-Dallen

Response from StewMac;
 
Thank you for contacting us.  We are waiting on some machine parts from our production facility, before we can list this item as "in stock".  We hope to have all items available later this week. You can always sign up to receive an email when this item is ready, by clicking the "email when in stock" link under the item number.
If you have any other questions or comments, please contact us.

Best regards, 

Jayme Arnett
Customer Service Manager
Stewart-MacDonald

Welcome to the group Len. Looking forward to your logs.

With such detail I have visions of pilot house and deck lighting.

Popeye...wonderful progress.....
 
Now splash some fish guts around and bloody up that deck and she'll really come to life.  
 
Fine attention to detail.
 
Rob

Stunning Denis; those standoff shots in particular make the model looks so life-like (colour and atmosphere).
 
Nice work mate, that detail really pops; especially like the little things like the brass handrails etc.
 
cheers
 
Pat

I had to chuckle Carl........I did have a thought about some oil drums      I could tuck 'em under the stairs or some place     thanks for the kind comment!
 
thanks Mark...I think this might be it for the mid ship.....although there is some stuff I planned to add.  thanks for the good word.  
 
thanks also to everyone who hit the like button   

Could you have crammed more on it ... I do see a little spot of plankin' though ... an empty barrel ... some old nets, pieces of rope ... you've another idea ... can't wait ...

Just "wow" on how much detail you've packed on that deck, Denis.  Just fantastic.

Yards are secured with parrel beads that attach to the yard, wrap around the mast and connect to the yard again. Depending upon the ship, era and yard defines how these are actually rigged. Look up "parrel beads" in the search bar and you will see many builds with them.
 
If you are looking for a "dummy" attachment to hold the yard in place while you rig, then I recommend drilling a small hole in both the mast and yard and inserting a tiny pin, wood or metal doesn't matter, then gluing them together. This will help add strength and hopefully help to prevent accidental knock off.

It's a nice ship to build, Jay, and you're off to a great start. If you haven't done so already, it's worthwhile to have a good look at the logs of the Lady Nelsons, Sherbournes, Cheerfuls and other cutters which are very similar and give lots of good suggestions for historical accuracy, rigging details or modifications you may want to make.
 
I don't think it's a rite of passage to produce the build log. I think the idea is more to give people the opportunity to post their own progress and ideas -- firstly to help others who want to do the build, and secondly to discuss problems or questions they find as they arise during the build.
 
The great usefulness of each log is that no two builds of the same ship are ever identical (just as no two ships of the same type were ever completely identical) and there is a huge variety of approaches to making the same pieces (even if you try to stick rigidly to the suggested approaches in the kit and use only their supplied pieces), so there's plenty of leeway to come up with your own way of doing things.
 
Everyone also brings their own particular previous history, experience and tools to their builds. So each build is also unique in that additional way. There are approaches from almost every walk of life -- including carpenters, lawyers, engineers, dentists, doctors, archaeologists, anthropologists, readers of marine history, bus drivers, bankers, sailors, and 12 year old students.
 
It's these aspects that can make build logs so interesting, especially when the builder gives great detail about their methods of construction and reasons for their choices. What is not so interesting is to see a build log just with pictures of final results, where the comments are just full of 'oohs' and 'aahs' and 'likes'.
 
I look forward to seeing your own approach, expecially given your own skills and experience you bring to it.
 
Tony

John, thanks for the tip and the pictures. In my old age tying the rat lines is a real pita. My Benjamin W Latham was my first dealing with rat lines and I said I would never build another one that had rat lines. I'm about to start on my 3rd build which will be either the Model Shipways Niagra or the Rattlesnake, so this will be very helpful.
 
Thank you, Eddie

Brilliant.  Love it.  Using it. 
 
I am working on my first ship - need all the help I can get!!!

Welcome to the group Len. Looking forward to your logs.

Some details of the metalwork from the Model Dockyard plans. The lathe will start turning in April when sawdust will also be created. A build log will follow.

