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Richard Griffith

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  1. Richard Griffith
    In addition to the above posts, I use my full sized band saw and 10" table saw. Use blades with lots of teeth for the thin parts and blades with fewer teeth for stock like 3/16" and 1/4". Be sure to wear safety glasses and hearing protection. I also wear work gloves for this procedure. And be sure to clamp the stock to a sacrifice board or to a holder of some sort. You do not want a kick back with metal parts so use all normal safety procedures for these machines.
  2. Richard Griffith
    Hi Guys, I just used some blacken it by Blue Jacket Shipcrafters on some britannia dead eyes and it worked GREAT. It gives a pleasing black matte finish. I ordered another bottle yesterday. Duff
  3. Richard Griffith
    Hi Mark, I agree with Mark Taylor and Jud - buying cheap machines is a waste of money and is asking for a large dose of frustration. If you look for a decent machine in the second hand markets, such Ebay, Amazon, Craig's list, you might find a 14" Delta or similar in your price range. It may need cleaning and some replacement parts such as guide blocks, new blades and such. Be sure the motor and bearings are good, plus examine the rubber on the wheels. You might be surprised at the versatility of the these machines and how much more you can do with it. I use my 14" Delta all the time. If I had to select it over my Delta 10" table saw, I would likely select the band saw, even though I use the table saw more. Each has its strengths and short falls. If I had to give up on one, I would probably have to see a shrink. LOL The thin kerf saw blade on your table saw is a good option. Another option is to take your wood to some one who has a band saw. Good luck with your project~! Duff
  4. Richard Griffith
    That appears to be sugar pine, which is an excellent carving species. Duff
  5. Richard Griffith
    Hi Andy, expanding the answer somewhat, the fid was made of iron because it had to support a very large amount of weight. You can use wood and paint it black. Duff
  6. Richard Griffith
    Many yards were painted black. What year is your ship? What is its name? Duff
  7. Richard Griffith
    Lees is excellent plus I cross reference with Seamanship in the Age of Sail by Harland, plus books by RC Anderson, Antscherl , Biddlecomb, Steel, Lever and appropriate AOS books. Like ST said above, seems as one cannot have too many books on rigging------ Duff
  8. Richard Griffith
    Hi Ron, per the book by James Lees-The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625-1860, ISBN 0870219480, slings came into use about 1770 and were used as an addition to jeers. These rope slings were changed to chain slings during war time and eventually replaced rope slings altogether, generally from 1811 onward. With either rope or chain slings, the jeers were slacken when the slings were rigged so the weight of the yard was borne by the slings. I think the rope sling was removed when chain slings were rigged but I have not found a specific reference. It just makes sense to have only one sling. The chain sling were secured to the strop by a slip which looks like a clasp to a lady's necklace or wrist bangle, like the jaw of an alligator. Around the yard was a double chain strop which had two shackles thru which the slip was fastened. It may easier to see the graphics than to describe it. Duff
  9. Richard Griffith
    Hi Richard, I have had excellent results with parafin wax. Carefully melt the wax in boiling water so as to minimize the fire potential, and when all melted, dip the ends of the logs. I leave the bark on. Figure about one year of air drying for each inch in diameter. I do not use oak for model ships as the pores are big and oak has a pronounced ring figure. Good luck and have fun. Duff
  10. Richard Griffith
    Hi Marc, the Utrecht reconstruction does not have serving on the shrouds (see Ab Hoving/Cor Emke's book). Although this reconstruction probably has synthetic rope, you are correct in that the need to serve the first shroud is not present, the chaffing is not there. A quick review of 'Valkenisse' by Rob Napier indicates no servings on the shrouds but the actual ships would have had it on the foremost shroud of each mast. For the model, he took his cue from contemporary models which used limited servings, and no serving on the shrouds. For Valkenisse, the main stay, the main preventer stay, the catharpins, probably the fore stay an fore dpreventer were served. Perhaps a few other minor items were served too. So, what is your pleasure? If your scale is large, I recommend serving the foremost shrouds. If small, then don't. BTW, forget about the worming and parceling on a model. These add too much thickness. IF however, the serving is lumpy, you might consider using very small worming thread before serving. Above all, have fun~! Duff
  11. Richard Griffith
