Bob Cleek

Strips of copper, zinc, or lead roofers' flashing material are often good for taking off curves, as well.

Davis' explanation of the advantages of the double paddle wheels was most interesting. I hadn't known that. I've never seen it mentioned in any of the classic works on steam propulsion, but then, having those old engineering books doesn't mean I've actually read them! :D They're terribly slow going, as anybody who's delved into the subject soon finds out.

Can it be removed with isopropyl alcohol like regular PVA?

I've never seen a worm-drive for a paddle-wheel before, either. Those I've seen, which are not traditionally driven by connecting rods from horizontal steam engines, in small boats like this one, were all driven by chain or belt drives. The worm drive gear here seems way out of size to accomplish the reduction necessary with the RPM from a gasoline engine. I'd think that if the engine did not stall out, this design would have the paddles turning at much too high a speed. There's also the problem of what happens if the paddles ground out. I'd expect catastrophic failure to the gearing and shaft would result. I have a fair number of such old powered small boat designs in my library. The "backyard" engineering of many which employ the then-new internal combusion engines, most automotive conversions, is "quaint" to say the least! I assume this design was what was then called a "folly," a small boat for fun, though not especially practical. One would wonder why it was not simply propeller-driven from the gas engine. The only answer is that the paddle wheel was just more fun! Interesting model! There were a lot of similar designs in the early Twentieth Century and the plans literature is fairly available. (See e.g.: http://shellbackslibrary.dngoodchild.com/ an excellent vendor!) They are great subjects for modeling, especially in the larger scales which allow great detail without resulting in a model that will chase you out of the room. They are rarely seen subjects for models, but, for some reason, most modelers seem to turn their noses up at models of small craft in favor of the challenges of a Nelson's Victory or a Constitution and the joy of trying to find a place to display them!

Deluxe Materials, a UK company, manufactures a broad line of adhesives aimed primarily at the hobbies and craft markets which are sold internationally, but not widely distributed in the US. It's product line appears to be very similar to Elmer's Glue products in the US (which also owns Krazy Glue and Super Glue CA glues, ProBond adhesives, and Xacto hobby tools.) Deluxe's Speedbond glue is a basic PVA adhesive with a fast-drying solvent, according to their product literature. It can be obtained mail-order from a few online retailers in the US. https://www.amazon.com/DELUXE-MATERIALS-Speedbond-White-Glue/dp/B007I13ZSI Not a lot of reviews of it on line. Two rate it five stars and say it does what it says. One other, one star, with the comment "It don't even stick toilet paper together." It looks interesting.

Yes, I'd expect that the varnish would prevent any moisture problems, but keeping a model in the sauna? What were you thinking? :D (I'm sure we've all had similar learning experiences!)

Yes, denatured alcohol and methylated spirits are the same thing. "Meths" will certainly dissolve shellac. Very effectively, in fact. Shellac is simply flakes of shellac dissolved in meths. I would think that a decorator model such as you have would not have had its rigging coated with beeswax. Beeswax is soluble in organic solvents, such as acetone, xylol, benzene, and ether. You will probably have better success dissolving beeswax with acetone than with alcohol. The easiest test to identify between the two will be that beeswax will melt and so soften when heated, while shellac will not. Beeswax itself is generally considered to be a very archival material. However, the technical term "archival," meaning "long lasting," is a relative one. Beeswax is about 8% fatty acids, so there's grounds for some concern that over time it may contribute to the degradation of thread. On the other hand, beeswax has long been used to coat fabric to make the fabric waterproof, so who knows? (Sailors' "oilskins" were originally canvas material coated with beeswax.) The effects of environmental factors, notably acidity, are greatly dependent upon the "combination of ingredients," so it's difficult to predict in many cases. The acidic beeswax may last forever, but the material with which it comes in contact, perhaps not so much. We are fortunate to have a couple of the best professional ship model restorationists in the world on this forum and perhaps they will weigh in here at some point. While the considerations of addressing deteriorating rigging on a three hundred year old ship model in a museum will involve going to great lengths to preserve the original fabric of the model, your model does not present those preservation demands. (It's a rare three hundred year old museum model which retains its original rigging. Most have been re-rigged over the years, often several times.) For all intents and purposes, in the case of your model, I would say that if the rigging line has lost its strength to the point where it breaks easily, replacement with new line is necessary. It may be possible to strengthen parts of it, such as lashings, etc. by applying thinned shellac, thereby forming a stiff matrix of improved strength, but, really, when thread has deteriorated beyond the point of reliably serving its intended purpose, it needs to be replaced. Your challenge then becomes sourcing material that is identical in appearance to the original rigging which can be retained. This problem is much easier solved if the model is re-rigged entirely, of course.

