wefalck

Actually, there are brass-drills out there with a steeper helical angle and differently ground cutting edges ... Another option would be watchmakers' spade drills. These are made for use with reciprocating drills, i.e. Archimedes drills, but also work with electric drills. In the US a source should be Otto Frei (https://www.ofrei.com). Watchmakers, actually used to make them themselves from steel wire. A further option are so-called EUREKA, straight-fluted drills, also from the watchmaking realm. They are stronger than the spade drills, but these days they seem to be expensive and difficult to find. I very rarely use carbide drills for hand-drilling and mainly only in the watchmakers' lathe, where there are very stable conditions with no lateral forces.

I think it was back in the early 1980s when I last painted any figures at this scale - I have since moved on to 1:87 ... Got what must have been one of the earliest figure modelling guides published in the UK, didn't check but think it is from about 1968 or so - since then techniques have moved on considerably 😉 Today I would use a light grey undercoat, basically to be able to better see any imperfections in sculpting/conversion. The Old Masters used a complementary colour undercoat for skin areas, meaning a light green and then applied the skin-tones in several light washes. The complementary colour underneath makes the skin-tones more luminescent. In my later years of 1:35 figure modelling I used artists' oil-paints for any skin areas (and also for leather details). They could be worked much longer than the Humbrol enamels I used otherwise. However, if you want to work with oil-washes, this requires really long drying times between layers, days or weeks, otherwise the high medium-content of the washes dissolves the previous layer. Today, I basically only use acrylics, mainly from Vallejo (their original business was artists' paints ...). Working with washes is fast, as they dry sufficiently within tens of minutes. Talking about brushes, you may also want to look for so-called 'spotters', this are finely pointed brushes with short hairs. I am not so dexterous or don't have enough practice with standard brushes. The latter can hold more paint, which can be adavantage. Don't go for expensive sable-brushes for working with acrylics. Apparently does not good to them. I use mainly the synthetic ones from the British Da Vinci brand.

I picked up my copy by chance some 10+ years ago on a flea-market in Orléans, but the 'Vence' is now available also as ebook from the French National Library: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k11684265.r=vence bateaux?rk=128756;0 Otherwise, ANCRE sells reprints at 40€: https://ancre.fr/en/reprint/47-construction-des-embarcations-latines-vence-1897.html. Originals, can by quite pricey at 80 to 100€ or more. What part of Spain are you in, btw ?

I only know the Emspünte by name, no details ... I wasn't aware that they use this kind sheerleg-like frame to raise and lower the mast, when passing bridges. This kind of thingy is steel used on modern yachts that operate on inland waterways. A friend of mine had a sailing boat on one of the many lakes in northeastern Germany and it had exactly the same device that puts the forestay higher and at a less acute angle to the mast, so that one can lift the mast more easily. Indee, the mast would have been sitting in what we call a 'mast-chair', two sturdy posts left and right of the mast with a sturdy bolt going across on which the mast is pivoting. There would a sort of latch at the bottom to lock the mast in place. The image below show a slightly different arrangement on the model of a Dutch boat that I built some years ago.

Goog luck witht he shrouds/ratlines. It's not as bad as it seems, when approached systematically. Tune into some nice music that takes your mind off less pleasant things. And Merry Christmas to all here !

Personally, I would shy away from oil on models. In case of decks, I would use a nitrocellulose-based sanding filler (not the acrylic-based ones). Depending on the wood, one or two coats will be sufficient. Don't apply to liberally and rub down with finest (0000) steel-wool. Dedust carefully and perhaps use a magnet to catch any swarf from the steel-wool. Such a treatment will not change the apearance of the wood significantly - decks on ships were never treated, as it would make them slippery and unsafe. In principle, one should not rely on glue alone for fastening, unless for larger surfaces. Normally, such deck-fittings would actually not sit on the deck, but would be attached to structural elements of the hull and planking would go around them. As the items in question seem to be cast from white-metal, I would carefully drill pin-holes into their bottom, insert a short pin temporarly to help locating the corresponding hole on the deck, drill this hole and then insert pins of appropriate lengths. As the parts seem to be metal, using epoxi for glueing is good advice. Otherwise, the nail varnish (or better zapon varnish) also works, as it adheres well to metal (zapon varnish is traditionally used to protect silver-ware from tarnishing) and sheer-forces are taken up by the pins. Shellac either in flakes or as ready-made solution should be readily available in the UK. Not sure, whether this French brand is still available in those post-Brexit days, but Liberon does have shellac-solution.