    Exceptionally nice work Dan~! The recent posts bring up a good issue-at what point do we accept our work? That is, when is the part good enough to put on our model ship? Do we throw away the item and remake it once, twice, more? We must therefore, make decisions at every step of the way, and take into account many factors, such as will the casual viewer even notice, will it be judged by experts (if entered into a juried competition), can we do better, do we have the time and skills? For example, I had to remake the drum head for my Vulture 5 times. (Next time, I will use a slitting saw instead of an end mill to cut the square slots for the capstan bars.) For me and I think most of us, are we having fun? I am challenging myself to raise my level of fit and finish, do more research, and remake parts to the highest level I can. This hobby has so many challenges that it never grows stale; there is always more to learn. Well, enough of this, I need to make more chips, er ships. Duff
  12. Richard Griffith
    I do not like wearing dust masks either for the same reasons, plus I have a beard. Instead, I hook up shop vacuums to my saws and sanders to catch most of the dust. But some dust goes into the air. So, I made a CHEAP air filter. It is a 20" box fan with a high quality 20" furnace filter taped to the intake side. This helps clear the air. Note: the saw dust that will injure you is the dust you cannot see, and the dust that is toxic. If you are sensitized, then you will likely need to buy an air filter that will capture dust sized 5 microns, preferably 1 micron in size. I am fortunate in that I do not have much sensitivity, yet. Have fun and stay healthy. Duff
  13. Richard Griffith
    Hey Marc, Standing rigging would be dark; running rigging would he hemp to light tan. All lines would have some preservative to protect against the harsh conditions so no line should have the bright white look. Some models look very good with black shrouds and stays. Go with your artist's eye and make no apologies. Have fun and enjoy your build. Duff
  14. Richard Griffith
    WOW I think I will try to do some sculpting, you give me the inspiration. Thank you for posting. Duff
  15. Richard Griffith
    Hi Jay Modeler12, that is one idea but here is a picture of what I tried to say, plus a couple of other modifications. These might be useful to you and to others. The third pix has tiny half round dowels glued to the inside ends of a reversed cloths pin. The center pix has two pieces of music wire inserted in the ends of the pin, and two guides glued to one half of the clothes pins so they keep the 2 halves in alignment. These were needed for clamping in a very small spaces. The first pix shows a pin with a nail inserted transverse and sand paper glued to the inside faces-handy for holding planks to bulkheads. The other pin is cut so the opening is extra wide. Keep modeling! Duff
  16. Richard Griffith
    Great post by Jay the Modeler12~! When I tried these last year, I had to glue some sandpaper to the inside of the jaws to increase their holding power on the bulkheads. The best glue for this is urethane. Another variation is to install short lengths of nails instead of toothpicks. For the reverse clothes pins, you can glue small pieces of wood to the tips to act like extended (deep) clamps. When clamping thicker parts together, I cut off the round part at the front end which laves a gap when closed but applies the right pressure when in use. Have fun~! Duff
  17. Richard Griffith
    I had a similar problem which I solved by sawing out the blocks, debonding the joint at the keel, then regluing that joint and installing new blocks between the bulkheads. Other fixes were made by gluing on more material per prior posts above. Remember, wood is wonderful and can be easily shaped. Some parts, like deck furniture, are exposed to close scrutiny so would need to be remade, not repaired. Persevere and have fun. Duff
  18. Richard Griffith
    Hi Vivian, your lateen yard and sail look great! Duff
  19. Richard Griffith
    Arrrhg me maties! Have fun with your build, Kim, it is your ship. Pirates would capture what ever ships they could and use them to capture more ships and booty. I dare say we don't know about every ship ussd in piracy so use your imagination and enjoy the build. Duff
  20. Richard Griffith
    Hi Beef, if the ship had them, they would have been lashed to the shrouds and left there. Nothing is 'permanent' per se. If your ship had them, then lash them to the shrouds. Duff
  21. Richard Griffith
    Good advice regarding dust and allergic reactions. The photo above shows a very UNSAFE cutting technique and is not recommended. Duff
  22. Richard Griffith
    Doris, as so many others have said, thank you for posting and sharing with us your work. Your artistry and creativity are so inspiring and at such a high level~! I see that I have much to learn from you. Best wishes to you for this new year. Duff
  23. Richard Griffith
    Vivian, when you get into a different dimension, when time passes without you knowing it, then you have reached a state of mind that will give you peace and relaxation. Making model ships also does this for me. For others, this would be other forms, for example, my son Shane found his while playing the cello. You are doing very nice work, and you will get better at it. It appears you have found your passion. Have fun~! Duff
  24. Richard Griffith
    Andre, remarkabl good work~! And this is on a model that needed some deconstruction, then reconstruction..... Nicely done. Duff
  25. Richard Griffith
    Since you already own the ebony, then use it. I saw an article about using ebony to make cannon barrels-very nicely done, too. Just be sure to use a mask and dust collection system as the dust is toxic. Duff

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