vaddoc

Keith, I just finished going through your log, very nice work on a very interesting ship! I think I ll have very little to contribute unfortunately but I am looking forward for the rest of the journey. Regards Vaddoc

Thanks Druxey and Mark and everyone that visited and hit the like button! Slowly I am nibbling at the jobs left. Today I replaced the gaff traveller wire as the lacing went on the wrong side of it, much easier than to re-lace the sail. I also finished the remaining rigging for the boom, that is the clew outhaul and the reefing blocks. I installed two more cleats on the boom. I also rigged the sheets and blocks for the top and flying jibs. Next job was to make more cleats. I thought I had made enough but I ll need more, thankfully I had some blanks left, already drilled and counter-drilled. I am now thinking how to route the sheets from the fore sails to the cockpit. I will need some tethering points as well as some conduits. However, I recently got a new toy, a cheap micro tap and die set so I thought I ll give it a go. I used 1.2 mm brass wire, first annealed by heating it red hot, then rolled between 2 flat MDF surfaces to straighten it. Then I secured it on a hand drill and cut the threads. I am not sure how this should be done, I just tried holes until I found the first one that the wire would not fit and used that one. It was dead easy to cut the threads. The threaded wire now screws very easily in 1.1 mm hole and very securely, there will be no need to use any glue. I think this skill will be useful in the future. I then made a few parts that I think will do the job. They still need to be polished and waxed. I think next I should lace the sail to the boom, tedious task but must be done. Then I ll start bringing the sheets aft, I will not drill anything in place until everything is ready, my deck will for sure be very busy and crowded. I do have some concern that not everything will fit! Regards Vaddoc

This is a comforting thought Keith. I somehow doubt that my models will survive long after I am gone but who knows!

If the acrylic paint is to suffer any abuse, it needs protection as it scratches easily. Otherwise, not really necessary unless a bit of shine is desirable.

You can use pretty much everything, wait a few days for a good cure of the acrylics. "Fat over lean". The toughest finish would be enamel varnish, I like humbrol. However water based varnishes are so much easier to use. The valejo polyurethane varnishes are nice but not as tough as enamel. Take care with matt varnishes, they can be tempermental

Zpoxy 5 min or 30 min will work, if it is epoxy you need but really any branded epoxy would be fine. However the opening time is very much temperature dependent, I found that sometimes the 5 min allowed very little window to arrange pieces. In the past I ve used the 30 min which I warmed beforehand so it would cure much quicker. If the broken pieces match well, you could just use PVA. Maybe drilling a hole, use 1 mm screws to hold pieces while PVA cures, then fill hole with dowel or just use tape. Probably cleaner solution. Epoxy is really very messy! Also, you will need to prepare and mix a new epoxy quantity for every repair you need to make Uncured epoxy being alkaline cleans well with vinegar, the acid destroys it immediately.

Epoxies can have different properties, some cure flexible, some are more brittle. I use epoxy a lot, mostly for laminating and always thickened. I am not very happy with the results using it as glue unthickened-too brittle. I very much like Zpoxy, it is expensive though. I use the 30 min for gluing stuff and the finishing resin for laminating. Self life seems to be indefinite. If the hardener and resin become too thick and crystalise, 10 secs in the microwave restore to liquid form. I use gloves and syringes to accurately measure equal volumes.

I d go for Bismuth. Looks like a lovely material to have on your model! According to wikipedia Bismuth is a chemical element with the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. It is a pentavalent post-transition metal and one of the pnictogens with chemical properties resembling its lighter group 15 siblings arsenic and antimony.

Welcome Zbigniew! Did the boats you built all these years ago survived? Maybe post a few pics?

What a great ending to the mystery! Indeed, please start a log and share your journey.