Lovely project and congratulations to have finished it (more or less) as a kind of 'Christmas present' ! I had followed the project with sort of one eye from time to time as I got interested in the Spanish boats in the last few years, being a frequent visitor to Valencia. 'Nuestra vela latina' is a book that has been on my list of a while, but haven't got around to get it yet. Isn't it written in Catalan, rather than Castellano ? I got a number of book on local Valencian boats (some of them written in Valenciano!). Otherwise, a more generic and classical source on the lateen rig is: VENCE, J. (1897): Construction & manœuvre des bateaux & embarcations à voilure latine.- 139 p., Paris (Augustin Challamel Editeur, reprint Editios Omega, Nice). However, the author draws mainly on experience from Southern France and Tunisia. Some years ago I wrote an article for the German LOGBUCH and French NEPTUNIA on lateen-rigged boats from the Albufera (a lagoon south of Valencia): https://www.maritima-et-mechanika.org/maritime/albufera/Boats-of-the-Albufera.html. There are also some further references to books/articles about Spanish boats at the bottom of that Web-page.

Apologies to all, who looked here in vain for new developments, but real life severely interfered with my workshop time and the zen mental state to carry out miniature work ... In the meantime, I wish all Forum Members a peaceful Christmas and a successful New Year 2024 !

Without wanting to further dilute Valery's building-log with side-discussions, one also needs to precise the period and the prototype. Different rivetting techniques were used at different times and in different places around the ships. For instance, early iron-ships had rather visible rivet-heads as one can see on surviving examples. As confidence and material assessment technologies evolved, rivets and their heads became smaller. When steel was introduced, half-countersunk heads became possible in even relatively thin plates due to the high tensile strength of the materials involved. On war-ships and other types of ships were appearance was considered important, rivets were generally countersunk above the waterline, so that these showed smooth hulls. There is also the old scale discussion: can I leave off details that would not be visible at a 'normal' viewing distance? On the other hand, people may put their nose onto the model (or hopefully only on its glass-case) and then would see many more details. I think as long as they can be reproduced to scale, one could or should show details, such as rivetting, when appropriate for the prototype.

A pretty massive set, even though its 'only' narrow-gauge. I gather one needs mass and HPs to get through the drifts.

Nice progress, indeed! Out of curiosity: are you related to the painter Sorolla by any chance?

I am well aware of this method, but was always worried, that the edges of the putty may crumble. Automotive (spray) putty is quite strong on the surface, but it is actually a bit crumbly, so as to permit easy sanding. I gather, once painted the edges of the strakes become much stronger?

Moon-shine calvados could come in any kind of bottles 🫢 A year of 1938 in 1944 would make more sense for calvados than for cidre though, which is generally drunken young (and traditionally from bowls, rather than glasses).

Castrovejo would the keyword to watch out for re. eye surgery instruments. I think he was a Californian surgeon. I have various scissors, needle-holders and such.

If it’s Normandy, it should be cidre/cider, rather yhan wine / comes in champagne-type bottles. To my knowledge, there are no vinyards in Normandy. The bottle modelled would be a Burgundy bottle, long slender neck, as opposed to the short necks of the Bordeaux bottles.

Diamond files don't have a 'pitch'. They are like sandpaper, the diamond grains are randomly distributed. There are also diamond needlefiles, but the cheap ones seems to be too coarse for fine work. One has to look up and down ebay & Co. to see what is on the market (don't forget the 'nail art' department, where they sell the same abrasive strips as for modellers, but at half the price or less ...). It seems one can spend easily as much money on 'aftermarket' parts for kits, as for the kit in the first place, or even more.

