modeller_masa

Hello, I purchased portable soldering iron for rigging. This small and portable iron burn threads up to 1000℃. This is my review video. Poly - Best cut & tip scorching Cotton - Best cut, but never try to scorch a tip Nylon - Best cut & tip scorching In the last lecture, Strategic Detailing Part II by Chuck Bauer, he shared a tip for burning shrinkable nylon thread when he made a 1/350 scale models. This iron is a bit dangerous for scorching the nylon thread, but I would say it may be more stable than a matchstick. Also, be careful when storing the iron. Its protection cap is vulnerable, so that it is best to remove the AA battery after work.

This isn't a scale error, but incorrect parts. The barrels are much bigger than the instructions' barrels. I made a custom barrel stand, but its overall look was ridiculous. I decided to hide the wine barrels in a corner of the deck. Here is how the entire ship looked before I started rigging.

Almost all parts in the kit are overscaled. I reduced the thickness of ladders from 2mm to 1mm and decreased story heights from 520mm to 300mm, which is the international standard. Sailors should praise me. Here is double issue. First, Nao SM on the reference book and real world replicas doesn't have a windlass. The AL's Nao SM kit includes a windlass, which was in the galleon SM in 1927, instead of a capstan. Of course, history keeps silent, but contemporary Nao ships in 15th century installed capstan in the middle of the ship in general. If I had completed the NRG capstan project, I would have made and added it. Secondly, the default windlass shape is simple and lack of details. I modified the default windlass a little bit. The Breechloading lombard cannon is also overscaled. Its diameter is twice larger than the reference book's. I followed the gun stand in the reference book. I also studied the structure of the Lombard cannon. It seems to be pretty primitive and understandable, so that I designed the gun stand and rigging to be workable. The result. Make sure the gunfire doesn't cut the shroud cables.

I appreciate knowing the new information, Veszett Roka. I still think that AL forgot to add some details, such as waterproof cloth and a V shaped cradle, when they simply turned upside down the yawl. Also, it's a bit inconvenient to see an inclined boat... I'll choose the old kit's arrangement rather than the new kit's. Thanks again for your comment.

I finished sewing custom sails but am having difficulties forming wind sails. (I failed to apply a technique I planned.) I skipped to the other parts for now. The AL kit includes only yawl, and launch isn't in it. I used an electric sanding pen. It is the best for sanding sensitive and tiny parts. The new AL kit includes a better boat building kit instead of a metal bowl. If you are having difficulties on building such small boats, I recommend you build the Falkonet's mini boat series. They are great educational tools for new builders. One of the AL's weaknesses is insufficient polishing on a kit. AL's laser cutting isn't highly accurate, unlike the most recent kits from some innovative companies, so the hull of the boat can be twisted by margin errors. And, probably, it is the most dislike point of the AL by serious builders. AL rotated the cradle position and flipped around the boat like furnitures in a doll house. It is related to the structure of the ship, and pillars of building can't be moved that easily. I agree that the upper direction is more "visible" and add some details on the deck, but viewers will think and ask me, "How did the real ship bind the lifeboat? The unstable boat should fall in the storm." "...... I just followed the instructions, so it's not my fault." Oh, I really don't want to break a viewer's immersion. Even if it is a SF fiction model, the model should explain its shape without TLDR.

Today's lesson : 😱

I got a good result on both sides. Here is a method. It's not very difficult. 1. If you need to, print one of the transfer papers reversed. 2. Leaves marks on the papers and the fabric with a water-eraseable pen for fabric work. Completely sync them before ironing them. 3. Increase the time spent ironing. Press for 30 sec and rub for 5~10 sec. 4. Remove both transfer papers immediately. 5. Ta-da! One more thing. I have difficulty with sewing from the end. Because the sails are relatively small and the fabric is folded mutiple times, feed dog bites it and cuts the feed threads. There are some general methods to overcome the issue. (1) Stop using feed dog : use free motion foots such as a quilting foot - The quality of the sail can be worse because of inconsistent stitches. (2) Replacing to a single hole plate : -Cannot use the zigzag stitch. (3) Putting a thin paper foil under each jamming point : -Causing issues when the length is too narrow (above picture). (4) My solution: putting a water soluble paper under each jamming point. Never Kleenex, Never toilet paper.

