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Elia

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Everything posted by Elia

  1. Elia
    Hi Lawrence, Thanks for dropping in. Now that spring is here and my basement isn't uncomfortably cold I will get back to finishing those blocks. I purchased essentially all but the very smallest blocks for my schooner from Siren Ship as the build up blocks. The very smallest blocks required were smaller than the smallest size Chuck offers. For those Chuck tried to create some custom small blocks but couldn't get them work out, so I purchased some if his standard blocks for those smallest sizes. The blocks look surprisingly realistic for a built up internally iron stropped type. The only 'limiting' aspect I had to accept was that the blocks are available in fewer block sizes than the range specified for the actual ship. Not too big of an issue for me. Those books of Ed T's on his clipper model Young America are as impressive as his build. I've got both books and await the next one on rigging. Just last night I dropped them off with my dad - for his perusal and enjoyment - while he recovers from a medical set back. He really loves clipper ships so I'll bet he spends hours wading into the books and plans. Honestly, I can't consider something like Young America for years (more than a decade) ... my family consumes far too much time and its only once the kids are through college that I would have the time to devote to such a massive undertaking. All I want is to keep making progress, as slow as it is, on my Arethusa. Cheers, Elia
  2. Elia
    Russ, I've had a free moment to pop in and check into your lugger's progress - and I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing your hull and deck furniture develop. The hull painting really emphasizes to me the sweet hull lines. The deck planking looks sharp, as do the hatch and deck house. Cheers, Elia
  3. Elia
    Rusty, Cheerful is looking very sharp! The deck furniture and rudder look great as does your emerging masts. Cheers, Elia
  4. Elia
    Frank That's a great looking little yawl. The keel jig looks like it worked well. With the seemingly closely spaced frames were there any issues keeping them vertical during gluing? The little yawl looks great with its grey interior and matching white and red exterior. Cheers, Elia
  5. Elia
    This paper back supplement to volume IV of the The Fully Framed Model Swan series is a little gem. For those who may not see themselves building the Swan ship, but are looking for a well thought out approach to scale sails which can be displayed deployed or furled, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of this booklet. David presents his approach, including a multi-part jig, in clear and logical steps. The example sail he presents is square rigged sail for Swan, though one can easily employ his approach for triangular or other configurations. I plan on using this approach on my schooner's sails - none of which are square. David uses what I will refer to as mixed media as a means of achieving his scale sails, with the basic sail material being silk span. His results are impressive, and his process appears to me that one, with a little practice, can achieve a surprisingly realistic set of scale sails. My experience with silk span sails in the past was mixed - owing to the materials and process I had read of and employed on my Oneida brig. While my sails would furl, I couldn't keep bolt ropes attached, I had difficulty with cringes, etc. I had used a PVA glue/water/acrylic paint applied to the sail, and PVA glue for all of the attached strips and ropes. [writer's note - do not follow my aforementioned materials - they will lead you to frustrating times]. David's set of materials and approach allows for clear panel lines, tablings, grommets, cringles, and reefing points. He shows how sails present light as both front and back lit, and his approach yields a very realistic semi-transparent panels and overlaps. At the end of the supplement he provides guidance on bending the sail to a yard, reeving details, and then how to furl the sails. Highly recommended! Elia Gianopulos
  6. Elia
    Ed Outstanding and delicate copper work. I am very impressed by all of your copper work and these are no exception. They are such thin, narrow details. I appreciate your showing the 'blank' first step strip adjacent completed spreader bar component as I had wondered how you made the integrated cleats. I have no doubt I would bend and damage those spreaders in less than a day. Cheers, Elia
  7. Elia
    Oh I feel a drop off in productivity nearing... these all just arrived...
  8. Elia
    Grant, Wow! What a stunning runabout. The time, approaches, and attention to detail you've put in have really paid off - this is such a beautiful model! Cheers, Elia
  9. Elia
    Frank, So very nice work on the jig for the ladder and its execution. Kathryn is looking sharper than ever. Thanks again for the meet-up with GuntherMT and shop talk a couple of weeks back - it was real treat to be able to meet the two of you and talk wooden ship modeling. I'm just about settled back at home now and getting some modeling stuff re-started. Cheers, Elia
  10. Elia
    Russ, The rail caps and rub rails look very sharp. Really great looking boat. Very nicely done. Cheers, Elia
  11. Elia
    Frank, Wow - That is such a crisp, beautiful model. I find it very enjoyable (and educational) watching your build progress. I appreciate the spar staining issue you had; I'm still stewing over how to proceed with mine (though I'm certain I'll stick with the spars I've got). Cheers, Elia
  12. Elia
    Russ, That hull is superb. I like that plumb stem and how that planks run aft from it. Beautiful planking. Elia
  13. Elia
