Wawona59

Hello all, number of kits (majority) in my stash have an abundance of cast Britania metal parts. The kit instructions say to paint these parts; even for replicating brass or copper. I can see this approach for black parts. However, a couple of kits that I have require replicating nickel, brass and copper. Instead of a painted coating, which is not my preference, I'd like to try electroplating these parts at home. My understanding is that a solution of white vinegar and salt with diodes and anodes made out the metal to be plated could work using a 1 amp power supply. Does anyone on MSW have any experience with electroplating Britania metal parts? Any insight will be greatly appreciated. I'd really like to experiment with this method without blowing up the house. LOL My Admiral would not be too happy with me if that happened.

I've found that another requirement for a super sharp blade is to flatten the back and polish the back to a mirror finish. I like to use oil stones, a super fine black stone for sharpening surgical blades with a final stop on a piece of leather.

Welcome to Model Ship World! Your ship modeling journey seems similar to mine. Build sailing ship models as a kid. I also started reading Howard Chappelle's American Sailing Navy as a 12-year old in the early 70's. It was a bit over my head then. You have a wonderful library collection and we have several similar volumes. I like Charles Davis' books and his description of building the frigate Essex in his built up ship model book. I think you will enjoy your time on MSW. Welcome Aboard!

Welcome to Model Ship World and welcome back "from the dark side" to modeling. This is wonderful modeling community with many talented and friendly modelers. I'm sure you will enjoy your time here. Welcome Aboard!

As Chris said, soaking the wood thoroughly really helps. You can also apply heat to the bend by using something like a small travel iron or similar. This might be the first of many boo-boo's you'll make you'll learn from them. Many, many moons ago one of me college professors told me that an expert is "a person who make every possible mistake and learned from them". Well, you're on your way to becoming an expert. Don't give up the ship.

Welcome aboard Yann! I'm recently retired as of August 2022. This a great pastime for retirement (I should have retired years ago). I hope you will consider setting up a build log in the model builds from kits section of the MSW site. If you are able to add progress photos to your log you get a wealth of information and help from experienced ship modelers. The AL beginner Bounty kit could be a good one to start on. I would also highly recommend the Model Shipways Shipwright Series 3-kit combo of 3 progressively more challenging models. The materials and instructions in my opinion are excellent. I'm using the 3-kit combo to make some small Christmas gifts for friends. Model Shipways Shipwright Series (modelexpo-online.com) Free Dory Promo (modelexpo-online.com) This is a great worldwide group of modelers.

When I recently renewed my NRG membership I added a small donation. Does a donation to the NRG also support MSW? Thank You

Thanks Mike, Feel free to PM me and let me know how it went.

You are correct Mike, If you don't plane true and straight, the wood piece will spin. I use a piece of wood about half the thickness of the wood I'm planing as a bench stop. When you are planing with proper technique you are simultaneously pushing down as well as well forward which holds the material in place. Granted, it takes some practice to get right. I much prefer working with quality hand tools than running wood through a machine. For stock longer than 12" you may need to hold the stock down in front of the plane with your free hand and hold the block plane with the other. In addition to noise reduction another advantage is the plane and planing board with the bench stop takes up a lot less space than a dedicated machine. Lastly, a plane makes shavings instead of sawdust. The shavings can be used to make other things like wooden rings. I work in a spare back bedroom and don't have a dedicated shop so space is at a premium. I hope this clarifies the thickness planning for you. I can post a picture of my simple setup if that will help. I won't be able to do it until next week as my wife and I will be celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary this week.

I know I'm late to the discussion but I must second this. My favorite plane for modeling is the Lie-Neilsen bronze block plane. It's been my go-to modeling plane for years. I got the HP-8 to precisely thickness strip wood. I like the heft of this little plane and it feels good in the hand. I use primarily hand tools so this really comes in handy.

Welcome to MSW Miguel. There a lot of outstanding modelers here on MSW. There is always someone willing to help other modelers. Welcome Aboard

I've had good results using Elmers Carpenter's Wood Glue for dark woods. It's brown when it is wet but when it dries it's almost black. No mixing anything. Just right out of the bottle. hope this helps.

I'm in for any kit that Chuck designs. I'll be making two Pinnace models as Christmas presents for my doctors this year. I've also got Chuck's Confederacy in the model stash waiting for my skills to improve.

I probably wouldn't worry about the lap joint since the end result is basically the same. However, you could probably make a comment on the ME website in a review of this kit. When you're finished with the Lobster Smack you could upload photographs of all three models under the Shipwright's Combo kit. I've enjoyed following your builds so far of the Dory and Pram. I'll be following your Lobster Smack build. I bought this combo kit with the idea of making some small holiday gifts for friends. Keep up the good work!

Welcome to MSW! That is a very nice Carrick that you built. It has the touch of a woodworker. I enjoy woodworking too; especially with hand tools. Right now I'm a lurker on MSW as I'm working on all of my unfinished models that I plan to give away to interested kids this November at our model show at the Seattle Museum of Flight. Glad to have you aboard!

Beautiful fix on the stem and keel in post #2; very craftsman like. As in this case, sometimes the fix is better than the kit part. You're doing a great job so far.

