capnharv2

Wayne, I have to talk with you sometime. You're doing what I've been trying to do in TC for a couple of months, and thought I hit a dead end. Now I think I'm at my wit's end . Are there any good TC tutorials out there? I've been using the manual and it hasn't been of much help. Complicating it that I've used CATIA for the past 20 years (and CADAM before that-and Computervision CADDS3 before that). So I'm used to building something in 3-D in a (seemingly) very different way than TC. I would appreciate any suggestions you have. Thanks, Harvey

Dave, That's interesting. I tried buffing the brass with scotchbrite before blackening, and it made no difference. Following up on Augie's point, I wonder if the age of the brass being blackened makes a difference? All the brass I've been working with is 10 plus years old. Maybe I should go buy some new brass and try blackening that? Thanks, Harvey

Hi Carl, You might want to look into Google Sketchup. There's a thread on modeling the HMS Pandora using Sketchup. Best of all, it's free (at least here in the states). Also, look in the articles/downloads section under Plans and Research. There are several articles that can walk you thru it. Hope that helps. Thanks, Harvey

Tony, What version TurboCad do you have? I have V17. The manual implies that lofting is only available in the TurboCad Pro (read $600.00) version. I believe you can get the information you need without surfacing. But I'm only beginning to learn the ins and outs of TurboCad and its relationship to developing ship's plans. So I'll be watching what you learn. BTW, have you looked at Wayne Kempson's article "Drafting Ship's Plans in CAD" in the articles/downloads section? I've been following that and it's very helpful.

Is this "Honey, I shrunk the Shipmodeler"? Beautiful job on the covering board! Thanks, Harvey

Floyd, Don't get me started on using Blacken-it I started a discussion about it on the old MSW site. I'll see what I can remember. I've seen Blacken-it dilutions from no dilution to 20:1 I've used 8:1 and it seems to work best for me. Dilute it with distilled water (tap water has minerals in it that change the qualities of the solution). Yes, clean it well. Degrease the piece with alcohol (I find 80 proof works well for me ) or acetone. Leave it in the degreaser bath for 10-20 minutes. When you take it out, don't touch it with your bare hands. Use gloves or tweezers to manipulate the part. When I put my parts in the Blacken-it, the solution changes from clear light blue to a cloudy greyish green.That cloudiness and color indicate (to me) that the reaction is complete. Take the part out and rinse well in distilled water. A couple other things to think about: The length of time the part stays in the solution is a function of the size of the part (area to be blackened) and the dilution. A large part in a 20:1 may well take overnight. A small part in straight Blacken-it will take seconds. I've found that too strong a Blacken-it solution will etch the surface to the point that the black finish flakes off. If you have to solder anything, do that before using Blacken-it. Blackened parts may work with soldering over them, but the joint will probably be stronger if Blacken-it afterwards. Rough up the soldered areas before you clean the part. I've read that some people use Birchwood Casey Brass Black. I haven't tried it, but I've seen some good results. Ed Tosti uses copper and Liver of Sulfur and has had good results with that. Some people get so frustrated that they end up painting their brass parts One last thing-Your mileage really may vary. I've had nothing but trouble blackening soldered parts. Other people have no problem at all and never have. And their parts look great. Hope that helps. I know there are others on this forum that know far more than me about this subject, and I hope they chime in. Thanks, Harvey

Yep, you're on the right track now. The plans should have a view looking down that should also identify the location of the sliding hatch and doors, the engine hatch and the skylight. The Pride of Baltimore 2 website should have more deck pictures. That, or a web search will help. And you're correct on the bow. The samson post dictates the bowsprit and windlass location. Regarding the samson post chamfers, here's an idea (I haven't tried it, so I don't know if it will work). On full size chamfers, we mark a line a certain distance from the edge, but parallel to the edge. You should be able to duplicate it using a .5mm mechanical pencil. Extend the lead to the width you want on top and draw with the side of the lead on the top of the post. You should get a shaded rectangle on the top. Do the same on each side(extend the lead for how far down as you want the chamfer to go and use the side of the lead again) and remove the shaded areas (probably with sandpaper). You might also consider using something harder than basswood for the samson post. Basswood is easy to work with, but it gets soft and fuzzy. Try a piece of cherry cut to the same dimensions and you may have better luck. But your existing samson post looks pretty good to me. Thanks, Harvey

I'm jealous that you guys have the Kingfisher . I guess I'll just have to make do with the Caldercraft Agamemnon that my wife wants me to get started on when I reach a good point on the Connie. Thanks, Harvey

Bob, Another thought for the future would be to replace the basswood (in areas where you have to drill with litle edge margin) with a harder wood like boxwood, cherry or maple. Good save though. And I think this kind of problem happens more often than we think. Thanks, Harvey

