kurtvd19

You did an excellent job on your display case.  The simplicity of the design of the case enhances the beauty and elegance of your Sharpie.

Eric:
Silk span painted to represent canvas is the way I would go.
Kurt

The Sharpie has its new home.  The display case was my second adventure with acrylic after making some additional shelves for one of my display cases, and the first time I tried gluing it.   I'm very happy with how the display case came out.   It is 1/4" acrylic with a peruvian walnut base.  I still have some fogging to rub out from where I sanded and polished the joints, but they are on the side and not that visible.  I got to use the acrylic table saw blade and router table I got for Christmas - it was a fun project.

Eric:
Silk span painted to represent canvas is the way I would go.
Kurt

Possibly Eric.  I do know that I have observed drain valves in steam piping systems to rid the lines of water where the Engineer could reach over, crack the valve and blow out any water. 

Eric:
The walled off areas alongside the stairs was for coal storage.  I have seen photographs of coal in burlap bags being carried onto boats.  Sometimes on backs or shoulders and also in wheelbarrows.  If building the Chaperon today, and not for a magazine deadline, I would absolutely insulate to top area of the boilers.  Most photos I have of steam engines and their steam pipes don't show insulation on the pipes or the engines.  Back then the fuel was cheap and conserving fuel or steam wasn't much of a concern.
Kurt

Eric:
Silk span painted to represent canvas is the way I would go.
Kurt

I think you will be happy with the TAIG.  I had one for several years and learned to do a few things with it - I was happy.  A long bed Sherline became available for a very good price so I got it.  Soon learned that I didn't need the long bed unit.  A club member who had just purchased a short bed Sherline was telling everybody how unhappy he was that he spent all that money for the short bed Sherline.  I  overheard him and offered to swap him my long bed unit for his short bed unit and he was at my shop the next day.
So there I was with a Taig and a short bed Sherline.  I soon found myself using the Sherline exclusively and sold it to a fellow club member for a good price for both of us.  Sure enough I found myself missing the Taig as it was a lot easier to use in many cases.  The guy who bought it was in love with it so I stopped considering getting another Taig and learned to love the Sherline. 
I am sure you will enjoy using the Taig it will probably always be able to do more than you need or know how to do.

I think you will be happy with the TAIG.  I had one for several years and learned to do a few things with it - I was happy.  A long bed Sherline became available for a very good price so I got it.  Soon learned that I didn't need the long bed unit.  A club member who had just purchased a short bed Sherline was telling everybody how unhappy he was that he spent all that money for the short bed Sherline.  I  overheard him and offered to swap him my long bed unit for his short bed unit and he was at my shop the next day.
So there I was with a Taig and a short bed Sherline.  I soon found myself using the Sherline exclusively and sold it to a fellow club member for a good price for both of us.  Sure enough I found myself missing the Taig as it was a lot easier to use in many cases.  The guy who bought it was in love with it so I stopped considering getting another Taig and learned to love the Sherline. 
I am sure you will enjoy using the Taig it will probably always be able to do more than you need or know how to do.

Alan:
Great article.  Opened my eyes that there are hazards other than just the inhalation of dust with many woods.  I am saving this article so I can make it available to club members.
Thanks,
Kurt
 

Eric:
Silk span painted to represent canvas is the way I would go.
Kurt

Eric:
Silk span painted to represent canvas is the way I would go.
Kurt

Eric:
Silk span painted to represent canvas is the way I would go.
Kurt

Eric:
Silk span painted to represent canvas is the way I would go.
Kurt

Step by Step...
 

1. Laser cut cedar brickwork.   Lightly sand the char.  But not so much that you remove the etched mortar lines.   Just a little.  Especially on the edges of the pieces.   Many have bricks etched on both sides.
apply wipe on poly when finished...this is important to seal the wood a bit.
 

2. Yes its bright!!   But this is just the initial steps.  I used a red promarker, you can see which color to add the base coat of red to all faces of the brickwork.  Also note the two pieces that make up the sides have been glued together.  Make sure you have the holes and pieces facing the correct direction.
 

3.  Glue the sides to the back wall.  Keep nice right angles.   Also add the front piece.   This is left a bit long and you will have to trim it to fit.  DO NOT glue to the base.  This will be done much later in the project.   Much, much later.
 

4.  Using weathering powder add some red/brown colors and dark browns to suit.   It depends on how weathered you want to go with the fire hearth.  You will see this at the end.   Spray all the pieces lightly with some matte spray fixative when you are done.
 

