wefalck

Never tried that and it depends on the chemistry of the solution. Some products may not work with certain metals.
 
I would get myself a small plastic beaker, big enough for the biggest part and pour just enough of the solution to cover the parts. Let it react and take it out, when ready. Process one piece by one piece, so that you can control the process better. If possible use plastic tweezers, not metal one. If you don't have/cannot get hold of plastic tweezers, two toothpicks will do the job as well. In this way, you minimise the amount of solution used.
 
BTW, never pour used solution back into the original container, that should only contain fresh, unused solution (that is standard good chemical lab practice to avoid contamination).

You will be using a few ml at a time only. Don't dunk your parts into the bottle! You probably won't even consume the chemistry in these few ml with your parts. So get a small chemicals bottle from the chemist, lable it properly and you are good for a few more parts.
 
Once the blackening process takes too long, this is an indication that the solutions is becoming spent. You can let it dry then (out of reach for children and pets, of course) and dispose of it in the general waste. The quantities of Se etc. from a fre ml of solution are minute and will not harm anyone. Even if there were rubbish scavengers on the tips of Mexico, the material will be dispersed in the general waste.
 
I know, certain people would throw their arms into the air about the above, but one has to be reasonable and practical. 

I would go for similar appearance of all blocks. Though on a real ship blocks may have been obtained from different sources over time and as need arose, on a model this may look a bit 'unprofessional'.
 
While on 'artisanal' style models wooden blocks certainly would be first choice, I think for 'realistic' style models, particularly those in smaller scales, 3d-printing is the future. Such blocks would need to be painted, as the resin is always somewhat translucent.
 
The minimum size of wooden blocks you can machine on a CNC-mill is limited by the size of drills and milling cutters that are practical. I gather on hobby-machines the limit would be somewhere around 0.5 mm diameter for milling cutters and 0.3 mm for drills - from this you can calculate the mimium size of block you can make. 

Ships' boats where quite exposed to the elements and in bad weather at risk to be damaged or swept overboard. I think most loose items would have been only put into them when needed. Lowering the boats during the age of HMS BEAGLE was a fairly time-consuming procedure - enough time to bring the required items up from storage.
 
The exception was the 'life-boat' mentioned in an earlier post, which would have been kept with all the essential equipment on board. 

BTW, I found building-logs very useful to record what one has done (for later reference) and also to get (constructive) feedback and useful ideas. Much more useful than any small-talk in model-shops (which I rarely went to, even in the days, when they still existed) or meetings.

Just catching up after a week of travelling (business/pleasure) and I agree with the others that it turned out to be an excellent model 👍🏻
 
Where do you keep such a fragile item? We shipmodellers put our models under glass, but I have the feeling that aircraft-modellers rarely do that.
 
I noticed two things on the figure of the mechanic: the moustache and the wrist-watch. Both seem to be a bit anachronistic for the period. After the first gas-attacks, such moustaches were quickly banned (as were beards) for land troops because they prevented the proper fit of the gas-masks. And wrist-watches came into more general use only in the 1930s or so - their tiny and hence expensive mechanism made them only affordable for officers. Only due to WWI production techniques, such as stamping the wheels, wrist-watches became cheaper. 

Yep, nothing matches that old-time mahagony 👍🏻

Thank you Druxey, John, Pat and Nils for your supportive comments and thanks, as ever, to all of you who have left likes or just paid a visit.
 
And so on with the planking.
 
I started off by drawing a series of parallel lines on the hull. These act as a guide for judging the symmetry of planking on both sides of the hull.


The previous two builds consumed a whole leaf of my antique mahogany table so I dug out the second leaf from the back of the garage. I calculate that this second leaf plus the centre section will amply suffice for the remainder of my modelling career.

I cut it into 3" inch planks on my full size table saw before moving on to the Byrnes saw to cut it down further to .700" x .220" strips. I chose .220" as the nominal width of the planks because .250" seemed a little wide and .200" seemed a little narrow - very scientific!

I then cut a supply of planks sufficient to get a good start. I decided to make the planks nominally 1/16" thick (thin enough to bend easily while thick enough to give me a reasonable sanding margin). I ripped them over thickness and sanded them to thickness using my improvised drum sander.



My worry about hull sanding allowance made me stay cautiously a little above the 0.625" target plank thickness.