Murphy's Oil Soap may be good for washing hardwood floors, but it does leave a greasy residue if not rinsed off well. I'd stick with a bit of Windex window cleaning liquid in water on a cloth or Q-tip. The Windex and water solution (not more than 10 or 20 percent ratio at most) works better than spit and trying to work up enough spit to wet Q-tips gets old rather quickly unless you're chewing tobacco! The finish coating on the rigging is quite likely orange (brown) shellac. It would be a certainty if the rigging is somewhat stiff. In any event, orange shellac will do the trick for you. Early coats that soak in will be flat, but when further coats are applied on top of dry coats, the finish will become glossy. There are two kinds of shellac, "whte" or "bleached," and "orange" or "natural." These terms refer to the tint, or lack thereof in the shellac. "Orange" shellac isn't exactly orange, and, as additional coats are built up, will progressively become darker and darker. It's relatively inexpensive. Buy it in the can at hardware stores. (Don't buy the rattle cans of it. Overpriced and not suitable for this application.) Shellac is thinned with and brushes are cleaned with denatured alcohol. Even if the shellac coat is completely dry, an application of alcohol will dissolve it. Shellac is also handy for all sorts of similar finishing applications. It is completely non-toxic, other than the denatured alcohol, which will make you sick if you drink it.

I would be concerned that using vegetable starches might promote and occasion for mold to develop in environments having high humidity.

Yes, I found that approach very successful, too. I planed long shavings from the edge of a clear plank. I then took a dowel of the desired diameter to use as a mandrel, wrapped it in plastic wrap to prevent glue from sticking to it, applied PVA to one side of the shaving and wrapped it around the dowel a few times, fastening with a rubber band to dry. There was no need to wet the shavings, as they were already tightly curled as they came off the plane blade. I did this with several shavings next to each other on the dowel. When the glue was set, I mounted the mandrel on my lathe and then sanded the faces of the wrapped shavings until I achieved the thickness of the mast hoops I wanted, and then parted the mast hoops with a fine razor saw. I then removed all the finished mast hoops from the mandrel and hand-sanded them to round off the edges. (A "block sander" for rounding off block edges would probably do a good job rounding the edges, too.) The result were very realistic looking laminated mast hoops. They were also very strong. None broke in later handling, the "grain" running in a concentric circle, as it were. Scale 3/4'=1':

Carpenter's and machinist's squares, plus clamps, rubber bands, and a lot of fancy jigs sold for the purpose. You may want to do some YouTube watching about basic carpentry and welding assembly skills to get familiar with the options. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=corner+clamps+for+woodworking Or you can buy store-bought ones: https://www.micromark.com/Magnetic-Gluing-Jig-10-1-4-Inch-Square https://www.micromark.com/SET-OF-THREE-ANGLE-PLATES https://www.micromark.com/Mini-4-Corner-Clamps-1-2-Inch-x-1-2-Inch-to-5-Inch-x-5-Inch-Capacity While MicroMark has perfected the art of separating modelers from their money, I must say that one item they sell that two set-up tools I've found hugely helpful that they offer are their set of small machinist's squares and their thin-beam square, which makes striking square lines on thin sheet stock a breeze. https://www.micromark.com/Thin-Beam-Square https://www.micromark.com/Steel-Machinists-Squares-Set-of-3 These items sometimes come up on MicroMark's "loss leader discount" sales, too.

