it comes time to learn the individual capabilities of a mill. And Meredith, that wood is stunning. Is it mostly used for guitars, or have you used it in modelling? Cheers, Martin -
What do you use your mill for ?
Martin W replied to captainbob's topic in Modeling tools and Workshop Equipment
Ah, Floyd, you're luck you've got a club! That would be a great way to find out about tools, machines, kits, techniques, And Meredith, I would like to see that wood too. Martin -
What do you use your mill for ?
Martin W replied to captainbob's topic in Modeling tools and Workshop Equipment
Wait a minute -- how can you possibly complete your set of Machine Tools???? Floyd, you and Wacko are serious temptors. Having seen photos of the Wacko workshop, (Wack-shop?), I could easily succumb to your temptations. BUT, the Rattlesnake is my second build, and I'm only just now getting a sense of what goes into a model ship. If I sunk my "savings" (ahem) into a sherline or Taig, I think it would be comparable to someone who's only walked around the block buying the top mountain climbing equipment. But here's another question: I have read that with the Micro Mark/Grizzley micro mill it can be hard to find accesories. I would hope that Proxxon has plenty to choose from (and I'm still leaning toward something within my budget & skill range). So, what would you experienced folks consider to be the essential accessories? What, for example (and here's where I show my ignorance and inexperience) does a 4 jaw chuch enable you to do that a 3 jaw chuck would not? Cheers, Martin
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