Dziadeczek

Poor piano...

Why don't you impress into the wood tiny circles imitating treenails, with a sharp edge of a medical needle of appropriate size, or any other metal tube? They look perfect after slight push and twist of such needle into the wood and one coat of Danish oil. (besides, that way it's lots less work...)

I am building a French 74 guns ship 1:48 from J. Boudriot, and these items (# 10, 11) will be on the menu in the near future...

Vanda-Lay treenail maker - Building, Framing, Planking and plating a ships hull and deck - Model Ship World™ I have all three cutters they used to make. The smallest one is very difficult to use, the hardwood tends to break during cutting. The other two work OK, if you carefully use hardwood, like cherry, maple, pear, and the best of all - boxwood. I successfully made lots of treenails, also used an extension tube to cut them longer. But, if you want to make your treenails from bamboo, it is better to use a drawplate. Bamboo has long and strong fibres that tolerate firm pulling. If however you want to make your treenails from hardwoods, the treenail maker works better - because you're pushing the wood, not pulling (provided that the cutter size is correct for your scale).

If your deadeyes look similar to those I had to deal with (building my Norske Love from Billings), throw them away and replace them with wooden ones. Check the link here: Norske Love by Mike Reader - Billing Boats - 1/75 scale - - Kit build logs for subjects built from 1751 - 1800 - Model Ship World™ If however you bent them properly (wire around each deadeye and into a chain plate), they should be strong enough and you can use them. (I cannot see yours close enough on your photo). Thomas

Everyone has his own tricks up his/her sleeves on how to photograph models, but over the years I noticed that it actually is quite simple and doesn't require any expensive equipment or a studio setup. All you'll need is a camera (preferably a digital SLR type, so you can exactly see what you are photographing, which in macrophotography is more important than in, for instance, a landscape photography, because here we are dealing with a parallax error). Also the second piece of equipment you need is a tripod. And, off course, a model! 😁 You can use a standard lens, if it'll allow you to come and focus close enough to the subject, say min. about a foot, or so. Anything closer - you'll need a macro lens (might be expensive!) or a special (cheaper) macro ring which you'll mount between your standard lens and a camera body. This ring will allow you to focus much closer than the lens alone, a few inches or even closer, depending on the ring. When I photograph models, I NEVER use any artificial lighting, e.g. a flash or any studio lamps. This type of lighting will give you sharp contrasts and ugly shadows, which might obscure details of the model. I photograph preferably on the outside and only when the day is cloudy or overcast. Never in the full sun! If I want to use a neutral background, I place the model in front of a sheet of lightly colored (blue or green) paper, but if the model is too big, I use natural background. On the inside, I use ambient light only, sufficiently diffused. I place the camera on the tripod and set it on APERTURE PRIORITY and then select the smallest possible in my camera opening, say F. stop 22. The smaller the opening (bigger number), the deeper the depth of field will be, in other words, sharpness of all the planes. Macrophotography has notoriously shallow depth of field and you want to extend it maximally. This small aperture will allow equally small amount of light through the lens and the picture will turn out too dark. So, you want to extend the time of exposure accordingly to compensate for it. In the setting Aperture Priority, the camera will do it for you automatically. Typically, the time of exposure will be way too long (for ISO 100) to keep the camera steady in the hands and result in a blurred pic, hence the need for a tripod. Also, set the camera on SELFTIMER, say about 5 seconds delay, in order to avoid shaking the camera during the pressing of the shutter button. If your camera doesn't have a selftimer, use a cable release. Next thing is a composition. Before you take the pic, you should briefly think what exactly you want to show in it and compose the pic. Don't be afraid to frame as much as possible the details you want to show. Remember to focus first on the detail which is located about 1/3rd closer to the camera - that way everything closer to this distance as well as further away will still be in focus. In the first pic I attached, I focused on the capstan. The camera sometimes will select automatically another detail not necessarily at that distance, so in order to convince it, PRESS THE SHUTTER HALF WAY while focusing on that detail (in the middle of the frame) and KEEPING IT HALF DEPRESSED simultaneously recompose your pic and finally press the shutter all the way to take the pic. I always photograph with the setting RAW. The so called, post production tweaking is as important as the actual picture taking - with RAW you can manipulate sharpness, contrast, brightness, color saturation and many other parameters, which JPEGs don't allow you. Only after all manipulations, convert it into a final JPEG. If the depth of field (focus) doesn't satisfy you with this technique, try the Focus Stacking technique. Use a tripod here too, take at least 10 or 15 pictures of the subject (with Aperture Priority again), don't move the camera on the tripod, but with each picture manually change a bit its focus, focusing every time slightly further away. Get the entire operation covered with pics of varying focus. On the Photoshop or other similar software, place (stack) all your pictures, one on top of the other, and electronically merge them together. In the end, EVERYTHING will be in perfect focus. Save this final pic. The second attachment shows one of my Focus Stacking experiments with my model of the MS Rattlesnake (not just finished there). Oh, I almost forgot. When you photograph models in their glass cases, say in a museum, to reduce those ugly light reflexions, use a polarizing filter. Depending on how good it is, these glares might get significantly reduced or even eliminated. Off course, there is also a way of panoramas picture taking, and/or a 3D pictures (yes, for macro objects too). But, this is another matter...

