Worldway

Does anyone use these? If so, I'm curious if their worth the price. I probably should have asked this question before I purchased two packs. And I'm wondering if you have to predrill or you can just go ahead and screw into the bulwark.

Thanks Michael, that's the cheapest I've seen so far.

grsjax Good point, I'll keep my eye on Ebay. Kevin, I think that it's a fantastic idea to offer kits with a monthly fee. I believe I saw a YouTube video of a guy building such a kit. They shipped a portion of pieces every month with the instructions on how to assemble that portion. I think it's a great way to reduce the cost plus to isolate building sections at a time. I wish it was available in Canada, I would seriously consider it. Chuck, I completely agree with you, I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for. However, I had the Admiral read your post and it didn't convince her to let me spend the money. She's a tough old bird. Popeye, I like your idea of saving the parts panel then scratch building from there. I'm certainly no where close to being able to do that. Perhaps someday, but not today, Don, Thanks for the heads up. I may just call Rick to see what he can do for me. Mike, Your post makes so much sense. A kit is just a bunch of pieces of wood and fittings. That makes it harder to justify the expense. Landlubber Mike, I would never buy a Chinese kit. I expect quality with my kits and you will only find that in North America or Europe. Joel, I have purchased several books from Amazon at anywhere from $0.01 to $4.95 plus a usual $6.50 shipping and handling. And the used books I received have always been in good to great condition. Thanks for all your advice. They always say that it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission. I am likely a year or so away from needing another build. A lot could happen in that time.

I inherited this from my mother when she passed away. I believe at the time it was a gadget that advertised itself as a knife with its own cutting board. It has a blade on top with a plastic base. I was thinking this might be useful as a plank bending tool if you can properly control how much force you apply. I've never had a plank bending tool so I couldn't even tell you if this comes close or not.

Denis, I took some time out today to read this log and I have to say I am completely flabbergasted by the craftsmanship and detail you have put it to this. I have been watching an artist ply his trade. You also gave me a great idea. I too needed some wire approx. 1/16" thick. I read how you spooled some scrap off your mig welder. I work for a very large construction company which also runs several fabrication shops and we have a huge warehouse with about 500 sq ft dedicated to welding consumables. So I went out to see if we had any scrap mig wire, telling them I needed 0.035". Of course, when anyone needs anything done personally, everyone is more than willing to drop what they are doing to help out. They had no scrap so they opened a box and unspooled about 10 ft for me (judging by the dust on top of the box I think it has been sitting on the shelf for a few years). Then while poking around I also grabbed some 1/16" SS tig rod. I now have a good supply of wire. I look forward to seeing the finishing touches on this model and following future build logs.

Your right but I think I have spent enough on this model. I had thought about purchasing more wood to fix the error but I'm done spending money on this. I still plan to finish a model that is acceptable on display. Like you said, I'll sand and shape and do whatever I can to make it presentable. I ran into a similar problem with the rubbing strakes. Because of limited material I had to add a 5 cm piece to the end of one length. It looks horrible but again, I wasn't willing to buy more material. This is and always has been a learning model. In the end, if I have to relegate it to the trash bin, I will. But I have learned a ton from this.

Oh gosh, yes you're right. One does have to consider the Admiral and I don't think there is a clean way to smuggle one into the house. But you have a good argument, I could tell her it's only $333 per year. I like your thinking.

I was curious if you are a budget modeler or one with no limit. I was poking around the net today already thinking of what to build after the Bluenose. I decided to perhaps build Amati's HMS Pegasus. Then I saw the price and for me it would be close to $1000.00. I figure that is way too rich for me and I'm not yet willing to sell the Admiral or deck hands. So what do you consider to be a reasonable budget for models. I understand that we all have different financial backgrounds. I mean, if I had a few million in the bank then I wouldn't be writing this post.

