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RossR

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Everything posted by RossR

  1. RossR
    I mixed a new batch of shellac to finish the hull. I am still fairly new to using shellac and I have seen some conflicting opinions on how long to keep shellac after it is mixed. The previous batch is only about 5 months old, but it is considerably yellower compared to the new batch. I am not sure if the yellowing is a function of age, or if it is a result of it becoming more concentrated as some of the alcohol evaporates. I will keep the older shellac and use it for sealing wood prior to painting or for securing knots on my rigging. If the yellowing is only a result of evaporation, can someone simply add more alcohol? It would be difficult to know how much to add to maintain a 2 Lb cut. What do others do with thier shellac as it ages? The picture below shows the difference between the old and new shellac. Both were mixed from the same batch a dried shellac at a 2 Lb cut.
  2. RossR
    I am making progress on the sapelli planking below the sycamore. This material is a little difficult to work with, very thin, I measured it at just under .5 mm, and a little brittle. I will need to patch a few small areas near the bow the split when I was trimming. Next up is the wales.
  3. RossR
    I am really impressed with your doors and the windows. The decks are also impressive.
  4. RossR
    Welcome. Good luck finishing your dad's models.
  5. RossR
    I came up with the same measurements for the wood ones. Like sails, I think these are always over scale if you use the kit provided materials. Someday I may tackle scratch building pins, but for now I will live with these being too big.
  6. RossR
    If you just need the updated rigging plans you can download the current instructions from the Occre web site. There are no instructions for the masts or yards, but the plans are 1:1 scale and are pretty detailed. it took me awhile to get the hang of the rigging plans, and I think more pins are needed on the aft section of the ship unless you use pins for more than one line. The plans get confusing with the braces because they show one line and you can’t tell where it is attached to the yard based on the plan. An expert would know it was a brace, but a begginer like me can get confused. I will measure the pins later tonight when I am home.
  7. RossR
    I bought this kit about 6 months ago, directly from Occre, and the belay pins and gun carriages are now wood.
  8. RossR
    Progress continues. I have the sycamore second planking installed. The material that Occre supplies is very thin. Parts list says 0.6mm, but I measured it at less than 0.5mm. For material this thin I use contact cement. You get 100% coverage of the surface area so no edges curl up and it sticks as soon as you apply any pressure. I applied Minwax Golden Oak stain, and will later add at least a couple coats of coats of Shellac. next up is applying the sapelli planking on the rest of the hull.
  9. RossR
    Definitely your carved version. Very nice.
  10. RossR
    This is what I use. Available at Home Depot, Menards etc. You apply it to the hull and the planks. Wait 5-10 minutes and the glue will barely feel sticky. Then when planks is placed on the hull and a little pressure is applied it sticks very firmly. Difficult to undo. I apply it to the planks after sticking them to a piece of cardboard. I like it because there is 100% surface coverage and with the thin material in the Occre kits the should be no chance of any edges not laying flat.
  11. RossR
    I am putting the second layer of planking on my Occre Frigate Diana. I have had good luck with contact cement with the thin material provided for the planking, but I am a big believer in doing what works for you. I have trouble getting a little messy with the CA, but that's me. Good luck.
  12. RossR
    I needed to bend some African Walnut and came across this thread. I just had success bending 2mm x 4mm African Walnut across the 2mm dimension. I needed a 90 degree bend with about a 2 inch radius. I was very worried about bending it this much. I bent it in two steps. First, after soaking in hot water for 30 minutes, I clamped it to a form with about a 4 inch radius. The next day I removed it from the form and soaked it again in hot water for 30 minutes. I was then able to clamp it to the 2 inch radius form without any problems. I used very hot water and after 20 minutes of soaking and the water cooling, I replaced it with hot water again. I didn't not use any sort of heat gun or iron. Hope this helps anyone trying to bend this type of wood.
  13. RossR
    What kind of glue will you use for the second layer?
  14. RossR
    Your planking looks great.
  15. RossR
