Keith_W

OK I know this is a ship model forum but surely most of us can appreciate other models as well
 
I thought I would post a link to this site: http://www.armortek.co.uk/index.html
 
Armortek makes 1/6 scale model tanks, fabricated from metal. Unfortunately, their production goes in runs, so once a kit is out of production, it is out of production. They are currently selling a British Mk. IV WW1 tank. Very impressive, but not as impressive as this:
 

 
... a 1/6 scale King Tiger, measuring 1.2m long and weighing 60kg. Here is a video of it in action. Note the realistic engine sound (which is computer controlled and responds to revs):
 

Following on from his Battles against the Frames, our hero didst take pause awhile to consider the issues of colouration.
“Enough dallying about,” the Horde cried. “Get on with it !!”
 
“Arrr … “, CaptainSteve was heard to reply. “One canst procrastinate but for so long.”
(Actually, by definition, one canst procrastinate for as long as one bloody well wants - indeed, the longer the better).
 
But, as he doth intend to get this thing done and move on with his USS Constitution build, then it didst finally becometh necessary to drawest the line somewhere. And so, with the weekend upon him ‘twas time to move onwards. For, as has been foretold, There Shall Be Planking …
 
Thusly, the planks making up Belt C, as well as the first of Belt B, were subjected to “water-boarding” last eventide in order to convince them to bend to CaptainSteve’s will. The same fate was meted out also unto the Sheer planks.
As the bottom section of the Launch (to the waterline) willst be made white, then there be no need for worryin’ with any graining on the lower planks which doeth makest Belt C. It shouldst be realised that the waterline will no doubt extend upwards to the second plank in Belt B, but this problem shalt be dealt with at a later stage.
 
Whereupon their punishment was served, the two Sheer planks were dry-fitted upon the rack then hued in purple. Indeed, ‘tis a tint which hath been labelled – sorry, Keith – Docker Purple. For the future Master of this craft, CaptainAndrew, wouldst be a fan of the Fremantle Football Club.
 
“A nice trim they shalt make !!” proclaimethed CaptainSteve.
 

 
A different fate was dealt unto the planks making up the remainder of Belt B, as well as those which shalt maketh Belt A. For their crimes, water-boarding wilt also be in their future. But firstly, they didst meet with the knife … and the pencil … and the steel-wool grinding-wheel thingy of our hero’s Dremel tool.
 
Most verily, this was a laborious endeavour which tooketh many, many hours. Once done, and after applying a concoction of his own making (Old Baltic 5 parts to Golden Teak 3 parts), they looketh like this:
 

As of this very moment in time, the planks Garboard hath been dry-fitted. On the morrow, the Sheer shalt be affixed …
 
FOOTNOTE:  CaptainSteve wishes it to be known throughout the land that he hast ceased worrying as to whether he doth possesseth enough of the woods from the cherry tree to maketh the cant and ‘tween frames.
 
“For in this matter, I wilt be considering following in the footsteps of the One known as Meredith. Indeedeth, and verily, this day I didst purchase a hue of Blue-Grey and doth intendeth to useth it for the interior planking and framing.
 
‘Twill be the better to allow the various fittings, fixings, fruits and equipment to stand-eth out,” he didst declar-eth.

OK I know this is a ship model forum but surely most of us can appreciate other models as well
 
I thought I would post a link to this site: http://www.armortek.co.uk/index.html
 
Armortek makes 1/6 scale model tanks, fabricated from metal. Unfortunately, their production goes in runs, so once a kit is out of production, it is out of production. They are currently selling a British Mk. IV WW1 tank. Very impressive, but not as impressive as this:
 

 
... a 1/6 scale King Tiger, measuring 1.2m long and weighing 60kg. Here is a video of it in action. Note the realistic engine sound (which is computer controlled and responds to revs):
 

OK I know this is a ship model forum but surely most of us can appreciate other models as well
 
I thought I would post a link to this site: http://www.armortek.co.uk/index.html
 
Armortek makes 1/6 scale model tanks, fabricated from metal. Unfortunately, their production goes in runs, so once a kit is out of production, it is out of production. They are currently selling a British Mk. IV WW1 tank. Very impressive, but not as impressive as this:
 

 
... a 1/6 scale King Tiger, measuring 1.2m long and weighing 60kg. Here is a video of it in action. Note the realistic engine sound (which is computer controlled and responds to revs):
 

Al, if you use oil based stain then you will have trouble gluing it. You should ALWAYS, ALWAYS use either water based or alcohol based wood stain. I made this mistake with my first ship model, a small part which I stained refused to stick. Fortunately I could junk it and make myself a new part ... used a water based stain this time.
 
