reklein

There are iron on transfers available onto which you can copy and print your artwork then iron it on to your preferred fabric. Probably JoAnns fabric will carry these. Sounds like it might be a funproject to try to perfect. Might try spray starch on the fabric so you can shape it a little.  Bill

That sure looks like a fun project Jim. All that work getting the parts collected must be akin to foreplay as its really gotten you interested. Even with moving the house you're getting work done. Looking forward to following your build.   Bill

Trouble with Billings kits is that one has to replace or provide new or better materials. I don't have much luck with metal decorative fittings. Even BlueJackets nice soft metal ccastings give me fits. Its ironic because the Billings kits are so beautifully packaged. The best Billings kit for me was the Oseberg Viking ship and even then felt the need to replace the decorative carving at the bow and stern.   Bill

Good job,Patrick. I specially like the weathered look of the hull planking. Bill in Idaho

I can't speak to the quality of the Deagostini kit but because of the size of the model you may want to donate it  to  a Library or museum when finished. Bill

Whether its true to life or not its still a salty looking little ship and could have been..My guess for the color is green. I also like your tank stand and tank. You must be into chemistry too as a Saltwater tank is beyond me.   Bill

Use a thinned version of a darker color. You might wanna build a little section of deck to experiment with. Load a small water color brush with the thinned paint and lightly touch it too the deck. It should run off the brush onto the deck and into the crevices between the planks,thus showing the joints'. Go lightly at first you may want to darken it with another wash. Some folks use india ink in a sepia tone , thinned with alcohol. Its a technique the airplane modelers use to make the panel lines pop. Bill

I supose it too late, but a tip for masking different colors is, Paint the water line, mask the waterline. repaint with the waterline color to seal the tape. Then leaving the tape in place paint the hull color. I was also thinking if its not too late, after you paint the deck grey. Use a pin wash of a darker grey to bring out the the plank lines. You may want to cut across the planks at appropriate places to simulate plank ends. BTW the hull looks really good. Bill

Holy Cow !!!, That's a great model,specially for a person with your experience. Looking forward to seeing more.  What was your source for the figures?  Bill

I much prefer the look of spiled planks.Its just more time consuming ,but thats what we're doing anyway.  Bill

Yeah,at that time my workshop was in a separate building. I've used different materials since ,but I always promptly dispose of any excess chemicals by diluting with a lot of water and dumping it in my gravel driveway. We're In a low rainfall area so a couple oz. shouldn't hurt anything.   BILL

My experience was about 20 years ago and I think it was a product intended for the stained glass hobby but I was using it for ship parts. I left a container open on the workbench and that is what happened. There may be new formulations that aren't quite so "effective."  Bill

Don't leave an open container on the bench. It will blacken every metal object within a foot of the container.   Bill,     using blackened pliers ,Ex-acto knives and tweezers in Idaho

Another tip for file and rasp use is to always push the file into the work and not drag them backward. Dragging them backward will dull them quickly. Its always a good idea to keep the files in a sheath of some sort if only a plastic tube to keep them sharp. Rattling against other metal objects in the toolbox will dull them. Bill

Get the NWSL model from NWSL, Micro-Marks are Chinese copies of NWSL.

Bill

I lived and worked in Sitka for 28 years and picked up a little history. We know that the Confederate Navy sunk a few Yankee whalers even after peace was signed in the states. This was due to slow communications back in the day.  Bill , now in Idaho

Nice save, but shes gonna have a terrible weather helm underway.  Bill in Idaho

You might try experimenting with small dots of thick white glue, or a thick epoxy. Sometimes good results can be had. Just get a cricket game on and do deep breathing.  Seriosly though you might try it.  Bill in Idaho

I use sheet material for spiled planks. Just seems to be handy. Edge bending for me has always raised the edges of the planks aand made a clinker like appearance.     Bill

Hee Hee, apparently Avacado wood is not hard to come by in Hawaii. Fun.  Don, looks like you are the first to give it a serious effort. You could build a series of models and call it your Guacamole fleet. Be interested to find out how it works out. What is the color, does it mill nicely? Does it sand smoothly?. What is the hardness ,say compared to pine ,or maple? Fun stuff.         Bill in Idaho, where Avacado is a house plant.

These tools are always handy but not esssential. They are not too hard to make yourself from brass wire and a piece of wood for a handle.Cepends on if you have the time to make or prefer just to buy. One thing about homemade tools is that one is not so hesitant to modify them if needed, as theres no capital involved. Bill in Idaho

The double cut blade is to me the best suggestion here. The teeth on the blade will cut upwards on the bottom and downwards from the top. Rule of thumb is to have at least 3 teeth on the thickness of material. If cutting 1/4 inch stock then at least 12 tpi would be sufficient. too fine and your blade won't clear out the sawdust and cut slowly and heat up. As for repeatedly detaching the blade and reattaching it for all the holes. Well, that's just a necessary part of the challenge.I would also suggest going to your local book or grocery store and find the magazine Scrollsawing and look up blade suppliers,and read the hints and tips sections. You may even find a book on scrollsawing that will specialize in projects, tuning your saw and hints and tips on accurate cutting. Just scrollsawing alone is a fairly popular hobby.   Bill in Idaho

Ahhh !  Much better. Bill

Nice job Sjors, but the 4th dead eye back on the top row appears to be upside down. Great work. Bill counting rivets in Idaho.

I will have to check out the fly tying scissors, but in the meantime I get along very well with a small pair of Fiskars from JoAnns sewing store. Bill