knightyo
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Everything posted by knightyo
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Thanks guys! I was thinking the head would be wood, and had already been shaping it to fit the "boxy" structure; I was just really given pause when thinking about the stress that tiny piece would be under as it was being turned. Gregory, I have the Mondfeld book as well, but unfortunately don't have the AOTS for Columbus' ships; I'm a little embarrassed to admit that as I'm building one of the models. Guess who's now going to go book shopping? I admit to also being curious about the structure of this thing; I think it's actually the capstan from the replica Pinta; it was just more interesting than the one on the replica Nina, so I thought I'd go with it. Alan -
Hello, I'm building the capstan for the Nina, and am trying to determine whether the capstan head in this photo would be wood or metal. Any thoughts? It's hard to tell what is metal, and what is wood on this one! At present, I "think" the discs and baseplate are metal and everything else wood, but it really doesn't seem like the head would remain intact under strain if it was wood as opposed to metal. Alan
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Was the impossibility of making them out of wood that you had referred to based upon drilling correctly spaced holes? You could also use the metal deadeyes you made as templates to pass a pin-vice through in order to create perfectly spaced holes in a blank of wood the thickness you desire, then carefully sand the wood blank to shape around the outside. I've been using boxwood strips to make things lately, and it's been great to work with. It can be held between your fingernails while you sand it, and it's hard enough that your fingernails don't "dent" it while you are sanding (I look through a cheap magnifying unit while working). If there are dents, they will be shallow and can be sanded out pretty quicky. Alan
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I think the mystery has been solved. I very gently felt the areas of concern under my magnifying station using a few different instruments, and could not feel any "edge" to the discolored areas at all; I could have sworn that there would have been edges. I think the hypothesis that the plating has been affected by accidental contact to some other substance is correct. I also worked around one of the edges to see if I could get it to flake, but there was no discernable transition from area to area. Now I feel comfortable moving forward with trying to "age" them a bit more, especially if something can be applied which will slightly fill the dimples bringing them a little closer to scale. I still have the jig used to create these plates; I might press a bunch more plates and then experiment on them with different mediums. Thank you everyone for your help with this! I sincerely appreciate the input; especially for something that I should have been able to figure out on my own. Alan
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The tape does indeed have a paper wax-type backing. The copper peels off of the backing for installation, and has an adhesive on the back side; there's definitely nothing but "sticky" copper on the back side. I've tried to replicate the flaking on a sample piece I just took from the roll, but ironically could not get it to flake. I'm a little mystified. If I can get the nerve up, I might try to further "flake" that section of the hull when I get off work.
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Yep, I've been pondering this as well; additionally, anything applied over the top might actually accelerate the flaking just due to added weight. It seems like if the plates are to remain on the hull, some type of medium would need to be applied which would flow into the edges and dimples of the plates in order to keep everything locked into place. The unfortunate part of this plan however, is that the plates overlap each other from the top down, so there aren't "shelves" along the tops of the plates that a sealing agent could rest upon. I just found the tape I used back in 2008. It turns out that it was 1/4" .0015 Copper FOIL tape. This does seem to explain the current dilemma. I think I have some Googling to do on this issue. Alan
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Thanks Phil, that cupola looks fantastic. I might indeed need to experiment with that as well! Alan
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Thanks Allan, I really appreciate it. It is mighty tempting to apply an oxidized copper green to these; that's a fantastic alternative idea if I don't in fact replace these plates. I do have to admit that the out of scale dimples I created have also bugged me a bit, however I suppose a paint application would also fill those in a bit as well. It looks like there's a good deal to consider on this one. Alan
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Hello, Back around 2008, I used what I "thought" was copper tape to plate the hull of my Syren. I've always been curious as to why my copper plates didn't ever appear to "age". Wefalck mentioned in one of my posts that it appeared that my plates were constructed from copper painted paper as opposed to actual copper tape. This makes sense as you can see that the "paint" is flaking from the paper in the below photo. Soo..... This is irritating. Now, how to remedy? I've been thinking about redoing the plates with legitimate copper tape for the next go-around. However if I'm going to invest that much time in redoing the plating, I want them to look far more authentic. The very bottom photo is from Alex Baranov's Cumberland log which I find to be striking. However Alex creates his plates from brass. I've been scouring the web for tutorials on this process, but have been coming up empty. Yes, I've been tempted to send him a message requesting assistance, but don't want to impose; especially if there are readily viewable tutorials out there that I just haven't yet found. Is anyone aware of brass plate tutorials? I guess I'm not wedded to the idea of brass... I just want my "next" plates to look more like Alex's than my own feeble 2008 attempt. Alan