I have spent my morning reviewing the content on Model Ship World that concerns copper plating the hull.  I have reviewed the threads on materials(tape, individual plates etc.) and the information on the processes involved, including the available PDF articles on the topic. Almost all of it concentrates on getting the job done with use of copper tape, ponce wheels, and individual plates.    Very little of it even hints at what may be appropriate for the scale (other than the size of the copper plate) and subject being modeled.  Here are some statements based on some conclusions I have made to demonstrate what I mean.
 
A).    Consistently good results are achieved in very large models.  These models probably require individual plates that are fully scored for the the nail pattern.  Because it is a large model, the scale of the subject is not much of a concern here.  At the scales the majority of the large models are made, an exact and historically accurate nail pattern(I mean the number of nails here) may not be necessary for the model.  In these models the copper nor the nail pattern overwhelm the model.   On December 30, 2016 Chuck posted in thread the "Best copper plates?" what may be the gold standard for copper plating.  The copper on the hull gives it a very textured look.   I could not figure out how to copy it here, so if someone would copy it here I would appreciate it.
 
B    In most models, and at most scales the absolute historically accurate nail pattern will not be necessary and in fact may overwhelm the model presented if attempted.  I think this is especially true in smaller subjects NO MATTER THE SCALE.  Your eye is distracted from the overall model because it is drawn to the shiny and pronounced pimply texture of the hull.  I think manufactured plates on smaller subjects may be the worst offenders here.
 
C)     The bigger the model the better manufactured plates will look.  The smaller the model the appearance degrades the model EVEN IF THE SCALE is correct.
 
D).     Copper Tape may be a better product to copper smaller hulls. You are able to control all aspects of the plate from scaling it properly to deciding on a nail pattern that presents best. This assumes that it is impossible to duplicate historical accuracy in the small subject or is undesirable to do so.
 
E).     At what size subject or scale is it best to copper the hull, show the plates but not put a nail pattern on it?  As an example, the Model Ship Ways Phantom Pilot boat, is a small model but at 1/8th scale may make individual plates possible and desirable.  Is there a consensus when the scale of the subject is small enough that nail patterns or copper plates are no longer required and the model is not deficient for the lack of these details?
 
F).     I have not located an example where the plates are represented but the nail pattern is absent.  Please post any examples you are aware of.
 
G).  Shiny vs. Weathered.  We all now the facts.  The copper was not likely supper shiny when it was put on the ship in the first place and if it was it was copper green in a very short time.  Yet the majority of modeler's present the shiny copper.  Why?  Because is looks nice and presents the subject in the best light.  In clipper ships especially I think it better represents the race horse quality of the subject.  I make this point to demonstrate that we spend a lot of time on individual plates and nail patterns and have already given up historical accuracy with shiny copper.
 
H).     A Practical exercise and example.  I will soon copper the hull of my AL kit of Dallas.  It is at the European scale at 1/50, close enough to 1/48 so as not to have any scaling problems with the making of individual plates or scoring copper tape strips. I must decide if I will put in nail patterns.   I think that at this size model (the hull is more than 17" long)  I must make individual plates and overlap them if I do not put a nail pattern in them.  If I decide that I will use a nail pattern I will use copper tape strips. 
 
I am looking for examples  of a hull with copper plates without a nail pattern and would appreciate a discussion and examples that demonstrate the points I made above.  When do they look good and when do they look bad?
 
Phil Roach

Dupree
 
I have found one advertised on eBay if that is any help to you.
 
Cheers
Steve
 
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Precision-Router-Base-For-Dremel-Tool-Freehand-Routing-Inlaying-Luthier-Tool-/111179440399

Have the Dremel Plunge Router attachment and it works well within its limitations. It will not handle close tolerance. I tired to run a rabbit on a keel and it would not consistenly hold aline. However I do use it on Doll House furniture where tolerance is not so critical. With the router (Dremel 4000) in place and the base on a flat surface you can "wiggle" the drill .010 -.020 laterally and .010 front to back. I've tried to order the Stewart McDonald tool but it seems to be out of stock everywhere. Sent an availability request to maker and waiting for response.

