hornet

Thanks for the tip twintrow. I suppose tulle could be stretched between the cling wrap and the window frame then the epoxy could be poured thinly over the top. I'll have to give it a go!!

Hi Banyan. There were minute bubbles when I first mixed the epoxy. I have had a lot of experience with the stuff having built many, many custom fishing rods. Often letting the mix settle for a minute or two allows the bubbles to dissipate. You can also blow on the mix which helps, or use a blow drier on a warm setting to get rid of them. I have found that if you 'fold' the part A & B mix together gently rather than stirring furiously, you get less bubbles. As to creating a more cloudy appearance in the glass, you could experiment with food colouring as I did - maybe a very small amount of black. I had a puddle of leftover epoxy about as big as a 5 cent piece (about 1cm or 1/2 inch for Non-Aussies) I used only enough food colouring to fit on the end of a couple of pins to get the yellow colouring that you can see on the epoxy blob on the bottom right corner (almost under the hobby knife) of the 4th picture in the post. The erskine epoxy is about $16 for the two 30ml bottles so you have plenty to experiment with.

In a previous post on this thread I suggested that the two part epoxy that is used to provide a flexible, crystal clear coat to the whipping/bindings on fishing rod guides/runners might be used to create `glass' for ship windows. I decided to experiment with the idea. The epoxy I used was Erskine Epoxy. I think it is an Australian product but I am sure similar products are available overseas. The epoxy can be purchased from most fishing tackle stores (my second home!!) I use syringes so as to get a precise (50/50) mix of Part A & B of the epoxy. I made a `window frame' out of scrap material for the experiment. It was mounted onto a board that had been covered with cling wrap. I hoped that the cling wrap would not stick to the hardened epoxy and that the window frame with its `windows' would come away easily. The window frame was clamped to the board covered with cling wrap to prevent epoxy seeping under the sides. I applied the epoxy mix to the window frame using my `squadron' CA glue applicator. After leaving overnight to harden, I removed the window from the cling wrap. Happily it came away very easily. The result of the experiment is shown below. Having succeeded with the experiment, I decided to apply the epoxy to windows and stern lights that are soon to be fitted to my current build, HMS Supply. I had already used clear plastic backed by black card on the stern lights of the supply so I applied the epoxy directly over the plastic. It worked well, giving a more 3D look to the windows. Because this epoxy is used on fishing rods, it is flexible and will bend and twist without cracking. Another advantage of using it. The first picture (above) shows the job half done and the second one is complete. I think that the epoxy finish looks far better than the `flat' finish visible in the windows not epoxied in the first picture. I had not as yet put clear plastic behind the ship's other windows but did so after seeing the results above. The epoxy was again applied directly over the clear plastic and also produced a more 3D effect for the windows. I had an amount of left over `mixed' epoxy. rather than letting it go to waste, I raided the Admiral's kitchen cupboards and found some food colouring. I added a very, very small amount to the epoxy and was surprised to see that it actually mixed smoothly and evenly with the epoxy. It also dried hard and flexible. I have no need for `stained glass' in this build but will keep this in mind for the future. I hope the results of my experiment are helpful to others. I would also like to thank `Neek" the ship's cat for her valuable input in this experiment!!

I use a two part epoxy to give a crystal clear protective coat to the whippings (bindings) on fishing rod guides (runners) that I custom build. I see no reason why it would not also work for this application. Sometimes it gets tiny bubbles in it after application, but these are easily removed by blowing with a hair dryer on a warm setting. It is available in a variety of brands at most fishing tackle shops.

Birchwood Casey Brass Black Metal Finish works well. It is available on EBay. See my post in the thread below for more info and pictures. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/4815-painting-and-blackening/

do these pics help at all? Taken aboard the Endeavour replica.

I wish that Jim Byrnes would be made an honorary Santa's Elf and would open a workshop in Australia!

In reality you may be correct Mick. I am no expert on the history or the plating of ships in the 'real world.' This is only the second ship I have coppered and I have looked at a lot of models on this site for guidance and watched the 'Modellers Shipyard' DVD guide to coppering a hull. They all seem to be coppered in a similar fashion. Thanks for the information though, I will do some research. It wouldn't be hard to remove the plates and replace them with something else if necessary. I haven't built the rudder yet either. If anyone else out there could shed some light on this issue in relation to modelling, I'd appreciate the input!!

Hi Mick As to coppering of the hull. I original tossed up between buying the Caldercraft Supply and the Modeller's Shipyard version (see link below) The modellers Shipyard version is coppered but was a lot more expensive. While in communication with modellers Shipyard, I was told that Supply was indeed coppered. If you check out the history of coppering hulls of Royal Navy you will see that the process begun in 1779. Wikipedia states " all ships up to and including 44 gun ships were ordered to be coppered when next in dry dock" By 1786 the entire fleet was apparently sheathed. The Supply remained in service to the Royal Navy until 1791 and was the used as a coal carrier until 1806. One would have to assume therefore that she was coppered at some stage in her long career. I presume that Caldercraft did not include copper plates to keep costs of the kit down. I actually pinched the copper plates from my Caldercraft HMS Bounty kit (next in line to be built) and in the same scale. I ordered some more for her from Cornwall Model Boats. They supplied and are delivering the plates for less than half the price that I can get them in Australia - Go Figure??? http://www.modelshipyard.com.au/ship-models/modellers-shipyard/hms-supply-first-fleet-1788/

Hi again Mick868 Further good pics of the Supply can be found at the address below. It is in a slightly different configuration but the pics are fairly high resolution and are worth a look. Picture Number 6 is a stern view of the model and may also help you with your build. Hope this helps http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=238338&img=182799

