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KenW

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Everything posted by KenW

  1. KenW
    Thanks for the comments. I wasn't thinking about making those buckets. They look to be really small. Salty Dog did a fantastic job on them. Kudos to him!
  2. KenW
    Hey Jon. Yes, they are individual slats of redheart. They are glued around a dowel. Black artist's paper is wrapped around to give it a barrel look. Cheers.
  3. KenW
    Thanks Augie & the 'likes'. I really don't like the dye cast deck furniture.
  4. KenW
    I scratch build two bulge pumps based on the Hann and Campbell plans. I made sure that the size of them were as per the plans. They aren’t balanced too well but when they are placed on the model I will pin them. Attaching the wires was challenging. I had to flatten the wire and then either notch the flat part, or drill a hole in the flat part. But it all worked.
  5. KenW
    Hey Jon. Thanks for your comment. My binnacle is fairly close to the size on the Hann plans. The overall width is 1/8 inch wider, and the height is 3/32" higher. I guess my captain has a bigger compass. Cheers.
  6. KenW
    I’m ready to start planking above the wales, but the order of boxwood I made specified the wrong size. So I have to wait for a new shipment. While waiting, I decided to work on some deck furniture – first up is the binnacle. I didn’t like the dye-cast metal binnacle provided by MS on the Fair American, and the one provided with the Rattlesnake is no better. So, again, I made my own from scratch. I tried to model it after the one shown on Plate 1 of the Hann plans. I added a smoke stack as seen on the Campbell plan because I like its look. Next I will attempt the pumps.
  7. KenW
    Thanks Augie. I'm not worried about taking the hull in the car to NJ. However, I have a well designed contraption for when taking the completed Fail American to the club meeting in this past March. Cheers.
  8. KenW
    The gun ports have been framed with Redheart wood form Crown Timberyard. Their wood is excellent. I also pinned two strakes for the wales. I want to make sure that I have their precise location correct. And, since Tuesday’s meeting at my ship model club is, “Bring a Model Night”, I will bring the model so I can get feedback from the guys in the club. I’m worried that the final positioning of the wales, as well as other parts of the hull, are based on whether they ‘look right’. I don’t know if I have that much confidence in ‘my eye’. In the meantime, I’ve started making deck furniture. You can see the red hue from the Redheart wood.
  9. KenW
    Well, I'm going to have everyone to realize how much of an idiot I am. I found the definition of a sheer as, "the upward sweep of the deck or bulwarks of a vessel". So, are you saying that the bottom (or top) of the wales goes from the level of the deck at the stern and stem, down to the water line at the middle of the vessel? And the curve must "look right"? Thanks.
  10. KenW
    Chuck: Your model has all the qualities that we should be striving for. But, I have a question - On my current model, I'm almost ready to begin planking the outer hull. What is the best way to locate the bottom edge of the wales when there are no laser etched reference marks on each bulkhead? My kit, and I suspect most kits, don't have these helpful marks. Thanks.
  11. KenW
    Thanks for your reply. I don't know too much about varnish; most modelers seem to use "Wipe on Poly" as their finish. I used that on my last build and am planning to use it on the Rattlesnake. There might be an issue of using oil products on acrylic products. Note that I will be painting the wales and other parts black. Cheers.
  12. KenW
    Hey Scott. I also put furled sails on my last model. I found that they folded better after the cloth was put through the washing machine a couple of times. I found the whole process annoying, but the result very rewarding. Cheers.
  13. KenW
    Thanks Scott; and augie, russ and rafine for the 'likes'. It will all look better once it's planked. Cheers.
  14. KenW
    I completed the horizontal framing of the gun ports. And I think the line of the lower sills looks good. The top of the upper sills aren’t sanded yet and the insides are not faired. And, I may still make some modifications once the vertical frames are added. The wood I used is redheart since my son doesn’t want me to use any paint on the model. The color isn’t bad; although my working space is getting a red hue to it. Again the wood from Crown Timberyard is excellent.
  15. KenW
    Again, a time when a few 'likes' is totally insufficient. Outstanding - even by your high standards.
  16. KenW
    Gary: The ME directions MAY prove helpful in your efforts to understand your kit's instructions. So, if you need, my offer still stands. Cheers.
  17. KenW
    Hey Gary. I empathize with you. Another solution is to get the Model Expo Ship's Boat that is the right size and use it. Jsgerson's log will help you with that. Or, since the construction method seems to be similar, (I don't understand all that verbiage), if you use the MSW Messenger to send me your email address, I will send you a copy of the ME directions which you might be able to use. Just a thought.
  18. KenW
    If you check out my Rattlesnake build you will see the ship's boat I made using the same method. The directions provided were clearer, however. But maynbe my photos will help you. At least I hope they do. Cheers.
  19. KenW
    Right. See the drawing by Geoff Hurst of the HMS Surprise when Jack O'Brien died.
  20. KenW
    Thanks Nils and Eric. I'm considering filler blocks, and I'm worried about the area above the batten between bulkhead A and the stem. Not much to grab onto there. I will have to wait and see how the fairing of the gun port frames goes and act accordingly. Cheers.
  21. KenW
    Hey Gary - Good luck on your new build. Cheers.
  22. KenW
    I thought I had finished fairing the hull. I began framing the gun ports; but looking at them, I thought they didn’t look right. After some questions to Chuck Passaro on his Cheerful log, I learn that the shape of the gun ports is critical. The sides must be parallel to the bulkheads, while the top and bottom must be parallel to the deck. Thus, they are not a perfect square. So I measured the distance from the deck at each bulkhead ad added a batten running the entire length of the hull. I was surprised at the result. Not only did the ‘run’ of the battens look ‘off’, but I saw peaks and valleys in my fairing. So I ripped out the gun port frames I had already completed and started the fairing process again. I now think that I have the hull faired properly and when I re-attached the battens, the run of the gun port sills looks good. I’m a bit nervous since how the ‘run of the gun ports‘ look is subjective. I can only hope my ‘eye’ is up to snuff. But it looks right to me and I will have to go with that. It seems that it is more important to look right than to measure right. Also, this model is intended for my youngest son. He doesn’t want anything painted. I told him that at least the wales would be painted black, but I would see what I could do about the rest. I obtained some redheart wood from Jason at Crowntimber, a new company trying to pick up the slack from HobbyMill’s going out of business. The wood strips are excellent and I recommend his wood. I also received boxwood, swiss pear and holly. I believe it is the same high quality as HobbyMill used to be. I don’t know that the photos show the difference in the fairing, but I hope that the ‘run of the port sills’ can be seen.
  23. KenW
    Great work as usual. Whenever I attempt to cut and file the square section, I can never get a proper square. The angles are always off. Do you have any shortcuts/advise? Thanks.
  24. KenW
    Thanks.. And also the run of the planks is not the same as the run of the port sills. And the final 'decision' is based on wheather or not it looks right. Not very objective. Yes? You have to have a lot of patience.
  25. KenW
    I've started framing the gun ports on my model and have a question. It seems that your top and bottom of the ports run parallel to the deck and the sides are parallel to the bulkheads. That would mean, on my Rattlesnake, that some of the gun ports are NOT a perfectly square. The angles aren't all 90 degrees. Is that correct? My deck rises at the bow at a steeper angle than your Cheerful. How will that affect the gun port lids? Or am I doing it all wrong? Thanks.

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