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BobG

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Everything posted by BobG

  1. BobG
    It looks like I need to explore the virtues of shellac!
  2. BobG
    Thanks, Justin. I just watched a youtube video that showed how these wide-eyed needles. I was trying to make some splices like Ed uses on some Syren rope using some sewing needles that my wife had in her sewing box. I couldn't get the tip of the rope through the eye. These wide-eyed needles would certainly simplify that task but the needle itself looks to be quite wide in the video I watched. Have you found that you can pass these needles through small ropes like Ed does when he makes a splice? Do you have different sizes for the different tasks? Are you using the "Klucel-G" at full strength or diluting it with the Ethanol solution?
  3. BobG
    My wife is a talented pastel artist and she sprays her pastels with an artist fixative to help preserve them. Pastels are delicate because they tend to "shed" easily and, even after using the artist fixative, they have to be handled gently. I've used her fixative to spray the paper friezes before I glued them onto my Medway Longboat as Chuck recommends. Are these artist fixatives the same thing as the shellac that you are referring to for preserving pastels and oil paintings? If not, what is the preferred shellac that the art book you are reading recommends? I will give the orange shellac and the zapon lacquer a try. Thanks!
  4. BobG
    I love it! This kit is just way cool and it looks like it pretty good quality materials. I'll be following along on your build. Who knows, I may just have to go shopping around for one of these... 🤨 BTW, I think you must be a Gold Medallion Member of eBay by now!
  5. BobG
    Is there any limit to what one can learn on this forum? 🤯
  6. BobG
    Thanks, Rusty. Are you using CA on the planks.
  7. BobG
    Edible shellac...😳 You may have forever changed my appetite for jelly beans!
  8. BobG
    You did a wonderful job on this interesting boat. Painting the boat with pine tar makes it very authentic and realistic. Does the pine tar take a long time to dry?
  9. BobG
    Absolutely gorgeous, Rusty! I had no idea that pear was so similar to cherry. It's beautiful! Is it relatively easy to work with and bend? Also, are you using Chuck's method of gluing the planks with just a small dot of CA on the frames? Your build is inspirational. Bob
  10. BobG
    Thanks! I've never seen these before. I found some on eBay and on Amazon. I'll have to give them a try. Bob
  11. BobG
    Well I'm going to gush over this model some more after going to the Facebook link in the first post of this topic and viewing the photos of this model in full size. It's simply incredible! Perfect in every detail and the finish is unbelievably beautiful. I think this is one of the most amazing ship models I've ever seen. Do yourself a favor and go to the Facebook link at feast your eyes on her. Congratulations to whoever built it! Bob
  12. BobG
    Thanks, Chuck. I'm still not exactly sure what I'm looking at here in your photo though. Did you grind the top end of the shank on a micro drill bit to obtain that point and then add that tiny "washer" above it? Or...??? And, then did you cut off the fluted part of the broken drill bit so you could tap it with a small hammer? Bob
  13. BobG
    I think a cross section is a great way to delve into complex rigging without getting too overwhelmed and burn out on it. Bob
  14. BobG
    Thanks for the link, wefalck. That's some seriously intricate splicing! I'm amazed at what skilled modelers are about to do on such a small scale. Bob
  15. BobG
    I took a brief look at your YA build and, wow...this level of modeling is way over my head so thank you so much for taking the time to share this useful information about splices with a relative beginner like me. The MSW forum is a treasure trove of information and willing assistance to modelers of all skill levels. Bob
  16. BobG
    Thanks for this info, Paul. I'll try making a punch from a nail. I'll check out your Constitution cross section too. I've been admiring some cross sections lately. I see that Model Shipways has a new Constitution cross section available now. I also have the MS Pride of Baltimore II. It was the first kit I ever bought but, when I opened it, I realized that I needed a lot more experience to do her justice. I'm currently building the Medway Longboat from Syren. I've learned a ton from it. The rigging has slowed me to a snail's pace though. Bob
  17. BobG
    I wasn't able to get evenly rounded edges on the thimbles I was trying to make using the Starret mini center punches that I have. What kind and brand of punch is that that you use for thimbles? Do you know where it can be purchased? Also, how do you hold the tiny sections of brass tubing while you are punching them? Thanks. Bob
