wefalck

Never for models that disappear in their display case immediately after completion. I do not build working models, but in such a case it may be needed.

Well, a good paint surface begins with the preparation of the surface you are painting. You are right, gloss paints are much less forgiving than flat paints. So sanding, filling, sanding, ... and finally fine steel-wool until you have an almost polished surface that is also geometrically correct. Most acrylics dry up quite flat, which is due to the pigment-content and sometimes also fillers and matting agents. There are acrylic gloss varnishes that you can spray all over. Some manufacturers also have pure acrylic emulsions, without any pigment or filler, which dry up to a gloss. Gloss surfaces, such as those on the gondola, are normally produced in a somewhat lengthy procedure of applying lacquer to the surface, rubbing it down and repeating this several times. This is something that is difficult to do with acrylic paints or varnishes, because they do not harden sufficiently to allow this rubbing down e.g. with steel-wool. It is, however, possible to apply say nitrocellulose-based varnishes to surfaces painted with acrylics. The varnish then can be rubbed down, more varnish applied, rubbed down with steel-wool and then polished with a polishing compound and a mop or polishing wool (automotive suppliers). You may also want to have a look on the Internet at the processes used by those doing decorative painting on cars or motorbikes.

Well, what can I say ..., just this 👍 For the next project or more wire-rope here, you can also try to source tinned copper wire and make your own rope from it. Sometime in older cables the copper wires are tinned. Highlighting with a soft pencil is indeed a very effective method to add body and definition to parts. Rubbing a 6B pencil onto flat black paint gives a very good representation of cast-iron. Are the brake handles getting some threads at the end ? Not sure what the diameter of an USD-cent is, I gues around 1/2" ? Well, that would be real challenge to get it threaded ...

Thank you very much, gentlemen 😇 ******************************************* Steering-stands The steering-stands consists of two pillars supporting a pair of wheels. These pillars were somehow bolted to the deck, but drawings and photographs do not show how it was done. On the model this detail will be barely visible, as the lower part of the columns will be hidden by the gratings platform. The grating actually were photo-etched a long time ago. However, I did not like the rounded-out corners, which are due to my somewhat primitive etching process. Therefore, I cut the gratings also with the laser from Canson-paper. By playing around with the settings of the laser-cutter, I managed to produce reasonably square field and sharp corners. The fields resp. the ‘laths’ are only 0.3 mm wide and the grating is 0.3 mm thick (0.3 mm in 1:160 scale is equivalent to just under 50 mm for the prototype). I would have found it impossible to produce a grating in these dimensions prototype fashion. Steering-stand gratings: JPG-image as input for the laser-cutter The gratings are made up from two layers of paper 0.15 mm thick each. Imitating the prototype to some degree the lower layer only had transversal laths. Both layers were glued together with lacquer. The transversal reenforcing bars are built up from three layers of paper and glued to the gratings again with lacquer. The platforms are raised above the deck by four short columns that were turned from brass rod. They were slotted for the reenforcing bars on the micro-mill. The steering-wheel pillars were designed on the basis of the photographie showen earlier and what can be deducted from the lithographs. There is a pole protruding from the front pillar of the stand on the bridge, the function of which is unclear to me. It may have supported an indicator for the rudder or just the lanyard for the steam-pipe. The only known photograph that shows a boat before the armoured command tower was installed is too grainy from the printing grid (it is only known from a publication) to allow to discern such details. Steering-wheel pillars: JPG-image as input for the laser-cutter The pillars where built up from three layers of Canson-paer, which allowed to represent the cannelures. The pillar appears to be rather thin, but this is how it is drawn on the lithograph. The axle of the steering-wheel rests in bearings that are clad in brass or bronze. A piece of 2 mm brass rod was bored out for the round heads of the pillars and then a thin disc was parted off. For further machining the discs were held in special insert collets with a low recess turned into the front (so-calle jewelling collets, used by watchmakers to machine watch jewels or bushings). Machining the bearing caps in a 'jewelling' collet The profile on the front was turned with a small boring tool and the dome-shaped cap over the axle was formed with a cup burr, as used by jewellery-makers to round off wires. Shaping the covering cap of the wheel-axle using a cup burr The caps are actually only segments of a disc and were milled of on the micro-mill accordingly. Milling of the segment-shaped caps All parts were glued together using lacquer The individual parts of the steering-stands Steering-stand on the bridge loosely assembled (a 1 €-cent coin for reference) To be continued ...

Well, what can one say ... a lock-smith apprentice could have done this as his test-piece (in German we have a much more impressive word: Gesellenstück) I understand that knobs are preferred on boats and ships over handles, as lines or clothing can easily get caught in handles - which kind of shows the pervasive maritime tradition in Britain, where doors usually have knobs.

Multi-talent ....

