Chuck

Really nice progress. The model looks great.

Nice start! You go slow and steady....but remember to have fun. The biggest issue will be resisting the urge to speed along....just keep it slow and steady.

Sawdust at last!!! Wonderful news and I will happily follow along.

Nicely done Ryland. You are in the home stretch!!!

Nice work....I missed this topic. Your rope looks great. Keep up the good work. Once you get the hang of using the Syren Rope Rocket it becomes second nature. Remember to make a recipe card as the results will be same each time you use it. Chuck

Only those for the butt joints. The others you can but dont drill all the way through the frames behind them.

I tried not to go through the frames too much. Certainly not all the way through. For the butt joints I squeezed them in the best i could. There are some that say the but joints would fall between frames and a backer block inserted between the frames to allow for nailing. Rather than show this, I just squeezed the nailing in best i could making them as shallow as I could just in case I mussed a frame.

Beautiful work. Its really coming together.

Its impossible to say other than you need to pre bend it more. Just keep at it and one will finally make the cut.

That looks really excellent. Its really shaping up. 😀

The one obvious solution to this common problem is one that is rarely mentioned these days. I feel compelled to mention that it works quite well. I realize it may not be possible in some areas of the country but it does work well. I am of course talking about local clubs. Years ago this was how most folks got their wood stock or their rope, or books and research.... but local clubs started shrinking in the 2000's. The internet played a huge role in this and its a shame. My local NJ club has many members that have some or even all the tools needed to mill wood. Its was not uncommon (pre-pandemic) for our guys to get together and help each other out in this regard. This includes pooling $$$ and resources to buy a Club ropewalk, or buy a large quantity of boxwood reducing costs, or pear etc. Then we get together for a fun day to reduce the labor and time to make some sawdust and deliver the needed materials etc. Folks in my club drop by all the time to make their own rope or use my saws and machines. I know it can be hard for individuals to join a club locally and I have about 100 customers right here in NJ who despite being prompted/encouraged to join our New Jersey club, just havent done so. I am unsure why. Many might be scared or nervous becaus e they might be new and fear if they are not master builders they cant join. Nonsense!!! Everyone is welcome and we have so much to offer. I would recommend that you sit in on a zoom meeting and join us. Pre-pandemic.... I have had guys from my club over all the time to use my machines and resources.....and other club members do the same depending on where you are in the state. In fact we always met in my shop once a month just together outside of our regularly scheduled meeting at the public Library. I would recommend and urge all of you to join a local club or even try to start one if none exists in your area. Use Model Ship World as a good starting point. Try to start one in your geographic area or find out if one already exists. James you live less than 20 minutes from me. If we werent in this pandemic I would invite you to our club meetings and over to my shop. I cant possibly cut and sell wood for the masses through Syren for all the reasons already mentioned. But for our local close knit group we do it all the time. If I cant do it there are at least a dozen New Jersey club members that would have. I would have shipped them the billets and they would have cut the planking strips for you no questions asked. Its what makes a local club so wonderful invaluable to be a part of. You should consider it....Contact Bill our current President with any questions. We would love to have you. http://www.shipmodelsocietyofnewjersey.org/ Our club routinely shares tools, materials, books and plans......and most important our time and love for the hobby. If it wasnt for this pandemic, I would have invited you over and got you in front of my Byrnes saw and you would have been milling your own strips in about 20 minutes. Thats the value of joining a local club and at least a dozen of the guys would have offered the same. I have two Byrnes saws and many club members have even more. Once you learn how.....borrowing a saw or other tools is a wonderful resource. I recently shipped my mini-lathe to a club member who used it and then returned it promptly when he was done using it. For those of you in an area that doesnt already have a club....you dont need 50 people or even 20 people to form a club. If you can find 4 or 5 guys close enough, you have the start of what could be a great group. Chuck

Kids are al busy....taking MCATs or exams or working. Its just one of those things....we have all been there. Cant wait till its all done though.

No not really. Too much going on out of the shop lately. My son is buying a house up in the woods and we are doing lots of work on ours as well. So I am trying to beat the weather getting too cold. Its all outside work. Gonna be a few weeks before I can even consider making saw dust. The shop has almost come to a halt. My old 100 year old house needs the front porch knocked down and rebuilt before the winter rolls in. Its an old wrap around open porch that is ready to fall down. Gonna take a while. Got an old detached garage now condemned which is also coming down. Some of the guys here have seen it. Im getting too old for this stuff.

Nicely done indeed!!! 😀 Your photos show how nice the cedar looks with the poly on it. A very nice color and a crisp and clean hull. chuck

Excellent!!😀

That is looking good.

