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TJM

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Everything posted by TJM

  1. TJM
    I forgot to mention! I have tried a few including Fusion 360 (nice with the 3D capabilities, but it is not free anymore - it is actually very expensive!) and DELFTship (I just couldn't get used to it, did not feel intuitive), but I settled on QCAD after using the trial version a little. It runs very nicely, with no lag or hiccups, it has a (to me) very intuitive interface/GUI, I quickly leaned the keybord shortcuts, it is very easy to import an image file, scale it and draw on top of it for accurate reproduction, it exports in all kinds of formats and the native dxf format imports directly into my laser cutter software at correct scale - and it is cheap, just $40. Only downside is that it is only 2d, so everything 3D has to happen i my head, and the is no help to make slots in the parts, I have to do it all manually. But I really like it, and would highly recommend it to anyone in this hobby! Just be aware of what it doesn't do!
  2. TJM
    Hello all, For the past months, I have been dabbling in 2D CAD design. The grand aim is to be able to take the historical plans from the Danish National Archive and make a scratch built model from those. However, i am a CAD novice and have also only had my laser cutter for half a years time, so there is bound to be a steep learning curve on both of these components! Instead of going all out on a limb whenever I attempt my first scratch build (not before my current Christiania build based on VM's HMS Sphinx kit is done), I decided to make some trials. This thread will be about those, and my hope is to test out what works and what doesnt before I really dive into scratch building (a good while yet, still early days for Christiania!). I have already made 4 small test projects over the past months and the first posts here will be about those. I hope to get some feedback from this great forum, so that I may be ready to start building when my current build is done. More to follow soon, with my first attempts! BR TJM
  3. TJM
    Log entry 10 - even more planking.... I had thought that I would wait until the first planking layer was completed for this post, but the last planks are getting a bit fiddly, so here is a few pictures of the current state of things. 1.5 planks missing from one side and 3.5 planks for the other. I can now judge how the hull lines will turn out and I am very pleased. It is a bit more curvy than Sphinx, which I like. Hope to be back soon with a complete hull! BR TJM
  4. TJM
    Log entry 9 - more planking I am slowly progressing with the first planking layer, adding planks symmetrically at a rate of about 4 planks per work session. I think the modifications at the bow has made it a bit more difficult to plank - it is certainly more difficult to get the planks to sit flat on the bulkheads compared to Flirt! Here's a bunch of pictures of the current state: I have tried to show the shape at the bow, but it is a bit difficult to photograph well. At it's most extreme it is more than 2 cm wider than Sphinx, so quite pronounced! I think I will finish this first layer in a weeks time or so. I am enjoying this operation much more this time around, so that is great! BR TJM
  5. TJM
    Thanks Ronald 😃. It is definitely much cheaper to go the DIY route, but I would definitely recommend getting someone to cut the acrylic to size unless you have a table saw! And I was surprised at how much was needed. I used a 100x150 cm and a 100x75cm sheet with only a few strips left over!
  6. TJM
    Log entry 40 - epilogue I have been debating, mostly with myself, where to permanently display Flirt. It has been standing on top of a driks cabinet for a few months, but it will quickly become very dusty and it is at risk from jumping cats and flying toys (I have two small kids). So I knew I had to get it into a case. But boy, those are expensive! Especially as I have only found good options from UK and US and before all is said and done, I would be paying an additional 60% or so plus shipping to get it into Denmark! That would probably be 1.5-2 times the price of Flirt itself... So I decided to build my own. A local model shop stocks brass corners and wooden parts from OcCre for a DIY case. Cutting the frames were easy enough, but I did not get the acrylic glass pre-cut and as I dont have a table saw, it was an excercise with a heavy duty craft knife to score the acrylic from both sides repeatedly and then breaking the sheet. Many, many times. That was a bit of an ordeal and I will have to find a different solution for future projects i think. But the final result ended up ok! At present, I dont have a good place to display it in the living rooms, as the case is so big. So I opted for the staircase to the basement. Not many people will see it there, but I will, several times a day, and there was a well placed light already in place for a pretty nice final setup. Cheers everyone! Now on with Christiania! BR TJM
  7. TJM
    Log entry 8 - first planking continued First post in a while - i have been spending a lot of time trying to save files from a failing hard drive. Managed to get most of the data out before it died completely. So now I am back in the workshop continuing with the first planking layer. All in all it is going well, with 4 planks on either side added as well as the garboards. It looks a bit rough in places but I am confident that sanding a nd probably a bit of filler here and there will make a sound basis for the second planking. I am taking it slow and making sure I get things as even as I can. I also have to adjust a bit when a plank sits a little too high or low on the modified bulkheads. It is small margins, perhaps half a milimeter here and there, but better to adjust now than later! BR TJM
  8. TJM
    I have som Amati nails that I got directly from them - they seem to be identical to the ones that come with Vanguard kits.
