Bob Cleek

Great finds! Those old MoTorBoaTing magazine Ideal Series plans books are really great. Apparently, Hearst Publishing still owns the copyrights on the Ideal Series. There's something between twenty and thirty volumes to the set, but I've only seen a handful here and there and always grabbed them when I could. Some are full of really classic William and John Atkin designs. Years ago, I tried to find out of Hearst Publishing would allow me to do a "Best of" anthology of plans from the Ideal Series. The jerks wouldn't even reply to my letter.

It would depend upon the model kit. One should expect that plastic parts would be clean, but it's always possible that they aren't. Handling plastic parts with bare hands prior to painting can certainly leave skin oils that may interfere with a coating. I never worried about it much when I was building plastic models, but, obviously, when in doubt, cleaning the parts is advisable and can't hurt. A soak and rinse in an appropriate mild cleaning solution which itself is not prone to leaving any sort of residue on the part should be sufficient to remove any oils or grease prior to applying any coating to plastic parts.

I can't say whether these models were made in Singapore, Vietnam, or Mauritius or not, but they are the sort of product that small ship model factories in countries with developing economies are now turning out for the mass export. Singapore and Vietnam seem to have well-established ship model building industries. Mauritius has been the most prolific exporter of ship models since the last quarter of the 20th Century. Selling ship models for export is apparently a significant segment of the economy of this tiny island nation. Their product quality range runs from the almost crude to the very well-done. It's quite fascinating to see how they build these models on an assembly line basis. It's even more amazing that they can turn a profit doing so! Certainly, the people working in these small factories can't be making much at all. I expect much of the profit goes to the middle men who import the product and resell it around the world, but still and all, the Mauritians must be making enough building them for it to be worth their while to do so. Check out these websites. While we will all lament that we often can't even give away our completed models, there's a whole industry out there selling ship models to an apparently viable customer base. See: http://customwoodhandicrafts.com/custom-wood-model-ships/ https://hoiancraftships.com/ https://silhoutech.com/ http://aemodels.com/AE-MODELS-TEAM-PTE-LTD.-Services-Ship-Rig-Models-Rig-model-supplier-Singapore-Model-makers-in-Singapore https://bobatoshipmodels.com/ https://historic-marine.com/ https://le-port-ship-model-factory-and-showroom.business.site/ https://mautourco.com/model-ship-building-works-of-art/ https://www.bbc.com/news/av/business-43432017

Have you tried binder clips? Handy and cheap. Lots of different sizes available.

Hi guys, hi Johann. Can you please help me. I am trying to find how to do certain knots like this one. Where did you find how to tie them? The Ashley Book of Knots is generally recognized as one of the two encyclopedic works on knots of all kinds. It's been in print forever now and there are many used copies available online as well as new ones. It's a volume I expect anyone who has occasion to work with cordage of any kind to appreciate as an essential reference work. The Ashley Book of Knots: Clifford W. Ashley: 9780385040259: Amazon.com: Books The Arts of the Sailor by Hervey Garrett Smith is another classic on the subject of rigging and fancy rope work. It's not encyclopedic, but it has much of the basics. Another encyclopedic work is the Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Rope Work by Hensel and Graumont. Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Rope Work: Hensel, John, Graumont, Raoul: 9780870330216: Amazon.com: Books Similar to Ashley's above, this volume purports to describe every knot known to man and probably can claim the record for that notwithstanding Ashley's similar claim. While Ashley's is entertainingly illustrated with many drawings and is done in "coffee table" style, Ashley's organizes its knots by the purposes and trades which commonly employ the particular knots, while "Graumont and Hensel" is organized by type of knot as defined by the knot type's mechanics and so is organized by chapters on knots, bends, hitches, and so on. "Graumont and Hensel" is a much more academic and dry reference work illustrated with black and white photographs. The Rigging of Ships in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast - 1600-1720 by Anderson is another valuable classic which was written specifically for ship modelers. It specifically addresses the period between 1600 and 1720. The Rigging of Ships: in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast, 1600-1720 (Dover Maritime): Anderson, R. C.: 9780486279602: Amazon.com: Books Some have found Peterson's Rigging Period Ship Models helpful, although it has been criticized with apparent validity for suffering some inaccuracies. Rigging Period Ship Models: A Step-By-Step Guide to the Intricacies of Square-Rig: PETERSSON, Lennarth: 9781848321021: Amazon.com: Books There are other more period-specific books on rigging and rope work. These are contemporary works and quite technical. Two of these are available in PDF format for free on the MSW forum website in the drop-down menu at the top of the forum homepage. Both happen to be called The Art of Rigging. One is by David Steel and the other by George Biddlecomb and are usually referenced simply as "Steel's" and "Biddlecomb." TheArtOfRigging-Steel.pdf (thenrg.org) The art of rigging (thenrg.org) Many of these reference books address full-size work and not miniature model-making, but reducing full-size prototypes to scale is what we are about, so it's an easy enough task to tie our knots smaller with smaller rope, or to develop ways of faking it to accommodate our smaller scales. As far as tying small knots, I suggest anybody who's interested in tying rigging knots should spend some time searching YouTube for videos on "surgical instrument knot tying" or "instrument suture tying" and the like. There are many instructional videos, many posted by medical schools, demonstrating how to tie very small knots in very confined spaces using surgical instruments which can easily be purchased for little money on eBay and other sites. These are easily learned basic techniques of great practical value to modelers. For example:

