tlevine
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Everything posted by tlevine
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It is called the Accurizer II and I have the same thing for my Dremel. It also came with a cross-piece for the back of the saw to stabilize the motor. I think it is still available for the MicroMark saw. Using this, the zero clearance plates and the toothed belt you have a very accurate machine powerful enough to rip 1/2" stock without any problem. If only the fence was taller...
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Kurt, in the photo from left to right are #12, #15 and #11 blades. The drop-off angle on the non-cutting side varies by manufacturer. The #12 is also called a tonsil blade (you can guess why).
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As mentioned above, I rebuilt the jeer bitts and crosspiece. Again, thanks to Dave for pointing it out. The only reason I can think of for the glaring mistake is a total brain shutdown. Forgive the Qtip fuzz on the crosspiece... It's gone now. The stove flue is comprised of two sections. The lower section is conical and the upper is cylindrical. On most of the Swan class ships there is an angled piece with a baffle. On Atalanta and Fly the flue is straight. While I was waiting for Druxey's affirmation, I made up both types of ends for the stove flue, straight and angled. The conical section is made by cutting a v-shaped slit in an oversize brass tube. The tube was heated to remove the temper and slit was closed, resulting in a conical shape. This was then silver soldered and the top and bottom were cut off for the correct length. The upper and lower sections were then soldered together and the piece was blackened and coated with Floquil dull finish. I still need to make a metal plate for the coaming. Druxey, maybe the captain "borrowed" the flue from Pegasus after enough rain ran down into the stove!
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I am getting ready to construct the flue for the stove. On the plan (kindly provided by Dave 2 posts above) the flue is shown as straight. I checked out several other of the Swan class ships and the only other one I could find with this convention is Fly. My question is did the artist simply not draw the flue correctly since this was provided by an outside vendor or was the flue truly straight? Any guidance would be appreciated. I also rebuilt the jeer bitts and crosspiece. Pictures pending. It looks much better now.
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Experiment on some scrap to see what brand appeals to you. But since you used a Sharpie, it should be an acrylic finish to prevent bleeding.
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What are you planning to use as a finish? Any solvent based finish will cause the Sharpie to bleed into the surrounding wood. (I found that lesson out the hard way.) That is why many of us use a pencil lead, paper or paint.
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Well, sir, I concur with you. It also appears my fore topsail sheet crosspiece may be too small. I guess I have my project for next weekend. Thank you for pointing this out.
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Thanks everyone for the likes and comments. Dave, I measured the dimensions directly off the Admiralty plans. As I mentioned, Atalanta's fore jeer bitt was different from some of the other Swan class ships. What struck me is how something this large is only bolted onto two flimsy forecastle beams.
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The next decision was how much planking to show on the forecastle. I decided on sufficient planking to support the fore jeer bitts, leaving the rest of the deck unplanked. The planks run the entire length of the forecastle deck, tapering slightly stern to bow. The fore jeer bitts are bolted onto the deck. The location varied among the different Swannies. On Atalanta, the crosspiece is on the fore side of the standards and there is only a 9" gap between it and the foremast. On Fly, the crosspiece is on the aft side of the standard. On Vulture, Dan Vadas states there are no standard because of the width of the hatches. The standards are bored for a 7" diameter sheave. There is also a cheek block with another 7" sheave, similar to the fore topsail sheet. Since the next step is adding the eyebolts at the foot of the foremast, I decided to apply the wood finish to the forecastle structure and fore jeer bitts. It is amazing what a difference that makes.
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Druxey and Greg, thanks for looking in. Also, thanks for the likes. Geoff, maybe next time. But nothing is stopping you from putting them on your build! Three sets aren't that many Martin. And yes they are cherry. I wanted just a little color contrast on deck.
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Tools and Supplies for My "Shipyard"
tlevine replied to daveward's topic in Modeling tools and Workshop Equipment
Regarding 11 blades... The brand of scalpel blades is not important. For our purposes, any brand will work fine. They cannot be resharpened. Personally, I prefer free blades that I put onto a "proper" scalpel handle. I hate using the plastic handles in surgery and I hate using them for my models. They do not hold the blade as securely as a metal handle and they flex. I use a long handle (#7) because I can see over my hand while I am using it. Image below borrowed from Havalon tools (I have never used them, it was simply a nice picture). -
It has been a while since my last postings. Summer is always very busy and leaves little time for modeling. I built the forecastle hatch coamings and gratings. These are made like the ones on the upper deck except the scantlings are all smaller. When making hatch coamings, it it much easier to build the grating first and make the hatch fit the grating. Needless to say I made two sets of hatches. Before there was any more detail to knock loose, I decided to apply the horseshoes and dovetail plates. These are from Greg's photoetch set. They were cut off the sprue and their outline was drawn onto the hull. Using an 11 blade, I make a light impression just inside the pencilled outline. Then I cut away the inner area with a 3mm chisel. The bolts are blackened brass wire. I enlarged the holes in the plates to a 75 drill bit to accomodate the wire. The plates were then epoxied to the hull. I will be applying minimal planking to the forecastle deck. The waterway was made by taking a template of the outline of the bulwark and then cutting out a piece of costello to fit. The rebate was hand cut.
