el cid

The video Ron posted of Ken's Intro to Airbrushing is something I recommend to all those new to airbrushing.  The most complete short seminar out there.
 
To Dave's question about cleaning between coats (sorry I didn't see your text message till just a few minutes ago) there is no need when using acrylics to wait between coats on something like a hull.  By the time one paints the port side with a second coat the starboard side is ready for it's second coat.  There is a tendency for paint to dry on the tip of the airbrush with any paint but with acrylics it collects quicker and heavier.  It's always best to preemptively flick the dried paint off the tip than to wait till you see it affecting the paint application.  Experience will help to know how long this takes with the paint, pressure and atmospheric conditions.  But as long as the airbrush isn't set down for other than short periods there shouldn't be any need to clean it between coats of paint.
If stopping for lunch, clean it to the point there is no residual paint showing on a clean paper towel.  At the end of the day always do a thorough cleaning.
 
Take care,
Kurt

Next job was the two boilers. It only took me a day and a half to make them both, and the finished result was really good - some of the best pieces I've ever made  .
 
Once again I added extra card strips to prevent any crushing - it's a lot easier to crush a beer can barehanded than to do the same to these  :

Once the frames were finished I rolled and glued the skins. These were then slipped over the frames from one end and glued to them :

The front of the boiler has a domed end. I sanded the shape into some extra card pieces before skinning it :



I just had to take a couple of pics of my overall progress. The boilers and firebox are only sitting in place, it's a lot easier to add all the extras to them in smaller units :





Danny

Hello Yves,
 
Your model building skills are exceptional to say the least... The kit looks to be a daunting task and you have stood up to the challenge; I admire your veracity... Back in 2003 I joined "TheSubcommittee.com" and starting building the OTW 1/32nd scale model Type VII C U-Boat (About 78 inches long); the hull was fiberglass and the deck, tower, and all the accessories were plate brass. When building the tower I had to learn to use a miniature blow torch to build the brass tower which consisted of two (2) flat sides and all other components had to be scratch built form brass sheets or rods. It took me about three (3) years to complete the project as a display model. I never got to installing the Water Tight Chamber (WTC) with the motors and all the control circuits. A completed model would be a static diver which is radio controlled.
 
I noticed you posted some drawings that looked very familiar... Possibly, they came from the AMP Website that contains "Tore's Mailbox"; it is our intent to share our discussions about the design and functionality of the Type VII C U-Boat with everyone. Mr. Tore Berg-Nielsen served in the Royal Norwegian Navy in the early 1950's on U995, and U926 as an Engineering Officer (EO) and I believe he is one of the very few living experts on the Type VII C U-Boat and he is in his early 90's. Over the past 5 years, I have documented our discussions and created "Skizzenbuch: U-Boat Type VII C Project" in a PDF format. At one time I had a publishing contract, but the book format 11 x 17 inch sheet size, 516 pages with over 700 photos and drawings became too expensive to print the book. My original intent was not to profit from Skizzenbuch in the first place, so I made the PDF file available on the internet to be downloaded free of charge. You may find Skizzenbuch helpful in understanding how everything worked in the actual Type VII C U-Boat and what your model represents. Skizzenbuch may be downloaded at www.subcommittee.com and go to "Forums" then "The U-boat Pen" and Skizzenbuch is the second pinned entry from the top where you can download the PDF.
 
Regards,
Don_
 
PS - attached is my OTW version of U-96 (Das Boot)'''
 

There seems to be a dearth of information on binnacle cabinets.  This is a replica of a 17th century cabinet from the vessel Nonsuch (found at the Manitoba Museum website).
 

Thanks Keith😀
 
Here she is at home in the front hall. People entering will have a hard time not seeing her.
 
Case is under consideration but the panels will have to be plexiglass/Lexan/etc. as glass this size would be way to heavy to ever move.

The Ship Alice with a couple of inshore fishing boats of a coast.
w/C 14” X10”
Jim

OK, I just had the sheets for the pearwood laser cut version of the kit arrive, 14 separate laser cut sheets. I am just waiting for the photo etched parts to arrive, which is a little frustrating..
 
