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Charlie pal

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Everything posted by Charlie pal

  1. Hello all, hope all are well, I realize that back in the day, yards that were secured to masts, were movable to adjust sails to account for wind conditions. In our modeling world, that seems impractible, given the intricate task of rigging the blocks etc. So, should the yards be permanently glued to the mast? ….thank you….Charlie
  2. Hello all, hope all are well, I do realize that in days of old, the yards were not stationary and were moved to adjust the sails as per wind conditions. However, on the model ships that we build, working with the rigging and blocks, it seems that the yards must be permanently secured to the mast, in order to get the job done. Am I wrong? …..thanks…Charlie
  3. I am currently building an old constructo model “blue goose”…have painted the bottom green and am in the process of painting the hull white….in between the white andthe green is a red stripe…should I paint the hull white first and then apply the red stripe …my thought…or apply the red stripe above the green paint and then paint the hull white? Also the top of the bow has a small hole to be elongated to accept the bowsprit. I can drill the hole deeper so that the bowsprit can be moved in to the proper length. Problem is the rear of the bowsprit stays imbedded in the hull (solid) and winds up below the deck. The plans seem to indicate that the rear end of the bowsprit,after entering the hole at the bow , winds up resting atop the deck. What am I missing?
  4. Thank all of you fellow ship modelers for your input…this is a difficult but rewarding hobby, and all responsesi are very helpful and most appreciated.….… Charlie
  5. Hello all, hope all are well…..is there a preferred way to tighten the shrouds after snugging them up via deadeyes? Is there a way to remove wavy rat line sag? ….thanks Charlie
  6. Allan, Thank you…..your explanation was very clear and I think I “see the” light. You are correct….I am building the black prince which was formerly the Alfred. The plans for this vessel seem ok, but are not great. One more question, if I may, On this eighteenth century vessel, it appears that the yards are secured to the mast via a spliced rope around the mast, down to a secure tie around the center of the yard. Does that seem correct to you? ….thanx again, Charlie
  7. Hello all, hope all are well. Well, I am up to the rigging in my black prince build. this is my fifth build, and it seems when I get to the rigging, I always seem to have to review the best way to tackle this as the plans are a bit intimidating. Have a few excellent books that I consult, but I need a bit of moral support from this community who I am sure are a lot more experienced than myself. Anyway, my thought was to start by rigging the lowers to the deadyeyes p/s on the foremast, then do the same for the mainmast, then go back to the foremast and do the uppers, as well as the mainmast. Also in the book historic ship models by wolfram zu Mondfeld, on page 280, there is an explanation on shroud gangs. Should one long shroud with a center splice be used for port/stbd. Or should each shroud be separate with its own eyesplice? …..thanks…..Charlie P
  8. Thank you all for your knowledgeable information. Question…..when I was very young , people would use shellac in various applications. You rarely hear people that use it today. As a former sailboat owner, I had used varnishes, polyurethane, stains and oils……but what exactly is shellac?
  9. Hello all, hope all are well, I am currently building the colonial model “Black Prince”. struggling through my mistakes, but am hanging in there. Just finished tapering the masts and bowsprit. Not sure what coating to apply to these, but am leaning toward walnut stain. Any opinions appreciated.…thanks…Charlie p
  10. Hi all, hope all are well and had a wonderful thanksgiving: Built four ship models, but would like to get better at reducing mast, bowsprit and yard circumferences…..is there a preferred method? ……thanks….Charlie pal
  11. Hello again, can anyone recommend a small set of carbide turning tools for the proxxon mini lathe?
  12. Thank you all for your input as I am a novice in this regard. Since I am 75, kind of leaning toward the easier option, which seems to be the proxxon db250.
