kurtvd19

Very nice work. Great scene. Kurt

It is strong and I don't think I would use it on bare wood as you point out - I have only used it on painted surfaces.

I use Sparex #2 heated in a small crock pot for cleaning anything I will blacken - using Birchwood Casey Brass Black. Heated Sparex works great on cleaning up soldered parts - but if there is a big build up of crud from the soldering I often use the fiberglass etching pen before the Sparex. After about 10 minutes in the heated Sparex I rinse the parts in water, then a rinse in Acetone that is then rinsed again with distilled water and then air dried. I routinely blacken brass eye bolts. I had issues with them not blackening consistently. Brass w/o a coating of some sort will dull and darken so with all brass eye bolts being shiny I concluded they are coated. I lay them out on my fire block at my silver soldering table and hit them with the mini torch and then clean in Sparex as above. Doing this makes sure they all blacken nicely. As any brass shapes (K&S type) that I blacken have been soldered - the coating is burned off and treating in the Sparex as above assures even blackening. Sparex should not be boiled! The crock pot can't boil water so it's a good way to heat the Sparex. Jeweler's supply places sell these little crock pots for $35 or so but I have found several at Goodwill or other similar places for less than $5. I have some on hand as replacements but have supplied local club members with them also. As Sparex is acid based the parts are thoroughly cleaned and etched in one step. Sparex is available from Jeweler's supply places and welding shops. Don't use metal baskets or tweezers to hold the parts as the continued use in Sparex will eat them away - plastic tea strainers work great. Jeweler's supply place sell copper tweezers to take pieces in and out as the use of metal can cause a build up of metal in the fluid that can coat the pieces and interfere with plating the parts. As I do plating too I stay away from the metal tweezers and baskets. Never had a problem with blackening parts when I previously used metal baskets and tweezers in the Sparex but after investigating plating and being forewarned about the use of metal in the Sparex I just use the plastic baskets and copper pliers all the time. Kurt

Firedog: Ouch! Sounds like the back is a problem - probably can't sit too long, stand too long or walk too long. I am a retired Chief of Fire Prevention. I was given the option of duty disability retirement or taking over the Fire Prevention Bureau following my getting my back and neck totally screwed up when a commercial garage door came down on my shoulders and back of my neck and compacted me into an 18-inch space. The hospital staff couldn't believe that I didn't have any broken bones when the ambulance crew told them what happened - I swear I glowed in the dark from so many xrays! All muscle and nerve damage. After two years of therapy they ruled no more firefighting. So I served another 12 years as Bureau Chief and retired two days short of my 50th birthday. 3rd generation Chief - my mothers Father and my Dad were both Chief of the Volunteer department where I still live. I went next town over as it was full time and there are still only a handful of full timers here in town. What broke my cycle of pain was acupuncture. Had a bad headache and severe neck and back pain - almost constant. If was several years after the injury but the city insurance admin (a duty disabled cop) told me to try the acupuncturist who helped him. It wasn't overnight relief, but it eventually got so that I can get through most days w/o too much pain - it can't fix the underlying problems, but it sure helps. I hope you continue to mend and time helps with the discomfort/pain. Take care, Kurt

Welcome to MSW Firedog. This is the place to be to learn modeling. Hard to ask a question that somebody doesn't have the answer to. You say you got hurt on the job - with your user name Firedog are you a firefighter? Kurt

If you are cutting 3/4-inch wood use a carbide blade and it will cut it in one pass w/o any problem. I trimmed out my whole house/shop addition with red oak trim up to 3/4-inch thick w/o any problems using my Byrnes saw - easier to carry from room to room than my chop saw. Cutting 3/4-inch wood isn't (in my opinion) a job for a slitting saw blade - just asking for problems like overheating the blade and warping it, clogging, uneven cuts..... Kurt

Floyd: I think Badger is closed today. I was copied in an email by Jesus - their repair tech - and I don't think he sent it from work. But give it a try if they are closed just call on Monday. Kurt

Harvey: Yes it was added later so one dooesn't have to insert the "T" portion of the back lever and then turn it 90 degrees. Something like that would never get past QC at Badger. Floyd; Ron's right - every airbrush gets water shot through it as a test before it's passed as OK. I'm not sure if they still do it but the Sotar 20-20 airbrush even had a certificate that was signed by the 3 testers. Kurt

Brian: The Cyclopedium book is available from the Howard Steamboat Museum in Jeffersonville, IN. Alan also wrote the The Western Rivers Engineroom Cyclopedium - both are must have books for the steamboat modeler. Not expensive. Kurt