 
The table isn't wide enough to allow continuous planking runs so each rise takes 2 planks per side.
I am gluing the planks with waterproof PVA glue on both the back side and on the edges. The planks are pinned in place with cork notice board pins. These are "nailed" into pre drilled holes in the frames - quite a laborious task.
The first plank above (or is that below?) the previously installed plywood strake is parallel. I plan to install a number of parallel planks and then start shaping planks as I progress. Using my usual "suck it and see" approach.



I have managed to get the first 2 runs completed on both sides - 8 planks in total.

Obviously I have to give the glue time to dry before removing the pins so this makes the process a 2 planks per side per day job. At least I have plenty of time for tea breaks.
 
That's all for now folks.
 
 

BTW, I found building-logs very useful to record what one has done (for later reference) and also to get (constructive) feedback and useful ideas. Much more useful than any small-talk in model-shops (which I rarely went to, even in the days, when they still existed) or meetings.

The Dutch company Artitec makes some resin-kits of small German railway ferries around the island of Rügen (I think) in HO- and N-scale:
 
https://www.artitecshop.com/en/railroad-ferry.html

https://www.artitecshop.com/en/wittow-ferry.html

https://www.artitecshop.com/en/ferry-fehmarn.html - This one I remember seeing in operation, when we spent our summer holidays with may grandparents up at the Baltic coast.

 
 
 
 

Never tried that and it depends on the chemistry of the solution. Some products may not work with certain metals.
 
I would get myself a small plastic beaker, big enough for the biggest part and pour just enough of the solution to cover the parts. Let it react and take it out, when ready. Process one piece by one piece, so that you can control the process better. If possible use plastic tweezers, not metal one. If you don't have/cannot get hold of plastic tweezers, two toothpicks will do the job as well. In this way, you minimise the amount of solution used.
 
BTW, never pour used solution back into the original container, that should only contain fresh, unused solution (that is standard good chemical lab practice to avoid contamination).

Never tried that and it depends on the chemistry of the solution. Some products may not work with certain metals.
 
I would get myself a small plastic beaker, big enough for the biggest part and pour just enough of the solution to cover the parts. Let it react and take it out, when ready. Process one piece by one piece, so that you can control the process better. If possible use plastic tweezers, not metal one. If you don't have/cannot get hold of plastic tweezers, two toothpicks will do the job as well. In this way, you minimise the amount of solution used.
 
BTW, never pour used solution back into the original container, that should only contain fresh, unused solution (that is standard good chemical lab practice to avoid contamination).

BTW, I found building-logs very useful to record what one has done (for later reference) and also to get (constructive) feedback and useful ideas. Much more useful than any small-talk in model-shops (which I rarely went to, even in the days, when they still existed) or meetings.

Just catching up after a week of travelling (business/pleasure) and I agree with the others that it turned out to be an excellent model 👍🏻
 
Where do you keep such a fragile item? We shipmodellers put our models under glass, but I have the feeling that aircraft-modellers rarely do that.
 
I noticed two things on the figure of the mechanic: the moustache and the wrist-watch. Both seem to be a bit anachronistic for the period. After the first gas-attacks, such moustaches were quickly banned (as were beards) for land troops because they prevented the proper fit of the gas-masks. And wrist-watches came into more general use only in the 1930s or so - their tiny and hence expensive mechanism made them only affordable for officers. Only due to WWI production techniques, such as stamping the wheels, wrist-watches became cheaper. 

I’ve always loved model railroading, I just never had the time or funds to really enjoy its offerings early on. Now I have way too many other hobbies to get into and still not enough time, so I live vicariously through those that do. Thanks for posting your article Eric, those are some beautiful models. 

My great-grandfather worked for Missouri Pacific way back when. He was In charge of loading and unloading the rail cars from the ferry that went between Baton Rouge and Port Allen, La. before the Huey P. Long/O.K. Allen bridge was built in 1937.
 
This is a picture that I have hanging in my house of his train and ferry. I wish I could find more information on it and other pictures, it would truly make an interesting build one day. 

 
-Brian

BTW, I found building-logs very useful to record what one has done (for later reference) and also to get (constructive) feedback and useful ideas. Much more useful than any small-talk in model-shops (which I rarely went to, even in the days, when they still existed) or meetings.

BTW, I found building-logs very useful to record what one has done (for later reference) and also to get (constructive) feedback and useful ideas. Much more useful than any small-talk in model-shops (which I rarely went to, even in the days, when they still existed) or meetings.

BTW, I found building-logs very useful to record what one has done (for later reference) and also to get (constructive) feedback and useful ideas. Much more useful than any small-talk in model-shops (which I rarely went to, even in the days, when they still existed) or meetings.

