Dan Vadas

Yeah, you're probably right John. There are a LOT of things I'm not completely happy with, but I'm using this model as a training exercise for my next one   .
 
I thought I'd take a pic with my giant oversize fake hand :
 

 
  Danny

The Capstan has been made and fitted. I'm not totally satisfied with it, and I may pull it back off and do a bit more work to it :
 


 
I came up with an idea to improve the round edges of the skylights to make them completely round. I wiped some CA around the edge and sanded it to shape - MUCH better . This is what I'm thinking of doing with the Capstan, although I'm in two minds. Maybe I should leave it "warts and all" to show the gradual improvement in my card modelling skills? BTW - I touched up the paintwork on the skylights after I took this pic :
 

 
Some Progress Pics with the recent additions fitted :
 



 
The Capstan Rollers. There are 10 layers of paper in each one. They will be getting the CA/sanding trick when they dry :
 

 
  Danny

Learning from mistakes, part 2 (or is it 14 ). The major error earlier was the alignment of the Flying Deck. I came up with this solution to ensure it didn't happen again. One problem I found was that the black printing didn't like Tamiya Masking Tape - it came right off when I did a test on my spare main deck. So I made up two pieces of scrap paper which I folded to match the main deck just behind the fore and aft bulwarks to keep the tape away from the printed surface. Then I taped the ship to my cutting board to ensure it couldn't move. I taped a piece of balsa in the exact position of the rear of the flying deck as a "stopper", with another piece of tape on it to mark the side of the deck :
 

 
Next I added some balsa scraps to the inside of the structures to which the deck is glued to give a much larger gluing area. I made sure that all the pieces were flush with the tops of the little structures with a steel rule. Some of them were a little high, some a touch low, so these were adjusted by either a bit more sanding or by filling the gap with another piece of paper :
 

 
When I was satisfied that all was correct I glued the deck down and placed a small block of MDF on top to hold it down while the glue dried :
 

 
  Danny

I've redone all the Superstructure. I'm MUCH, MUCH happier with the way it turned out. Well worth the effort .
 
After looking through Chris's and Slog's Logs I've picked up a lot of tips, most of which were used in the redo :
     1. I used an awl instead of a light score with an Xacto blade to score the fold lines. The scores don't have an open cut on them now.
     2. I laminated extra card to build up larger gluing surfaces when edge gluing (pic 1).
     3. I glued down extra card on the back side of vertical pieces so I could remove the gluing tabs (on the left in pic 1). Previously I had some trouble getting the walls to sit down at the correct height and in the right line.
     4. I cut inside the lines to remove the black edges that I had before (most of the time anyway).
     5. I used Slog's method to cut circles and curves. Much neater now.
     6. My tube rolling is vastly improved thanks to tips from both logs (pic 2).
     7. I now dry-fit EVERY part before applying any glue, and no longer assume it's going to fit properly.
     8. For some tricky pieces that like to spring a bit (like the walls) I'll glue one end first, let it dry, and then work my way around the piece. Previously I'd try to fit the whole thing in one go, with some poor results.
 


 
 

 
I'll glue the deck on in the morning. I may have to remake some of the Deck Support posts that got knocked around a bit, I'll see how they come up first.
 
  Danny

Popeye - hah . I thought the exact same thing while I was driving home 10 minutes ago. Soon as I got home I checked what little brass tubing I have left - out of luck. Smallest is 3.0mm ID . I'll buy some smaller tube next time I'm in town.
 
Eddie - I checked out the punch set, beyond my price range at the moment but on the wish list . Seeing the pic on the site gave me an idea though, which WORKS for the 1mm pieces (actually 1.2mm because I'm also out of 1mm wire ). I used my Byrnes Drawplate to punch out a piece, only a dozen to go :
 

 
Chris - some great tips in your Log, I'll read it all shortly. I'm going to use your technique for the 2mm circles.
 
  Danny

Thank you John.
 
Now we're getting ridiculous . There are 13 Ventilators to make - these consist of two 2mm circles with a 1mm circle sandwiched between them. The one I've made so far took me about 15 minutes, not counting glue drying time. I've got to come up with a better way of cutting them out. I've checked the Interweb for precision hole punches, but the only set that would do the job is from Waldron and costs £55.60 ($AU97.00) . There's also this lot from Historex (UK), couple of Pounds dearer. I'll probably get a set, but not until I win Lotto :
 

 
  Danny

Be my guest Ken .
 
