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mikiek

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Everything posted by mikiek

  1. mikiek
    Thanks Darrell - for your CA puddle, try squirting on wax paper. It's good for a 20-30 minutes there. I was able to get back into it last nite - at least better. I am making half the blocks with only a hook and the other half with a hook on one end and a seized rope (to reave thru another block) on the other. So it looks like the block that hooks to the bulwark should be the one with the rope coming off and the rope reaves thru the block hooked to the gun and back up to the bulwark block. When in your process did you seize the rope to the block?
  2. mikiek
    Bob, Don - the look of those eyelets is exactly what I am looking for. I'm afraid there may be a problem with the angle of my hawse hole "shaft" and the hull surface. Rightly or wrongly, at the hull the hole goes up at about 80 degree angle. So I would need to bend the eyelet. Or I suppose another option would be to cut off everything behind the circular opening of the eyelet and just glue that.
  3. mikiek
    I thank you all for pointing out the kit supplied caulk strips. If you hadn't I would have breezed right by them. I'm still undecided as to what to use. Both the strips and the styrene have pros and cons. I will do a little more testing tonite and let you know what I come up with. BTW - It's good to see even more builders of this kit jumping in to help. I appreciate all input and feedback!
  4. mikiek
    Paul - I was planning on the styrene based on Cobr@s notes regarding the 0.5x2 strips. That said, I glossed right over the step in the instructions - the plan makes no mention of it. I do like the idea that the strips are already cut to fit. So I dug them out and fit one between two deck planks. They are hardly visible, mostly due to the color. So I took out the old Marks-a-Lot and colored the strip black. This is a little more appealing. However, when it comes time to stain I would be a little nervous as to whether the black ink would get absorbed by the limewood planks. So the decision may get down to how much of a caulk strip do I want? The 0,5 is not bad. I don't think I would go as wide as Cobr@ did. I have some 1.0 styrene which I find to be the most pleasing for my eye. The downside is having to cut the strips. But I know it won't run at stain time. FWIW....
  5. mikiek
    Darrell - the cable is .045. Maybe I missed what you are referring to on the plans. I like what Cobr@ is suggesting, I just wonder how it might fit because the surface where the hole exits is not perpendicular to the hole.
  6. mikiek
    Cobr@ - have you used these? The concern I have is while my actual hole is round, the hole "surface" or "edge" is more of an oval due to the way the hole exits the hull.
  7. mikiek
    And who was just saying that they screwed the hull up? Well done indeed.
  8. mikiek
    That's where I was leaning too Don. Otherwise epoxy. I don't think wood glue would bond well as styrene is not very porous.
  9. mikiek
    About ready to do some deck planking. Per Cobr@s suggestion I picked up some black styrene to simulate caulking. I may go with a thinner sheet than Cobr@ used. I have almost no experience with styrene. What is the best glue to use for styrene to wood?
  10. mikiek
    Why would you drill holes in a perfectly good hull? Hawse holes are finished as is the anchor assembly. Finding the proper location for these holes - both inboard and out - was not too difficult. Once again, the dividers were a big help. I just stretched them out on the plans between the hole and bottom fore corner of the foremost gun port. Then moved that to the hull. Worked out OK. Next following Joel's advice, I drilled starter holes in the inner and outer bulwark - being careful not to go any further than the planking. I started with a #61 bit in the pin vise and gradually increased bit size about 1/32" each time. The idea is that eventually you should see the light from the hole on the other side. This did happen but only after the 4th increase of the bit size. At this point I could drill from one side all the way thru. The plans say the final hole should be 1/8" but that bit did not fit in a pin vise so I stopped at 7/64". Close enough I think. A few of the particulars. The inner hole was started in the bulwark about 3/32" above the waterway. The outer hole was started at the joint between the lower gunwale plank and the first hull plank. The drilling angle surprised me a bit - I was drilling almost straight down and a little outward. If 90 degrees is straight down then probably 75-80 degrees. Try as I might, it was purely a guess at first. The inclination was to go more horizontal, but that was wrong. This was made more difficult because there was material between the inner and outer planks so I had to drill thru that without going thru the planks on the opposite side. The final hole is much more vertical than horizontal. The chafing blocks on the waterway started from a 1/8"x3/32" strip. It needed some shaping in several directions, most notably the side that faces the bulwark needs to be angled to fit the angle of the bulwark. A last observation, if I had it to do again I probably would have used a variable speed drill instead of the pin vise. I suspect the drilling surface was hardened by all the primer and paint layers. There was some chipping damage to this right at the edges of the hole. Turning the pin vise by hand seemed to grind thru the paint rather than cut thru. Of course it could have been a dull bit. I think also some masking tape placed over the hole site would be a good idea. Well it's done, I'm still thinking about some sort of fitting to go over the outside hole. To me it looks odd having the anchor cable coming out from the wood. However I have no idea what would be appropriate.
