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D_Mc

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Everything posted by D_Mc

  1. Thanks for all the well wishes. I feel better than ever these days. Unfortunately, I didn’t record much of the hull planking. I do remember it being really time consuming because of the tight bends and balsa wood planks. I managed to get through it somehow and wanted to add some decking. I had some walnut veneer strips and decided to give it a go. I taped some masking tape down with the sticky side up. Then pressed a walnut strip down, then a twisted thread, then another walnut strip and so on. Once they were the correct size, they were cut out, flipped over and ready for gluing to the provided deck. Glued down with the tape side up and clamped with thread in-between each panel. On to finishing the planking. The deck completed w/ first coat of finish. No nails, I forgot to add them. (Maybe later…or not) With the planking and deck completed I was finally able to move forward with the bow & stern carvings. Lots of sanding ahead. Sorry, I don't have any photos of the carving process. The bow and stern were roughly shaped with a carving knife and smooth sanded with a fordom tool. I really didn't like the model design here at all. Having a plywood edge between two pieces of balsa wood is impossible to smooth out. I ended up using an auto body filler ( Bondo) to feather the edges and fill the dip created by the plywood. I'm painting it anyway, so maybe I can hide it somehow with paint. I should have installed the plywood first shaped it to the bulkheads, than the planks, then the carved bow and stern. Oh well maybe next time! Well that’s it for now. It may be a little while before my next post. It’s been a busy summer around here. Since the virus hit, my honey-do list has gotten a lot bigger! However, I do enjoy model making in the winter months. Thanks for looking!
  2. Hi Louie, thanks for digging me up! Yes, I have continued with this build but only a few months ago. Not long after starting this ship and posting this log, I had a heart attack, open heart surgery, had to sell my log cabin in the mountains after 25 years and move back to the city. Everything is good now and I’m back to model making! I have been taking some photos of the build and will post them here soon. It is coming along well, I am pleased with it. Thank you so much for your response.
  3. I began building the Mantua Roman Bireme kit a few weeks ago. I’ve read and studied so many of the building logs here at MSW and the information here was invaluable. This log is my thanks.. The wheel may have been labeled as “mans greatest invention” but my personal opinion is the wooden ship is not only the greatest invention but they are also the greatest work of art ever created. I feel very fortunate to have “discovered” the beauty and importance of the wooden ship through the modeling world. Ok, now on to the build. I am a beginner builder . There will be numerous mistakes and odd ways of getting things done but I am enjoying every minute of it. Here’s the kit. Everything seems to be here. I haven’t gone through the inventory list but so far I am impressed with the quality. The laser cut sheets look accurate and clean. I’ve built a temporary stand. The keel had a slight twist to it so I’ve added some metal “L”brackets to hold it true while the bulkheads were attached. The first bulkhead. Here is the decking attached. I had trouble fitting it due to the extreme bends at the bow and stern. The laser cuts were accurate but would not fit until it was all the down on the bulkheads. I ended up cutting the notches wider for an easier fit. Ready for the first planks! (not exactly…. forgot to add the bulkhead blocking). Bent planks ready for glue Here is my poor mans bending machine. An old soldering iron clamped to the bench and The bass wood plank soaking in an old peanut jar. Spare no expense! But hey, it's working. The stern planks twisted and glued. Here, I finally realized I needed bow and stern blocking. It would have been much easier to fit these blocks before those first planks. Oh well…not too late, I hope? My foredoom tool will make short work of carving these blocks. Here are the completed stern blocks. If only I would have remembered them before the planks and deck. I am new at this and it shows. After staining the interior that will be seen when finished, the planking begins! It’s a much more stressful task than I had expected. I’m moving too fast and being too forceful…I have already broken four pieces. Here I had to create something that would hold the planks at the stern. This is a very difficult area. I’m not sure what I will do when there is no room for the screws. I’m hoping the answer will come while I’m supposed to be sleeping. Take note of the deep dent on the plank. It looks like my finger nail dug into that soft basswood. My solution was to use a wet rag with the soldering iron. I laid the rag over the dent and steamed it with the soldiering iron. It worked! The dent is gone! What a relief, I have many more dents to take care of. Well, that’s it for now! Thanks for looking! D_Mc To be continued...
  4. Hey Renato, thanks for the welcome! -Dave
  5. Hi Derek, thanks for the welcome! I'll definitely look into starting a build log soon. I can't promise a very steady pace. It may be days or weeks before I post any progress. I have a lot on my plate these days... Thanks Again! -Dave
  6. Hi David, thanks for the welcome. I'm finding a lot of good info all over the net. Especially, right here with lots of great info and good people willing to share their knowledge. I've started my roman bireme kit last weekend and will begin planking the hull soon. Bending wood is something I'm unfamiliar with and will probably be posting looking for advice soon! Thanks again! -Dave
  7. Thank you Mark! I'm looking forward to following your latest build, it looks fantastic. -Dave
  8. Thanks Mark! A buddy of mine who retired last year say's "retirement is ok but you never get a day off". I'm still looking forward to it. Good luck with yours too! -Dave
  9. Thank you Paul! Looking forward to it all.
  10. Hi Ed, It's good to meet you too. Good luck with the Endeavour, it's a good looking ship. I too have glued things in backwards, upside down and in the wrong place! But, there's always a solution... that's the victory of this hobby. Take care, D_Mc
  11. Hi Everyone, My name is Dave McMahon and I have been building models since I was a kid. I’m 66 now and have been a woodworker/cabinetmaker/draftsman for close to 40 years. I’m trying to retire this year and my dream is to build scale model wooden ships. I just purchased the Caesar Roman bireme kit from Mantua and I can’t wait to get started. Hoping to pick up some tips and advice from you guys! I’ve only built one wooden ship model before and it was so long ago I can’t remember what kind of ship it was. I still have it…can I possibly post a photo here and maybe someone can help identify it? Looking forward to the future! Thanks for being here! D_Mc
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