grsjax

I would sand it to fit.  Others may have different advice.

It is actually easier working on large timbers if you have the right tools.  But as was said above you can't just glue your planks on.

9 hours ago, Jim Rogers said:

Check out Master Korabel Small boat kits. I built one and it was great.

I have been looking at the Master Korabel kits.  Just wanted to try a simple small scale boat first and the Falkonet 6 oar boat looked like a good bet.  Already ordered the Falkonet kit.  Figured if Model-expo was selling them they must be legit.  Live and learn.

If they are not to delicate they can be polished in a tumbler.  A kids rock tumbler is perfect for this. 

Use a fine medium like ground walnut shell or corn cob with a shot of liquid polish like Brasso.  The finer the medium the better the result will be.  Add a shot of Brasso or other liquid polish to the medium.  Don't use the grit sold with the tumber, much to harsh for brass.  Put everything in the tumbler barrel and let run for 30 minutes or so.  Take out one of the parts and check the state of the polish.  If it needs more time do it in increments of 10 minutes or so.  After it looks good rinse with acetone and let dry.

43 minutes ago, Jaager said:

If you have access to a kiln  - use it.

Good advice.  A make do alternative is a hot attic.  Don't know what your weather is like there but if attics get hot then you can sticker the boards there and get some dry wood.  Down side is you can't really control the moisture levels very well.

These are Model Shipwright plans published by Conway Marine.

$10 each including 1st Class mail shipping in the U.S.

All Three for $25.

Sorry about the poor quality pics.   Haven't quite got digital photograph figured out.

TSMV Lochfyne

MV Ilala

"X" Lighter

Thanks

I think I will go ahead and order one.  I will put up a review of the kit.

Any reasonably hard wood with a fine, straight grain can be used for most parts of a model.  Best to pick out your own pieces if you can to get the best results.  That said some woods are better for some purposes.  For a general all around, low cost wood go with basswood.  Poplar is also a low cost alternative that is a little harder than basswood.  Not the best woods but pretty good.  I like cherry for most purposes but it doesn't seem to be the best for steam bending.  Apple and pear are good for just about anything.  Black walnut is excellent if you can find good pieces with out wild grain or knots.  Maple is good for the backbone of the model and decks but get wood with a fine grain, not the typical stuff you find at Home Depot.  Boxwood is an excellent wood for everything especially carving but it is expensive.  There are lots of woods that can be used in modeling and they don't have to be the ones found in kits or from wood suppliers.  I find that aracantha, dogwood, gardenia, plum, lemon, lime and other woods I find available around here work just fine and are usually for free.  You do have to season it and mill it yourself but it is easy to do with a little practice. 

One last thing.  Don't buy wood from sources in China.  What they label as cherry, walnut or boxwood has only a passing kinship with the real stuff.

I have listed all 8 issues of vols 28 and 29 on ebay.  They are list individually.  The first one listed is at https://www.ebay.com/itm/173457586155?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

The opening bid is $1.25 for each issue with a buy it now price of $2.50.

Just a suggested addition to the list of kits for people with a little experience, The Model Shipways kit the skipjack "Willie Bennett".  Great kit that is not to hard to build and has really clear, easy to follow instructions.

Yes but also later types up to the early part of the 20th century.  I like small work boats as they really represent the majority of ship building and use during these periods.  The large ships get all the attention but the small ones did most of the work.

Small fishing boats of the Baltic and north Atlantic and rivers associated with these areas would be great.  Actually any small fishing boat would be great.

Got it.  Many thanks.

Thank you so much.

PM sent with my email.

Thanks

Much appreciated.

Any one have a spare copy of the Midwest San Francisco Scow Schooner building manual?  I have the kit but it is an old one and did not come with the manual.  If any one is willing to part with or scan and send me one I would be grateful.

I was thinking of ordering one of Falkonet's small boat kits.  The pictures look good and the price is very reasonable but I have not seen any build logs or discussion of the kit quality.  Anyone have any experience building one?

Lots of good kits available that meet your criteria but I would recommend that you go with one that is not to complicated as a first build.  Model Shipways "Armed Virginia Sloop" might be one you would be interested in.  Instructions are excellent and it builds into a very nice model.  Here is a picture from the Model-Expo website of the finished model.

I bought this 2 1/2" vise from Harbor Freight that I really like.  I know HF sells junk right?. Well this vise is a lot better than I had expected and for $20 is hard to beat.  Very useful for working on parts that need to be turned a lot while in the vise.

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-1-2-half-inch-table-swivel-vise-97160.html

2 hours ago, mtaylor said:

at 1:64 and with the method of installing (flush), nails aren't really visible. 

Have to agree.  If you look at ships in dry dock even in the close ups of the bottom the nail heads are hard to see. I would guess that at just about any scale that you want to build in the nail heads would be very hard to see.  This is especially true if the ship is shown in service.  The oxidation of the copper would tend to blend in the nail heads with the copper plates as far as the observer would see.  This link goes to some pics of USS Constitution in dry dock.  You can see the copper plating very clearly in some of them.  http://gcaptain.com/ship-photos-of-the-day-uss-constitution-enters-dry-dock/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzEmail&utm_campaign=0&utm_content=261222#.VYRYhkbz63M

You can use Google translate ( https://translate.google.com/ ) for the text.  Copy and paste into the google app and select the language you want it translated to.  Not always the best translation but you can usually figure out what the meaning is.

This is what the paragraph next to the picture says in Swedish;

i skala 1: 130
Samla dina egna händer en stor modell av denna magnifika yacht i en strikt svart uniform med en guldinredning som gick under den kejserliga standarden fram till utbrottet av första världskriget.

I samarbete med FGBU
"CENTRAL MILITÄR OCH MARITIMUSEUM"
MINISTERIET FÖR FÖRSÄKRING AV DEN RUSSISKA FEDERATIONEN

You might try laying a piece of clear scotch tape over the area of the stealer on the hull and tracing the required shape.  Lay the tape with the tracing on your .5mm strip and cut along the traced line to get your stealer.  I always cut just a hair oversize and then use very fine sand paper with a block to get the final shape.

6 hours ago, Y.T. said:

Link, pictures?

https://www.amazon.com/Chatham-Directory-Inshore-Craft/dp/1861760299

Just got this book and am really impressed with it.  Some of the descriptive material is kind of scanty but the drawings and photos make up for it.  Excellent reference for anyone interested in the small boats of the British Isles.

I have been looking at kits of cutters and have found two that are of the same vessel in the same scale and about the same price.  One is the Soclaine 1:50 scale Le Renard and the other is the 1:50 scale Artesania Latina model of the same ship.  First impression is both kits are about the same but I know that can be wrong so here goes.

Question: Which of these models is the better choice?  Quality, instructions, fittings, historical accuracy and general fit and finish?

I found the build logs and gallery photos of both models but they were not real helpful in making a buying decision.