Steve that last picture of yours looks convincing for a plank. But really it's about the look that you're going for. As you know from my build log, I used Golden Teak / Old Baltic 1:1.

Thank you Geoff and Curtis.
 
I have been practising my sewing only on days when I am home alone with the wife at work. That's not very much time. After reading lots of articles and watching Youtube videos, I taught myself how to use this machine. Amazing what you can find on the net these days! Oh yes, and CurtisW - your tip to let the machine do the pulling really did the trick. I found I was trying to push the cloth into the machine. I now try to hold the cloth straight. It works.
 
Anyway, this is my machine:
 

 
I took the plans for the sails off the plans, but the two spritsails were not drawn on the plans. I looked at McKay and cut out some paper templates to test for fit on the model:
 

 
I drew out the outline on cloth using a disappearing ink pen:
 

 
... then proceeded to stitch all the sails. I now have a full set of sails, ready to be mounted:
 

 
I am not sure whether I want to show the sails furled or unfurled. At the moment I am leaning towards furled, so as not to hide all the detail I put in the boat. The problem is, I do not know what furled sails on a Launch are supposed to look like. Plenty of googling later and I am still none the wiser. Does anybody know?

This Mil Mi-24 helicopter is equally impressive. It is offered for 18,000 Euros from Helicrazy: http://www.helicrazy.com/crbst_86.html
 
That's right, you can buy a BMW with that kind of money. It is powered by a jet turbine engine. For those who don't know, real helicopters are not powered by piston engines because they generate too much vibration. Instead, a jet engine blows into a turbine, which spins the crankshaft and thus the rotor via a transmission. Most nitro powered helis use 2 stroke piston engines because of the sheer cost of manufacturing a scale miniature of a jet turbine. But if you want realism, a jet turbine is the only way.
 
Need to be convinced? Watch this video:
 

Thank you Geoff and Curtis.
 
I have been practising my sewing only on days when I am home alone with the wife at work. That's not very much time. After reading lots of articles and watching Youtube videos, I taught myself how to use this machine. Amazing what you can find on the net these days! Oh yes, and CurtisW - your tip to let the machine do the pulling really did the trick. I found I was trying to push the cloth into the machine. I now try to hold the cloth straight. It works.
 
Anyway, this is my machine:
 

 
I took the plans for the sails off the plans, but the two spritsails were not drawn on the plans. I looked at McKay and cut out some paper templates to test for fit on the model:
 

 
I drew out the outline on cloth using a disappearing ink pen:
 

 
... then proceeded to stitch all the sails. I now have a full set of sails, ready to be mounted:
 

 
I am not sure whether I want to show the sails furled or unfurled. At the moment I am leaning towards furled, so as not to hide all the detail I put in the boat. The problem is, I do not know what furled sails on a Launch are supposed to look like. Plenty of googling later and I am still none the wiser. Does anybody know?

This Mil Mi-24 helicopter is equally impressive. It is offered for 18,000 Euros from Helicrazy: http://www.helicrazy.com/crbst_86.html
 
That's right, you can buy a BMW with that kind of money. It is powered by a jet turbine engine. For those who don't know, real helicopters are not powered by piston engines because they generate too much vibration. Instead, a jet engine blows into a turbine, which spins the crankshaft and thus the rotor via a transmission. Most nitro powered helis use 2 stroke piston engines because of the sheer cost of manufacturing a scale miniature of a jet turbine. But if you want realism, a jet turbine is the only way.
 