Why do you say it won't blacken the solder? It will. I assume you are going to work with the Birchwood Casey solution for copper/brass. Before blackening, carefully clean the metal with 0000 steel wool, wearing latex gloves and paint your masthead with shellac or clear matte varnish to prevent the blackening agent later on accidently spilling onto the wood and staining it blue. (For this reason I blackened my bands outside the model and mounted them after). Carefully "paint" your mast band with the Birchwood Casey solution, using a tiny brush dipped in it. Before the next tip, dry the brush by rubbing it against a paper towel or a paper napkin not to 'contaminate' the solution in the bottle. (The solution on the brush tip quickly becomes blue in contact with metal). After about ~15 seconds wipe the band dry and immerse it in clean water and finally dry it. If the blackening process is not total (areas of metal in between blackened ones) touch them up again wit the brush and after about 10 seconds, clean again. (I noticed that sometimes Birchwood Casey will not completely blacken the soldered spots as nicely as it works on the brass/copper - in those places I used a droplet of a blackening agent that the folks from the stained glass hobby use - Black Patina, for some reason it worked better for the soldered places)...

Hi again, I just noticed that in the title it says "SCRATCH"! Wow, double congrats ! Excellent effort and result! Thomas

Hi Tomek, What are you complaining of? The model is excellent (IMHO). It reminds me of some wonderful cardboard models built and shown here by Abe Hoving, a Dutch historian and modeler. I have a million questions, if I may. 😁 Is the model built from a kit or is it your own design? What are the deadeyes and blocks cut with? A laser, perhaps? Your English is very good (I did not notice any mistakes). I have never before encountered these "waistcloths" (okrycie szancowe). Interesting! I think that you reproduced them very well. I enjoyed reading your historical note on the Battle of Oliwa and the circumstances leading to it. Great! Congratulations on your built! Another Tomek

As Gaetan has already noticed, it is important to consider the so called, Working Distance, which means the distance between your eyes and the working area, where the detail is in focus. In the case of a surgeon, this distance is typically greater, since the operator is usually standing next to the table/patient. In the case of a shipmodeler, the person is generally sitting at the table, hence this distance is typically shorter (about 250 - 350 mm in my case). For a long time I have been using a common Optivisor and it works for me. Sometimes I just wipe off the lenses from wood dust with a dry rag or a paper towel, nothing else (the frames are from plastic, but the actual lenses are of glass, I think). Before you buy anything, measure this distance for yourself and make sure you get your magnifier within this working distance, otherwise it will be very uncomfortable for you to use it, or you'll be forced to stand next to your model, while building it. Also, usually magnification of 2x is sufficient, sometimes a bit more, perhaps 2.5x, when you are working on a VERY minute details, like rigging and such. (we are not talking here neurosurgery and sewing up minute nerve fibres).

In addition to the paint quality, very important is the application method. Early Renessance artists used to grind their own pigments by hand - resulting in various sizes granules, hence excellent paint quality, unlike the modern electric mills, which grind everything in the same size powders, resulting in 'boring' look of the paint. Grounding (the way of priming the surface) was also critical. The best was priming using gypsum media - lean, white and uniform, suitable for tempera, egg tempera or oil paints! One of the great earlier Flemish artists, Johannes van Eyck, devised and popularized egg tempera - a tempera pigment mixed in yolk of an egg - this resulted in one of the most permanent paints, that after half of a millennium still look like they were painted yestarday. (Google "The Portrait of Arnolfini" to see it yourselves in a large resolution). These artists painted with the technique of "laserunek" (Polish term) - the so called "glazing" - multiple layers, one on top of the others, of exceedingly thinly applied paint, heavily diluted in oil in such a way, that earlier layers were visible through the later ones, coming through. It could be more than 10 layers of a detail in a painting, like various shades of skin, jewelry pieces, fabrics, lace...! The end result was a middle color comprised of all intermediate ones. A painting like this was very intense in color and light - you could see it even in near darkness, it had its own light! Also, in those times, there was a separate profession - people preparing wooden panels for artists - they were made from boards of hardwood attached together (tongue and groove usually) into a required size and grounded with that primer - gypsum powder mixed with rabbit skin glue together to form a thin paste similar to watery cream. Those people produced the best panels for artists (I am talking about the era before artists used canvases, which were used later). I encourage you to watch the movie mentioned earlier in this thread - "A Girl with a Pearl Earring" - it shows you, among other things, the steps of preparation of the pigments, grounding them and mixing with linen oil, with all the attention to detail. Also, the technique of painting itself is shown. Vermeer Van Delft was one of the most preeminent artist of his times, known for the quality of his works, which can be appreciated and admired today... One of the mistakes Leonardo made with his "Last Supper", was that he painted it on a dry stucco, instead of fresh, wet one (hence the name al fresco). This resulted in very unstable painting, which quickly started to deteriorate and even today is still deteriorating. So, the paint quality was one variable, but there were other as well...

