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hornet

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Everything posted by hornet

  1. I have found Birchwood Casey Brass Black Metal Finish to work quickly and effectively on all copper and brass fittings. Some fittings and cannon may need to be given a rub over with very fine emery paper as they are sometimes covered with a clear coat which stops the blackening working. Some require more soaking than others, but the finish looks better than painting (in my opinion) I found soaking the item in white vinegar - to remove any blemishes or greasy finger marks - prior to the blackening agent was effective. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area as this stuff will take your breath away! The pic following is the stern of the HM Mermaid. Pumps, cannon and other fittings have all been blackened with Birchwood Casey. The Napoleonic Cannon was treated with the same.
  2. Excellent Build Log Dan! My current build - The Norfork - is my fifth Modellers Shipyard kit. I'm not sure that the current kit quality has improved significantly since you built yours though. I too find myself building/replacing many components from solid timber rather than using the ply supplied. I have also just discovered that the filler blocks have been left out of my Norfolk kit as well - not a major problem but still annoying (and not the first time I've had a kit arrive from Modeller's Shipyard minus bits!) .It's not as though the kits are particularly cheap either! I also hate the fact that the plans are not to scale. I recall in an earlier model - the Perseverance I think - not having my brain switched on and cutting a mast to the length shown on the plan rather than the correct length! Not a major mistake, but also annoying. While I'm having a whinge - Why do they supply flags for their kits which are printed on paper? - cheap, cheap, cheap! I had to send to England for some proper ones because the replacement ones from MSY were only printed on one side!! I have built these kits mainly because they relate to Australian Maritime History ( The Norfolk wreck is actually somewhere in Newcastle Harbour) and I think it's great to have a local Australian company producing models appropriate to this country, but I think the Norfolk will be my last....... might try something from Jotika/Caldercraft, they look to be of better quality and are similarly priced. THERE!!! Got it all off my chest!!!!
  3. More completed Perseverance Pics from Hornet .......
  4. I completed the kit Perseverance some time ago (see attached photo) I was quite happy with the plans, both on paper and video - although I found some of Leon Griffiths methods a little `rough and ready.' I completed the standard kit so it did not have the copper plates. I did make a couple of adjustments to the kit however. The dowel supplied for the bowsprit was 12mm (the same as the lower masts). I felt that this was a bit too big and replaced it with 10mm. I also reduced the height of the main companionway by about 15mm. To my eye it looked like an outback dunny as it was in the plan. I also used only one lifeboat on the deck and planked it. It was very difficult to find any other references during the build. The only one I could find was a photo of an old model used as a trophy in a Sydney yacht club. The companionway on this model was a completely different shape to that in the kit. I have completed a number of kits from the Modeller's Shipyard ( Mermaid, Schooner of Port Jackson, Sirius Life Boat) and I a currently working on the Norfolk. Generally speaking they are of quite good quality. I have made some modifications to all these kits - usually replacing ply components with solid timber. However, I would have to agree with Danny - they don't like it if you express any criticism of their kits!! Cheers Hornet
  5. These photos probably aren't in the right order (bit of a techno-cretin) Hope they give the general idea Since I posted this, I have invested in a Byrnes Draw Plate. One of my best investments yet. Beats all other methods of making tree nails hands down (in my humble opinion)
  6. Hi, my first post. I have completed a number of builds over the years but only recently attempted treenailing. My method was as follows: Take a cotterpin/splitpin about 40mm long. File the top of the pin so it is a flat surface. Drill an appropriate sized hole in the flattened surface. I have a Proxxon Drill press and have used 0.5, 0.8 and 1.0mm bits. Mount the cotter pin in a Dremel Multitool and then mount the dremel onto the workbench so the cotter pin faces upwards. I use bamboo skewers as my treenails. I split them longways into four sections and roughly sharpen the end so it can be guided into the hole that I have drilled in the end of the cotter pin. Switching the Dremel to a relativey high speed allows the bamboo to be forced through the hole and the appropriately sized treenail is extruded through the bottom - each treenail is about 0.5 - 0.8mm long (but long enough to do the job). The hole in the cotter pin usually stays sharp enough to get a hundred or so treenails cut. I'm going to experiment using a stainless cotterpin next time as this may have a longer lifespan.
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