Floyd: Go ahead and try Badger on Friday afternoon but being good Friday they may close early or not be open. But if Jesus (that is their repair techs name - not a play on Good Friday) is working he will get to the bottom of it. Bubbles mean you have to tighten up the fittings - but they are delicate. Use some beeswax (a staple in all airbrush users tools) on the threads of the air regulator and nozzles pieces up front. As shown in the boxed area to the left side of the drawing there are three parts with threads that can use the beeswax. Also, make sure the tiny little tip (50-0391, 2 or 3) is in place. This gets lost by many. Be sure the needle moves freely and that it is fully forward - do not force it as the tip can split or deform if force is used. Try turning the airbrush upside down and use an eyedropper or pipette to drop some water into the siphon tube connection and spray. It should spray just fine if the internals are ok. If it doesn't spray then I am stumped. Kurt

Rudder construction is shown and explained in The Western Rivers Steamboat Cyclopedium by Alan Bates on pages 18 & 19. Note the amount of rudder ahead of the rudder shaft. They fit closely to the hull and in both Fig 17 & 18 there is an attempt to shield/protect the rudders from floating debris. They were tucked up tight to the hull and didn't extend below the bottom of the hull. The rudder as shown in Fig 17 is very close to the Chaperon's rudder configuration. The text on the bottom of page 18 reads "Hull shapes were dictated by the type of propulsion and the intended use of the boat. A typical sternwheel stern rake is shown in Figures 17, 18, and 19. Notice that the rudders swing in depressions designed to insure a close and uniform clearance beneath the hull. This method of building was developed at about the time of the ladies' bustle skirt and was named for that popular style. The close clearance prevented the intrusion of drift logs between hull and rudders. A fencepost jammed here inevitably resulted in greater or less disaster" The rudder configuration in Fig 20 with the Wedges ahead of the rudders to offer some protection was also common. The text at the bottom of page 19 reads "Prior to the 1880's stem rake waterlines were practically straight as indicated in Figures 20 and 21. The wedges were spiked to the bottom to fend off drift. The length of stern rakes varied according to the intended service of the boat. Fast packets had long easy rakes and towboats had bluff, full shapes for additional buoyancy under the heavy engines." I hope this helps a bit. The above is all copyrighted by Bates but I have blanket permission from Alan to use his materials. Kurt .

Floyd: Gravity feed is great but meant for detail painting. If the size of the tug is larger than your usual paint jobs then check out the Badger 360. It's a double action brush that works as both a gravity feed and as a siphon feed. This is possible due to the front end of the brush being able to rotate 360 degrees. As a gravity feed the paint is put into the color cup with it facing up (duh..) and detail painting can be done w/o having the paint bottle attached to the airbrush. For larger areas or multiple parts where you want more paint the airbrush head is rotated so the color cup points downward and the paint bottle with adapter cap is inserted into the color cup. The 360 is my everyday brush. The 360 is very versatile and serves as two airbrushes in one package. I do use the 350 I mentioned the other day for large areas and have several other brushes for specialized work, but the 360 is what I recommend to those wanting one airbrush that will do detail and general coverage. Kurt https://usaairbrushsupply.com/products/360-1-universal-basic-set

Sounds like a plan. Let us know if you solve the problem. Kurt

Floyd: What pressure do you have from the compressor? If the brush blows air before connecting to the paint jar that tells you the air works - but you must have adequate pressure. 15-20 psi should be adequate. I don't remember what paint you are using. Is it thinned properly? Properly thinned paint with adequate air pressure should mean you get paint onto the model. Let me know what paint you are using and how much you are thinning it and what your air pressure is. It might need checking/repair by Badger - it will cost you shipping charges only unless you did internal damage that would require a new body. But let's try to solve your problem before resorting to going to the shop. Ron is right that you might want to use a different brush for doing the hull and larger surfaces. The link below to the Badger 350 is the best price you will see for this neat little single action brush. It's good enough that I used it for many years as my only brush and still use it today for larger surfaces. It is capable of laying down an award winning paint job. It will work much better for larger surfaces than the 150 which isn't meant for doing a model the size you are doing. https://usaairbrushsupply.com/products/350-1m-single-action-medium-head-airbrush

Sent you a PM

I used Simple Green on a model that I think spent years in the engine room of the full size boat. Nothing was cleaning it and with the permission of the museum I tried the Simple Green. Applied with a swab and then wiped off with another and then rinsed with distilled water and dried. Came out great - and clean - and still looking good almost 20 years later. Kurt