    I installed the inner bulwarks today. Feels like the first real progress in a long time. the parts were laser cut plywood and bending the two for the bow were a little tricky. The narrow parts above the opening for the cathead were only 2-3 mm wide. Very fragile after soaking to make the bend. On one of the two pieces I almost broke the piece clamping it to my form to create the curve for the bow. I think there was only one layer of the plywood that was still intact. I applied a coat of Minwax Golden Oak stain and two coats of shellac. Below is where the one bow piece almost broke. Here is another view of the piece that almost broke and a view of the gun ports after I cleaned up the gun ports with a file. Next up will be installing the sycamore outer planking above the wales.
  16. RossR
    Well I finally have the first layer installed sanded and some filler applied to smooth things out. Next steps are to clean up the gun port openings on the upper decks, and then install the pre-cut inner bulwarks. After those are installed I am going to add one final coat of shellac to the decks. Then the outer layer of planking. Occre supplies Sycamore for above the wales and Sapelli under the wales and below. The wales will be African Walnut. Home projects have slowed me down a little bit, but hope to have the final planking done in the next month or so.
  17. RossR
    Depends on the volume of dust I expect to create. If I am sanding the hull after the first layer of wood is installed and I expect a lot of dust I definitely wear a mask. But smaller jobs I do not. I don't have an air brush. The little bit of painting I do with a spray can, I do in a well ventilated area with no mask. If I did more spray painting I would consider a mask.
  18. RossR
    Good luck with your model. I am not sure about the Albatross, but for the HMS Beagle Occre has a series of over 100 short YouTube videos demonstrating building techniques. They were very helpful and I am sure many of them will be transferable to this model. If you need a link to them let me know.
  19. RossR
    Good luck on your Polaris. Consider creating a build log. Great way to get advice and feedback on your model.
  20. RossR
    Wow, really impressed that you are edge bending the thin final plank layer. I wasn’t going to try that. I wanted to do the first layer as practice only. Do you have a build log for your model? If not there is a forum for occasional in progress posts. I would love to see your model.
  21. RossR
    The challenges I had related to trying to deviate from the Occre instructions and attempting to follow a more authentic planking method. I struggled to implement the edge bending technique from Chuck Passaro's videos. I am not sure the planks that come with the Occre kit are too thick, or if not having a rabbet created the issue. I ended up following the Occre instructions. I still want to learn the "proper" technique and have decided to build the NRG Half Hull project before I build my next full ship, but that will be a year to two in the future.
  22. RossR
    Thanks for checking in. I have sanded down the first layer of planking and have some gaps and a few low spots to fill in with filler and then more sanding. I did a better job of shaping the bulkheads than I did on my beagle. I had to do quite a bit of filling to fix the bow shape on the Beagle. Except for being bigger, the process is very similar to the Beagle. I will get some pictures posted soon, before I start the second layer. What are you currently building?
  23. RossR
    Thanks. Really appreciate the picture.
  24. RossR
    I am currently building the Frigate Diana from Occre, and I am trying to learn the terminology and purpose of the various rigging elements. There is one item that I am having trouble locating information about. There is set of blocks used at the deck on the halliards. I can't find anyplace online that gives a name for this arrangement or explains its purpose. The halliards have a double block at the yard and mast and the line that goes through those blocks has a single block at the end of it that is connected with a lanyard to a block attached to the deck. This seems like it would be a really ackward way to lift a yard into place, and I would think that you could get the same mechanical advantage with a triple block at the yard and mast. I have attached a page of the rigging plans and a photo from the instructions that show what I am asking about. Sorry the photo is not very good quality. Any information on what this is called and why it is used would be appreciated. Thanks
  25. RossR
    The quality of the gun port casting is actually really good. I just don't care for the finish they used. I will paint them and see how they look after that. Thanks for the info on the lines.

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