The materials and techniques used would also depend on the scale, the period, the absolute size of the panes, and whether the windows could be seen from the outside only or also from the inside. There are numerous options.

Of course, the archive of the Danish naval yard is an on-line treasure trove of period details ...

Not sure we can still get solderof this composition - the use of lead and cadmium is being phased out at least in the EU.

Perhaps of interest: https://catalogs.marinersmuseum.org/media/Media/00002/Design of Winches00636165427321700621.pdf

"... if in shape" is perhaps the keyword. Very few of us, including the old-time sailors, would be in such shape. The idea is not to work with your muscles - and break your back, but to use your own weight. There are alway several palls, so if one breaks that is bad, but not an immediate disaster.

I started with a cookie-tin full of tools ... now it's several removal boxes and two made-to-measure crates for the milling machines. Will be moving in three to four years time and then hopefully into the well-designed (small) workshop. Admiral's company is a consideration. However, all the computerised drawing-work will be done in the living-room - if she is there herself

It also depends on what one wants to achieve, for instance a realistic, prototype look, or to reproduce certain historic practices (or fashions) of model building.

Masts were usually made from pine or fir, coming in Europe from Scandinavia or Russia, but also from domestic forests tended for the purpose, e.g. in France. In North America also pine and fir were used. Mahagony was not used for masts because of its price and also its weight. Pine and fir were also available in long straight lengths and is quite elastic. I don't know what wood species were used in Asia. For models commonly used wood species for masts and spars are pine, beech and ramin. For small yards or in small models for masts and yards also boxwood is used. Mahagony and walnut are too dark for masts in most cases.

I like these modifications to the movement holder, particularly the downhold fingers.

Very complex soldering project ... and well-done, of course !

Yep, I like these complex machining projects too 👍 One could etch the lettering into some brass and the slighly dome the disc. Or, you could find a shop with an engraving machine, who might do it for you. The kind of shop that engraves pens for instance. Normally they use brass templates for the lettering, but a large paper template may work for a one-off job.

Quite frankly, I think this an artificial problem. If mast and spars are big enough to practically insert a wire, there will not be a stability problem, if a suitable species of wood has been selected. After all, we have century-old models that don‘t have problem. When wood becomes a problem at small scales, it is better, to make masts and spars from metal. We have to also remember, that the standing rigging does not have to be as taught as a violin string. So the loads on masts are quite limited. Against the museum recommendations I made masts from steel rod. Steel is much stiffer than brass, hence it is easier to turn on the lathe. Even with a fixed or travelling steady turning long lengths of brass rod can be a pain.

Luckily, not all modern artists paid attention to this ... 😏

So far, I have only seen hexagonal collet-blocks. It shouldn't be too difficult to make one from a square one or from octagonal/square stock, if one has a milling-machine.

No threads ? OK, left-hand dies of this size would cost you an arm and a leg ... The first picture shows presumably the raw material for the counter-nuts ?

There seems tobe a problem with your pictures ...

One should note that museums normally commission models only at 1:48 or 1:96 (or 1:50 or 1:100 for most of the world) scale. At smaller scales the materials requirements are often difficult to meet. On the practical side, I think when mast and spars of wood are so thin that their stability is of concern, it would be difficult to give them a metal core. I would be better to make them from metal right away.

One should remember that acrylic paints are complex emulsions. So by diluting a specific brand with haphazard mixtures of solvents the emulsions may break down, leading to coagulation and then clogging of the airbrush. Either you may need to experiment yourself, or rely on the experience of others.

Cog, resin-casting requires a model, a prototype. If I can make one, I can make four without too much effort. So, not much is gained. The difficulty is making the 'model' ****************************** Steering-wheels, third edition A colleague challenged me to turn the brass reenforcement rings. I took up the challenge and bored out a piece of round brass stock to 6.8 mm and turned down the outside to 7.2 mm. From this tube with 0.3 mm wall thickness slices of 0.1 mm thickness were parted off. After a few trials to get the settings right this worked fast and repeteable. The rings were deburred on 600 grit wet-and-dry paper, ground finely on an Arkansa-stone and polished on a piece of paper with some polishing compound. The new steering-wheels, above the brass rings As it would have been very difficult to remove the old rings from paper from the wheels, I used the opportunity to produce a third edition of the wheels in which I left out one of the middle layers. The second edition was actually slightly too thick. Using the tried-out cutting parameters and now with some practice in assembling them, the new wheels were ready soon. The brass rings were glued on with lacquer. The freshly cut wheels (I use a roof slate as cutting support) The axle including drum for the steering rope were turned from brass. A pair of steering-wheels provisionally assembled and the component parts The wheels will be spray-painted painted all over and then the paint rubbed off from the brass rings. This will nicely simulate the rings let into the wood as per prototype. To be continued ... hopefully soon ...