vaddoc

Welcome Alan! I visited San Diego a few years back, absolutely loved it. Do start a log, good fun as well! Regards Vaddoc

This was indeed very nice, thanks for posting. That diamond was pretty huge!

Dear all Since the last post I did a bit of work on the boat, although it was 2 steps forward and one backwards! First of all, I did not like the tabernacle. I used soft solder and did not wash the acid flux off so the brass started to corrode giving a green/blue tint. Also, I used some old leftover paint from the deck which was probably spoiled in some way. So I stripped the paint off and de-soldered it. I then tried to silver solder it and managed to melt the whole thing! Then I made the tabernacle again which is quite fiddly and not really easy. I had to make the axle once again as the old one did not fit. I proceeded to silver solder it and managed to melt it again! I made it for the third time and of course none of the previous two axles fitted so I had to do that as well. It came out reasonable but not as good as the first time. Then the side pieces were soldered, the corners ground and the mast base shortened and re-drilled. Everything was primed and then painted with fresh paint. Only thing left is some varnish, probably enamel. Next was the bowsprit. I took the dimesions from the drawings in the plans but it looked a bit short to me. I would like a more dramatic bowsprit even though it might be unnecessary and not really accurate. Also, I wanted the base to be square. So, I laminated some beach with PVA glue. I ended up with a thick solid piece of timber. Next was turning it into a dowel. Somehow I managed to set up my horrible cheap plane correctly and the job was pretty easy. Of course I forgot to leave the base square, I remembered only when it was shaped as octagon. Oh well, I think actually there are boats with octagon bowsprits out there... The new bowsprit is much larger and certainly much more dramatic! Next was the gammon iron. Here there is a massive problem. The top of the stem must be left square to allow for the iron to be bolted. I missed this part and sanded it off. I had to think of a way to arrange things, not accurate but close enough. Also, I had to provide a point to attach the foe bits of rigging. I soldered a few bits together and will nail these down with black iron nails. Hopefully it will blend in when all else goes on the boat Next I made the templates for the cleats and cut one, finished with Tung oil I also made the fixes for the bob and whisker stays. These will be secured with either brass or shiny black iron nails Lots more left to do and quite a lot of head scratching coming up Regards Vaddoc

Got some brass sheaves from Cornwall models. Though so far my attempts in making working blocks have not been fruitful! Also, some iron chain in black colour from ebay in 2 sizes, it was very cheap

I found a solution with these forceps https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01AYLIH1S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They are stainless steel, very robust and do not transmit heat. Very cheap also. There is a base that goes with it but you can also use whatever else. Highly recommended. I prefer silver soldering as it is much more controlled. Vaddoc

https://www.amazon.com/RHINOCEROS-MODELING-DESIGNERS-VERSION-670526003986/dp/B00AFB9ORO !

The way the metal bends to your will Michael is truly inspirational. Indeed a treat for those of us that when picking a fight with metals we usually lose.

Pleasure! I made a cleat with this template, in the last two photos the cleat had a bit of tidying up sanding and a coat of Tung oil

Actually, it is nearing the time I will need cleats so I sat down today and did a bit of CAD. Maybe this template will help others. The printer settings can be used to scale up or down. The vertical lines are for through bolts/tree nails. cleats.pdf

I am not sure if this project is "little" but I have been patiently waiting for when it would make it near the top of your busy priority list Michael. Looking forward for the rest of this journey. Vaddoc

You are right in both Welfack. It is of course much easier to make U shaped ones and indeed I ll need some later on but horse-shoe is a much more interesting shape! You are also correct about the rings and for the 1.2 mm wire, a 2.7 mm tube would be nearer real life dimensions but I do not have this odd size and the 3 mm looks a bit wrong. There is plenty of thickness to widen the hole to accept same size bolt but there is no real need as the bolt will be invisible on the boat. I intend though to make some smaller ones using 1mm or 0.8 mm wire and same 2 mm tube, this will be closer to real life dimensions. This is a good way of making shackles of any shape and size, quickly and consistently at a fraction of the price for bought ones.

I ve standardised the the method and now it takes less than 10 min for each shackle. I ll post a few more pics: Clean the 2 mm tube and sand a flat and secure for soldering. Cut a piece of 1.2 mm wire, bend with fingers round the pliers Use second round pliers to bend into final shape in one step, using something appropriate to maintain gap Trim the excess and sand flat the ends by touching on the disc Secure for soldering, use a tiny amount of paste Cool, then use the disc to cut free and shape the shackle The shackles come out very consistent in shape and size. These have not been polished yet After a bath in acid and polishing, I think they look great. This is how they compare with the bought ones (expensive) Smaller sizes can easily be made and much smaller brass tubes are available as welding supplies.

Welcome Mark! Indeed consider starting a log, very rewarding.

I used to use enamel Humbrol varnish and had good results with all three, gloss , satin and mat. I lately used Valejo polyurethane vanish which also gave good results, not as tough as enamels (Strong masking tape can lift it) but so much easier to use. The mat versions are quite mat. Maybe needs more stirring. Especially for enamels, the dust takes a long time to disperse and wants to settle immediately.

Hand brushing is a good alternative, quite satisfying as well! I have only basic painting skills and do not want to use an airbrush. I have had excellent results with hand brushing using Valejo colours following these rules: 1. Use very good brushes, with appropriate width for the job 2. Thin the paint (should be runny but not like water), avoid heavy coats. 3. For Valejo, use the hand brushing thinner, different and better than the air brush thinner. It congeals if left so must have resin in it (this is what valejo claims so not easily reproduced at home). Get the 60 ml bottle, it is not expensive. 4. Use a bit of retarder. 5. Start from dry and end on wet. Take your time, you can go over the area 2-3 times. Avoid puddles at the edges. 6. Trust the paint! Do not go over again to "correct" or smooth out brush marks. They will disappear. You ll probably need a dozen or more coats either way. 7. Best to seal the wood, I use a water based wood sealer sanded to 400 grit 8. I use plastic pots with caps that seal pretty well and are cheap. The paint stays wet for months. 9. Use only frog tape or Tamiya tape or equivalent. The paint will bleed under ordinary masking tape or electricians tape. 10. Acrylic paint is not tough so needs to be protected with varnish or some topcoat Hopefully these will be of help to some. May not work for all but I was able to paint my 80 cm hull with almost no brush marks. Vaddoc