Hello, A long time ago, I posted an idea about using heat transfer paper that is commonly used for T-shirts. I've tested some heat transfer papers and related techniques, but I would like to summarize my only successful result here rather than upload many trials and errors in the old post. Also, there are only limited resources to meet the high expectations of this forum. * Requirements - Common digital temperature controlled irons, such as Tefal steam irons: I won't use the steam. - Flat and durable table or a MDF panel an half inch thick: I'll press it really hard. - Clean paper foil for kitchen - (Color) Laser printer - Forever's laser transparent transfer paper (Made in Germany): Make sure the background is clear or nothing. White or black isn't what we need. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M7YDHTG * Official guides As you see from Amazon's worst review score, the transfer paper is very sensitive and hard to use if you don't know how to take care of it. https://youtu.be/N1CAx5KrfJ4 https://youtu.be/qXsZ3wWA6sk There are some useful video tutorials, but you still need some trials and errors before use. Here is a cheat sheet from the manufacture. There are 2 choices on the paper because I used cotton fabric, and I already wasted lots of transfer paper and fabric to test the first trap. 🤪 Forget it and follow my guide. Step 1. Printing the heat transfer paper carefully. (1-1) Check your laser printer. If your laser toner printer is a popular type, it shouldn't have a bypass printing mode. In that case, hold and pull the printing off the paper by hand. Otherwise, the expensive and thick transfer paper will be jammed and become useless. Step 2. Setting a flat ground (2-1) To iron, place at least a half-inch thick MDF panel or secure a flat table. (2-2) Cover the surface with a silicon coated paper foil to protect cotton fiber from dusts. Step 3. Preheat an iron to 180℃ or 355℉ (3-1) Use a noncontact thermometer or set it between wool and cotton. Step 4. Riding on the iron (4-1) Position the transfer on the fabric and press it with all your might and weight for 30 seconds. The youtube video explains it as 3~5 bar pressure. Don't cover the paper foil on the back of the transfer. (4-2) After 30 seconds, remove the transfer carefully and immediately. Be careful of burns! The transferred image is quite durable and doesn't dissolve in water. It also works well with PVA glue. All the progress is very fast and fun to compare with brush painting or stencil spraying I tested. I guess this technique may be good for beginners and those who want complex and unique flags. ------------------------ This method increases the success rate up to 90%. (1) Increase the temperature by 10℃ (or 16 ℉). (2) Press the transfer paper for 25 sec, and gently rub the paper with the iron for 5~10 sec. Almost all commercial steam iron have holes, so they don't have a flat surface, which causes imbalanced force. (3) If you removed the transfer paper without any residue, you are good to go.

This isn't a solution for Mark, but I would say that some warping issues can be prevented by clever mechanical woven joint design. This kit is from Maris Stella's B.C.440 Monoreme, and its unique joint design (red-slot and azur-walnut strip) effectively prevents hull twisting, helps to align frames precisely, and offers good guidelines for deck planking at once. This is one of the most briliant hull jig design I've ever seen. I also love the Master Korabel and Vanguard's durable checker board frames. Although the special hull designs are far from the real ship, I definitely like these jigs because they improve build quality and make building easier, which is good for popular appeal.

The first picture shows that I was using the inlet of a homemade painting booth powered by a blower fan. I guess it wasn't enough as a vacuum cleaner. Thanks for the tip, Roger.

Hello, I've tested painting patterns on sails. An acrylic paint and brush were suggested in the instructions, but I preferred a simpler and more convenient method. First, I tried stancil spraying. It didn't work, unlike a plastic model. The reason is that a gap between fabric and windows doesn't stick tightly. Fabric itself is a very rough material unlike plastic parts. Therefore, I purchased a clear gesso, which is commonly used for canvas painting. It'll seal the gap like a primer. The result. Nice and clear. I also tested a traditional fabric marker pen, but it heavily depends on the painter's drawing skills. 😂 There are alternative ways to use the fabric marker. I use it to fill the back of the lacquer spray. Because fabric is flexible and it's hard to set up the stancil on both sides equally, I'll finish the back with the marker pen simply. It doesn't require drawing skills. If you plan to cover whole sail with the gesso for canvas, you should test it first. At least it isn't good idea to apply the gesso partially.

I'm upgrading the kit sails to DIY sails. All my studies and questions can be read here. As you see, my final choice is durable sewed sails.

