grsjax

While looking at a model of the Nonsuch I got to wondering about all the carving and gold leaf.  When a ship like this was used for exploration or other hard use were the carvings removed and stored away?

If so this would reduce weight up top and the easily damaged bits would be out of harms way.  

Seems like everyone has built the Mayflower.  Go with the Occre Cala Esmeraldae for something different and interesting.

I think this has been mentioned here before but I will go ahead and mention it again.  At least a few companies sell a fixture to hold a model by the keel to make it easier to work on.

This one is sold by Mantua.  They work really well for trimming planks.

Let us know how that works out.  Mesquite an interesting choice.  My limited experience with it was that it is hard as a rock.

On 6/26/2025 at 5:27 AM, clarkt said:

wood from a guava tree

Great wood for carving.  As common as quava is here in Hawaii you don't see it used much in crafts and art.  Usually ends up being used to smoke meat.

I have previously posted about interesting wood that I have found/harvested here in Hawaii.  I am always looking to find new material for making parts.

I was wondering if anyone else does the same in their areas.

Please post info about unusual, strange or down right weird wood you have incorporated into a model.

To start things off I will mention two woods I have used.

Citrus x latifolia - 'Tahitian' lime This is the citrus tree not the Lime or Basswood common in models.  Nice hard, tight grained wood with a faint yellow color.

Hibiscus schizopetalus - 'Chandelier' Hibiscus This is a rather unusual ornamental plant that has bright red flowers that hang down and form a kind of lacey ball.  Wasn't expecting this to be usable wood.  However I dried a few pieces and found that the wood was fairly hard.  The wood is light tan in color and carves easily.

Wonder if they are going to release a set of drawings of the boat?

Received some packages of scale rope the other day.  Looks pretty good but it has a shine on it.  Is this typical for rope made with polyester thread?  Is there a way to reduce the shine?

This is a smaller version of the one above.

https://baileigh.com/manually-operated-mini-shear-brake-sb-8

10 hours ago, kurtvd19 said:

Please provide a website URL

I can't find a website for the manufacturer or a US outlet.  This is a website that sells them and they are available from other places like ebay and Amazon.

https://www.teslastrings.com/en/m/luban

I am always looking for wood from the area around me for model building.  There are lots of articles and commentary about the "best" wood for modeling but the discussion seems to center the woods like Box, Cherry, Walnut, etc.

There are a lot of different wood types out there and I think many that we don't think of as model building wood will work just fine.  Bottom line is that any wood that is stable and workable will do.  If a model is to be painted grain is not really an issue.  If a model is going to be left unpainted there are many woods that will look good either with or without staining.  Just my .02, please feel free to let me know what you think on this subject.

Anyone have experiance with Luban Tools?  Pictures look great but they are expensive. 

17 hours ago, manning16 said:

mentioned that the Dremels can be upgraded

Check out the above thread.

On 3/16/2025 at 1:51 PM, Gregory said:

 Their  prices are considerably more than other places like Amazon, Temu, Ali Express and others.

Aliexpress has the drill press for ~$50.

Not trying to hijack this thread but I do have a serious (maybe dumb) question about these kits.  How does one tell the difference between v.1, v.2 and v.3 kits?

I have several pieces of wood from a Gardenia bush that I pruned awhile back.  Diameter is small with the larges I have being about 2" thick and very few of the pieces are straight for more than 5-6 inches.  That said the wood is great.  Very light colored with a straight grain and fairly hard.  I am going to try making some parts from it and see how it works out.  Anyone here tried using gardenia wood?

Considering the missing parts and parts that don't fit right you should contact Pavel and let him know about it.  I know that some of his earlier models had issues that were corrected in later editions.

A quick search brings up a lot of different small drill presses.  You might want to expand your search beyond Proxxon and Microlux.  They are good products but I think cost a lot more than the benefits they provide.

You might want to check out something larger than the mini drill presses that have been mentioned so far.  This one https://www.amazon.com/WEN-4208T-2-3-Amp-5-Speed-Benchtop/dp/B08ZVT5JKC?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-0oQbgDoyMKeUdrGAsEAIVg5RJz0T9P0iiEijuk1RN8lWGjsBcJh2U4Tj6ilqA1qMpFjjGhil9rkAX4vz_RMn111nHFcLRPQJX9Zp-IKcEzEEmpPOjsMZw1FC4g2kMTs-7rQj2VNkkmSfNdUnwPZbTfhKqXB0IiYQC-fJ1X9MhYUUXlSnz6bWEfuCQtjEdKILhvdMZzpZnuokAT3oJg-eBh-4_Uy_XvA9z_ye3RPNoUPOpDZ47Pu7QN66DC97G8SqQJqpmXYsMBLpUIo0D3N8lxJSbggKBn9XI_9RSlirkM266Qz_UwFMnZb_8b2oYIhJBPhBKuxoY-z8sFaJ4kgY8v0pv9mQqZgMOdIqqZDUpGKPj9KCdK6j_BhPJu4V7O0CrJlTZCAwMbubjHaI-09m60bIwE3rqG2KswEBwv1Hk0L-BjBQle2o28rBCwbb-_Z.b8Um8MN7cuRy2k2EcsFJPq8GjBdDKTtsRIK3tX2mtQo&dib_tag=se&keywords=mini%2Bdrill%2Bpress&qid=1736103704&sr=8-10&th=1

on Amazon has more power, stroke length and versatility than smaller ones and only takes up a small footprint on your bench.  I have one and it works very well.

New to me at least.  Stainless steel and the grip is pretty strong.  sizes available from 2" to 5".   I find them useful for model building.  I bought them off of aliexpress but they can also be found on Amazon.

51 minutes ago, rpedersen said:

ello!

Anyone still looking for a Preac Drum Sander??  I have a fully functional one in excellent shape that I am no longer using.  I am willing to accept reasonable offers!

Email and Phone removed.

Message sent

As requested here is the amazon page with the light on it.

Ordered this from Amazon and am very pleased with it.  Best work light I have found for model building.

I have one from a different vendor.  Same machine, different label.  Works well and I have had no issues with it over the last 5 years.

Haven't tried using clear coat.  I let them age for a couple days before I try to handle them.