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EJ_L

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Everything posted by EJ_L

  1. EJ_L
    Very smart with the rubbings to get the curvature you need. I had a similar conversation on spending money on tools I don't use and so my admiral now has a really nice jewelry box, pen holder, candy bowl, custom picture frames and a huge supply of pens and pencils. Now she buys me gift cards to places that sell the tools I want.
  2. EJ_L
    Yancovitch, Bob & Don thank you as always for stopping in and the kind words and to all the likes as well. The reddish wood is Pear and the brown is Walnut.
  3. EJ_L
    Excellent job on that first planking. Shouldn't take much to get her ready for the second.
  4. EJ_L
    So somehow I have managed to have one of those rare and highly successful nights in the shipyard. Now I am kind of worried about either what I forgot to do or what will go wrong next time... Oh well, deal with it then. So my good fortune came in the form of getting the top railing onto my spritsail top in both one piece and in one try. That completed the woodwork portion of the top and now I can focus on getting the various rigging components ready to go and installed. I think I have a plan for everything now after spending a lot of time reading and looking at pictures trying to decipher the hows, wheres and whys. I shall find out soon. I'm trying to get as much built on the bowsprit as possible before I install it onto the ship for ease of access. I'm thinking I should be able to get the topmast on and the shrouds as well as eyebolts and even some of the blocks before I will be stuck till the foremast is up. As a comparison, you can see the kit supplied top in the upper left corner of the picture. While it would have been usable I know that I can do better than that one and am very glad that I chose to make new ones from scratch. One final note, I have rolled over 600 hours tonight on this build. It is now my longest build in terms of hours worked on it. Previously that record was held by the U.S.S. Constitution in my signature at 585 hours. I meant to post that when it actually happened but it slipped my mind then.
  5. EJ_L
    Depending on the scale of your build tulle may be a good solution. It is the fine mesh commonly used for wedding dresses and veils.
  6. EJ_L
    Productive night on the spritsail top. Got the lower rail installed and now to make the upper rail. This one is very thin which will be fun bending into a circle. Slow and easy and it should go. The stantions will be another matter but I think I have a plan for those. We shall see tomorrow.
  7. EJ_L
    Something I would suggest doing is to switch out the nails for wooden dowels. With the dowels being of a softer material that should prevent those bands and any indentations that the nails make. With bending remember that heat is your friend. With it, most of the wood used in ship kits will bend quite easily and so only a a few points are needed to physically bend the wood around. Check out this thread. It contains a video of planking by Chuck that is worth watching for a few tips on bending planks.
  8. EJ_L
    Beautiful work! I am really enjoying seeing the different construction techniques you have been using. It is nice when I get to learn something new and I am doing that with your build. I am looking forward to seeing more of it as you progress.
  9. EJ_L
    Looks like you are off to a good start. I always enjoy getting in at the start of a build so I think I will pull up a seat and follow along.
  10. EJ_L
    Thanks Don. I agree, this stage will be a lot needle files, tweezers and knife work and not much in the way of power tools needed here. If something comes up I do still have my Dremel handy so I'm not completely powerless.
  11. EJ_L
    Been far from idle last night and this evening. Bowsprit is shaping up with the cross trees and knee mounted as well as the top platform. I have also test fitted the topmast as the out of focus picture shows. I will be making the railings and their supports next. Lots of delicate work involved in those. Wish me luck!
  12. EJ_L
    I've used rustoleum on many projects and have always been happy with the results.
  13. EJ_L
    I will taper both ends slightly, just enough to knock the lower edge back in under the upper edge. Any further tapering I do is on the edge of the new plank butting against the previous one. This can vary depending on the curve of the hull. The more curvature, the more tapering is needed.
  14. EJ_L
    Whew! You still have a hefty list of things to do and I can't wait to see them! That is going to be a top notch ship for sure when you get her done. Well said about kit modifications. There is nothing wrong with building them straight from the box as many kits will make great models and are often excellent backbones for even better models. I think manufacturers know this and I would imagine that while they are proud of what they produce, to see it taken those extra steps and turned into something even more incredible while still maintaining the essence of their design, that has to make them prouder still.
  15. EJ_L
    I'm with Joe! Every year I hope for a nice dry winter. Snow is bad enough but here we end up with tons of ice which is even worse. Don't get me wrong, I think snow is beautiful. I love seeing it on pictures and in movies from my nice warm house. On the other hand, snow does give me time off work as well so that does mean more ship building..... Hmmm.... May have to rethink my stance on my anti-snow policy.
  16. EJ_L
