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palmerit

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Everything posted by palmerit

  1. palmerit
    Starting to look like a Dory.
  2. palmerit
    Definitely a bit of a challenge doing a single plank hull compared to the double plank on the Sherbourne (on top of the other differences in design and wood).
  3. palmerit
    Starting the production line to make the cannons. Definitely easier with an airbrush.
  4. palmerit
    Another couple of things that have been really helpful is an Optivisor and really fine point paint brushes. I bought an Optivisor with a 2.75x lens with a Optiloupe auxiliary lens (which gives another 2.5x in one eye). I bought mine from Otto Frei (I buy tons of stuff on Amazon, but I don’t trust resellers). I wear my eyeglasses while wearing the Optivisor. And it rotates up so I don’t need to take it on and off. I buy brushes at a local art supply store. I started with what I thought were really small 1, 0, and 000 brushes. But I’ve since bought a 00000 and a tiny 18/0 for painting while using the Optivisor.
  5. palmerit
    A possible suggestion for the pure novices like me: I really haven’t liked worked with CA (super) glue. For my next double planked hull, I’ll probable try using wood glue and clamps, even if it makes the second planking take 4x as long. But you can’t get around using CA with PE (photoetch). It’s not as much of a challenge (for me) when doing something like glueing in an eyelet or belaying pin: I just dip the end of the piece into a small pearl of glue and then insert it in place. It was using CA on flat PE parts that gave me a headache: such as the tiny Roman numerals on the prow. When poking around on some general modeling YouTube videos on using PE I saw the suggestion of instead using a flat clear acrylic print instead of CA (which I later read in some instructions for another Vanguard model). Being paint, it’s slow to dry. And it stays flat (both physically and in sheen). I used Tamiya XF-86 Flat Clear to attach the hinges on the companionway. After everything gets a matte varnish, I’m guessing it’ll all be as secure as if I had used CE.
  6. palmerit
    You’re right. I’m learning how to work with this soft basswood. I loosened them a bit now that the glue has set. I did end up bending one of the frames pretty bad when I attached the garboard plank because I had clamped it (as opposed to clamping a rubber band). Thankfully, this softwood can also “bounce back” a bit and if you really wet it down and reshape it (I reshaped the frame element by clamping a couple of flat pieces on either side).
  7. palmerit
    Been adding parts to the deck. I just have to do the cannon a bit more pieces and then it’ll be on to the masts.
  8. palmerit
    Making progress on the Dory. While easy, it’s definitely not as self-explanatory as the Sherbourne (and the instructions and photos and illustrations for the Dory aren’t quite as helpful).
  9. palmerit
    Next step will be planking after this dries.
  10. palmerit
    I understand now how the “engineering” of Vanguard models is so different from older school models like this Dory. Constructing the frames involved gluing a couple of pieces together and gluing them to cross plates. There isn’t a ton of guidance in terms of putting the pieces together and it’s easy for them to get misaligned. After setting the frames into the building board, I discovered that one was misaligned, had to disassemble and reglue into alignment.
  11. palmerit
    That could well be. I went down a bunch of rabbit holes trying to figure things out before posting.
  12. palmerit
    Ok, so "sanding sealer" and "shellac" basically do the same thing then? And it's just a matter of preference which to use? Googling around, I saw some people call sanding sealer "snake oil" and others say that shellac was not appropriate for model ships. So if painting, it'd be: (1) sanding sealer or shellac (2) sanding (3) sanding sealer or shellac (4) 0000 steel wool, using a magnet to remove to fragments (5) paint (6) (optional) some kind of wipe on poly (polyurethane or polycrilic) Is that right? What if I'm staining wood? I understand that the first step would be to sand, and possibly wet and sand. And sand some more. Then I'd stain. Not clear what comes next. Would I do a light stain and then sand again? Or do another light stain and use 0000 wool? Would I do sanding sealer or shellac after that? Would I just do something like 0000 wool after that? Would I then do some kind of wipe on poly? Can you tell I've never really done any woodworking, at least nothing fancy.
  13. palmerit
    I’m doing my first wooden ship model and chose the Vanguard Sherbourne. I obviously have no basis for a direct comparison, but I can say that the Vanguard Sherbourne is definitely designed for the beginner. It’s a far more “modern” design than older school models I’ve seen build logs of (I don’t know how old the Caldercraft is). I’ve in parallel started the Model Shipways Dory (just started), which is also designed for the beginner, and can say the Vanguard Sherbourne seems easier in some ways than the Dory. The Sherbourne has many more steps and pieces but seems “easier”, instructions are clearer, and materials and architecture are stronger.
  14. palmerit
    That explains a lot. I think I had seen some builds - even in the instructions for the Sherbourne I believe - with recommendations to sand between coats of paint. I noticed that it was rubbery, and didn't think that it was because it took a long time to fully cure. So I guess an advantage of using a non-acrylic sanding sealer on bare wood is that you can sand it more immediately - say the next day. Is that right? I suppose on a hull (or other wood) you're intending to paint, you could do a couple rounds of sealer and filler and sanding until the hull was smooth and then prime and paint (and apply WOP if desired)? If you're intending to stain the wood instead of paint is there a step you can use to prep the surface to get it smooth (since you would not want to use sanding sealer before staining), especially in the case of a softer wood? Or would you just not want to stain a soft wood that could not be finished just by careful sanding of the bare wood? Sorry for all the questions.
  15. palmerit