Need to be convinced? Watch this video:
 

OK I know this is a ship model forum but surely most of us can appreciate other models as well
 
I thought I would post a link to this site: http://www.armortek.co.uk/index.html
 
Armortek makes 1/6 scale model tanks, fabricated from metal. Unfortunately, their production goes in runs, so once a kit is out of production, it is out of production. They are currently selling a British Mk. IV WW1 tank. Very impressive, but not as impressive as this:
 

 
... a 1/6 scale King Tiger, measuring 1.2m long and weighing 60kg. Here is a video of it in action. Note the realistic engine sound (which is computer controlled and responds to revs):
 

This Mil Mi-24 helicopter is equally impressive. It is offered for 18,000 Euros from Helicrazy: http://www.helicrazy.com/crbst_86.html
 
That's right, you can buy a BMW with that kind of money. It is powered by a jet turbine engine. For those who don't know, real helicopters are not powered by piston engines because they generate too much vibration. Instead, a jet engine blows into a turbine, which spins the crankshaft and thus the rotor via a transmission. Most nitro powered helis use 2 stroke piston engines because of the sheer cost of manufacturing a scale miniature of a jet turbine. But if you want realism, a jet turbine is the only way.
 
Need to be convinced? Watch this video:
 

OK I know this is a ship model forum but surely most of us can appreciate other models as well
 
I thought I would post a link to this site: http://www.armortek.co.uk/index.html
 
Armortek makes 1/6 scale model tanks, fabricated from metal. Unfortunately, their production goes in runs, so once a kit is out of production, it is out of production. They are currently selling a British Mk. IV WW1 tank. Very impressive, but not as impressive as this:
 

 
... a 1/6 scale King Tiger, measuring 1.2m long and weighing 60kg. Here is a video of it in action. Note the realistic engine sound (which is computer controlled and responds to revs):
 

The Sheer Clamps have been installed and the Thwart Risers are clamped in place for forming. They will be installed tomorrow. No Treenails on this one for me. At this stage in my building experience I just want to get one under my belt. As I learn more and gain more confidence I will strive for more detail. Right now it's just learning the basics. I have to say that this is a whole lot more fun for me than plastic. 
 

 
Al D.

Yes that is right, Capt. Old Baltic and Golden Teak in a 50:50 ratio. I used a syringe to accurately measure the ratios and mixed it up in a spare container with a cap that fits tight. Those little bottles that dried herbs come in are fantastic for this.
 
Don't worry about your toothpicks. When you restain them after sanding, they present an end grain and absorb much more stain than the wood around it. It will darken up nicely, I assure you.

No Al, the football we speak off is Aussie Rules Football. It's played with an oval ball like rugby. Unlike rugby (or American football) with their frequent pauses, Aussie Rules is much faster and more free flowing. Even in Australia, hardly anybody plays it outside Melbourne. Frankly, I don't care much about it but in my city, if you are not an AFL fan it's almost a social handicap.

I've read that the finish of choice is west systems, I've used it years ago on full size kayaks but couldn't justify the cost for these kits... maybe if I did a nice mahogany chris-craft... but I have this theory with glues, paints, etc. that staying consistant with what you use makes for predictable results... good or bad.
 
I didn't have any issues with bubbles... in fact, I was pretty sloppy relative to my methods, dixie cup, eye ball the quanitites & stir with a pop sicle stick. I don't care much for those foam brushes... I get a pack of cheap craft brushes at walmart & throw them away. It does go on uneven but wet sand & continue layers until there is a nice flat surface then wet sand to 2500 gt. & then the polishing pads.
 
I've had more issues with bubbles using polyurethane but I've got in the habit of not stirring it which helps a lot.

Funny, you are a Hawthorn supporter eh. I live in Camberwell, so everyone here supports Hawthorn. But I grew up in Perth, so I support the Eagles
 
If I were you I would test the stain on the sapelli and the cherry to make sure they come out in a close enough shade.

Finished early today. Rushed home, ripped my tie off, and within seconds was changed from an urban work drone and into my dingy modelling clothes
 
Today, I fabricated new thwarts for positions #1 and #4, and completed much work done yesterday.
 

 
This is the fore thwart (position #1). The reason why I need a new one is because I did not read the instructions properly! It says to position the foremast stay in relation to the fore thwart to achieve the correct rake. Well, I positioned my foremast stay according to the plans. When I came to test fit the fore thwart, the mast raked forwards!
 
