Jump to content

wdretired

Members
  • Posts

    18
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by wdretired

  1. I appreciate the comments. Some of the building photos are better than the ones I paid for. . . one thing I hate to do is to have to take something apart after gluing it. . I am going to have to pull the rails off the bow (again) because they don't have that curve in them that needs to be there. . . if I can't get it done so that I can feel good about it, there is no use in doing it at all. . . there are a lot of gifted people here that's for sure. . I probably need to find me someone in my area that is a good builder and let some of the expertise rub off on me (grin). . . thanks again guys for the help and advice. . I need it. .
  2. I am not cut out to be a carpenter nor a sculptor. I look at these very neat and precise photos of ships being assembled and every piece is placed just right. No cracks or defects that can be seen. . . yet I don't care how careful I am, mine don't come out like the pictures I see. . . the over all is okay but when you look at most pictures shown on this website, everything seems to be perfect. . . there has to be people out there like me who no matter how careful. . or how many times you do it, just won't come out according to the photos shown. . I won't tell you how many times I've pulled the rail off the front of my ship because I couldn't get it to look like the photos I see. I try to be a perfectionist because I know a little mistake in the beginning can run into some bigger problems later on. . so I am trying to make the assembly of my ship look like the ones I see on here. . I have cut the front rail (piece 1) according to the instruction and the part is identical and it fits but not like the photos I see. . . I don't think it is possible unless they are using equipment and tools I don't have. . . Now that I have vented my frustrations, I am working on the front rail and I know it will be covered over with planking but I'm as bald as a bowling ball for pulling my hair out trying to get my ship to be a pretty as those I look at. . it is one step forward and five backwards. . . I think I'll go fishing and worry about this thing Monday. . .
  3. I had a rough time with the counter and stern filler blocks but after some help from Bob Hunt, everything is back on track again.
  4. Did I ever say this is one huge model? I did figure out one thing already. That is I can't see worth a lick. I start out marking something and by the time I finish I'm seeing two or three lines. This is going to require a lot of checking and rechecking. Anyway, I'm starting on the counter. I have no idea how I'm going to cut that by hand. I have a band saw but that might be a little big for something that small. It is going to take a few days of study to figure out how to proceed with the next step.
  5. It has been a busy week. I have the keel and bulkheads all marked up but it was easier to see after I began to put the bulk heads together, and this is the easy part. I'm putting up a couple of photos of how I laid out the keel. My reference line that I marked from the plans did not line up with the top of the deck so I changed it to make the deck come out flat. I'm going to have to put a few fillers in some of the bulk heads but that was to be expected.
  6. Thanks Jeff, I looked at Bob Hunts website and decided to take his course on the U.S.S. Constitution. He had a sample lesson that I downloaded and it had some great helps on it. This just means it is going to take me a lot longer to finish it but it should turn out a lot better than doing it by myself.
  7. Okay I received my Model Shipways kit this morning and this is some huge kit. I have big hands but I think I'll be able to handle working with this one. I've been doing a lot of reading and after getting some definitions straightened out, I think I'm ready to begin. I am really impressed with the quality of this kit. (and I can understand the instructions too). . I'm starting off with some basic photos. . .namely the package as I received it. You can tell I'm not a salt at this because those who have completed a lot of kits don't bother with any photos until they are into the build. . not me, I'm proud of every step. . I might even break the record for the number of photos taken of a build. I built a 10 foot work bench. . installed some good lighting and magnifiers. . then I promptly opened up all the plans in the house. . . my wife was very impressed to say the least. I spent the first 5 or 6 hours laying out the parts on the plans and marking the reference lines, bearding lines, center lines, and rabbet lines on the parts from the plans. . . I read a lot of the helps that are posted on the Model Ship World tutorial page and I must say there are some very smart and helpful people on this website.
