Chuck

Lets get even closer.....This is what I see under magnification while carving.....you are so close to the details while carving it becomes hard not to obsess about the surface texture and I hope you can see the areas I would like to smooth out a bit but I am afraid to keep slicing and carving and wonder if there is another method.  I think files would be too large and tough to use as I cant see getting any back and forth motion while its still mounted.   Its fragile so attempting it after removal would most certainly break it...but who knows...it could just be my inexperience and that is how it should be done.
 

 
Maybe I have to just get better with teh initial carving and that will just come with practice.
 
Chuck

I just finished laser cutting the Yellow cedar he dropped off yesterday.  The Alaskan Yellow Cedar is such a wonderful wood to laser cut.  The parts are for a second barge I am building which will be made entirely out of the yellow cedar.  I hope to have pictures real soon but I am really enjoying working with it.
 

 
If you are looking for a light golden/yellow wood that is easy to work with I do recommend you give the yellow cedar a try.   The top board has some Wipe on Poly on the end.    It makes teh color come out nicely. I should have the planking done this weekend so you guys could have a better look at teh stuff as part of a model. 
 
Chuck

I just finished laser cutting the Yellow cedar he dropped off yesterday.  The Alaskan Yellow Cedar is such a wonderful wood to laser cut.  The parts are for a second barge I am building which will be made entirely out of the yellow cedar.  I hope to have pictures real soon but I am really enjoying working with it.
 

 
If you are looking for a light golden/yellow wood that is easy to work with I do recommend you give the yellow cedar a try.   The top board has some Wipe on Poly on the end.    It makes teh color come out nicely. I should have the planking done this weekend so you guys could have a better look at teh stuff as part of a model. 
 
Chuck

Maybe...but for right now this is all I have time to create.  

Thank you very much....
 
See this topic for mounting........
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/14432-getting-startedmounting-your-carving-blanksand-removing-them-when-finished/

I prefer a mounting board to prevent the small thin sections from breaking while carving.   Everyone works differently.  But sometimes it achieves the same result.  Whatever is most comfortable I guess.
 

I am starting a project log so you guys can see how to start one as well.  Just start a topic and name it properly.  Maybe include what your method is.....#11 blades or rotary carving etc.  I know that nobody likes being the first one to start so here it is to break the ice.  I urge all you guys who bought the blank sets to do the same....lets get some ideas and conversations started.
 
The photo below shows an extreme close up of my carving work to date.  These three lengths of acanthus leaves are needed for one side of the barge.  Once completed I need to carve another  set for the port side.  But those will be mounted upside down as they are a mirror image.
 
I am almost done with this set....Just a little remains on the center example.  I am using a #11 blade 98% of the time.  The close  up is pretty brutal.....warts and all you can see how the carving went.  It looks much much better when viewed normally and no finish has been applied yet.  I keep the other two that are finished close by as I work on this one because they must all look the same.
 
I also included the contemporary barge model so you can see how these three pieces will become the continuous length of carving along the side of the barge aft.  Its pretty typical of the acanthus leaf carving designs on any ship model.  I figured its better done in three small lengths than one huge piece....just in case a one-time error that ruins the piece I am working on....the other two will still be fine and usable. Each one took me about six or seven hours to carve in a few one or two hour sessions.
 
Chuck
 

 

I prefer a mounting board to prevent the small thin sections from breaking while carving.   Everyone works differently.  But sometimes it achieves the same result.  Whatever is most comfortable I guess.
 

Cherry and Maple sheets and milled strips are now available.
 
I know this because I am building his site for him.....I bartered for wood.  He isnt the kind of guy to build his own so I am taking care of it for him and you probably notice the similarity to my own.   Anyway....as he gives me new updated wood info and availability I will add them to the WPS website and let you guys know.   
 
I hope you give them a try.
 
Chuck

Thank You very much for the well-wishes and welcome.   Chuck is showing me around the site tonight.  Thanks to each one of you who have placed an order through my website recently.  Hope I dont screw things up too badly here.  He tells me I cant really break anything on Model Ship World so here it goes.
 
I would like to let all of you know that I just added two more woods to my site which are now available for ordering.   I now carry Purpleheart and Mahogany.  I will be adding many more as time goes by.  So please visit my site often.  If you need any wood I have not yet added to my store just send me an email.
 
I would also like to extend a Holiday discount to all of fine people on MSW.  Please take 10% off any order from now until the end of December.  Use the coupon Code MSWWPS10 at checkout to get your ten percent discount.
 
www.woodprojectsource.com
 
Thank You very much again for the welcome. 
 
I look forward to getting to know you guys.  If anyone has any questions please dont hesitate to contact me at woodprojectsource@gmail.com
 
Roman

Absolutely......they dont even need to be thin walled.  I have made thimbles and flared regular brass tubing that was 1/8 or 3/32" in diameter with no trouble at all.   Brass is very soft.  Just buy any K&S brass tube and you can do it with the right sizes blunt punch.
 