Not me and I've been using it for going on fifty years or so. Of course, a museum professional will tell you it's not "Class I archival" unless it has a hundred-year life span and we can't know that just yet. What you want to steer clear of is anything that "out-gasses" acidic fumes, especially if your model will be cased (as it should be if you think it is worth keeping.) There are some very valuable articles in the "Articles Database" and "More" drop-down menus that every modeler would do well to read. These should answer your questions about materials longevity. Some consider obsessing about the archival qualities of modeling materials is a bit "over the top," and maybe it is. Everybody's mileage may differ, but for my money, I see all aspects of ship modeling as an exercise in striving to "do the common thing uncommonly well," or at least as well as I am able to do it. Especially if one is building from scratch, you never know whether your one-of-a-kind model might be of some interest to someone else after you're gone. It doesn't take any more money or effort to use materials that will outlast us, so why not do so? Nautical Research Guild - Article - Ephemeral Materials in Ship Models (thenrg.org) Nautical Research Journal - Vol 43 (thenrg.org) Nautical Research Guild - Article - Specifications for Construction of Exhibition Models of U.S. Naval Vessels (thenrg.org) Planking Downloads and Tutorials and Videos - Model Ship World™

I'd urge you to test sanding the heads off of brass nails before you go inserting them on your workpiece. Wood, being a lot softer, sands much more easily than brass nails. If you want to secure planking, you can drill holes and glue wood or bamboo "dowels" into the holes or, as some do, insert pieces of nylon fishing line into the holes. These options are more than adequately strong.

If it's bees' wax, I'd think it would not be a good idea. Bees' wax tends to be acidic and over time could cause the thread to become weakened. Wax of any kind on rigging thread can attract and hold dust. At "scale viewing distances," there's no observable shine to tarred rigging. If a coating is required on rigging thread, clear shellac is a good option and is invisible once dry.

Hadn't thought of a kayak. That'll do it and it's easily car-topped, too. She sure does look pretty under sail.