I stopped 20th military modelling some 40+ years ago ... however, I understand that today Friul Modelismo makes metal tracks with individual links for many (most?) tank kits on the market. They seem to be preferred by 'serious' military modellers over the rubbery plastic one, because they sag prototype fashion. Just to mention ... Polystyrene does not work very well with normal steel files. I use diamond files (including cheap nail files of different sizes and coarseness). Back in 1941/42 the Brits in North Africa apparently were hunting down German 'jerry' (hence the name) can, because they were far supperior to the simple thin metal boxes that were used by the British Army then. In the German army they are still used and since WW2 a white cross indicates that they are used for water. Back in the days, when I drove a Citroën 2CV, I always carried one with me, effectively doubling its range.

Strange, but then pigment manufacturers sometimes have strange names for their products. I wonder what it is technically. Perhaps it is just ground-up natural titanium ore, rather than the refined product, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_dioxide, that is normally used and would apparently also have the code PW6.

What is this supposed to be? Titanium pigment is TiO2, i.e. titanium oxide, and that is a stark white. Being a inorganic chemical compound, there is nothing to bleach and it is absolutey lightfast.

I have simulated wire rope by twisting together strands of copper wire and then painting them in some dull silver colour. One can also get at a reasonable price silver wire down to 0.007 mm(!) diameter (which is used to bridge broken printed circuit connections in repairs, I believe). It is difficult, however, to twist more than two wire together evenly. For simulating rigging wire, it should not be twisted too tightly, as in real wire rope the angle of the strands is less than for fibre ropes. There is also some (expensive!) japanese fishing line in steel grey, which seems to be braided with four strands. I have not seen it in real life, but it may be worthwhile exploring: https://www.ebay.de/itm/284004752603?var=585466534836

A bit bizarre that someone in distant Mexico/USA should build a model of an 'Emspünte' ... Unfortunately, I would have only technology solutions for your anchor-problem, I would either solder the grapnel up from brass wire or perhaps making a design for laser-cutting from paper stiffened with varnish. Actually, if you can get hold of some wire, material doesn't matter too much, you could bend four 'fish-hooks', bundle and tie them with some threads and smear the whole assembly in white glue. I think the village blacksmith would have used a similar process to make the real thing, using rebar or whatever iron rod would have been available, bending them and welding them together, adding reenforcing sleeves to the shank.

If you don't dare to take on splicing, you can also just make ring with an overhand-knot, put the block in and a pin for keeping the eye open at the other end. You then start the seizing with a series of half-hitches until you reached the desired length of the seizing. Then you pull on the loose ends of the strop to shorten it to the desired length. Fix the seizing with a dab of varnish or paint and trim the loose ends of the strop and the seizing respectively. On a real ship the stropping would have been done in situ, but on a model it would be better to do the stropping off the boat with the ring slipped over the traveller and only then to install the traveller.

Thanks for showing this in a video. I have used half-hitches actually ever since I got into this kind of ship-modelling. I don't use CA glue though, but rather fast-drying varnish, so that I can slip thing up tight against the block, if needed by just a drop of solvent. However, it seems to me that you are using a series of overhand-knots rather than half-hitches !? Of course, this works well.

You don't mention the scale, but it is possible to make simplified long-splices by pulling the ends through each other with the help of e.g. a hypodermic needle as marlin-spike. You then dab the splice in varnish and roll it between your fingers. Then you basically proceed with full-scale practice and tie the strop around the block and the ring on the traveller. The splice will disappear under the seizing.

Looking good! I gather the book on catalan lateen-rigged boat that you got, will give some more ideas on the specificities of that rig. One of these is that the parrel is a sort of rope with an eye at its end that goes around the mast and is fixed to the halliard. The purpose is to be able to loosen the parrel to allow a better adjustment of the antenna. Not sure though, whether this would be case on the more lugger-sail like sail of the canoa here. On the photo below from the Albufera near Valencia (Spain), the parrel is a pretty ugly affair, not quite ship-shape: Probably your photographs don't show such detail, but usually the rope that attaches the sail to the yard is not just wound around, but at each grommet there is a half-hitch - I don't have an image to hand that would show this. In that way, the sail has less a tendency of slipping along the yard or pulling out of shape.