Chuck

Stunning work...glad to see you working on her again.

Swiss Pear 3D printed deadeyes are all now back in stock....enjoy!!! Hot out of the oven....so to speak...

Looks very good as it should at this stage.

NEW!!! Lightly Buffed and Ebonized Deadeyes. These are not just dyed black. These are specially dyed and buffed to a dark golden brown color much like real ebony. For those of you who like this finish on their blocks and deadeyes, Over the next two weeks you will see these made available. I am starting with Deadeyes of course.

I just found a copy on CD....So I took care of it. I believe this one is sized properly with a cut out for the stem Config.stl

I wish I could....I no longer have the plans for confederacy so I can extract the correct stem shape. If someone can scan the bow plan with the drawing of the figurehead I can absolutely size it to fit and create the stem slot.

Here is one for you... I just made it with my original drawing. Warrior_Statue.stl

I agree…100%

Yes it will…dont het a drop anywhere you dont want it. You will have to sand like crazy to remove the spot from that area. It will dye the WOP. chuck

literally a Q-tip is much better. A cloth could get messy no matter how small.

Wonderful example of how well it works. I get that they have moved to a pay format for downloads. Everybody needs to earn a living. For those that wont or dont want pay I would suggest you can try doing so anyway. Its very cheap for a month…and after you sign up they charge you each month. So you can cancel soon after finishing your downloads. It would cost you about $15. can you imagine paying a CAD guy to design those figures you have shown? You wont get that quality for $15. Chuck

That look very good Ben. She is coming along. JJ …I have dyed yellow cedar black with great results. Just do so off the model. If you have to sand and touch up its OK as long as you have no drips. That dye can be messy. So you must use extreme care.

The NRG store item is now functional. If you plan on gaining access to the files to 3D print and laser cut your parts, you can do so for the low low cost of $5 When you place your order be sure to give us your MSW username. Then I will send you an invite so you can unlock those files. Click here for the page to order. https://thenrgstore.org/collections/plans-and-projects/products/hms-triton-plan-access-msw-copy Chuck

Outstanding!!!

You can go a little smaller on the rings for 1/4" scale....maybe try a #50 bit you will know after you make your first one. Use 28 gauge wire.

For the saws and blades.

Use a #47 drill bit.... Check here for an explanation on how to make those. They are the same as the ones made for on the deck of the Speedwell. Chuck

This topic is now unlocked so any of you can comment or ask questions.

JJ has all the files and has done a first pass at laser cutting all the parts and printing the resin parts. He will start a log soon. Here you can see he has tested all his laser cut parts from the same files you can have access to. Everything seems to fit wonderfully and his capstan is coming along beautifully. He has not yet dyed his 3D printed parts black yet but this was a test fitting exrcise.

This will be an open source project. You can download stl files for 3d printing and dfx and pdf files for laser cutting. This group will have 3 sections… 1. I will create a build log of the step by step construction of the capstan. 2. I will create a build log of sorts for the laser cutting…materials and techniques. 3. Lastly a brief chat about the 3d printing…what resin I use …dyeing the pieces…i will provide pre supported stl files as well as those without supports. With these technologies becoming more common, we should have projects like this one. But if you dont have these machines...thats OK too. JJ will begin production of this kit in December 2025 so folks can buy them. If you buy a kit there is no fee to join and you can start a build log at any time. People are sending me requests to join the group. Dont do this ever. This is just a quirk of the software. This is the way it will work. Once I finish setting up the tutorial topics. I will announce it is ready for folks to join. Its just about all done. The NRG will add a store item to its online shop. You will have to go there and buy your access to the group for five bucks. We are still setting that up now. Mary will contact me with your information and I will send you an invitation. You will see your the invation and will be able to click a link to accept it and join. Basically its the same way it works for the Winchelsea group build. Thats when you will gain access to download the files. If you are not 3d printing or laser cutting your parts, its free to look at and participate in the build logs area of the group as you will be able to buy a kit and start a build log without paying $5. You only have to pay the five bucks for access to the files if you are making the parts yourself. The group area looks like this...when you enter it the default is set to the build logs tab. You will see everyones logs here. Right now there is only mine. But there are several more tabs above the build logs. See the yellow circled area. If you pay your 5 bucks you will access to these two tabs where you can download your laser cutting and 3D printting files. It is here where all of the tutorials are as well. You can also ask questions related to laser cutting and 3D printing here. If you clicked on the laser cutting tab....this is what you would currently see. Its almost completed and I will announce you can buy your access to the files shortly. JJ will have kits ready for all others in December I believe. If you have any questions about this group dont hesitate to ask. You can check out the build log and instructions for the prototype right here https://modelshipworld.com/forum/175-project-build-logs/ Chuck

