grsjax

As the title says, we are pleased to announce that Ships of Pavel Nikitin are now a sponsor to MSW.
 
https://shipsofpavelnikitin.com/shop
 
This is a new Ukrainian company which have a small but growing number of original model kit designs with some nice building features which I'm sure you'll like. In the next week, I'll be bringing you reviews of:
 
1:48 San Bartolome 1584 Building cradle for San Bartolome Paint set for San Bartolome Display cradle for San Bartolome 1:32 Captain John Smith's Shallop.  
We are shortly being sent their new 1:25 Viking Drakkar too. 
 
These guys are operating in the most appalling of conditions in Kiev, with rocket attacks taking out their power and water etc. To continue to create thee kits in that climate is amazing. I hope you'll support them and welcome them to MSW.
 
Their banner is now on our site too.
 

I seriously doubt if anyone is going to become financially deprived by buying shellac vs WOP vs lacquer.
 
 I grew up well before we became conscious of environmental hazards of various finishing materials, manmade and otherwise.  My parent’s hobby farm featured a long white board fence and my sister and I were the fence painters, each armed with a bucket of white oil based paint and a large paint brush.  We got as much paint on ourselves as the fence.  I am, therefore, rather insensitive to smelly paints and varnishes in my shop, particularly in the small quantities that we use.
 
WOP, shellac, lacquer- all work.  It’s a matter of personal choice.
 
Roger

Everything written about shellac that I've ever read contains the caveat that it has a limited "shelf life." I'm sure at least some of these articles have been written by experts. I've always used Zinsser's "Bullseye" brand pre-mixed "orange" (amber) or "white" (clear) shellac in quart cans. All I know is that I've never perceived any deterioration of the product over the passage of time and, in some instances, it took me several years to consume a quart of the stuff. I've certainly had it thicken a bit due to the evaporation of the alcohol solvent, which is easily resolved by simply adding more alcohol, but I've never seen any of the Zinsser's Bullseye shellac "go bad" sitting on the shelf. As this stuff probably has to set on the shelf in the store for a long time before it's sold, perhaps Zinsser has found some additive that solves the short shelf life problem? I don't know.
 
What i do know is that shellac is one of the handiest materials I know for modeling. It dries very quickly. It's easily thickened by just letting a small amount sit in the open air for the alcohol to evaporate. Thinned shellac is an excellent wood finish that can provide the entire range from matte to high gloss, depending on how thick you wish to apply it. It's also one of the most moisture resistant coatings available. It can be hand-rubbed to a perfect finish ("French polishing") or, applied thin, can serve as an invisible matte sealer beneath any other coating. It can also be used to stiffen rope to form catenaries in rigging and seal rigging knots which can later be easily undone if needed. Thickened shellac is an excellent adhesive. Shellac is archival material that will last for centuries and is easily dissolved and removed with common alcohol. It's also non-toxic (except for the denatured alcohol its dissolved in. Shellac is used in confectionary making to give a gloss to candies such as jelly beans.) And, last but not least, it's readily available in paint and hardware stores and relatively inexpensive.
 
I can't see what's not to like about the stuff. 

I would have suggested Foyles but I haven't been there in over 20 years so I guess that would be out of date.  When I was there I went over to Greenwich and found several nautical themed bookshops there.  Been a long time so they could be all gone now.

Thanks for the advise.  I tried scissors and that seems to work ok.  Might have to find a really small pair to do some of the smaller bits.

Thanks for the advise.  I tried scissors and that seems to work ok.  Might have to find a really small pair to do some of the smaller bits.

Haven't visited them in a while but these people are long-time specialists (and five minutes away from Cuty Sark!):
About Us (navalandmaritimebooks.com)
 
HTH.
Bruce

I have used metal working shears for cutting parts out of brass sheets before, with great success.
 
That was how the stern and quarter galleries came on my Mantua Victory.

Brass sheet .010in or less in thickness can be easily cut with a pair of sharp scissors.  I have found that these work better on thin stock than heavier metal shears.
 
A quality scroll saw can also be used.  I first glue the brass to a piece of thin craft plywood with Ambroid cement, the old model makers cement.  The brass is easily peeled from the wood after cutting.  If you have and can use a jewelers saw this would work too.
 
Roger

Hi everyone,
 
Thanks again for the comments and likes. Since the last update I have installed the forecastle and quarterdeck beams and hatch carlings, coamings and ladders. The waterways were then installed along with the beam rabbets for the fore and aft planking. Finally I completed the bulwark planking. I am looking forward to building the windlass and capstan next.






Until next time,
Ian
 
 

Finished my Smith Island Crab Scraper. It was a lot of fun, I learned a lot about building wood models.

Here is a build log for this kit. 
 

FINISHED
Final pictures
 
The Zeesboot in scale 1:24 (in workboat mode)  is now completed.  The Zeesen-sack at the end of the Zesse-gear ground net is just being hauled up over the stb. side with a tackle in the upper mainmast, after a nights drift with the Zeese gear sweeping over the Bodden ground. It`s been quite a good catch and the fishermen are pleased with their work. The bow and stern prolongation-spreading-poles have been shifted in again and secured on deck.
I named the boat LORBAS and the home port is the harbour of the town Barth. ( This is not a model of an actual existing boat, and the fishing-craft registration # on the sail is from a boat that has been scrapped many years ago)
The build provided much fun over the last months and I think it turned out as one of my favorate models
 
Nils

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

I found this trick buried in a YouTube video. After trying it out, I was pleasantly gobsmacked to find just how well it worked. 
 