As you can see, my new fore thwart is much wider than the one provided in the kit. It doesn't need to be that wide - in reality I probably need a couple of mm less. I will trim it when I come to fit the fore thwart so that it sits snug against the grating.
 
You should probably note that the thwart provided in the kit is too large for the mainmast - see the gaps around the dowel in the picture? The diameter of the fore thwart fits the mainmast perfectly though.
 

 
On the other hand, the thwart for the mainmast fits perfectly. This is pictured with my new #4 thwart.
 
And finally, here are some pictures of the boat as of right now. I painted on a blue stripe to match my Bounty. The planks look slightly shiny because they have just been given a coating of Tung Oil. I have to wait for the oil to cure before proceeding, so that's all for tonight.
 
Hmm, maybe I have time to start tapering the dowels for the masts ...
 

 

 

 

 

 
The instructions remind you that this is a working boat, and should not be finished "like a yacht". Well, it's MY boat, so i'll finish it like a yacht if I want to

Hi Steve, you definitely don't have enough cherry frames. Don't forget that the quarter deck is also planked on cherry frames. Note that on my kit, the planks supplied for the quarter deck were the wrong size. I can't remember the measurements exactly, but I said so on my build log. You might want to check if yours are correct.

LOL Steve, an American thinks his nephew's 5 year old daughter's Kings English is better than yours! Feeling deflated yet?
 
I do have to warn you, that I realized from the start that I would not have enough cherry wood to finish - so I was very careful not to waste excess wood when cutting. The MS instructions claim that they supply enough cherry wood to account for breakages - baloney! There is barely enough to finish the framing even with MINIMAL breakages! Many of my cherry frames had knots in them which made it nearly impossible to bend, which meant that I had to keep them aside for other use. I thought I would have to order more wood but as it turns out, I had JUST enough to complete my framing.
 
I suggest you look at how much you have left and order more from MS if required. Also bear in mind that if you plan to bash the kit as I did and make yourself a bowsprit AND change the rigging, you may not have enough rope. So you might want to order that too.

Al, she's looking really good. I should probably tell you that when mine came off the frame, the first thing I did was to check if it was the correct width (given that all the other build logs reported that she became wider). It was 100% correct. SOMEHOW, over the next few days she became wider! In the end, I fixed the width problem by using the thwarts to hold the boat together, although I did have to fabricate a few new thwarts. I used clamps to squeeze the hull together and then made sure the thwarts were glued solidly in. Just something for you to watch out for.

Hello all, I did a search and did not come up with any results, so I thought I would start a thread.
 
Has anybody here tried making custom parts using photo-etch? I know that dafi has, so perhaps he would like to chip in.
 
I have done some googling to find out if it is possible to make parts for a ship I would like to build. The fittings that come with the kit are rather chunky and I have been thinking about how I would replace them. I think PE is the solution.
 
It is possible to do photo-etching at home, as per these links:
 

http://www.steelnavy.com/etching.htm
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/fh_pe.htm
 
... and you can buy your own PE kit here: http://www.micromark.com/micro-mark-pro-etch-photo-etch-system,8346.html
 
HOWEVER, it requires an investment in machinery (if you do not already have these): laser printer, fluorescent lamp, heat source, laminator. It also requires consumables, including some toxic chemicals, a glass plate, and so on. In the end, the investment sounds pretty substantial for making a small run of parts.
 
My next thought was to look at businesses that can do it for you. So far I have found a few:
 
http://www.ppdltd.com/web_site_3/page_1_intro.html
http://www.photo-etch.co.uk/page1/page6/page6.html
http://www.photofab.co.uk/
http://saemann-aetztechnik.de/
http://www.orbel.com/photo-etched-precision-metal-parts
 
I have not looked in detail to see if any of these companies would be happy to do a one-off project. It appears that as a minimum, you need to supply your artwork in vector form, either AutoCAD format or CorelDRAW format. A pixel manipulator (like Photoshop) will not work. Does anybody know of any free CAD programs or vector drawing programs that can output to AutoCAD format or CorelDRAW format?

