Dan Vadas

Rather than a razor blade I use a blunted #11 Xacto blade in a holder, which doesn't actually cut into the paper. This method rarely requires extra painting.
 
Danny

Little time today, so small parts.
funnel was finished, and some small platforms around the conning tower are done (almost).
tomorrows funpart: roll to make a column of max 2 milimietre wide at the top, and three and a half at the lower end.
fun: the cardbord is almost .3 milimeters thick.
 
 suggestions are welcome.
 
Jan

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 307 – Small Yard Arm Bands
 
Up until this point, the eyebolts in spar bands, including yardarm bands have been inserted and glued into holes drilled through the bands and into the wooden spar.  This provides a strong eyebolt connection and anchors the band securely on the spar.  On smaller yards the diameters at the ends are quite small, approaching 1/16" at 1:72.  Drilling through the mounted band becomes more difficult at these sizes and drilled holes into the small spar weaken it.  A different method was adopted for the fore royal yard and will be used on other smaller spars.  Yet another method will be used on the very small skysail yards.
 
In the first picture, eyebolt holes are being drilled into a length of copper tube with an ID slightly smaller than the fore royal yard arm.
 

A slight flat was filed on the top surface of the tube and the drill bit projection kept short to reduce the tendency of the bit to "skate" on the round surface.  When the necessary holes were drilled, twisted wire eyebolts were inserted and silver-soldered into the tube.  Before soldering the eyebolts the OD of the tube was filed to reduce its thickness.  In the next picture the eyebolt protrusions into the tube are being ground out using a small diamond grit bur.
 

The end of this tube was then sawed off to produce the yard arm band.  In the next picture a hardened steel mandrel and a wood block are being used to restore the round shape of the band and to begin its enlargement into a tight fit over the end of the spar.
 

Final enlargement of the band was done as shown in the next picture by lightly tapping the band with a hammer using the vise jaws as an anvil – until the band was just large enough to be pressed on to the yard.
 

The next picture shows the band fitted to the royal yardarm.
 

The band was later removed for polishing before final installation.  The other fabrication steps on this yard follow those described earlier so I will skip those steps.  Note that the yard has been drilled for jackstay stanchions and for the skysail sheet sheaves, which have yet to be carved out.  As with other yards, all copper ironwork was blackened on the yard as described in earlier posts.
 
The last two pictures illustrate the replacement of the royal sheet chains on the topgallant yard.  This change was mentioned in the last post.   The first picture shows the new, slightly larger, royal sheet chains installed on the yard.
 

This work was done in place, requiring removal of the old chain, re-threading of the sheet block, and re-connection of the two rope falls below the block.  Ratlines on the topgallant shrouds – and other areas - are a work in progress.  The last picture shows the new twisted wire chain at the port side of the yard.
 

 
The twisted wire chain is stiff, so it stands up by itself and will need to be shaped later – along with all the foot ropes and stirrups.  The pin in this picture anchors the chain in the sheave temporarily to allow the loops below the yard to be initially sized and shaped. 
 
Ed

Rather than a razor blade I use a blunted #11 Xacto blade in a holder, which doesn't actually cut into the paper. This method rarely requires extra painting.
 
Danny

Rather than a razor blade I use a blunted #11 Xacto blade in a holder, which doesn't actually cut into the paper. This method rarely requires extra painting.
 
Danny

Good luck with your build, Richmond. I built the HMS Alert paper model and had a great time with it. I really like HMS Wolf and hope to get to that at some point. It should be much simpler than HMS Mercury, since all of Wolf's guns are on the open deck. 
 
Not sure why all those Eastern Europeans like to use double-edged razor blades. Shipyard even includes one in their boxed kits. The only thing about them is they are extremely thin and sharp, so it may be easier to use them, but I'll stick to using a scalpel for thin blade cuts.
 
I've assembled some of the paper blocks from the kit and they really are challenging, but not impossible if you assemble them in groups as printed. But, for my HMS Alert, I just ended up using the wood blocks from Syren, even though I made all the necessary blocks. The Syren blocks just looks so nice on the small scale model.
 
In any case, have fun with the build!

De Ruyter has been collecting some dust over the summer, but today I finally managed to soend some time on him.
 