Clamp a curved scalpel/craft blade in a vice, curved edge uppermost and exposed.
Rock a file, not too worn, along the whole length of the exposed edge while pressing firmly but not too hard. 
Place the blade flat against a sharpening stone and make a single swipe on each side.
You now have a saw.
 
When pulling the saw across a test piece of wood it was surprising how much 'drag' I could feel as it cut compared to the same blade and same piece of wood before the saw-teeth were installed. It doesn't seem to matter if the blade is worn or new, so I know what I will do with tired blades in the future.
It works best on curved blades used with a rocking motion but will also work with straight blade used for shorter strokes. 
The kerf is quite narrow and a saw made this way seems especially well suited for scoring straight lines in wood since the toothed edge resists following the grain.
 
Maybe others already know this trick but hopefully someone will find this useful.
 
Bruce

Avocado has a noticeable grain that may not look appropriate on a model.  It is a nice wood for carving and other decorative uses.

Avocado has a noticeable grain that may not look appropriate on a model.  It is a nice wood for carving and other decorative uses.

Avocado has a noticeable grain that may not look appropriate on a model.  It is a nice wood for carving and other decorative uses.

Not sure if it can be done now that you have rigged the ship. But the material of choice is Silk span. Here is my video on it 
 
there is another excellent video by Tom Lauria 
 
 

‘ The Chopper’ Found Here   does the same thing for half the price. I’ve had mine for years, 

I look at it as a continuum of model building skills. Some folks like to do everything on their own, others just want to concentrate on building. I imagine there are some scratchbuilders who can't see the point of laser-cut bulkheads and parts.  

Different kit philosophies appeal to different modelers. I admire those who enjoy spiling and are good at it. I have accomplished the feat myself, but I don't particularly enjoy it. I have built a kit from Master Korabel that had pre-spiled planking, and I enjoyed that build very much. As I always say, some people just enjoy putting things together (without having to manufacture all of the parts in addition). I like to build card models; it involves not only assembling, but also cutting out and shaping hundreds, sometimes thousands, of printed parts. It's not a process that appeals to everyone. Fortunately, our hobby has plenty of room for modelers of all types.

If it just going to be for ship modeling,  a bench top that is robust enough to stand up to a ball-pene hammer or need to use a full size hand saw is not likely to be necessary.
 
Will you be always standing or sitting on a bar stool?  If yes, then knee room is not a factor.
 
Bench top depth is very helpful.  Determine how far back you can comfortably reach and make it at least that deep.
A 4"-6" high back splash helps  stop loss over the back. 
110V outlets that are above back splash height - and more of them than you think you will need.  If you want to splurge, make each of them have their own individual ON/OFF rocker switch.
 
Longer is better.
 
Drop down - foot locking castors - 4 of them  - the back ones - give a thought to how to get at them - if you do not have them, there will likely come a time when you wish that you did.
 
A provision for shop vac hoses makes life easier.
Life is easier if the machine in use is the only one on the bench top.
Strong sliding out shelves under the bench is a handy place to store them.  Being able to lift them straight down or up allows for easier storage. 
There is significant weight so the shelf support strength may make this impractical.  But in any case,  being able to easily park tools not in use under the bench is helpful  
For my Byrnes saw, I bought a wooden box from Michaels to store all of the wrenches, blades, etc.  I PVAed a wooden block under the lid and drilled hole to hold all the the needed Allen wrenches.  No digging for the often needed tools.
 
Even though you may never have a need to hand plane the edge of a 6' -8' board,  an under the bench top vise has uses.  A quick release  feature may be frivolous - but going economy leads to frustration.   Poorly made one tend to rack when they are tightened.   
I bought a 2x12 plank and cut it up to be a series of bases for various full size tools that are usually fixed to the bench top.
A grinder,  a machinist's vise,  a bare one for pounding on.  an old B&D drill press that is actually powered by a hand drill motor - it is an inheritance.  all are occasional tools.   I used lag screws to attach a piece of 2x4 or 2x6 at a right angle under the front of the 12" deck so that the under the bench vise could hold everything as though it was directly bolted to the bench top.
 
Under the top drawers - I used wire basket rectangles - for sandpaper sheets and big boxes holding small boxes of screws.

There has been some recent discussion on the out of stock booklet on sail making by David Antscherl.  For anyone wanting properly scaled good looking sails that will enhance the model rather than degrading it like most kit supplied sails do, this booklet is now available again from SeaWatch books for $5 on line.  
https://seawatchbooks.com/products/swan-iv-sail-making-supplement-from-the-revised-and-expanded-edition-by-david-antscherl?_pos=1&_sid=aafd9ea69&_ss=r

The trouble with being a pack rat is you end up not knowing what all is in the stash.  I have couple of kits I picked up years ago that are missing the plans so hoping someone has copies they are will to sell.
The kits are both Model Shipways solid hull.  The sloop Gjoa and the clipper Young America.
Managed to find a set of Young America plans.  Still looking for Gjoa.
Thanks

The trouble with being a pack rat is you end up not knowing what all is in the stash.  I have couple of kits I picked up years ago that are missing the plans so hoping someone has copies they are will to sell.
The kits are both Model Shipways solid hull.  The sloop Gjoa and the clipper Young America.
Managed to find a set of Young America plans.  Still looking for Gjoa.
Thanks