mrcc
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Everything posted by mrcc
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Hi Jan-Willem, I love the extra detail you are doing... you are certainly a great craftsman!- 127 replies
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- Bluenose
- Billing Boats
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This last post shows the very limited progress on the masts in which I have started my first attempts ever of rigging a model period ship. My fingers are a bit fiddly and I can tell already that this part of the build is not going to be fun for me. I think I will skip over the masts for now and work on adding details to the bow section of the ship...
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I most recently started worked on setting up the lanyards for placement... This old kit supplied a very simple plate and then a plastic deadeye which I of course decided to replace. In adding details, I went to Michaels and purchased a sewing hook and eye package, and with a simple manipulation of the eye, I was able to wrap it around the deadeye and create a locking pin from a brass pin. I have already touched up the hardware with flat black paint and it looks quite good on the boat.
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Finally some progress to report... I built the dories from the kit supplied pieces which were plastic but painted up OK with a few coats of enamel paint. I also built the cradles which were not part of the Billing Boat kit but certainly add nice detail to the model.
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You are doing such a fanstastic job! All quite impressive...
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Some of the pictures below have the pins and some of the eyebolts that were originally painted (with great pain I may add) that do require a bit of touchup... but the majority of eyebolts have been blackened and look dramatically better!
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I have been procrastinating on this next step of getting the rest of the ring bolts and such on the deck given my huge distaste of painting all those tiny eyebolts and my huge failure in the past with blackening. This time I decided to do more research and try a slightly different technique of blackening and low and behold a completely different result! I soaked the items in dishwashing soap for 5 minutes and then I soaked the items in the isopropyl bath for 5 minutes and then dumped the items in the blackening solution that I kept in a hot water bath (swishing around in the glassware with each bath). I even used the old solution of blackener that I used on my original failed attempt the year before. Needless to say I am quite happy with the results and the fact that I do not have to paint these fiddly items. PS all the fitting are above and beyond what the Billing Boats plan call for, given most of my resources are from borrowed from Model Shipways' plans.
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Thanks Nick for the comment and yes the sails were worth the extra expense of $75 CD. They look great in my opinion.
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Some progress... I had someone professionally sew my sails for me. Well worth the money in my opinion. I took the templates from the kits and added a few extra details, passed them to her with separate sail material and "voila"...
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I have good news as well as I just received my missing parts. From my original email dated August 2, 2014 and subsequent emails to Jotika in September and October, it was actually Cornwall Model Boats on a separate order to them, were they able to query Jotika on this matter, that finally had Mr. Wright get my parts sent via post.
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Thanks Jan-Willem, the blocks and deadeyes were sourced from Cornwall Model Boats from the UK. They are Caldercraft's deadeyes and are certainly top notch and the blocks less-so, being from Corel, but certainly better than the plastic ones that came from the kit. Cheers,
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Finally... on to the sails. If anyone replies, please be patient if I do not reply promptly as for some reason I am not getting email notifications when people respond to my log.
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This last posting is the booms that are painted and banded with cardboard to simulate iron rings. Of course lots of extra details that Billings did not specify. I am happy how everything looks.
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I am always striving to add more detail than what the Billing kit specifies. Here evident is cardboard strips that I painted and then simply glued with white glue to simulate iron bands on the mast. I noticed that the paint cracked and that an additional coat of paint was required. The one image shows some of the blocks and deadeyes attached.
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My mistake though was putting the mast collar on without the hoops on the main mast. Oops! I corrected this by clipping the plastic hoops with a fine nail cutter and stretching the plastic ring delicately around the dowel and then gluing them and painting them on the mast. A couple of the plastic mast ring broke in half which require more delicate gluing and finesse.
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I also, 2 weeks previously, assembled the fore and main masts which I found quite enjoyable.
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Finally an update as I have been working on my Bluenose but have just not taken the time or effort to post. This image is the finished hull that has 3 coats of matt Admiral varnish.
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Also Jan-Willem, the decals were purchased in a sheet. Just multiple letters in a single font but in various sizes. And as a dry etch, you simple put the sheet again the surface and with a dull pointed object, basically trace and darken out the entire letter that then transfers the letter from the sheet to the surface you wish. Simple and easy and looks good to me. With regards to the painted surfaces ie: the hull, I used a matt water based varnish or clear coat and just lightly applied two coats with an overnight dry time of the first coat. It turned out beautifully! Mind you I painted the full red with 7 coats and the darker color 3 coats. I typically use an oil based varnish for the wooden surfaces that are not painted. These coats are purely for protection of the painted surfaces and to bring a bit of "life" to the paint underneath. It looks great! Cheers to all!
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Thanks Bob for the clarification and yes Matija I believe over the life of the ship, there were two different configurations of the ship name. I have included a picture from the plans of the Model Shipways kit that a friend has lent me as an extra resource.
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Hi Brian... I just got them at my local hobby store. Maybe google "woodland scenics dry transfer decals" and see if you can find them locally. I know Ebay has them for sale. Cheers!
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Finally a picture of my stern with the dry etch decals. The decals were a bit finicky and I had some problems with centering but finally got it done with some additional paint (recovering the decals) and reapplying them.
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Now ready to varnish... One concern prior, is given all the touch-ups I did around the scroll work, which I did by hand, I noticed the sheen was very dull immediate to the scrolls as evident by the photos. Prior to the varnish, I touched and lightly buffed up the dull sections with a shoe polish compound which fixed it right up, which will be evident on my next set of pictures in the following days that I will post. Not sure why that happened... but I did resolve it with the shoe polish. Also it looks much worse with the flash from the camera FYI.
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Here is how my bow is looking with the winch installed. I have also included another couple pictures of the wheel house and fore cabin entrance.
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Finally some progress to report...I made/painted my fife rails, mast collars, hawse holes, vent stack, and name plates which required a trial run as I had never used the dry etch decals before. I think they turned out quite well.
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Hi Jan-Willem... Great work, great attention to details, all based on great research!
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