shipshaper

Quote

Using 'dope' (mentioned above) might affect any use of acrylic or other water-based paint adhering.

Hi Druxey, Sorry if I miss lead you. I did not mean to use dope but to show if can be brushed or sprayed after shrinking. I still think wetting with a spray bottle and not dipping would be a better way to go, less handling. You are correct that when wet it is VERY delicate. I also agree with Allen that using a diluted acrylic is an excellent choice for painting.  

Hi Maury,

Many years ago I was in a model airplane club and used silkspan all the time for covering the wings. The process we used was similar but slightly different. We would put it on the wing assembly dry and used a product called DOPE (a paint used for model aircraft, it came in various colors put for this process we used clear). We would paint the edges of the wing frame and then stretched the silkspan around the best we could until dried (you are using tape for this process). Then after dried we would spray it with water from a cheap squirt bottle until good and damp (you are dipping it in water which may be too much) and then let to dry, sometimes using a hair drier to speed the process. then we would paint it (using DOPE) either with a bush or spraying and never had issues with it tearing as you have experienced. Next time you try this I would suggest not dipping it in water but using the "squirt bottle" and see if it helps to keep the integrity of the silkspan better. Impressive work! looking forward to seeing more...................Mike

Congratulation Dave, GREAT job!!! Almost made it to Manitowoc from New Mexico this year, hopefully I'll be there next May.

Mike

Your work is amazing as ever.

Svein, simply beautiful!

Looking good Chimp, I'm pulling up a stool!

Hi Mike,

Coming aboard. Nice work! Looking forward to your progress.

Not that far from us, we are still neighbors on MSW!

Hi Allen, glad you found this site as well. excellent information, tips and insight from fellow modelers around the world who REALLY know their stuff. I am excited to follow you!

Mike

Welcome and enjoy your build! Look forward to hearing how it is coming along😀!

Hi Jeff,

Allen and Dave are spot on. I am on my 5th model over the course of 35+ years and I'm still adding to my tool arsenal (and learning!). But when I first started I only had what I used when I was building R/C aircraft and made it through the process. MSW is an excellent source of information, use it and enjoy it. I will never be as good as a lot of our members but they sure help me in wanting to improve my work. Welcome aboard and have fun with this VERY rewarding hobby!

Mike

Hi Allen, Happy New Year everyone! I am just finishing the rigging on a very old "Aristo-Craft" 1815 Baltimore clipper 1:75 scale. I had decided to also rig the cannons even though the kit did not call for it. I must say it has been, let's say challenging! As I retired last Feb. I thought I could rip through the rigging and complete the kit in short order. As it turned out there is so much going on with all the static and running lines I can only work on it for a couple hours at a time and my eyes give out. I for one (at least for a clipper style) will look for larger scale ships in the future. Good luck and have fun on your new project.

I'm getting ready to leave for NM and will miss not being able to see the Battle Station. We are not that far apart, maybe I can view it at a later date. I would wish you best of luck at the show but you don't need it 😉!

Take care

Doc,

Just ran across this and it is AWESOME! The only thing better is seeing your work in person, up close and personal. Will you be bringing this to Manitowoc this weekend? I would love to attend but will be at my Grand Daughter's high school graduation in New Mexico. Thanks for sharing, your work is beautiful!

Absolutely beautiful, hope to be half that good someday. Thanks Chuck for sharing all this.

Chuck, I realized that about 2 minutes after I sent my email...…………...DAAAAAAH! 

Good point Chuck,

I will definitely check into that. FYI, my other hobby is wood working (my Dad was a cabinet maker) so I have the table saws, band saw (for re-sawing), thickness plainer, 16/32" drum sander, etc. so it's pretty easy for me to get larger pieces down to a manageable size for the Byrnes tools but the other issue is time.  Do I want to spend the time on something I can purchase and use that time on my modeling? Hmmmm, you make a REALLY good point!

I need to check into these new kit manufacturers like MSW. They sound interesting, I'll see if I can find them on the web.

Thanks again for your VERY good input! I have more checking to do.

Take care,

Mike

Hi Chuck,

I have several ships/boats waiting for me. I am finishing up the rigging on an old Aristo-Craft Baltimore Clipper (1815) and when I'm done I want to work on something different. I have a Panart Whaleboat, Model Shipways New Bedford Whaleboat, HMS Bounty Launch and the 18th Century Long Boat. I have built five kits in the past and found myself remaking 85 ~ 90% of the kit material (I love the look of natural woods so most I have rebuilt with Walnut, Cherry, Maple and Oak) and the AYC sounds like a great fit for any of the boats I choose to work on. I have recently purchased a Byrnes table saw and thickness planner and I'm dying to start a project to use them (in the past I have just purchased what milled lumber I needed, gets expensive). Sounds like you do quite a bit of scratch builds yourself (I've decided no more kit buying for me)😊! I hope I can try to get close to your skill level, the Gunboat looks Awesome!

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Mike

Chuck and Jim,

Thanks for the advise, I will check with the local guys (just looked on the internet thinking if they had it I would find it there). 

Appreciate your help!

Have a great Sunday!

Mike (Shipshaper)

Hi Chuck,

Your work is incredible! You are using Alaskan Yellow Cedar and I would very much like to try using this on my next project but find it somewhat difficult to find and when I have VERY expensive to have shipped ($40.00 for handling and $69.00 UPS for a 24" piece of 2" x 6" clear). Can you give any direction on where to go to purchase? Is your model all AYC or are you using other species as well (sorry if I missed something).

Very nice, Mark!