gjdale

Further to Mustafa’s accurate conversions Sjors, I find that a handy approximation to remember is 1/16” = 1.6mm (approx) From there it is easy to work out any other fractional inch (bearing in mind that it is an approximation). So 1/8” is 2 x 1/16” or 2 x 1.6mm = 3.2mm and 1/32” is half of 1/16” or half of 1.6mm = 0.8mm and 1/64” is half of 1/32” or half of 0.8mm = 0.4mm and so on… Hope that is helpful.

It seems that my modelling mojo has been having a little holiday of late, however there is some progress to report - albeit little more than "proof of life". I have completed the first band of four strakes of planking per side. Three more bands to go, each of three strakes. I will now move my attention to the Sheer strake and work down from there. The trickiest part will be the final band that contains the turn of the bilge.

Yup, wot ‘e said!

WOW! Just watched all the videos Glen. Either you did some serious editing, or the fight wasn’t as close as you say - looks to me like you had this under control pretty much all the way and had a counter move for everything the model tried! Well played Sir! My advice to you now is…..SDH (Start Drinking Heavily)….after all, you need more empty bottles for your next projects.

Ingenious solution to joining the hull halves Glen, but then we’d expect no less from you! Can’t wait to see this go into the bottle.

Very nicely done Jeff.

You are indeed a very wise man Glen! And she clearly has good taste.

Great work on the deckhouse Tim.

And just to toss in another, one chain = 66ft = 22yds, which just happens to be the length of a cricket pitch.......

I'm sure many of us would be interested Mike.

A few distractions have kept me out of the shipyard lately, but progress has been made. Time for a minor update to show "proof of life". I had been pondering the selection of glue for attaching the AYC planks to the ABS hull. In my LHS, I came across this chart from Bob Smith Industries. As can be seen, there is a happy intersection for both Hardwood and Hard Plastics with the Maxi-Cure Superglue, showing up as “Best Performance” in the chart. As I needed to replenish some other glues as well, I decided to do a comparative test with both a Thin and a Medium Odorless “Super-Gold” (both listed as “Good Performance” in the chart). My test comprised using some scraps of the ABS (from cutting the vertical waste section away from the hull) and some scraps of AYC. The guy in the LHS suggested scuffing the ABS with some coarse sandpaper first, so I incorporated both scuffed and un-scuffed into the trial. The glue was applied, and the pieces were left lightly clamped overnight. The results were quite impressive. The only real failure was the “Thin” Super-Gold. All other glues held and there was no discernible difference between scuffing the ABS and not scuffing it. On the strength of that test, I was happy to proceed using the Maxi-Cure without scuffing. Contrary to my previous post, I decided that prior to installing the internal supports, it would be useful to attach the Sheer plank while the excess horizontal ABS was still in place so that it could be used as a reference. The excess could then be trimmed off, which would make clamping the internal supports easier. I also decided that it would be easier to attach the Garboard and at least the first (lower) band of hull planks before attaching the Sheer. The ABS formed hull has moulding lines that I will use as de facto “bands” for planking. The maximum width of most of these is about 42mm, so I have ripped my AYC boards into 14mm widths, meaning that there will be three planks in all of the “bands” bar one, which will receive four planks. I was then able to do a form of lining off by marking on the ABS hull where each band narrowed to a convenient measurement - ie a multiple of three (or four) as appropriate. These marks can now be transferred to the planks to assist with tapering. I’m using a small block plane to taper the planks, and this is proving to be both easy and quick. In the picture below, the forward end of the Garboard plank has been tapered and shaped. A small travel iron was used to create some preliminary bend, and then the Maxi-cure glue applied to the plank. It was only necessary to apply finger pressure for a few seconds while the glue grabbed. Given that I’m making it up as I go along, I’m happy with how that one went, so will continue with this method.

Nice recovery!

Great work on the Corvus Glen. Enjoy the vacation - we’ll leave a light on for you.

There is definitely some logic to it. Without going back and poring over it again, I’m pretty sure that Paul Koo covers this in his written instructions. If I recall correctly (and that’s no guarantee!!!), he talks about it in the introductory part. However, as my wife will tell you, these days I am far more often certain than I am right!

It's the stuff that model aircraft guys use to cover their wings. You should be able to pick it up any LHS, or online. Here's an example from a quick search on the Australian e-bay site: Deluxe BD73 Eze Tissue Paper 12.5 gsm Natural 5 x Sheets 500mm x 750mm

Yeah, right! 🤣

Would that perhaps be an opportunity for you to experiment with using Silkspan for the sails Glen? Would be easy to paint on the eagle, which at that size needn’t be much more than a blob.

Great to hear Bob. I’m still in love with my Trek Domane+ too. 🙂 Now, back to regular programming….

Thanks Bob, Always nice to have you along for the ride. 🙂 Speaking of rides, have you been on your bicycle lately? I find myself riding more and more often nowadays - sometimes 5 or 6 days per week.

Good to see you back at this interesting project Alan.

Thank you very much one and all for the very kind comments. 🙂

Thanks Ras, I’ll keep that in mind as a “fix” if needed. Hopefully the steam plant I have will do the trick.

Welcome aboard Richard - happy to have some more company on this one.

Thanks Mark, Yes, found that one. Not much help I'm afraid though.

Thanks Ken, Yes, that is the plan, and if I can pull it off, the figures will contain concealed servos….. (an idea I picked up from someone else). That said, this will be an evolving build and some of my current plans may change as we go, either by necessity or to be replaced by another TGI (Thundering Good Idea)!