  9. TJM
    I totally agree, it looks really good, very well done! I guess you paint the decorations off the model and then add them after?
  10. TJM
    Log entry 7 - starting the first planking layer As expected, I had to cut off the ply bulwarks just before the first gunport at the prow. It was a bit daunting to just chop up this part, but I am happy I did, as it would not have been possible to get the required shape at the prow with these. And it was not difficult to plank this section with 5 mm strips instead. From the side, you almost can't tell that is i not the Sphinx - as It should be! But from other angles, Christiania is slowly starting to appear. I really like the process of the first planking with the hull shape becoming more and more clear as I progress. I am going to have a bit of of hassle getting the pins out, as I had to insert the fully in many places to make the the planking sit tight against the bulkheads. I did so on my HMS flirt too, ad it was ok, if a bit fiddly, so I am sure it will be fine in the end. BR TJM
  11. TJM
    Log entry 6 - fairing and pre-forming outer bulwarks First, thank you for your likes, comments and general interest so far, all are much appreciated! I have faired the hull leaving small traces of the laser char to make sure I don't sand too deep and to make the char pattern the same on both sides - hopefully this will ensure some consistency between the sides. I managed to break a few of the bulkhead ends, but they are glued back in, and I don't think it will effect the final result, annoyed though I am at my own clumsiness. The soaked outer bulwarks were clamped in, the fit being good until and including the forward most cannon port. After this, the flairing at the bow causes troubles. It basically needs to form what I guess is mathematically a saddle point surface, where the plywood needs to bend one way horizontally and the other way vertically. I don't think that is really doable with one piece of plywood, it is not stretchy enough for that. So I will likely end up trimming the part at the bulkhead right after the last gunport and then planking the very front with thin strips of first planking material. I did try to iron it in place, to form the saddle point, but it does not seem to have made much of a difference. Will see how it looks tomorrow. BR TJM
  12. TJM
    I will be following this for sure!
  13. TJM
    Absolutely magnificent. So many fantastic details, and the log itself is invaluable as a reference. Thank you for sharing!
  14. TJM
    Log entry 5 - fitting the deck and more cabin and prow modifications Quite a few things have happened since my last post. I managed to fit the two deck parts without any incident (phew!) and then moved on to the cabin. Due to the modified stern, I had to make replacement parts for the raised platform (does it have a name?). I started with a paper template based on the stock part and when the fit looked ok, I moved on to 0.5 mm gray board. Then I scanned that on a flatbed scanner, imported into QCAD and traced the outline. Down to the laser cutter and voila, new part! Here you can really see how much wider the cabin is at the very rear. The material used is 1 mm pear from Arkowood in Germany. It is very nice, though not quite a good colour match to the kit pear. But it doesn't look too off once fitted, I think. I turned the grain direction as I had to bend the part to get it in place, as the part is widest at the back. I also cut some prow parts to get the shape at the front somewhat close to the Christiania plans. I will have to remove all the middle parts again later, but I think I need them for now to fit the first layer of planking and get a nice run of those lines. This is how she looks now, ready for fairing! Edit: after I add the temporary braces, of course! I like how the prow shape has turned out and it will be really fun to see it with the first layer of planking on. I don't expect the laser cut ply parts to fit very well at the prow, but I will deal with that, filling and trimming as needed when I get to it. The important thing is to get the gunports to lign up perfectly. BR TJM
  15. TJM
    Log entry 4 - inner bulwark patterns With the bulkhead modifications complete (for now...) I have moved on to the inner bulwarks. These are such nice laser cut pear parts! And they are obviously just the first of many, many to come. This is the state of things: The fit at the rear is somewhat different from the stock build due to my modifications. As the windows are a bit wider, I have to bend the pattern outwards to widen the rearmost part of the cabin. Fortunately, this turned out well, and the slightly too long parts slide on the outside of the last window frame (2 mm further out than the stock Sphinx build). Of course, this widening means that I have to fill in a bit on the floor. It is not much and hopefully won't be very noticeable inside the cabin, when all is said and done. The checkerboard pattern is only dry fitted at the moment, and I am working on fitting the main gundeck, but a bit of sanding at the edges is needed still. I am very afraid of breaking the deck! A lot of bending is needed to slip it in! I have not tried to seat it in yet and I am working on each side separately at the moment. Lastly, I have obviously painted the window supports red. As mentioned in the first post, the window frames were often (perhaps always?) this colour on Danish ships of this era, and I though I would keep this colour on the inside as well. I will keep as much of the cabin and inner bulwarks natural wood as possible, so this will be the colour contrast in the cabin (perhaps I will make the roof beams red as well? Hmm.... Long time yet left to decide). BR TJM
  16. TJM
    It is truly a fantastic build, and the paint job is second to none. A great inspiration! Are you planning to start a new build when this one is all done? I do hope so!