See this
 
 
http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Confed/Chapter12.pdf
 
Read pages 3 and 4.
 
Chuck

Thats the confederacy...

Absolutely......they dont even need to be thin walled.  I have made thimbles and flared regular brass tubing that was 1/8 or 3/32" in diameter with no trouble at all.   Brass is very soft.  Just buy any K&S brass tube and you can do it with the right sizes blunt punch.
 
See this
 
 
http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Confed/Chapter12.pdf
 
Read pages 3 and 4.
 
Chuck

Absolutely......they dont even need to be thin walled.  I have made thimbles and flared regular brass tubing that was 1/8 or 3/32" in diameter with no trouble at all.   Brass is very soft.  Just buy any K&S brass tube and you can do it with the right sizes blunt punch.
 
See this
 
 
http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Confed/Chapter12.pdf
 
Read pages 3 and 4.
 
Chuck

Buy larger brass tubing....

Insert some wire the same size as the I.D. of the tube.  Then roll an xacto blade over it.  See this video even though they didnt stick a wire into it.....thats the best way though.
 

Thank you for the kind words guys.
 
The lower backstays are completed so next up was to make the sling and then add the mainstay.
 

 
The sling for the lower yard is served its entire length.  I used .035 dark brown rope.  It has a thimble seized to it with a hook made of 22 gauge wire and eyes formed on each loose end.  After determining the length for the loose ends I formed the eyes and you can see how the eyes close up the sling by being inter-twined.  I originally thought it would be easier to make the sling off the model.   Which it was.  BUT there were trade-offs.  This meant that I had to unhook all of the blocks on the mast to get it in position.  That wasnt too bad BUT afterwards I discovered that the sling wasnt long enough to get around the forward spreader.
 

 
This was bad.  I either had to cut the sling off and make another one...rigging it in place.....OR, try to carefully remove the forward spreader.  I ended up removing the spreader without any damage.  BUT I wouldnt recommend this to all the Cheerful builders out there.  Best to rig it in place.
 
The main stay was rigged from .054 dark brown rope.  It was served around the masthead only down to about 1/2" below the splice.  Thats right....a splice rather than a mouse.   This was very common on cutters of the period and appears much more often on contemporary examples than the one or two found with a mouse.
 
  
 
The other end of the stay had the 5-hole deadeye turned into it.  The lanyard was rove through it as usual but the loose end was taken up around the stay once and then finally seized to the stay as shown.  I used very fine fly-tie thread for this.  It finished it off nicely.
 

 
Now that the main stay is completed I can go back to all these loose ends at the belaying points and re-tension the lines.   After that I will cut off the excess and add rope coils....
 

 

 
Next up....ratlines!!!!!

No I like to pop in and look at as many builds as possible when time permits.   I might not say much but I enjoy watching everyones progress.  You are doing a fine job.

If you click on each size of my Syren blocks it will tell you which size rope is best for those sizes of blocks.

Thank you for the kind words guys.
 
The lower backstays are completed so next up was to make the sling and then add the mainstay.
 

 
The sling for the lower yard is served its entire length.  I used .035 dark brown rope.  It has a thimble seized to it with a hook made of 22 gauge wire and eyes formed on each loose end.  After determining the length for the loose ends I formed the eyes and you can see how the eyes close up the sling by being inter-twined.  I originally thought it would be easier to make the sling off the model.   Which it was.  BUT there were trade-offs.  This meant that I had to unhook all of the blocks on the mast to get it in position.  That wasnt too bad BUT afterwards I discovered that the sling wasnt long enough to get around the forward spreader.
 

 
This was bad.  I either had to cut the sling off and make another one...rigging it in place.....OR, try to carefully remove the forward spreader.  I ended up removing the spreader without any damage.  BUT I wouldnt recommend this to all the Cheerful builders out there.  Best to rig it in place.
 
The main stay was rigged from .054 dark brown rope.  It was served around the masthead only down to about 1/2" below the splice.  Thats right....a splice rather than a mouse.   This was very common on cutters of the period and appears much more often on contemporary examples than the one or two found with a mouse.
 
  
 
The other end of the stay had the 5-hole deadeye turned into it.  The lanyard was rove through it as usual but the loose end was taken up around the stay once and then finally seized to the stay as shown.  I used very fine fly-tie thread for this.  It finished it off nicely.
 

 
Now that the main stay is completed I can go back to all these loose ends at the belaying points and re-tension the lines.   After that I will cut off the excess and add rope coils....
 

 

 
Next up....ratlines!!!!!

Ex-chach86 here (now ChadB)... I can't remember the exact amounts, but I nearly doubled the amounts when ordering since I expected many screw ups along the way (I had my fair share). What I will say, though is that since it is all good hardwood any extra will more than likely get used down the road in another build so ordering too much is necessarily a bad thing.  -Chad

I am starting a project log so you guys can see how to start one as well.  Just start a topic and name it properly.  Maybe include what your method is.....#11 blades or rotary carving etc.  I know that nobody likes being the first one to start so here it is to break the ice.  I urge all you guys who bought the blank sets to do the same....lets get some ideas and conversations started.
 