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I learned the hard way to have a healthy respect for non-powered tools as well. Back in 2008 I lost my grip on a piece I was carving, and within milliseconds, cut the tip off of my middle finger. The tip grew back, but feels very strange to this day whenever it makes contact with anything. Alan
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I was intimidated by the hobby for years due to people indicating how hard it was. I finally realized that the hobby is as easy or difficult as you wish to make it. Since you are already used to working with your hands in the plastic medium, I'll bet you could tackle the USS Syren by Chuck Passaro (sold by Model Shipways). His instructions are fantastic and far superior to the instruction provided in most kits. I've also noticed that he pops into people's build logs on this site to offer advice/encouragement. You can't go wrong with a well-designed kit and the advice you receive in build logs; it also greatly helps if you leave comments in others' build logs who are building the same kit; they will be more likely to view your own build log and forewarn you of upcoming sections they may have found challenging and offer tips/tricks. In addition to the USS Syren, it sounds like Chris at Vanguard Models also provides high-quality instruction materials. I haven't built any of his kits, but can tell by the posts I've seen on the forum that he also provides exceptional instruction. I really don't think you can go wrong with any of Chuck or Chris' kits. They both also have links to their sites in the right-hand margin on the home page. Alan
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It's ironic that few people partake of non-electronic hobbies any more, right when we start getting access to unbelievably detailed parts. Those splinter mattresses are really nice. (Thinking your ships fleet would look really cool in a larger glass display cabinet with little lights softly illuminating them from above and below. It might be time for a wall cabinet). lol Alan
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I agree with Mark. Don't feel bad if you have delays. I have a work in process log from 2008; I've got to be the recordholder in that respect. Also, check out the builds by RGL. He also works in 1:350 plastic, and shows fantastic weathering techniques. Alan
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Hi Mark, We just purchased a home in Brownsville. I figured there'd be a group or two in the Portland area, but not sure about Eugene/Salem area. Alan
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It's great to see another Idahoan joining the group. It sounds like the local group Mercator mentioned is a good one. I'd join myself, but will be moving to Oregon in about a week due to my job. Alan
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Just a quick note about copper tape. This zoomed-in photo shows the copper tape I used for my Syren. The tape was applied around 2008 or 2009. In the middle section, you can see where "flaking" is taking place. I'm not sure if all copper tape is like this or not. Alan
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When I was around 40, I was visiting my parents over the holidays and was in "my" room working on one of the little quarter gallery pieces for my Syren. (I used to carry a small toolbox wherever I went with parts I could work on during downtime). My older sister happened to stick her head in at one point, observed what I was doing, and proclaimed "you won't be able to do that much longer". As you can imagine, my verbal reply to her was more polite than the reply in my head).... But, I blew off what she said, and didn't think anything of it. I'd always been able to hold small pieces in my hands without magnification and work on them with perfect clarity. Now that I'm in my 50's, I dearly wish I could have my 40's eyesight again! I think it is indeed important to encourage younger modelers to enjoy the hobby as much as possible in their free time, as our abilities decline incrementally over time. Alan
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Thanks Druxey, I really enjoyed the content on that page. Alan
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If you have time, check out Netsuke carving on YouTube. It's just unreal what some of those artists carve; I think they mostly all have to create their own tools tho. Alan
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The bottom-most pieces on each side give me the shivers on the difficulty scale. The carvings look great! Alan
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This is fantastic! I'm wondering if there should be an old oil can on the bench along with an old coffee can to hold misc bolts? Alan
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Welcome! I'll be joining you in the rain in a few months. Currently in Idaho, and moving to Salem "ish" area for a new job. Looking forward to your Swift log. If you are redoing sections of the older kits with higher quality wood, they should come out great. Alan
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Man those sails look fantastic. I've always shied away from incorporating sails because mine always looked like old undershirts. It would be great if Tom provided a tutorial. That's probably one of the least-understood skills (I think) in ship modeling. Alan
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Fascinating times. My aunt was a WASP in WWII, and may have flown these. I definitely remember hearing that she flew Mustangs. As a little kid, I was very intimidated by her. She was as tough as nails. Alan
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