BANYAN

Nice job on the guard rails Greg, they look very realistic. cheers Pat

Very nice stairs Kieth. Are you going to glue the companion etc down? If not, furture owners/hiolders of the model could lift it and see the lovely workmanship? cheers Pat

That grating looks very realistic Eberhard; you must be happy with those results? cheers Pat

A 'piercing' price to pay sorry mate couldn't help myself. Those figures are looking really good. cheers Pat

Another work of art Greg. cheers Pat

Nice work Gary, very clean joinery and crisp details - love how she is coming along. cheers Pat

Nice recovery Eberhard; if you hadn't told us about it one would never know. That gun is going to be wonderfully detailed, especially at the scale you are working at. regards Pat

You may hate doing them Greg, but they look good! cheers Pat

I use several methods depending on the item. For basic stuff I have constructed a right angled jig using a Poly(something) Board (the stuff bread/cutting boards are made from - see top left). Cut a thin strip long enough for two pieces and thick enough to remain rigid. Glue ( I used 2 part epoxy) and screw to the base board (whatever size you want) and use an engineer's square when setting up to ensure a true 90 deg. This allows you to square each corner as you glue up and PVA glue will not stick to it. I had previously made one from 1/4 in plate glass to use with CA also but it was chipped when a club member dropped it - haven't replaced it yet. Be sure to get the glazier to round/polish the exposed edges when he cuts it (not the bottom or side edges that form the corner though) - this can be a cheap option if you ask for 'off cuts' from larger jobs. For more fiddly bits where you want to glue up the full square /rectangular frame together I have used a sliding arrangement. These are done as needed (as per Bob's suggestion) so I cannot provide a photo but essentially the jig can be made from scrap wood (waxed surfaces to stop glue sticking - the edges and base surface must be trued and smooth though). Make the jig as above but with a much larger base board and shorter right angled pieces in one corner only. Then simply use strips of wood or metal (trued) that can be clamped to the much larger base, truing up with 'squares' as you go. The final options I use are commercial clamps - I have two types. One is a miniature framing clamp set (Top Right), and the other is for things like cabin walls (need one clamp per corner). I got mine at MicroMark years ago (no affiliation) but you can find them (or variations) elsewhere. Hope this helps? Cheers Pat

Thanks for sharing your thought process on this; surprising how many 'considerations' must be accounted for. AND, thanks for the memories - loved that show! cheers Pat

That's some micro-engineering and model assembly Greg; they look very detailed especially for that scale. cheers Pat

Having a mate who does this at cost ( a few cents per item for the materials) does help. I am very lucky in that as he also has an interest in maritime matters and is happy to draw up the 3D for nix. Commercial printers can make the items less attractive to print. Many thanks for your kind comments Carl. yep, AB is the way to go mostly, but once some dust settles you need to assist the process with a soft brush. Some parts seem to have an EM charge or the like that attracts dust more than other parts - or is that just my imagination - at my age I never know whether it is observation or perception cheers Pat

Thanks for the feedback HYI, much appreciated. In an effort to try and keep the spools wound evenly, I have used the tensioning devices used in a sewing machine to control the 'pressure/tension' of the stock thread when I am making up the spools. Basically, I put this between the stock cone of thread and the take up spool. I have yet to find a method to maintain a consistent tension on all three (or four) feed strands coming off the spools to the winding point when making rope. I agree (found that the hard way by experience) that the angle of the winding is as important as anything else. All these factors become even more important when making up Right Hand Lay (RHL) rope - the LHL is much easier as the 'mechanics' of the system are all geared towards this direction of turning. cheers Pat

Hi all; Tony, Keith B and Keith A, John, Steven, Denis, Eberhard and Jason, many thanks for looking in and generous comments; thanks also for all the likes. Eberhard, yes I think there is a big future in 3D printed parts; still a little way to go for the home printers to achieve the smooth surfaces but all depends on how much you wish to invest. There are always the aftermarket 3D Printing services (such as Shapeways) that provide ultra high definition, but as the monogram and the compressors show, it is possible to get very acceptable results with the 'home level' printers. Steven, for my part I simply provide the research and 2D drawings. A more talented mate does the 3D drawing from those and he also prints them. There is a little more involved with the 3D drawing process than simply doing a 3D drawing (to render) for printing as you have to allow for the qualities/quirks of the printer, allow for the supporting sprues etc etc. Once the 3D is done you can send the drawing off to many places to have them printed (several in Victoria but some have long waiting times for small jobs). Some of these commercial printers offer tools whereby you upload your 3D drawing and their software does a check to ensure the model will print successfully. I must admit I am still very wary of the compressors on the after transom. They fit exactly with the bottom ledge engaging the underside of the rail and the 'screwed' down knob engaging the upper surface of the carriage transom. It wouldn't take much to snap that bolt, especially when cleaning - I will just have to keep the dust off cheers Pat

A very nice hull and the machine is superb. The resulting rope appears much more consistent. i also have a 'universal' style rope walk (Byrnes) and one of the issues I also experience is the 'jumping' you highlight. If I read correctly, you put put this down simply to uneven pressure. Are you referring top the tension on the individual stands being uneven, or at the take up spool (or both)? cheers Pat