Dziadeczek

Here is a handful more pics from this place (HMS Royal George and HMS Royal Katherine by Mr. Marple)
 
(It is difficult to photograph through glass panes, even with a polarising filter!)
 
 
 
 

When Divers Located The Ship That Survived Pearl Harbor, They Saw What Sank WWII’s Toughest Vessel (likeswifty.com)

When Divers Located The Ship That Survived Pearl Harbor, They Saw What Sank WWII’s Toughest Vessel (likeswifty.com)

When Divers Located The Ship That Survived Pearl Harbor, They Saw What Sank WWII’s Toughest Vessel (likeswifty.com)

When Divers Located The Ship That Survived Pearl Harbor, They Saw What Sank WWII’s Toughest Vessel (likeswifty.com)

Some time ago I took this pic of my (unfinished) model of the Rattlesnake, using focus stacking and Photoshop. It works.

Some time ago I took this pic of my (unfinished) model of the Rattlesnake, using focus stacking and Photoshop. It works.

Some time ago I took this pic of my (unfinished) model of the Rattlesnake, using focus stacking and Photoshop. It works.

Some time ago I took this pic of my (unfinished) model of the Rattlesnake, using focus stacking and Photoshop. It works.

Some time ago I took this pic of my (unfinished) model of the Rattlesnake, using focus stacking and Photoshop. It works.

Some time ago I took this pic of my (unfinished) model of the Rattlesnake, using focus stacking and Photoshop. It works.

You might obtain ebony in exotic hardwoods outlets, if you are lucky. It is harder and harder to locate it though. Also, it is stinky expensive! 
I once managed to find it in my local exotic hardware lumber yard (this place doesn't exist anymore), but luckily I then snatched two quite large boards of it. I still have most of it and use it very carefully and sparingly. It is a very dense and heavy wood.
Ebony also is difficult to work with, it is very stiff, springly and hard to bend. Some people are allergic to its dust, so wear a face mask while cutting it and sanding it. Other than that, it is quite similar to boxwood as far as its texture. It cuts, carves and turns nicely, leaves a sharp edge and glues well. 
I once used it for some railings and decorative ornate elements on my French 74 guns. I also turned some deadeyes from it. But for triple wales on my Frenchie I used cherry instead. Cherry heat bends much better than ebony. After preshaping the wales and glueing them onto the frames, I stained them with ebony stain by Varathane. When looking at them and comparing with genuine ebony railings and other details, the wales are virtually indistinguishable as far as color and texture.
 
I am not sure about other ebony stains from different manufacturers, like Minwax and such... It is therefore always a good idea to first test them on a piece of scrap hardwood and see if it meets your expectations.
So, as far as making some details from ebony, that don't have to be bent too much, it is a nice wood to work with, but if you have to significantly bend ebony strips, use other hardwoods instead and stain them, rather than struggling with ebony, provided that you can first locate it locally in your area.
Regards,
Thomas

Seems like forever since my last post. After completing the starboard side bulwark planking and spirketting I painted everything red.
 
To prep for the paint work each gun port was sealed on both sides with thin pieces of soft foam cut from weather sealing, typically bundled with window air conditioners. I figured that if I did both sides of each port that it would remove any chance of paint over spray messing things up. Cutting the foam pieces goes quickly with a #26 X-ACTO blade. The most time consuming part was the taping of deck clamps, etc. Once done, the painting goes quickly. I mixed W&N Crimson and Burnt Umber in a ratio of 10 to 1 respectively. I applied 10 thinned brushed coats followed by 7 or 8 spray coats.
 
There was no way of knowing how it would all turn out until all the foam and tape was finally removed. Luckily everything was clean with no touch up needed.
 

 

 
Mike
 

Just don't forget to lengthen the bowsprit with this extra dimension (see arrows).

Just don't forget to lengthen the bowsprit with this extra dimension (see arrows).

Just don't forget to lengthen the bowsprit with this extra dimension (see arrows).

Just don't forget to lengthen the bowsprit with this extra dimension (see arrows).

Just don't forget to lengthen the bowsprit with this extra dimension (see arrows).

Here is an email address I got earlier today from a friend in Canada for Wendy in Australia, (he uses her sewing skills for his models and swears by her).
shipwheel@bigpond.com
He also took the trouble to inform her that you would be inquiring about the sail set for your model. So, I think she will be expecting your email soon and you both can discuss the particulars.
 
Regards,
Thomas

For a better controlled process, build yourself a simple jig. Get 2 paint mixing sticks (for free from Home Depot), cut them to appropriate lengths (slightly longer than the length of your mast) and glue to each on one side a strip of medium grade sand paper.
At one end of such stick glue short piece of wood (spacer) of same thickness as the top of your mast, and at the opposite end glue two other spacers as thick as the bottom diameter of your mast, leaving center hole empty. Glue both sticks together. Especially helpful if you fabricate many identical parts.
 