First I did the railing on the upper platform
again, JSC did some overlength on a not so usefull place:

The railing has to disassembled in three parts to get a reasonable fit.
Now it is drying, for attaing the toprail needs to be done when the part is really drie (and therefore:rigid)
 
Next was the middle deck house: I did the lower part some time ago, now I did the fullel-base. Whatever I did: the marks on the side wouldn't line up with those on the deck. Also the indent on the forward side of the deck was not large enough: the whole structure therfore stood to far aft. I made it larger, hoping there are no unexpected side-effects of the surgery:)
 

 
Finally I started the aft deckhouse (the base for the anti-aircraft battery.)
The idea is the same as for the other deckhouses: a white core, deck glued on top, walls glued around. Sounds simple, and it works reasonably well (apart for the top-layer of the card that tends to come loose at the edges.... Also, the back wall is a bit on the low side. Hopefully the gun-platform will hide the gap.
And now it is drying under some pressure, as it tried to warp.....
 
and finally, todays lesson:
always check the back of your scrap card before using it as cutting mat
Jan
 

State of works for today.
Copper plates on the port side.
Copper plates on the sterboard (arranged the upper belt of plates).
Bow part of the port side.

To arrange each rows of copper plates precisely, I marked their identical course on both sides.
A few stealers need to be laid in the aft part of the ship.

I've made a kind of "shirt" to protect arranged copper surface.

To be continued...

hey folks! it's been a while since we posted last progress update. in the meantime I have managed to finish the hull thus completing the first two volumes of TFFM series. yay! 
 
currently doing the standing rigging, and having a blast with it.... sort of... ropes are not fun in 3D. but the ship is looking more and more beautiful with each day. can't wait to set sails... anyway, Greg gave me green light to post a few renders. hope you like!
 




 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 306 – Fore Topgallant Yard 2
 
While the spanker rigging was going on, I also worked on rigging the fore topgallant yard.  In the first picture most of the ironwork has been fitted as well as the fore royal sheet chains.
 

 
At this scale these chains are well under the size of any available chain by a factor of more than 2.  As with other small chains shown earlier, these were made by twisting a doubled loop of wire by approximately the correct number of turns for its length – assuming one turn per 2 links - an imprecise process for sure.  The next picture shows a closer view of the chain and the sheet block under the center of the yard.
 

After erecting the yard and completing its rigging, I decided to replace this chain with a slightly heavier version. I will show it in a later post.
 
In the next picture, the yard's halyard - a somewhat larger twisted wire chain - has been passed through the topgallant mast sheave with a pin inserted to hold it in place.
 

 
The chain may be seen just behind the mast in this picture.  The position held by the temporary pin is set to suspend the yard just above the topmast cap.  The chain halyard runs down behind the mast to a tackle shown in the next picture.
 

The tackle is long enough to allow the yard to be hauled up to its full height.  In the next picture, the yard with all its bench-installed rigging has been mounted on the mast. 
 

 
The halyard, slanting out due to its stiffness (see arrow), has not yet been connected at the sling band. Bunt and leech lines were routed down the mast before erecting the yard and may be seen draped from their double blocks above.  The wire chain sheets are doing their own thing.  Twisted wire behaves exactly opposite actual chain, which drapes beautifully in graceful curves.  Wire chain has to be carefully shaped to do so.  This will be done later after the loose ends are connected to the royal clue lines. 
 
In the next picture, the halyard chain has been connected to the sling band, the bunt and leech lines are rigged and the clew lines are connected to the chain sheets below.
 

 
The royal sheet chains described above, were the first to be connected after the halyard, so that these could be used to pull down the yard.  The next picture shows the halyard and its eyebolt as well as the two chain sheets hauled down below the sheet block.
 

The thin chain sheets (later replaced) may be seen in front of the mast in this picture.  Each leg is connected to a rope line that runs down to belay on the main rail, port and starboard.  The bunt, leech, and clew lines run down inside the shrouds, through shroud fairleads and belay on those rails as well.  The next picture shows these lines running through the top fairleads.
 

 
All these fairlead holes are starting to fill up.  The arrow in the picture points to the halyard chain.  The main rail pins are also filling up as shown in the next picture.
 

Finally, a view of the model in its present state.
 

Ed
 

Hmmm .... one thing missing in that video - a large pack of Band-aids 😳. Brave (or stupid) guy using a double edged razor blade to cut the blocks off the tree .
 
It looks like an easy way to assemble them though. Glue drying too fast may be a problem, especially in Darwin's heat. I'd be using PVA.
 
Danny

Hmmm .... one thing missing in that video - a large pack of Band-aids 😳. Brave (or stupid) guy using a double edged razor blade to cut the blocks off the tree .
 
It looks like an easy way to assemble them though. Glue drying too fast may be a problem, especially in Darwin's heat. I'd be using PVA.
 
Danny

Hmmm .... one thing missing in that video - a large pack of Band-aids 😳. Brave (or stupid) guy using a double edged razor blade to cut the blocks off the tree .
 
It looks like an easy way to assemble them though. Glue drying too fast may be a problem, especially in Darwin's heat. I'd be using PVA.
 
