bear

It realy comes down to just how many blades you use. I worked in a Tool and Die shop for the last 43 years,we had two bandsaws,with blade welders on each saw. They were electric and buttwelded the blades together.

The main things to get right are:

grinding the two ends square to each other

setting of the spring preasure that pushes the two ends together when the welding was done

annealing the blade after welding

grinding the weld seam down to even with the blade

Annealing the blade AGAIN after grinding

using the correct tension on the blade in use-too little will alow the blade to come off the wheels,too much will break the blade

I have worked with toolmakers that never could get a blade weld to hold. They just did not have an eye for seeing the right color of the blade when annealing-which is the heat range that you need to have-going thru blue to dull red,that's what worked out for me on our welders.

I have not seen them silver soldered,only electric welded by a blade welder.

A welder will not be cheap,so if you only use 5-6 blades a year,and do not saw out holes in parts,stay with the premade blades,find the correct lenght and maybe find a tool supplier in your area that makes up blades .They might be cheaper than ones that are premade one's.

The learning curve on bandsaw welding can be a long and fruitless indevore if you do not have the skill and luck in hitting the right combinations to welding a blade that wears outwithout breaking.

Note-a correctly welded blade should not break before it wears out,and even then it should not break.

AND MOST IMPORTANT_DO NOT USE YOUR FINGERS TO PUSH ANTHING THRU A SAW_ALWAYS USE A STICK THAT IS AT LEAST 4" THICK AND AWAY FROM WHERE YOU ARE PUSHING ON IT. THAT WAY IT WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO STOP PUSHING AFTER IT GOES THRU WHAT YOU ARE CUTTING BEFORE IT GETS TO YOUR FINGERS AND HAND!!!!!!!!

i have been using machines in a shop since I was only 8 years old,and I still have ALL of my fingers and use of them. I have seen too many guys lose fingers and other parts to various machines. The saw is one of the most dangerous and unforgiving.

Just see how fast a frozen hotdog can be cut thru with a saw blade. A skip tooth will realy show you just how fast it can cut,faster than you can pull back from trying to push thru a wood part when it goes thru a soft spot.

Sorry about the lecture,but I have seen too many guys bleeding and having to order 5 beers using two hands instead of just five fingers on one hand.

Keith

Hi

I am just finishing up on my build of this kit. These are what I would say were the critical parts and their steps in importance in the build of this kit.

!- straight keel

2-bulkheads set level with the top of the keel,which will be the deck.To me this is what you will build the rest of the ship off of. You will go off of the deck for the height of the top rail,base the whale shape and level. 

3-the side to side of the bulkheads -center them up as close as possible-open up the slot in the middle to be able to move them. There are a couple in the middle that are not wide enough tho. Add strips to them,so that when you fair them in with the others,that you will have wood to even them up. Same goes with the tops of the bulkheads. Not all will be the right height,or thick eneogh after you start to fair in the shape of the hull.

Add strips to where you end up too short or wide.

The reason that you need to strt out with the deck level,and not going with the outside bottom of the bulkheads is that you can add or take off of the outside surfaces of the bulkheads in an easy way.

To level out the deck is NOT EASY TO DO- you do not have an open area to work with first off,then you have the thin basswood upper bulkhead tops that break when you just look at them.

So do yourself a favor to start out with,base your build with the top of the keel and all of the bulkhead deck surfaces level to each other-taper the bulkheads deck surfaces to match the curvature of the deck fore and aft and port to starboard before go to gluing.

After the deck is level,you need to make sure the bulkheads are 90 deg. to the keel,note the bulkheads might have a slight curve to them,not flat across,if they are not flat across,just make sure that they are even on each side.

Have fun,just take the time to start off on a level deck,it will realy make to rest of the build  an easy build.

Keith

I remeber when in 1971 Hotstuff Ca came out for use in RC planes. I used it for joining 1/16 and 1/32 balsa sheets together on edge for sheeting the front leading edges of wings on my 12 and 14 foot wingspan gliders. It was so great to be able to edge glue the sheets together instantly,just going down the seam.

