Ryland Craze

Eric,
Glad to hear all is working out.  I enjoy being your customer and look forward to a continued relationship.
I had communicated with Tom (I think that is the same person) and he was very helpful.  Just a hint to anyone looking for replacement parts, be sure to use the part numbers from the parts list. 

Hey folks,
 
I thought I had addressed this topic recently here - I guess I didn't, sorry about that - it's been challenging summer thus far! Yes, Frank moved on and he is simply irreplaceable. This has left Model Expo with a few hurdles to overcome. And, as you know, all businesses must adapt and roll with the punches; so with that, we've made some changes.
 
First and foremost, we are NOT discontinuing replacement parts for our (Model Shipways, Model Trailways, Model Airways, Guns of History) manufactured kits, tools, and supplies. If you break, lose, or are missing something from one of our kits, we will send it to you free of charge as we've always done. Yes, our "new" parts manager (Tom) is getting up-to-speed (he works on Mondays & Fridays only). Tom is not a modeler by any stretch of the imagination, he's my Dad  .. so be nice! Will he make mistakes? Sure. Is he learning (baptism by fire)? Absolutely! Patience is the key. Frank knew this business inside and out and he had a long time to establish the process; Tom has a steep learning curve, but he's up to the challenge!
 
As for European parts, with the challenges of supporting our own manufactured kit, we're asking that you try and work with them for your parts. We can try and run point on your behalf however, given this massive disruption in our Parts Service, it's probably better that you email Corel & Mamoli directly for parts. And, we'll no longer have European parts kits; we can no longer afford to have this merchandise sitting around waiting on a request for a random part.
 
As for detailed / how-to Technical Support, Tom obviously is not equipped to perform this service. As such, we are re-directing all calls for help to this forum FIRST! This is the largest, most detailed forum on Ship Modeling; what better place to send the "technically challenged"? This is a small community and your help to those in need is a great way to "pay it forward"!
 
Lastly, as always, should you have ANY questions, comments, concerns, please feel free to email be directly - esnow@modelexpo-online.com. 
 
Warmest regards to all!
 
Eric
 
Eric Snow
President & CEO
ModelExpo - Hobby Models and Tools since 1976
esnow@modelexpo-online.com Toll Free 800.222.3876

I faxed in a request in mid June to replace my carronades for my Syren kit and received the replacement parts about two and a half weeks later.  They may be running a little behind but I am sure they will get to your request soon.
 
Excellen customer service and I have enjoyed doing business with them over the past fifteen years.

I faxed in a request in mid June to replace my carronades for my Syren kit and received the replacement parts about two and a half weeks later.  They may be running a little behind but I am sure they will get to your request soon.
 
Excellen customer service and I have enjoyed doing business with them over the past fifteen years.

The gun deck framing is now installed, with it's hanging knees, pillars and waterways. No finish will be applied until after the deck planking is on. The knees were cut from boxwood sheet and shaped and fitted before the deck framing was installed, but were not mounted until afterwards. The pillars were made from boxwood strip. Because I don't have a lathe, I opted for a somewhat simplified shape that I could do with files and sandpaper. They were cut oversize and fitted and installed after the deck framing was in place. The waterways were made from redheart strip and nicely hide any gaps from the fitting of the knees. Prior to installing the deck framing, I also added a bit of deck planking to the lower deck to serve as a base for the ladder down from the gun deck.
 
The gun deck planking will be next up. As I said earlier, I've decided  to mount guns on both sides and will plank at least enough of the deck to support the guns. That probably won't be for a while, as we're going to be going north a few times to visit the kids and grandkids.
 
Bob

Hi all -
 
Thanks, as always, for the compliments.  It is coming along slowly but well, I think.  The past several weeks have included the July 4th long holiday and the move of my son and his family from Brooklyn to Michigan, which took me away for some time from the construction yard. 
 
Mostly I worked on the railing fixtures at the bow and stern.  These are not only complicated three dimensional metal pieces, but require detail soldering and electroplating.  Many almost completed, or even fully completed iterations were discarded before acceptable ones were fashioned.  Without dwelling too much on past mistakes, here is how it went -
 
The fixture at the bow consists of a top bar that bends around the bow and then bends down to becomes the aft two of the four angled legs that support it.  The pair of legs on each side is connected by a low bar as well.  Here is what it looks like on the boat.
 