You might want to check out Little Machine Shop. They are very highly rated by the model machining guys. https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_category.php?category=1963256912 They probably can advise you if you give them a call. You'll want something that mounts easily on your X-Y table. You may want to stick with the vise that is made by the company that made your table to be sure you get one that matches up. You can always cobble together a hold-down arrangement, but it's nice to be able to have a vise that lines up with the slots on your table. Check also Vanda-Lay Industries. https://www.vanda-layindustries.com/ They make a line of drill presses and drill/mills based on a Dremel-type rotary tool (or a Foredom flex shaft type) that gets loads better ratings than the Dremel brand drill press does. I've dealt with them and they are good folks. (They are a small family business that reminds me of Jim Byrnes.) Their mill vise is only $40.00 and shipping is free if you buy it with their mill. That's about the least expensive vise I've seen around lately. https://www.vanda-layindustries.com/html/mill_accessories.html

Draw plates work differently on wood than they do on wire, so there is a subtle difference in the plates that cut the two materials and the way they are used. The draw plate compresses the wire and the wire is lengthened when its diameter is reduced. On the other hand, a draw plate shaves material from the wiideb workpiece to reduce its diameter. I learned this from druxey and Jaager in this thread: There's also such a thing as a wooden draw plate, made out of wood, that is used for making the diameter of woven jewelry chain uniform. It's a different animal entirely. I believe that wire is compressed through a draw plate by pulling the wire "in the big side of the hole and out the small side of the hole," while wood is shaved with a draw plate by pulling the wood "in the small side of the hole and out the big side of the hole. The critical factor in a good draw plate for reducing the size of wood is the sharpness of the edge created at the juncture of the countersunk hole and the flat of the face of the draw plate at the small side of the hole. That's the cutting edge of the scraper created in the face of the draw plate. A good wood draw plate needs to have its face where the small end of the holes are ground and lapped flat like the back of a chisel so that the scraping edge is sharp. I believe that's what makes good draw plates, like the ones Jim Byrnes makes and the expensive ones sold by top jewelers' supply houses, work so well... and cost more.

You might consider a hook on the bottom of the lower deadeyes which would attach to an eye at the top of the chainplate. There should be enough play in the rigging to pull the hooks down just enough to unhook them and hook them back on again without having to loosen or unreeve the lanyards at all. The entire mast assembly could then be pulled out of the mast holes. You could use the same small hook arrangement for the headstays. I encountered this arrangement with an old sailing model I restored maybe twenty-five years ago. It worked fine.

Yours isn't a new question. Check the "search" feature in the forum top bar. There are tons of posts about airbrushes and air brushing. (e.g., Also check the large number of airbrushing videos on YouTube to soak up some background information. Check out USA Airbrush Supply's website by clicking on their banner in the forum "advertisers" block on the lower left of the home page. Kurtvd19 (https://modelshipworld.com/profile/177-kurtvd19/) is the resident airbrushing guru here. He will likely respond and can steer you straight. Speaking generally, you should buy the best airbrush for your needs that you can possibly afford. (Ask Kurt for a recommendation) You only have to buy an expensive tool once and if you want to sell it, the resale value will be better. Cheap tools you have to buy over and over again. Kurt can help you decide if you want a "double action" or "single action" airbrush model. That's a matter of personal preference and your primary application intentions. An airbrushing rig is one of the "major tool purchases" for serious modelers, but not one that should require any especially painful belt tightening. Most guys should be able to save up enough for a good airbrush set up by just drinking the cheap stuff for a month or two. While there are other alternatives, you are going to want a compressor. Like airbrushes, there are lots of compressors to choose from. One major consideration is noise. A small compressor made for airbrushing will probably not be particularly noisy, unlike a larger general purpose compressor which you can also use for running large spray painting guns, pneumatic power tools, inflating your car tires, blowing dust and dirt off of things, and stuff like that. A general purpose compressor can also be used to fill portable air tanks which will permit you to airbrush without any compressor noise at all. Used general purpose compressors are a dime a dozen at garage sales and on-line resale sites, but be careful about used tank compressors. Folks often don't take the time to properly drain the tanks of condensate after use, causing the tanks to rust out from the inside, a defect that is practically impossible to detect until your tank springs a pinhole leak. Replacement tanks aren't cheap, probably because that's where the product liability exposure is greatest for the manufacturers. Small dedicated airbrush compressors are usually continuous pressure compressors and don't use tanks. The cost of cleaning materials is negligible. They are no different than the cost of cleaning a good brush, really. It's up to you what sort of paint you want to use. Airbrushes are very versatile in terms of what they will spray. The usual options are water-based or solvent-based oil or acrylic paints and inks and stains. (Tip: Use water to practice airbrushing. It's cheaper than paint and there's no clean-up to do!) If you think you're pretty good with a "rattle can," you'll think you're Rembrandt with an airbrush. They aren't even in the same zip code. Like anything, there's a bit of a learning curve to master them, but it's not difficult at all.

