xken

Dave, try tinning the thicker copper ring first with a thin coating of solder plummer's 50/50. Then solder the elbow parts with Staybrite solder and leave excess solder in place then with soft binding wire hold the ring to the elbow and heat the edge of the ring the copper will carry the heat faster to the thinner brass and flow the joint. The 50/50 has a lower temp than the Staybrite.  Looking at the size of the parts you should be able to do this with a small 40 watt iron. Or if using a torch set the flame as small as possible. Make sure the iron is hot and use the correct flux. 
Another option is to us a wood plug through the ring to index the brass elbow while soldering; you will love the smell of burning wood in the morning. 
 
Solder Putty as mentioned above is available at  www.OttoFrei.com , but you should be able to do this no problem. Update: I just checked their site and they no longer sell the Solder Putty.

Thanks guys! xken, luckily the plans are for reference as far as I can see so the size issue isn't stopping the build. I only find it odd because I have built dozens of RC planes over the years and never ran into plans that weren't to the scale of the model. Anyway the show goes on!
 
After the last plank went down I removed the keel and sanded the hull to close to where it needed to be. Once satisfied I reinstalled the keel. I've been using Titebond 2 for everything aside from the planks and that's what I used to permanently attach the keeI. I did add a couple of short lengths 1/8" x 1/8" stock to register the keel at the bow, those will be removed later. 
 

With the majority of the sanding done I decided not to paint the lower hull. I wasn't 100% confident that the planking in the stern area wouldn't require some filler, since it didn't I moved forward with tree nails on the entire hull. It was actually seeing all the models on this forum with tree nails that got me reinterested in building some boats. 
 

Prior to starting the tree nails I final sanded the hull down to 400 grit. Again copying Chuck Passaro I used black monofilament for nails. I bought 10 and 20 pound test, the 20 pound test is .4mm diameter and chose to go with this. I've never seen black monofilament, this stuff may be of dubious quality because it ran from black to a translucent smoke. I threw a lot of it out as I went, if it was translucent in went into the bin. I started out holding the hull up to the light and using chart tape to demark the left and right side of the bulkheads. When I started drilling I realized that with over 1,000 holes to drill it would be a miracle if I didn't miss a bulkhead and spoilt the planks on the interior with a hole. 
 

 
When I started on the port side, I chose to mark where the bulkhead was using a pencil on each plank. Then I ran the chart tape over the pencil lines erring on the side of caution. This worked out pretty well and I'm happy to say I didn't "hole" a single plank. 
 


Initially I was trying to slice the monofilament off flush with a brand new straight edge razor but this was tedious and didn't work that well for me. I switched over to sprue cutters and they worked great, I could lop those whiskers off on a whole run in the time it took to slice through 2 or 3 with a razor and it required less sanding to get them flush. I used medium CA dispensed on a plastic bag to glue the mono. Just a dip in the CA and insert. I also found flat jaw needle nose indispensable for inserting the mono in the tiny holes, tweezers of all makes and models were tried to no avail. It took a total of about 6 work hours to get all the nails in, working 15-30 minutes at a time. What a weird way to spend free time!!

With the treenails installed I final sanded the hull, again down to 400 grit. Then I went on to remove the center section of the bulkheads and my temporary brace at the bow for the keel. Although not seen in this photo I also sanded the glue residue off the interior side of the transom, where my strong back bracing had been attached.
 

 
Next I brushed on a coat of wipe on poly to the exterior. I planked a 6"x6" x 1/4" thick basswood to experiment with various stains and finishes. I settled on just brushing on a coat of clear satin wipe on poly. Sometimes the simplest solution really is the best! Basswood isn't the prettiest wood on the planet but the wipe on poly improved the appearance. 
 

