Bob Cleek

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. 
 

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. 

I think you will be disappointed as these are meant to compress wire rather than removing material.   The wire get longer as it is reduced in diameter.  Search for this topic as draw plates have been discussed.
Byrnes Model Machines makes a very good draw plate that works great for wood. 

Very good! An airbrush is a wonderful tool, but let me tell you a last piece of advice, if I may. It requires some practicing and experimenting before obtaining satisfactorily results. Please note that the cumulative time you will spend using it on your model is very short and surely not enough to learn how to use it at best. Make some free trials before on pieces of cardboard experimenting the effects of varying parameters (mainly thinner/paint mix ratio and pressure) and later on try to simulate the desired effect that you are going to obtain on the model. In this way, you can accumulate a sensible number of training hours before you feel ready to attack your model. You might feel wasting your time doing so, but believe me, you will not. You might enjoy also this learning steps.
Good luck and best regards,
Dan.

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. 

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. 

I own a Badger 150 since about 10 years and it has been always a good and reliable airbrush (it is an US brand which is known to provide a good customer support especially in the US) which I extensively have been using for plastic aircraft modelling. It works with a suction cup (a cup hanging below the airbrush). It is a double action type (i.e. you can regulate the quantity of paint and the air flow), which at the beginning you might not really need. Badger provides also a model (I think it called Badger 100, you might want to check on their web site) with a single action which you might consider. For use for naval modeling you might be fine with a medium tip or even a large one, depending on the use. The cup can be replaced with a fairly large glass container that it might be appropriate for airbrushing large areas. Recently I bought an Haarde & Steenbeck airbrush (a German brand) which I like really a lot, but it is more expensive and has a gravity feed (cup on top of the airbrush) good for fine works, however it might be not that good for naval modeling because of the small quantity of paint that it can hold in its cup.
 
To have a good overview about the different types of airbrushes with their pros and cons, I strongly recommend you to look for videos posted on you tube by Paul Budzik, who extensively and very clearly explains all you might want to know about airbrushes (he has many other videos also about other modelling subjects, so you have to select the ones about airbrushes).
 
One thing that I found to be of paramount importance is the availability of good air supply. Unfortunately this is another expensive piece of equipment. I have a compressor which is quite reasonable (bought from Revell about ten years ago) with a fair air tank (the air tank provides a constant air flow). One quality of the compressor is also its noise level that might be important if you live in a flat with a family. The cheapest models are the ones working with a membrane which do not have a tank, but I never tried them. You might think of starting with cans of compressed air, but you will soon realize their inadequacy for the job. In fact, to clean properly the airbrush you need a large quantity of air that the cans cannot provide satisfactorily (unless you buy many of them, but they are not cheap and after you bought a dozen of them you might have spent the same money to buy a small compressor). Other modelers are happy of using large cylinders of compressed CO2 which are cheap, but I cannot comment on them because I never used them.
 
There might be many other aspects that I have omitted, but if you have further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
 
Best regards,
Dan.

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.

Hi Guys.
Here is the revised booklet with Fig 1 included.
Regards
Allan
PLANKING_rD.pdf

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
 
 

Last year I used some  unopened  bottles at least 15 years old. I added a little thinners and it was fantastic. I know nothing on the market to compare. I store all paints upside down anyway. I brushed and the result was very satisfactory.

If you go to the Trucolor web site you may find a retail outlet near you. May is the operative word. They do not have a wide distribution. The second problem is that the retailers do not stock all colors. I have spoken to the manufacturer sales department (some time ago) and they will ship. What is needed are some really good color charts with TRUE COLOR which they were considering. Do not have any update on that.
 
Joe

I personally haven't used them, but I did use their predecessor, Accupaint.  For model railroad users, they seem to apply OK, although needing a primer on resin. The Tamiya fine primer is recommended. The railroad colors are reported as very good. Haven't seen any commentary on ship colors. We're talking 20th Century naval colors.

A small horizontal milling machine specially designed for working with model parts of sailboats.Completely meet the needs of processing copper and aluminum and wood. Using three-phase motor frequency conversion control； Speed 900-1850 adjustable; ER25  Chuck Spindle; accuracy 0.02; main table adopts screw feed, vice table for slide rail fast feed. The whole machine weighs 155KG. The production period is 17 days.
 

 

 

 

 
 

The (digital) archives of the Danish Naval yard in Copenhagen are full of detailed drawings for stoves and baking ovens from the 18th century onward. They became more and more sophisticated also with the view to make them fire-safe.

And that's a huge understatement. The world is full of great modeling wood species. Many aren't commercially viable at all because they don't grow large enough to produce anything other than small pieces. In fact, those small, slow growing species often produce the best modeling wood species of all. Think "boxwood" and "holly," etc. I just had a three inch thick branch break off of a persimmon tree on my property. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can mill out of that. I expect it will be great modeling wood. (It's main commercial use once upon a time was for carving golf club driver heads.) Good luck trying to buy some at your local lumberyard. And the best thing about harvesting your own wood is that it's all free!

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.

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!

Thanks for posting this again Bob, I have also linked to it in my build log or associated posts as I think it is a great reference.  Bruce, interesting to hear he is responding to contacts; how did you approach him.  I tried sending an email to the university of South Australia but no response.  I wish to pick his brain on whether he has much material/information on reinforcement plates (usually gunmetal) around the screw aperture in steam ships.
 
cheers
 
Pat

Mark Staniforth went on to be Professor Staniforth, holding a senior postion in Australia and was the 'go-to-guy' for questions about sheathing. He was helpful to me not long ago and was interested that his paper is still used.
 

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.