Sgmartz

8 hours ago, Keith Black said:

Don't know if these would work?

 

https://www.shapeways.com/product/GMT3CNTYV/1-350-hms-hood-brass-propellers-x2-port-star?optionId=65511850&li=marketplace

 

https://spruebrothers.com/trp06601-1-350-trumpeter-hms-hood-upgrade-set-trp-kit/

Nice finds, the hood screw’s work perfectly

Thx for the replies. Yes I have some from the original kit but was hoping to get some made in brass. Just for show. 

Like the title says, looking for brass or other metal propellers for my 1/350 IJN Yamato build. Looks like there were some out there at one point but it seems like they are no longer made. Any suggestions or direction would be much appreciated!

Admins - not sur if this was the right place to post...

19 hours ago, shipman said:

Good luck with your project.

It seems a little odd to me that you wish to include 'deck clutter', yet you are averse to including crew?

Yet so it is…

Hi all, I am just wrapping up a build of a Graf Spee and it still feels a little sterile after weathering. I don’t want to go over the top with weathering and I don’t like adding crew either so I thought adding deck accessories would help make it feel more used. I was thinking of things like wood crates, drums/barrels of oil, and things like that. Do you all have any other suggestions and possibly and recommendations on where to source? Thx

Hi all -

sorry for the newbie question, I couldn’t quite find an exact answer. 
 

i just finished a 1/350 plastic kit (Trumpeter Graf Spee)

 it’s pretty much fully painted with either Tamiya acrylic or Vallejo acrylic. I want to start the weathering process. I plan to use AK series washes/stains/grim which are not water based. 
 

so I think the order is:

1) coat entire ship with water based gloss

2) cure for several days

3) apply decals

 4) weather the ship with oil based stains

 5) coat entire ship in lacquer based matte finish

 Am I thinking about it right? I’m not sure about the decals and when to do those. 
 

appreciate any comments!

What’s your weathering technique? I’m new to wood ship building (not plastic). 

On 10/18/2023 at 9:02 AM, Boerscht said:

The weathered deck is finished and I am happy how it turned out.

 

sanding the black layer off:

 

 

adding pine dye, clear coat and marking small nails with a pencil:

 

 

 

 

That weathering looks phenomenal!

On 9/23/2023 at 3:19 PM, theoracle09 said:

Hi Sgmartz,

 

Tooling can be a pretty loaded question. What some can do by hand others will do by machine, so your skill will determine tooling requirements.

 

However, I can tell you what I personally rely on and feel as though are required tools for my skill set to build wooden models:

 

• #11 xacto knife. Blades can be bought online (generic brand, 100 blades in the box, few dollars)
• Cutting mat
• Good lighting. I paid $30 I think for an LED fixture that clamps to the tabletop. It has two strips, providing an angle other than "directly overhead". I'll attach a pic at the end so you can see what it looks like.
• Needle files. Amazing for shaping small wooden parts, and I've had mine for 10 years now and most likely will not need to buy more.
• Mitre saw box with saw. Make sure the slots in the box aren't too big for the saw. I had a wide-slot box for some reason and discovered they make thin-slot boxes as well. Total game changer.
• Micro hand plane. Planking a wooden ship is a feat that requires practice, and I've done two hulls without the hand plane. I'll never build another boat without that tool for the planking stage. I also purchased a plank clamping device for my current project, Endurance, and will tell you I tried it once and then bought the hand plane. Along with the plane you'd need a way to sharpen the blade from time to time.
• Magnification. I found a $13 headset that has several magnification lenses from Harbor Freight. I use 1.5x most times (and my eyes are fine) but not having the strain is helpful during marathon sessions.
• Various sandpaper. I typically use 80, 150, 220, 400, and 600. You can buy or create sticks and glue the paper to various sizes to have an assortment available to you.
• Clamps. All of them. You can never have too many. Clothespins, mini clamps, medium clamps, big clamps, alligator clamps, all of them.
• Tweezers. Micro and big types. It's helpful to have self-closing ones as well so you don't strain your hand.
• Dental picks for rigging. You'll find rigging to be a new experience and having the picks are helpful to move thread around your model.
• Needle threaders are a must in my opinion for getting thread through things. Alternatively you can glue the end of the thread/rope with CA and create a needle, but it doesn't last more than a few blocks.
• Glue. CA (super glue, medium and thin), yellow wood glue, and white PVA glue are all used. I have a bottle of diluted PVA glue that I can brush on things as well, which is just Elmer's white glue mixed with water.
• Hair dryer. Heat and water is used to bend planks. You really don't need to buy the "plank bender" but some really like it. I find a hair dryer is enough to get things bent, sometimes soaking the part in water first.
• Jeweler's saw and bench pin. This is the manual version of a jigsaw. I don't need to cut using a jigsaw often, so a jeweler's saw and bench pin is enough. But it's still handy enough to include in my list.

