kurtvd19

Brian: OOPS, I got it - dug out the copies and then forgot to follow through. PM on the way. Kurt

There is a documentary video by the History Channel about this boat and the sinking of the Albemarle. I picked up the video when I built this model. I don't remember the cost but it was very reasonable. They painted the hull white or light gray probably due to the night attack would have made the boat almost invisible. Other than that it's a good film. Kurt

Ken: The NSL stuff I have used has been top notch. Have a bunch in the shop and use it regularly - have not bought any recently but stock is going down. Maybe Midwest will surprise me and answer your inquiry. Kurt

Ken: Great work and good tips. Please don't hold your breath waiting for a response from Midwest as I think with their past record you will turn blue long before you hear from them. I want to be sure you make it to the San Diego Conference! Kurt

Cathead: Thanks for starting this topic. I will be following and hopefully contributing. Kurt

I don't disagree about using gray primer under red paint - except when I paint the underwater oxide red. I always use a black primer or undercoat before painting the oxide red underwater portion of a hull as the dark primer tones down the red a bit. As to painting with both enamels and acrylics on the same model - it should be OK to put enamel over the acrylic - it's always OK to put acrylic over enamel However, I would always test any enamel over any acrylic before applying to a model until you know it's OK. Paint manufactures sometimes change their formulas w/o telling anybody so just because it worked before don't assume it will always work. I am a big advocate of testing. Weathering is usually done with differing paint types w/o problems. When spending so much time on the model to not take the time to test the paints is a mistake. I use paints from a single manufacturer and I did my testing long ago and do not do it now, but I also have a direct connection to the manufacturer and would be aware of any change in formulation before it happens. They recently released a new primer that I tested extensively before it's release on model materials but not my current models (until after the tests). The reason I advocate testing was backed up by an unfortunate choice of primer that was then painted over with an acrylic. The acrylic paint would not cure and was still sticky after days. It was assumed that the acrylic was bad and the whole thing was stripped and sanded. Another acrylic was applied with the same results. Testing ensued with several types of acrylics being applied over the primer - same results regardless of the acrylic color coat. Switched to a couple of different primers and then shot acrylics over the various primers w/o an issue. The conclusion was the primer was at fault. My friend had bought the primer in Racine, WI and thought it could be a problem with that can or the stuff shipped to the Ace Hardware in Racine. I had bought some of the same primer here in IL from a Home Depot because I needed a white primer for a special paint application I had planned. I tested acrylics over the primer I bought here with the exact same results. I used a couple of other primers with good results. We had to conclude it was the primer. Checking around I found that every professional modeler I consulted said "stay away from that stuff" and named the primer at fault. "Never use it - they change their formulas all the time and never for the better". You will never see a can of Rust-Oleum in my shop after this experience. I am very glad that my friend had the problem first - his model had broad expanses of hull where my job was a very intricate assembly that would have been near impossible to strip or sand adequately. The new primer I mentioned earlier was received just before I had to use a white primer so I would not have bought or used the white Rust-Oleum stuff for the job. Kurt

Steve: Thanks for the great tip - I will be passing it along in my airbrush classes. I use a similar syringe and plastic dispensing needle for applying wood glues - will use the same set up when airbrushing - I will not interchange the set ups! Kurt

Ropes were not coiled on the deck as shown in Ken's photos when operational but they were coiled like they are shown when the ship was being inspected and everything was to look ship shape. As most models are displayed on a set of stanchions, obviously not at sea, the coiled ropes would be appropriate. However, were the model in a diorama, at sea, then they would have been picked up as you said. Kurt

Elijah: Next time you are at a meeting take a couple of photos of my shop/tools to show your Mom - she will not think you have so much once she sees the photos. Kurt

Ken: Your posts are always appreciated and educational. I have learned a few things reading your build log -and learned a lot of stuff from your book. One has to remember that there are always people who need to know some of the things than so many assume everybody knows because they learned the skill so long ago. There are always new modelers coming along who will benefit from tutorials of all sorts. You are providing information for all skill levels - I know for a fact that some very experienced guys do their chafing fish and mast cheeks just like the instructions show, relying on wood filler rather than fitting the faces of the strips together tightly. As I have said before, you have a skill for explaining the processes of building and are a great teacher. That's one of the reasons I asked you to be a speaker at the San Diego NRG Conference in October. Anybody wanting to learn first hand from Ken about working with brass come to San Diego. If you have Ken's book bring it with and I am sure he will autograph it for you (mine will make the trip) and I am sure he will bring some to sell there. This paragraph is a blatant plug for Ken, his book and the NRG Conference. Take care, Kurt