  8. I have purchased the model ship ways U.S.S. Constitution and yes, I know the skill level is for advanced modelers but I wanted a challenge. I have been studying the plans and I noticed that there is a build in which someone filled in between the bulkheads with balsa wood for the entire length of the model instead of just at the bow and stern. What advantage is it to build it that way? It seems it would be easier to plank the ship with the solid frame but cutting and trimming the filler might be harder than it looks. . are there any suggestions or comments? I wanted to build a big model as I have really big hands to handle those tiny parts, but good grief, that thing is huge. No wonder those kits are so expensive. . anyway, I'd like to know what tips I need to know before I get started. Model shipways says even a beginner can build it if he takes his time. . . . I built me a nice 10 foot work bench out in the garage. . put a couple of lights and a magnifier on it, so I guess I'm ready to begin. Are there any good books that might be worthy of filling in the gaps between ignorance and experience? I already know that whoever named all those parts on these ships must have had one too many because none of the names of these parts make any sense. Who ever heard of a bowspirit, bearding line, or a rabbit ? I was in the Navy (many years ago) and I remember the poop deck but some of the names of those sails are beyond the English language. Thank you for any and all the help you can give me.
  9. I have seen some model ships that would almost take your breath away with their beauty. . and I can get really motivated when I see a quality ship on display. One thing I've learned is that it takes more than looking, to build a quality ship. Being new to this hobby, I have a lot to learn and no doubt some of the things won't be learned with wood or glue. I took a picture some years ago of a ship that simply amazed me on the quality of it's construction. . . I could imagine myself building something of that quality. . that is until I bought a kit and began to assemble the frames on the keel. That wood has a mind of it's own . . . and no matter where I look in the instruction book, most of the problems I run into aren't covered there. . and mind you, one slip up, and you'll either have to buy another kit or spend the rest of your life trying to straighten out a mess you made. . you give me a soldering iron, oscilloscope, signal generator and I'm right at home but getting some of that wood to lay itself down on that frame is near impossible. . I read these books that give really good instructions . . . but . . you know!, I think I've got demon in my ship kit cause it is not working out like it's suppose to. . I am beginning to wonder if I can get my money back and buy me another kit. . one that isn't possessed. . or are they all like that? . . Question: when you lay out the planks on the frame. . it shows one nice long plank . . from the bow to the stern ( I think they call it the stern). . anyway, I think it might be easier if I just planked it with several planks instead of one straight one . . what do you guys think? . . I've tried trimming the planks to get them to lay down but the more I trim, the less cooperation I get. I want it to look like a masterpiece when I finish so I'm not sure how many customizes I can make like that and still have it look good . . I do not want to use the thin stuff they give for beginners because I don't want anyone to know a beginner built it. . I noticed that there are a lot of beginner kits that have plank on frames so I'm thinking even a beginner should be able to do this planking thing. . . I think I should have started on this kit 60 years ago because I'm not going to get finished with this one any time soon . . So!, can you plank a ship with many planks joined together or is it going to look to tacky? . . Any help here would be appreciated. .
  10. It looks great. I'm impressed on the planking for sure. I started planking my Mayflower and it's not coming out quite like yours. Keep up the good work. .
  11. I am curious to know if the new Blue Jacket kit of the U.S.S. Constitution requires having to shape the hull or does it come pretty close to scale without having to do much carving?
  12. I appreciate the information. I ran across Tower Hobbies, does anyone have any dealings with them?
  13. I'm looking to buy a wooden model ship. I have several models in mind but I'm not sure where I can buy with confidence and good customer service. Any suggestions? I tried to buy a model off E-Bay and I thought I was buying from California but it ended up flagging my bank from China. When I contacted them they then said they were from Canada?? I'd like to buy from someone that can be trusted. Any Help would be appreciated. wdretired
  14. I am new to the hobby and need a lot of advice. I considered buying the Constructo kit of the USS Constitution but I noticed that Model Shipways has a 48 inch model available at what seems to me a good price. I have built many RC airplanes so I'm not new to working with wood although nothing like the craftsmanship needed to produce a ship like this. I would like to know which is the best model to build. My wife calls me "Tim the tool man" because I tend to go with the bigger . . however is there something I need to know before making this decision? I want something that will give me a challenge and look worthy of my time when I finish. Which kit has the best parts quality to it? Or is there another kit of the USS Constitution out there that I am not aware of? Any help and advice is appreciated.
×
×
  • Create New...