mikegr

this is the hull after several layers of filler and primer

when comes to hull painting i "reverse" the hull. For example to paint the freeboard area, i put the hull upside down to make sure paint overflow wont go underneath the tape. For under the waterline, hull is sitting properly. In both cases spray can in pointing downwards

I built 4 of the 8 25mm AA guns. 

Lesson learned: Epoxy primer is better that Etch primer for shinny parts.

Some missing planes are no big deal but two missing AA 4.7" must be replaced. I scratch built the supporters and got 2 guns from my spare box.

On 12/5/2021 at 4:53 PM, Markus16 said:

@Gregory:

Thanks, I understood it that way. It‘s in the oven right now!

 

did it work?

Ι would vote it as the built of the year

12 hours ago, Jaager said:

I have almost zero knowledge about this part of Greek history, but how well does this guess fit?

These ships were "surplus" warships supplied by western powers who were keen on causing as much mischief as possible to the Ottoman Empire?  If this is the case, exact or a close approximation  of the actual plans or similar ones can be had from West European and maybe North American archives?

 

The mismatch of guns would be predictable if my guess is correct.

 

At least the above vessels are the practical workhorses of their era,  They could actually do a job.  The liners of that time were a total waste of resources, over sized, and ugly.  These vessels were sleek and lean and most were probably fast sailing.

most of these brigs were built domestically in Hydra, Psara and other areas. They were funded by Greek ship owners from their maritime profits. In other words it was their private contribution to the War of Independence.

From the ancient ages of battle of Salamis to later ages, the built of light but fast and maneuverable ships along with good seamanship was the key factor of the Greek Navy.

After the reform of the Greek State the government decided to form a Navy by ordering vessels from abroad like the American frigate Hellas and more.

I removed the flight deck so I can work easier underneath.

Square barrels of 5" guns were replaced by proper round ones. Added PE bridge windows.

1 hour ago, Kevin-the-lubber said:

 Not feeling easier over here. Just more visible. Maybe it's easier to hide the sins at 1:700? 😝

 

Yes, I too was mixing it in the cup with the wrong end of a paintbrush. To be honest it worked fine but, as we we used to say in the trade, that's all very well in practice but no good in theory.

I bought my first airbrush too it comes with a mini compressor. Mostly for general painting and making shades on sea base. First attempt was white not the best color to start with. Will see how it goes.

On 12/4/2021 at 5:05 AM, Landlubber Mike said:

Those funnels are beautiful.  No PE needed, wow!

 

PE may look marginally better. What makes the difference between a nice model and a great one is that 5% extra detail. However i have to agree that this may not be an issue. There are many ways to overcome missing details or improve appearance. For example great paintwork can be critical. But can be of no importance at all

Take a look at this is fine artwork based on superb painting which is beyond critisism.

However looking at this handmade masterpiece it is easily understood that painting is of little if no importance. For me considering the fact that this is made only with basic tools in hand and not even putty for corrections, i believe painting would only damage the model

Meanwhile bridge deck is done, only details need to be added

So basically I got the wood hardener product. It is a transparent liquid with water consistency and smells like glue for plastic models. I decided to do the "jam" test. I cut balsa 1 mm thick in about 32x10 piece. I coated with it with one layer then a second one after some hours (balsa absorbed it really quick).

 Another same dimension piece was given a couple of layers of one ingredient epoxy.A third one was coated twice with polyester.Each one was given  tested with a 200gr weight on it. One the right corner you can see the product (hardener, epoxy, polyester).

As you can see the first piece had a min distance of 5.5 cm from the table, the 2nd about 6.5 cm and the 3rd one 6cm. That means the epoxyfied balsa was the most rigid of all. Or at least, epoxy is as good as a wood hardener.

Note that polyester was well absorbed but wood remained sticky means that wasn't dried, perhaps more catalyst should have been applied, not sure if that plays any role.

The air fleet is almost done. Smaller that before but better with better look

I have applied several layers of thick primer and sand it. It got an almost smooth surface. Then I applied a coat of car body filler liquid, bought in a bottle. It is a bit more easy to work with and gives a fine smooth finish.  I applied several coats each time less amount of it. I used glaze putty to fill in small holes. There's a lot of work to be done yet.

The first batch of air group is done. Some PE parts were nightmare and the belly of the planes is not well painted but it won't be visible.

On 11/24/2021 at 11:07 PM, KeithAug said:

I am pleased you are having another go. She is a very handsome vessel and deserves to be modelled. I remember my first model had plenty of car body filler in the hull.

It is a bit sad that there's no interest for making a model of this fine ship.  Thats why I decided to built my own.

I have finished filling the hull, thick coated with acrylic putty and sanded. Too much dust but this was sanded down easily in 30 min.
In some areas the layer was thinner and polystyrene was exposed. This time I put bit if wood filler locally for quick dry. After done with it I will give several layers of thick acrylic layer, gesso style.This will create an extra protective layer and smoothen the surface for the final car body filler application. Like I did with my experimental Alfa class project.

I (re)built at last the first plane

22 hours ago, rvchima said:

Very interesting! I will ask you next time I have questions about ships. Have you made any models of subs?

 

I am a retired aerospace engineer with 34 years at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. I developed numerical methods for predicting performance of jet engine components, so I don't know much about ships but I am pretty good at trigonometry and can guess how a range finder works.

The sub in the lake (Michican?) was a really cool site when i visited in 2004.

I think its time for a clean up

I am going to use some planes from an old vintage fujimi kit. They don't look that bad they even have their own propellers, of course I will use PE instead of them.

To rebuilt this I have several PE parts.

IJN aircraft upgrades, 25 mm AA guns and some other parts from where I can extract some useful items like masts, safety nets,railings etc.

Finally I have wooden deck sticker that can be cut on demand

brilliant conversion

you need to only flatten the deck at the ends🙂

the last accident literally smashed my hopes for an easier work on shaping the hull. Giving the perfect shape is crucial for the appearance of the model. However I will need a great amount of filler (added weight) and a lot of extra sanding work. Under these circumstances I realized one thing:
The project Cap San Diego is over...


Why? Because Cap San Diego Lite is on.
Learning from the rookie lessons I already started the process of a new hull with different approach. With better materials and lighter as the previous one would require a big amount of filler. Keel will be made from 4mm plywood instead of 8 so I can work easily the sharp bow and the round stern. Bulkheads are made of 2-2.5 mm wood instead of 3. For main deck a strong wood less than 1mm thick will be used instead of the 2.5 mm MDF which proved too heavy and problematic (don't forget I use paper model plans so I need to to adjust wood thickness according to plans.

Next project. Aoshima IJN Taiyo. A not so popular warship and even less popular 1:700 model.

16 hours ago, GAStan said:

Check out Cactus Juice Stabilizing Resin, www.turntex.com.  Knife makers use it to stabilize wood they use for handles.  Available thru Amazon.

 

It's a heat cured resin.  Typically it is used with a vacuum for total penetration but I think with the thin wood you are using soaking it for a day or two would work.

 

Glenn

 

Edit:  I'm not affiliated in any way.  I have used it with good results.  It's consistency is thin, similar to water.

I found it also on a domestic seller, kind unusual. About 100usd per half gallon.

I also found this, it comes at 500 ml can. If does what promises might be a solution.

https://bormawachs.com/dettaglio_new.php?idprod=0641&cat1=2&lang=2

A friend who owns hardware store, gave me some polyester, he insist that soak the wood in it, will solve my problem. I get i will do some experiments and if doesn't work i will buy a specialized product.

putting canvas to hide such a master work is a crime!