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Larry Van Es

Gone, but not forgotten
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About Larry Van Es

  • Birthday 09/26/1945

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Yorba Linda. California USA
  • Interests
    Old Cars - History = Whaling

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  1. With iron you heat and air cool to keep pliable. You plunge into water to temper it hard. I believe brass is the opposite. You plunge into water to make soft. You may be able to soften just the tail with this method using the butane torch. Practice on some scrap brass.
  2. Like Chuck says the SMA is hosting virtual meetings twice a week and anyone is welcome to attend. They are usually the first and third Wednesday of the month. Send me a private message and I'll send you a link if you are interested. You are about half way between San Diego and Fullerton where we meet but I live in Yorba Linda and my in-laws live in Murrieta so I am there often. There's nothing like hands on help with this hobby. I'm actually in San Diego visiting my Marine Corp grandson.
  3. Welcome to the site. Southern California has some great clubs - The Ship Model Guild that meets at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum in the north. The Ship Modelers Association that meets in Fullerton and the San Diego Ship Modelers Guild that meets at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. We all have web sites. This site is an invaluable source of information, but you just can't beat hands on help that a real life club can offer.
  4. I found in doing this model that it's not whether or not you make mistakes, but how you can recover or cover up your mistakes. I've gotten pretty good at the latter. Here's how my stern came out.
  5. Hi Overworked724. I decided that I wanted to plank the stern as you have decided. When the Syren first came out Chuck watched over most of the build logs and after I had planked it Chuck pointed out the the planks would not have been straight but would have followed the curve of the deck. I'm happy now that I followed his advice. I glued the transom that came with kit to a board to make a jig to bend the planks.
  6. I used 1/4 inch I believe. As for the length, I think that I used 1 1/2 inch. I had purchased 12 feet of it and had them cut it to four foot lengths. 12 feet was the minimum length. I got 16 cannons for every 2 feet. I used the extra length to chuck it in the lath and mill. I'm in Europe or I would send you photos.
  7. You already have more demonstrated skills than I had when I started. I chose MSW Syren because of the great manual that came with the kit. She was built specifically to accompany the Constitution to the siege of Tripoli and played a pivotal role in the battle. You can download the chapters of the manual at: http://modelexpo-online.com/model-shipways-us-brig-syren-1-64-scale Under the Instructions & Parts List tab Even if you decide on another ship model this will allow you to study in general the methods used to build wooden ship models. Good luck
  8. I've never had a problem with insecurity. When I was in grade school I was given a pocket watch that didn't work. I told everyone that I was going to repair it and they told me that I was crazy. I've always thought that if I worked hard enough and long enough I could do anything. Well I took everything apart, found out why it didn't work, fixed the problem, and put it back together. It ran but ran very fast and backwards. That's when I discovered that I had built a time machine and I stuck to that story. So relax. The point is to have fun and if you're doing that it must be right.
  9. Thanks for all the plugs for our club guys. You would really benefit from attending a few meetings. We meet on the third Wednesday of every month. at the Red Cross Building near Fullerton College. In addition to the up close personal help we have a table at the back that sells books and things that have been donated by other members for pennies on the dollar. We also have an auction once a year where you can pick up models, books, tools and equipment. If you go on line to http://www.shipmodelersassociation.org/index.html You can see the latest newsletter and get a feel of what the meetings are like. We usually have 30 or 40 people at each meeting. My contact information is on the first page of the newsletter if you have any questions. I'm in Rome right now but will be back in a week.
  10. Welcome to the hobby from southern California. In picking your model pick one that you really like. If you don't love the model you won't stick with it when the going gets rough.
  11. I've read all of the O'Brian books and am just finishing Julian Stockwin's Inferno. I started from the beginning with both series. Although both series are similar in that both heroes have a learned friend as a foil, I frankly I found the Stockwin series more enjoyable. Like you said I enjoyed how both start with a young man who knows nothing about the sea who has to learn everything. You learn all facets of life as a seaman from the bottom to the top. You also learn a great deal of the history of the British Navy during this era. I was lucky. Being a member of a club I was able to purchase the entire O'Brian series in paperback along with the companion book Sea of Words ( a dictionary of nautical terms ) for ten dollars from the back table. I also was able to purchase the Stockwin series in used hardcover, most for less than ten dollars with shipping. It's amazing how both heroes took part in just about every part of British naval history.
  12. You can remove most of the solder with the wire brush tool for the dremel. Then re-blacken. But I don't really see anything in the photo though. Remember that you won't be able see it as closely once the ship is rigged as you can holding it in your hand. The galley stack and tree pumps came out nice.
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