All parts, especially keel and bulkheads have a nice 'push fit'. I didn't sand the slight surface laser burn off because if I did, the parts could hardly been seen, the cutting is so fine.
 
The clear stand was CNC cut and covered in protective film, to be peeled off when ready for assembly, and have included the complete cannon compliment, all resin castings and perfectly formed and smooth - and to scale.
 
I will be getting 20 special Alert kits cut in the same manner with the new laser cut company and use pearwood with slightly altered designs and resin cast guns soon.
 
ETA - materials:
0.8mm birch ply
1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 3mm and 4mm pearwood (or basswood)
2mm and 3mm MDF
3mm Clear acetate

Hi Ives,
 
Are you sure that those are blocks in the antenna-wiring? They look like black porcelain isolators to me.
 
Jan
 
 

Well this is the final installment, it's all I will do with the little Harbor Tug. She's ready for her place in my display cabinet. As much fun as it was in rather short order, I think I may drag out some of my other old ship models from 50 years ago and do those as well. They need some love, too.

Ship's Lifeboat.Somewhere. Mid ocean. Any ocean. War or Peace. Remember!.
W/C 15” X 11”

Return Cargo
Return Convoy. Steamer with a Deck Cargo of timber from Northern Russia. With escorting Corvette. Timber for 'Pit Props', was vital for the coal mines. Coal was essential to fuel the factories and and heat the homes of Britain. The former supply from Scandinavia and the Baltic countries, was no longer available being now occupied by Germany.
14”X10”w/c

For particularly delicate or small features, I sometimes fabricate it as a larger piece and attach it to the model, then carefully trim, file, or sand it to final size/shape.
 
HTH,
 
Keith

That's it: you have to go after an idea ... 😛
I'll give it to you as it is.
I'll post the details to do that ... I really needed to be motivated to find the material, do the testing and realize!
The result is not perfect, but I wanted to put a spinnaker on this Endeavour! I have never seen it on a boat of this type in static.

The continuation of the installation of the sails with the 2 jaws.
The first stanchion has been equipped.

I still have 2 or 3 things to do or test ...
 

Well, here I am at rigging rigging and sails!
Everything is matte black or shiny.
The turnbuckles are a personal addition: this Endeavor deserves better than knots ...

To create the sails, I wanted a canvas that reminds me of the current carbon of tall ships ... After looking everywhere, I found a coated canvas that was nothing but a costume travel bag ...
I completely dislodged it, then cut and edged with a semi-matte cloth sticker to make the headline. Then decor and structure with gray piping with brass wire to replace the battens of the mainsail.
The sails are "sewn" on the mast, the boom and the guy wires.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I have also added amounts for stanchions to come.

The following: the deck is equipped!
It was not easy. It was necessary to compromise between the equipment provided and some improvements ... But overall, this deck is busy!
For example, where a single brass wire was provided for the 4 step boards along the edges, I replaced with stained wood; Or the coachroof that was lifted to receive a roof more in agreement with the deck, finally the pulleys that are black with a copper reminder to push a little the luxury of this boat. 









Now, the rigging and its huge sails! 

I arrived at the end of the deck !
This is the raw version before light protection and retouching paint on the edges. It's still a crazy job to do ...

I advanced a little on this J class.
First the support after those made on the shipyards (tinted and aged to contrast with the new and very smooth side of the boat).
He replaces that of Amati (left) that I find ugly ...
Then the hull is finished, sanded, passed with a varnish, repointed (2 times). Then painting: at least 4 or 5 layers to have this gradient from blue to black towards the keel.
The mast and the boom are made, but not painted.
Next step, the lathing of the deck ... A long time to pass on! 🆒

The Corvette 'Alisma'  encourages this Norwegian tanker on yet another Atlantic Convoy
Watercolour 14.5 X 10.5” 
 

Every fire starts small - that is the time to tackle it.  The fire extinguisher is the tool - just like the rest of your shop has specialized tools - the extinguisher is your first line of defense after prevention.
 