The sides of the hull fitted up pretty well, but there's a fair amount of thouching-up to do where the stark white edges of the paper join the black of the sides of the deck :
 

The damage to the paint here was caused by attempting to get a hollow out of the superstructure deck :
 

 
I'm using an Archival Ink pen to fix the problem. I've done a bit around the top of the stern bulwark and it looks like it'll do the job :
 


 
Most of the Superstructure fitted :
 

 
  Danny

Welcome Grant and Rick .
 
Folding and gluing the tabs took me 2 hours on the base. I let it dry overnight. The deck only took me an hour, maybe I'm getting better at it . They look rough in the closeup pic, but it's only shadows - they are all perfectly flat, which would have been impossible or at least VERY difficult without the balsa fillers.
 
When the deck dried there was a very slight amount of "hogging" - with one end flat on the table the other end was about 1.5mm high. Very easy to bend flat, I'm sure that when I fit the side panels it'll all be good :
 


 
  Danny

Thanks Eddie.
 
I've shaped and glued in all the balsa filler blocks. I only glued them to one side of each bulkhead in case they pulled the base out of alignment :
 

 
  Danny

Thanks Hornet, John and Slog.
 
A reasonable afternoon's work, after puzzling for an hour or so about what goes where, and what to cut etc . The bulkheads are glued to the base, and all tabs are scored and folded. I'm going to glue some balsa between the bulkheads along the edges to make gluing the sides on easier. I can forsee that I'd have a few problems with getting a sharp fold on some of the deck tabs otherwise.
 


 
  Danny

I'm doing a cheat on the next bits - the masts. I know that this model is "merely" a learning exercise for me before progressing to something more difficult, but rolling 2mm diameter tube 70mm long AND making it look good is still beyond my skill. So I'm making the masts from something I'm much more familiar using - wood .
 
I used the 7-10-7 method to mark out the piece (I'm doing both masts from the one piece, much easier) :
 

 
Next it gets turned into an octagon using a sanding stick :
 


 
And finally rounded off :
 

 
  Danny

Thanks John. But wait ...... there's more .
 
I've made and fitted the Anchors, Anchor Chains and Cranes. The chain is after-market stuff from Builders in Scale. The kit chain (printed version seen below) measures out at 25 links per inch, the "real" stuff is 27 links - CLOSE ENOUGH :
 



 
Apart from the Masts and associated rigging, and rigging the boats she's finished (although these could take a while ). After I took these pics I finished the final touch-up on the damaged printed areas and gave her a coat of Matt Clear.
 
  Danny
 
 

I'm doing a cheat on the next bits - the masts. I know that this model is "merely" a learning exercise for me before progressing to something more difficult, but rolling 2mm diameter tube 70mm long AND making it look good is still beyond my skill. So I'm making the masts from something I'm much more familiar using - wood .
 
I used the 7-10-7 method to mark out the piece (I'm doing both masts from the one piece, much easier) :
 

 
Next it gets turned into an octagon using a sanding stick :
 


 
And finally rounded off :
 

 
  Danny

All the Railings are now fitted. They were a quite enjoyable area of the build. I have a lot of touch-up to do, especially on the black printing. I'm not at all happy with the quality of the printing, I don't know if it was the wrong choice of paper, ink or Setup but it flakes off if you look at it sideways :
 


 
A bit of fun - the cranks for the forward Pump. I made this from a scrap of the PE used for the Railings - it was almost a perfect length fit between the sections :
 

 
Some more bits that I've fitted - the Cranes, side ladders, lifebelts and Navigation Lights :
 

 
An overall look at my progress :
 

 
  Danny

I'm doing a cheat on the next bits - the masts. I know that this model is "merely" a learning exercise for me before progressing to something more difficult, but rolling 2mm diameter tube 70mm long AND making it look good is still beyond my skill. So I'm making the masts from something I'm much more familiar using - wood .
 
I used the 7-10-7 method to mark out the piece (I'm doing both masts from the one piece, much easier) :
 

 
Next it gets turned into an octagon using a sanding stick :
 


 
And finally rounded off :
 

 
  Danny

I'm doing a cheat on the next bits - the masts. I know that this model is "merely" a learning exercise for me before progressing to something more difficult, but rolling 2mm diameter tube 70mm long AND making it look good is still beyond my skill. So I'm making the masts from something I'm much more familiar using - wood .
 
I used the 7-10-7 method to mark out the piece (I'm doing both masts from the one piece, much easier) :
 

 
Next it gets turned into an octagon using a sanding stick :
 


 
And finally rounded off :
 

 
  Danny

Thanks John. But wait ...... there's more .
 
