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Bedford

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Everything posted by Bedford

  1. I have all this to look forward to............... Thanks for the excellent insight, looking very good. Steve
  2. Yes, if they went straight down but I was thinking linear in line with the existing top and bottom fixing points like a normal staircase. Thanks mtaylor, I was thinking that must be the reason, the French do like their style.
  3. I was thinking the same thing, the stairs would be much easier to negotiate if they were linear.
  4. I saw the replica Endeavour being built in Perth, Western Australia several years ago and the view up the centre towards the bow took me straight back to that. It is so very much alike. Love this build. Steve
  5. You have my attention yet again, as for critical comment being wanted too, I have not yet seen anything I could possibly be critical of. Steve
  6. Yeah Robbyn, forums like this can be very helpful and comforting. Especially when you realise that we have ALL done something like that. What did Thomas Edison say when trying to invent the light bulb? "I did not fail 600 times, I discovered 600 ways not to make a light bulb" You have adopted the right attitude and are smart enough to learn from this.. The Schooner For Port Jackson was my first and I had no forum and no-one I knew to turn to. My ex can attest to the power of my self control because it came within milliseconds of becoming a flying boat on many occasions Steve
  7. Always look at new posts here with eagerness and never fail to be impressed. Can you give me an idea of the size, take a photo with something we would all recognise for comparison or just tell me how tall the cabin doors are? Thanks Steve
  8. Hey Robbyn I know you have other things on your plate with those sneaky gun ports popping up in the wrong places but you owe me pics of the rudder hinges my dear. Not wishing to sound pushy or presumpuous of course. Steve
  9. To paraphrase a well known semi-pirate, "A craftsman always likes to know his help is appreciated" Can't wait to aee the pics Robbyn. Steve
  10. I might as well give up now, I will never be that good.
  11. Thanks Ilhan but I find the excellent pictorial record answers my questions pretty well. Steve
  12. As a result of Shazmira posting about badly formed and ill fitting rudder hinges I thought I would post my answer to the problem. First get one of these, it is a tile nipping tool designed to help shape ceramic tiles. I don't use brass rod for the hinge pin opting instead for brass nails supplied with the kit, cut to length and put into the hinge with the head at the top like most domestic hinges to stop the pin falling through. Then holding the hinge pin section of the hinge with the tool, note, I did not put the pin in for the pic. Push the tool and hinge down onto a hard edge wide enough to fill the throat of the hinge and while pushing against this crimp the hinge in around the pin. The pin should not get jammed because the brass will normally spring back just a bit. When the pin pocket is crimped in nicely you can rebend the throat of the hinge tightly around a metal or hard wood edge that is the same thickness as the stern post or rudder using a hard straight edge to bend with to get a clean fold. Note: if the brass is hard you can heat it until it is going red and leave to cool. This will soften it nicely but leave it discoloured, a touch of emery or steel wool will fix that easily.
  13. One more trick with the hinges to get them to fit better against the keel and rudder. The bend will always be rounded to some degree and it is hard to get perfect form on the hinge. File a bevel on the keel and rudder in the right place to correspond to the hinge, so the hinge will be able to sit in closer and it will cover the bevel so no-one will see it.
  14. You will find all kinds of handy tools in the most unexpected places. The trick is to be able to think outside the square and see the potential. As for your hinges, it is not for me to say they are good or not, that is entirely up to you. If you decide to try again - now you know how to soften the brass so do that first so you don't break it, not sure about the quenching, when I relaoded bullets that was the method for keeping the brass neck soft. Try it without quenching and see what happens. By the way, heating them will burn off the ca and let the old pin come out. Your use of wire cutters shows you are thinking outside the square, that is probably the way I did my first one.