Very nice work Toni. I find myself using the dental machine almost daily - it's replaced my pin vises in most instances. Kurt

Cathead: I don't know. However, I will ask a true expert and get back to the group. I will ask Jack about tar paper and canvass coverings. It might take a bit as the professor can take some time to check his emails. Kurt

It appears that the roof covering is tar paper. The Texas decks roof shows port to starboard seams. I simulated tar paper on my Chaperon model using Silk Span strips, glued in place using Artist's Acrylic Matte Medium (AAMM). The AAMM was brushed onto the back of the strip then the strip was laid down onto the surface, overlapping the previous strip by a scale 6 - 8 inches. The entire roof area was done this way and then the surface was painted with a weathered flat black. I used some of the AAMM, after the painting of the tar paper, along the seams to make it look like tar had been applied as a repair to hold down an edge. These decks as you can see from the Shorpy photo were not used by the passengers. I have seen photos of planks laid over the tar paper to protect it from foot traffic. Caulked decks are not always as water tight as one might assume. These boats were not always maintained to the high standards associated with passenger traffic as we know it today. The use of tar paper or maybe canvass laid down with tar would go far towards making the roofs shed water - more so than a caulked deck. Remember these boats were very flexible and caulking wouldn't last long. During the 2006 NRG Conference in San Diego the vendors were inundated with rain coming through the caulking of the main deck of the San Diego Museum's Star of India and I am pretty sure this ship had better maintenance than the typical riverboat. The buckets in the racks are fire buckets that are immediately adjacent to water barrels. Sparks from the stacks on the roof could get a real fire going. The buckets were kept handy hanging on the racks so they would always be accessible and in the same place. Most fire buckets were also made with domed bottoms so that the buckets would not sit flat and would also hold a bit more water than a flat bottom. The rounded bottom made sure they were not removed by a crew member to use for another purpose so they were assured of being available when needed. This was true of all fire buckets not just those on riverboats. Kurt

Kurt: I got some of the Pro Bond and tried it and dumped the whole thing in the garbage. It might be great for filling something on a rough sawn cedar fence but not on any model. There is a new formula for the Elmer's wood filler - the normal stuff - that is now much nicer than the original - give it a try. I have used it quite a bit and like it. Sands easy and fills small holes like your treenails. If you can't get it locally there is always eBay - with free shipping or Amazon. Amazon link - http://www.amazon.com/Elmers-E848D12-Carpenters-Filler-2-Pint/dp/B000LNR4XC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1459349473&sr=8-4&keywords=elmers+wood+filler eBay link - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Elmers-Products-E848d12-1-2-Pint-Carpenters-Interior-Wood-Filler-/200632338865?hash=item2eb69e89b1:g:tX0AAOSwpDdVGo5j Kurt

Bill: Thanks for sharing your experience with the lead fittings. I didn't have the same experience thus my opinion. Your experience has changed my approach if I ever do another restoration - something I have vowed to have retired from. Luckily I know another modeler not too far away who wants the work I can refer people to now. How about a lead test kit from the hardware store? Might work. Kurt

We might have a metallurgist pitch in with pure facts, but in my experience if the model is old enough to need restoration and the metal parts are in good condition they are either pure lead or another metal. Pure lead doesn't seem to be a problem as there are lead containers several hundred years old and civil war musket balls are not rare to be dug up in fine condition. Bad lead fittings have a feathery sort of growth on them - some call it a "bloom". I have seen the lead be almost completely replaced by these growths. Had a pyramid of cannon balls on a very dirty and abused HMS Victory model that were covered with the white growth and when I took a tweezers to the pile to see if I could lift it off the deck there was virtually nothing under the whitish growth of feathers. In every instance of lead disease I have seen, the metal bends, breaks or crumbles if it's touched I would make sure the fitting you use for the restoration are not lead but I wouldn't remove good fittings be they lead or Britannia. Just my opinion and what I have done with restorations. Kurt