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Great to see another Washington build. Mike's idea of two blind holes after beveling is great.
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Consider slitting saw blades. They come in various thicknesses to match the thickness of your grating. Here are two companies I have purchased from in the past. http://www.thurstonmfg.com/and http://www.malcosaw.com/ I think you can also pick them up on EBay. Be sure you specify the correct diameter and center hole size.
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Please remember that this is a recreation of a Spanish galley. It is not meant to represent any single vessel. Considering this ship is built of fiberglass with wood lamination, I would recommend independent validation of any details.
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Beautiful hull, Gary. I agree with you 100% on the spacers as I made the same mistake on Atalanta.
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Let's see Chuck...college four years, medical school four more years. At least when she starts residency, they pay her instead of the other way around!
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whats an easier build for a first kit
tlevine replied to rdestefano01's topic in Wood ship model kits
Kurt, I would call it your tradition! As long as the women don't need to wear hula skirts... -
whats an easier build for a first kit
tlevine replied to rdestefano01's topic in Wood ship model kits
I am torn by which advise to give you. Logically, it makes sense to build something small and relatively easy to hone your skills. But whatever you build, you must have a passion for. Otherwise it is simply a woodshop exercise. As an adult, my first ship model was also a Connie, the plastic Revell version. I was very proud of it and kept it on display as my first "real" ship model for several years. Unfortunately it was crushed during a cross-country move. My next model was Mantua's Peregrine Galley. And yes, I was way over my head. I even bought an Italian dictionary to translate the instructions. To this day, I display her to oohs and aahs from friends and foe alike (it is my only ship with a full complement of sails). I, on the other hand, shudder whenever I look at her, realizing all the mistakes and rediculous design features. But I had a passion to build her and she was completed within a year. You need to decide what you want more...a logical "training wheel" model or something that passion will force you to complete no matter how frustrated you may become. Chuck, I like the Hawaii idea. Our field trip could be in outrigger canoes and our banquet could be a luau. You can suggest it to Kurt! And, yes, you can never have too many clamps. -
Tools and Supplies for My "Shipyard"
tlevine replied to daveward's topic in Modeling tools and Workshop Equipment
I use Elmer's wood putty. I would recommend a color a few shades darker than your first planking layer. This helps the high and low spots stand out more prior to sanding. Drywall joint compound or Spackle will not accept wood glue very well. I have never tried Bondo. -
Questions regarding old kit(Mantua 776, HMS Victory)
tlevine replied to Smoke's topic in Wood ship model kits
I found a couple of old pictures from early in the rigging process. The pics are low quality as they were taken with a 1st generation digital camera. Hope this helps your decision making process.
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Questions regarding old kit(Mantua 776, HMS Victory)
tlevine replied to Smoke's topic in Wood ship model kits
I built this kit several years ago. It makes up into a nice build out of the box. I kit-bashed it rather severely using Longridge's book and the series of articles from SIS. My suggestion...go for it! First, decide whether you want to build it as-is or kit-bashed. Either way, get the articles by Gene McClure in SIS. Kurt posted links to the articles here http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/12994-ships-in-scale-magazine-articles/. The biggest problem is that the pieces are printed on fairly low quality plywood which is prone to splintering. I replaced several of these with pieces cut from basswood. The walnut vernier meant nothing to me because I painted her. As far as resale value, next to none. -
Yes, sir, it has. It won't stay that way long. I have a question about the foremost swivel gun mount. Should it be perpendicular to the water line or in line with the hull configuration?
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Work progresses on the forecastle framing and installing the catheads. There are two 9" sheaves in the cathead. These were made by drilling a series of holes along the length of the sheave opening perpendicular to the water line and then connecting the holes with an 11 blade. The sheaves were made from round brass stock, cut off on the Preac saw. These were then drilled for a pin. The cathead was also drilled and after blackening the sheaves and pin was inserted. The cathead was inserted under the third beam and glued into place. Then the second beam with its associated knees were installed. Bolts were inserted through the two beams into the cathead. The first beam was then installed. Finally, the knee between the first and second beams was installed. This was initially fabricated as one piece. With the cathead in place, the middle portion of the knee was removed for a snug fit. Carlings were inserted between the deck clamp and the first beam to support the bowsprit partner. Mortises were made for the half hook laterally and the partner medially. Finally, the half hoods and partner were installed. I have been practicing carving the cap for the cathead. Let us just say that it is a work in progress...
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