kurtvd19

Steve: The lack of a rabbet is probably due to the fact that the boats were built by carpenters who were lured to the project by some high wages and supervised by only a couple of shipwrights rather than being built by experienced ship builders. Also, the boats were not built for long term use. An interesting somewhat related point: When touring the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath a few years ago during the NRG Conference we were in the original workshops and noted that the buildings had certainly been built by the shipwrights rather than carpenters as they used knees at the top of the walls to support the roof construction. Carpenters would not have used knees. Kurt

Clare: When you see Gus Agustin at the NRG Conference ask to see his carry case for his small models that he brings along as carry-on. Makes them from cardboard with a carry strap and drop down front so they can be seen by the TSA dudes. Anybody who wishes to add their MSW identity onto their name badge can certainly do so - I will have markers for that purpose. Kurt

Clare: Anybody checking in mention you are a MSW member and we will mark your name badge with MSW and we can recognize each other by the MSW. There are no formal events for any evening except Saturday. We traditionally get together in the bar after the Friday events to make arrangements for who to go with and where to go for dinner. We can make a sign for the registration table area that the MSW members who desire can meet there or Thursday evening to have a drink or more. Let us know at check in you are MSW too and we can see about an informal get together. Next year we can make a set time and place. Kurt

The Byrnes saw is by far the best and I would urge anybody in the market to save up for one. Don't settle for the others as you will always be wanting the Byrnes saw and you will be forever wishing you had not wasted the money on the other saw. However, I wouldn't part with my Preac saw either. Both the Byrnes and Preac sit on my saw station all the time and I use them bot - a lot. The Preac saw can be made to work better than the day it was new by sharpening the blades with an alternating bevel to the face of the teeth. There is no set to the teeth of the slitting blades used on the Preac and simply putting a bevel onto the face of the teeth will greatly improve the ability of the saw to cut wood. Also, depending on the blade, removing every other tooth on the blade and then sharpening the faces of the teeth, alternating the bevel on each tooth will make a blade that cuts wood like you increased the HP of the saw by a factor of 3. Lloyd Warner of Warner Woods West showed this technique at a NRG Modeler's Seminar and I know several guys who swore at their Preac saws just love them with the altered blades. Of course, nothing will help the 1/4" limit of the thickness the Preac can cut, but with the altered blade one can cut through 1/4" boxwood like it turned into basswood. So, can you live w/o a Byrnes saw? Yes, but you will wind up wishing you had one. And, heaven on Earth is having both a Byrnes saw and a Preac saw on your bench. Kurt

Frank: I like your holding fixture for the miter box and I am going to copy it for my shop. Thanks for the great tip. John Vojtech of UMM is going to be a vendor at the upcoming NRG Conference in St. Louis (October 16-18) and he's told me he has some new tools not yet in his web site catalog that he's bringing to the show. Kurt

Parts 29/29A are a good fix for the lack of an attachment piece for the interior ceiling adjacent to the frame. If you haven't put them in yet, use some of the carrier sheet for the laser cut parts and make another piece of each to double them up so you have a decent width for the planking to attach to. The kit pieces will work but wider is better in this case. Do the same in the stern area by frames 5 and 6 with parts 5A and 6A - double them up. In the photos attached I used a shorter backer to space the kit piece out - if I was doing it again I would have used duplicate parts for more gluing area rather than the way shown. Kurt

I would urge that the exterior planking be done first - at least the starting planking at the shear line as these plank runs are marked on the outside of the frames. Starting the interior ceiling planking you are guessing as to there to start. Once you are started on the exterior planking the interior can be started but be sure to make the inner planks level port to starboard with the exterior planking - there is a tendency for these interior planks to rise up and be higher in places that the exterior planks causing one to have t trim them level by sanding. The added filler strips to support the inner planking at the bow area that I added are shown in the photo on either side of the keel piece. I forgot about this area being visible in the finished model so I had to do some cleaning up and filling of the small voids alongside the outer planking. These pieces I added actually show in the plans and some photos of the original boat in the Smithsonian and Bratten. Kurt

Marc: If you follow the planking diagram for the exterior of the hull you will have plenty of planking from the kit. As to the interior planking there is adequate stock to do it w/o worry. As to following the same pattern for the interior as the exterior, I would say to avoid that for the same reason you don't want adjacent plank butts on the exterior for stability/strength. In this type of boat the ceiling planking reinforces the exterior planking so you would want to avoid the duplication of butt joints from the exterior to the interior. Kurt

Chuck: Have not been able to check the progress for a bit so I am late in responding. Yep, you qualify for a NRG research ninja pin I decided that doing the nails was not for me on this build - to each his own. Your model is looking great. I attached a photo of my Philadelphia as of the other day - I had decided to replicate the museum's replica boat that floats in Lake Champlain. Got some of Chuck's blocks yesterday for the project. Wish he had the right size blocks for the guns - they are coming but I couldn't wait with the magazine schedule. Kurt

The tips on using a combination of C/A and TiteBond is good though I tend to clamp rather than using the C/A on wood. When I sit at my work bench I have a small fan going at all times because of my overhead halogen lights and the heat they put out - but it is real important when using C/A and doing soldering to make sure the fumes are blown away and not inhaled. Kurt

I too have used the Westleys on resin parts with great success. I usually give new resin parts a bath in the Westleys stuff to remove all traces of mold release. The same as with styrene plastic - wash the parts thoroughly in dish washing detergent after being in the Westleys. I find it best to air dry parts to be painted to avoid lint from a towel. Kurt