 
The plans provided gave only a profile view, but I found a detailed deck fitting drawing which shows the plan view. 
 


 
Similarly, the stern fitting has a top bar that bends at almost a right angle around the corner of the transom and becomes a short foreleg and a much longer transom leg, with a vertical piece and horizontal pieces connecting everything together.  Here it is on a boat
 

 
And here from the plans and drawing
 


 
To match the dimensions, I used brass tubing of 1mm o.d. and internal diameter of 0.020".  I could have used solid bar stock, but using tubing provided a lot of advantages during construction.  Here is the setup for the bow fixture, surrounded by my soldering tools and supplies.
 

 
I do most of my soldering with this inexpensive "Cold Heat" device that I heard about through an infomercial on TV several years ago.  This is the first time that I am using it for a commissioned model.  It is a battery powered resistance soldering unit made for the miniatures or jewelry market.  It works by passing an electric current between two carbide electrodes set in a "cloven hoof" configuration with a small gap between the electrodes.  When both tips contact metal the current flows between them, heating the metal by induction, or resistance in the metal.
 
For the solder I use Tix brand high-silver content solder along with Tix brand flux.  Both can be bought at Micro-Mark and other suppliers.  The solder comes in sticks, which is easily cut in pieces about 1/16" long.  Although it is easy to cut, once melted and cooled it is quite hard and strong.  Also, since it has a lot of silver it electroplates much like the brass tubing.
 

 
The dimensions of the fixture was figured out from the plans, opened up as if lying flat, and drawn onto a piece of scrap basswood.  Pieces of tubing were cut to length and bent to shape.  At the appropriate spots I drilled angled  holes through the top bar and the forward legs.  0.020" brass rod was fed through the holes, the tubing pieces strung in place, and the entire assembly was secured in place with thumb tacks.
 

 
In this closeup you can see that at the joint on the left there is a piece of the solder resting on the joint.  Actually, the joint was painted with flux, which gets tacky and holds the solder in place till it is heated.
 

 
Now the Cool Heat tool is turned on and the tips straddle the bar next to the joint.  In a few moments the flux sizzles, then the solder softens and sags.  Do not remove the heat, but wait until the solder melts completely and forms a shiny dome over the joint.  Remove the heat and the solder will flow into the joint, filling and securing it.  There is a soldered joint at the right edge of the photo.
 

 
Once all of the joints have been soldered the extra connecting pieces of the rod were clipped off and the joints were filed to remove any excess solder.  Taking a deep breath I folded the piece around a suitably sized dowel to form the rounded 'pulpit' that goes around the bow.  Fortunately, all of the joints held.  Now the legs were trimmed to final size so the fixture sat level and in the right position.  With a wire wheel every bit of the fixture was polished in preparation for chrome electroplating.  As with painting or other finishing, the surface preparation is key.
 

 
The electroplating kit was set up as I described before when making the handrails, and the piece was dipped for only 15 seconds, which gave it a very nice silvery finish after rinsing and polishing with a cloth wheel.
 

 
And here it is installed on the model.  Using tubing also allowed me to insert brass rod into the lower ends of the supporting legs which were bent to drop into holes drilled into the deck.  This creates a 4-point mechanical attachment for the piece, which should be enough, even at the vulnerable spot at the extreme bow. 
 

 
The stern fixtures were build up in much the same way.  After the design was calculated and drawn, brass tubing was bent to the shape of the top bar and legs.  Holes were drilled for the 0.020" rod which was used as an armature to hold the tubing pieces in place.
 

 
And here are all of the joints soldered.  Most are good, but you can see that the joints at the central crossing are a little starved for solder.  Flux and another piece of solder were used and heated, and the joint was filled quite easily.  The loops for the wire railings are made of the same brass rod as the armature and soldered in place.
 

