EricWilliamMarshall

4 hours ago, Stevinne said:

Look forward to seeing some of your work.

Well, I'm chugging away at a plastic model at the moment (minus my ability to keep knots tied), the 1/196 Revell USS Constitution, you would find here: 

For the Ship Model Society of New Jersey, is the next meeting on the 26th?

How goes the build?

Hi, 

  I’m new to the hobby. I’m missing most of the skills that seem to be present in the beautiful build logs I see here but I love to learn.

My father was a talented woodworker and I have have lightly nibbled at the edges of that over the years (but not at the small and tiny scale seen here). And I built plastic airplane models in last century in my youth...

I hope to avoid the ‘aim for the stars and then...leave the hobby’ pattern that seems to be part of this world. We will see. “Real Life(tm)” can be tricky sometimes. I’ve started a plastic model kit as any ‘entry-level’ exposure to rigging and I have a couple of wood kits that were gifts that I have hesitated to built but I would love to build the skills to correctly build those kits. 

This is is an amazing community you have here! Congratulations!

I found a pair of micro-scissors for eye-surgerey (Castrovejo-style) as per Wefalck’s suggestion. Nifty little devices that sit well in the hand. Thanks!

1 hour ago, SigEp Ziggy said:

I noticed in the background of post #22, the Cutty Sark, future build?

Why yes!! SEZ has eagle eyes (and there is a lot to look at in my mess!) It is also part of my baby steps into 'real rigging' (for ship models at least). It is tiny though; the hull is three or four inches long! To use the local parlance, I have a small 'stash' I've collected over the years, waiting until 'I know what I'm doing'. There is a bigger plastic model and a four small wood kits - my father was a woodworker and some are gifts. I have had two of those kits for thirty years. I recently, um, stop waiting until I know what I'm doing and instead have plunged in.

And you kind folks get to watch me swerve and fish-tail as I figure it out! (Apologies for the mixed metaphors.)  There will be a similar frenzy over woodworking at a tiny scale, if I make that far.

So the grand plan, such that it is, flail on the simple kits then complex. I'm all curious if I have the patience/stubbornness to finish one or more. Many of the build-logs here are unfinished, so I assume a percentage of folks give up and move on to something else. 

My thanks to Wefalck, Bob and the good Doctor! I will look into both and report back. Thanks again!

Would some kind person point me to some info on basic ship model knots? 

It’s to quite possible I’m approaching that part incorrectly as well!

I actually have some shellac in the house! Does the color matter (I.e. white vs. orange)? The string in question is what came in the box from Revell. Thanks, Bob for taking the time to help!

Do all knots themselves need to be glued or soaked as well? The kit’s string is slippery and untie when jostled lightly making impossible to tie more than one string to a single location.

I’m having a problem others don’t seem to have - the strings untie.

I’m using the supplied string that came with the kit. So after a dozen hours of spent on the rigging, I now have only three pieces of thread still attached. It seems to work if the strings are draping - no problem, but even slight jostling (i.e. adding another thread to the same mast), the string unties.

Does every knot need to be super-glued? The knots hold if I use yarn but the yarn is too big.

It seems I’m missing some fundamental; any thoughts from the veterans here?

Another try at the line painting:

I find it amazing you still have the box after all these years!

And another: https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/2015/07/02/off-with-his-head/ and https://mcny.org/story/beheading-president-andrew-jackson (the current owners of the figurehead.

I took several passes at the transom to improve the painting. The one without the quarter is the most recent attempt.

No worries! I also stumbled over the issue of scale myself when looking at the other build logs. 1/96 and 1/196 are pretty close at a glance.

 As a side note, regarding the stem, the model has the figure (of Andrew Jackson, I believe) in the kit. The photos on the box show that painted with blue for the jacket and black for the hat and so on. The photo of the actual figurehead theses days show only two colors. And older photos suggest a gilt covering. 

The painting on the box top doesn’t have the figurehead, same as in your model! The model’s molded details seem to match one of the 20th century configurations, while the photos on the model box cover show an older set up with more gilt work, which again are a mismatch for the box top painting. Nor do these details match the current ship sitting in Boston harbor.

I didn’t realize those mismatches fully for quilt a while and my paintwork show a little bit on confusion as a result, showing a hypothetical USS Constitution than any one period in particular.  

My last photos are missing Mr. Jackson, due to my manhandling during the attempt to rig the bow poles and their subsequent repair but he will return shortly. 

I’ve started to rig the model. And have chosen the “detailed” path of the two options presented in the instructions. It is very slow going. Each bit of string taking several attempts (and removing it and trying again). Part of the learning curve I assume. The bow poles broke off under the slightest tension of the string. So I have changed how they attach to the greater hull for greater strength. I’m hopeful that things speed up, otherwise the next post will at Thanksgiving to share the next four bits of string added to the ship!

My bad, forgive the imprecision in my choice of words. I believe I understand the stiffening concept. I appreciate your help and your effort to impart clarity! By the way, you have quite the website! Such models (and such tools)! Very inspiring! 

Ok, coating and dedicated scissors/blades seem to be in the consensus. I have bunch coatings within the house to try first (since they are at hand and no additional cost). For the moment, I'll try to resist the urge to buy surgical scissors (but I hear their siren song calling...) Thank you Gregory, mtaylor, allanyed, wefalck, SpyGlass, and paul ron for your sage advice!!

Ah, understood! Thanks

Grandpa Phil, how do you handle unusual curves with the tape? Do you cut or modify the tape? 

Given Chuck’s suggestion I took another try (well, a set of tries) at the transom I have. The one with the quarter was the earlier set of attempts. This time I scraped down each raised line slightly with a #11 blade and the used a thin brush and ye olde paint. Not award winning but better. Thanks! I’ll try the other suggestion this weekend.

3 minutes ago, druxey said:

thinned to just flow, using a bow pen

After a quick web search, I'm game to try that. I believe I actually have one, in an old drafting set, but I didn't know the name or use until now. Druxey, thank you!

10 minutes ago, Chuck said:

surface prep has a lot to do with it

hmm, that is excellent thought. Many thanks!! As an aside, your work is crazy and beautiful! Delightful!

9 minutes ago, Chuck said:

a shot of vodka and then just free-hand it.

ha ha ha - I'm not sure if that will work, but I definitely will try it!!