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jbford

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Everything posted by jbford

  1. We have hardwood floors and use "Minwax Hardwood Floor Restorer" on high traffic areas. This works well (so far) for me for thinning acrylic paints, and we always have a bottle of it around. It also seems good as a light sealer. The viscosity is low and so far no paint has curdled when mixed with it, good when you are looking for a wash or weathered look.
  2. I intend to do away with the circular staircases and go with two straight ones. Have already purchased some HO sized wood stairs. Also intend to square off the opening through the second deck and possibly change the shape of the second level cabin. Also change some of the railing "fillers: from photoetch to wood or laserboard. Will post photos if this ever actually gets constructed and doesn't look awful!
  3. Tower is a very reliable vendor. Had a problem with paint once and they replaced defective item. I have also ordered from HobbyLinc and they seem good also.
  4. Hope to start the King of Mississippi soon and will be replacing the cast metal windows, doors, and shutters with items from Rusty Stumps (who do model rail scenics). Also intend to replace the spiral staircases with straight stairs. And may replace the photoetch railings with wood. These folks have all these available (with some innovative repurposing like using scale pallets for shutters and picket fence for railing). They are cut from adhesive cardstock, laserboard, or ply in O or HO scale. They also have crates and other possibly useful items. The cutting is very clean. I have never seen work on such a small scale. Member jct used some of their products in one of his builds a while back.
  5. Thank you gentlemen! Yes, I am just in the shopping phase now. My experience level is low, and am trying to speed up some of the tasks that have turned out to be tedious and hard on my somewhat arthritic hands. Drilling and "slotting" are two things that have taken a lot of time and seem boring to me. Planking using only hand tools has proven very enjoyable. And shaping masts by hand has also been very satisfying, but future builds will require adding square sections to some of the masts and making lots of pinrails. Money is limited so getting a nice drill press seems like a good first step and perhaps not too messy to use in the spare room workshop. Upgrading to a micromill will double the purchase price, but might be for the best.
  6. Could anyone give some tips or links to how they use a drill press to notch timbers or square masts etc. using repeated plunge cuts? I am not really wanting to get into a micro-mill, just a drill press with vise and depth stop. Looking into a machine with vise with slot to fit fence on the table like the more expensive MicroMark or the Proxxon .
  7. thanks... good advice and will be interesting to do some experimentation. Woods harvested here in commercial quantities are bald cypress, red and white oak, Eastern cedar, hickory, and pine. Occasionally a cherry, maple, locust, black walnut, pecan, etc. Have made some small tables from the red cedar. It is very prone to splitting, pilot holes are a must for wood screws. So far have only done double planked models. First layer using the simplified method that Mr. Mastini describes in his book where planks going down to a sliver are allowed; second layer making an attempt at scale planking using stealers and drop planks. Doing a second layer of veneer and covering up any filler putty most certainly sounds like a good idea.
  8. I have a couple of Model Shipways kits that are all basswood. (Niagara and Glad Tidings.) The hulls will be painted, they are single planked. Is there any advantage to replacing the wood that is to be painted with something else such as Alaskan cedar or Swiss pear? Will proper priming/sealing/sanding make up for the "stringy" look of the basswood?
  9. Beautiful work so far. I have a Mamoli Mayflower waiting in the closet and they are similar enough that your work will provide some ideas for my future build.
  10. I just built launching ways for a boat and wanted to simulate that "railroad tie" look. Wound up mixing one part Matte Medium thoroughly with one part Burnt Umber craft paint. Added several drops of Black and swirled the mix with end of a toothpick to partially mix. This yielded a nasty looking brown/black mixture; when applied to balsa sticks (careful not to brush out too much) the effect was reminiscent of wood treated with tar.
  11. all- thanks for the insights. Clare--my most detailed model that is already in the closet is the MS Niagara. it will certainly use a bit of line and take some time. before that, i am about to start on a AL Bluenose-II and then the MS Glad Tidings. got the Bluenose second hand and it is complete except for the line. i may use the slick Model Shipways line for both of these. we hope to get up to PA to see the niagara firsthand and take a lot of photos i'm trying to not plan too far out as arthritis is really slowing me down. Buying from Chuck might be the best way to go, already have some of his fine blocks and they are great.
  12. my work is not good enough to warrant buying handmade "rope" but am thinking of laying in a supply of cheap line from one of the major kit manufacturers. of the line i have seen, some seems fuzzy almost like yarn and some is very hard and slick. any suggestions would be appreciated.
  13. NO! They work great for building full-scale objects, but the underlying wood needs to be thick and solid. If not it will splinter and that pin will become a bullet. These things are called a nail GUN for a reason and drive the steel pins all the way into a 2-inch thick fir board.
  14. Model rail spikes? they are blackened iron, come in 3 sizes, and have the peened head. At least one person has posted pics of their use here on MSW.
  15. there is a dealer on ebay who sells all the sizes of Hillman black steel wire. it will cost $4 or so including shipping..
  16. It is currently under construction at the shipyard here. Info from Hamilton totally matches my impression. Instructions are very basic, wood and plans are excellent. There are a lot of curves in the hull and there is no plank cutting plan (as comes with the Pinky). Wish I had used bigger filler blocks......had to use a lot of wood filler and sandpaper after first planking and am now starting on second layer. Note that premade sails are included! The Sloup builds up into a nice big model.
  17. anxious to see how this works out! i'm just a beginner but am learning to hate bulwark construction on some kits
  18. hobby lobby has it in various colors and widths. sure michael's and art stores would have it also
  19. i have one in the box ready to build. it will be very helpful to watch your progress, please post both sucesses and problem areas.
  20. i have one waiting to be built. yes, it does look like a nice kit. please don't just publish the end results, the glitches encountered and info on how you get past them will be of great interest!
  21. the Mamoli Mayflower also has the printed card stock. Cutting and gluing would be easy to do, but think we will go with paint. The pattern will definitely be simplified, maybe just some painted stripes and one big flower. The Mayflower looks like a nice kit, and has bulwarks made of strip wood rather than ply. Bending and gluing large plywood strips reduces the building enjoyment for this geezer.
  22. I like your Tag line. Our German Shepherd is the most wonderful, loving, being in the life of my wife and I.
  23. There is some mention in the description for this kit that instructions and parts are included for building two different ways, perhaps as admiralty style. If this is the case it would be nice to have your comments on this as you study the plans and materials. thanks. JB Ford
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