  17. TJM
    Log entry 3 - continuing the bulkhead modifications A small update. I have added the 'between decks' bulkhead mods to one side. It looks ok for the most part, though I am sure I will run into some trouble with the forecastle deck not fitting with that last very fleuted bow bulkhead! I thought long and hard, looking far forward in the manual, but I have concluded that I will have to del with it at a later point. But this will likely kome back to bite me... You can now clearly see the difference between the two sides/ships in the first image. It will be fun to see how it turns out once it is planked. I will obviously also need to build out the vertical parts at the bow and I am considering how to best do this. BR TJM
  18. TJM
    Actually, scratch that last post - we had a few hours left over on this last day in Stockholm and since the basement of the Maritime Museum contains a nice playground for children, I was graciously allowed to visit the exhibition 😁. Thanks for the heads-up @hollowneck, there were some very nice models in the collection. The number of models of ships from pre-1800 (my main interest) is not so large - the War Museum in Copenhagen have quite a few more, but there were some interesting models amongst them. Some very large archipelago galley frigates for one! But the highlight for me was the very nice contemporary model of a warship (Swedish/Danish = orlogsskib) from the mid 1600's: I really like the aesthetics of this type of ship and I have a long term aspiration of building a ship very much like this one, so it was very interesting to see an actual contemporary model of such a ship. Anyways, I will be back from the trip in a couple of days, which should see this build log back on track 😉.
  19. TJM
    Hi Ron, Your advice is much appreciated, thank you! I did drool over Fred Hocker's book in the museum shop, but decided to not go for it at this time. I would have liked to visit the Maritime Museum as well, it looks very interesting with original models by the famous Chapman amongst others, but have to balance the family's wishes as well - my 6 and 3 year olds had enough of ship related stuff at the Vasa museum 😉. But I will keep it on the shortlist for potential future visits! Stockholm is only a 7 hour drive from Copenhagen, so it is not too difficult to get there for me.
  20. TJM
    This looks amazing! Very much looking forward to more!
  21. TJM
    No updates as I am on vacation with the family. But! Since we are visiting Stockholm, we went to see the Vasa museum, and that was really incredible! The wow felling you first get when you step into the hall is really rare. I know many people on this forum will have visited the museum at some point, but I will just share a few phone photos with you all here. The exhibit is so well done and you can view the ship from almost all angles. If you ever get the chance to go there, this is definitely a must-see kind of thing 😃.
  22. TJM
    So interesting to see Chris' construction techniques evolve with each new model. Very intriguing! And looking great, of course!
  23. TJM
    Log entry 2 - hull build and modification of the frames After being down with a summer flu I have now finally gotten a little further. First, I glued up everything from the last post: Then the deck was glued in: After this, I though I better start modifying the hull lines: So far, it seems to be working well! In a few places close to the bow and stern Sphinx is broader that Christiania, but I will just take a dremel to those few places and get them shallower than the new bulkheads. I have to re-do the last stern bulkhead (#27) as I had not realised the deck didn't go that far back. And then I will start to add the modified bulkheads between the two decks. So far, I am happy with how it is going and for now, things seem to be working out well. BR TJM
  24. TJM
    Looks very good! What a huge difference these few steps make to the overall appearance!
  25. TJM
    Very exciting, I'm really looking forward to this build log!

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