Jcoby, Yes, the big visual changes are done for a while. Your point about doing a little bit every night is good. I also suggest looking at your list of things to do on the deck, and build and install everything that is not dependant on something else. I believe some of the cabin structures can be added now. The other thing is to build up all the hardware that goes on the deck, but don't install it. That way, if you have a sequence of installations to do, you can dry fit them and see what needs adjusting. If something is completely off, well, it's only wood and time. Many of us have built/re-built/re-built/rebuilt something on our models that just didn't look right. You have a good start and a sharp looking model. I'm now looking forward to my Pride of Baltimore 2.0. Thanks, Harvey

Wonderful job Rusty! Harvey

Floyd, Next time, you might want to consider scarfing your cap rail similar to what j21896 is doing on his Caldercraft HMS Mars. I plan to do that on the taffrail of my Flying Cloud when I get to it (sometime before the South Pole melts). Another option is to cut the shape of the entire rail out of 1 large piece of walnut (like a 4"x24" sheet). It's wood-wasteful, but gets the job done if you have the wood. Another option is to edge glue 3-4-5 pieces of walnut together to get the same effective width as a large sheet of walnut and cut it out. But the scarfed caprail is probably the correct way to go. I think what you (and I-and countless others) have tried to do is called "edge-setting". That's the term our CWB boatbuilder uses. Thanks, Harvey

Jeff, Looks very neat and clean! Any hint what your "side project" is? Or will we just have to wait? Thanks, Harvey

I just ordered some 8mm brass pins from Model Expo. They were $7.50 for 150 pins. Bluejacket has 5/16" long brass belaying pins at $3.85 a dozen. I've got to get belaying pins for my Constitution (I don't like the ones that came in the kit) and I'll need 150 or so. I may just order a dozen from Bluejacket to compare (after I get the set from ME) Thanks, Harvey

DeeDee, Very nice job on the rudder! I'm glad Chapelle's book is serving you well. Harvey

Jeff, I finished my carronades recently, and it was quite the challenge-especially since I decided to make my own blocks and eyebolts. You have a good idea in starting a side project while doing the carronades. It can be tedious and repetative. Looks really good! Thanks, Harvey

DeeDee, If I recall, Midwest gives you 4 large pieces of basswood for the hull planking. When I did mine, I was concerned that the place where they come together at the turn of the bilge would be a hard chine, despite the bulkheads being round. That said, you may want to consider planking the hull the traditional way (I think it would be about 15 planks per side). To me, that would be more satisfying (and I will do that should I build a MBLS again). Also, it would be a good primer for a more complicated build. Regarding the differences between Friendship Sloops and Muscongus Bay Lobster smacks, Friendships are fixed keel and Mucongus bay boats have a centerboard. Frienship Sloops are also bigger (most out there now don't exceed 31' on the waterline, but older ones would run 40-45' LWL). And Friendship Sloops more often than not have 2 headsails-MGLS have 1. Thanks, Harvey

I think Tamiya also makes military figures in 1:35. Hope that helps. Thanks, Harvey

Details on Muscongus Bay Lobster smacks are hard to find. The best I can find is "Friendship Sloops" by Roger Duncan. The Muscongus Bay smack was the predecessor to the Friendship sloop and shares some details. Roger has some info (but not much) in the front of the book. Other places to check would be the Friendship Town Musuem, the Maine Maritime Museum, and the Penobscot Bay Marine Museum. At one time I wanted to build a full size Muscongus Bay Lobster boat, but bought a used Friendship Sloop instead. I'm glad I did. It brought the cost of ship modeling back into perspective (what does BOAT stand for? Bring Out Another Thousand). Hope that helps. Thanks, Harvey

Thank you Tim. I'm liking this thread more and more! Harvey

Michael, Several years ago, there was a thread on the Wooden Boat Forum on the restoration of the Bristol Pilot Cutter Carlotta. I have to say I did a double take when looking at your deck pictures-I wasn't sure if I was looking at your model or the deck restoration on Carlotta! Thanks, Harvey

Walter, That sounds similar to my problem with Sketchup. I had to restore from a pre-Sketchup backup to get my computer to work again too. Thanks, Harvey

Floyd, I did a short assembly log on the wheel on the old MSW site-then the data got lost. I still have all the pictures, so I'll try to put something back up. Meanwhile, the real boat needs some work. The throat halyard block split the sheave, and the axle keeps falling out. Time to make a new one. Question-is there a place to post pictures of the block I'm making for my 1:1 scale model Friendship Sloop? Thanks, Harvey

Jeff, This is the address I found for him: Warner Woods West 440 W. Old Hwy 91 Ivins, UT 84738 I believe that is his current address. Note that Lloyd doesn't do business on-line (so I've heard), and the best way to contact him is snail mail. Hope that helps. Thanks, Harvey

I agree. The boats are looking good. I like them because they are nice little projects that can be very satisfying. I've got 2 boats started, one in primer, and I'll get back to them soon, since I'm doing final projects on the deck. Harvey