A fire doubles in size every minute.  Having an extinguisher at hand can avert a disaster.  Call 911 and THEN grab the extinguisher and aim it at the base of the fire, not at the flames.  If you have the fire extinguisher and get to the fire in the first minute you will have a small issue.  If however, you call 911 and then stand there watching the fire grow because you don't have the extinguisher to use, know that the fire is going to double in size every minute.  How far away is the FD from your home?  Remember the fire is doubling in size every minute, when you had the chance to pull the pin on a fire extinguisher and put out the fire before the FD even got the fire truck's engine started. 
 
A club member had left his shop at about 11 PM to go upstairs to see the news and go to bed.  His invalid wife was in bed on the second floor.  He got to the first floor closed the basement door and went to the kitchen for a glass of water and heard a noise he didn't recognize.  Started to investigate and as he neared the stairs to the basement heard the sound and identified it a the basement smoke detector.  He opened the door and saw a small fire on his workbench and started down the stairs.  He kept a small tea candle burning on his bench to flash off the C/A from the C/A applicator and had forgotten to blow it out.  It had somehow ignited a sprue of plastic from the kit he was working on.  He said he was truly shocked and scared at how fast the small fire he saw upon opening the door had grown by the time he got to the fire extinguisher by the bench - it had grown to take over the entire top of the bench and all the kit pieces, box and plans before he could get the extinguisher and put out the fire.  As it involved a plastic kit the entire basement was filled with black smoke and floating plastic that clung to every inch of the ceiling and covered the floor.
 
He called me the next morning and told me of the fire and asked me to advise him on how to avoid a repeat.  After looking over the mess I pointed out his extinguisher was located so he had to go past the burning workbench to get it - I had him locate the extinguisher by the stairs so it is close to the exit - and it would have been right at hand as he came down the stairs and he could have used it quicker than having to go past the fire to the other side of the room before he could grab it.
 
I also encouraged him to have smoke detectors on each level of the house and to have them interconnected so that the basement detector would have made each detector sound an alarm and he would have heard it sooner.  More importantly, if he had not extinguished it quickly his invalid wife was asleep on the 2nd floor w/o any alarm on her level.  If he didn't have the extinguisher he would have been waiting for the FD to show up with his wife on the second floor - and heat and smoke rise.   The chance of her getting out would not have been good with the proximity of the stairs to one another.
 
I have had guys ask why my fire extinguisher is so far away from my work benches and I point out that it's near the phone to call 911 and near the stairs to get out.  You never want the fire to be between you and the exit without an extinguisher in hand.  I have a propane torch and several containers of solvents (all in metal cans) near my bench.  If I have a fire and go for the extinguisher my back will be to the exit if it grew to involve any of the hazards by the time I have it in hand to fight the fire and I can bail out and direct the FD to the right area.  I have the advantage of being confident I can probably extinguish any fire I might have in my shop with my 30+ years of experience and the fire extinguisher at hand.
 
Remember, call 911 and aim at the base of the fire not at the flames.
 
Kurt
 
 
 

For those interested in the Bellerophon
I have been collecting information for years and have compiled the first half (attached PDF) - HMS Bellerophon, Part 1: A Service History for your enjoyment
 
The second half (Part 2) will be transcriptions of newspaper postings and letters from the 1700's and 1800's
I have collected 948 newspaper articles, many are duplicate events in different publications.
It will be some time to manage these... but then so will my build!
 
 
HMS Bellerophon - Part 1 - A Service History.pdf

Afternoon Quickie 
A 'Ship Sloop Of War' and a Cutter on patrol in the Napoleonic era.
Watercolour 10” X 7”

The Destroyermen (Series) by Taylor Anderson
ACE Books
 
Okay, doing things a little bit different here -- this review isn't for a particular book, but rather for a series of books. I think you might like this series if you:
 
a.) like naval warfare fiction
b.) are a fan of alternative history, and
c.) don't care that everyone knows that you aren't reading Pulitzer-worthy material.
 
WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! (Just a few.)
 
