BANYAN

Looking great Denis; some window factory you have goin' there - hope the union approves the overtime cheers Pat

Hi Steven, there was a great show on Fetch (Discovery I think) tonight on Byzantine wrecks in the Black Sea tonight; but, no dromons I think. Can't be sure as a I missed a lot as I did not associate it with this type of doco as it was titles Bob Ballard Special or the like. May be worth a look? cheers Pat

Sorry to hear of the damage Clare; but she does look great. A good decision to call it quits otherwise you will forever be updating . cheers Pat

I'll have to visit this log more often; Druxey keeps beating me to the superlatives That IS some impressive metal work Michael. I like your idea of just letting it gain a natural patina; but, as always, the final decision is yours. cheers Pat

Exceptional work, your metal smithing never fails to amaze me. cheers Pat

Very nice Dashi; some superb detail there. cheers Pat

Very interesting and effective technique Rob. After adding all the detail do you give it all a final sealing coat of a flat/matte lacquer or other substance to preserve it/longevity? OR, does the paint do that for you? cheers Pat

Quite the production run Jason and they look terrific; if you had not pointed out the cheat only the most serious "rivet counter" would have noticed I think cheers Pat

Hi Eberhard, yep you are absolutely right; on rereading my post it does read that it is all too difficult which was not my intention. As you say, with a bit of practice most of this becomes a lot easier. Once you find a good stock thread, and get the hang of your ropewalk it all starts to fall into place; I just wanted to put it out there that it was difficult to provide a generic 'set-up' straight out of the box that would work for him. I do encourage all modellers to try and make their own ropes as they look so much better than the standard wares provided with kits. cheers Pat

Beautiful ironwork (brass :)) on that mast Michael. cheers Pat

Hi Castos, Jim Byrnes also has an 'endless' rope walk ; very good quality machine but a little pricy. As to set up, there are many 'base' designs (Kroll, Byrnes, Syren etc etc); every rope walk is different and there are so many variables that proving an overall set-up for every type of rope etc would be nigh impossible. The best to ask for is a guide for the type of rope walk you are using. The type and size of the source/stock thread, the end 'lay' of the rope (left or right / S vs Z lay), and the number of strands of the scale rope etc etc will all require different setups no matter what the type of rope walk used. The only way to really get a grip on all this is trial and error, noting the setups etc as you go along so that when you find a set-up that works for a particular size of rope ,then you have the info to repeat the process. As an example, making left hand lay rope on a Byrnes ropewalk is much easier than right hand lay. On this machine several factors impact the end result, including: lay of the stock thread, size of the stock thread, distance between the reels and the forming post (angle of the lay), the way the stock is wound onto the reels/spools (consistent tension, direction etc) and the speed at which the rope walk is run. All, or most, of these factors will affect any ropewalk, but perhaps in different ways. So what you need to know are several basic set-up requirements, including: lay of the stock thread (to achieve the final lay direction), size of the stock thread (again to achieve the desired made-up size), number of strands required (some shrouds were cable laid in three strand, others in four strands, the angle of lay required, how to set the rope, etc (some research required). As to 'stretch', some stock threads result in rope that stretches more than others. Some silks and cottons (long staple) are much better for not stretching as much as say man-made thread (such as poly-cotton threads). I always 'set' my scale ropes by tensioning them, and in some cases manually stretching them, first by hand and then hanging them for a week or so with weights (on swivels) on either end to remove any twist and minimise overall stretch. I have found that doing this has helped and I have seen little stretch induced by different levels of humidity (mainly seasonal). Other modellers say they do not have to set their rope; I believe that this is because of the way their ropewalk and technique combine to provide a 'set' rope on manufacture. Other factors that influence the final result are how much fuzz is imparted by the stock - smooth (glace) finish is best, and if using silk, the amount of 'slubs' present, the less the better) By 'set' I mean, that if properly set, the rope will not unravel when it is cut. I hope all of this shows that, unfortunately, it is impossible to provide the exact set-up for any machine as there are simply too many variables. The best is to find a 'guide' for the type of ropewalk you intend to/or have purchased/made, then experiment with different stock threads etc. There are several discussions available in MSW on the different types of rope-walk, threads, setting rope etc. cheers Pat

Looks good Rob; best wishes for a good outcome for your friend. regards Pat

That' do the trick mate! cheers Pat

I think the builder has earned the break and; happy wife happy life Looking good Michael. cheers Pat

Coming along nicely. Look forward to seeing this in action. cheers Pat

Thanks for the feedback Pete; I was sure you had that well in hand :). Great trip and the 'surprise' birthday party was a big success cheers Pat

I have been away for a little while and must say it is a joy to see the progress of this very fine model; as usual you have done a superb job on modelling and researching this fine ship. cheers Pat

Very nice work Michael, but we have come to expect that from you That skylight looks like the actual deal, not a model of it. cheers Pat

You've made some great progress in my absence Rob; those masts and their fittings look great. A joy to come back and read this log. cheers Pat

Nice progress Steven; those arcades look good. It appears you have made best use of the grain direction to provide a little strength. cheers Pat

Hi Pete, you've made some progress since I saw your diorama. I like the engineering you are using and assume the light beam (optical switch) is a better option than a limit switch at each end? Folks, having seen this diorama I can say that the actual construction looks even better to the eye than the photos show; a testament to Pete's artistic abilities. cheers Pat

Nce result with the ensign Tim - she is looking great! cheers Pat

Hi Doug, that is unusual indeed. I can't help with the diagonal knees but there is some discussion about iron knees in James Peake - Rudiments of Naval Architecture_1851 (see plates 6 and 7 amongst others) which discusses the iron fittings used in hull construction. This is available as a pdf online. cheers Pat

Looks good UV, like the way the way the truks (top bits) turned out Cheers Pat

Nice recovery Jason those channels look good, and up to your usual very high standards