  15. This is the tool I would recommend, you can file or grind the outside of the jaws to get the pin groove closer to the keel/rudder if you want. This is how the hinge is crimped, I don't have a pin in it, it will release a bit when you let go so the pin should not end up too tight Then rest it over a steel or hard edge the right thickness and using something flat and square ended like a steel rule bend the sides down against the steel
  16. Hi Robbyn. Ok, this is a common problem and you will find most models have it. The hinges are mass produced and not model specific. I don't use brass rod as they suggest, I use some of the brass nails supplied with the kit instead and cut them to length. the head of the nail sits at the top and prevents the pin dropping out. This is probably quite accurate too, look at your household door hinges. Yes, cut the hinges to length as best you can so the nail holes seem sensible. I re-form the hinges by putting the nail in the hinge pin part and using different pliers I have which are a bit specialised. You could get a nipping tile cutter and file or grind it down till it creases the hinge around the pin better and then while still holding it with them you force the brass down on a hard piece of timber or metel that is as thick as the keel and reshape the bends to fit better. Do the same with the other side of the hinge for the rudder. I will try and get some pics to explain better. Note, you may not need to do this but to soften the brass and make it easy to bend heat it til it is going a pinky red colour then quench it in water. Now you will appreciate the coals in your wood fire!
  17. I appreciate what you are saying Robbyn, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As stated before, my next build will be the Royal Caroline which is an incredibly ornate ship from 1749, I also want to build the Victory but neither of these ships are for the novice, you need a few down the slipway before taking these on. Steve
  18. You go girl !! Of course the first will have many mistakes but to be honest, you will be the only one who sees most of them. People who come to your wood heated house in between snow storms will see the overall model and be amazed. I tend to recommend anyone building their first model goes for something late 19th century like a clipper ship because of the modern bow design, the bullnose bows are harder to do. I also tell them to just look at one step at a time and it will come together as you suggest. Didn't work though. Steve
  19. I agree with Russ, bare timber should always be the best to glue to but as someone mentioned before, sample pieces. Stain an offcut and see how well you can glue something to it. Further to the shellack topic, I didn't know cooking oil would emulate the finish, nice bit of info, thanks. Shellack is a golden hue, just for reference. To emulate a clear finish dampen the wood with methylated spirits, you can do this on the job itself as metho is alcohol and will do no harm to the wood or glue and dries off very quickly. Robbyn, glad I helped even if unintentionally I have a female friend who saw my "Schooner for Port Jackson" and wanted to build a tall ship herself so she bought the "Bluenose II" she took one look at the instructions and put it back in the box never to open it again inspite of my offers to help and guide. She eventually gave it to me one Christmas. I built it and gave it back to her, she had done something truly selfless and I am sure extremely difficult for us when our world was completely destroyed. The model was a very small token of my appreciation. It's nice to see a few female builders on here, perhaps I can use your example to get her to try again.
  20. What finish did you use on the hull, the timber looks perfect. Steve
  21. My two bob's worth, stain should not preclude wood glue adhesion because it works by getting into the grain so as long as the stain is not one that seals and finishes then it should be alright. Having said that, I have never stained a hull as I work on bringing out the natural beauty of the timbers involved. Robbyn, I am not a woman but I like what I like too If not, what I have done in the past where I have applied the finishing coat out of necessity before all parts are attached is the sparing use of araldite epoxy and if it is a structural joint then cross hatch the surface with a craft knife first. I know the moment has passed but when I do second layer planking I simply apply PVA aquadhere sparingly to the plank then run my finger gently over the plank to spread it thinly and offer the plank to the hull and rub the plank along it's length from centre to end several times which creates what is known as a "rub joint". the rubbing pushes all air out of the joint so the fluid glue holds the plank almost by vacuum. It only takes a few minutes of checking and pushing and re-rubbing to get the bond to a sufficient strength to hold the plank. Then run a knife edge along the exposed edge of the plank to remove excess glue that would interfere with the next plank and continue. I find second layer planking quite enjoyable and fast except for the obvious need to cut the planks to taper and have never had to use anything to secure the planks in place. Steve
  22. What a coincidence, I have that same model in a stalled state. I "Laid the keel" in March 2000 but found the lack of clear instructions on how to shape the stern a stumbling block and it has sat since although I now have seen pics on the net of the real thing and have the knowledge I need to make progress it is not a high priority. The Royal Caroline comes first. Not sure how old my kit is as I bought it at a clearance price from my supplier but I have everything, including the box. So if I can help just ask! I found this thread by searching for the Charles W Morgan and this is the only one on here at the moment, I would hope there are other completed models that will be re-posted in due course. Steve
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