  18. BobG
    The KS min-tube cutter works pretty well. I like it. It scored the 1/16" tubing perfectly and I was able to break off tiny pieces for making thimbles. The problem I had though is that I can not get the edges of the pieces rounded nicely with the punch set that I have. I have a nice set of mini center punches made by Starret. I couldn't get a uniform bend around the edges so the thimble ended up lop-sided or it split. Maybe I need a punch like Chuck uses. It's also really difficult to try land hold the tiny brass pieces steady while using the punches on them. They often went flying into some unknown place in the room. Bob
  19. BobG
    This is a stunningly beautiful model. The weathering and craftsmanship on such an interesting small boat is phenomenal. I am very much drawn to small, working boats like these and I aspire to learn to do some realistic weathering. Thanks for posting this. Bob
  20. BobG
    Thanks, Dee_Dee, I'll give this stuff a try. I'm new to all this rigging and I'd rather not use CA if I can find something else that works well and sets up fairly rapidly. Bob
  21. BobG
    First of all, thank you, Ed for this excellent information. Your splices look great. I would like to try your method of making a splice since I'm struggling to making really good looking stropping on blocks and eyes in ropes etc. This is my first try at any rigging at all so I'm all eyes and ears for information. How do you finish the splice? What do you do with the section of rope once it has passed through the rope by using a needle? Is it wrapped around itself or...??? I have only seized a couple of blocks so far and I used medium viscosity CA but in the tiniest amount that I applied with a pointed dental tool. That way it holds at the spot where I apply it without any visible discoloration to the naked eye but I'm certainly open to other ideas and better, proven ways. Bob
  22. BobG
    This a very interesting model that looks great with all the weathering effects. Thanks for the review. Bob
  23. BobG
    I've seen that method used on a youtube video. The guy inserted a smaller piece of brass into the tubing and then scored before breaking it off pretty cleanly. I also just got this KS mini-tube cutter yesterday. It's just a miniature of the typical, regular sized pipe cutter. It says it is supposed to cut 1/16" to 5/8." I just tried it and it works very well on the 1/16" tubing. It wouldn't cut it all the way through since it won't clamp down that small but it did score it nicely and then you can carefully break it off by holding it close to the score line with with pliers and using another set of pliers to break it off. I'm not sure how well that would work for cutting very short pieces like those you need for thimbles though. I'll give it a try and see what I can do with them. Bob
  24. BobG
    I tried using my miter box and the saw with the most teeth that I have but it wasn't cutting it very well and I thought it was probably just dulling my saw. Is your razor saw different than the typical fine toothed, hobby saw? The tubing I was using was KS brand 1/16" brass tubing. It's pretty stiff. Is the tubing you use thinner than the regular 1/16" tubing you find in hobby stores? If so, what sizes does it come in and where do you get it? Thanks, Bob
  25. BobG
    Thanks, that was my best effort. I'm finding that all the tasks involved in rigging are very challenging for me. I hope it's because I'm new to it because I'm very, very S-L-O-W! I tried Chuck's method of making thimbles by cutting 1/16" brass tubing and then using a center punch to round the edges. I couldn't do it. I couldn't cut the tubing without squishing it and I tried several ways. Finally, I was able to get a couple of decent pieces cut by scoring the tubing with an Xacto knife and carefully bending it off but, when I tried to use the punch to round the edges, they went flying off into space. So I gave up on that method. Then I got the idea of laying the tubing down on a flat surface and filing it down to it's widest diameter which essentially opens it up in half and leaves you with a slender, U-shaped piece of brass. Then I used some round-nosed pliers to bend a section into a circle and then cut it off. Finally, I blackened the brass with Jax Blackening Solution. They are far from being as uniform and nice as what Chuck makes but they'll have to do for me. Here's a photo of the brass tubing after I filed it down and the thimbles before I blackened them. The photos are so enlarged that they look awful but, in actuality, they are so small and, when blackened and stropped, they look OK.

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