Jump to content

JohnB40

Members
  • Posts

    183
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by JohnB40

  1. That is some really fine work there, Peter. What adhesive did you use to attach the photo-etched and cast parts? The transom looks so neatly done. The MKK worked well for the panes. I have some ready in my supplies for when I get to that point,it is good to see what it looks like when applied. John
  2. Hi Boris, I watched an interesting show on TV last night about finding the wreck of the Scharnhorst in the depths off of Stanley. After following your build I could identify every part of the ship the ROV was filming. What a pity to see such a fine looking ship torn to pieces by 11" shells laying on the bottom. I was thinking of the lost lives of all the sailors shown on your posted photos and those on the program who went down with the ship......What a waste.
  3. Hi Mike, I think this is great. One of my all time favorite cars. A friend had the van version in Morocco,nothing could stop it.
  4. Your Confederacy looks great Peter, I have enjoyed following your build. I am awaiting photos of your final sanding thickness of the inner bulwarks. Comparing what you have already done to my more or less untouched ones,it looks like I better stock up on sandpaper.
  5. I use a Micro-Mark table saw (non tilting). It is made in Japan and with a Proxxon fine blade it has served me well. If I am careful setting the fence and feed slowly it can make a cut with an accuracy of .004" when measured with a caliper. This surprises me somewhat for the price paid. Maybe I got lucky,but I certainly have no complaints
  6. I couldn't use the 1/16" basswood strips for the moldings,so I used boxwood supplied by a Luthiers supply which I cut to size on my Micro-Mark table saw. The black painting used was mars black artists acrylic,very diluted and many coats applied. I first used golden oak Minwax oil based stain,but didn't like the result. I sanded it down,used a really diluted shellac mixed from flakes as thin sealing coat. This I sanded lightly and used General Finishes water based oak stain wiped off quickly. I finally ended with more or less blotchy free look...
  7. Greetings to all, Whilst being under house arrest and inspired by the other Confederacy builds on the forum,I have at long last finished the planking above the main wales. As I'm about to flip her over on her deck to carry on with hull planking,I thought I would share a few photos. I have included a few of the jig I used for bending planks for the stem and the building board and adjustable height stand. I have another building board made to support the deck to hold her steady for the lower planking.
  8. Peter, The construction on your Confederacy looks great. I'm looking forward to viewing future progress. John
  9. Thank you Jaager and Bill for your replies and advise. After posting, I tried bonding with PVA the pear trim to basswood scraps with acrylic painted and stained finish,as well as oil based stain. All finishes had been cured for months. I left all clamped for 24 hours .The oil based stain had the worst adhesion,I could pick it apart with light pressure from my finger nail. The acrylic paint and stain samples adhered a bit better,but the bond was still not that strong. The answer is as you suggested. I will have to cut blue masking tape to 1/16" wide strips and mask the hull where the trim is needed to be placed. I will deal with the photo etched parts when I get to that point. The M.S. Confederacy supplied wood is all basswood,which really needs stain and paint. I have never run into this before as all my previous kits were supplied with much nicer wood that just needed a finish coat of poly when all assembly was finished. John ,
  10. Greetings to all, A question concerning my Confederacy build...What effect will a stained or painted hull have on the bonding strength of adding wood trim and brass PE parts? I have finally milled some pear planks which I would like to use in their natural colour for the wales,these would have to bond to the basswood stained hull. Searching on the forum and on line I get conflicting views. I would think using a water based stain would give a better adhesion surface than oil based,but I prefer oil based as water based is far more opaque and tends to lift the grain. Any advise on types of stains,adhesive and techniques would be greatly appreciated. John
  11. Hi Cristian, Very nice build of the Confederacy. I hope mine turns out as well. I look forward your next project. Bonne Annee. John
  12. 67 year old eyes here. I find myself using an Optivisor (with the small add on lens) quite a lot on other tasks besides model construction,as essential as socks as far as I'm concerned. Real glass is a must. I have an old General Tools pair from the last century in the garage. The plastic lenses have some scratches but I still use them for work out there. When I'm not using either pair,I always place them with the visor part in a gallon Ziploc bag to keep dust etc off the lenses.
  13. I have also found hobby and craft shops are limiting their selection and stock on blades. Many on line charge a lot in shipping fees,making the final price really expensive. I recently came across https://widgetsupply.com/ They have a good selection of Excel blades and other supplies. I have placed a couple of orders with them,which arrived promptly (same state),with reasonable shipping rates.
  14. My experience with John Garcia is your parts will arrive in within a week or so. Model Expo customer service is outstanding as far as I'm concerned.
  15. Hello Christian, Very nice work on your Confederacy. I am also building the frigate,although at a much slower pace than you. I was at my library's bookstore yesterday and spotted an old book on the shelf "Sailing Ships of War 1400-1860" by Dr Frank Howard,for two dollars. I bought the book and when I got it home I noticed something familiar about the ship on the cover art. Sure enough it was a painting of "The Continental Frigate Confederacy (32 guns) and HM ships Orpheus (32) and Roebuck (44) off the Virginia Capes,14 April 1781". It was painted by Geoff Hunt. I thought you might find it interesting,especially the hull colours. Regards, John
  16. I saw this in the Guardian...I hope the link works. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/14/restored-19th-century-ships-figureheads-to-go-on-display-in-plymouth
  17. Hi Glen, I was at my library's book store this morning and purchased a book on Charleston during the civil war. There is a chapter on the ironclads attack on Fort Sumter. Here are a couple of pictures of the Keokuk from the book.....
  18. I have used a soldering iron type of plank bender and a compact hairdryer for plank shaping in my builds. I have had my iron type for nearly 20 years of reliable service. When I had to form quite a few planks for the bow of the Confederacy,I remembered GaryKap's note in his log about using a one pound coffee can/tin ( a hard thing to find in this 12 oz world) for the 6" radius. Attached the can to my work bench. Soaked the planks for 10 minutes in a tall jar. Clamped one end of the planks to the can and using the bender worked them around the the can until the point where they matched the curve + a bit for spring back. I then clamped the other end at that point. Finally used the hair dryer to completely dry the plank. The can also heats up and drys the opposite side. I also use the electric iron to twist bend the planks for the stern runs. Wet the planks, clamp to bulkhead at the start of the run,heat and form to shape required.
  19. Stunning work Danny....... I'm a retired Jag mechanic,so I have had a long love/hate relationship with V12's. I used to go to the Reno air races and there is nothing like the sound of a Merlin hammering full throttle overhead.
  20. Hi Dennis, I can't believe I have somehow not found your build of The General till now. I have enjoyed catching up,very nice work. I have read books on the "chase" and it is interesting to see a detailed view of the locomotive. John
×
×
  • Create New...