Getting into luxury items, I've found I use the drill press a ton, and the lathe has made tapering masts and yards a dream. I'm also tired of hand sanding 90* angles because I completely suck at it, so I'm planning on purchasing a desktop disc sander at some point. A small handheld rotary tool is in my future as well, but not necessarily needed. I've found I enjoy working with brass and have included it on my Endurance, so a soldering iron, solder, liquid flux, and a brass sponge are used. I have an 1/8" thick, 2" x 6" piece of steel flat stock with magnets on it to use as a building platform for small brass parts that need soldered.

 

Because I already have a shop in my shed I made a seizing machine and a rope walk with stuff laying around. You don't need them to build a wooden model, but they are specific to wooden ships and I find them helpful. You can purchase these two 'machines' from various places as well.

 

I hope this helped!

 

 

Yes it did thank you. Luckily I have pretty much all of those from my first couple builds. I will embrace your advice on the luxury items, I agree with that philosophy. 

On 9/23/2023 at 3:15 PM, Jaager said:

You should probably give yourself a fair chance with your first venture into wooden kits.  Right now, your best bet is to take a close look at Model Shipways  Shipwright beginner series.  There is an option to get some basic tools with the first one - if you do not already have the ones in the bundle.

 

If you have unlimited funds and  wish to accumulate tools just to have tools, go on a buying spree - most will probably just gather dust.  Otherwise,  when you get to a point where a tool looks like it could increase speed or efficiency  just get that - opt for quality in your choice.  If you also start your #2 plastic kit,  you can work on it while waiting for UPS.

 

About a Dremel -  The all in one models rotate too fast for shaping - it wants to skip to where you don't want it -and have no power if you slow it down enough not to burn wood.

30,000 RPM is just too fast for #61-80 drill bits.  

Thank you for the advice. Is your caution due to just sheer lack of skill or patience? I’ve done relatively well with the Graf Spee I am doing now in regard to detail. But I’ve never done wood so I’m sure lots of technique to learn. 
 

Any other ships or kits you recommend for a beginner? I don’t really want to do a no name small dinghy or sloop. 

Hi all -

I’m happy to say I’m just about wrapping up my 1/350 Graf Spee. It was a very enjoyable experience getting into this hobby and a tremendous stress release. 
 

Original my plan was to start small and to work up. In order I wanted to do Trumpeter Graf Spee, Tamiya 1/350 Yamato, 1/200 Bismarck. 
 

While I still want to do all of those, a few wooden shops have caught my eye. Particularly Occre’s Endurance kit. 
 

I’m wondering how many new tools do I need to buy to switch to the Endurance? It was already a little pricey to get my work station fully up to snuff to do this first kit. Just want to be eyes wide open. Thanks in advance and please feel free to share your process for selecting your next build! Or any other advice. 

Thanks Richard!

It’s a trumpeter 1/350 admiral Graf Spee pocket battleship. 

Hello MSW,

I had a couple questions on wood deck stickers/veneers.

 Should I prime the deck before gluing it down? Do you recommend painting the cleats and other items above the deck before the wood is down?

 What is recommended for glue? I’ve heard multiple from white to wood to gorilla glue. Do I remove the paper Medium the deck is on the bottom?

Lastly, the kit I ordered came with both a wood veneer and then a yellow piece of paper with a deck design on it as well. Is this the photo resistant paper or something else? 
 

I plan to do the deck in an AK dark wood deck wash with a clear coat. I welcome suggestions as well! I’ve seen a few YouTube videos on it. I want to keep it simple but effective. I’m not a skill level to paint individual deck boards yet. 
 

Thanks in advance! Steve

Thanks Slog - I looked at your log and will watch the video. 

Hi all - looking for help/advice for smoothing out the hull seam on my trumpeter Graf Spee. Please see attached pictures. I started with using putty to fill and then I sanded down. It helped with the smaller parts but isn’t smooth. I used progressive sandpaper (180, 220, 400+). I’m thinkingi need to add more putty to create a smoother transition. Thoughts?