Danny

Another follower here . I'd either be buying the laser-cut blocks or go with timber blocks - those ones supplied look like an exercise in frustration, cutting and laminating them would take an age . When assembling them make up a little jig (one for each size) to hold the pieces in position while you glue them up.
 
Danny

Another follower here . I'd either be buying the laser-cut blocks or go with timber blocks - those ones supplied look like an exercise in frustration, cutting and laminating them would take an age . When assembling them make up a little jig (one for each size) to hold the pieces in position while you glue them up.
 
Danny

Another follower here . I'd either be buying the laser-cut blocks or go with timber blocks - those ones supplied look like an exercise in frustration, cutting and laminating them would take an age . When assembling them make up a little jig (one for each size) to hold the pieces in position while you glue them up.
 
Danny

Another follower here . I'd either be buying the laser-cut blocks or go with timber blocks - those ones supplied look like an exercise in frustration, cutting and laminating them would take an age . When assembling them make up a little jig (one for each size) to hold the pieces in position while you glue them up.
 
Danny

Another follower here . I'd either be buying the laser-cut blocks or go with timber blocks - those ones supplied look like an exercise in frustration, cutting and laminating them would take an age . When assembling them make up a little jig (one for each size) to hold the pieces in position while you glue them up.
 
Danny

Another follower here . I'd either be buying the laser-cut blocks or go with timber blocks - those ones supplied look like an exercise in frustration, cutting and laminating them would take an age . When assembling them make up a little jig (one for each size) to hold the pieces in position while you glue them up.
 
Danny

I have recently purchased the HMS Wolf, a Shipyard paper model, from Cornwall Model Boats in the UK, I also purchased the extra sails and masts sets but was reticent to splash out on the laser cut blocks, however after receiving the model and seeing the size of the parts, each just a few mm and all containing multiple parts I have decided to save my eyes and will place an order for these as well. I was considering purchasing laser cut timber blocks however it seems an extravagance for a simple card model. However I may purchase wooden gun carriages and associated brass guns depending on how I go with cutting and assembling the card parts and the model generally. 
 
I have only one complaint in that there was a couple of pages of assembly instructions missing from the kit. I am really hoping that Cornwall are able to convince Shipyard to email me a pdf of the missing pages. Hopefully, as its assembly details and not parts details that are missing there will not be any issues. I will email Cornwall tomorrow.
 
The beauty of this card model is the skeleton is laser cut.  I have recently been struggling with cutting and assembling the skeleton for the RMS Mauretania and I find it very time consuming. I have been on that build for several months and have still not progressed beyond the skeleton!
 
Following Dan's lead I have been busy cataloguing all the parts into a spreadsheet with part numbers, page numbers, thickness of any laminations, names of the parts/ assemblies and any relevant comments and then cross references to assembly pages.
 
Anyway here are few some photographs of the kit -
The cover, and example assembly and parts pages. Note there is only one colour page of assembly details the rest are black and white. Other than  the rigging details all assembly detail is by photograph (no words).
A close up of some of double blocks parts as you may be able to discern in this example each block contains 7 parts all of which need to be laminated to either  0.25mm or 0.50mm card. The length of the block in this example is just a few mm.
An extract of the assembly instructions for the blocks in question.
The assembled skeleton - the majority of the skeleton has been assembled - I think it took less than 15 minutes to dry fit it.
 
I really must say the quality of the laser cut card is absolutely top drawer.
 
 
 
 

The V108 has been on the back burner somewhat as I struggle through the RMS Mauretania skeleton and dedicate a lot of my spare time to some building work at home. Anyway I am pleased to announce some minor progress, with the skeleton assembled along with the top deck. I will undertake some minor trimming and sanding before I attempt the skin. I think I will need to weigh down the ends before I skin to rid myself of the longitudinal warp.
 
 
 
 

Pretty good job for the 1st planking and it will make a good foundation, but have a big think about the 2nd planking before you start anything. You won't want to follow the run of the planks for that - i.e. NO sharp pointed panks.
 
Danny

Pretty good job for the 1st planking and it will make a good foundation, but have a big think about the 2nd planking before you start anything. You won't want to follow the run of the planks for that - i.e. NO sharp pointed panks.
 
Danny

Fixed . A tip for those who don't know - don't simply hit the "Quote" button when replying as it copies the ENTIRE post to the reply. If you want SOME of the original post in your reply - highlight the appropriate passage (Shift + Left or Right Arrow or drag with your Mouse) and click the little "Quote Selection" button that appears. BTW - you can Edit your OWN posts if needed.
 
Back to you Ed , Danny

Thanks Richmond .
 
I've made up all the side covers. The louvred one (top left) was particularly tricky to make :

 
Danny