Very nice Vlad! There must be rough seas in you room, your photos are all over the place!😄 Love your painting on the golden decorations

Some more work done so time for another update I finished the main sail and added the reef points. The quickest and easiest way was to use a continuous length of rope, secured with tape and use diluted PVA to the junction with the sail. Then I used CA glue to prevent the rope from being undone and cut to length. I then laced the main sail to the mast hoops which was a very satisfying job and then to the gaff, which was not! I also added to the underside of the gaff the block for the topsail outhaul and a simple line to just pull the gaff down. I also added the reef pennants There is some extra rope at the end of the gaff that I ll trim later, also a few extra hoops that I will also remove later. Bit of a shame to cut them as it took an awful lot of work to make them! Next to be done: The reef pennants need a cleat on the boom to take the slack and a couple of blocks to pull on the other end. I need to complete the main sheet outhaul and add a couple of cleats to the topsail to attach to the leader. Of course the main sail needs to be laced to the boom. Then I ll attach the sheets for all the foresails will all their block and cleats and bulls eyes. Then the rudder will be added and then somehow the mainsheet with its traveller, many blocks and cleats. EDIT: I also need to add the rails, the lazyjacks and the backstays! Then I just need a barrel of rum and I ll be ready to sail into the horizon! Vaddoc

Welcome Rodolfo! Very nice work on these trains. Looking forward to your log.

I prefer the model to have sails but they are difficult to make them look good. If they are furled it does not seem to matter if they are roughly made and seem to add a lot to the model. Also, indeed the sails do hide the details. However, the main reason I prefer sails is that I try to build the boats as close to real as possible and to replicate the rigging as closely as possible. Adding sails seems to increase the complexity of the build with more lines and blocks and cleats and pins etc needed. Rob, your models look fantastic!

Get the cheap proxon drill press, it is great!

Interesting. I tried to have a coffee with my mask on, very difficult. Clearly a technological breakthrough is needed!

A drill press is a very useful tool, I use mine all the time. Carbide drills cut holes with surgical precision, no issues with wood splitting. You can get also drills at 0.05 mm increments which is useful some times.

Thanks Keith! After the boat is finished I ll bring the sails down and tie them as if the boat is at anchor. But after photos are taken for the gallery, I ll need to think what to do with the boat. No space to display. Here in Cambridgeshire some shops are open, schools have opened, parks have lots of people and overall I get the impression that if there is still a lockdown, it isn't very strict.

Thanks Gary! One problem is how clean it looks, following your log I ve been tempted to build something weathered and used. Some day... I ve been fairly busy over the last few days. I completed a big task: I made the sails! I do not have the exact dimensions and either way, I made the bowsprit longer as I wanted a more dramatic look so I had to eyeball the shape. The large scale allows proper fabric to be used, I got some cheap curtain liner actually the first day the lockdown was lifted here in England. I used a type of seam glue to glue the edges, folding twice. On the second fold I inserted rope. It took a while and I had a few failures. I also manage to rip the Admirals ironing board cover but got off lightly as it was due to be changed eitherway. I then unfortunately run out of single blocks. This was something I was hoping would not happen, making the blocks is serious work. I took a big breath and sat down and made a few, thankfully I had a few leftover pieces that were just enough. I also run out of sheaves but I think I have enough blocks now. For future builds, no more functional blocks! Then I started rigging the sails. The girls are very active so my presence is needed in the house, only solution to bring the boat in. I used stainless steel wire to make the cleats that bind the sails to the stays. These will be cut and removed when the sails are furled after the boat is completed. Best wishes to all Vaddoc

60 years old in ID, 12 years old in the heart. You ll fit right in, a very warm Welcome Genocon!

Could I ask, why not just leave the deck without any finish on?

Like Bob said, difficult to know straight away which finish works best and will give you the look you want. You do need to test. Even if you know how finishes work, you might need to test for each different wood you use. Indeed, it can get expensive and you might never use some things you buy. We ve all been there! This is why modellers need a lot of storage space. If you plan to use any other finish, you will need to sand off the varnish from your deck

Best to try finishes and paints on scrap wood, not the model! You may have trouble gluing anything to varnished surface. I personally would probably sand the wood to 400 grit and leave it.

Welcome Gaffrig!

How about using very thin copper wire, wearing gloves pass it over 600 or 1200 grit sand paper, then use liver of sulfur to blacken it. No issues with scale and being very thin you can pull it pretty straight. Use CA to secure it maybe