Rik Thistle

Erik, Doing the reefing ties is a chore...they seem to be never ending when you are doing them ...but the end result is very worthwhile...they somehow bring the sails to life. Your sails deserve it 😉 The colour of the reefing ties wants to be light enough to be noticable but not too bright....the ones I've seen in old pics seem to have a 'weathered' colour (not surprisingly, I guess). And using white glue to coax them into a flat but realistic pattern is a good idea. Richard

I'll have another look at James' waterline pic, thanks. I've brush painted the waterline already but can easily modify it if it's wildly out, but it looks good enough particularly as the boat is mounted with the hull facing downwards on the ship. My sister and niece both work for the NHS and had their first jags a few weeks ago...side effects nothing worse than the flu jab eg mildly sore arm. In Scotland there are plenty enough vaccines to go around, but deploying the vaccines seems to be causing a bit of a backlog. My jag will probably be March time. Richard

Ras, Much appreciated. Lady Eleanor was a pleasure to work on and it's a good thing that model manufaturers and builders keep their memories alive, as do the communities and families associated with the industry. There are many excellent builds of Fifies, Zulus, Irish Hookers etc on this website that provide very useful insights into the kits and their assembly, and also how to do top level 'bashing'. You will thoroughly enjoy your Fifie build...no doubt about that...and you can add your own touches, tweaks and additions to your build to make it even more memorable. The only downer about the Fifie build is that one day you will finish it ;-)....but the silver lining is that there are many other similar vessels to then tackle. Regards, Richard

Planking these bijou models is time consuming... In fact, building these little boats is a whole lot more complex than first impressions may hint at. Your planking is looking very smooth...my Flirt boat's planking is a bit more rough and ready but still seems to require just as much preparation, bending, shaping etc as larger kits do. These kits are an enjoyable challenge, even though some parts have to handled with (very soft) kid gloves due to their fragility. Richard

James, Great pictues as usual. I've heard Sarah Connor is heading towards your house to stop the Terminator build being fully completed. Get your house security system upgraded ASAP, but don't buy a Smart SkyNet brand! Richard

Hi all, This week has been focused on the anchors and the 18' Cutter. The anchor parts were removed from their sheets, glued and then painted black or Danish Oil'ed as applicable. Only issues were that the square hole formed in the glued anchor stock was a very tight fit on the anchor shank (fixed by using a scalpel to open the hole, and sanding down the shank). Below - anchor parts on the 'drying' rig after painting. Yup, there are too many 'that looks useful - I'll have to buy that' tools shown in the builds! Maybe an image filter that removes 'must buys' from images can be added to the website.... on 2nd thoughts.... better just leave it as it is 😉 Below - anchor sub-assemblies ready. Now creating the iron bands and the assembling the anchors. One of the ring holes snapped off, so it was reglued with the ring still in position (not a lot of meat for regluing but it worked), The ring, sitting in the freshly glued hole was gently moved every 5 mins or so for about 30 mins so that it was not stuck to the glue. Now on to the 18' Cutter. The framework went together easily, although some re-work of the squint stern board was required...darn - don't know how I didn't spot that on initial assembly. Note - the cutter has been glued using only CA...I could not see a way of effectively clamping the parts using PVA. Only 3 (maybe 4) bulkheads had the tiniest dab of CA where the cutter parts met the base. Later on the base detached very easily, but held the cutter parts firmly during assembly. Bevelling: I used a plank to dry lay across the bulkheads to help judge where material needed removing. Most of it was at the bow end. At least half the planks were heat-bent (and twisted) to help them follow the bulkhead line. This was a useful thing to do. I planked in pairs on both sides. The first plank follows the notch on the bulkheads - the notch is a good idea. The bow ends of the planks were all feathered, partly to make them bend easier and also to try to catch into the laser cut gap. Some more planks added. After 4 planks on either side, plank tapering was started. And some form of clamping usually became necessary, even if only fingers for a minute or two. Trying non-finger clamping ideas...I wouldn't say any were 100% successful....so I usually went back to the trusty old fingers...and then rubbed my finger tips on sandpaper to get rid of the dried CA. I can't imagine I have much skin left on my finger tips but the skin seems to grow back overnight 😉 ...magic stuff is skin! Keel planking started. Straighforward. All planking now done. Stealers/infil were added as required. Then some filler and sanding follwed. Cutter frame easily detached from base. The base added great stiffness, even though only a few bulheads were glued to it. Yup, the following is ugly. But it kinda worked. A mini-Dremel with circular saw was used to weaken the frames before twisting them off with small pliers. Where I couldn't 'get in' with the Dremel I weakened the frame by using a scalpel to sculp out weak points. Cutter finish sanded and Danish Oil'ed. And floor gratings painted. As above, but showing inside the cutter. Hmm...the bow looks a little lop sided but as long as it gets the Captain ashore to go where no man has gone before he won't grumble. White painting - Pic 139 mentions 'Mark hull waterline using drawing reference...' ... but I could find no drawing reference? Nearest I could find to a painting 'drawing reference' is the outline shown bottom right of page 46, but no waterline shown. I can make an educated guess as to where the waterline is, but any advice gladly received. I've been following Blue Ensign's Cutter builds .... https://modelshipworld.com/topic/27170-18th-c-ships-boats-by-blue-ensign-–-vanguard-models-164/page/2/ and others' builds, and picked up a lot of useful tips - thanks. These little boats are good mini-projects in their own right, and even as a starter Beginner project. Well, that's it for this week. Still on Lockdown here in Scotland but vaccine letters and vaccines have started to work their way down the age groups. Hopefully those vaccinated don't forget they can still carry the virus on their hands etc....OK, that's my health warning for this week. Stay safe, and enjoy the hobby 😉 Richard