 
Now the fixture was bent to its final angle.  This is where a number of fully soldered fittings died.  The bend of the lower bar is just too close to the central joint, which fails time and again.  I finally resorted to leaving off that piece of tubing and bending the top bar alone.  Since it is a continuous piece of metal there was no failure.  Now the lower bar piece had to be pre-bent, trimmed to size, and set in place with the internal rods.   These last joints were soldered to complete the construction.  Here are the mirror image fittings, the one on the right has the attachment pins installed. 
 

 
As with the bow fixture, these were cleaned up with a file and then polished with a wheel before electroplating.  And here they are set in place.  I just have to add some feet to the legs, which will be small pieces of chrome foil and they will be complete.
 


 
Next I will make up the individual railing posts before turning to the mast and rigging.  But I have to do some work on another project the rest of the month, so I will post again in August, when I should be almost done.
 
Until then, be well.
 
Dan
 
 
 

Richard:
You most certainly need a moisture trap with any air brush set up.  However, you might have one built into the air pressure regulator already.  If the regulator has a clear plastic bottom with a knurled knob or other type of drain cock to open the drain you have a moisture trap.  If your regulator is not so equipped and in-line moisture trap can be placed in-line into the air hose.  They usually just require you to cut the hose and insert the moisture trap being careful to properly orient the moisture trap with the air flow - there should be an arrow pointing the direction of the air flow or "in" and "out" molded into the ends of the trap. 
 
Keep an eye on the moisture trap - in-line or part of the regulator - as accumulated moisture needs to be drained out.  The regulator trap is emptied by opening the bottom drain cock.  The in-line unit is detached from the hose and emptied.
 
Failure to have a moisture trap will cause problems eventually as compressing air always results in moisture being produced inside the compressor system and when it gets into the airflow while you are spraying paint you will not be happy even using acrylics. 
 
If you need to buy an in-line trap most places that sell air brushes also sell the in-line traps.  All of the manufacturers sell them so they are readily available.
 
Kurt
 
Full disclosure - I am a consultant to Badger Air Brush Co.

More progress over the weekend.   I applied some colored wood putty to the seams in the planks where light showed through.  The cap rails were marked-out, cut and trimmed and installed.  The sophistocated clamping system was used to keep the rails even and in contact with the tops of the frames.  Both the sides and transom friezes were sprayed with a dull-coat lacquer before cutting.  To install the frieze, I masked off the sides of the cap rails and everything below the first plank, applied some spray-on contact cement (also on the fireze itself) and stuck it on.  Pretty easy since my top strake shape was taken from a frieze.  The lower rub-rail was tough.  I could not get my box wood cut to the 1/32 dimension so I used the kit-provided bass strips.  It gets painted and is softer, so nothing lost here.  Mircowaving and bending got them into shape.  The transom frieze was pretty straight forward.  Plenty of size choices provided.  Floor boards cut and installed.  The same spacers were used between each board, yet the spaces seem to be different in the picture.  Camera angle?  Finally, the platforms were made (cardboard pattern cut first but some tweeking was still necessary.  I'm shaping the risers (Cleats?) but the red paint needs to be applied to the cap and inner planks before the risers are installed.  Waiting on delivery of more paint since my supply of red hardened in the jar.
Maury

Hello Bob,
 
I wish you a speedy recovery.
Take your time and take good care of yourself.
Everyone will be here when you get back.
 
Today is your birthday and no birthday without
 
Happy Birthday and many more to come.
I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful day.
 
Anja

Spent the afternoon creating the windlass and handles, I think they will work.
 
Have a question, the instructions say to paint the rings, and eyebolts black. The waterbased (ME) paint I have is NOT sticking to the brass and I do not have access to anything like blacken it. Is there something I can do to treat the brass first so the paint sticks?
 
Windlass handles

 
windlass and handles installed, as are the oar locks

 
close up of the windlass

 

Thanks, Toni and Bob!
 
I decided to go the "strips across the top" method.  Here's a picture of the model with the last two strips strapped down in place.  I checked it this morning and everything is nice and stable.  This'll make fairing the bulkheads less stressful.
 
 
Dan
 
 

Thanks Grant and Tim for your comments.  I have learned a lot while building my Longboat.  It is really nice to see all of the Longboats being built.  I have learned something from everyone's build that has helped me on mine.
 