5.  This is where the magic happens.   You could use white weathering powder but that would also pigment the bricks.  You dont really want that.   So instead use regular white flour.   Brush it on and push it into the mortar lines which are made pretty deep for you.   Dont go for a perfect even coverage here.  Experiment a little.  Push it in the cracks with your finger....pack it in there.  Then brush it off the brick faces with a light touch.  Experiment for the look you really want...use some additional weathering powders if you want to add soot and ash.   Make it a used hearth or a relatively new one!!!  Also note the frame on the base was painted black.  Dont spray with fixative.  The normal humidity in the air will fix the flour in position on its own.  It may take a day or so depending on the weather.  
 



6.  1/32" brass wire/rod (not included) were blackened and added as shown above.
 

 
7.  The hood...laser cut from 1/64" thick boxwood.   Glue the shorter back piece on the base first.  It should be a at a perfect right angle vertically and centered.

8.  Add the two sides.  You will need to bevel the bottom to sit flush on the base.
 

9.  Add the front piece...which is taller than the back piece.  Note how the front hangs over the the front of the base just a bit.  That is done on purpose.  It is correct.

10.  Finally add the top and front pieces.   apply filler to all the cracks and sand smooth for painting.   Also build the stack the same way and prepare for painting.
 

11. Hinges are laser board.   Construct them in the sequence shown above...left to right.   First add the bottom half of all the hinges.  Then the hinge pins are glued along the top edge.  Use 24 gauge black wire for that.  To finish that up,  set the top half of the hinges above the wire.  An eyebolt is also added in the center.  You can see that in the photos below of the finished fire hearth.  There are two of them shown...
 
A beat up used and weathered fire hearth....and a shiny almost new hearth.   Have fun with it and weather to your preferred tastes.  LOL
 



NOTE....the hearth is NOT glued to the base yet.  And the stack is NOT glued to the hood yet.  It is best to keep them separate for now. 
 
 
 

Ship modelers and comedians!!!  LOL

No mistake....just a personal preference.   Once the deck is framed and planked overhead, it will hardly be seen.  Just a glimpse of it.  And it will be a nice surprise of a glimpse....
Yes...one can make it shiny new if they want to.   
 
I instead will pretend that my model portrays the ship only one month after launch, LOL.   If you use the hearth just a few times it will get full of soot and ash....while the other parts of the ship still look like new.  
 
Chuck

Finishing up the platforms with the ringbolts for the scuttle lids.  I also made a quick mock-up today of the fire hearth.  Unlike the Seawatch books I am deviating from the traditional stove.   I have built a lot of traditional iron stoves in my time.   Based on the original drafts and on the draft for the similar sloop Fly I am going with a brick fire hearth.   The contemporary draft is shown in the photos below.  You can clearly see the bricked up hearth.  I think it is a much more interesting fixture and its something I have never modelled before.  You guys can go either way...its up to you.  But I will only be making a mini kit for the fire hearth for the model.  This was actually very typical for sloops of this time period and I found a great deal of source info for these.
 
All of the brickwork is lasercut cedar.  The hood parts are thin boxwood sheet with laserboard hinges.   I will of course have to make another because I didnt take step by step photos.   I used a really easy and neat technique to weather those bricks.  I will detail that when the time comes.
 
The fire hearth isnt permanently added yet.   I will however glue the base onto the platform at this time.
 

Alan:
Great article.  Opened my eyes that there are hazards other than just the inhalation of dust with many woods.  I am saving this article so I can make it available to club members.
Thanks,
Kurt
 

Slitting blades were what was supplied for the old PREAC Saw and it is limited to 3 inch (max) saw blades.  Slitting blades have no offset to the teeth so it's easy to pick your blade thickness to match the width of a slot (or stacking to get a specific width). 
I got away from slitting blades except in rare cases as I have found some carbide blades that work great for my work - and they don't get hot and bind up.
Kurt

Alan:
Great article.  Opened my eyes that there are hazards other than just the inhalation of dust with many woods.  I am saving this article so I can make it available to club members.
Thanks,
Kurt
 

Alan:
Great article.  Opened my eyes that there are hazards other than just the inhalation of dust with many woods.  I am saving this article so I can make it available to club members.
Thanks,
Kurt
 

Alan:
Great article.  Opened my eyes that there are hazards other than just the inhalation of dust with many woods.  I am saving this article so I can make it available to club members.
Thanks,
Kurt
 

Alan:
Great article.  Opened my eyes that there are hazards other than just the inhalation of dust with many woods.  I am saving this article so I can make it available to club members.
Thanks,
Kurt
 

Alan:
Great article.  Opened my eyes that there are hazards other than just the inhalation of dust with many woods.  I am saving this article so I can make it available to club members.
Thanks,
Kurt