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kurtvd19

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Everything posted by kurtvd19

  1. kurtvd19
    Jheart: The sliding table for the Preac sounds interesting. Can you show a photo? The adjustable depth stop feature has me stumped - it sounds like it would make adjusting the depth of cut on the Preac as convenient as adjusting the depth of cut on the Byrnes saw. I have both saws and use them both but the hassle of adjusting the depth of cut on the Preac means I use it less than I would if the depth was easier to adjust. I would sure like to see a photo or two of the depth adjustment feature. Kurt
  2. kurtvd19
    Ken: With the (relative) mass of the guns I back up the glue with a pin of some sort either hidden in the carriage or on the bottom side of a wheel. Using brass for the wheels you can't use a pin there but some cross piece of the carriage will serve. Depends on the pin but that might be adequate to hold the gun in place regardless of your moving the model around later. Bite the bullet and order your rigging line from Syren. You can't get better line unless you make your own and then you will need to practice a lot to get the results Chuck gets after making or buying a rope walk, etc. The only stuff that comes close to Chuck's is Morope and Morope has a nasty tendency to come unraveled when cut and it's more expensive for less line. Morope comes from Germany whereas Chuck makes his stuff right here in the US. Kurt
  3. kurtvd19
    Boyd: The saw is perfect for cutting strips from sheets. As to the tilting table it depends on how many bevel cuts you need to cut on the edge od a sheet or strip. Something that Jim told me after I mentioned that it was a bit awkward to use the tilting table was to add a wedge under the saw base to tilt the saw so that the tilting table is parallel to the table top. I tried it and that works great. The tilt feature was great and got me through a commission and paid for itself in the time saved when I had to make a whole bunch of working 1/72 scale barge covers for a legal job. Kurt
  4. kurtvd19
    Ken: You took the suggestion a bit further than I had anticipated with the adjustments for doing the carronades too. Great job on it. The extra time and effort will certainly pay off when you are able to use it for other models, something I hadn't envisioned. Beats making anew one for each model. Take care, Kurt
  5. kurtvd19
    You can "stack" slitting blades to come up with the exact saw kerf you want for model work. Thurston sells all sorts of blade widths, just have enough so you can stack the necessary blades to get a kerf equal to the dado you want to cut. For our work the saw has plenty of power to do shallow dados. You would want the wider blades on the outside with the thinner blades sandwiched in between so no worry of the thin blades deflecting or heating up and warping as they are prone to do. Any dado being cut in our model work is not going to be all that wide or deep. Kurt
  6. kurtvd19
    Ken: Very nice job on the gun carriages. Kurt
  7. kurtvd19
    Here is an example of the Krylon Gold Foil paint on a whitte metal casting from the Steam Pumper that Ken Foran designed for Model Expo. This was done with the rattle can. The white metal casting was cleaned up a bit and then primed with Badger STYNLREZ white primer. I can say with confidence that one can't tell this apart from a plated piece. Kurt
  8. kurtvd19
    Jerry: The Krylon foil paints are great - also got the tip to use them from Ken Foran. I have decanted them from the spray can to use in my airbrushes and they are great that way too - better control than by the spray can. I did use some decanted foil paint with a brush to touch up some small areas on a build and it worked OK for that too. I don't know how it would be applied by brush to a larger area though. One point on these paints - they are to be applied over a white primer undercoat. I think it's more for the color than the sticking to the subject. Kurt
  9. kurtvd19
    Ken: It's looking good. When you do up the gun tackles consider making a jig with the eye bolts on a vertical piece and the deck being attached to the vertical piece with the deck eye bolt in the right position and do the gun rigging separate from on the boat so nothing is in the way. As to ME supplying what is on the kit parts list I have had very few issues over the years. I can't remember the last time I was short a part or a bunch - as to the right number of pieces like eye bolts as Ken ran into I think that's the kit designer's fault - though it would be nice when this is brought to the attention of the kit mfg that they fix the problem for the next run. I have seen ME and Bluejacket respond quite quickly to this type of input. When this happens drop an email right to Marc Mosko at ME - he's on top of things like this. So is Bluejacket - a call to Nic would straighten anything like this out there for sure. Kurt
  10. kurtvd19
    Yes, heat it red hot and drop it into water. It will bend very easy then. Kurt
  11. kurtvd19
    Duff: I don't always spray the base color against the tape as I have a lot of practice using the Tamiya and 3M tapes and usually know that they are very well sealed against any bleeding but when it is critical and not easily repaired or I have the slightest doubt about the seal I go to the base color spray. It doesn't hurt to do it all the time and if you don't airbrush/mask a lot then it is good insurance. As long as the spray is light there will not be a buildup on the tapes edge which can be harder to fix that some bleed at times. Practice, practice, practice. Kurt
  12. kurtvd19
    An update on speakers. Michel Mantin, former Editor of Neptunia, and NRG member from France, will speak on a WWII Japanese Battleship project he is working on. Kurt
  13. kurtvd19