Pine tar build up over time. The more you put on, the darker it gets. Baseball players use it on the handles of their bats to provide a sticky non-slip grip, too.

You can do it by hand if you build simple jigs to position your drill bit. To drill the holes for the pins, take two strips of wood and glue them together at right angles. Then, in the "crotch" of the "L" draw a line exactly parallel to the upright leg of the "L" which is exactly half the width of your pin rail away from the upright leg of the "L." Roughly in the center of this line, carefully drill two perfectly vertical holes along this line as wide apart from each other as you want the spacing between your pins in the rail. (It is important that the holes you drill in your jig are perpendicular to the face of the jig because they will guide your bit when drilling your pin rail holes.) Insert a pin or nail in one of these holes, sticking up through the wood to provide a register pin in the jig. Use this jig to drill your pin rail holes by placing your pin rail piece in the crotch of the "L" flat on its widest side (Avoiding the "register pin" for drilling the first hole.) Holding the rail piece squareinto the "L" crotch (or clamp it there, as you wish,) turn the jig over and drill your first pin rail hole as straight as possible through the hole drilled in the jig that doesn't have the pin in it. (You'll have to make sure that hole is going to be where you want a pin hole in the rail. Make a mark on the side of the rail where you want a pin and then line that up with the hole in jig using a reference line where needed.) When you have drilled the first hole, take your pin rail piece and slide the drilled hole in it over the pin in the jig, keeping the pin rail piece again pushed squarely into the crotch of the "L." Turn the jig over and drill another hole through the reference hole in the jig and through the pin rail piece. Repeat the process as many times as you want holes in your pin rail. They should all come out perfectly spaced in a straight line. (The line of pin holes will not end up right in the middle of the length of pin rail if your guide hole in the jig isn't drilled perpendicular to the face of the jig. If the pin holes are drilled at an angle, they will come out a bit off, but the error should be consistent, at least.) Somewhat similarly, to drill a hole through the narrow dimension of the pin rail to pin it to the bulwark, use a piece of wood that is exactly half as thick as the side of your pin rail less half the diameter of the drill bit you want to use to drill the nail hole. This piece of wood should be slightly narrower than the length of the drill bit exposed when it is held in the pin vise. Clamp the piece of wood just mentioned to your bench top so that it barely hangs over the edge of your bench top. Then take the pin rail piece and clamp it flat on the workbench with its edge butted right against the side of the first piece of wood. Taking care to drill at a right angle to your pin rail edge, and keeping the side of your drill bit flat against the piece of wood, drill through the width of your pin rail piece carefully at a right angle to the pin rail piece. The thinner piece of wood will act as a guide to keep your drill bit level with the pin rail piece as you drill through the pin rail. It's easier to do this than it is to describe it in writing, but there you have it. If you already have a good rotary tool (Dremel or Foredom flex shaft,) or don't mind spending a few bucks to get one, you might want to consider picking up a Vanda-Lay rotary tool drill press or mill press and some of the attachments to their Acra Mill system. This may set you back a few dollars more than the cheapest dedicated Asian mini-drill press, but what the Vanda-Lay drill press or mill system offers is the same or better accuracy than Asian cheapo mini-drill presses and with a huge amount more flexibility in applications. The Acra Mill has attachments for use as a lathe, sanding planer, and cut-off table saw. None are as good as a dedicated stand-alone Sherline milling machine or Byrnes Saw, but close, at far less cost than tooling up a modeling shop with dedicated power tools. (Don't waste your money on the Dremel brand drill press. It doesn't hold the drill moto-tool securely enough to provide the accuracy you need from a drill press in the first place.) See: https://vanda-layindustries.com/index.html

I've used some really old bottles of Floquil over the years, but, in my experience, if you want to thin out somewhat dried up Floquil paint, you've got to use their proprietary thinner, Dio-Sol. I believe Dio-Sol was Xylene. Xylene is a super-solvent used to thin epoxy and enamels. It dries more slowly than Toluene, which serves the same purpose. It was handy for cleaning polished metal prior to coating it with clear lacquer to prevent tarnishing. Inhaling the fumes will cause headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, and nausea and breathing enough of it can kill you (which is pretty much the case with any effective solvent.) You'll have to live in a state where people don't believe in global warming to buy it anymore. I don't, so when I ran out of Dio-Sol, that was the end of Floquil paint for me. I don't know if acetone would work for Floquil, but I know for sure ordinary paint thinner won't.

