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palmerit

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Everything posted by palmerit

  1. palmerit
    I made progress painting. It took some time to learn how to use an airbrush. (An airbrush isn’t needed, but I want to do some other kinds of modeling.) I also had to learn how to use photoetch. My sprue (side) cutters were too thick to cut off the parts. I tried using my scalpel, which worked ok. But I think I’m going to try to find a pair of cutters designed for cutting pe. Then I realized I couldn’t cut pe on my cutting mat (when using my scalpel) because it’s too soft (and bent the piece a bit). So I tried instead using a piece of ceramic tile, which worked better. Fearing a tiny piece of pe might fly across the room, with some googling I found the trick of putting some masking tape behind the part on the photoetch sheet (after first using my reverse action tweezers to hold the piece). Using pe made me also realize why model sites sell really pointy tweezers. Mine were really too blunt for working with tiny tiny pe pieces. I’ll be buying a sharp pair of tweezers soon. Not sure what’s the best way to sand pe if (and when) I leave a sharp bit of the “sprue” on the part. Maybe a file works best? To put the superglue down, I ended up settling on using my scalpel blade to put down tiny amounts of glue down where the pe needs to go.
  2. palmerit
    I filled and sanded (and sanded and sanded), moving from sand paper and emory boards to a very fine sanding sponge. Certainly the smoothest I’ve ever sanded something. Can easily see places where I had to use more filler. I also had to do some work on the stern. First, the stern piece that the rudder attaches to would not fit between the two upper stern pieces I had attached earlier and I had to file the gap a bit. Then that same stern piece did not lie flush with the hull and needed some filler to fill the gap. I finally realized (after a bunch of wood filler applications) that I could apply a bit of wood filler (watered down a tiny bit) into a gap and then wipes the area with a damp cloth (leaving the filler only in the gap). Masking and painting (and filling and sanding and painting) is next.
  3. palmerit
    I suppose I wouldn’t have needed to do this if I had tapered a bit more precisely. Was fun trying to shape the wood.
  4. palmerit
    I didn’t quite leave enough room for all the planks to make it to the bow. Maybe next model I’ll do more measurements and use my calipers. Experimenting with how to insert planks based on what I’ve read.
  5. palmerit
    Working on the second planking. Using superglue (on top of being a novice at planking) is definitely a learning experience. Started to get the hang of it (at least a little bit) part of the way down the hull. Glad the hull will be painted on the model.
  6. palmerit
    Getting ready to start the second planking. Letting the shaped bulwark dry. It’s clamped down without glueing it in place. Instructions recommend putting the first plank on and then removing the bulwark until after second planking and painting the hull. And I was able to repair the back that I had damaged.
  7. palmerit
    What’s the best way to apply CA? Tooth pick? Or will the applicator on the Gorilla Micro Precise Gel work just as well (or better). Is that a good CA to use? I’ve been applying PVA with small brush, which obviously won’t work for CA.
  8. palmerit
    First layer done (still need to fix the back). Shape looks ok. Pretty symmetric. Not perfect. Will be fixing the back, adding finish wood for keel, prow, and stern (covered with Tamiya tape), then I’ll start the 2nd planking. Not sure if I should use superglue or titebond for 2nd planking. Instruction say superglue (cyano gel) but lots here suggest not. I’ll probably give superglue a try, making sure everything is shaped well, and going slow.
  9. palmerit
    Probably more wood filler than I might have needed if my planking went a bit better. Lots of sanding tomorrow. Most of it I watered down. I few places I used “full strength” in the place with some stair stepped planking. We’ll see how it goes.
  10. palmerit
    Oops. Sadly, while removing a stubborn nail from the hull, my hand slipped and I smashed the back a bit. I have some glueing to do. Thankfully, it’s going to be painted. Every step is a learning experience.
  11. palmerit
    Well, I survived my first planking. I watched a bunch of videos and read a bunch of posts but I learned the most by just doing it I think. My first ones were poor and thankfully this is just a base. I think I got a bit better. Glad this is an “easy” hull. I’ll have a lot of filling and sanding to do. I’m hoping I’ll be able to apply what I learned to the thinner second planking.
  12. palmerit
    I hadn’t noticed that the bow bulwark was bent in a bit, I think because there’s not a bulwark ear at the front and I wasn’t paying attention. Nothing I can do about it. Something I’ll try to remember for the next model.
  13. palmerit
    I was able to fix the stern area (showing photos before and after sanding down), getting everything lined up and flush, with a bunch of careful sanding and a tiny bit of wood filler carefully applied (a couple of times, over a couple of days, sanding between). I might do one more wood filler application.
  14. palmerit
