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hornet

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Everything posted by hornet

  1. hornet
    Made up this simple rack for holding clamps when drying painted parts. Pics are self explanatory.
  2. hornet
    I have a torch similar to Bob's. I have been using a product called Harris Staybrite Silver Solder - liquid flux and wire solder. I have successfully soldered copper strips, brass wire and tube together to make gudgeons and pintels and a variety of other brackets. I am not an experienced solderer by any means but I haven't had a failure yet. The whole lot came as a set at my local electronics store and was only around $50.
  3. hornet
    Richard, I use about the same air pressure for the polyurethane/turps mix as I do for the acrylic (20 - 25 psi). Both are very 'watery' so apply similarly. I think it is just a matter of experimentation on a scrap piece of timber or something similar until you are happy with the way the poly mix is going on. I have just used a can of spray poly in the past but I have found that the dilution method using poly/turps in a single action airbrush gave a better result because the volume at which the mix is delivered is less. You just need to apply more coats. I think they dry more quickly too. In fact I have since bought a better quality badger single action airbrush to replace my super cheapie. Haven't used it yet but will soon be experimenting
  4. hornet
    For larger areas this may have some merit. However for smaller one I think that blackening is the way to go. I use Admiralty Matt Metal Black (acrylic) on components which fail to blacken using Birchwood Casey - Take a look at Danny's cannon in the link on my last post in this thread. As he says, painting is unlikely to produce as good a result as blackening.
  5. hornet
    Have a look at this thread Sailor Jim http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/9781-blackening-brass-problem/
  6. hornet
    I started out on the apple2+ in the early 80's. Also used machines called Microbee's that loaded program's via a standard audio cassette tape. These had an amazing 16 kb of memory. I cut my teeth on BASIC and well remember playing with config and batch files Mark. Never used 8" disks but still have some 51/2 " lying around somewhere. I think the old Apple II is now a collectors item. We dumped many, many of them back in the late '80s. I well remember my first HD. It was 20 mg and at the time was very, very cool!
  7. hornet
    I use Popsicle sticks, available cheaply in large packs, for the same purpose. The fact that they are wood and they absorb the paint in a similar way as model components helps me with fine tuning.
  8. hornet
    Agree with above advice but would also suggest you add another 'filler' block on either side of the keel on the bow end. Given the condition of the keel at this point, I think it will make planking a lot easier. Just make sure you add it before commencing fairing in the bulkheads. The following YouTube clip may also give you some help with the fairing in process.
  9. hornet
    Homer, I'm glad I bought one. It is sharp (as long as you replace the blades regularly) and it is good for repetitive light jobs such as cutting deck planking. Just don't expect it to cut thicker timber, it isn't designed for it.
  10. hornet
    I have had one for about 12 months. It is good for cutting planks up to 1mm thick. Any thicker and I find that the blade tends to flex away from the timber being cut in such a way that it is impossible to get a square cut. I found it great for getting good, square deck planks but other than that it wasn't much 'chop'
  11. hornet
    Brian, was it the quickset variety? It is pretty thin but sets very quickly.
  12. hornet
    Richard, if you are going to use an oil based varnish you might want to consider getting yourself a cheap single action airbrush to apply it. I bought a very cheap one for $17 an I apply a 50/50 mix of satin polyurethane and low odour turpentine. I find the cheap single action is fine for this job and it is easier to clean out an oil based product from it than it is from my more expensive double action sparmax DH103.
  13. hornet
    I try to keep my use of CA glue to an absolute minimum and use only the gel variety (except when fixing copper plates) I have found that quick set PVA glue such as selleys Aquadhere Quickset ( not sure if that available outside Australia) dries enough to hold almost any wood in place in about 2 - 3 minutes. When glueing planks around a bend such as a bow, I use a small amount of CA gel on the end of the plank to give an instant bond and apply Quickset PVA to the rest of the plank. One 500 ml bottle of this PVA Quickset normally lasts me for at least 2 builds.
  14. hornet