Well, it certainly looks like you are well on your way to success! Beautifully done, clean, crisp work. It looks perfect,

Beautiful photos! Quite a clever display solution, too! If you don't mind a few curious questions: How does she sail? Have you noticed any similarities in sailing characteristics between the prototype and the model? How ded the R?C sheet servos work out? Is it possible to let the sheets run free in the event of a gust of wind and a potential knock-down? I also am curious about retrieval options. She doesn't appear to be powered, so what do you do if she is becalmed or otherwise "incapacitated" in the middle of the pond? In the old days, when "free sailed" pond yachts were in vogue, they'd only sail them on purpose-built model sailing ponds and the boats that "went their own way" would eventually drift to the edge of the pond and be fetched with long poles or they'd have a row boat that they could use to go out and retrieve the model boats. As far as I know, there are only two such model yacht ponds in the U.S. anymore, one in New York's Central Park and the other, Spreckles Lake in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. (See: https://www.sfmyc.org/ )

Not sure if you are telling this story after the fact or in real time. I'm betting your local Joann's fabric store is going to give you a blank stare when you ask if they have any three-quarter ounce nylon spinnaker cloth! Very creative fabrication solution for the sail track slides. They look great, too.

Indeed they do. Actually, there are three basic types of molding sand and lots of specialty sands for various applications, but the basic, tried and true "el cheapo" material is called "green sand." It's a mixture of very fine sand with about ten percent finely ground up kitty litter and water. There are lots of YouTube videos on how to mix up your own casting sand. You can also buy it premixed from foundry supply houses.

I believe the archival material for inking such details is old fashioned India ink applied with a drafting pen over a smooth wood surface previously sealed with shellac or thinned varnish. India ink is basically water, shellac, and lampblack. Modern "markers" with synthetic inks are not necessarily color-fast. "Permanent" means it won't wash out of your clothes and "waterproof" means it won't run or smear if it gets wet. Beyond that, it's anybody's guess.

Here you go: It's from the "More" drop-down menu at the top of the forum homepage under "ropemaking."

Lovely work! I'm curious about what design arrangements you've made for her sailing qualities. Am I correct that your "dagger board" slot will carry the customary long, removable fin with a ballast bulb on the bottom end?

Thanks for the clarification! As I wrote, "Without looking at a carton in my hand right now, I'm going to guess and say that pumice is the finer abrasive powder and rottenstone is the coarser of the two." I was just too lazy to go out to my shop and check which was which.

