Jaxboat

Hello Reilly,
Thanks. Yes I plan to re-release all Mamoli kits, now I am starting with Mini line but the bigger models of MV serie will follow later too .
Best regards
Daniel

In my opinion, one of the most beautiful ships in the Mamoli line.

I am curious could you just do this with a flexi file, miniature diamond files, mini chisels and Squadron files?

Congratulations Daniel and very luck with your new model Division!

Best of luck in your new venture!
Jaxboat

Best of luck in your new venture!
Jaxboat

Best of luck in your new venture!
Jaxboat

Best of luck in your new venture!
Jaxboat

Best of luck in your new venture!
Jaxboat

That's great news Daniel, it can only be good for promoting ship modelling, support for conservation of historic ships, and an excellent marketing approach. Well done.
 
Gary

I am curious could you just do this with a flexi file, miniature diamond files, mini chisels and Squadron files?

I am curious could you just do this with a flexi file, miniature diamond files, mini chisels and Squadron files?

I am curious could you just do this with a flexi file, miniature diamond files, mini chisels and Squadron files?

Lets get even closer.....This is what I see under magnification while carving.....you are so close to the details while carving it becomes hard not to obsess about the surface texture and I hope you can see the areas I would like to smooth out a bit but I am afraid to keep slicing and carving and wonder if there is another method.  I think files would be too large and tough to use as I cant see getting any back and forth motion while its still mounted.   Its fragile so attempting it after removal would most certainly break it...but who knows...it could just be my inexperience and that is how it should be done.
 

 
Maybe I have to just get better with teh initial carving and that will just come with practice.
 
Chuck

I'm not sure I see the rough areas that you are talking about, but I believe that the answer to getting a super smooth surface in most cases where sand-paper doesn't work is high-quality jewelers files.  Not the crap you get from MM or a hobby store, I'm talking about Valorbe or other comparable Swiss files which can be purchased in extremely fine tooth cuts and will produce a silky smooth finished surface.
 
If you follow the build log of Frank (Mahuna) in the scratch build section, you'll see that he has files for just about every situation you could come up with.
 
Of course, acquiring a comprehensive set of high-quality files is extremely expensive, so you would want to acquire them as you need them for different situations.  For getting into the tiny corners a good triangle file might be useful, and you can get these fine files with teeth only on certain sides so that you can get right up into the corner and only take material from the work-face, and not the edge.

In this photo you can see two of three carvings placed on the model so you can see how they look when assembled...the third is still mounted on the carving base but you get the idea. I think I did apply Wipe-on-poly to that first one because it appears a bit darker.  
 

 
My question is this,
 
In this photo you can see the surface quality of the pieces super close up.  It looks a little rough to me in spots.  I didnt scrape the surface at all while carving but you can still see some rough points and bits that werent completely removed in the corners and crannies..  I wonder if there is a way to sand pieces this tiny and fragile.  I have tried folding a piece of 320 grit sandpaper and cutting it with a point on the end but its still tough to get into and address the rough areas. I Just cant get to them.
 

 
Am I just looking at them too hard under magnification and close up macro photos???is it much to do about nothing or is there some method the more experienced carvers use to smooth out the surface to rid it of irregularities and tiny splits or wood hairs.  I have seen the work of some master builders and carvers on ship models and they sometimes appear so crisp and smooth.   It could have been that they were much larger but I doubt it.
 
Maybe it looks just fine????  Buff it?? some sort of polishing or just apply some wipe on poly with a brush???  Feel free to jump in....these are the little gems I am hoping will get talked about as folks start their own logs.  I am the first person in line for any and all tips.  
 
I also wonder how those builders of the contemporary models got their carvings so thin...look at the contemporary model I posted.  Its the same scale.  I thought our blanks at 1/32" thick were thin but I couldnt imagine going thinner???  It makes me admire them so much more.
 