 I mentioned on another Longboat build log that I removed my garboard planks as I felt I was planking this boat incorrectly.  I removed one side and reinstalled a new garboard plank.  I followed BobF’s build log on how to do this.  I used a 5/32” wide strip of boxwood for my garboard plank. I have never installed a garboard plank in this manner, but it worked out just fine, especially after the next two planks were installed.  After the one side was installed, I replaced the other side.
 

 
Next, I added two 1/8” wide planks, which would be enough to plank to the bottom edge of the transom.  I had a lot of trouble bending the last ¼” below the transom as it must twist at least 45 degrees to lie flat at the stern.  I broke several of the boxwood strips as they were very brittle, even after soaking for at least 24 hours.
 

 

 
The hardest part for me was installing the three bottom planks.  After they were installed, I measured out the width of the remaining planks using tic strips on each bulkhead.  My longboat will use eleven planks on each side.  I was surprised to see that I will have very little trimming of the remaining planks to be installed.  The two pictures below show where I am currently in the build process.
 

 

 
I am a slow builder.  I have ten planks to install to complete the hull.  So I soaked an additional six planks over night and pre-bent them as shown below.  This should speed up the process.
 

 
I have really enjoyed the updates on the other Longboat builds and I look forward to seeing the progress of the other Longboat builders.
 
 
 

Thanks Grant and Tim for your comments.  I have learned a lot while building my Longboat.  It is really nice to see all of the Longboats being built.  I have learned something from everyone's build that has helped me on mine.
 
 I mentioned on another Longboat build log that I removed my garboard planks as I felt I was planking this boat incorrectly.  I removed one side and reinstalled a new garboard plank.  I followed BobF’s build log on how to do this.  I used a 5/32” wide strip of boxwood for my garboard plank. I have never installed a garboard plank in this manner, but it worked out just fine, especially after the next two planks were installed.  After the one side was installed, I replaced the other side.
 

 
Next, I added two 1/8” wide planks, which would be enough to plank to the bottom edge of the transom.  I had a lot of trouble bending the last ¼” below the transom as it must twist at least 45 degrees to lie flat at the stern.  I broke several of the boxwood strips as they were very brittle, even after soaking for at least 24 hours.
 

 

 
The hardest part for me was installing the three bottom planks.  After they were installed, I measured out the width of the remaining planks using tic strips on each bulkhead.  My longboat will use eleven planks on each side.  I was surprised to see that I will have very little trimming of the remaining planks to be installed.  The two pictures below show where I am currently in the build process.
 

 

 
I am a slow builder.  I have ten planks to install to complete the hull.  So I soaked an additional six planks over night and pre-bent them as shown below.  This should speed up the process.
 

 
I have really enjoyed the updates on the other Longboat builds and I look forward to seeing the progress of the other Longboat builders.
 
 
 

First a picture for Sjors without the bow or stern cut off

Fought with this thwart...Made two of them as per the instructions and both snapped in half when I tried to fit them between the frames and under the rails. So I got a little creative and fashioned my own little fix for the problem.  UGHHH close up really shows all those nasty basswood fuzzies.

Close up of completed piece...sorry for the blurriness, but at least it hides the fuzziness

Went to work making the seats and locker lid next, I think I have them shaped and fitted correctly. I also decided to add a little "groove" to help hold the back "frame" for the toolbox lid. I think I will also glue a small strip of some scrap below this to offer some support.

The view with the "frame" dry fit

Painted seats installed. I can see now I am in a bit of a "fix" I measured my risers, but it seems they are too high, there is very little space between the tops of the seats and the underside of the top rail. I see looking ahead there are some corner piece to be added and there is supposed to be a gap between those corner supports and the tops of the seats. Well, mine will not have much gap...the only way to fix this is to strip out everything to the floorboards and move it all "down". I don't feel like that kind of a redo, and I don't foresee any issues other than "looks" to leaving things the way they are. If I am wrong, someone please tell me now so I can do it over if need be.

 

Thank you, Len . This one's taken me so long that I wonder if I'll be around to finish it, too!
 