Mike: I don't use liquid frisket. The frisket I use is a film with a tacky stickum on the one side. It canbe used for painting flames, etc on cars, helmets, etc. Also useful for models. The 3M and Tamiya tapes need to go ver smooth surfaces. Wood must be sanded smooth before being painted. If it's smooth enough for the paint then the tape will stick and seal. Maybe the better way to think about it would be that if the tape sticks and seals the wood is smooth enough to paint. Choice of woods is critical. Too open a grain and you can never seal it well enough with the tape. Kurt

The Tamiya tape is also very good. I use both the 3M Fine Line and the Tamiya. Both are very excellent and resist any seepage under their edges when burnished down onto the surface. Here is something I did earlier today. Fine line tape masked off the waterline (bare eggshell) and then some frisket was placed on the fine line tape to mask off the rest of the egg. Painted the red first, removed the frisket and put it back onto the fine line tape to cover over the red - not having moved the fine line tape, sprayed the blue and then removed the frisket and then the fine line tape. Total time from first starting to mask until done was less than 20 minutes till I took the photo. Acrylics dry quickly. I keeping with the nautical theme here, the red is Badger Modelflex Anti-Fouling Red Oxide (16-401) and the blue is their Tug Medium Blue (16-434). The white waterline is the Chicken's natural Eggshell White. Kurt

Mike: One of the reasons I like acrylics is the covering ability while being a very thin paint thickness. It is important to use model type paints due to the finely ground pigment vs the stuff from the hardware store (1 micron vs 37 microns). Several very thin coats is what I do starting with the first coat thin enough that it is barely recognized as paint with subsequent coats - still very thin - adding up to good coverage while maintaining the wood grain' visibility. When I say thin coats I don't meant to thin the paint out - just apply a thin coat. Kurt

Mike: You are on the right track - always cover the lighter color with the darker color. When you have a ridge between colors try dragging the smooth top side of your fingernail over the ridge along the length of the ridge as soon as the tape is removed - always try to remove the tape as soon as possible. The paint must be dry to the touch but do it ASAP. I use acrylics and can unmask the edge within 5 minutes and then use the fingernail trick. Don't keep doing it as you might rub some paint off - once is enough - don't be afraid of using a bit of pressure. The nature of acrylics is to "lay down tighter" as they dry so the fingernail is just helping the process along. Acrylics can look a bit thick when first applied but they lay down soon. Hope this helps, Kurt

Dave: I am sure others might have comments about the various tools but I have a dislike of the light with the magnifier built into it. It's great for the jeweler or somebody working with small stuff on the bench surface as the magnifier can be set and left in place. With a ship model that ranges from small pieces where the magnifier works to the hull and/or rigging where it just gets in the way it's a tool that is useful only part of the time. I tried this light/magnifier combo years ago and got rid of it in a matter of a few days - luckilly I was able to trade a buddy for a tool he didn't use so we were both happy. I much prefer to use a head band type magnifier such as the Optivisor. I used one with plastic lenses but after being able to try out the glass lens version at a trade show I bought the glass lens version and couldn't be happier. These are available on ebay whereas the plastic lens versions are carried at the art stores such as Hobby Lobby, Michael's, etc. The link below is from a current ebay offer - I have both the #5 and the #10 lenses - using the #5 99% of the time as the drop down loupe is great for the extra magnification but the #10 is for when I am doing some extremely close work and you probably will never need the #10. My advice would be to get the glass lens version rather than the plastic as there is no comparison - at least two club members went out and replaced their plastic lens versions with the glass after they tried mine on at a recent meeting. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Donegan-OptiVisor-Headband-Magnifier-You-choose-from-6-Lenses-MADE-IN-THE-USA-/251919955964?var=&hash=item3aa79977fc:m:mOgsmPUjOYwsz_xL9S50mrA I see you are from WI. Do you know about the 40th Anniversary model boat show/contest at the WI Maritime Museum in May? There is info on their web site and here on MSW in the clubs, shows section towards the bottom of the mail MS page. Take care, Kurt

The guys in my local IPMS club who use enamels wait 2 - 3 weeks before doing the sanding / polishing of their paint jobs. Dry to the touch does not mean fully cured. Another reason I use acrylics. Kurt

That stuff you were using sounds like something that should only be used outdoors - hope the workbench was in the garage at least. Kurt

Toni: Looking good - of course. I was glad that you brought one of the cannons to the last meeting. Outstanding. Chuck's cannon Monograms on the barrels are unbelievable Kurt

Elijah: Good thinking on using the tape to lay down a straight line. It's looking good. Kurt