It was named Hot Stuff for a reason,when the CA would link up and harden,it created enough heat to cause a "smoke" comming up from the wood where it was used. I still have a couple of these gliders,and the CA has stood up to the years and stress of the bending and warping of the wings in flying. Which is a lot more stress than of a static ship model's rigging or planking.

I still build gliders and use Ca only for tacking some parts in place. Tite Bond PVA and slow setting epxoy for the wing spar laminations is still the way to go. With full size aircraft- resorsinal (sorry about the spelling) is still the only FAA approved way to join wood.But you have to have tight joints for it to work best.

As for rigging,I only use Ca in very few areas,because of the fumes from the CA and the lack of working time,and how it makes the joint brittle.

Sometimes the old way still can be the best way. PVA is still the best all around way to go. But Ca has in my building stood thew test of time in my Glider building and long term use of 43 years in a couple of my RC Gliders.

Keith

Hi Max

Your build looks great. I have the Caroline also.As for the brass castings of the figures,I plan to replace the heads and faces with metal and plastic ones from figures that have full details of the face that I have found. The one's that they give you in the kit are what I would term as "Blob Faces".

I just wish that we could buy an aftermarket set for us that are not up to sculpting our own replacements. I just hate to do a good job on the rest of the build and then have to use these clunky brass castings,and since they will catch your eye first,they realy do not come up to the curent standards of model building.

I enjoy following your build progress,and take notes for when I work on my kit in the future.

Thanks

Keithl

Hi Steve

I finished my build months ago. Our building group at our now closed hobby shop built the Philadelphia as the thrid group build. I bought hte two books on the Philadelphia,one had the Smithsonian prints in it. I put all of the nails in my model. There are over 2,500 .025 square nails in my hull. I drilled all of the holes first with a .022 dia. drill. Then I opened the round hole with a .028 square pin. I then put in .025 square white Evergreen styrene plastic into each hole. I used Titebond to hold them in. When I put them in,I left them about 1/16" aboue the serface of the planks.

I then cut them down so that they were about .025 above the surface. After staining the hull in it's first coat,I then sanded them down to where they are .015-.010 above the surface. After the rest of the hull and decks were finished,I then using a steel colored Gundamn paint pen-painted each of the "nails"

It looks great,you can then use more stain to highlight there the nails are,and how the wood ould discolor around each one.

I used the pans from the Smithsonian to change the details on the boat from the kit's to represent a true scale model of the Philadelphia. I also used .032 red oak veneer with a .o32 basswood as backing for the oak planks on the hull and deck. All this took about 8 months of steady work. I also added grain deatil to the basswood that I used,so that it looks like oak.

As for the hull planks,I first made the planks to fit the hull in the .032 basswood,then I would glue the oak veneer to the plank,while it was flat and sandwiched between two steel rulers with clamps,to keep it from warping while drying. Then I would trim the oversized oak veneer to the plank outline and fasten it to the hull frames.

Keith

Still would like a simple answer-what is the scale of the Amati new Revenge kit?

Thanks

Keith

What scale is the kit? And should we look for it before 2015?

Keith

Thanks for the links.

They are just a start of what I am looking for. Now to find out what differences there were in buoys from various countries and era's in shapes,rigging of the netting and how they were rigged to anchors.

And differences in military and merchant ships.

Just as it always is-an answer to a question is just a single seed that starts the planting of a field of knowledge in ship model building.

Thanks

Keith

Hi Guys

Trying to find details of anchor buoys used on ships in the 1700's. What were there shapes,sizes,colors and rigging used to attach them to anchors and rigging.

Thanks

Keith

Hi

I have the DJ Parkins PE sets for my Flower Class Corvette build also.

After spending the amount on the PE sets,do yourself a favor by getting a resistance soldering outfit. You will need it with the large brass sections that you will be soldering to. Just using an iron will not work out very well for you. You need the direct area heating that the resistance soldering will provide you.