The paints for the boats were as follows:
 
(Vallejo)
 
White spray primer
 
121 - Yellow ochre
004 - Off-White
169 - Black
 
For the wood simulation:
147 - Leather Brown (could be any shade shade of brown, to be honest)
183 - Wood grain (Transp) (This is the paint that makes the difference)
204 - Brown glaze - Helps give the 'wood' a 'heavier' and more natural appearance.
 
Black glaze is also useful to add an extra dimension to some of the black painted parts - especially cannon barrels and belfry.
 
I must remember to add the fore topsail brace rope to the belaying pins on the skid beams before adding the boats permanently..
 
 
 
For wood colours, no special techniques were used, just trial and error - and the above were what seemed to be the best combination for scale appearance

A lot more work over the last week.  Spiling and planking is completed.  The sternpost was installed and planks faired.  Now for the insides.  The spacers prevent the bulkheads from being snapped-off so they must be removed.  I drilled a series of holes in the spacers so the isopropyl alcohol could penetrate better.  a couple of applications and they slid right out.  I also drilled the top of the bulkhead to speed the filing of the tabs.  I used a triangular file since it seemed to work faster.  A couple of the frames needed a glue touch-up, but nothing serious.  Working from the middle to the ends, I filed the tabs and snapped the bulkheads out.  The fairing was delicate.  I used a rotary head to take down the frames near the wales and then a cut-off wheel to pare down the keelson.  I've rough sanded (120 grit) and will check thickness before going further.  I think a coat of pre-sanding conditioner is due.  The joints between planks and the treenail heads will be wood putty (see my Echo Section post regarding treenails).  I've got to prevent the putty from staining the wood planks so I may have to get a light coat of poly applied.  Sanding down the tops of the frames will be a challenge.  Any suggestions on how to do that without snapping the little bones?
Maury

OK, I got back this morning from a few days away. I completed the boats before I went and here's the results (I made a mistake of the 34' launch - the stern goes too high because I designed the stern board with the top strake incorporated into it, but because I'm an idiot, I had forgotten this when it came to planking. I have since re-designed the stern board so it's more obvious where the upper hull planking should go - but I simply haven't the time to rectify it..)
 

 

 
The Vallejo paints really seemed to work well in hiding the fact that these parts are photo etched brass:
 

 

 
I know the rudders would not be hung in place on the stowed boats (and impossible for the 18' cutter), but I included them anyway:
 

 
Cutter was 'clinkered':
 

 
All four boats done:
 


 
And dry fitted in place:
 




 
With hindsight, I should have been a little more careful regarding the placement of the stanchions near the boats, they are a little too close to the edge, so the boats are bunched up a little more than they should be...
 
ETA - I did think about adding another two cutters, but there seems to be conflicting info on these, plus they are clinker planked, too...

Made a little bit of progress.
I was really unhappy with that top rail last I posted an update...so I tore it off, made a new one, and did a better job of keeping the edges sharper with this soft basswood. Made it much easier to keep the white on the "sides" rather than floating up to surround the red paint. Then I installed my floorboards and platforms. i wanted a richer color, so I stained them with minwax red mahogany.
 

 
scribed, then stained and installed the risers. and as you can see the clamps dented the soft basswood, so had to sand and touch up paint again

carved and sanded the front wall of the "foot locker"

Then scribed and installed my thwarts

 
Now I am working on the larger thwart, and doing the metal work on it. Should have it installed tomorrow.

I'm about at the point where I will have to make a decision of where to place the pedestals on the hull.  I ask the question in another post at MSW and received the rough answer at 1/3 the hull length.  I gave it a look and I wasn't happy, it looked out of proportion, the forward pedestal looked to me as if it was too far forward.  I decided to move the pedestal further aft about to the 8 3/4" point, this move in my estimation gives the bow a longer more graceful look.  Please feel free to give me your thoughts on the subject.     
 

 
Cheers.
Tim

Thanks Chuck and David. Now that the longboat is finished I can get back to my FLY
 

 

 

Chuck, I hope the Chicago contingent will catch up with you guys soon.  I know of two complete models.  Maybe the fleet can form an armada at the NRG Conference in October.