    I have used balsa as bow and stern fillers for my current build HMS Supply. I found that after fitting the blocks painting on several coats of a PVA wood glue/water mix (allowing it to dry between coats) made the balsa firmer and better to plank on to as the mix seemed to soak into the balsa. I have used basswood a number of times before for the same purpose. I think the balsa is almost as good as long as it is treated in this way and it is easier to shape.
  15. hornet
    Brian. I ended up getting a Jasart 300 x 450mm self healing mat from Officeworks. Cost me $35. Seems sturdy enough. Link below http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/SearchDisplay?searchTerm=cutting+mat&storeId=10151&langId=-1&pageSize=24&beginIndex=0&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&searchSource=Q&pageView=
  16. hornet
    Thanks folks, I am convinced. Heading down to the hobby store to get one now!!!
  17. hornet
    DOUBLE E DED APPLICATORS While wandering aimlessly around a $2 shop - following my admiral - (something I do superbly!!) I came across these `double ended applicators.' They are apparently used for applying eye makeup. They work really well for removing excess glue and, being spongy, they can easily be rinsed and reused. The only downside with them was that I got some very strange looks from the checkout girl when I bought 10 packs
  18. hornet
    I have never owned a commercially made cutting board. I have always just used a piece of melamine on top of my workbench to work on. I have recently been reading about 'self healing' cutting boards but they seem to be used more for hobbies involving cutting material and cardboard rather than timber. They seem to range in price up to around $80 (depending on size). I am wondering if others use them, are they worth the money, are they durable and which brands are the best quality??? Or am I better off sticking with my melamine board??
  19. hornet
    I use the blackened because you can get different 'shades' according to how long or how many times you soak it. It is also quicker than painting which is an issue if you have a heap of cannons to do. You also don't have to wait for it to dry.
  20. hornet
    Another fan of birchwood casey brass black. It is available on eBay by the way. I have had a couple of failures with it but I suspect that the brass content was not high enough to get a good chemical reaction going in those cases. If blackening is unsuccessful, might I suggest using admiralty acrylic paint - matt (metal) black. I have had excellent results with this paint. It looks just as good as genuine blackening. .
  21. hornet
    Vague Shihawk!! I would have paid extra for vague!!! Corel's instructions of that era, I don't know if they have improved any but I won't be buying another Corel kit anytime soon to find out, were almost totally indecipherable!!!!! Luckily the Internet came along in the latter years of my build. I actually put together a large scrapbook of photos ofthe Victory. Luckily she is one of the most photographed/ recognisable ships in the world!! Don't forget to do the same Rivdvm. There is a lot of good stuff on the net which will really help your build
  22. hornet
    I built this kit over a period of years fom the mid 1980s and finished it in the early 2000's. You are correct the SM 23 instruction booklet is laughable. However, the actual plans are not so bad. My suggestion is to bin the instruction booklet, bite the bullet and get started. Don't feel intimidated, just fire up a build log. There are lots of folks who have built this monster, they will provide you with all the help you may need. The MOST important thing to remember is that there is no such thing as a stupid question! We have all been there!!!! I LOOK BACK AT MY Victory and shudder at the mistakes I made. I am still proud to have finally finished her but would have given my eye teeth for access to a site like this when I was struggling with the complexities of the rigging ( among other things!!!) Purchased 1985 - completed 2006!!! NOT my best build but very glad to finally finish her!!! If only I had access To MSW then!!!!!
  23. hornet
    Hi Vossy I bought a Sparmax AC 500sr (see link below) about 12 months ago and I am very happy with it. It is very portable, has a tank which means the compressor doesn't cut in very often - and even when it does it is very quiet. I teamed it up with a sparmax DH 103 dual action airbrush (about $100). I also bought a mini spray booth from ebay for around $100. I posted some pics of the spraybooth setup on another thread a while ago. Check it out if you are interested. Airbrushing is fun once you get the hang of it and you get some very smooth/even results that look great! Best of luck with your search. https://www.frontlinehobbies.com.au/products/SPTC610H http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/7362-airbrush-recommendation-for-newbie-sprayer/
  24. hornet
    Lets just say that if Aus was the Titanic, he'd be captain!!
  25. hornet
    Can't help you with paint selection SneakyJay, but your avatar scares the hell out of me!!!!!!!

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