Okay, you caught me with some time on my hands. Painting and finishing are highly skilled trades that the painting materials industry has spent generations trying to "dumb down" in order to convince untrained consumers they can "do it yourself" at home. If one wants a professional result, they still have to know how to do it like a professional. Whether a steel or wood hull, they both should appear "smooth as a baby's bottom" up close if you want to achieve a realistic look at "scale viewing distance." This is a matter of proper painting technique. As they say, a good paint job is 90% preparation and 10% application. Softwoods like basswood pose the problem of raised grain but this is easily solved. When softwoods especially are exposed to water, or even ambient moisture, their grain will "raise" because the soft wood between the grain absorbs the moisture and swells. The first thing to remember is you must seal the bare wood first. Sealing is an essential first step. Sand your piece well down to 220 or 320 grit abrasive and be sure you have a smooth surface; save for perhaps a few minor dings and divots you will be filling. The purpose of sanding is to remove a thin layer of the surface. Don't sand down to bare wood "chasing" a larger imperfection and don't concentrate sanding on an imperfection. That will cause an uneven surface. After you have sanded well, dust the piece and wipe it with a tack rag and apply sealer. Don't use water-based sealer, paint, or anything else water-based. (If you use acrylic paints, use those that are thinned with alcohol, not water. Alcohol will not raise wood grain.) The water will soak right into the wood and you'll be back to sanding the grain flat again. I use pre-mixed canned shellac to seal model wood, particularly basswood. Shellac will soak into the wood, but will not raise the grain. Shellac is one of the best moisture barrier coatings available and it will significantly slow the rate of moisture absorption and so stabilize the wood. Shellac is compatible with any paint or varnish. If your hull is smooth, so much the better. Remember the "viewing distance" calculations. If you can't see it at your "scale viewing distance," then leave it off the model. Riveted iron plates can post challenges, of course. Thin paper strips can be applied to the shellac sealer to represent iron plates. Shellac is a good adhesive for them as well. If you are going to be showing plates, portlights, eyebrows and similar details on your hull, then you can modify the schedule below to accommodate the detailed surface you have. Seal well with shellac, then airbrush your successive coats while trying to be as dust-free as possible. If your surface is interrupted by a lot of protruding detail, you will just have to "dance with the girl you brought." After the shellac has dried, it should be sanded with 320 grit until it is perfectly smooth all over. Test the smoothness of your surface with your fingertips. They are far more sensitive to surface smoothness than your eyes alone. Again, sand and tack the piece and then apply a sanding basecoat. Sanding basecoat is a thick white paint that had a fair amount of chalk added to it. It serves as an intermediate layer of the coatings lay-up which will fill very light imperfections and will be easily sanded. It also does double duty as an undercoat which produces a uniformly opaque surface which is essential to a uniform finish coat, (You will be painting forever to try to cover color variations beneath a finish coat. Finish coat paint isn't designed for this.) When the sanding base coat is dry, sand it with 320 grit (or start with 220 and work up to 320 if you've got brush strokes all over it... it's thick stuff) Don't make yourself crazy if you still have some small imperfections. You'll get to those next. Again, dust and tack the surface. Your surface should be getting close to perfectly smooth at this point but there may be a few imperfections, a scratch here or a little ding there, that haven't been removed. You should sparingly apply surfacing putty to any remaining scratches or dings. (It may also be called "glazing putty," but it's not for puttying windows.) See: Interlux Paint 257P Surfacing Putty - White-Pint | Autoplicity Surfacing putty is sold in paint stores, chandleries, and auto body and fender supply stores. It's what the pros use to get a perfect finish. It's not cheap but the canned stuff is thinned with acetone and a tablespoon added to the can before sealing well should ensure a long shelf life. There may well be less expensive brands than the Interlux linked above. Check with your local auto paint store. Surfacing putty is about the consistence of toothpaste and is applied to scratches and dings with a flexible spatula or putty knife. The object is to fill the imperfection, and not leave a big "bump" of putty around it. If you apply it properly, a few swipes with some 320 sandpaper should be enough to level the surface without leaving a big "putty bump" on it. The imperfection should be invisible. Pay particular attention to this step and make sure you have not overlooked puttying any imperfections. The fewer there are left, the more they stand out! (Resist the temptation to use drywall patching putty and similar compounds instead of real surfacing putty. their matrix is too coarse and cannot be sanded smooth enough. Similarly, don't substitute "body filler" products like Bondo which are too hard to sand easily. WEST System epoxy resin with their proprietary sanding additives is entirely suitable but somewhat more difficult to sand and quite expensive.) After you've puttied and sanded again, dust and tack and apply a coat of undercoat. Undercoat is a paint designed to cover well and dries "flat" with a matte finish. It provides a base for the finish coat. Importantly, it will seal the areas where you have applied surfacing putty. Dried putty will absorb a finish coating more readily than sanding basecoat and if you skip the basecoat your finish coat will have areas of flat "print through" where you applied surfacing putty unless you sealed the piece with undercoat. When it dries, again sand, dust and tack. This time, however, will be the last time you should be doing anything other than very light sanding on the piece, so take care to be certain that your sanding is absolutely perfect. You may wish to sand with an even finer grit than 320 although there's little to be gained by sanding above 600 grit for modeling purposes because we aren't (or shouldn't be) using high gloss finish coats. For the application of finish coats, it's highly recommended that you go somewhere else with as little ambient dust as possible in order to avoid getting specks of dust in the finish coats. I often use the bathroom when my wife is not at home. It's the least dusty room in any house. Make sure the piece is scrupulously clean. Apply a quality oil-based finish coat. Depending upon the scale, a metal hull can be painted with an eggshell finish. It's a matter of taste, but for larger wooden ships, I prefer a more matte finish than for metal hulls. There are painting instructions elsewhere. You have to be an accomplished painter to apply a perfect finish with a brush. It you aren't, don't bother trying. All your hard work preparing a perfect surface will be for naught if you mess up the finish coats. Most prefer an airbrush because it is easier to use and to control the thickness of the paint application. Apply multiple thin coats. You can always apply another coat when the last one dries and build up your finish coating as needed, but if you put too much paint on at one time and get runs, sags, or "curtains," you're looking at a long and tedious sanding job to correct the damage done. Don't rush. (It may be a matter of taste, but I wouldn't recommend aerosol "rattle can" paint for quality work such as discussed here. As remarkably reliable as the more expensive brands have become in mass producing plastic spray nozzles, all it takes is a single "spit or sputter" from a rattle can to ruin a finish coat.) As you finish coats are applied, it's a near certainty that some dust will fall on the wet surface and stick there. Do not try to remove dust or anything else from the paint until the paint has completely dried. You may try all you want, but if you go back over a wet surface to just pick out that one gnat that landed on it and got stuck you will make a bigger mess than just leaving it there to dry. After each coat of finish paint is applied and dried well, wipe the surface with a soft cloth and this will remove most all of the dust that may have fallen on it. The dust usually is only microscopically attached to the surface and need only be knocked off and the attachment point will be invisible. Apply as many finish coats as you feel are necessary to get the finish you want. It's not uncommon to miss a spot here or there (called a "holiday" in the trade) and need to apply another coat to correct that. If you do get a run or a sag, let it dry completely and then sand it off fair to the adjacent surface and start again. Don't be discouraged if you have to repeat a step along the way. Attention to detail is essential. When you reach what you think is your final finish coat there will still probably some dust that stuck to this coat, as well. Let the finish coats dry well. You may also find that your finish is too glossy for your taste, or too matte. This last step addresses dust specks and the reflective quality of the finish. Be sure the finish coats are thoroughly dry. (Like for a week. Particularly synthetic coatings like acrylics may take a lot longer to "dry" (cure) than we think. Those that have "rubbery" latex-like bases will always be difficult to sand. A hard finish sands well. Obtain some rottenstone and pumice from the paint store. These are inexpensive abrasive powders. Without looking at a carton in my hand right now, I'm going to guess and say that pumice is the finer abrasive powder and rottenstone is the coarser of the two. These abrasive powders are used by being rubbed on the workpiece with a soft damp cloth. The coarser powder will remove the gloss. The more you rub, the less glossy the surface will become. Further rubbing, however will soften the surface to a beautiful eggshell finish. Use of the finer powder will do the same, but can be worked up to a high gloss finish if rubbed enough. This is a "hand-rubbed finish." There are lots of YouTube videos about hand-rubbing finishes, which is commonly done in fine furniture finishing. This hand-rubbing will remove all the dust specks that were on the painted surface and leave a perfectly smooth surface with the reflective quality of your choice. In summary, 1. Sand and shellac to seal. 2. Sand and sanding basecoat 3. Sand and surfacing putty 4. Sand and undercoat 5. Sand and finish coat 6. Hand-rub finish coat When you go to the maritime museums and see the magnificent builders' yard models of the steamships of the early years of the last century with their perfectly painted "iron" and "steel" hulls, this is how it was done.