"...After some time upon finishing the model, I noticed that those plastic deadeyes started breaking under tension from shrouds, specifically those tiny eyes on top of each deadeye (?). I would advice you to replace them all with wooden ones and rig them properly..." This is one of the few spare deadeyes from the original kit. Notice the little eye (marked with a red arrow). They want you to attach the chain plates (straps) to this eye, instead of wrapping it around the deadeye. After a while, the strain on the eye breaks it off the deadeye and you'll end up with loosely hanging shroud, which has to be replaced... Hence my recommendation to use wooden deadeyes and have a piece of mind, instead of using these plastic ones. Also, there are other inaccuracies of the kit - the tops are round, which is a bit archaic for the era the ship was built in. They should rather be rectangular and only rounded up in the forward part, like other ships from the end of XVIII C. Also I have doubts about the stern... But, overall, the kit makes a nice looking model, especially if you want to bash it a bit...

This was my first kit I built many years ago. I too had difficulties with rigging (had only two sheet of plans printed on both sides of paper). Instruction booklet was not much help... ZuMondfeld helped me a bit, I remember. After some time upon finishing the model, I noticed that those plastic deadeyes started breaking under tension from shrouds, specifically those tiny eyes on top of each deadeye (?). I would advice you to replace them all with wooden ones and rig them properly.

If you do a lot of serving, it pays to fashion from scraps of brass a small device, that is suspended under the served rope and contains a spool of thread for serving, is moving along the rope while serving it simultaneously. A sort of, small variation on the so called, bow string server, used in archery. I made one long time ago and it works perfectly every time. I also made a long(er) serving machine - mine is 2.5 ft long and powered with a DC motor, so the entire process of serving is fully automated, hands free, and the serving is very even and tight along the entire length of the rope. Here is one of the served stays for my model of the French 74 gun ship 1:48.

Thank you, Mati.

Outstanding model and the attention to detail! Congratulations!!! Can you share the secret, how did you achieve the dark grooves in your rigging? Staining the lines and immediately rubbing it off, perhaps? Thomas

Check it out.

The Victory book by McGovan has a nice pic on the planking expansion.

After all these years I found out, that if I properly spill and heat bend my planks off the model, I don't need any planking clamps afterwards. The planks should lay on the bulkheads almost perfectly, you only need to gently press them in place. For this I use ordinary sewing pins, sometimes those with colored heads. I gently tap them into a bulkhead with a small jewelry hammer, maybe two or three times - just enough to hold them in there, placing the tip of a pin directly under the edge of the plank, NOT THROUGH IT! That way, I don't end up with a hole in the plank, but rather a small hole In the bulkhead (which will be covered by planking anyway, so it won't be visible). This is my old model of the MS Rattlesnake, showing this process.

He is doing it correctly. La Créole 1827 by archjofo - Scale 1/48 - French corvette - Page 59 - - Build logs for subjects built 1801 - 1850 - Model Ship World™

There is also the Pfingst rotary tool...

For more info on the topic, check out this link: Photo Etching - do it yourself - Metal Work, Soldering and Metal Fittings - Model Ship World™ I did not use the Micro Mark kit, since my pieces had to be way bigger - hence I had to build my own UV exposure lamp, get a bigger laminator and a bigger developing tank. I based the entire procedure on the very informative tutorial by Gene Berger (link included in the above mentioned thread), so I used different chemicals and exposure parameters than those proposed in the video. There are many ways to "skin the cat", one has to choose what is better for him and what is available in his area. This is definitely doable at home, but it is a learning curve - one has to determine all variables based on one's trials and errors. Do not expect to do it once and end up with gorgeous results! Patience!!! Have fun...

Check out this link : Anyone using electric plank bender? - Modeling tools and Workshop Equipment - Model Ship World™

If it is Butapren (which I think it is), than its equivalent in the US is contact cement. Butapren also stinks fiercely, so I wouldn't use it for shipmodeling...