As to annealing the PE. only anneal what you must have to. It's better to leave the brass as hard as you can,so that it is not easy to bend after you have it in place. Get a good PE bender setup,that will get you past 99% of the bends that you would  need to anneal without one.

I have been working off and on my Corvette for 12 years now. I have about 40 % of it completed. Adding rivets to all of the hull plates took most of the time.

Play around with soldering brass BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT the PE ofr the kit. Become adept at small parts being soldered to large ones and use different melting point solder where you have multiple parts being soldered in a small area. Starting with the largest with the highest melting point first,then reduce the heat on the iron to just melt the next lower melting point solder. Again practice this before doing the kit parts.

You have spent too much on these PE sets to not take your time. Be upset when practicing,not when you are working on the kit PE. I was there before I purchased my resistance soldering unit. I have soldering irons that now just gather dust,while my resistance unit gets the workout.

Keith

Hi Dave

When you want them pulled up tight to the bulkward in the out of action and ready for heavy seas. Saves 4 blocks and makes it easy to produce a very neat rig.

But there will be one's who will want to keel haul you for not doing it as the real rigging.

For those guy's I say-do it as you want,but just look at Dave's rigging,and tell me if you did not know just how it was done,could you realy tell the difference? I would rather do it Dave's way and have great looking rigging.

I just did my Armed Virginis Sloop guns rigging a while back with the guns run out ready to fire. I would have used this way to rig a couple of guns to show the different ways that guns are rigged.

 On my USF Confederacy build in the future will be when I use this way of rigging some of my guns. In 1/64 scale,this will be a great help.

Thanks for passing this rigging technique along to us.

Keith

Hi

Looking to replace my work table light.Need one that is very bright and one that is on an adjustable arm. My table is in a room that I cannot put a large light above it from the ceiling,only on a stand from the table top,or clamp on the edge.

Thanks

Keith

Hello Nigel

I have the Caldercraft Mary Rose kit,I am not familar with who and what you are talking about for the Mary Rose.

I would be interested in revising the kit to what would be a more accurate rendering if who's making it is delivering thier kits on time and at a reasonable price.

Living in the States,I do not know who Black Pearl is and what thier reputaion is. Please educate me.

Thanks

Keith from Troutdale,Oregon USA

Hi Captin Al

Try using Testors Dullcote Lacquer on a sample section made up of some scraps. I have used it on basswood and have liked the results. If it is too yellow for you,add some brown to tint it. I have used it on basswood decking on myMSW's Armed Virginia Sloop and it looks very nice.

I used a Brown Gundam Marker paint pen to simulate the caulking between planks.Painted the edges of each side and end of the planks(the ends were sealed to prevent the end grain from wicking up the paint). The Dullcote did not have any effect on the Gundam paint.

The Dullcote Lacquer doesn't leave a thick layer of paint either.I put down three thin coats with sanding between. Then let the deck cure for a week. Then I lightly sanded to even out the final coat,leaving it with a satin finish.

If you want a glosseir finish,just rub it out with a polishing stick,it will gloss up with little effort. Remember-make up several deck samples with exactly what you have on your ship,and use different paints to find the combination that YOU LIKE and WANT!!!

Remeber also that with the time we all spend on a ship doing the samples to find out what works and what you like is time well spent.

Keith

It's the area where the real skills of one's  patience is found out. 

If it's just looks you want-whatever way you can do it.

But it is a right of passage of model ship building and rigging. The combined talents  needed to ge all the deadeyes  level is the goal of every builder. And once it is accomplished is like learning to ride a bike. Once done it is easyer every time.

And if its a three masted ship,by the time you have the last set of deadeyes completed,you can now go back to the first and see how you have improved in each preceeding shroud. And if you can not stand it,it's time to redue the ones that bug you. The human eye can see diferences that are very small when things are side by side.

Just think how skilled the riggers of full size ships are to get their deadeyes level. Then you realize that size doesn't realy matter-to get perfection is always a challange to the skills that you have.

Keith

Hi Norman

Found one in California and ordered it. I'm in Oregon so it will be here in a couple of days. Thanks for the recomendations. I'll let you know how I am doing on my search for material and my build.