The photo below shows an extreme close up of my carving work to date.  These three lengths of acanthus leaves are needed for one side of the barge.  Once completed I need to carve another  set for the port side.  But those will be mounted upside down as they are a mirror image.
 
I am almost done with this set....Just a little remains on the center example.  I am using a #11 blade 98% of the time.  The close  up is pretty brutal.....warts and all you can see how the carving went.  It looks much much better when viewed normally and no finish has been applied yet.  I keep the other two that are finished close by as I work on this one because they must all look the same.
 
I also included the contemporary barge model so you can see how these three pieces will become the continuous length of carving along the side of the barge aft.  Its pretty typical of the acanthus leaf carving designs on any ship model.  I figured its better done in three small lengths than one huge piece....just in case a one-time error that ruins the piece I am working on....the other two will still be fine and usable. Each one took me about six or seven hours to carve in a few one or two hour sessions.
 
Chuck
 

 

Thank you for the kind words guys.
 
The lower backstays are completed so next up was to make the sling and then add the mainstay.
 

 
The sling for the lower yard is served its entire length.  I used .035 dark brown rope.  It has a thimble seized to it with a hook made of 22 gauge wire and eyes formed on each loose end.  After determining the length for the loose ends I formed the eyes and you can see how the eyes close up the sling by being inter-twined.  I originally thought it would be easier to make the sling off the model.   Which it was.  BUT there were trade-offs.  This meant that I had to unhook all of the blocks on the mast to get it in position.  That wasnt too bad BUT afterwards I discovered that the sling wasnt long enough to get around the forward spreader.
 

 
This was bad.  I either had to cut the sling off and make another one...rigging it in place.....OR, try to carefully remove the forward spreader.  I ended up removing the spreader without any damage.  BUT I wouldnt recommend this to all the Cheerful builders out there.  Best to rig it in place.
 
The main stay was rigged from .054 dark brown rope.  It was served around the masthead only down to about 1/2" below the splice.  Thats right....a splice rather than a mouse.   This was very common on cutters of the period and appears much more often on contemporary examples than the one or two found with a mouse.
 
  
 
The other end of the stay had the 5-hole deadeye turned into it.  The lanyard was rove through it as usual but the loose end was taken up around the stay once and then finally seized to the stay as shown.  I used very fine fly-tie thread for this.  It finished it off nicely.
 

 
Now that the main stay is completed I can go back to all these loose ends at the belaying points and re-tension the lines.   After that I will cut off the excess and add rope coils....
 

 

 
Next up....ratlines!!!!!

Thank you for the kind words guys.
 
The lower backstays are completed so next up was to make the sling and then add the mainstay.
 

 
The sling for the lower yard is served its entire length.  I used .035 dark brown rope.  It has a thimble seized to it with a hook made of 22 gauge wire and eyes formed on each loose end.  After determining the length for the loose ends I formed the eyes and you can see how the eyes close up the sling by being inter-twined.  I originally thought it would be easier to make the sling off the model.   Which it was.  BUT there were trade-offs.  This meant that I had to unhook all of the blocks on the mast to get it in position.  That wasnt too bad BUT afterwards I discovered that the sling wasnt long enough to get around the forward spreader.
 

 
This was bad.  I either had to cut the sling off and make another one...rigging it in place.....OR, try to carefully remove the forward spreader.  I ended up removing the spreader without any damage.  BUT I wouldnt recommend this to all the Cheerful builders out there.  Best to rig it in place.
 
The main stay was rigged from .054 dark brown rope.  It was served around the masthead only down to about 1/2" below the splice.  Thats right....a splice rather than a mouse.   This was very common on cutters of the period and appears much more often on contemporary examples than the one or two found with a mouse.
 
  
 
The other end of the stay had the 5-hole deadeye turned into it.  The lanyard was rove through it as usual but the loose end was taken up around the stay once and then finally seized to the stay as shown.  I used very fine fly-tie thread for this.  It finished it off nicely.
 

 
Now that the main stay is completed I can go back to all these loose ends at the belaying points and re-tension the lines.   After that I will cut off the excess and add rope coils....
 

 

 
Next up....ratlines!!!!!

Shrouds are completed.  I also added the lower backstay on the port side.  The fiddle block is a min-kit from Syren (13/32").   You can see another one on top of the companionway which will be used for the other side.  It is built up from three laser cut layers.
 
Here is a shot of the growing shroud gang.  The aft pair as well as the lower backstay are served only along the top that goes around the mast head.  They are served down to a bit below the cheeks.
 

 
Once that is finished it will be time for the sling for the lower yard and then the main stay.