Dave, try tinning the thicker copper ring first with a thin coating of solder plummer's 50/50. Then solder the elbow parts with Staybrite solder and leave excess solder in place then with soft binding wire hold the ring to the elbow and heat the edge of the ring the copper will carry the heat faster to the thinner brass and flow the joint. The 50/50 has a lower temp than the Staybrite.  Looking at the size of the parts you should be able to do this with a small 40 watt iron. Or if using a torch set the flame as small as possible. Make sure the iron is hot and use the correct flux. 
Another option is to us a wood plug through the ring to index the brass elbow while soldering; you will love the smell of burning wood in the morning. 
 
Solder Putty as mentioned above is available at  www.OttoFrei.com , but you should be able to do this no problem. Update: I just checked their site and they no longer sell the Solder Putty.

Dave, Great job! Now your mornings are free to exercise! 

Dave, try tinning the thicker copper ring first with a thin coating of solder plummer's 50/50. Then solder the elbow parts with Staybrite solder and leave excess solder in place then with soft binding wire hold the ring to the elbow and heat the edge of the ring the copper will carry the heat faster to the thinner brass and flow the joint. The 50/50 has a lower temp than the Staybrite.  Looking at the size of the parts you should be able to do this with a small 40 watt iron. Or if using a torch set the flame as small as possible. Make sure the iron is hot and use the correct flux. 
Another option is to us a wood plug through the ring to index the brass elbow while soldering; you will love the smell of burning wood in the morning. 
 
Solder Putty as mentioned above is available at  www.OttoFrei.com , but you should be able to do this no problem. Update: I just checked their site and they no longer sell the Solder Putty.

Dave, try tinning the thicker copper ring first with a thin coating of solder plummer's 50/50. Then solder the elbow parts with Staybrite solder and leave excess solder in place then with soft binding wire hold the ring to the elbow and heat the edge of the ring the copper will carry the heat faster to the thinner brass and flow the joint. The 50/50 has a lower temp than the Staybrite.  Looking at the size of the parts you should be able to do this with a small 40 watt iron. Or if using a torch set the flame as small as possible. Make sure the iron is hot and use the correct flux. 
Another option is to us a wood plug through the ring to index the brass elbow while soldering; you will love the smell of burning wood in the morning. 
 
Solder Putty as mentioned above is available at  www.OttoFrei.com , but you should be able to do this no problem. Update: I just checked their site and they no longer sell the Solder Putty.

The instructions say that the 4th plank (from the keel) is the "hardest" to form and I dreaded how many attempts I would make. Turns out I learned enough from the first 3 that it wasn't so hard to form. I then started planking down from the top. I think I spiled all of the forward half of this boat's planks, I just can't get the wood to edge bend the way it needs to for this model. I ended up spiling about half of the aft half of the planks as well. For me, it's the path of least resistance. This spiled plank I hope demonstrates how much of an edge bend a straight plank would need, and then it needs to bend in a plane 45 degrees off axis from the edge.
 

 
I borrowed Chuck Passaro's technique to spile planks using tape. For this model frosted scotch tape was laid on the mating plank as flat as possible in short pieces. Some planks required many short pieces of tape to ensure they laid flat while others could use longer pieces. The goal is for the tape to lay perfectly flat on the mating plank. Halfway through the build I realized I could put a few witness marks on the installed plank, and transpose those to the tape. This really helped when shaping the ends of the plank at the bow. I then ran a pencil on the edge of the mating plank. 
 

 
The tape was carefully pulled off the model and laid on sheet wood. My technique was to fix the end of the tape and then lower the tape so that it laid flat. I would then press the tape down being careful not to smudge the pencil line. 
 

 
With the top edge of the plank cut I used a simple compass I made from scrap wood so that I could draw a line 1/4" parallel with the cut edge. As you can see I waste a lot of wood, but 2 sheets is enough to plank this entire boat and they sell for $3.59 a sheet so for a few bucks I'm all for making my past time pleasant. Maybe I should build a miniature wood burning stove, I have enough scrap wood to heat a 1/24 scale house in Alaska all winter long!
 

 
Finally this photo shows the spiled plank laying on the model with no glue. The slight bend needed at the stern requires minimal pressure to get it to lay flat on the bulkhead. 
 