Chuck

I picked up a couple of packages of Alpha Abrasives brand foam sanding sticks about 1/8 square  x 6 1/2" long at Hobby Lobby - they come in a variety of grades one side is one grade opposite side is another grade, example 100/180, 120/240  - they come 12 to a package and are color coded for ease of identifying. They are good for small work. About $4.00 a package.

Thanks,  I do know about those but never thought about using them on wood.   I finished the third leaf design needed for the starboard side of the barge last night.  I applied some Wipe-On-Poly and I am happy with how they look, so rather than continue noodling with these I am just going to press on.  I have 5 more carving designs to get done for the model.
 
Next I will mount these three on a piece of scrap wood so I can make a mold.  I will pull a bunch of castings in resin for those who dont wish to carve them for their model.  I just hope these masters dont get ruined in the process because I plan on adding them to the model shortly after.
 

 
Chuck

I am starting a project log so you guys can see how to start one as well.  Just start a topic and name it properly.  Maybe include what your method is.....#11 blades or rotary carving etc.  I know that nobody likes being the first one to start so here it is to break the ice.  I urge all you guys who bought the blank sets to do the same....lets get some ideas and conversations started.
 
The photo below shows an extreme close up of my carving work to date.  These three lengths of acanthus leaves are needed for one side of the barge.  Once completed I need to carve another  set for the port side.  But those will be mounted upside down as they are a mirror image.
 
I am almost done with this set....Just a little remains on the center example.  I am using a #11 blade 98% of the time.  The close  up is pretty brutal.....warts and all you can see how the carving went.  It looks much much better when viewed normally and no finish has been applied yet.  I keep the other two that are finished close by as I work on this one because they must all look the same.
 
I also included the contemporary barge model so you can see how these three pieces will become the continuous length of carving along the side of the barge aft.  Its pretty typical of the acanthus leaf carving designs on any ship model.  I figured its better done in three small lengths than one huge piece....just in case a one-time error that ruins the piece I am working on....the other two will still be fine and usable. Each one took me about six or seven hours to carve in a few one or two hour sessions.
 
Chuck
 

 

OK: Elements of a paint used in modeling:
"Oil Based: Enamels Pigment, binder (drying (oxidizing) oils such as linseed oil, alkyds made from soybean oil, tall oil from paper manufacture etc "cooked" (reacted), diluents to reduce viscosity  (terps, etc.), drying agents (organo (manganese, zinc etc) metallic complexes to speed oxidation i.e. drying). Enamels
Solvent borne: lacquers (low molecular wt, acrylic resins, styrene copolymers, nitrocellulose etc) resins solved in carrier solvent such as ketones aromatics (xylene etc). Paint dries as solvent evaporates, pigments. Can be re-dissolved in original or alternate solvent blends
Water borne: Binders including acrylic emulsion, acrylic dispersion, styrene acrylic emulsion, urethane pre-polymers and resin dispersions, etc , pigments dispersants  to disperse, suspend and disaggregate pigments. Can be binder resins or separate. Coalescent agents (Co-solvents) to aid film formation, defoamers, viscosity and rheology modifiers and many others.Pigments, (metallic pigments are unique to WB)
Water borne paints are much more complex than solvent or drying oil based because of the poor surface tension (wetting) properties of water The terms lacquer and enamel are really not germane. I guess you could term a floor polish a lacquer. Inability to re-dissolve an acrylic house paint emulsion is a function of high molecular weight of the acrylic emulsion not composition.