Hello and welcome to MSW Kurt

Floyd: Tamiya tape is good. I had been using 3M Fine Line tape - an automotive painting tape that is available at a lot of auto parts stores - as it leaves a very nice line and it doesn't lift underlying paint and it is very similar to the Tamiya stuff. However I recently started using FBS K-UTG Gold Crepe Masking Tape from Coast Airbrush (link below) as it out performs the 3M Fine Line and Tamiya tapes - in my opinion. It's not expensive and it is able to follow a curved line a bit better than the 3M tape. One tip for masking between colors. When masking off to do the next color burnish the tape down for good contact and then lightly spray the edge of the tape on the edge where the next color is to go with the underlying first color. This way, if anything is going to creep under the tape it will be the exact color of the first paint. Let it dry and then paint the second color. remove the tape and you will have a very clean straight edge w/o any creep of the 2nd color over the first. Don't spay against the tape edge either with the first color or the second so paint doesn't build up against the tape's edge. Try to spray at a right angle to the surface of the tape to minimize buildup. And when removing the masking tape pull it back over itself rather than straight up to minimize the risk of lifting the underlying paint - per the sketch. http://www.coastairbrush.com/proddetail.asp?prod=FBS_K-UTG_Gold_Crepe_Masking_Tape

Welcome to Model Ship World Kurt

Welcome to MSW

I wasn't aware that they are not metal. There are several sources of wire airbrush cleaning brushes and I assumed they were wire. I just went to the Lee Valley site and saw these after a search for airbrush cleaning brushes. I am familiar with this type of brush and the bristles are safe but I would be very careful that the ends of the twisted wire do not contact the airbrush interior as the ends can scratch the brass. I have some that are similar - longer bristles - and the ends are formed into a rounded end. Actually they are made by twisting from the bristle part of the brush with the wire doubled over and twisting back to the straight -non bristle - part of the brush that slips into a handle that can be used with several sizes of the brushes. Kurt

Floyd: Don't use the wire brushes sold as airbrush cleaning tools. The interior of the brush is very soft brass and can be scratched. This is official Badger opinion, not just my personal opinion. Badger makes a neat little cleaning kit - it does not contain wire brushes. The link to a decent review of the kit is below - I recommend you watch it for tips on cleaning the brush. The kit's got everything you need but you probably already have most of what is provided in the kit. The other link (dons airbrushing tips) is to one about general tips - good site - note he does use a brush but it's a dental brush and the fibers are nylon (or a similar product - not wire). The other link is to the Badger 150 manual - with cleaning instructions specific to the 150. I always follow up a cleaning with lacquer thinner sprayed through the brush. I keep a small jar with an eyedropper to put just a bit of the thinner into the cup - I tend to use gravity feed brushes a lot - but just turn the 150 upside down and drop the thinner into the suction tube. My cleaning procedure between colors - get the excess paint out of the gun - spray into a rag or cleaning jar. Use a doubled over pipe cleaner to clean paint out of the siphon tube. Use a dry section first then a section wet with cleaner. Spray cleaner through the brush till the brush sprays clear. Remove the needle and wipe it clean and reinsert the needle. Clean the tip of the regulator with a swab moistened with cleaner. Spray the next color. At the end of the day do all of the above then disassemble the front end. The regulator's tip needs to be clean both inside and out. Use the tip of a swab or other soft material - not a wire brush. The tip is tiny - don't drop it - make sure it is clean inside and out - again a thin tapered swab or nylon brush - do not force anything as this piece is delicate and if you spread or split the tip's opening it needs to be replaced. The head needs to be clean inside and out - same procedures as for the tip and regulator. Reassemble the regulator, tip and head back onto the airbrush. You might want to use some beeswax on the threads here to avoid air leakage - DO NOT over tighten. If there is air leakage use the beeswax. Reinsert the needle and spray some lacquer thinner through the brush and set aside till the next session. Skip these procedures and you will need to disassemble and do a heavy cleaning. Full disclosure, I work with Badger and they send me around to teach/demonstrate airbrushing. I developed Badger's Marine Pains for them. Kurt https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/cleaning http://www.badgerairbrush.com/PDF/150 Badger New.pdf

Welcome to MSW. Great first effort. Therapy with good results. Keep it up. Kurt

I know they are but I am not prepared to pay the price. I have found some good turnbuckles for sale that have worked for several builds. Kurt 😀

Actually you only need to use right hand threads unless you are pass out magnification for those viewing the model. Tap the body for the screw size - both right hand. Insert the screws and adjust close to the finished size with the top screw a bit longer. Now attach the wire lines and snug them up as best you can before using the turnbuckle adjustment. Now, using the top screw of the turnbuckle tighten the line to its final tightness. After all the wire rigging is secure use locktite to make sure the lines don't loosen up. Now this might not satisfy some but I defy anybody to tell the difference between right and left hand threads once the model is cased. On smaller scales I have made turnbuckles w/o threaded adjustment screws - just eye bolt type ends and soldered the bottom piece and used C/A on the upper after pulling the rigging tight - takes a third hand - that's the extent of Mary's modeling - applying the C/A as needed. Kurt