allanyed

Tim,
 
I have never heard of any US location other than used copies, but maybe some one else knows otherwise.  On the bright side, the $US has gone from about $1.57 in May 2008 to the Euro $1.08 lowering the prices by 30%.
 
Allan

The bit below was originally posted last year. 
Kurt
 
 
Posted 10 October 2014 - 09:12 AM
I have never used ammonia to bend wood - it just isn't needed.  The bit below is a reprint of part of my article on building the Gunboat Philadelphia kit in Ships in Scale.  I doubt anybody who attended the NRG Conference I reference has ever used ammonia since hearing it.
Kurt
 
 
AVOID AMMONIA SOAKING
 
At the 2007 Nautical Research Guild Conference in Manitowoc, Wisconsin Alex C. Wiendenhoeft of the U S Department of Agriculture Forest Services Center for Wood Anatomy Research at the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin explained how and why this damages the wood.  After this length of time I do not remember all of the details of his talk, but the point was well made and I don’t think that any of the modelers who listened to his talk that day has ever used Ammonia again.  The very non-scientific points I remember is that soaking in Ammonia breaks down and liquefies the Lignin in the cells making the wood more bendable.  When the Ammonia evaporates while the wood is clamped in place to the desired bend, the Lignin solidifies in a somewhat degrade state weakening the wood.
 
Ammonia also causes some woods to discolor when they dry out.  This might not be critical when the wood is to be painted but if it is being stained or clear finished the discoloration would not be acceptable. Concentrated Ammonia fumes are used commercially to darken some woods with oak being very susceptible to this process.
 
Mr. Wiendenhoeft explained how and why soaking in water or steaming wood made it bendable while not damaging the cellular structure of the wood.  Again, a non-scientific explanation is that there is a chemical bond with water in the cellular structure of wood that varies between 0% and 30%.  Soaking or steaming wood with water raises the percentage of water within the wood, called “free water”, above the amount bonded within the cells temporarily.  This makes the wood swell and more easily bent.  When the wood dries out and the bonded water stabilizes back to 30% or less, the wood retains the shape it was formed to by the clamping while it dried while retaining its strength. 
 
I have only mentioned drying the wood while clamped in place but the application of heat using some sort of plank bending tool or other heat source works the same way as clamping just at an accelerated rate.

We are nearly at the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania.  I would like to recommend Dead Wake by Erik Larson which goes into the background of many of the passengers and crew of the Lusitania under the command of Captain William Thomas Turner as well as the German submarine U-20 under the command of Kapitanleutnant Walther Schwieger.  She was torpedoed a little after 2 in the afternoon of May 7, 2015 and sank in 18 minutes.
 
This is a non-fiction work but nearly reads like a novel.  Mr. Larson has done his homework and written a book that is not to be missed.   I could go on for a long time on this book but suffice it to say that it is "must read" for anyone with any interest in maritime history, the history of WWI, or history in general for that matter. 
 
Allan

We are nearly at the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania.  I would like to recommend Dead Wake by Erik Larson which goes into the background of many of the passengers and crew of the Lusitania under the command of Captain William Thomas Turner as well as the German submarine U-20 under the command of Kapitanleutnant Walther Schwieger.  She was torpedoed a little after 2 in the afternoon of May 7, 2015 and sank in 18 minutes.
 
This is a non-fiction work but nearly reads like a novel.  Mr. Larson has done his homework and written a book that is not to be missed.   I could go on for a long time on this book but suffice it to say that it is "must read" for anyone with any interest in maritime history, the history of WWI, or history in general for that matter. 
 
Allan

We are nearly at the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania.  I would like to recommend Dead Wake by Erik Larson which goes into the background of many of the passengers and crew of the Lusitania under the command of Captain William Thomas Turner as well as the German submarine U-20 under the command of Kapitanleutnant Walther Schwieger.  She was torpedoed a little after 2 in the afternoon of May 7, 2015 and sank in 18 minutes.
 
This is a non-fiction work but nearly reads like a novel.  Mr. Larson has done his homework and written a book that is not to be missed.   I could go on for a long time on this book but suffice it to say that it is "must read" for anyone with any interest in maritime history, the history of WWI, or history in general for that matter. 
 
Allan

We are nearly at the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania.  I would like to recommend Dead Wake by Erik Larson which goes into the background of many of the passengers and crew of the Lusitania under the command of Captain William Thomas Turner as well as the German submarine U-20 under the command of Kapitanleutnant Walther Schwieger.  She was torpedoed a little after 2 in the afternoon of May 7, 2015 and sank in 18 minutes.
 
This is a non-fiction work but nearly reads like a novel.  Mr. Larson has done his homework and written a book that is not to be missed.   I could go on for a long time on this book but suffice it to say that it is "must read" for anyone with any interest in maritime history, the history of WWI, or history in general for that matter. 
 
Allan

We are nearly at the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania.  I would like to recommend Dead Wake by Erik Larson which goes into the background of many of the passengers and crew of the Lusitania under the command of Captain William Thomas Turner as well as the German submarine U-20 under the command of Kapitanleutnant Walther Schwieger.  She was torpedoed a little after 2 in the afternoon of May 7, 2015 and sank in 18 minutes.
 
This is a non-fiction work but nearly reads like a novel.  Mr. Larson has done his homework and written a book that is not to be missed.   I could go on for a long time on this book but suffice it to say that it is "must read" for anyone with any interest in maritime history, the history of WWI, or history in general for that matter. 
 