Thanks

Keith

Hi Norman

Thanks for the reference,I already have the book. His build is truely a gem.

Keith

I will be starting an Admiralty Style ship build in 1/48 scale.

My question is,if the wood used in building up of the seperate frames does not show much contrast,is it acceptable to lightly use the same method as used in showing caulking between planks on the deck,to show where the different parting lines are in the makeup of the frames?

In just looking at photos in books and online of Admiralty Style models I do not see where the frames have been made of parts,but they look like they are just one solid piece of wood.

Is it that that detail does not show up in the photos?

With all of the work that will go into the seperate frames,I would like to be able to show others just how many parts go into the building of a real ship,and the frames that make them up.

Is it a tradition to just depend on the color of the wood and the glue seam itself to show off the differences in parts?

Or is it kosher to just do what looks good to the builder?

If it comes out like I want it to,and if I were to enter it in a ship contest,would highlighting the parts that go into the frames be a very negative thing to have done?

Are there any examples that you could direct me to to show the differnt types-ones that have highlighted the seams,and ones that show only the wood diferences.

Looking forward to your advice and opinions.

Thanks

Keith

Hi Max

Welcome to the Royal Caroline builders here . I have just purchased mine last month and have the frames on the keel.

For reference I have the AOTS Royal Caroline book.

Right now waiting to finish my other builds before realy getting into the Caroline build. And looking forward to getting castings of the carvings from Nigel in the future for it.

Keith

When coiling the gun tackel rope,is it always done in a perfect coil when it's on a privateer vers an established naval vessel?

I am coiling my tackel ropes for my Armed Virginia Sloop and wanted to know if they all should be perfect coils with no differences between them like on a naval ship,or would they have variations,with some rope laping over in a radom way,being coiled in a round,but not in a one layer perfect circle?

Thanks

Keith 

Hello

A must have is the" automatic flying parts catcher" . It's a cross between an NHL Champion goaly and a Frisbee catching dog,the Goaly talents for stopping a part from going off the table and the catching skills of the dog to catch the parts that get thru the first line of defence.

OH- and most important is the Bloodhound searching skills to find the parts that get thru the first two lines of Parts Flying Away Defence. And to find them when you need them, and not after you have scratch made a replacement part and already used it in your build.

I thought that I had seen the "Automatic Parts Catcher" on Youtube,but cannot find it now. Let me and all other model builders where they can get this valuable addition to the work bench.

The real test is for the PE parts that you cut off of the fret, they have a will to fly that is only  challanged by anEagle or Hawk!

Good luck all.

Keith

Hello

Why not just paint and dry brush it the colors of green that it would be when it's oxidized? A lot simpler method and safer for you and the model.

If you try to use acids to produce the result you want now,' it will continue to corode the copper on the surface and under it without any control on your part. So in the future you might end up with a real mess on your hands-like the copper falling off the model or worse.

Leave the chemicals alone and be in control using paint to create the effect that you want. It's not like a bronze or copper casting that an artist uses acids on to give age to. By using heat along with the chemicals. You are talking about a model with wood under the copper and other materials and glues. Do you know how the chemicals that you use will migrait thru the wood and how will the vapors affect the rest of the model?

Think lone and hard before you risk what you have spent hundreds of hours working on, on a method that you have no long time record of.

Keith

Found out already,looked up the banned MFG's. Will not even look any further as to ZHL,sorry to take up space in this last posting.

Keith

Hello

Just want to know if anyone has this kit,or any experence with buying it from ZHL in China?  Are they reputable to deal with?

The photos look great,but is the real kit like the photos? Is there anyone outside of China that is reputable that handles this kit?

Looks light years better than the Panart kit,but is it just to rip one off?

Please let me know if they are on the up and up.

Thanks

Keith

Hi

Try a croche hook's for a glue aplicator. They come in very small hook sizes. They work great for either Ca or PVA glues. Also can be used on glues for plastic models.

I use a number 13 for small areas.

Keith