a true tanned bark color. Yes, that colour is looking good. Chris supplies well designed sails....and, as you say, the lighter thread does add a bit of interest. The rigging isn't too bad, at least on my Fifie, although the Zulu's is a bit more complex. It's good to have a pleasant hobby to fall back on after busy work days/weeks ... quite relaxing especially in that it takes one's mind completely away from 'other business' 😉 Richard

This is very useful since I am currently about to put the first plank on my Flirt's boat. I had already decided I needed to heat the first plank (and the others) to curve it inwards to meet the rabbet, and also needed to greatly feather the plank end catch onto the rabbet. Should all the planks catch into the laser etched rabbet gap, or is CA glue used to position the plank end adjacent to the rabbet line? Any advice gladly received, Richard PS: I like the two pins at the other end to hold the plank curve. Edit: I've now got the first plank on...CA and a slight wideneing of the laser cut rabbet has done the trick.

VTHokiEE, I believe there are at least two thicknesses of ropes involved...one to take the recoil and the others to pull the cannon back into the firing position. There may be others....I haven't fully checked yet. The rope restraining hooks are tiny so there will be a lot of fiddly threading of ropes, knots etc...not my strong suit but I need the practice. I had thought about glueing the cannons in place after being roped but I don't know if that would be easier or not. So I'm just following the manual's procedures. My plan is to complete everything shown in the manual. I'm telling myself I've reached the halfway point in the build but really, with all the rigging, seizing etc still to do I suspect I'm being a bit optimistic. Richard

small glass bottles Now that you mention it I'm sure I've got a some small glass bottles somewhere around the house/shed..... will search tomorrow. Richard

Hi all, Most of the deck fittings have been completed. So here is a brief summary of what happened... Below.... capstan, winch, gratings etc put in to place. The deck has been 'Danish Oiled' to give it as darker more used appearance - as was the bare wood on the outside of the hull. To help the posts find their locating squares on the lower deck the ends of the legs were tapered. That seemed to work quite well. A brood of cannons waiting to flee the nest. After a quick Google I see they are not a brood but a 'stand'. Cannons glued in position awaiting roping. The swivel guns are not glued... they will probably be fitted after all the rigging ect is complete since I feel they are a bit vulnerable to big fingers. Keeping a quiet eye on the stand. Close-up of the winch and pumps (not glued yet - too fragile). Dead eyes and strops all fitted. Looking down the deck. And finally a side view of the mostly complete deck. Still to add the cannon balls, and re-glue a dislodged step. And for the coming week or so the anchors and Cutter. Catch you all soon, Richard