  13. Hello all, happy new year…hope all are well …can anyone recommend a beginners mini wood lathe for making masts etc. was leaning toward the harbor freight lathe. ……thanks…..Charlie
  14. Thank you all for your input. I am still a “rookie” and the information many of you seasoned modelers provide is priceless. I must admit building these old ships can be daunting at times, but I do like the challenge and thanks to all of you, learn a bit more each time.….. Charlie
  15. Hello all, hope all are well Have been currently working on the vessel “Black Prince”, Benjamin Franklins personal transport across the Atlantic to France and back to the U.S., in an effort to secure French aid during the American Revolution. As my previous three builds, two steps forward and one step back….but I am making progress. Recently I planked the bulwarks on the interior of the hull. I planked horizontally, then vertically and finally with a walnut finish. The hull feels much stronger. after doing this. when I attempted to install the top raiI, I realized that the top rail needed to be slightly wider than the plans indicated. So I soaked a couple of wider strips in ammonia and water, hoping that I could place a sideways bend in them as the rail curves toward the bow. I was able to get a smaller bend then I needed, and all additional effort to increase the bend resulted in strips being broken at that point. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.…….thanks…..Charlie
  16. HI Mike.....have only built 5 vessels. Four of them without sails. On one , I flaked the mainsail atop the boom and ,secured it with lashing. On a 15," version ,of America's cup racer, I hoisted all sail and was able to raise/lower them via Halyards ,....basically the choice is yours. Good Luck....Charlie
  17. Thank you all for ,your informative responses. I actually, like the look of a classic fully rigged ship. The sails do hide much of ,that. I know there are vessels that look a great with full canvas, such as the Americas cup defenders, of the early 1900., Couple of years ago, I bought, an old, unstsarted kit by constructo of the ,,1934 ,,British challenger "endeavor" ..,.the sails were precut, sewn with built in cringles. Actually was able to raise and lower them as well as adjust the sheets. Again, thanks to all. Will do more homework before I, think about setting sails.
  18. Hello all, hope all are well. To date, I have built four wooden vessels. Made a ton of Mistakes along the way, but have learned a lot thanks to many of you on this board and information from various modeling books. I also learned that many kit Instructions leave a lot to be desired and ,in my case at least , had ,to be read, over and over again until I Understood what they were referring to. But the challenge of "figuring it out", made it that much more Rewarding when I did. Anyway, have a ton to learn yet, Which brings me to my question. Never have cut and sewn a set of sails, but would like to give it a shot. Can anyone suggest w here to get information in this regard,? ,.....Thanks..,..Charlie
  19. HI all, hope all are well , ...question....has anyone built the "black Prince"? Just want to pick your brain with a couple of questions or should I say probable mistakes that I made. ....Thanks ..Charlie
  20. Peter....checked out the website on feast watson and would like to try it, but could not get any ordering information on website.
  21. Thanks, Chazz, ....Will look into those scrapers from microwave, sounds like they can save a lot of work and preserve the area you are working on. Definitely worth a shot. ...Thanks again....Charlie
  22. Hello all.....hope all are well.....Thinking of applying a matte finish or liquitex after sanding my second walnut planking. Two questions.....Will a thorough sanding remove some small glue residue? What grit sandpaper would you recommend to prep planking before coating? .....Thanks, Charlie
  23. Hello all, hope all are well. On my last two builds I struggled a bit when installing deadeyes Is there a preferred method to install them? I have seen wooden deadeye adjusters advertised. Has anyone tried them? ....Thanks...Charlie
  24. Thank you all for the planking advice.....funny thing...it initially doesn't seem hard to do....but I am learning that every build Is a different adventure. .....Charlie
  25. Thank you all for the information on planking. Your knowledge plus certain books help immensely. Never realized the complexity of planking a ship model, but do enjoy the challenge. Anyway, this is my fourth build. The first three....Eagle, swift and Dallas came reasonably well despite mistakes. Now I started planking "black.Prince". I was doing ok....probably 8/9 planks from the deck down when, I then decided to plank from the keel up to meet somewhere in the middle for the final plank. I did that, but the keel planking was out of symmetry with the previous planking. Was thinking of removing the planking from the keel and continue planking down toward the keel. What say you?
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