Jaager
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If you can't find it anywhere else, Amazon 200ml ~ $20 65ml ~ $14 It is also great at protecting tools from rust. Re: incandescent - have heat lamp bulbs been proscribed also?
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From your photo, this appears to be a POB kit? Is it double planked and this the first layer? The purpose of the first layer is to offer support for the actual planking. On most all kits, the frame moulds are spaced too far apart to give adequate hull shape and plank support. The first plank layer is intended to provide this. Smooth off the planking. (Plane, file, sand, scrape) The gapes will be covered by the display planking. When you have a smooth base, look at it carefully. If there are hollows/ dips between mould stations use something like Bondo to fill out the hollows so that base hull has the proper shape for the planking. The real planking will need spilling, Ribband location so that no belt of planking has an extreme difference between the plank width at midship and at the stem or sternpost and edge adjusting to give tight seams. -
I made a work table using a Flush Hollow Core door. They come in several widths. The length can be changed using a saw and the resulting interior gap filled with a piece of scrap lumber cut to fit. I surfaced the top with a plastic laminate using contact cement. I set it on two 2 drawer file cabinets and glued wood on the underside that made a "socket" to fit around the top of each cabinet to keep the top from moving. I would not do heavy hammering on it, but for modeling it does file. Any sort of cabinet would do to hold it up. Get a set that is shorter than you want and set them on plywood or wood to boost the height. It is easy to disassemble. Thinking about this has given me an ideal: The file cabinets are low cost and I not sure the metal gauge is not much thicker than something to wrap a sandwich, but they hold things up just fine. The sliding file drawers are not a very efficient form of storage, though. I think I can discard the drawers and fit shelves into the openings.
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The paper method is an old one. There is an article in a past issue of the NRJ that discusses the effects of scale on color perception and that distance changes color intensity and sheen and glossiness. In the light of accepting this phenom. and adapting to it: In the sailing ship era, the "tar" used was not the petro based material in common use today and was not really pitch black. Instead, it was brown, red brown, grey brown. I suggest the following: Use paper that is thinner than what the actual scale caulked seam would be. Dye it dark brown ( shoe leather dye, wood dye - other similar material). The smaller the scale - the lighter the brown. Glue it to the plank stack with TiteBond or which ever wood glue you use. (So that the paper/wood join is not weak.) Separate with a very sharp blade. After laying the deck, the last finishing step = scraping it with a single edge razor blade held vertical to the surface.
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Mark, Thanks, I will look to see what is available. There were several less than successful experiments trying to find something that worked and could be removed without too much (unacceptable) effort. The shear forces on the paper can be high. Regular paper backed medium does not last all that long. WoodCraft has a cloth backed medium from Germany that lasts. It comes as a roll and is 4 inches wide. Now I have 3 different grits on the 11 inch long platen. It even stands up to being cleaned using a gummy rubber cleaning stick.
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Weldbond - The manufacturer - Frank T. Ross & Sons - is bit coy in how they write the product literature but they do state that it is P.V.Ac - which is polyvinyl acetate - PVA It should be essentially the same as other PVA wood glues. The way my brain stores and recalls info - Weldbond also brings up Weldwood - the contact cement - which is not so good for our uses. I built and use the thickness sander in NRG Ship Modeler's Shop Notes Vol. 1. The platen is made from turned Rock Maple sized to fit a sheet of sand paper. It has been difficult to find way to attach - reversibly - the sanding medium. The way I do it now - use cloth backed medium - attach with Weldwood. I have found that paint thinner solution Naphtha works to unstick the medium. It does not dissolve it. It makes it unsticky and produces removable curd-like lumps.
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POF Question
Jaager replied to wallyh's topic in Building, Framing, Planking and plating a ships hull and deck
Do you plan to fully plank both sides of the hull? Yes. - Then it should do. In making the sandwich, with PVC glue - within reason - higher clamping pressure = stronger bond. Uniform pressure for all sandwiches will yield reproducible results. No - Will it bother you that each displayed frame will have an offset seam near the center with a different grain pattern on each side?- 1 reply
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scroll saw proxxon ds 460
Jaager replied to michael101's topic in Modeling tools and Workshop Equipment
A generic 9" tabletop band saw with a 1/8" blade will do an excellent job of scroll cutting. With a Carter Products Blade Stabilizer, scroll cutting is even better. Change to a 1/2" blade and you can do some resawing (in the 1-2 " stock range) and cross cutting (you might could rig a carrier/slide table like with a table saw - the back would need to be uncut to keep the two sides attached). Inside scroll cuts and extreme curves can be done with a hand fret/scroll saw. It gives you a more versatile machine. See the size of readily available replacement blades (59 1/2 here) and make sure they fit the saw you choose. If the Carter upgrade is do-able as far as cost, make sure your model choice will fit one. -
Black Walnut is an attractive wood - for furniture - the grain is tight, so it does not fuzz or roll out as you work it, but it is open, so it is not really the best for 1:48 scale or smaller, especially small parts like deadeyes , blocks, rails, combing, bits, etc. European kit assemblers probably use a different species, but what I see is still open grain and not as rich a color as Juglans nigra even. I am not familiar with SoCal botany, but see if you can source a dead branch of a Dogwood tree - a live one will work, but you would need it to season before you can use it. If you have old formal gardens there, see if you can get pieces of Boxwood. Real Boxwood (Buxus simpervirans) from temperate gardens is tight grained and hard as a rock - tough to work. It may have a faster growth pattern in your warmer climate. When you prune it (saw out a sizable branch) you will quickly appreciate just how hard a wood it is. Rock Maple would be better than Walnut. Black Cherry would be better than Walnut. Either would do a good job, they are just softer and faster working than Dogwood or Boxwood. Holly will work and it can be dyed to match any shade of wood.