You will be using a few ml at a time only. Don't dunk your parts into the bottle! You probably won't even consume the chemistry in these few ml with your parts. So get a small chemicals bottle from the chemist, lable it properly and you are good for a few more parts.
 
Once the blackening process takes too long, this is an indication that the solutions is becoming spent. You can let it dry then (out of reach for children and pets, of course) and dispose of it in the general waste. The quantities of Se etc. from a fre ml of solution are minute and will not harm anyone. Even if there were rubbish scavengers on the tips of Mexico, the material will be dispersed in the general waste.
 
I know, certain people would throw their arms into the air about the above, but one has to be reasonable and practical. 

Just catching up after a week of travelling (business/pleasure) and I agree with the others that it turned out to be an excellent model 👍🏻
 
Where do you keep such a fragile item? We shipmodellers put our models under glass, but I have the feeling that aircraft-modellers rarely do that.
 
I noticed two things on the figure of the mechanic: the moustache and the wrist-watch. Both seem to be a bit anachronistic for the period. After the first gas-attacks, such moustaches were quickly banned (as were beards) for land troops because they prevented the proper fit of the gas-masks. And wrist-watches came into more general use only in the 1930s or so - their tiny and hence expensive mechanism made them only affordable for officers. Only due to WWI production techniques, such as stamping the wheels, wrist-watches became cheaper. 

You will be using a few ml at a time only. Don't dunk your parts into the bottle! You probably won't even consume the chemistry in these few ml with your parts. So get a small chemicals bottle from the chemist, lable it properly and you are good for a few more parts.
 
Once the blackening process takes too long, this is an indication that the solutions is becoming spent. You can let it dry then (out of reach for children and pets, of course) and dispose of it in the general waste. The quantities of Se etc. from a fre ml of solution are minute and will not harm anyone. Even if there were rubbish scavengers on the tips of Mexico, the material will be dispersed in the general waste.
 
I know, certain people would throw their arms into the air about the above, but one has to be reasonable and practical. 

Just catching up after a week of travelling (business/pleasure) and I agree with the others that it turned out to be an excellent model 👍🏻
 
Where do you keep such a fragile item? We shipmodellers put our models under glass, but I have the feeling that aircraft-modellers rarely do that.
 
I noticed two things on the figure of the mechanic: the moustache and the wrist-watch. Both seem to be a bit anachronistic for the period. After the first gas-attacks, such moustaches were quickly banned (as were beards) for land troops because they prevented the proper fit of the gas-masks. And wrist-watches came into more general use only in the 1930s or so - their tiny and hence expensive mechanism made them only affordable for officers. Only due to WWI production techniques, such as stamping the wheels, wrist-watches became cheaper. 

Just catching up after a week of travelling (business/pleasure) and I agree with the others that it turned out to be an excellent model 👍🏻
 
Where do you keep such a fragile item? We shipmodellers put our models under glass, but I have the feeling that aircraft-modellers rarely do that.
 
I noticed two things on the figure of the mechanic: the moustache and the wrist-watch. Both seem to be a bit anachronistic for the period. After the first gas-attacks, such moustaches were quickly banned (as were beards) for land troops because they prevented the proper fit of the gas-masks. And wrist-watches came into more general use only in the 1930s or so - their tiny and hence expensive mechanism made them only affordable for officers. Only due to WWI production techniques, such as stamping the wheels, wrist-watches became cheaper. 

Just catching up after a week of travelling (business/pleasure) and I agree with the others that it turned out to be an excellent model 👍🏻
 
Where do you keep such a fragile item? We shipmodellers put our models under glass, but I have the feeling that aircraft-modellers rarely do that.
 
I noticed two things on the figure of the mechanic: the moustache and the wrist-watch. Both seem to be a bit anachronistic for the period. After the first gas-attacks, such moustaches were quickly banned (as were beards) for land troops because they prevented the proper fit of the gas-masks. And wrist-watches came into more general use only in the 1930s or so - their tiny and hence expensive mechanism made them only affordable for officers. Only due to WWI production techniques, such as stamping the wheels, wrist-watches became cheaper. 

The big bat is finished now, that I found the courage to paint the figures. The young boy with the broken toy plane is exclusively painted with Scale 75 acrylics. I had to strip the oil colors off his skin, because they never cured and I couldn´t touch the figure for further painting.

Thank you all again for participating in this log, which helped me a lot in form of encouragement and practical information.





































Cheers Rob