It's time I got around to working on my 18th Century Longboat.  I'm about six months behind my fellow Tri-Club Members.  (I'm a member of the Nautical Research & Model Ship Society of Chicago.)  My excuse? I was finishing up Scottish Maid.  This was my first model -- since I was a teenager, anyway -- and it took me eight years to finish.
 
Granted, my wife and I had two kids during that eight years and there were several years when nothing got done, but still -- start to finish -- eight years.
 
I think it turned out really well, though.  I entered it in the 37th Annual Model Ships and Boats Contest and Display.  On May 18th, it was awarded a Gold Award and I got received the Best Novice Builder Award.  I'm still walking on air.  It was the culmination of a lot of work.  The ship was judged by people who really know what they're looking at and the contest was held in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.  I grew up near there, in Green Bay.  It was like being recognized by the people of my native land.  (For those who don't know, life in Wisconsin, is very different from life in Illinois, where I live now.  I live near Chicago, a city of 2.6 million, about 8 million in the metro area.  Green Bay, when I was growing up, had a population of 47,000.  There is no metro area ... unless cow pastures count.)
 
Anyway, while others in the Tri-Club were making progress on their longboats, I was toiling away on Scottish Maid.
 
 

Okay, Okay...I do agree, the paint has some aesthetic value lol.
 
It has very kindly, thoughtfully, and tactfully  been brought to my attention, that my waterline is incorrect. The waterline is, as most of you know, supposed to be a straight horizontal line, and as you can see mine is not. I thank the person who took the time to point out my error to me, as that is exactly what I hope for and expect from the other builders here.
 
I did try to make a waterline marker...and every time I marked it out, the stupid pencil still insisted on following the lines (curves) of the hull rather than staying perfectly horizontal.
Well, 3 days...40 thin coats of paint with sanding between each layer....she is going to have to stay as she is
 
I honestly think, my subconscious got involved here. Personally, when I look at the historically accurate models and replicas, my eyes are drawn to that painted water line, and my mind hates it because the straight line goes against the lines of the hull. it seems to insult my sense of flow, and design. Pretty much why I didn't want to paint it in the first place. So I am betting that as much as my logical mind was trying to create a perfectly horizontal waterline...the more creative and aesthetically driven parts of my brain were rebelling and where the line ended up was a kind of compromise between the two.
 
I can live with it, and when I look at her, I see the sweeping lines I prefer, so...to everyone here, I apologize if my feminine side causes consternation. But as I am a girl...I like it!!  And I will live with it.

I have completed my longboat. The rigging went quickly following the kit instructions. I did however expand the number of blocks and rigging sizes to try and give more contrast to the different sizes. I used Warner Woods blocks in 3 sizes-- 2.5, 3 and 3.5 mm. I used DMC cotton line dyed with alcohol based stains for the rigging line.  Line sizes were .008, .010, .012, .015 and .021 inch.
 

 
 
The base is made of curly maple with cheery trim. The dust cover was purchased at a custom plastic house. Our group purchased 8 of them to keep the cost down. It is 1/8 inch thick plexiglass.
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
I enjoyed building this model and look forward to doing more of Chuck P's excellently designed kits.
 
Mike

Finishing the Rigging:  I finally had a Sunday evening free to work on a boat!  I was able to complete the fore and back stays, to the point that they just need to be finished by trimming the lines, and adding rope coils.  First I have to say, that I enjoyed this kit immensely.  I still have a little ways to go, but this little boat is really a wonderful project to work on.  I highly recommend it.
 
I am still really out of my element when it comes to rigging, so I do not have a whole lot to say as to the process, other than I followed Chuck's directions pretty closely.  Everything came out pretty smooth.  I think my favorite part was making the little hooks needed for the running back stays and the fore stay sails' running gear.
 
At this point I still have to trim off the ends of the rigging, I ran all of the lines pretty long so that I could finish each line easily.  Right now I have about a half dozen lines hanging from the boat, looking a little less than ship shape.  The next step for me is figuring out a good process for making rope coils, and finishing details such as the oars, anchor and windlass bars.  Not to mention some paint touch up from the handling process.