halbaby7

Keith, as a retired master goldsmith/jeweler I have used the ones you can get at any Jewelers Supply such as Rio Grand or Stuller both of which are in the US so there must be a similar outlet in the EU if not the UK. Hal

Hello fellow shipmates. It's been several years since I was on board here. A long move from the East coast of the US to the West coast (Washington State). Then a new computer with W10 to learn as my old computer got crushed during the move and all info on the hard drive was not retrievable. My shipyard is not set up yet but ay least I now have the space for it. I am really looking forward to continue the work on the Elsie, catching up on on all the gossip, tips and other posts and everything related here on MSW. I'm glad to be back. Hal

Thanks Jud. The marking tool was a bit of a challenge as I figured I may need something similar in the future, and a block of wood with a pencil taped to it just wasn't my style. Lol Hal

Well I managed to re-arrange the pics and text properly. Sometimes I simply amaze myself. I hope this helps future shipwright/modelers. I thank all the input from other members as I worked on this 'how to' project. Cheers to all. Hal

Hello everyone. I had earlier posed the question as how to find the center line on a pre carved machined wooden hull. I used the comments from several members and came up with a plan as to how to do this. As promised, here are some pics and text as to how I confronted this question. This is the working platform, a smooth plastic coated 12" x 24" shelf board. Here is the carved hull with the hold down tabs. Made from 3/4" x 1/8" aluminum bar stock, with a slight "S" bend and screw hole centered. Here you can see the two pins, centered 'by eye' at the bow and stern. Also note the two thin wood wedges which I used to 'jam' under the hull from the back side to hold it in place, as seen in the next pic. The hull is attached to the work board using the tabs and screws. I placed a pin at the bow and stern at a visual center point. The hull is then 'balanced' on its resting point, keeping the two pins equal distance above the board . Here is the marking tool I fabricated using a pencil compass (modified), wood block, tall machine bolt with nuts, brass tube with inside diameter matching the bolt, and several small screws to hold it together. A wrap around strip of brass was soldered to the tube, and this was then bolted to the cut-off pointer section of the compass. This allowed the assembly to be adjusted vertically in the bolt and also providing an angle range to aid in reaching over-under areas. The hull now has a "center line" marked; bow to stern along the keel-son, and bow to stern on the deck. The hull is shown here with the marking tool and the 90 degree triangle amidships. Detail close-up of the hold down tabs with the hull securely held in place.

Well fellas, there's the three pics. I had to have the wife help. Some things just take a womans touch I guess. LOL I am going to try Shiloh's suggestion as I have come up with a plan. Ya all heard that one before! I will post a 'how to with pics' in a few days. Thanks everyone! Happy Holidays. Hal

Here are 3 pics of the Elsie machined carved solid hull

The problem seems to be me. I can't get my computer to recognise my pic files, either 'my pictures' or in 'picasa'. I simply give up. Hal

I'm having trouble uploading them. Sorry

Good morning everyone and many thanks for the replies with info and ideas. I think I have formulated a plan using the information gained to build a jig to secure the roughed-out hull and transfer lines. I will describe what I come up with and supply some pics in the near future for the benefit of others down the line. I'm sure this question will pop up at some distant date. Thanks again. Hal

Thanks guys for your replies. First let me apologize for not proof reading before posting. How embarassing! Mark has it right. This is a Model Shipways model kit of the Elsie, 1:96 scale. I bought the kit in 1968 and it has languished on a dark shelf ever since. The hull is a machine pre-carved solid body requiring accurate light carving and much sanding to the final shape as per the plans. What I need is to locate and mark on the preshaped hull a centerline on the deck from stem to stern, and again along the keel from stem to sternpost. These two lines must be exactly in line with each other on the vertical plane as all other lines relate to this center plane. If I can figure out how to upload a pic I will. Is this any help, I hope? Thanks. Hal

I saw a thread here once but can't find it now. So, starting over, how do you find the center line of a preformed solid hull. Any help would be appreciated. Merry Christmas. 15 Feb 2016 There's a lot of great ideas posted here from other members. I used some ideas, and added my own. Now, toward the end of page one I posted a series of pics describing how I did it. I hope this helps future modelers. Cheers. Hal

Try using a small Dremel electric hand piece and 'turn' them using a piece of small dowel and then stain/paint black. Should be able to create a couple fairly fast...

You might try this. As a retired Master goldsmith and Gem cutter I often needed to glue semi-precious gem material into a precious metal mounting. What was needed was a glue that matched toe color of the stone. ie onyx = black glue. Lapis= blue glue. I used a semi fast set two part epoxy and added a small amount of powdered paint such as Tempera paints found at art stores. Mix well and use a Very small point to 'pick up' a dab of colored glue and apply it where you want the rivit/bolt head. The epoxy will maintain a raised bump through curing. You will have to experiment a bit to get the droplet size right. Note to all, you can color epoxy glues this way and unlimited color palet by mixing colors. Good luck.

John...I just finished reading said book. An incrediable tale and should be read by everyone who loves the sea Hal

Hey there, as a retired master-goldsmith I can report that I used an Optivisor for over 40 years with no problems. There are several magnification lenses to be had, #10 being the strongest. I preferred the #10 lense because of the close work in stone setting and occasionally I would 'bump' into something because of the short focal length. I can't think of an application in modelling where you would be that close. Hope this helps Hal