Sure, that's even going one better than doing it with the block attached to the mast or top. You don't have to approximate the entire length of the line, standing part and fall, but only the length you will need to belay the fall to the belaying pin or cleat when the standing part is set up to wherever it's going. The remainder of the fall is most easily made up in a coil and glued to the pin or cleat in such a way that it conceals the cut end of the fall and appears to be all one piece of the fall. It is important to make coils of the proper length of the fall, though and these will vary depending on how far the block is from the pin or cleat. You don't want a skinny little coil on a pin running to the mast top when it would take a lot more line in real life. Doing it in two pieces, fall and coil, reduces the amount of line you have to coil up at the block before you install the mast. These little temporary coils can start adding up pretty quickly sometimes. You'll want to devise some way of binding up the temporary coils on the mast. Some use masking tape. There is an instrument that orthodontists use to stretch and attach little quarter inch diameter rubber bands on orthodontic braces which I've always thought would be just the ticket for binding little coils like that, but I've never gotten around to getting one. What I've found works are common women's hair "bobby pins." They can be spread open with one hand to slide onto a coil being held in the other hand... if you don't mind your model looking like it's setting "spit curls" while you work on it. Here you go. I found that too. I'd have to play with one to be sure it would work easily for rope coils, but just maybe. Remember, "He who dies with the most tools wins!" See: https://www.amazon.com/Separating-Placing-Orthodontic-Elastic-Bracket/dp/B09FQ4HL8V/ref=sr_1_8?adgrpid=1343603773294172&hvadid=83975306774136&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=43893&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-83975580350394%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=28288_11087873&keywords=orthodontic+tool+for+rubber+bands&qid=1689559059&sr=8-8 And: https://www.ebay.com/itm/184121749659?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D251791%26meid%3Dbff28b2953c247259b8a64230c3a2239%26pid%3D101196%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D292128222729%26itm%3D184121749659%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithBBEV2bAndUBSourceDemotionWithUltimatelyBoughtOfCoviewV1%26brand%3DOrmco&_trksid=p2047675.c101196.m2219&amdata=cksum%3A184121749659bff28b2953c247259b8a64230c3a2239|enc%3AAQAIAAABUPzGgyhK8D4QCApcBuWVQe1qsoN395NgJVWTF7eo2rfipPwdfCio0EI4F5H%2Bx0wtS8%2Fu%2Fr%2FRUxEZ1KxNtbAGuwQqNawa9Mz45LW45pYy0nuj71JF2aXsWVmm8A5Xr7t2iE8FTSY2j9w%2BVkQX95XY0T9rK6EzA9ZeC%2FHU7Nm7b3ARSOfzyH5wHBuCoLkOv2XL8qnMgdLOY9NTgiKiXpC2M6cXsFc3RuqCK5taBkW1e%2BiJLZxicfL3UKRodQUV%2B52sjBkM1liMwuhVn7laHbfbj938y3JipYdCbmp5qsvnkRz%2BKoSNEVB9T6j%2FHyW8T3o%2BEyn3TMJR9vG%2Ftd0YZ4FWo9eCjcx1touazjee%2BUlNPzGgH4zgbLTOsUmqbtcaga5q7yBppCr1RBM28mc1jxYKQlxCCRjCS27mWu%2BsRAqHHc4%2FHq9BO%2FU9k%2FYKlp33Hv5doQ%3D%3D|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2047675