  11. mikiek
    Thanks for stopping by Don. I'm kinda going back & forth between this kit and Niagara. I'm seeing that progress (and log entries) are becoming less frequent. This is my first attempt at having 2 projects going on together, so I will have to learn to juggle more efficiently.
  12. mikiek
    Thanks for that. And great answer. I happen to have a corners cut out of the grating in the forward hatch. I guess I can let it dangle into nowhere.
  13. mikiek
    Back to Niagara. I had tried to put everything off and focus on stropping all those blocks. Ain't hapnen. I am hitting a wall right now. Took almost 30 minutes to do 1 hook last nite. Eyes and hands are not working together. In an effort to 'walk away' I can go ahead and drill out the hawse holes. Have also started another kit. My signature has the log link. I'll do the holes tonite. "Scotty, we're going in" I am still wondering what happens to the other end of the anchor cable.
  14. mikiek
    Hello Antony - good to have you along. Cobr@s log was what pushed me to take this kit off the shelf. I feel like I am in good company with all you guys looking in. I'm liking the build more and more. It allows for a level of detail that I just can't do on my Niagara build. So far, I'm pleased with the quality of the materials as well.
  15. mikiek
    It's really disconcerting Ken. If you have followed my Niagara log I was cranking out quite a few gun tackles just a few weeks back while I was in experimentation mode. I had a decent process for stropping those hooks. The last 2 nights have been a disaster - hooks fall off, lines won't pull tight, etc. I'm still a rookie in this hobby, but I know enough to know when to walk away for a while. I am fortunate to have this kit as a diversion for times like this
  16. mikiek
    Just keeps looking better and better Bob. Was that hammock material in the kit? I don't remember seeing it.
  17. mikiek
    I may be spending more time on this than I anticipated. At least for the moment. I am desperately struggling with gun tackles on my Niagara build. Almost 30 minutes trying to strop a 3mm hook to a 3/32" block. Had to put it away before something went airborn. Not sure if it was just a bad nite or I am really having some eye/hand issues. At any rate with 1:23 there is no problem handling parts. Yet! Today on this guy was mostly sanding. While doing that I noticed that the additional 'frame' pieces that are glued in are a little out of alignment. A little odd as I had cut a couple of sticks to use as battens when I glued the frame pieces. I slid the frame pieces in until they came in contact with the batten so I would have expected them to all be flush. At least with each other. Will have to do a little faring before planking.
  18. mikiek
    Hey Ken - welcome. Pull up a bucket or a powder box.
  19. mikiek
    That is a great idea doing just the carriage first. I was thinking the whole unit at once. Your method will keep the clutter down. Are your ropes loose in the blocks? If yes, will you leave them that way? What did you end using for the carriage pin?