B.E. #32... cross grain is probably a contributing factor. I've experienced similar breaks with small cross grain parts in ship kits, and in other items from everday life. The perfect solution is to change everything to a more robust material but that's impractical. I suspect the best fix of a bad bunch is to make the part that breaks out of a tough plastic or a workable metal (that can be correctly painted/coloured) , and also move the 'break point' further down into the part where there is real strength in the wooden item. That means removing 'good' wood till a strong enough joint section is found. The part has already broken twice....and things do come in three's, they say 😉 Richard

Thanks Welfalck, Shortly after posting, I actually was seaching the house for a small, sealable container...no luck so far. Maybe I'll clean out an old Humbrol tin with mostly used ancient paint in it. Richard

For touch-up work, I'm looking for a small tin (10 - 14 ml?) colour equivalent of Plasti-kote's Red Oxide 400ml spray primer (matt acrylic?). I've used Plasti-kote spray primer Red Oxide on a hulls etc for a couple of model ships .... I got it from here .... Plasti-kote 25002 400ml Primer - Red Oxide https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plasti-kote-25002-400ml-Primer-Oxide/dp/B006XBST08/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=plastikote+red+oxide+primer&qid=1590226003&sr=8-1&pldnSite=1 (Note: the Amazon image shows a dark orange colour... in reality the paint is closer to a medium brown with a hint of red. ) At the moment if I need to do touch-up I take the 400ml can outside and spray some paint into a small container and then dip my brush in that. It's very wasteful. I've seen some forums mention Tamiya XF-9 or Vallejo 985 as possible substitutes for red oxide but I'm not that up to speed on paint similarities. The colour match would be 'good enough' to fool the eye but doesn't have to 100% exact. Anybody have any suggestions? Thanks, Richard

Videos here .. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm6n_wgHgakEY29Zfi8owkA/videos .... including Pts 1 & 2 of the Sternwheeler assembly .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMcXEz__ikU Very tempting 😉 Richard

Now that is a small helicopter ...well done... https://www.interactionhobbies.com/N-Scale-Kit-Jaycopter-Helicopter-Pilot-Training-System_p_44.html I get the distinct impression that the 'hobby business' is growing, most likely due to Covid. And once the new hobbyists are hooked then there is no going back 😉 Hopefully, kit supplies etc can keep up with the growth ... generally a good problem for a manufacturer/retailer to have. It's the same with Amateur Radio.... with folks staying at home they started to look for interesting things to fill their time and it seems the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) has had a large influx of new students (and thereafter licence holders). I imagine it is similar worlwide. Both model building and amateur radio lend themselves to social distancing. Richard

Ekis, This is one of those art pieces that I can stare at all day finding new points of interest the deeper I look. Very well done. My mind can also drift of into the village and imagine I was living and working there. It's very relaxing and theraputic ...all homes should have one! Regards, Richard

I struggled a bit getting the yards parallel As BlackAdder would comment..."they are as parallel as a very parallel thing" 😉 Your build looks so clean and all parts look like they do in the manual.... can't say more than that. Richard

Black anodising might do but it involves electricity , acid and a dye (black)....https://www.wikihow.com/Anodize-Aluminum The electricity and the acid increases the thickness of the natuarally occuring aluminium oxide (rust) coating and the dye fills in the pores of the oxide layer. This gives the aluminium a very hard surface finish and a reasonably black finish. But it won't be the blackest of blacks, IIRC. There may be more benign ways of getting a black finish though that other members can recommend eg spray painting? Regards, Richard

Hi all, Just a minor update on lots of Flirt small parts. Firstly, stretching the strops to fit the deadeyes. Find something with a suitable taper, then subtly ram the strop on 😉 Then close the strop over the deadeye with a pair of fine long nosed pliers. A bit crude but it mostly worked. Deadeyes and strops being fitted to the channels etc. Lots of touch-up paint still to be done in various places. And opening up the eyebolts to accept the rings. I needed my magnifying glasses to get the rings onto the eyebolt hooks. And then closed the hooks with long nosed pliers. Some of the eyebolts+rings installed. Many more on the deck also. The canon caps were bent over a 1mm drill before gluing onto the assembled canons. All 14 canons have been completed and are eagerly awaiting some action. I don't have the heart to tell them that will likely be quite a few weeks away. And the finished capstan. It went together fairly well once I had worked out the best gluing sequence, and used the dowel as a pro-forma to try to keep the capstan parts concentric...the dowel was removed when the glue got tacky, rather than letting the parts stick permanently to the dowel. Hatches etc done. Nothing to see here...let's move along... And then there were the ladders 😉 I found the steps way too fat to fit into the laser etched cut-outs with the resulting mishaps shown below. However, after sanding down the thickness of the steps, and with some careful gluing of the broken ladder parts plus using the Outer Side as a support, the issue was quickly resolved. Finished ladders. Posts etc. And finally, the windlass and pumps. Not a super interesting post I'm afraid....more of a record of where I've got to so far. And it's been about 3 weeks since I last posted, which is almost long enough for me to forget any useful comments/observations I would have thought about at the time. So best get something posted now before it's too late. Hope you are all surviving the new year and keeping safe. Regards, Richard