I found another fabric I purchased at a local store long ago. In general, the spec of this cotton fabric is one of the top in my country, although the other cotton fabrics I tested before had the same spec. Because different countries use different scales, especially on cloth area, I can't simply convert the spec of the fabric to TC. (I don't know how to calculate it.) Isn't it interesting?

Thank you so much, Dziadeczek! It looks very nice and so realistic! And it seems to not be too challenging. I ordered the thinnest English beading needle, which is size 15, or 0.25mm in width. I'll definitely try the technique on the next ship. Allan, I purchased fabric with a TC count of over 2000 at Amazon, and it wasn't really that delicate. It is very hard to find such extremely fine fabric...

Hello, I have a question about ropes around sails. The picture shows a spritsail of the Santa Maria. I made the sail with silk fabric, so it is super thin and all the parts, such as seams and tablings, are glued by PVA bond. My major reference book is the Xavier Pastor's book, so I added leech, foot, and bolt ropes as the book illustrated. I also referred to this video to glue the ropes. All the sails are scale-accurated (The width of seams and tablings are 0.45mm and 2.29mm), so I have no space for sewing between the rope and the sail. As I was worried, the ropes were weak. If children accidentally pull the sail, I may spend hours repairing the finished model. I don't want to use CA glue because of the poly threads. I said that I have no space for sewing the threads, and the glued ropes are hardened so I can't sew them well. In this case, how do you reinforce the adhesion? Could you recommend stronger glues or a better way to hang the ropes?

LOL... I already have the silkspan tissue... I discovered that the silkspan is known by many different names in different countries. The silkspan in Korea is called "Korean paper" (pronounced as "Han-ji"), and it is very popular for traditional painting and wallpaper. In China, the same paper is called 'Xuan paper' (pronounced as xuān-zhǐ, and xuan is a name of a city in China) and also called 'Japanese paper' in Japan (pronounced as ko-zo-ga-mi, and ko-zo is a name of wood.) The traditional papers have relatively rough and visible fibers in general, so I bought specially produced silkspan tissue made in Germany for scale models, which wefalck recommended. ( Link : https://www.modulor.de/en/modelspan-tissue-white.html ) The left is a Hanji, which is very popular in Korea. Unfortunately, the paper shows lots of visible 'branch fibers', so it isn't good to express sails. The right is a paper foil, which is silicon-coated tissue for kitchen. I don't think it absorbs water or solvent paint well. I'm a bit exhausted from building the "silk fabric" sails, so I'll update a new test with "the real silkspan" when I build the next ship.

Thanks for the information, Allan. I'll research the tissue paper again.

Update : I added a heat curing progress after drying. I followed a tip for dyeing silk with water based paints. I couldn't be satisfied with 'big' frames. Managing color uniformity without a heater is so difficult. I started to think the furled sail is much better. I guess that one of the secret receipts is tension. I'll reinforce the frame like a silkscreen painting. I'll also try acrylic paint spray for less water and even painting.

Hello, Dziadeczek. Unfortunately, I can't see additional useful information from the guide. I'll buy the complete bundle for future scratch building when the publisher sells the brochure again. // I mean, it is out of stock now. I definitely wanted the book and was disapointed that the little brochure didn't receive an ISBN, which means that it isn't on Amazon or Abebooks.