    Based on wefalck's comment, I assume a sanding sealer is easier to use than a shellac and does the same thing, right? I'm not keen on mixing my own shellac.
  16. palmerit
    I tried sanding with a range of grits (I have all the way up to 1500) and there was still fuzz. I'll see if the buffing method works. So if I wanted to go the sanding sealer route, I'd do something like this: 1. Wet the wood to raise the fibers. Sand again when dry. 2. Apply a Miniwax Clear Sanding Sealer. 3. Sand again and repeat with another coat of sanding sealer if necessary with another sanding. 4. Paint with acrylics. I usually thin a bit and do more than one coat. Sanding between coats as necessary. 5. (Optional) Apply polycrylic. Sand with high grit and apply again as necessary. Does that all sound right? Or no? I assume that if I wanted to stain the wood (which I don't in this case) I would want to first apply the stain and then apply a sanding sealer, sand, and end with some kind of poly coat. You can't stain after applying sanding sealer. Is that right?
  17. palmerit
    For a side model, I'm working on the Model Shipways Lowell Grand Banks Dory, which uses basswood. Only my second model (my first being the Vanguard Sherbourne), and my first time experiencing the basswood fuzz. Anticipating this won't take long to finish, I want to make sure I have what I need when I get to the painting stage. What should I do prior to painting to "de-fuzz" the wood? I've read that I don't want to simply paint over it because that will accentuate the fuzz if anything. I don't know if a basic acrylic primer will do any better than paint (all of my paint, besides what came with the Dory, are Vallejo). (Followed by fine sanding.) I saw mention of first adding shellac, fine sanding, and then painting over. I also saw mention of using sanding sealer (then fine sanding, then painting over). I'm pretty clueless about these things and I'm not entirely sure how shellac and sanding sealer differ. Would either work? Will both be okay for applying acrylic paints over them? I also have Minwax Polycrylic, but isn't that what I would put on AFTER I paint, not before. (Not sure if I should instead have Minwax Wipe On Poly in stead of the Polycrylic - I bought the latter because I assumed it was preferred for using acrylic paints, but then after I got it I found posts saying the Wipe on Poly was better than Polycrylic.)
  18. palmerit
    Definitely a different style of modeling, in an interesting way.
  19. palmerit
    I can definitely see the difference in the kind of wood this model uses. The basswood is very soft, fragile, and fuzzy compared to the wood used in the Sherbourne. I’m going to have to treat this one gently. Thankfully, it’s small.
  20. palmerit
    Okay, so after deciding to purchase the Duchess of Kingston by Vanguard Models to be my second build (while continuing to work on my Vanguard Sherbourne), I reflected on my mistakes (that I certainly learn from) and how often they occur and considered how much I just spent on the Duchess and what a more serious mistake might mean, and decided to maybe get some more practice on less expensive models first (well, second, third, and fourth). I just got the Model Shipways Shipwright Series, which consists of the Lowell Grand Banks Dory, followed by the Norwegian Pram, and then the Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack. I know these model might be a bit more “old school” than the more modern Vanguard designs. But I figured they’d force me to do something different, mistakes would be on a far cheaper model, and they’d be easier to work on while also doing my Sherbourne. I wanted another model (in this case three small ones) to have something to work on while waiting for glue and paint to dry on my Sherbourne parts (like I am now).
  21. palmerit
    A great thing about Vanguard's models is that the guy who owns it (Chris Watton) is on here and responds to your messages unbelievably quickly. Thanks Chris. He suggested these should be 15mm each, not 25mm each, meaning there is enough in the supplied 3mm dowel. I would have done that (or bought a dowel from a hobby shop) but wanted to make sure I wasn’t misreading something.
  22. palmerit
    I’m making the deck pumps and each calls for a 3mm x 25mm dowel. I couldn’t find any precut and did not see them listed separately in the parts list at the end of the instructions. There is one 3mm x 330mm dowel supplied. From that, I’ll need to make the upper yard (3mm x 129mm) and middle yard (3mm x 170mm). Adding those two up, it’s 299mm, leaving only 31mm left on the 330mm long 3mm dowel. Am I just confused, missing a part to complete the deck pumps, misreading the instructions, or are the pumps not supposed to be 25mm high, or made from a different width dowel?
  23. palmerit
    Another lesson learned, lesson shared: Not having done modeling since I was a kid, and not having done anything but the most basic wood working, there are lots of basic things I’m discovering and learning. After making a mistake, I poke around here, YouTube, and other places where I learn how to fix my mistake. I could have avoided the mistake by reading more and taking reams of notes, but sometimes it’s best to live your mistakes. Another good reason for starting with a small, relatively inexpensive model. So most of my pants (airbrush and brush) are Vallejo. They’ve worked great for everything. I wrongly assumed that the Vallejo acrylic primer would work on photoetch. Well it doesn’t, unfortunately. You can see it on the eyebolt. I knew you needed to prime PE. But I thought primer was primer. Now I know it’s not. I’ve ordered a solvent-based primer for priming PE going forward. I bought the Tamiya after watching this fine scale modeler video. I’m sure this is all well-known to anyone with any modeling experience. It’s new to me.
  24. palmerit
    They look a little better after some wood filler, sanding, and paint.
  25. palmerit
    Lesson learned, lesson shared: I was building the catheads and since I had removed the char from other parts (like belay pin racks) I just plunged ahead and removed the char from the small parts for the catheads too. I should have waited until get were put together or just not worried about it since I was planning to paint them. The small pieces at the end of the catheads are small and after sanding they now don’t fit snuggly.

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