  20. mikiek
    It's good to have you guys on board for this! Any and all comments are welcome, be they positive or negative. I will get after some sanding. I needed to get a few parts a little more flush and can do some of the chard at that time (this evening). Nirvana it didn't take this kid long to see that gluing with a combo of CA and white glue is the way to go. I use CA for my 'nails' and white between plank edges and the like. Interesting for this build is the nails in the hull planks that appear to be left in rather than just for temporary holding. I like that look. Cobr@, I am about to take one of your suggestions regarding support for the deck planks. Haven't decided whether to use a full sheet or just a few strategically placed beams. Besides the general support, I would like to cut deck planks rather than cutting the notch to simulate plank butts. The additional cross beams give me some extra places to tack down a plank butt. I noticed you used a 6 plank spacing between butts. Was this a personal choice? I don't recall seeing anything about this in the plans. Just a general question regarding this kit - for anyone in the know. I know this is not a particular ship, but does anyone have an idea as to the time period?
  21. mikiek
    Nirvana - glad to have you along. I have been looking at the section kits for some time now, but nothing really grabbed me. I would call this one more of a chunk than a section. The level of detail is what attracted me. The whole layout is very busy. Excellent point on the laser burns. Some of that will be planked over, however a good review and sanding now would be prudent as it is only going to get harder to do that as the build goes on.
  22. mikiek
    I have had this kit for a few months - on the shelf. Niagara being my main effort to this point. Watching Bob a.k.a. Cobr@ work this kit got my interest up. I am also at a stage with Niagara that is painfully monotonous, so this will be a good distraction. I don't plan on adding every gory detail to this log. Bob has done a fantastic job of that. I will make notes on what happens along the way with this build. One interesting thing already - Niagara's scale is 1:64. This kit is 1:23. Parts are huge in comparison, notably the 1 1/2" long gun barrel on Niagara is about 5" here. The kit has a lot of pieces - buckets, cannonballs, etc. that could not be replicated at 1:64. I will spare you the pix of the kit, but I will say the materials seem fairly good. The wood is well cut, brass is clean with no casting sludge on it. The one negative I have run into has to do with the laser cut parts. There are several places where the laser did not get all the way thru. Had the sheets been basswood this would be no big deal. Not sure what wood the ply sheets are but it's pretty hard and also 1/4" thick. Trying to get thru that with an Exacto has been an ordeal. I have been tempted to pull out the scroll saw as one place where the laser failed is some of the cannon carriage wheels, meaning a round cut. Next note - this is probably no biggy for most of you but as this is my second build, it is my first with plans in a non-english format. So far not a real problem as I am not paying a lot of attention to them. Most steps are pretty obvious and a look at the pix in the instruction book ( each step is described in one or two words - like 'glue') help to determine what part to use. I started putting together the frame. It was pretty flimsy at first, but Panart did a good job of providing braces/knees to beef the structure up. Each piece I add makes the whole thing a bit stronger. Here's where I'm at tonite: The gun deck is the 'ground level' deck in this build. There will also be a portion of the main deck above that. I am refraining from putting the some of the main deck supports/beams in yet. I can already see it's going to get tight trying to build the gun deck so any extra room to move hands around is a bonus.
  23. mikiek
    A more hard core approach would be to do as was done back in the day. Cut the seizing, replace the rope, seize again. The first 2 no problem the last one - eh. Like Brian said, the eyebolt should come out without much of a fight. Worst case cut it off at the bulwark and drill a new hole right next to it.
  24. mikiek
    Once again, I try to make things so difficult. With those dividers I can get virtually the exact spot on both sides, which would not be the case if I drilled all the way thru. Hopefully there's nothing between the outside and inside. The kit comes with what I thought could be a lining. It's a piece of metal tube maybe 1/8". One end of it is flared. problem is there is only 1. Last I checked there is an anchor on both sides. I'm still trying to find the pic I saw that showed the wood slats as a liner. I have duplicated this, but don't yet have a hole to try it in.
  25. mikiek
    Good call on the breech line. Could be the pic but it seems a bit fuzzy. The rope I used also has more twist.

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