    Question: Before painting wood (whether small pieces or parts of the hull or masts), do you use a primer or sanding seal (to limit the wood fibers from rising up)?
  15. palmerit
    Recommendations on a descent quality air brush for modeling? Is the polyurethane also sprayed on (or does "paint a light layer" mean use a paintbrush)? I had also seen some posts where someone recommended that the wood be treated before painting. (Complete novice here.) What do you do with the exposed wood (say on the hull or the deck or other parts that aren't painted)? Do you use a light stain (wouldn't a stain be rubbed on, not sprayed)? Do you use polyurethane on them? (Again, sorry, complete novice.)
  16. palmerit
    What is the difficulty of this kit?
  17. palmerit
    One thing I’m confused about is how to glue the bulwark. Later on in the instructions, after planking the hull, the bulkhead tabs are snipped off and sanded down (see photo). That seems pretty common from other ship builds I’ve seen. When I glue the bulwark, do I glue around the deck *and* the bulkhead tabs that will be later snipped off, or just to the deck and frame under the deck. Going from the directions, I’d assume I’d glue to every point of contact with the bulwark (including the bulkhead tabs). But the photos later in the instructions don’t make it look like the bulwark was glued to the bulkhead tabs (maybe they just snap off clean, even when glued).
  18. palmerit
    Thanks for the suggestion. I’m almost to planking and I’ll be checking a bunch of logs, videos, and web pages. It was a bit of a challenge to bend the bulwarks just with a pan of hot water. I have them dry-mounted on the hull to set the bend. Glad I bought lots of small clips. I’ve seen the crimped type and the heated (soldering-iron-like) plank bender units. Not sure which might be better and which kind to get. I'm probably going to get one for planking the hull, even if it's just as a time saver and not strictly necessary.
  19. palmerit
    I’d also like to know what brand and color red you used on the inside. Did you apply with a brush? Or airbrush?
  20. palmerit
    I faired the top of the bulkhead tabs above the false deck (after first sanding the top, I realized he meant fairing the sides along the top). I added the keel. One thing I hadn’t paid enough attention to until after the keel was glued on was the fair lines along the bottom of the bulkheads. I had seen them but it wasn’t until I put the keel on that I realized why they were there in terms of the overall shape of the hull. I started to sand with my emory board but realized I should wait until the glue was cured. It would have been easier to do without the keel there certainly. I’ll need to be careful (especially since noticed that I inadvertently sanded a bit of the place where the rudder attaches). Learning a bunch from my mistakes.
  21. palmerit
    With Chris’s advice, I was able to shape the stern section. Phew. Thanks Chris for the help (and for making a great model). Just need to figure out what to do about the gap. Would slightly watered down wood filler work better? This is the kind I bought.
  22. palmerit
    Thanks! And I didn’t think to sand the bulkhead tabs. What (if anything) should I do about the small gap between the two stern pieces? I could use wood filler (but it would be a real challenge to sand it in the inside) or craft a small piece of wood (that’ll be a doable challenge). Other suggestions?
  23. palmerit
    I’m hoping I did okay fairing the hull. I guess I’ll know when I do the planking. I seemed to follow the laser lines pretty well. A foam core emory board seemed to work well. It was small enough to see around and flexible enough to know I wouldn’t break something. My sanding block was way too large. While waiting for my files to arrive, I cannibalized (i.e., cut in 1/2 and then 1/4) one of the emory boards to file between the bulkhead pieces in order to sand down some of the places where the false deck had split. I was also able to sand smooth the replacement tab.
  24. palmerit
    Trying to do a bit of problem solving. I read ahead and decided to clamp the back of the bulwark to get a sense of how things might line up later. It looks like I’ll need to fair/cut/trim the stern pieces a good bit to get things to lay flush, like it appears in the photos in the instruction. Not sure if I did something wrong or if this is just the norm. I’m trying to figure out when I’m making a mistake vs. what’s just the usual work you need to do in construction.
  25. palmerit
    So I think I hit on my first of what will likely be many mistakes and I need help knowing what to do. I’ve attached the section of the instructions that I thought I followed. I’m pretty sure I attached the inner stern counter (62) properly. It’s lined up properly and flush. But the inner stern transom (63) would not lie flush with the top of the inner stern counter (62). Maybe I should have sanded the top of 62 to allow it to lie flush (the instructions don’t say to do that). Now there’s a gap. What should I do? I could use a razor saw to take off the inner stern transom (63) and move it down (sanding 62 to make that possible). I just don’t know if trying to do that is going to damage other parts (including the delicate stern frames). Or should I try to use wood filler? I think that part of the ship is painted. Not just the best way to apply to keep things neat. Suggestions? Other things I might do?

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