I am a little ahead of you on the Caldercraft Supply. Just installing copper plating. Hope these pics of the stern section are of help. I did not use the stern counter pattern supplied (part 73) I used the supplied one as a template and then cut one out of thinner basswood and planked it. Cheers

I don't sand the deck beforehand. After fitting a treenail, I use a pair of small cutters that I keep very sharp with a diamond sharpening stone ( so as not to crush the bamboo treenails). I can cut the treenails practically flush to the deck with this cutter. I then sand the deck and treenails with very fine grit sandpaper - try not to over sand as deck planks are often very thin. I have recently bought a proxxon pen sander which I will use to get into tight corners of the deck of my current build - the 'Supply' - when I reach the deck planking/ tree nailing stage of the build.

LEAD SPLIT SHOT - used in fishing and available, in very convenient dial packs, from tackle stores in a range of sizes - can be gently squeezed closed, filed back and painted black. They make good cannon balls. EXTRA LONG MATCHSTICKS - can be turned up on a wood lathe to make oars - I did this on my 18th century longboat ALUMINIUM FLASHING - for windows and guttering - Available cheaply by the roll in hardware stores (one roll would last a lifetime!) It is thicker and easier to work with than aluminium cans and can be used in a variety of ways when bashing!

Today marks 100 years since the first convoy of 30 000 Australian Troops left from Albany, Western Australia, for the Middle East and on to Gallipoli in World War One. My stepson is a crew member on board the Collins Class Submarine H.M.A.S Rankin - Which is taking part in the Australian Navy Sail Past as part of the commemorations in Albany this morning. A very exciting day for Albany!!!! Lest We Forget https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/25396510/anzac-flotilla-arrives-in-albany/ HMAS Rankin leads the fleet into King George Sound - Albany W.A PICTURE BY NIC ELLIS 31 OCTOBER 2014 THE WEST AUSTRALIAN FAIRFAX AND AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW .

Looks like I'll be buying yet another toy!!

Hi Wallyh No 75 may be a bit too tight. I've done a few conversions to metric (which we use in Australia) No 75 drill equates to a little over 0.5mm. No 25 on the Byrnes drawplate equated to a little over 0.6 mm. I think you may need about a size 71 drill bit which is about 0.66mm. You don't want the treenail too tight. It should slip into place fairly smoothly when dry. A small dob of glue on the end will then slide up the sides between the treenail and the plank/ deck when you glue it down. As to depth, just don't drill right through the deck. Deep enough so it is firmly in place. My suggestion is to do a few on a piece of scrap wood until you are confident about the drill bit diameter and depth. On your model is no place to experiment!!

Try here. Proxxon have a good range. Good quality too. www.proxxonworld.com.au

Hi again JPett Just tried your warp drive method on a short (3cm long) piece of bamboo. It worked a treat. Thanks for the great tip!!!

I usually raid under the Christmas Tree at about 2am on Christmas morning. Not able to resist playing with any new toys that come my way Kevin. In the case of a new saw, I would probably test it by cutting the handle off the Admiral's broom or something equally inappropriate. Your restraint is admirable.

Hi JPett Just wondering, do you have many twist offs when you engage 'Warp Drive' or do you just draw very short pieces of bamboo through the plate. I tend to pull long pieces of bamboo through and I would think they would twist off very easily when attached to a dremel, even on the lowest speed setting.

I think on 1:48 you would need to take it down quite a bit further than No 55. Someone more qualified than me may disagree (I have treenailed the deck of a 1:48 and 1:36) but I would suggest around 0.6 diameter which means about number 25 I think deck treenails (or plugs) were from 25mm to 35 mm in diameter in real life (1:1). I have a really great little Ap on my phone and iPad. It is called Modelscaler. You input the 1:1 size and the scale and the Ap will give you the scaled down size. In this case 1:48 and using about 30mm as the actual size of the treenail/ plug, the size of the scaled down treenail would be 0.625mm. This would be about No 24 - 25

It took you 3 years to play with it????? Hell of a lot more self control than me!!! I have the smaller Proxxon table saw - the KS 230. I looked at the FET but didn't think I could justify the extra $$$$. I have been using the KS for about 3 years and it is adequate for my needs - mainly bashing. I note that the FET is now around $600 Aussie Dollars - about 330 of your pounds. If I had spent that much on an FET, I would be using it on my next build and then making a decision on whether it is up to scratch or not. According to many, many threads on this site, the Byrnes machine is unmatched but I'd have to agree with Ponto on this one.

In my opinion treenails would be visible on the deck of a 1:48 scale model. Check out the pic of the deck of the Endeavour replica that I uploaded on another thread which recently discussed the merits of treenailing. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/8317-to-treenail-or-not-to-treenail/ In addition, I also had some difficulty with the Byrnes drawplate initially. I ended up making a small tool to cut down the bamboo to a size easily pulled through the plate. See it on the following thread: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/2959-treenail-detail-option/ I use a pair of pointy nosed pliers to pull the bamboo through. Pull through each hole a couple of times and only go down one hole size at a time.

Less tedious than fitting copper plates I suppose but both look really exceptional if done well. Something every modeller should attempt .... at least once!

Agree with Brian. The Byrnes draw plate makes a tedious task pleasant. Well not quite pleasant, but at least you end up with very good quality tree nails relatively quickly. Whatever you do, don't be tempted to buy a cheap draw plate on eBay. Not worth a pinch of.........!!!!