gjdale

Lovely to see you back in your new shipyard Robbyn. And don't worry, it's like riding a bike - you'll pick it up again in no time.

That's good advice from Jim, and is exactly what I did. I can say though, that regardless of the shipping/import costs, these machines are worth every cent paid. "Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten!"

Great work Frank - looks superb!

Excellent Michael - just can't think of any other words!

Thanks for the extra info Keith.

Some great ideas there Keith. I particularly like the blade-changing locking mechanism. I may very well have a crack at copying that idea myself!

Looks like I made it in time for a front row seat too. Really enjoyed your Niagara build log Ken, so I'm looking forward to following this one too.

That would seem a wise move at this stage Kevin. Looking forward to seeing more of your Bismarck.

Boats are looking terrific with the addition of that amount of detail John. Great work mate!

Congratulations Mobbsie! What a stunning looking final model. You've done an excellent job on her my friend. Looking forward to seeing her in the display case she deserves. I'm still a few weeks behind you at the moment, so you've probably got time to finish two or three more builds before I catch up!

Congratulations on finishing a truly fine model Ken. You can be justifiably very proud of her!

Great progress Cathead, she's looking great. I'd go with making your own windows and doors. It might take longer, but will be more satisfying in the end and hey, it's not a race after all. Just my AUD $0.002 (at an appalling exchange rate!)

And another Happy Birthday from me too Augie. Hope your feeling better.

More brilliant work Nils!

Nice work on the detail Bug.

Well done Jesse - looks great!

I'm inclined to agree with Joel, if soldering isn't an option, then epoxy is probably a good choice.

Great progress John. The rigging will keep you challenged for some time, but just keep plugging away. She's looking fabulous.

Michael, I think if you did choose to write a book explaining your techniques in a step-by-step way, it would be an instant best-seller. It would certainly find its way onto my bookcase!

I agree, just beautiful work Albert!

Thanks guys. Augie - the timber on the gun carriages will be left natural (other than a coat of wipe-on poly, which will darken it a little), in keeping with the rest of the build philosophy of "painting with timber".

I have the Proxxon FMZ vice as well, and I love it. I also have a Panavice with a suction base. I prefer the Proxxon.

Great to see you back at it Michael. Always enjoy reading your updates.

Very clever Mark - well done!

Thanks again for all the kind comments and the "likes". I can't believe it has been almost six weeks since I last posted some progress! I finally managed to get some time in the shipyard on Sunday - but only a little, so this will be only a minor update. As an aside, when I tried to post this update on Sunday, I ran into the "Sucuri" issue that many have experienced previously. A quick PM to Jim Hatch with my IP address and he fixed it in no time - thanks Jim Mortar Cap Squares The Mortar Cap Squares were made from strips of 0.01” thick brass sheet. The sheet was attached to a carrier of scrap timber using double sided tape and then cut, with the brass facing down, on the Byrnes saw to the desired width – in this case 3/32”. One end of each strip was then bent around a 1/32” thick brass rod to form the hinge end. The middle was then formed around a 5/32” rod to fit around the trunnion, and then finessed into final shape in situ. A 0.8mm hole was then drilled to take the retaining eyebolt. The retaining eyebolt was shaped by squeezing a regular eyebolt into a sort of triangular shape, and then flattening with a hammer. Finally, a short section of 1/32” brass tubing was cut to insert into the hinge end, to represent the inner part of the hinge. Here is a shot of the component parts before blackening and final assembly. All parts were then cleaned using a wire brush in a rotary tool, soaked in vinegar and then blackened with Birchwood Casey Brass Black prior to installing. Here is the completed Mortar assembly: 4lb Gun Carriages The carriages for the 4lb guns are made from Redheart. Two guns will be displayed on the model, and a further two may be incorporated into the display stand. Therefore, a total of four gun carriages will be made. The sides of the carriages are made from one piece each and are a fairly straight forward operation. A set of ten blanks (allowing for two ‘spares’) were spot glued together to enable all sides to be cut in the same operation, to produce identical parts. Once the gang was glued up, a pattern piece was applied using sticky label paper and the process of shaping was commenced. The ‘stepped’ sides and the dados for the axles were cut first using the Sherline mill. Then curvature between the axles was incorporated by using the spindle sander. Finally, the groove for the trunnion bars was cut using a ball end cutter in the Proxxon drill press (only because I didn’t have a collet small enough to fit the ball end cutter in the mill. The ends were then trimmed to length on the Byrnes disc sander and the completed part soaked in isopropyl alcohol to debond the spot-glue and separate the individual pieces. After some final cleaning up, here’s what they look like: That's as far as I managed to get on Sunday. Hopefully, next weekend I'll manage to finish the gun carriages and maybe even have a crack at turning the guns themselves.