The time is running out for the special room rates for the conference. The cut off date for the special room rate of $119 is 9-15-14 - after that it is full price. I just got an update from the hotel and the rooms set aside for the NRG are filling up and any open rooms will be released to general sales on the 16th. The hotel is currently sold out except for the rooms we have remaining in our block of rooms so anybody who delays might have to stay elsewhere or pay a lot more. Kurt

The Westley's stuff works on both enamel and acrylics and it comes from auto parts stores. Kurt

I use Westley's Bleche-Wite (yes that's the correct spelling) meant for cleaning car tires. It's safe for the styrene - and it's not as hazardous as oven cleaner - and can go down the drain OK. Kurt

Chuck: To add a point of discussion and/or research - were the nails square cut or round? I suspect square cut. How to show a square - rectangular head - or better how do you drill the square hole for the nail? Kurt

The Badger Modelflex Marine Acrylic's have good matches. Hull Black ((#16-412) is a flat black - pure black. Either Windjammer Red (#16-424) or Navy Red (#16-402) would be close. For a slightly grayish black Wrought Iron Black (#16-413) is good for representing blackened metal and is also a good hull color - I use it a lot for hulls of larger models. Ages of Sail (an advertiser here) carries the Badger paints. Kurt

The series is going to go to 6 parts. Just started the rigging in Part 5 - due to be submitted very soon. I sort of worked myself into the proverbial corner - the pieces that hold the gun trunnions onto the carriages are a thin soft white metal and I didn't have much confidence in them holding the guns in place with just the kit designed pin and hoop so I glued them in place with C/A. And then I realized that it is best to remove the gun barrels after installing and rigging the guns while the rest of the build goes on (and mentioned in the instructions). So I resorted to getting the guns in place with their rigging attached and then pulling the eyebolts attaching the rigging to the carriage and setting the guns aside until work that would interfere was done. I would still use the C/A but not until the barrels were put back onto the guns. I always urge modelers to read the instructions all the way through before starting to build - I did this - I just need to remember what I read! Kurt

Here is what was done to my Ryobi to solve the problem - and it is adaptable to any scroll saw. A piece of plexiglass was cut to size (effectively enlarged the table size) and a small clearance hole was made in the center for the blade. It is permanently mounted - but removable - with flat head machine screws. One might have to tap the saw's table top but as most are aluminum this isn't a big problem - or the plexiglass can be attached with double sided tape. The protective paper was left on the underside of the plexiglass to brighten up the top and provide contrast to the piece being cut. The plexiglass is a very smooth surface and cuts down on resistance to moving the subject.

Ahoy: I have told many of my fellow club members about the Book Collector program I use to keep track of my library on my desktop. They are having a sale that makes it very affordable. I have no vested interest and I will not get a cent or anything if you sign up - I just wanted to let you know that if you had ever heard and thought about this program at all now would be a good time to get it. A free download that lets you manage up to 100 books is also available and I used it to see if I liked it before buying the program several years ago. I have the Book Collector pro version but I think the std will work for many people. I am able to track the original purchase price of the book, if it's autographed, all the data on it - pages, volume, etc. I purchased this originally when Mary threatened me with haunting me forever if I died w/o leaving her a list of the books and their worth if she needed to dispose of the collection. It has saved me from purchasing additional copies of books I already had...something I know many of us have done. Just wanted to let you know about the bargain. The link to the web site is http://www.collectorz.com/book/ The link to the sale is https://www.collectorz.com/shop/sale.php?book50pro=1&inf_contact_key=1d5eb42f913e91f755c3a625085ea212f5cf974ea323afd529e10d36025a9ea8 My apologies if this is posted to the wrong section but it's offered for information and I have no connection except as a very pleased user. Kurt

Sal: Check the drawing below. I believe the piece you are referring to is the stock with the keep pin removed and the stock moved to the left in the photo with the stock them dropping into place alongside the shank of the anchor with the ball at the bent end of the stock keeping the stock from passing through the eye of the shank.

David: That's exactly what I use for my airbrushing. I originally got it for rigging - the up and down adjustability made it great for raising when I wanted to work on the deadeyes - with the chair lowered, or lowering the table and raising the chair when working on the tops. There are medical supply businesses that rent and sell this type of equipment for in home use and they routinely dispose of stuff all the time. When you get back home you can check this out. I will keep my eyes open for one. Kurt

I will be looking at the rigging real soon. Just starting the dead eyes today. Will let you know what I think about the lift blocks later. Kurt

Bob: The build in SiS is mine and Chuck and I have been sharing comments privately. I decided to duplicate the replica boat at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and have applied a finish to the exterior and interior as the boat at the Museum has. Chuck thought I was nuts to "weather" a boat that lasted just a few months before being sunk until I explained my reasoning. He may be right about being nuts - I do build model boats.... Kurt

The pliers I use for making eyebolts, etc. are fairly inexpensive but a very good quality tool. The tips are 0.042 in diameter at the tip. An eye/ring of almost any size from 0.042 in. dia. up to 0.188 in dia. can be made. I make a mark on the tapered barrel to mark the spot to wrap the wire when I want to make a bunch the same diameter. These are also useful for making hooks with an eye - all with the same tool - no need to swap out tools or use a drill bit for the eye and then the pliers for the rest. I got this at Hobby Lobby and it's from their Beadsmith brand. Kurt

Don: Check out airbrushing with acrylic paints. No odor, no hazard, soap and water clean up. Even over-spray isn't an issue as acrylics are dry before the "dust" can hit the floor. Even a long painting session doesn't make measurable dust and a quick sweep and it's gone, but use a spray booth of any sort with a filter on the exhaust and that's not even needed. And a spray booth can be self made w/o the worry of an explosion proof motor as required with solvent based paints. Simple furnace filter is adequate filter at the back side. Kurt