Allan

Alan,
Maybe the following will help a bit.  It has the scantlings from the Elements and Practice of Naval Architecture, SR and the Elephant contract. 
Allan
74 gun frames.pdf

Keith,
Another item to consider......if the edges of the planks are not properly beveled, you will either start with gaps as in A, or create gaps when sanding areas like B in the sketch. The sketch is exaggerated for illustration purposes, but at some points of the  framing where the curve is relatively severe, this problem worsens.
Allan

Keith,
Another item to consider......if the edges of the planks are not properly beveled, you will either start with gaps as in A, or create gaps when sanding areas like B in the sketch. The sketch is exaggerated for illustration purposes, but at some points of the  framing where the curve is relatively severe, this problem worsens.
Allan

Keith,
Another item to consider......if the edges of the planks are not properly beveled, you will either start with gaps as in A, or create gaps when sanding areas like B in the sketch. The sketch is exaggerated for illustration purposes, but at some points of the  framing where the curve is relatively severe, this problem worsens.
Allan

Keith,
Another item to consider......if the edges of the planks are not properly beveled, you will either start with gaps as in A, or create gaps when sanding areas like B in the sketch. The sketch is exaggerated for illustration purposes, but at some points of the  framing where the curve is relatively severe, this problem worsens.
Allan

Keith,
Another item to consider......if the edges of the planks are not properly beveled, you will either start with gaps as in A, or create gaps when sanding areas like B in the sketch. The sketch is exaggerated for illustration purposes, but at some points of the  framing where the curve is relatively severe, this problem worsens.
Allan

Ed,
 
If I have learned nothing else from this build it is that I do not own enough chisels!   I use mine a lot, but now see areas where a few new shapes and sizes are needed in my tool box. 
 
Allan

The winter has been especially harsh in our neck of the woods but as much as I look forward to Spring this year, I kind of regret better weather coming as it  might be the Siren call to get you out of the house and away from the Y.A. build.  Such actions will surely disappoint those of us following your build.
 
Allan

The winter has been especially harsh in our neck of the woods but as much as I look forward to Spring this year, I kind of regret better weather coming as it  might be the Siren call to get you out of the house and away from the Y.A. build.  Such actions will surely disappoint those of us following your build.
 
Allan

The winter has been especially harsh in our neck of the woods but as much as I look forward to Spring this year, I kind of regret better weather coming as it  might be the Siren call to get you out of the house and away from the Y.A. build.  Such actions will surely disappoint those of us following your build.
 
Allan

The winter has been especially harsh in our neck of the woods but as much as I look forward to Spring this year, I kind of regret better weather coming as it  might be the Siren call to get you out of the house and away from the Y.A. build.  Such actions will surely disappoint those of us following your build.
 
Allan

The winter has been especially harsh in our neck of the woods but as much as I look forward to Spring this year, I kind of regret better weather coming as it  might be the Siren call to get you out of the house and away from the Y.A. build.  Such actions will surely disappoint those of us following your build.
 
Allan

The winter has been especially harsh in our neck of the woods but as much as I look forward to Spring this year, I kind of regret better weather coming as it  might be the Siren call to get you out of the house and away from the Y.A. build.  Such actions will surely disappoint those of us following your build.
 
Allan

The winter has been especially harsh in our neck of the woods but as much as I look forward to Spring this year, I kind of regret better weather coming as it  might be the Siren call to get you out of the house and away from the Y.A. build.  Such actions will surely disappoint those of us following your build.
 
Allan

Jim,
 
A complete description of properly rigging and securing the bower and kedge anchors can be found in pages 137 -143 in Volume IV of The Fully Framed Model by David Antscherl.   Additional good descriptions can be found in Lavery's Arming and Fitting on page 53-54 as well as Darcey Lever's The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor and James Lees  The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War .
 
There is more than just having a line that goes through the cat sheaves to a block and hook.  Once the anchor is raised, it has to be brought up to the hull and secured.  Fish davits come into play for this chore.  Keep in mind that after 1773, the fish davits were shortened and secured to the fore channels with a shoe. Many plans do not show these very clearly, if at all.  
 
Allan

I used to be a member of the New Jersey Ship Modeling club, but I do not remember the name of the member that showed this.  You may want to PM Chuck Passaro as he is an active member of the club and may have a recollection, or if not, he can ask the membership.  I believe their  monthly meeting is tomorrow night.  It has been some years since I saw the technique so only the older members may remember.
 
Good luck
Allan

Philippe
 
Your solution proves the old saying has validity, where there is a will, there is a way!  Great idea that you had. 
 
I have seen some fantastic plastic scratch build models wherein (as I remember his explaining how he did it) the hull was shaped with pine or some such, then some type of opaque sheet plastic (may have been polystyrene) from the local hobby store was heat shrinked around the wooden plug.  He did the same for many of the upper works from what I recall and they looked remarkable.  Also knocked off a lot of weight when the wooden plugs are removed. 
 
Allan

Bob at Seawatch Publishing posted the news that the book of scantlings is now available to anyone interested.  The Seawatch website gives a good bit of detail but I thought it would be a good idea to let anyone interested  know a little bit about the book.
 
This is not a novel.  If you have trouble getting to sleep at night, it will work better than most drugs to fix that problem.  BUT, if you are a model builder, especially scratch builders and kit bashers, there is information all in one place that required a rather extensive and expensive library up until now.   Over 200 pages of the book are tables of British Naval ship scantlings and dimensions, including:
 
A.) 1719 and 1745 Establishments and the 1750 modifications to the 1745 Establishment. 
B.) 1788 Shipbuilder's Repository and Steel's Elements and Practices of Naval Architecture scantlings for ships from 110 guns down to 10 gun brigantine. Merchant vessel scantlings were not included because there just was not enough room.
C.) Boat scantlings from Steel
D.) Anchor scantlings from Steel
E.) Drawings showing many of the items listed in the scantlings.
 
I hope this will turn out to be a helpful source to many of you.
 
Allan