Hi Spencer
 
I'm pretty conversant at CAD so I'm sorry of some of this is technically a bit complex. I'm going through the same thing - except that I use CAD a lot in my job so I know the commands fairly well. 
 
My first step was to scan the plans I have of the yacht & them insert them as jpeg files into the CAD drawing. The original drawings were too large in area to scan in one go, so on screen I had to rotate & line them up etc in the CAD file. Put the scans on a separate layer (named jpegs, for example) as you want to be able to turn them on & off; they can also be a cause of programme crash so being able to turn them off when not in use will reduce this problem.
 
I started by drawing in the setup lines (horizontal lines, station positions etc), using the lines on the drawings (the horizontal section lines, whatever they are called), & I coloured them yellow, except the LWL blue & one green one. The partial view below shows some of that. The numbers are the stations, I'm adding in additional ones  - the "a" numbers. Stations in red.
 

 
Most programmes will have a polyline function & a number of alternative ways of doing a polyline. The one I use is where you click a series of dots on the curved shape of a hull section & the programme will automatically join them in a "best fit" curve that goes through the points you have clicked. You can zoom right in & click a lot of points if you are sure the drawings are accurate. For me, the drawings I am working off have a lot of poetic license so the correspondence between the plan, side view & sectional shapes is a bit off.
 
The short vertical pale blue lines were checks - checking the plan drawing against the sectional shape.
 
You should be able to tweak the polylines, but it's a fiendish task, I recommend printing pages off & sketching with a pencil to help make adjustments & then do it on screen. I then offset the final polylines by the planking thickness. On the drawing below the red represents the outside planking line & the black the mould shape to be laser cut from plywood. I will have to redo this as I'm going to build it a slightly different way, but the gist of it is there. Station #4 is shown below.
 

 
CAD programmes are pretty big, lots of commands, but you will only need maybe 10 or maybe 15 max. If you are going to work off paper prints that would simplify things, but I will need files that a cutter can read so I have to assemble lines into a connected shape - the mould shapes are one continuous line each, but that's starting to get difficult.
 
The conclusion I have reached is that if I make the plywood forms NOT part of the final build then I can make adjustments when I set them up - shave off as needed or add laminations of timber & shape to suit. The drawing above was for planking straight on plywood moulds, but I now plan to put ribs on the moulds & then planks on the ribs & remove the plywood moulds . The sheer clamp cutaways will be adjusted but in principle they will be inside the ribs as they would be on a yacht.
 
 
Does this help?
 
best, Mark
 
 

Hello all, I did a search and did not come up with any results, so I thought I would start a thread.
 
Has anybody here tried making custom parts using photo-etch? I know that dafi has, so perhaps he would like to chip in.
 
I have done some googling to find out if it is possible to make parts for a ship I would like to build. The fittings that come with the kit are rather chunky and I have been thinking about how I would replace them. I think PE is the solution.
 
It is possible to do photo-etching at home, as per these links:
 

http://www.steelnavy.com/etching.htm
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/fh_pe.htm
 
... and you can buy your own PE kit here: http://www.micromark.com/micro-mark-pro-etch-photo-etch-system,8346.html
 
HOWEVER, it requires an investment in machinery (if you do not already have these): laser printer, fluorescent lamp, heat source, laminator. It also requires consumables, including some toxic chemicals, a glass plate, and so on. In the end, the investment sounds pretty substantial for making a small run of parts.
 
My next thought was to look at businesses that can do it for you. So far I have found a few:
 
http://www.ppdltd.com/web_site_3/page_1_intro.html
http://www.photo-etch.co.uk/page1/page6/page6.html
http://www.photofab.co.uk/
http://saemann-aetztechnik.de/
http://www.orbel.com/photo-etched-precision-metal-parts
 
I have not looked in detail to see if any of these companies would be happy to do a one-off project. It appears that as a minimum, you need to supply your artwork in vector form, either AutoCAD format or CorelDRAW format. A pixel manipulator (like Photoshop) will not work. Does anybody know of any free CAD programs or vector drawing programs that can output to AutoCAD format or CorelDRAW format?