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Model building software ideas
Jaager replied to rshousha's topic in CAD and 3D Modelling/Drafting Plans with Software
Look at GIMP. It is free. Similar textures - brick/ wood/ shingle - are also available for free on line - usually as tiles - some seamless, most not. -
At what point of modifications would a kit become "Kit Bashed"
Jaager replied to thomaslambo's topic in Wood ship model kits
I had been thinking that "kit bashing" implied the production of a chimera - a fantasy object. In ship modeling the usual goal is produce as accurate a representation of an actual vessel as is possible - given the skill and data available. If that is the result, then how you get there is not much of an issue. There is no real "bashing" here. When I read a post about a POB kit where the author states that the centerline keel piece, molds, and planking has been replaced with higher quality material - I wonder - why not just buy only the plans and hardware to begin with? It has essentially become a scratch build at this point anyway. -
There has been no reply to this inquiry. Rating ship model kits is not really what this site is about. The site is little if any about competition at all. It is about improving the skills, knowledge and resources of each of us through communal effort. The way you ask this leads me to believe that you are a beginner in ship modeling. A clipper is a major undertaking. A wooden ship model, even as a kit is on a different level of effort and skill from most any other type. Start small with a beginner lever kit. A site search here should find several posts with advice on which are good choices. If you have your heart set on a clipper: Another way to get your feet wet: start with a large scale plastic kit of a clipper. BUT, after you complete the hull, discard the plastic masts and yards and make your own from wood. Get one or more books covering the masting and rigging of clippers. Be aware that golden age clippers like Flying Cloud, Red Jacket, Sea Witch - are a bit different from later ones like Cutty Sark. The rigging cord should be replaced with better quality and size appropriate material.
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Harvesting your own wood, or starting with lumberyard stock is not a requirement for scratch building. It is more something like a fetish for those of us who want to "live off the grid" for our wood sources. As far as scratch building is concerned, I consider that it means starting with just plans and assembling a vessel. It is freedom from the limitations from the offerings of kit manufacturers. Using pre-made hardware such as cannon or eye bolts, does not alter that, although it may run afoul of some contest rules if competition is something that you enjoy. I think that the metal parts are more of a Model Engineering skill. Prototype ship builders did not hesitate using outside manufacturers to provide wheels, winches, or anything else they could get as soon as the Industrial Age began. There is no reason a modeler should not do the same if the part matches and is the correct scale - if that is how they wish it. Not relevant to anything: I would not build a scratch model at the same scale of any vessel available as a kit. I would never use POB as a method to scratch build.
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The product reports out as being both precise and accurate. If you redo the measurement in the Summer in a high humidity environment, it is possible the the values would be higher. The point being that with wood, a bit of latitude is appropriate with accuracy. This product is excellent.
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Varnish and primer
Jaager replied to sygreen's topic in Painting, finishing and weathering products and techniques
Primer is to seal the wood and provide a smoother surface for follow on paint or "varnish". Shellac (thinned to 50% if using a product already in solution) is the classic primer. Tung oil diluted to 50% (1:1) by mineral spirits is another type of primer. Tung followed by primer strength shellac is another choice. Classic vanish is boiled Linseed oil heated to dissolve in shellac - not really a DIY product. Sand and Sealer is a product that is primarily intended for use on open grain/open pore wood like Oak, Hickory, Walnut. It tends to be thick in consistency and will leave a layer that might be out of scale (too thick). The reason that a mat finish (egg shell) is preferred is one of scale effect. Most of us produce models that are between 1:50 and 1:100 of the actual vessels. An actual vessel with a high gloss finish would appear as having a mat finish if viewed clearly from a distance where it was seen as 1-2% of its actual size. To use polyurethane on your model is a matter of whether you are prejudiced against using plastic on your model. -
MDF for laser-cutting new frames
Jaager replied to rshousha's topic in CAD and 3D Modelling/Drafting Plans with Software
A row or three of hardwood battens on either side of the main 'keel' piece would keep it straight. Sort of like rider keelsons - but much higher up. I am not sure how to fit this to work with the transverse 'bulkheads' - perhaps a row or three of square notches at the join with the main 'keel' with the battens fitted after the bulkheads. -
It is a small piece of wood (end cuts/ scrap usually) at the end of the pin. Just pinning a plank to a frame is good for locating it, but it does not apply much downward clamping pressure. If you use the pinhead to apply the pressure, a dent larger the the trunnel is often made. If the pin is thru doweled, the piece of wood is between the pinhead and the plank. If the pin hole is shallow, the pin is bent above the wood piece to apply the pressure. If you want to go old school, the wood piece is split off and the pin nipped at the plank surface. You then have brass trunnels. If you want wood or bamboo trunnels, the whole hutchcock is removed and the pin hole bored to match the trunnel diameter.