Thats the way to go. Just add a few drops of CA to the breaks and let it dry thoroughly. It will hold just fine. Reinforce the top edge only. I would even go as far to say that you wont need to reinforce it. But if you do, place a scrap piece on the top edge only. When I say the top edge I mean on the top edge of the sheer. Not on the sides of the break. It will hold fine until you plank it. If you want to reinforce the middle break just add some tape on the one side. The whole length of the frame. Even where the laser cut seam is between the frame and the center which you will remove later. Once planked you can remove the tape before you start breaking away the fame centers. just remember to be gentle and not use sandpaper that is too course when fairing.

More bending the other way....you need to bend it edgewise but also the more typical way at the bow which you see everyone doing. I use a hair dryer for that if its needed. Also not a twist if that is needed also. Its very complex and you should experiment.

Yes ....it looks like you need more fairing close up to the rabbet and stem. More is certainly needed but you also need to pre-bend those strips properly. It sounds like you arent using heat to bend these strips enough before they are inserted into the stem. Its probably a combination of both those things.

One thing I meant to reply to as well. And dont take this personally. But your are not submitting a REQUEST as if this site is some sort of paid hotline or workshop. That is also a mindset that should never be taken. Again, this is an unpaid community of like minded model builders. They are not a customer service department. If some are treating MSW like a personal customer service hotline that wont help to make any friends. Engaging and developing friendships is the way to go. Only creating “requests” for yourself or thinking about them as requests is also part of the issue. I am speaking from experience here as a person who loves to help but with the dozens of “requests” from folks it sometimes feels a bit one sided. Especially when at times, and more often than you might expect, you dont even get a thank you in return. You never hear back from some of these guys. Thats why its easier to spread a little love with your requests. Not speaking about you at all but just making a personal observation based on actual experience here. I am just letting other members know in order to help them if they are indeed in the same situation. Try to engage and give a little as well to the folks you are making requests with. It makes it easier for some to not feel like the “volunteer ship model request hotline”. Once again I would ask yourself (and all members reading this). Those 210 build logs you mentioned....how many of them did you post words of encouragement in? How many of them did you hit the like button for? I encourage you and all others to do the best you can to engage and answer in these 210 logs regardless of your level of expertise. Rather than just hope others will do so in your own logs. Just think about that for a second. Mean no offense by this but you guys know how important this topic is to me. The “2 build log challenge”. And if you dont know what the "2 build log" challenge is then you probably havent ventured outside of your own build log bubble that much. For the best experience in any community....mingle a little bit. Its so much harder to be asked to dance when you are a wallflower.

Very true, but you also post words of encouragement and just friendly comments about other folks progress as well. That is the key!!! And the point I was trying to emphasize. The easiest way to get feedback and engagement is to get out of the “bubble” of your own build logs and topics. Show an interest in others and others will show an interest in you. Its pretty simple really. I can not emphasize it enough.🥰 My mamma always said....show a little love and you will get a little love. Show a lotta love and....

That is a tough call. If you dont get a response in your build log you may want to reach out to some folks by PM and and ask them. This is something we have been trying to improve but you must understand that with so many build logs. Best to just ask one question at a time and not write really long posts. Posing short questions are more likely to get a response For me I know its tough to read every build log. Probably the most important thing is to mingle and also read, post and participate in the logs of others beyond just your own. Folks are more likely to take an interest in you and reach out if you do the same. A quick look at your history reveals that you only post in your own topics and never in those for others. This is a huge part of the issue. I am sure it would be easier to get a response if you pose the question or have participated in the logs of others. Especially those that are building the same kit or similar. This is is best way to create a mentoring cross exchange of ideas. its not a one way street on any forum where one should expect members to flock to them without ever having taken the time to do the same on other members projects and topics. As if it was a paid class or workshop. This is just a community of mode builders where folks are having fun and making friends. No paid teachers here. I hope this helps....If a member wont reach out to others they can hardly expect to get any traction and there is nothing any staff member can do to fix that! So please try to participate in the logs and topics that are not your own as well. Even if its to just say that others are doing a good job. Probably the best advice I can give you. That effort will pay off in multiples. These are just a few things I can suggest to you. Ask yourself when was the last time you posted and took an interest in other projects outside of your own. Just to say good work or ask how they are doing? We dont have paid mentors and those folks are very busy. They have a many opportunities to help others but are most likely choosing to spend their time in logs where those folks also have shown an interest in their work. Chuck

Really making great progress Rusty. That is looking fine!!!

I am just finishing up a new batch of these kits as I write this. You did a fantastic job with it. This model kit is a as close to the contemporary versions you will ever see. And those pictures really show how well you executed. Well done....and straight out of the box. You didnt have to bash or replace any items. That is a testament to your skills.

Those 3d printed parts look fantastic. You should seriously consider trying to paint them. Since the sleds are just red with iron straps and metal work, it should be pretty straight forward. A serious improvement to those crappy guns supplied. Iam glad that they are available. Chuck