Dave, I mentioned the Jacob's ladders and monkey ropes at the top of the masts and I am working on a project where I just finished doing them. I just thought I might share with you how I went about doing them using Model Expo's Ratliner. The picture are self explanatory, but if you have a specific question please ask. 
First I made a fixture to cut the rungs to length and drill holes, fairly simple like me.

 

 

 

 

 
Notice just for you I left the Clove hitches off as an alternative. Hope this helps with your build.

Michael, another source for thin leather is modelmotorcars.com Marvin has a selection of leathers used for upholstery for Pocher car kits.

Michael, another source for thin leather is modelmotorcars.com Marvin has a selection of leathers used for upholstery for Pocher car kits.

Michael, another source for thin leather is modelmotorcars.com Marvin has a selection of leathers used for upholstery for Pocher car kits.

Michael, another source for thin leather is modelmotorcars.com Marvin has a selection of leathers used for upholstery for Pocher car kits.

Bob, another option to consider is if you have a local Maritime Museum consider a permanent loan or even donation. The reason I say that is because our local Museum here in Morro Bay, CA is looking for me to build them a ship which may be a sister to yours the South American that also worked the San Francisco trade route. Where are you located?

Bob, another option to consider is if you have a local Maritime Museum consider a permanent loan or even donation. The reason I say that is because our local Museum here in Morro Bay, CA is looking for me to build them a ship which may be a sister to yours the South American that also worked the San Francisco trade route. Where are you located?

Chris, hold one end of wire in vise and the other in jaw of pliers bent 90 degrees and give a slow pull and “feel” for the slight give and should be straight. It has just been work hardened. This can also be b
done for brass strip as well.
Hope this helps. Ken

Chris, hold one end of wire in vise and the other in jaw of pliers bent 90 degrees and give a slow pull and “feel” for the slight give and should be straight. It has just been work hardened. This can also be b
done for brass strip as well.
Hope this helps. Ken

Chris, hold one end of wire in vise and the other in jaw of pliers bent 90 degrees and give a slow pull and “feel” for the slight give and should be straight. It has just been work hardened. This can also be b
done for brass strip as well.
Hope this helps. Ken

Chris, hold one end of wire in vise and the other in jaw of pliers bent 90 degrees and give a slow pull and “feel” for the slight give and should be straight. It has just been work hardened. This can also be b
done for brass strip as well.
Hope this helps. Ken

For Remembrance Day
HMS Britomart and Convoy Rescue Ship Copeland pick up survivors.
 

Last year I was approached by Katya, a Teacher in a School in Murmansk. She asked if I could help her with some of my paintings of Russian Convoys, for a project she was doing with her pupils for the School Museum. She contacted me through the Dervish75 events which Greta and I Attended. Anyway, today I received a letter with a Christmas Card from her, along with the end result of the project. A small folder with photos of my paintings. It is to be used to promote the School's Museum.
A small thing but a little sign of friendship by the ordinary people of both Countries. Only the angry sensational stuff reaches the media, while us ordinary folk get on with life.
Jim

Thanks mark. Here’s one I did yesterday
Swordfish dropping a practice torpedo, aimed at the Paddle Minesweeper HMS Glen Avon. Off the coast of Fife near Crail. Glen Avon and Usk, both ex excursion steamers were taken up by the RN. Based for a while at Granton, they were often used as 'target ship' for aircraft from the torpedo school at HMS Jackdaw, RNAS Crail.
W/C 16” X 11” 
 

Tornado GR4 of 617 Sqd at Craig a Barns near Dunkeld
Watercolour 16” X 12”

Dave, I mentioned the Jacob's ladders and monkey ropes at the top of the masts and I am working on a project where I just finished doing them. I just thought I might share with you how I went about doing them using Model Expo's Ratliner. The picture are self explanatory, but if you have a specific question please ask. 
First I made a fixture to cut the rungs to length and drill holes, fairly simple like me.

 

 

 

 

 
Notice just for you I left the Clove hitches off as an alternative. Hope this helps with your build.