I have too many vices. 😉 I used to! ...those were happy days. Bruce, thanks for the vice info - only thing is that that handle is long and needs 'pushing through' every 180 deg turn....that's why a thumbwheel type handle is preferred for my application. Anyway, I think I've now got enough to go on. Thanks again, Richard

Hi BE, The little boat is looking very good...I've got one in my Flirt kit so your build is timely and useful. A question on vices, if I may... I'm looking for a small (100mm x 80mm vaguely), free standing, weighty, non-suction, single thumbwheel screw for closing the jaws, quick to deploy vice. I'd also like the jaws to be reasonably square and flat. It will be used for quickly gripping small items, with the vice held by one hand and the tool in the other hand. I already have a Stanley ... https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001HBS0I0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which is very good but large'ish and needs taking out of the drawer and screwing to the edge of the bench ie slow to deploy The other vice I use is .... https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B089K4LFR8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which is almost ideal in size and weight and deployment speed but very poorly made eg the jaws are sloppy and they have a 2mm chamfer on their top edge (eh?) I notice in your pics you alternate mostly between two bench vices - a Proxxon and a die cast (?) bench-drill one ... I'm assuming one has a larger jaw opening and the Proxxon (with it's suction cap) allows larger forces to be used on the work part? So, to the question....I'm curious as to the make etc of the die cast one you use and if you'd recommend similar? I've not done any research yet myself but seeing your pics reminded me this was on my To Do List and that I need to get on it😉 Regards, Richard Edit: This (although a bit pricey) might do the trick ... Proxxon 24260 Bench Vice https://www.amazon.co.uk/PROXXON-24260-Proxxon-Bench-Vice/dp/B000S8HPLG/ref=pd_all_pref_5?pd_rd_w=5xuwm&pf_rd_p=0b287dfd-17bb-473b-878d-27964fab82e6&pf_rd_r=4R1ASHNX0PY839T00QTV&pd_rd_r=24828407-f4db-43c5-b2da-554bed2880e5&pd_rd_wg=qQkRp&pd_rd_i=B000S8HPLG&psc=1 I'll leave it at that since I don't want to hijack this thread 😉

Neil, Thanks for that. I'll have a look. I've also revisted FlyingFish's Orca build log, which I'd forgotten I was 'Following'. I'll now keep an eye on both builds for if/when that day comes. Richard

neilm, Your Orca is looking great. The film Jaws brings back a lot of fond memories - was it really 1975!? ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I91DJZKRxs I've never done a scratch build but, one day, hope to. Orca could be the one. Can I ask if you used these plans .... https://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/mar2463.html ... and does a scratch builder buy two sets of plans, one for reference and one for sticking to the wood and then cutting? regards, Richard

Hi Guy, I tend to spend most of my working time sitting down, but use a chair that rotates and has wheels so that I can move easily to different 'stations' on my U shaped work bench. It's only when I need to do sanding or spray painting, say, that I stand up and move to a place (garden shed) where the dust/fumes won't drift through the house. Some MSW members use extractors to get rid of dust/fumes. In the middle of the U is where I work on the ship, to the right is a tray of 'most used tools' and my computer (for reading MSW etc) and to the left is a mishmash of instruction booklets/plans and a tool drawer. Good lighting is important - I use an angle poise light fastenened on to a shelf, as are a couple of smaller IKEA clip-on lights. On the subjects of shelves...you can never have too many 😉 Hope that helps a little. Regards, Richard Edit: A relative use crutches and he has strong arms and uses either the chair he is sitting in to lift himself up or the table he is facing. If using the table it needs to be sufficiently well built to take his weight.