OK: Elements of a paint used in modeling:
"Oil Based: Enamels Pigment, binder (drying (oxidizing) oils such as linseed oil, alkyds made from soybean oil, tall oil from paper manufacture etc "cooked" (reacted), diluents to reduce viscosity  (terps, etc.), drying agents (organo (manganese, zinc etc) metallic complexes to speed oxidation i.e. drying). Enamels
Solvent borne: lacquers (low molecular wt, acrylic resins, styrene copolymers, nitrocellulose etc) resins solved in carrier solvent such as ketones aromatics (xylene etc). Paint dries as solvent evaporates, pigments. Can be re-dissolved in original or alternate solvent blends
Water borne: Binders including acrylic emulsion, acrylic dispersion, styrene acrylic emulsion, urethane pre-polymers and resin dispersions, etc , pigments dispersants  to disperse, suspend and disaggregate pigments. Can be binder resins or separate. Coalescent agents (Co-solvents) to aid film formation, defoamers, viscosity and rheology modifiers and many others.Pigments, (metallic pigments are unique to WB)
Water borne paints are much more complex than solvent or drying oil based because of the poor surface tension (wetting) properties of water The terms lacquer and enamel are really not germane. I guess you could term a floor polish a lacquer. Inability to re-dissolve an acrylic house paint emulsion is a function of high molecular weight of the acrylic emulsion not composition.

OK: Elements of a paint used in modeling:
"Oil Based: Enamels Pigment, binder (drying (oxidizing) oils such as linseed oil, alkyds made from soybean oil, tall oil from paper manufacture etc "cooked" (reacted), diluents to reduce viscosity  (terps, etc.), drying agents (organo (manganese, zinc etc) metallic complexes to speed oxidation i.e. drying). Enamels
Solvent borne: lacquers (low molecular wt, acrylic resins, styrene copolymers, nitrocellulose etc) resins solved in carrier solvent such as ketones aromatics (xylene etc). Paint dries as solvent evaporates, pigments. Can be re-dissolved in original or alternate solvent blends
Water borne: Binders including acrylic emulsion, acrylic dispersion, styrene acrylic emulsion, urethane pre-polymers and resin dispersions, etc , pigments dispersants  to disperse, suspend and disaggregate pigments. Can be binder resins or separate. Coalescent agents (Co-solvents) to aid film formation, defoamers, viscosity and rheology modifiers and many others.Pigments, (metallic pigments are unique to WB)
Water borne paints are much more complex than solvent or drying oil based because of the poor surface tension (wetting) properties of water The terms lacquer and enamel are really not germane. I guess you could term a floor polish a lacquer. Inability to re-dissolve an acrylic house paint emulsion is a function of high molecular weight of the acrylic emulsion not composition.

OK: Elements of a paint used in modeling:
"Oil Based: Enamels Pigment, binder (drying (oxidizing) oils such as linseed oil, alkyds made from soybean oil, tall oil from paper manufacture etc "cooked" (reacted), diluents to reduce viscosity  (terps, etc.), drying agents (organo (manganese, zinc etc) metallic complexes to speed oxidation i.e. drying). Enamels
Solvent borne: lacquers (low molecular wt, acrylic resins, styrene copolymers, nitrocellulose etc) resins solved in carrier solvent such as ketones aromatics (xylene etc). Paint dries as solvent evaporates, pigments. Can be re-dissolved in original or alternate solvent blends
Water borne: Binders including acrylic emulsion, acrylic dispersion, styrene acrylic emulsion, urethane pre-polymers and resin dispersions, etc , pigments dispersants  to disperse, suspend and disaggregate pigments. Can be binder resins or separate. Coalescent agents (Co-solvents) to aid film formation, defoamers, viscosity and rheology modifiers and many others.Pigments, (metallic pigments are unique to WB)
Water borne paints are much more complex than solvent or drying oil based because of the poor surface tension (wetting) properties of water The terms lacquer and enamel are really not germane. I guess you could term a floor polish a lacquer. Inability to re-dissolve an acrylic house paint emulsion is a function of high molecular weight of the acrylic emulsion not composition.

I suspect that, back in the 17th and 18th centuries, that colors varied a lot. Paint was mixed on site from pigment and oils. The quality of pigment would vary from batch to batch and where one was located geographically. No 'QC' back then! I agree with Wefalk - don't get too stressed about it.  

I believe iron oxide reds were the right choice. If nothing else, they are extremely color stable. Organic reds on the other hand are much less stable. There is no such thing as an acrylic red. There are acrylic paints containing red pigments. Interesting discussion.