I overlooked the fact that he was asking abou blackening brass. My bad! Truth be told, I've never tried LOS on brass, but I"ve heard the same complaint from others. I've always primarily used copper instead of brass for fabricating model metal work, mainly because I came by a large stock of it years ago and found it easy to work with and so have used LOS on it. When I have used brass tubing and the like, I've always painted it, not by design, but just by happenstance. Therefore, I'd say...

You could check out liver of sulphur, available at jewelers' supply houses like Otto Frei or Rio Grande. It may be about the same price as the Birchwood Casey stuff and likely very close to the same thing.

Ditto to the best wishes with the docs!

In my experience, shellac alone is an entirely sufficient adhesive for gluing down paper "plating," and it dries much faster than PVA.

It's always been my impression that the current practice of coppering model ship hulls was the result of nothing more than some European kit manufacturers taking the opportunity to throw a little bit of copper foil into their boxes so they could advertise "Real copper included!" and add substantially to the "number of parts included" by counting each copper plate.

I haven't encountered this problem with the one I have. It has a "zero" sized collet which closes completely and will hold even the smallest numbered bit. Other than that, I agree completely with the advantages and disadvantages you mentioned. I would only add that when I use the separately sized collet pin vises in my drill press with a small bit, I generally turn the drill press chuck manually rather than with the motor turning the quill because there's less chance of breaking the tiny bits with a very slow hand rotation. I don't think that this is a "one size fits all" situation. Sometimes you have to have the right tool to do the job and that may mean buying more than one pin vise.