The Destroyermen is the name of the series that began back in 2008 with Into the Storm and now numbers 14 installments and counting. In that first book, Anderson introduced us to the crew of the fictional USS Walker, a WWI-vintage four-stacker that gets caught up in the early events of WWII in the Southwest Pacific. During the Battle of the Java Sea, Walker attempts to evade the Japanese by heading into an unusual squall. Afterwards she finds herself on an alternative Earth. The key word there is alternative, i.e. this other Earth ain't like the one the boys left behind. The biggest surprise is that the alternative Earth's indigenous "peoples" aren't exactly people. The America sailors, led by Lt. Matthew Reddy, find that humans are not the only sentient life forms on this other Earth (it's alternative history, after all), and that some of the other combatants in the series have, um, "unusual dining habits". Some of these creatures will eventually become close friends and allies of the destroyermen, and some will serve as particularly dangerous adversaries. Along the way, Reddy and his men will discover that their new home is populated by many other surprising and unexpected characters.
 
Anderson is a great storyteller, and does a fine job of vivifying his fictional world, including the setting, the cast of characters, and the of course the alternative history leading up to the events described in the series. The list of dramatis personae gets longer with each volume, despite the inevitable combat losses, thanks to the increasing number and complexity of plot strands. It can be a little difficult to remember just who is who as you read from one volume to the next. Fortunately, each book includes a list of characters, descriptions of the current military hardware in use, and orders of battle. Some of the characters we first meet are tantamount to Star Trek "red shirts", if you catch my meaning, but others remain central to the narrative, and it's easy to get attached to them. Don't get too attached, though, because just like Patrick O'Brian, Anderson doesn't hesitate to off a beloved character here and there.
 
Speaking of Patrick O'Brian, no one will ever mistake Anderson's work for that of the Aubrey & Maturin author. The Destroyermen will never be held up in any English lit class as an example of the highest form of prose. The dialogue, in particular is often long-winded, since it is used as a device for filling in relevant plot details. But where Anderson excels is in describing the action, complete with all of the little technical nuances that we fans of naval fiction appreciate. Anderson also keeps the story line moving forward at a brisk pace and in an engaging manner, such that each book winds up being one of those page-turning, "just one more chapter" types that gets devoured in just a few days -- or less. Take that, O'Brian! (BTW, I love the Aubrey/Maturin series.) What the reader will enjoy is seeing how Walker's crew uses their wits, ingenuity, and antiquated destroyer technology to face down and overcome an endless variety of novel and seemingly insurmountable challenges posed by the hostile new world that the men find themselves in. It's also fun to see them first adapt to this new world and eventually grow to appreciate it.
 
I just picked up the 14th book in the series, Pass of Fire, and I'm pretty certain that I will have read it through in just a couple of days. I'm fairly certain that this book will find Matthew Reddy and the ever-expanding forces at his command facing down some enormous threat, and it will conclude with a satisfying resolution of the current dilemma, but leave me hanging with the hint that a greater dilemma awaits in the next installment. This is a high compliment to Anderson's abilities -- that his alternative Earth and its multitude of characters haven't yet grown stale after over a dozen books, and that readers are still eagerly anticipating more exploits by The Destroyermen.
 
So, if you are looking for some light reading to kill time in between bouts of serious nautical research, if you enjoy some likeable characters and a good yarn, even if it isn't written in early 19th-century English, try The Destroyermen. You might find alternative history as enjoyable as real history!

Our men’s book group just read and discussed the Caine Mutiny in memory of its author Herman Wouk who died earlier this year at age 103.
 
It is an excellent piece of naval fiction as well as a fine portrait of life on a small combatant, in this case a minesweeper built from a converted four stack destroyer.
 
If you have seen the movie, the book adds a lot that was cut and Queeg is not the same character as the one that Humphrey Bogart played.  Wouk served on one of these ships and writes from experience.

All Parts done, first Parts are powder coated, just waiting on ordered shaft seals before assembling.
An Overview.

(bigger four blade brass propellers are ordered too)