I am having issues with the fit of the top rail. Once again nothing is lining up correctly. I added a piece on the top of the keel to try to hide errors then cut the prefabricated top rail and added a piece on. It makes the fit a lot better but it's still not perfect and the added piece is very noticeable. I'm not sure if i can wood fill my way out of this one.

It's looking good and you're making great progress. Keep up the good work.

Your deck looks nicely weathered. How did you achieve that?

What is a good book about tall ships? Not modelling books. Just want a good book on ships in general, preferably with plans and drawings.

I made a small investment today in a cordless curling iron. I soaked the wood in cold water for about 3 minutes then applied the heat from the curling iron. That certainly made the job a lot easier. However,I think because of all the soaking and drying the wood is starting to splinter a bit. Hopefully I can make it work because I don't really have any spare.

So how long would one keep it in hot water

Thanks all, that really helps a lot.

So wood should be soaked with hot water? I have been using water from the cold tap. Didn't think that would have made a difference.

I finished installing the stanchions and side cleats. I'm trying to bend the rubbing strakes but they keep snapping. They are 2mm x 2mm walnut. Can someone please tell me how long I should soak them for. Finally, after a week of working and building.....

I like the planning jig and the bending jig you made. I hope you don't mind but I will likely steal those ideas when I start my Bluenose. I do know with mine they say the hull has only a slight curve to it and bending would not really be necessary, the wood could easily be put in place without any additional work. However, I have learned how important getting the wood to the right shape is prior to installing so I will likely be bending anyway. It's certainly coming along nicely.

I think I am finally done with the hull, thank goodness. I haven't applied any finish yet, was thinking of a polyurethane but may go for a wax. I started on installing the stanchions. So far so good.

I have been busy sanding the hull. Did I happen to mention that I hate sanding. Oh well, it's all part of the process. I decided not to use the name Mare Nostrum because this is anything but. Sure it's a model called the Mare Nostrum but I have made several modifications (error corrections) that makes it slightly unique. So I've decided to call it "Autrulo I. It is the first couple of initials of my two kids and wife. Of course the Admiral suggests that the "I" refers to me. I'm also going to use 210821 as identification numbers referring to my wife and kids birth dates. I bought a roll of copper wire which is pretty close to 1 mm diameter. The kit came with brass wire but I think I can make the copper work to make up for my deficiency. I'm hoping to start some finishing soon. I have Minwax polyurethane and think it will give a nice look and preserve the wood colour. Oh, and I bought the tire fenders (bumpers) as well which I plan to install for an added look. Hopefully my next post will be of a fully completed hull.

I used A & M Wood Specialty out of Cambridge. Very good results. Great to deal with, Very friendly and accommodating. However I believe they only sell veneers, about 0.5 mm thick. Not sure about anything thicker.

Hi David, welcome. You're in the best place for learning and building. Can't wait to see your build.

yeh i heard about Zap a Gap, i may have to grab a bottle. Hopefully that will work. I guess I was just venting earlier. Wanted to do something and the glue wasn't holding. Kinda got a little frustrated.

I'm using Lepage's Pro Carpenters Glue. I would highly recommend this to anyone. It's amazing glue, it has a quick tack time (about 5 minutes) and a great set time in about half hour. Full cure is 24 hours but it's certainly not necessary to wait that long. My build is 95% using this glue. Plus, it dries clear and doesn't stain like CA glue does.

I agree that instructions are important. My current build didn't really offer a lot, 3 pages of written instructions and a few pictures. This forum has helped me a lot. For my next build I chose the Bluenose because I've heard that Model Shipways has very good instructions. I've received the boat and sure enough, there is a 32 (or so) page manual plus 6 full size drawings. But just to make sure I have all the information available I purchased a practicum from Bob Hunt at Lauck Street Shipyards. He offers quite detailed build instructions including a disc with a few hundred reference photos. I also purchased one of the books that Model Shipways used as reference when making their Bluenose plans. I'm thinking I should be loaded now for reference material.