    I have never used parafilm but it is pretty similar to friskit that I have used - which doesn't bleed - but if possible treat it like tape and take all the precautions, being sure it is down tight, edge sprayed with base color, etc. Another tip - always pull tape off by pulling it back over itself - never straight up, a sure way to lift the underlying paint. Kurt
  14. kurtvd19
    When trying to make sure that paint does not seep under the edge of the tape a good start is the Tamiya tape or 3M Fine Line tape used in auto body painting and by many custom painters of motorcycles and helmets. It is important to burnish the edge of the tape down onto the surface. The 3M tape and the Tamiya will change the color of the tape slightly due to the close contact with the underlying surface when the burnishing is adequate. A further method of avoiding paint seeping under the tape is to hit the edge of the tape with a light spray of the underlying color (the paint onto which the new color would seep) at the edge of the tape. This assures that if any paint were to seep under the edge that it is the same paint color and is not seen. Another tip is to avoid spraying with the new color directly at the edge of the masking tape. This can force paint under the tape if there is the slightest imperfection in the burnishing of the tape and it will also help to avoid a built up ridge of paint at the edge of the tape. Tamiya and Frog tape are not the same thing - Frog tape is much thicker. I had high hopes for it but I do not use it in my shop anymore after my testing showed it is very good for household painting but not models. I pass these tips along to all the workshops I do on airbrushing, they will help your painting. Kurt
  15. kurtvd19
    Ken: Thanks for showing this technique. Makes locating the ring foolproof and it's orientation can be very precise. I have filed this in my head for use in similar situations. I can think of several times when this technique would have saved me a lot of work remaking parts. When it comes to working with brass you are THE MAN! Guys, if you don't have Ken's book on modeling with brass your library isn't complete. Model Building with Brass, published by Schiffer - worth every penny it costs. I reviewed this book in the Spring 2014 Nautical Research Journal (59.1) with high praise. Thanks, Kurt
  16. kurtvd19
    Very interesting and a great fix. Fixing problem areas can be a real challenge sometimes. You nailed it. Kurt
  17. kurtvd19
    Welcome to MSW Sam. Let us know if you decide to post photos of the model in the completed build area. Kurt
  18. kurtvd19
    Ken: Really nice with great detail. I will certainly use the glue drop method for bolt head detail sometime. Kurt
  19. kurtvd19
    Jack: MSW members are Associate NRG Members. You will need to show MSW in the NRG Member # space on the form. In order to verify that you are in fact a MSW member and thus an Associate NRG Member we will need to know your MSW ID - yours being Jack12477. Yours will fit in the space completely but others may need to add it in the margin if mailing the form. If calling the office, just tell Mary your MSW ID. Hope to see you and a lot of the MSW members in Mystic. Kurt
  20. kurtvd19
    No, it is the kit with a lot of added details. The modeler was entered in the Novice class - by virtue of his award his future entries will be in the Intermediate class.. A gold medal automatically moves the modeler up one class minimum. Kurt
  21. kurtvd19
    Cathead: Do you have any documentation on the possible paint color of the boat? Is it included in the book? Kurt
  22. kurtvd19
    I have attached another photo of Sam Parent's Philadelphia for you guys to drool over. The details he has added are plentiful and truly make this a remarkable model. Sam is new to the NRG, I signed him up at the contest, and I am going to ask him to join in here. I gave a spiel at the modeler's symposium there about MSW and the NRG and I think we probably already have some new lurkers at MSW from there. Maybe he will share more photos with us. Photo by Sam Parent. Kurt
  23. kurtvd19
    We had two great models of the Philadelphia entered at the Manitowoc contest last week. Both took Gold medals and one took the Best of Show award! Before anybody makes their fireplace cook stove read my article - Part 7 - the concluding article on this model, about how I made bricks for the fireplace and how the Best of Show model maker did his. I would do it his way if I were to do it again, but don't use the wooden bricks from the kit - make real bricks. I have attached 2 photos of the fireplace. The first one is mine. I worked at making it look like it wasn't done by a bricklayer, figuring that the builders of the Philadelphia didn't include brick layers. The other is made by Sam Parent from Winona, MN who won the best of show award. He also made a lot of cooking gear as well as a lot of the stuff needed to load and fire the guns. Excellent work. Sam's is more closely that of a brick mason's work. Photo of Sam's fireplace is by him. We both made representations of fires in the fireplaces. Kurt
  24. kurtvd19
    Great job Ken. Brass stack is real nice - your comfort zone for sure. Kurt
  25. kurtvd19
    Ken: Nice job. Go with the stern side for the doorway. It was usually closed off with three or more horizontal planks that slide down in tracks on both sides to make a covering and when the sliding hatch is pulled aft the structure is sealed up against the weather. The doorway is aft for keeping out the water that would hit it from heavy weather over the bow - heavy seas over the stern happens but not as much as over the bow. Photo is of a smaller craft but the hatch and doorway is done the same. This one uses 3 crosswise planks to seal off the doorway. You can see the tracks. That's not me inside but the owner - the WI Maritime Museum hired me to build a model of this neat little boat in 1/12 scale. Have been out in it in Green Bay under the original Egyptian cotton sails - built in 1935 in Manitowoc, WI by Burger. They only bring out the original sails for boat shows, etc. Kurt

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