 
 
Clamp your jig to the worktable.
 
Insert one end of your dowel into a chuck of a handheld drill and place the opposite end of the dowel into this center hole of your jig. Start your drill and gently press it into your jig, until it goes all the way. It will be stopped by the smaller spacer at the other end. Voila!
 
I saw this concept in the Polish shipmodeling forum - one modeler was fabricating a few dozen oars for his model. You can see it here (scroll down the page half way to see appropriate pics).
 
http://www.koga.net.pl/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=44911&p=57251&hilit=galera#p57251

In the good old days of the Seaway's Ships in Scale forum, there was a woman called Wendy from Australia, who used to take custom orders for making sails for models. I don't know her personally and never ordered anything from her, but supposedly her sails were excellent.
If you are interested, I could get you in touch with someone who got her sails, and find out if she is still active.
Thomas

Thank you all for your input. After some thinking, I decided to go with a silver-enriched solder wire I obtained long time ago from Home Depot. I don't think it is called Stay Brite, but I forgot its exact name.
I remember that it can be applied either with a soldering gun or with a torch and it is significantly stronger than regular 50-50 or 60-40 wire. I have a tiny soldering pen that gives me a lot more control than a mini torch, so I've been able to resolder those broken joints with this wire and give it a bit thicker joint (previously I was filing off extra thickness of solder to make it as thin as the brass rings. That turned out to be too thin and week). 
The joints will be covered with a rubbing pounch anyway, so they will be invisible.
The solder joints don't get as black as the brass with Birchwood Casey, so I use just for these spots a different blackener - used for stained glass work, which seems to work there somewhat better.
Thanks again Everybody!!!    🙂

Thank you all for your input. After some thinking, I decided to go with a silver-enriched solder wire I obtained long time ago from Home Depot. I don't think it is called Stay Brite, but I forgot its exact name.
I remember that it can be applied either with a soldering gun or with a torch and it is significantly stronger than regular 50-50 or 60-40 wire. I have a tiny soldering pen that gives me a lot more control than a mini torch, so I've been able to resolder those broken joints with this wire and give it a bit thicker joint (previously I was filing off extra thickness of solder to make it as thin as the brass rings. That turned out to be too thin and week). 
The joints will be covered with a rubbing pounch anyway, so they will be invisible.
The solder joints don't get as black as the brass with Birchwood Casey, so I use just for these spots a different blackener - used for stained glass work, which seems to work there somewhat better.
Thanks again Everybody!!!    🙂

Here is a handful more pics from this place (HMS Royal George and HMS Royal Katherine by Mr. Marple)
 
(It is difficult to photograph through glass panes, even with a polarising filter!)
 
 
 
 

Since nobody wrote anything so far, I will give it my three pennies. It appears to me, that the modeler used a soft wood plywood for the decking and tried to score it (with a pencil?) to mark its planks. The scoring is not very well visible, sometimes the natural grain of wood is more pronounced than that and overwhelms it. Also, there appears to be a few rather large holes in the center, between the mast holes.
Because of all this and overall unevenness of the wood and its blotchy appearance, I would tend to rather replace the entire decking, using either individual strips of some hardwood (like fruitwood species, or perhaps birch or (best IMHO) beech wood, or even very lightly colored holly), with one edge blackened, and glued them tightly, running along the center axis line, next to each other ON TOP of your old deck. Or - if you don't have the possibility to cut those strips yourself, make the entire deck from a thin (1/16 to 1/32 in. birch aircraft plywood and score the run of the planks on it with a hard pencil, like 4H or so. Select the piece of plywood that has possibly the smallest, most even and regular grain.
But before all of this, you will have to thoroughly scrape off all your polyurethane from the old deck, since the wood glue will not adhere to it. The best way to do it is with a piece of sharp edge of a broken glass (ducktape the rest of glass to avoid hurting yourself!) or an industrial razorblade, or even a sharp edge of a chisel. Then make a precise cardboard template of the new deck making sure that it fits tightly around the bulkheads extensions of your bulwarks and other structures on top of the old deck. Only then draw its shape with a pencil on the plywood and cut it carefully with a sharp exacto knife.
Replace the deck, gluying it on top of the old deck. The small height difference afterwards should not present a big problem, I think.
Next step is to paint your new deck wit a liquid called WOOD CONDITIONER by Minwax (obtained in places like Home Depot, or such) - this will prepare the wood for even staining without blotches and/or oiling it with Danish oil. When the deck is still wet from this wood conditioner, stain it (if you want it) and/or oil.
I'd personally rather not stain it at all, just oil it.
No other glossy laquers, polyurethane, or such!