I've made and fitted the Anchors, Anchor Chains and Cranes. The chain is after-market stuff from Builders in Scale. The kit chain (printed version seen below) measures out at 25 links per inch, the "real" stuff is 27 links - CLOSE ENOUGH :
 



 
Apart from the Masts and associated rigging, and rigging the boats she's finished (although these could take a while ). After I took these pics I finished the final touch-up on the damaged printed areas and gave her a coat of Matt Clear.
 
  Danny
 
 

I'm doing a cheat on the next bits - the masts. I know that this model is "merely" a learning exercise for me before progressing to something more difficult, but rolling 2mm diameter tube 70mm long AND making it look good is still beyond my skill. So I'm making the masts from something I'm much more familiar using - wood .
 
I used the 7-10-7 method to mark out the piece (I'm doing both masts from the one piece, much easier) :
 

 
Next it gets turned into an octagon using a sanding stick :
 


 
And finally rounded off :
 

 
  Danny

All the Railings are now fitted. They were a quite enjoyable area of the build. I have a lot of touch-up to do, especially on the black printing. I'm not at all happy with the quality of the printing, I don't know if it was the wrong choice of paper, ink or Setup but it flakes off if you look at it sideways :
 


 
A bit of fun - the cranks for the forward Pump. I made this from a scrap of the PE used for the Railings - it was almost a perfect length fit between the sections :
 

 
Some more bits that I've fitted - the Cranes, side ladders, lifebelts and Navigation Lights :
 

 
An overall look at my progress :
 

 
  Danny

Thanks John. But wait ...... there's more .
 
I've made and fitted the Anchors, Anchor Chains and Cranes. The chain is after-market stuff from Builders in Scale. The kit chain (printed version seen below) measures out at 25 links per inch, the "real" stuff is 27 links - CLOSE ENOUGH :
 



 
Apart from the Masts and associated rigging, and rigging the boats she's finished (although these could take a while ). After I took these pics I finished the final touch-up on the damaged printed areas and gave her a coat of Matt Clear.
 
  Danny
 
 

Thanks John. But wait ...... there's more .
 
I've made and fitted the Anchors, Anchor Chains and Cranes. The chain is after-market stuff from Builders in Scale. The kit chain (printed version seen below) measures out at 25 links per inch, the "real" stuff is 27 links - CLOSE ENOUGH :
 



 
Apart from the Masts and associated rigging, and rigging the boats she's finished (although these could take a while ). After I took these pics I finished the final touch-up on the damaged printed areas and gave her a coat of Matt Clear.
 
  Danny
 
 

Thanks John. But wait ...... there's more .
 
I've made and fitted the Anchors, Anchor Chains and Cranes. The chain is after-market stuff from Builders in Scale. The kit chain (printed version seen below) measures out at 25 links per inch, the "real" stuff is 27 links - CLOSE ENOUGH :
 



 
Apart from the Masts and associated rigging, and rigging the boats she's finished (although these could take a while ). After I took these pics I finished the final touch-up on the damaged printed areas and gave her a coat of Matt Clear.
 
  Danny
 
 

Maybe Slog, but I'm more inclined to think that my problem is more of a Paper issue. I had two lots printed - my daughter did the first lot at work (she owns the place ) on plain 80gsm photocopy paper and they seem fine. I've used quite a few pieces from this lot when I wanted a thinner paper to roll etc. The 2nd lot I had done professionally, and they used what looks to be matte or low-gloss Photo paper - that's the one that gives me all the trouble. Both lots were done on a Laser printer (I think ).
 
Perhaps it was a combination of both.
 
  Danny

Thanks John. But wait ...... there's more .
 
I've made and fitted the Anchors, Anchor Chains and Cranes. The chain is after-market stuff from Builders in Scale. The kit chain (printed version seen below) measures out at 25 links per inch, the "real" stuff is 27 links - CLOSE ENOUGH :
 



 
Apart from the Masts and associated rigging, and rigging the boats she's finished (although these could take a while ). After I took these pics I finished the final touch-up on the damaged printed areas and gave her a coat of Matt Clear.
 
  Danny
 
 

All the Railings are now fitted. They were a quite enjoyable area of the build. I have a lot of touch-up to do, especially on the black printing. I'm not at all happy with the quality of the printing, I don't know if it was the wrong choice of paper, ink or Setup but it flakes off if you look at it sideways :
 


 
A bit of fun - the cranks for the forward Pump. I made this from a scrap of the PE used for the Railings - it was almost a perfect length fit between the sections :
 

 
Some more bits that I've fitted - the Cranes, side ladders, lifebelts and Navigation Lights :
 

 
An overall look at my progress :
 

 
  Danny