    Frank, I've been following along, hitting the the 'like' button alot.. and just have to pipe up to say your hull framing, planking, and fairing are superb. Very very sharp work. I find Kathryn's hull framing and planking a fascinating alternative to what I've seen on other Skipjacks. Elia
  14. Elia
    Patrick, I've just now found your log. Fantastic work! Fantastic. Boggles the mind the work you do at this scale. Elia
  15. Elia
    Russ, I'm joining the audience a little late! You've got an attractive and unique topic here, and you've got a very well planned and executed build under way. The hull (bulkhead) framing looked true and aligned; the stanchions (both plan and execution) look smart, and the hull planking is coming along very well. I'll be sure to keep up. Elia PS I'm also glad to see your injury has apparently passed and you're back in the model shop!
  16. Elia
    Some of today's effort: assembling some of the Syren Ship Model Company's internally iron stropped blocks. In the first picture you'll find, on the left, how the mini-kits arrive. In the center/top are blocks glued together using medium CA and toothpicks (per the online instructions). At the right are the sheave pin 'wire' and the incredibly fine strip stock used for the strops in the remaining bags. In the center you'll see blocks snipped off the frames and also blocks which have had the sprue and laser burn sanded off. I found using a no. 11 blade wasn't the best way to separate the blocks from the frame - it is easy for the sprue to snap off at part and remove a small chunk of the block. The shears shown worked quite well at separating the block without the damage to the block. The second picture is a close up of the blocks. I tried inserting the fine strip stock into the laser cut slots - they worked perfectly on the couple I tried. I will have to wait a short while before I can tumble them to smooth the edges. Elia
  17. Elia
    Russ, Pete, Thank you. It has been very enjoyable working on this again. If you recall from an earlier time I was unhappy with the stain color of the spars and masts. Today I took 200 and 400 grit sandpaper to the spars and masts and was able to remove much of the offending hew. Pete - I'll post progress pictures of the sails once I have time to read through the mini-practicum and perform some trials. I really liked working with silkspan on my Oneida's furled sails but clearly didn't have an entirely proper method for them, and some problems emerged. Elia
  18. Elia
    While I putter along with things here is an in-process picture of the masts and spars and their associated ironwork. I still have some to do on the topmasts. And there are a few fittings which I'll fret saw and file from thicker brass sheet. I'll solder the soft or load bearing joints shortly. Elia
  19. Elia
    So .... here are some initial 'casting my dories' images (taken with my cell phone). The first two are my dory, puttied, sanded, and primed. The next is of my mold box constructed of Lego blocks. Following that is my mold box with clay, the blank, and vented tubes placed. I purchased a starter kit from MicroMark - showing the mold two part materials. Then there is slowly mixing up the silicone mold batter. And lastly the mold filled. I have taken the blank out out of the mold and the first half looks pretty good - though I don't have a picture of it here... Elia
  20. Elia
    Hi Lawrence, Thank you for inquiring about my progress. My job has taken me out-of-town a bit but I've been able to make progress through little snippets of time. I've fabricated much of the mast and spar iron work, though the soldering step(s) remain. I've proceeded with partially making the mold for casting my dories - it is a two part mold and I've made the first half. I recently purchased some of Chuck Passaro's internally iron stropped block kits and hope to begin assembling them shortly. These are amazing little block kits - perfectly appropriate for Arethusa. I hope to do them justice. I've also been reading up on how folks here at MSW have made their silkspan sails (many here producing quite convincing sails), along with having ordered the sail making supplement to TFFM from Sea Watch Books - I'm certain it will be highly informative and hopefully will guide me along in making sails for Arethusa. I'll try posting some images (from my cell phone). Cheers, Elia
  21. Elia
    Sideliner Your Benjamin Latham looks great! Congratulations on completing it. Well done. Are you going to display it in a case? Elia
  22. Elia
    Beautiful
  23. Elia
    Years ago I used the thin silkspan to create furled sails on my Oneida model following the furled sails article by Professor Tilley. I 'painted' the basic silkspan, stretched over a picture frame support, with a combination of diluted PVA glue, water, and acrylic paint, let it dry, and then cut the stiff sail material to size and attached the ropes. When rewetted it became surprisingly rubbery and very easily was folded and 'crumpled' into a furled sail (make sure you have the yard or spar near by lest you furl in into a shape not aligned to the spar). I had some challenges with bolt ropes staying adhered, along with clews and such trying to pull free of the sails, though once the rubbery, furled sails dried - they were quit stiff and solid. I learned later that the combination of acrylic paint and the PVA glue were somewhat incompatible (in terms of sticking to each other) and that would have been the cause of some of my challenges....though the finished sails looked reasonable to me. Elia
  24. Elia
    Matt - Very very nice detailing. I really like that boom buffer and the ship's wheel. You mention soldering it? The rim looks super - did you turn it on a lathe? Cheers, Elia
  25. Elia
    Dave, Those white rails look great (as does the rest of the hull). Nice work there. Elia

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