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MDF for laser-cutting new frames
Jaager replied to rshousha's topic in CAD and 3D Modelling/Drafting Plans with Software
I think you should be careful about terminology. The transverse parts in POB are actually molds of the cross sectional hull shape rather than being bulkheads and they certainly are not frames. They are just where a few of the frames would be. Bulkhead is a useful short hand term to describe the unit, but using "Frame" would cause confusion. MDF is as much the binder as it is wood fibers. The binder is what would be toxic. For many of us there is a philosophical split between using Nature supplied components and man made components. Plywood is a step towards man made for pre 1880's ship models and MDF is major step in the plastics direction. -
I have read a lot of articles covering POF techniques and I can't recall any where the ceiling was applied first. But in most of them - the outside planking was completely or partially omitted to show the frames. Russ exactly stated my thoughts on how it should be done. In real practice, I think it was also done as Russ stated. One - I think the outside planking was thru doweled and thru nailed. The inside planking would be messed up if was present. Two - in many vessels, the space between the frames was filled with rock salt as the ceiling went up, so the planking would need to be there. For models I am of the Underhill school of belt and suspenders ( glue and dowels for all joining ). In this case, the planking is held by lil pins with hutchcocks instead of clamps - the pin holes being later enlarged to trunnel diameter. It does mean that the lil pin locations need to match the final trunnel pattern.
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Organizer and drill-bits
Jaager replied to kees de mol's topic in Modeling tools and Workshop Equipment
Not my idea, but a 2 inch block of Styrofoam wall insulation (blue or pink), cut to whichever X/Y dimensions needed, and hot glued to a 1/2" plywood base makes a good bench top organizer. Home Depot sells 1 x 2 sheets of 1 inch for misc use that is not expensive and two layers can be hot glued up. -
Given that this is nearly square in cross section, if by main stais - you mean main stay: In some vessels - at the level of the first ratline - there is a wooden batten, lashed to each shroud, that acts as a spreader.
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Even if you started with a solid hull, and no planking - the solid hull being shaped to the outside of the planking, I doubt that you could do the wales, rails - keel, stem, gun ports - bow assembly - deck - hatches - in 500 hrs - you might not be able to do the stern alone in that length of time. A warship was - and still is - the ultimate of the technology of its time. Nothing we build is more complex. It encompasses just about everything the technology can do. I am not fond of lofting frames - I hoped that 3D CAD would allow the lines to be input and the frame outlines extracted at any point - but that is not what 3D CAD is about. What I wanted can be done (I think) in a 3D modeling program, but not CAD. The work involved is such that I think it easier to hand draft. I doubt Hivewire was able to model Dawn in Mondo in 500 hrs, never mind a 4th rate Man of War.
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You offer no info on where you are, but since you call the wood Lime, I am guessing the UK. If so, I can offer no alternate wood selections that are local, low cost and appropriate to your project. As Allan has said, your time frame is likely unrealistic. It generally takes longer to build a model that it did to build the original ship. Basically it is one person doing all of the tasks done by a small army of skilled craftsmen in a shipyard and its subcontractors. I would be surprised if Leopard could be modeled in 6 weeks in Blender, 3DS Max, Maya, Rhino 3D, etc. And with them, you would not need to wait 12hr for glue to setup. (You want to use a PVA wood glue like Titebond - CA instant is not a good choice.)
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A two deck fourth rate vessel will be a challenging first for scratch POF. It is possible. I would suggest a cutter, schooner, or small brig to begin, but they are not as "sexy" as a Ship-of-the-Line when first looking at this endeavor. POF is certainly closer to how the original vessels were built. It is my preference. Except for the building board, there is not much use for plywood with POF. The major sources of cost will be the tools, not the wood. You can use locally available species. Some of us harvest our own from the "wild". My favorite - Apple - is not often obtainable any other way. Lime (Linden/Basswood) will work for much, if not all. - I prefer harder wood, but that is an individual choice. Some species are open grain - open pores - have high contrast between Spring and Summer wood and do not look good to me when simulating wood at model scales ; Oak, Walnut, Mahogany, Hickory, Aspen. But again, that is a personal preference. You can use hand tools for much of the work. If you use Lime, hand tool work will be faster than with the harder species.
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From the questions that you ask, it appears that you are scratch building HMS Leopard. Asking about a plywood keel suggests that you are planning to use POB as the method to form the hull. The materials used to build the hull of a late 18th century warship is a bit more involved than a single thickness of planking. The sizes of the parts of the hull are what is called Scantlings. The easiest source for these: As for Leopard, she is well documented in the following book: There is even a set of removable plans at 1:96
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