Have the Dremel Plunge Router attachment and it works well within its limitations. It will not handle close tolerance. I tired to run a rabbit on a keel and it would not consistenly hold aline. However I do use it on Doll House furniture where tolerance is not so critical. With the router (Dremel 4000) in place and the base on a flat surface you can "wiggle" the drill .010 -.020 laterally and .010 front to back. I've tried to order the Stewart McDonald tool but it seems to be out of stock everywhere. Sent an availability request to maker and waiting for response.

Have the Dremel Plunge Router attachment and it works well within its limitations. It will not handle close tolerance. I tired to run a rabbit on a keel and it would not consistenly hold aline. However I do use it on Doll House furniture where tolerance is not so critical. With the router (Dremel 4000) in place and the base on a flat surface you can "wiggle" the drill .010 -.020 laterally and .010 front to back. I've tried to order the Stewart McDonald tool but it seems to be out of stock everywhere. Sent an availability request to maker and waiting for response.

Have the Dremel Plunge Router attachment and it works well within its limitations. It will not handle close tolerance. I tired to run a rabbit on a keel and it would not consistenly hold aline. However I do use it on Doll House furniture where tolerance is not so critical. With the router (Dremel 4000) in place and the base on a flat surface you can "wiggle" the drill .010 -.020 laterally and .010 front to back. I've tried to order the Stewart McDonald tool but it seems to be out of stock everywhere. Sent an availability request to maker and waiting for response.

I'm amazed by the comments.....thank you   I'm glad I let my imagination get the better of me,  instead of just doing the bare bones,  like I was going to.  I still have more to go,  till I can get to the aft section.   one more day of work     thanks to all who hit the like button as well  
 
thanks Dupree..........when you begin you next build,  please let me know.   you have me curious now  
 
thanks Derek......I normally use brass rod,  but I had run out.   the MIG wire would have been thrown out anyway, so I put it to good use.   it solders well to boot and fit in the Billings stanchions.   I've not seen TIG wire,  but I'm sure there isn't much of a difference.  should you see anything else you'd like to try, be my guest.  it's all about sharing,  here at MSW  
 
thanks Pat.......still a ways to go.......so I won't be seeing the finish line any time soon.  glad you like the progress
 
there are kits around Medic.......Billing's has a few.   although,  they are generic and lack certain qualities.   I have many pictures of fishing boats and trawlers......they give me the ideas,  to add in some of the aspects of detail.   for Christmas,  the admiral got the the Billing's Norden.  it's an advanced beginner's kit.  it makes a nice model out of the box.......but add some rope coils,  buoys,  and other bits.....it really makes a difference.  if you settle on one,  let me know.......I'd like to follow along     thanks for the good word!
 
thanks Rob!     I wish I knew how to that....I have pictures of models done up like that.   really neat stuff!  
 
thanks Lawrence  
 
thanks Kees.........I'm dying to see yours!   I hope you are well and getting back into the ship building groove again  
 
thanks John.......yea.....getting all that rope off of it did wonders     actually,  that's a good picture of the fore deck     I need to make some vents for it,  just like the ones I made for the A.G.  more to go my friend.......
 
again....thanks for the kind comments.   hope to have more progress soon.

Popeye-
Just found this log. For the first time I now have a "future Build". Absolutely drawn to this model! Will digest your log. The detail is amazing.

Being new, not sure this has been mentioned before, I searched and didn't see it.
 
This is a luthier's tool for doing inlay, which ship modelers don't do much. However, any router base that precisely controls depth can be flipped over and turned into a router table. I haven't gone so far as to make a real table, but I have used it on small pieces while clamped upside down in a vise, and it works great. It operates very smoothly and the depth can be adjusted with really minute accuracy.
 

 
Precision router base for Dremel

Popeye-
Just found this log. For the first time I now have a "future Build". Absolutely drawn to this model! Will digest your log. The detail is amazing.

It's totally relative to the overall. For instance I started out with NO scale craft tools. So after machines, laser cutter and books....and since this is my first build it is costing me nearly 8 grand to build the Triton Cross Section. But with capital outlay already invested, the per project cost will come down ....eventually. I don't drink, smoke or party so that helps. I have friends that spend much more than that a year in bars. The satisfaction is worth it.