    They have both been rapidly climbing my list of must haves for me and are now at the top of that list. Too many things I keep wanting to build and the need for more precision at the small sizes that we model in are making things difficult with my current set up of full size tools. Hopefully I can get USS Visa out of dry dock some time soon and take her for a cruise. In other news, the bowsprit construction has begun. After three long hours of work and reading I have managed to get it cut to length and carved the knee for the top mast. I have to give a lot of credit to Mr. R.C. Anderson for his works in both The Rigging of Ships in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast and Seventeenth Century Rigging as these have been priceless to me in figuring out both how to build the various masts but also in the rigging for them. His drawings and diagrams are excellent especially in Seventeenth Century Rigging as it has larger fold out pages with detailed drawings of many joints, connections, and rigging methods. Also the photos of actual models of the era are a great addition as it adds the three dimensional element which can sometimes make more sense than a two dimensional sketch. I would highly recommend these books to anyone building ships of this era.
  17. EJ_L
    Off to a great start! The pictures are nice and definitely help us to give you advice. Plus we all enjoy seeing updates of the progress even if it is only part way done. When you get to the last few planks and clamps will not hold, that is when you are forced to rely more on nails and pins to hold the boards down or you can just use CA glue and hold hem in place with your fingers for the minute it takes the glue to set up. That is what I usually do as it takes longer to set nails or other clamping devices then it does for the glue to set. As you come around the curve in the hull, make sure to taper the edges of the planks so that the top edges meet nice and flush with no gaps. That will make sanding easier later as you will not need any filler between them.
  18. EJ_L
    That is why I position a lot of my pictures so at least part of my bar is in the background. Always have a something to refresh my crew with after a long day at the ship yard and maybe a splash or two for the foreman when no one is looking... Excellent work! You sure are packing a lot of nice details into a small ship. I'm enjoying every update!
  19. EJ_L
    Great idea using those paper punch outs as shingles. Looks very time consuming placing them one by one but that is what makes a great model! You may have to do some mixing to get the right shade as most of the ready made copper paints I have are all on the bright side.
  20. EJ_L
    She sure is looking good! Really like her colors. Just rain here but unfortunately I am at work which means no ship yard time till tonight. At least I can still use my lunch time to read up on all the fine builds going on out there!
  21. EJ_L
    I've got two lathes already! A full size and and a mini but unfortunately until we move to the new house, hopefully next month, my shop is shut down as it is now a storage unit. lol As for Christmas and new tools, I am really wanting a Byrnes table saw. I have a very nice full size saw for my regular wood working but I really want a mini that I can use to mill more of my own lumber with closer tolerances and a lot less waste than what I can do now.
  22. EJ_L
    I have had that happen, I think it is just a bad habit I need to break of waiting till after it breaks to fix it instead of being proactive. Robin, we all learn from each other and sometimes the new guy can say or ask something that gives even the most experienced (which I am not) a chance to learn a new way or see something in a different light. That is why questions and comments are vital to the continued growth of this hobby.
  23. EJ_L
    Excellent! Your bireme has been very educational to watch come together and I am looking forward to watching those triremes come together for the same reason.
  24. EJ_L
    I usually just glue them however, I have in the past gone in with actual pins that I drilled into the bottom of the posts and into the decks. In all reality, to actually pin them is the better course of action. The more I'm typing this the more I'm thinking about changing them to actually pinned and not just glued for the additional strength. Easier to do now than later when I usually have to fix stuff.
  25. EJ_L
    On the paper clips, all I do is remove the handles off of one clip then insert one of those handles into the jaws of another so that it lays flat on the base of the jaw. This allows the rounded head to stick out of the jaws to the side. Now when I clamp them to the frame, the clips have a ledge that can be place on top of the plank to provide downward pressure. If you are still unsure I can post a pictire tonight when I get home. I have not used water to close up nail holes myself. It sounds good other than I wonder what happens when the wood dries out. Doest it open back up? That may be worth testing for future knowledge. Small amounts of wood filler can also be used to fill in the holes. The thing to keep in mind with fillers is what kind of finish are you planning? A painted or coppered hull hides things very well and therefore the type and amount of filler is less important. A stained or just varnished hull allows the natural wood colors to come through however, using a minimum of filler and one that matches the wood color is a must so that it isn't as noticable. Both are great choices as ships usually were painted to help protect the wood as well as display a countries colors. Using natural wood coloring takes a bit more planning as you have to think about how different woods look with each other and it is less forgiving but when cleaned up and varnished provides a unique beauty in itself. Personnaly I like natural wood but I have done both and again, no right or wrong to this. It is all the builders preference but ot is something to think about to know what your options are for planking mistakes and repairs.

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