Gregory

AS for Chuck's weathering powder technique, I don't know if he goes into more detail somewhere else, but it seems pretty simple and straightforward here:

Weathering the cannon on Cheerful

7 minutes ago, DaveBaxt said:

Just a thought I am finding it very difficult to work with 2mm blocks,

You would be hard pressed to find an example of where this is done well by anyone at this scale.. 

Even at 1:48, most efforts leave a lot to be desired.

More often than not, any strops and hooks look way out of scale.. 

You will find many fine models where the tackle is not rigged at all,

or maybe just the breaching rope is present.

You might consider a method called " frapping "

Shown here on tkayy11's  Triton cross section.

However, I think this is a 1:48 build..

Getting the hooks to look good at 1:64 is more of a challenge.

49 minutes ago, DaveBaxt said:

To paint or not to paint? That is the question.

I think the bronze with patina look  is nice.

End the end, it's how you want it to look.

Is it stranded?

Do you have a link?

7 minutes ago, DaveBaxt said:

Any thoughts on painting cannons would be appreciated. I do not have air brushing equipment at this point.

You might check out Glenn Barlow's method in his Cheerful log.

20 Gauge stranded:

Here

It could be any similar wire found around the house.

2 hours ago, DaveBaxt said:

What sort of thickness wire do I need to make it look like rope?

You might try twisting together 2 or three strands of the really fine wire found in 20 gauge or thinner electric wire.

It will be copper or aluminum, so you will still be looking at blackening it..

I guess this part is a little late if you have already put them together..

When I have put these together, I just put a little white glue in random slots of one layer.

Doesn't take much to keep these assemblies together.

As far as where to put yours while they dry, just set them on some plastic wrap or a plastic bag.

With regard to these planking drawings,  What is the significance of the red vs the black drawings?

Sphinx 1775

Just curious...

Did they have other bottles that were OK?

The CA on the bottle must stand for the California version.  They have all these environmental restrictions that make the glue unusable..😁

Just kidding.

Must be a bad bottle..  Why does the color look yellowish, or is that a camera thing? It should be clear..

What about the smell?

Will you be able to return it?

I deleted my earlier post because I saw you had that information.  Did you see my last picture?

It looks like it would be a short run from the hole to the stag horn.

It's hard to understand what you see as the problem.

Is this the rope on th actual ship?

Great food for thought Chuck..   Another consideration might be whether adding details are reasonable at the scale you are working at.

How often have we seen an otherwise beautiful model where the belaying pins look like bowling pins, or the ratline clove hitches scale to the size of grapefruit ?

A little bit of silicone caulk/adhesive on the base of the mast will give you a flexible non permanent joint..

15 minutes ago, allanyed said:

If the mast is set into a square hole in a corresponding mast step,

That sounds like something to keep in mind for the next kit.  I have never seen a kit include a square step, or instructions for squaring the base of the mast, but it would be easy to do.

Great model!

It would serve well as the box art and other promotional material for the kit..

In the absence of a nut type fixture outboard, how were they fixed inboard?  Were they threaded and screwed into the bulkhead?

I would imagine there would be a lot of stress from the outhauls and the breaching ..

Bolts are seen here on the USS Constitution.

2 hours ago, tkay11 said:

Gregory: thanks for the experience with Chuck's blocks, as that seems to be good evidence.

I might add that I didn't soak them very long.

I also prefer the darker blocks seen on contemporary models, but that may have more to do with age ( of the model, not me ) than how the block was prepared....

While I am on the subject of age, I will say I don't want to wait 200+ years for my blocks to darken..  20 Will be pushing it..

I used something like 80 grit sand paper.  I laid the paper flat, and rubbed the piece over it..

I don't think I had a disk sander at the time,  so I think I would use that to some extent today.. 

Here is an example of some of the pieces on my Mary.

@ jaager

Quote

A stain - the noun - applies to a semi transparent paint. It does not penetrate wood. 

What about companies such as Minwax, who claim their products " penetrate " ?

Their products are marketed as "stains"..  Same for Varathane and other brands.

I have used these stains on thin ( 1/32, 1/16 ) sheets, and it shows up on the other side where I did not brush it..

We may be quibbling over the proper definition of the word, which manufacturers are using improperly.

Pedantry aside, I think when most members here talk about stains, it is these popular products they are referring to.

I have found that Chuck's blocks don't take a stain very well, depending on the lot.

1 hour ago, Jim in KC said:

I completed the first planking (Swift Virginia Pilot Boat

That is a very nice job and shouldn't need much filling..

Any filler you use should be glue friendly..   Look for water based wood filler.

If you have any major dips that are not showing in the photo, fill those in with thin pieces of wood to smooth them out.

Can be a bit pricey, but you might check out:

Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War, 1600-1815

Lavery, Brian

44 minutes ago, Bob Cleek said:

The tilting table gives many concern regarding safety of operation. 

That was back before they had to put a sticker on it that said " Don't use this in the bath tub..