chris watton
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Cheap and effective tools
chris watton replied to Ron B's topic in Modeling tools and Workshop Equipment
Stanley Knife, small rusty old plyers, pin vice and steel rule - set up for life! -
Cheers My broadband problems have zero effect on my work speed. What does have an effect is my full time day job. In the week, on work days, I work on the CAD designs before work, and on my days off, I work on the (pre) prototype model. A little slow, exacerbated by the sheer number and complexity of some parts compared to previous designs, but it's coming along. Oh, one more thing, I forgot to mention, I asked my wood supplier if I could have 0.8 x 4mm pear for Sphinx, plus some sheets in the same thickness, as I feel the 1mm is a little too thick, and the 0.8 would be easier to manipulate. So for Sphinx, the wood thickness for laser cut will be 0.6, 0.8, 1, 1.5, 2, 3 and 4mm. Planking will be 1x5mm limewood first planking and then 0.8x4mm pear for second planking, but the planking does not start until just below the main wale.
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I am here, but I have no internet or phone line until at least next Tuesday. We bought a pay as you go wi-fi dongle thingy, so I could at least reply to emails and book all orders to be posted. I am still working long and hard on Sphinx. All photo etch designs will be complete within two weeks, and I am hoping the laser cut designs will be complete very soon. This is a lot more complex than the other kits, and requires a lot more development time.
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3D drawings 18pdr at 1/64 scale
chris watton replied to Barbossa's topic in CAD and 3D Modelling/Drafting Plans with Software
In that case, this website may be of help: Frédéric LA HOCHE qui propose des éléments pour la construction de modèles réduits de bateaux en bois They do offer a full suite of Venus cannon, but I note they are in 72nd scale, unfortunately. -
3D drawings 18pdr at 1/64 scale
chris watton replied to Barbossa's topic in CAD and 3D Modelling/Drafting Plans with Software
Are they long or short 18 pounders? I ask because many 38 gun frigates had the short barrels (8 foot, 41.8mm in 64th), yet 36 gun frigates were usually equipped with the longer type (9 foot, 46.6mm). Also, what is the launch date of the model you are making? If is it around 1795 or later, you probably will need the Blomefield pattern (with the ring located on the cascabel), which is something that isn't done on commercial turned brass cannon. -
There should be a Hachette version out there somewhere, as I did this 10 years ago, with the movie blueprints. Odd looking thing...
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Cheers! Stock for the new boats is very low (34 foot launch sold out) until the new sets of photo etched brass arrives, hopefully in the next week or two. Two more are almost ready, both 32 footers, a barge and pinnace, around 151mm long. Again, thanks to James Hatch.
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Overall length will be around 785mm (with bowsprit), hull length will be around 610mm
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I 'think' the black is the general lines and the red is internal/fittings. Some plans also have green, which usually indicates further changes to future classes of the same vessel.
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I have no idea what TFFM is? For the Sphinx designs, I have copies of the original Admiralty plans (lines and decks). To fill in the gaps, I have used the Marshall paintings and the Pandora book, as this book even has a picture of Sphinx in it, mentioning the classes were very much alike, albeit Pandora being a 24 gun ship. Regarding the etched plank lines, as I mentioned, a lot of the Sphinx is painted, wales are black (so the lines will be very subtle), upper sides are blue with frieze work (if you want to add it), and inner bulwarks and a lot of fittings will be red. The parts are etched on one side only, so you do have a choice to use the unetched side - or just use planking strip. This is what I like about wooden ship models, you can do almost anything you like with it.
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The wale planking (along with a lot more info) I got from AOTS Pandora, a contemporary of Sphinx albeit slightly larger. The main wale will be painted, with only faint lines shown, so won't look as fussy.
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Hi Spyglass I don't know what to tell you, other than I am so used to it I hardly think about the process. I do one plank per side; that is, I lay the plank to see where it needs tapering, mark the spot, wet a little and cut, usually I taper to around half the plank width. No point trying to be too technical and it would never work planking with just a Stanley Knife, steel rule and rusty old plyers to help bending. Although using the Tanganyika, I can just manipulate the required curves with my fingers, as it's much more pliable than pear. Once those planks are glued in place (left and right sides), I start the process again until complete. Worked on wales today, and tried a few ways of offering these in the kit. In the end, my first hunch won the day, but not before I messed up the port side by (stupidly) gluing the three part wale in place. I decided to lay it as if I was a novice, with no bevelling to take into account the curves of the hull, as I know some will do this. The result wasn't pretty. A one piece wale however, is as fool proof as I can make it, and hugged the hull a lot better than I thought it would - so the single piece wale will be the kit version. Also attached is a photo of a 4 piece wale (not tried, as I know I didn't like it - get it wrong when gluing, and it would look awful). The starboard one piece wale is just pinned in place.
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See above, that hull is the Sphinx. Still in design stage.
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May keep it for a while, always hard to throw them away..
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That Tanganyika was much easier to use, but a lot of the planks have this mottled effect in them, making it look like those 'mottled' paint schemes I see on WW2 German aircraft in the North African theatre... One thing I must stress, it is very important to mask off the finished engraved upper hull before sanding...
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Have decided to wait for this instead: Pen and Sword Books: Historic Ship Models of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries - Hardback (pen-and-sword.co.uk)
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OK, I never meant to plank the whole Sphinx hull, as this model will be thrown away once all the info I need has been taken from it. But couldn't help myself. this is a very quick planking job (a day), using scrap 1x4 Tanganyika instead of wasting the pear on a disposable hull - no filling, just a quick sand so I have a smooth (ish) surface for checking all parts that are to be fixed to it. I am happy with the hull lines, nice shape to plank, too.
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Well, I did ask them if I could buy three of their books, and arrange a UPS pick up myself to collect the books. Frustratingly, this is the reply: 'No, sorry. I talked with Bob, and he said that the warehouse can only handle US mail. I'm very sorry, but we can't help you on the shipping charges.' Not sure why, to be absolutely honest. Oh well, I did ask, and I am not paying for postal service that's seemingly broken right now. ( I wanted the Rogers Collection of Ship Models at the US Naval Academy The Third Rates, Volume II and the 2 Speedwell volumes)
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I would very much like 'Rogers Collection of Ship Models at the US Naval Academy' I may contact them and ask if I could use my shipping courier to pick it up and ship to me, rather than using standard post..
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Yeah, I have never seen that before. I bought my Le Superb in 1992 from Model Dockyard, and this was laser cut, one of the first, I think, and very nice (for the time) and excellent manual.
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Do not worry, Clark, you said/did absolutely nothing wrong! I also hope you can rely on me, as I am always investing in new designs and products. It seems I have very healthy sales outside the EU anyway. Once I have a larger update (still in the 'Doldrums Stage' with Sphinx), I shall start a new topic. But for now, I am still plodding on with Sphinx, designs are around 90% there (I really do agonise over many parts as to the best way to design them, having the end user in mind when doing so..), and once done, the final prototype parts will be sent to Jim for the final building and manual shots. And as Jim does that, I then concentrate on drawing the plans (although mast and yard drawings are already done, needed to to get the correct dimensions for laser and PE mast and yard fittings, tops, trestle/cross-trees etc.) So, I best crack on....
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Thank you very much! Jim has done a superb job in putting them together. And to think, a year ago he hadn't touched any wooden kit for years! They do, they are my US distributors.
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I think I will start a fresh thread soon, as this is long and now getting a little too off topic
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I meant the overall length of the laser cut keel, which included stem and stern
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