Hi Ferrus, I've been following your build and your paint job on the gold decorations. You are doing a great job on the gold painting. There are other options for doing the gold other than brush painting. There are other options for doing the gold other than brush painting. Have you considered using a metalic pen to do the gold? Several modelers I know use metalic Sharpie marking pens for detail work https://www.sharpie.com/markers/permanent-markers/sharpie-metallic-permanent-markers-fine-point/SAP_2029678.html Art supply stores also sell chrome permanent marker pens. There appear be several brands. I found some on Amazon. You could do a google search like Liquid Chrome marker pens to find more. Molotow is another brand of chrome marker pens. I've used these and highly recommend them. They offer various sized tips in gold, bronze and chrome. These are permanent alcohol based paint. Molotow Liquid Chrome Alcohol-Based Pump Marker, 2mm, 1 Each - Walmart.com Amazon.com: ZOET 3PK Gold Chrome Marker Chrome Pen | Gold Paint for Any Surface | Gold Chrome Marker Paint Pen for Repairing, Model Painting, Marking or DIY Art Projects| Permanent Liquid Mirror : Arts, Crafts & Sewing I hope this is useful to you.

Welcome to MSW Charles. There's always room for another ship modeler. Welcome Aboard!

Please hang in there. We are all overly critical of our work. I'm also in that camp as well. Even though I was not happy with the fore bulkheads of my Flying Fish, I still received numerous positive and encouraging comments from several MSW members. I have since taken back all of the bulkheads that I was not happy with and will restart my Flying Fish build log again. If you are experiencing spring back of your planks the chances are that you either did not soak them long enough or did not keep them in the plank bending form long enough. In my opinion, instead of buying another Lady Nelson kit, please consider purchasing the Model Shipways Shipwright Series kits instead. The shipwright series is offered as a combo of three kits. The combo consists of a basic Dory, followed by Pram followed by lobster ship jack. Each model in the series is progressively more challenging. You can even get the combo with a basic set of tools. I have the combo kit. The materials are high quality, the instructions are excellent with a few steps that will make you think. Model Shipways Shipwright Series (modelexpo-online.com) I strongly recommend that you consider building the Shipwright Series first. Once you've successfully completed the Shipwright Series you'll be able to finish building your Lady Nelson with confidence. I wish you the best in your ship modeling journey.

Hi Scott, You are making good progress on your Dory. Don't let mistakes discouraged you. Making mistakes and fixing them are just part of building ship models. The bevel of the planks can be confusing at first until you see what is going on. The Dory is clinker-built which means the planks overlap each other. The lower plank needs to be slightly beveled so that the next plank lies smooth and fair over it. The following diagram shows the difference between clinker built and carvel-built. The bevel can be accomplished using an emery board or sandpaper backed by a piece of scrap wood. As you progress in the ship modeling hobby, many of the Plank-on-bulkhead (POB) models you will build will be carvel-built. Take your time, visualize what you are trying to accomplish and all will be fine. Most of all, enjoy the ride; this is a hobby after all that we do for fun and relaxation. I hope this helps you.

Dan, I've been following your build log on the Pram. She's really coming along and so are you as a builder. I really like the photo of you holding the Dory, your first model. You really have a nice smile of pride holding the finished model. I'll be following along on your lobster smack model. After that you'll have graduated from the 3-part ship modeling course and will be ready to tackle another, perhaps more challenging, sailing ship kit.

The Pram is really coming along. Nice choice of colors. Did you brush paint it or use an airbrush? A while back I purchased a tub of a smaller version of those shown on post #19. I got 100 for under $30. They are okay but I prefer the spring-loaded wooden clothes pins where you can adjust the jaws to different shapes. Nice Job! I assume you will be doing the Lobster Smack.

Welcome to MSW and the world of ship modeling. There are a lot of experienced modelers, much better than myself, here on MSW. 1. Which kit should I buy? The best advice, as stated by others on this thread, is to start small and work up. I highly recommend that you start with the Model Shipways Shipwright 3 Kit Combo Series. It's listed on their catalog as MS1473 and MS1474. The difference between the two is that one of them comes with a basic set of tools, acrylic paint and glue. In fact, I recently bought this combo kit just to make sure I was giving sound advice to newbie modelers. The materials provided are of high quality. The instructions are clear. except for a couple of minor tweaks, which can easily be figured out. 2. Which tools should I buy? Although it may be tempting, you don't need to go "all out" buying tools. You don't need all of those fancy power tools and jigs, yet. Concentrate on hand tool and buy the best quality you can find. They will serve you well years down the road. Others on MSW may have additional tool advice but here is what I would start with: X-acto or similar knife with No. 11 blades 12 inch aluminum or steel straight edge Sandpaper of various grits 150-320 Razor Saw (X-acto or Zona) Needle files, round, square and half round Push pins for holding parts Small 6" square Clamps, clamps and more clamps Pin vice with set of drill bits tweezers - stainless steel of various shapes preferred mechanical pencil for marking measurements Set of calipers (vernier or dial indicating) for transferring measurements Good lighting Self-healing modeling mat I'm sure I missed a few. Hopefully, some other MSW members could provide additions to this list. Good luck with your ship modeling journey. WELCOME ABOARD!

Another beautiful and stunning model Chris. I am continually in awe with what an accomplished modeler, such as yourself, can do with just paper and a few bits of wood. I'm looking forward to following your next masterpiece.

The rivet detail really adds a lot of interest to the model. I will remember this technique when I refurbish my Boeing 307 model for an upcoming display at the Seattle Museum of Flight