*** I received a reply that the material I used for sail making isn't the silkspan tissue paper made from wood fiber, but silk from silkworm. I temporarily changed the main title, and I may fix contents later when I find and confirm the wooden silkspan. ------------------------ Hello, I made the first successful silkspan sail. 😆 I would like to share my knowhow. I followed below lectures. Many thanks to Tom Lauria and John Tilley. http://modelshipworldforum.com/ship-model-rigging-and-sails.php I found a hundred species of silk fabrics at the local cloth market. Fortunately, my hunt finished at once. The silk "span" is a half-flexible fabric. I guess I can use other pure silk fabrics if I don't need furled sails. I also compared the silkspan with my stock of cotton fabrics. The cotton regular and fine are my favorites and I planned to use them for my current project. I believe that everyone'll fall in love with the silkspan, but it is hard to sew with a sewing machine. Here is another comparison. There are many factors that define characteristics of fabric: thickness of threads, weaving method, density, etcs. I'm not an expert on the area, so I'm just showing what I can diagnose. The silkspan is just outstanding. I can't count the threads of it. I guess it is a kind of napkin. OK, let's dye it. I followed the video instruction. I found a color uniformity issue. When I dried the dyed silkspan, the wet acrylic paint ran down and made thin area. I didn't want the side effect, so I decided to make a frame. Actually, I purchased photo frames at $1. I reinforced it with masking tape. The PVA bond isn't enough to hold the silkspan because acrylic paint is water based paint. Ready. Because original silkspan is a flexible fabric, wrinkles are unavoidable. I tried to force them out. At this time, I dried it horizontally. The result is just what I wanted. 😎 I'll cut out the edges and use only uniformed area. I found a side effect of the dish dryer drying. Don't use a dish dryer and let the frame naturally dry. Don't forget that all sails must have the same color! Because I mixed acrylic paints, I prepared two big size frames for one pass work. Summary * Requirements - Cheap photoframes - Acrylic paints (White+yellow?) - Water spray - Silkspan (It depends on your country's market conditions.) Have a good sail.

Here comes the new challenger! After I purchased neutral ph PVA bond by Lineco, which produces professional recovery tools for librarians and museums, I researched the ph values of adhesives that potentially damage cotton threads. Polyester threads are fine with an acidic ph. All commercial PVA bonds except the Lineco's : ph 2~4 Zinsser shellac : ph 2~4 (Misunderstood) Rustins shellac sanding sealer : ph 7.0 Most acrylic paints and mediums : ph 5~6.5 CA glue : Tailors never use the glue. Polyurethane varnish : ph 6.0~7.5 This is a reason I changed all the rigging threads from DMC cordonnet special to Amann Serafil. My major isn't a chemical, so I don't know how exactly the high acidic adhesives change the conditions of cotton threads in the long term. I hope you add one more variable on the comparison table. 😆 // revised the shellac sanding sealer : I found a reliable ph value from MSDS.

I finished masts and yards. I stained or painted them. I purchased a new oil based stain. Gel stains are not good for dyeing tiny parts, such as dead eyes. After that, I applied the oil based varnish. The result was terrible! The dark walnut color was thinned. I realized that I made an oil-based stain + varnish. There are some handy product like the Watco's oil based stain and varnish with various colors. When you stain dead eyes and blocks, I recommend to buy the mixed bottle only instead of separated bottles.

Hello, It is good to know that my old hobby helps my current hobby. I made cheaper gear for focus stacking - model photography. I bought 4 casters. 'Authentic' photo equipments including carbon fiber rail starts at $120, but these wheels are only 40 cents per each. The (wood) stand size depends on your choice. If you place it under the target model, you may save more plywood panel, but it is hard to take a full-shot because the model moves. The most challenging difficulties are chance of success and your patience. I used to take photos with a very high resolution camera and closed apertures, but this challenging method allows some unique angle of shot. 😎

Congratulations on the launching ceremony! Thanks for the nice build log that shows your great skill and sense of beauty. I hope to see your next project soon.

I made a cheat sheet for the new AL Santa Maria. The numbers are my assumptions. This is a mast castle. Yards. I added some details to the shroud threads. I use CA glue for temporary holding only. CA glue changes the color of threads, or breaks thickened thread. I'll use diluted PVA glue for hardening whole threads and knots. By the way, the connection between the main mast and the topsail mast in the instruction was weird in my opinion. If I follow the AL's instructions, I have to hook the shrouds to both masts. On the contrary, the reference book shows more general formation. However, I thought one tie of the topsail mast was unstable and unrealistic. Columbus wouldn't have reached the New world. In the 18th century, the most advanced ships of the line had metal brackets for multiple step masts. I'm not sure how many ships in the 15th century used this structure. After lots of research, I found an old plan for an old AL Santa Maria kit. The 1:1 plan shows the topsail mast is lifted! 🤪 Is it a ghost ship?! This is my compromise. If I can't solve something unrealistic and unproven, I'll find and overwrap an existing successful solution rather than do nothing or leave it unrealistic. I think it is a good way to approach audiences, and it is definitely better than showing a nonsense model. (+proper explanation about the modification) Final result. Whoa, Columbus's ship is upgraded! ( I found some scratch builds on this forum used the same mast caps. )