Boxwood color 3D printed blocks are now back in stock. This is a much harder color and finish to pull off than the darker Swiss Pear color. I dont know any other places that offer this color and texture of blocks. I just finished this batch of 3/16" single blocks. I believe all of the boxwood block sizes are in stock now too. This particular batch came out very good. Chuck

Lovely!!!

And finally....those pastel weathering powders can be applied to good effect. On that very same test wheel with the wet on wet wash. I then applied some white and gray pastel powder to two of the spokes. I am sure you have seen those wheels on contemporary models where the spokes are made from ivory but the wheel rim and center drum are boxwood. This is an easy effect to make with weathering powders or even paint if the wheel is a decent shape and color to begin with. I have no idea why most companies who sell 3d printed parts insist on using that battleship gray color. So many more possibilities when you use a tan or wood colored resin to begin with. Can you imagine what this wheel would look like if all the spokes were treated to look like ivory. Its a little blown out in the photo because of my bright lights on the work bench. But you get the idea. This took me about 2 minutes. You just have to be careful not to get the powder everywhere else and blow it off. Dont brush it off the areas you dont want weathered. OK I guess I have to make more rope and blocks now and stop playing around and procrastinating. UGH!!! 17 items out of stock today.

And while we are discussing finishing techniques. Many of you have seen me use weathering powders for a million different things on a ship model. weathering powders are great but they are ridiculously expensive. I still use traditional weathering powder sold in small jars. But for several years now I have switched to artists powder pastels. They can be quite expensive too. But a medium quality set works just as well for our applications. I use a sanding stick as my palette or a small square of sandpaper. The pastels will last you forever and come in a much wider range of colors suitable for our ship models. Look at all the variations of browns and yellows and ochre shades. I use them everywhere including on my 3d printed parts so they can look like wood. just rub the pastel on the sanding stick. You would be surprised how much fine pigment powder this makes. Then use a dry paint brush or “stomp” to pick up the powder and apply to your part. Yes you can even dip your brush in some water to give it a more painted or different look. This also helps it settle i to the grooves and cracks much like the wet on wet acrylic technique. sorry for the long post I I hope you find this useful and might try it some day. This pastel set cost me $20 on Amazon. It comes with about 75 colors. Try and buy that many jars of weathering powder and see what it will cost you.

A wet on wet wash is just what it says. The opposite of a dry brush technique. The surface to be painted is wet down pretty good before you start with just water. I work on a third of the wheel at a time to avoid it drying out. Then take another brush....smallish with a point so you can apply some very thin and wet paint to the already wet surface. It will spread out through the already wet field and not be very opaque. Brush it around in areas you want to hilight with a darker color like in the grooves. Then before it dries still, take the original brush which is clean hopefully and while it is dryish...just damp from being wiped on a cloth, run the brush over the areas you want to erase the darker color. It will soak up the unwanted brown color and reveal the brighter resin under it. Easy Peasy....but yes you have to first try it. Then you will know. Its an alternative to weathering powders or even the gel stain. There are so many ways to achieve what you want as a finish on these items. Chuck