Does anybody have any experience with tru-color paints? https://trucolorpaint.com/ I've heard good things about them. From their website, they seem to be a solvent-based (acetone) acrylic that was produced to replace the Floquil line. I've never seen them in a local hobby shop, but then, "local hobby shops" seem to be going the way of the buggy whip. I'm not a big fan of buying model paint online anyway because you can't really see what color you are getting for sure.

The uninitiated don't what they looking at and so don't appreciate the many small details on a good model. That work isn't lost on them, however, because it's the sum total of all those little details that create the compelling impression of reality in a model. They may not notice small details individually, but it's the small details that create the overall impression they certainly will notice, even if they aren't sure exactly why!

My bad! I didn't look at it all that carefully. I suppose since it's twice as large as the Model Shipways version, $2,000 is a bargain! I've never been able to understand the prices of already built kit ship models. Not that they can't be things of beauty, but they're a bit like squeezed oranges. Most all of the fun in them has been used up in the building. Not that a good one isn't a lovely thing, but once it's built, it's all in the eye of the beholder, I guess. Mona Lisa, $15 on eBay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mona-Lisa-DIY-Paint-By-Numbers-Number-Canvas-Painting-Number-Hand-Painted/143602401404?hash=item216f5ec07c:g:eCkAAOSw4qxeuWwX

Presuming the planks are accurately laser-cut to shape, I'd suggest carefully lining off the plank overlaps on your plank faces. As you work upwards, the lining should go a long ways preventing "creep" as you hang each successive plank.

Yep. And then some. Get a Byrnes saw, a Byrnes thickness sander, a bandsaw, and a perhaps a decent hand plane if you don't want to spring for a jointer. That will enable you to mill whatever you need from billets cut from many species of excellent modeling woods that can be had for nothing. Box, pear, and the other commercially sold species are great, but you have so much more to chose from once you become self-sufficient. Even some woods from old discarded furniture can be turned into fine modeling stock. The machines do cost money, but you get a good return on them if you ever sell them used and the savings over buying milled wood pays for them in short order. One of the biggest benefits is that you can always cut the sizes you want, rather than hunting for hard to find dimensions.

They're offering what looks like a Model Shipways armed longboat for around $2,000. Good price if you can get it! https://www.modelships.de/Longboat_1750/Longboat_eng.htm It looks like some sort of cooperative website where modelers sell their work. It would be interesting to know if they are really getting the prices that they are asking. I'm not saying the models aren't worth every penny of what's asked in most instances, considering the work that went into them, but we sure don't see a market that strong over here for built kit models.

That's the stuff. Grumbacher Cobalt Drier. It will run you between $12.00 and $23.00 with about $8.00 for shipping online for a 2.5 ounce bottle. https://www.dickblick.com/products/grumbacher-japan-drier/?clickTracking=true&wmcp=pla&wmcid=items&wmckw=01520-1004&gclid=CjwKCAjw5p_8BRBUEiwAPpJO614iBw4gljtxANJjIeVltpKBLRyNkW24AsN0NpP7NgPCMS8zKS4qzxoCkIoQAvD_BwE Cobalt drier doesn't tend to darken colors as they age, which occurs with Japan drier, but I've never found the "darkening" to be particularly noticeable. Grumbacher Japan drier in a 2.5 ounce bottle runs around $8.50, considerably less than the cobalt drier. https://www.dickblick.com/products/grumbacher-japan-drier/?clickTracking=true&wmcp=pla&wmcid=items&wmckw=01520-1004&gclid=CjwKCAjw5p_8BRBUEiwAPpJO614iBw4gljtxANJjIeVltpKBLRyNkW24AsN0NpP7NgPCMS8zKS4qzxoCkIoQAvD_BwE However, for about the same price as the 2.5 ounce bottle of Grumbacher Japan drier in the arts and crafts stores, you can buy 16 ounces, a whole pint of the stuff in your local hardware store. https://www.eastcoasthardware.com/161201-wm-barr-sunnyside-japan-drier-72416.html?utm_campaign=google&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CjwKCAjw5p_8BRBUEiwAPpJO63e3G7RlSbI9SQZHncg2D1bXofQFlK0FYhSAfw5mSyS4HfhlJiSdMRoCR7sQAvD_BwE