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barkeater

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Everything posted by barkeater

  1. barkeater
    I'm not a fan of pin pushers or nailing unless it is the first planking of a double planked model. I clamp instead. Sometimes you have to get inventive depending on what you are doing. It helps to have a variety of clamps. You can clamp a piece of scrap wood to apply pressure. I also use have used multiple clamps with scrap wood or the butt ends of microfiles to jerry-rig clamping when a single clamp does not work. Nails can split the wood especially if you have to use a lot of torque to get the piece to lie flat. You also are left with a hole to deal with. If you treenail you can fill but you have to only nail where your treenail pattern would be (for me 2 holes at the butt and 1 hole about every four feet to scale). Alternatively you can use wood glue. Let it sit until it starts to thicken then place on your plank and use your fingers to clamp. Usually a count to 100 will do the trick. For tough angles such as the front or rear quarter of the hull where it is angling in you may have to hold for a count of 300 but the glue will take. I do not use ca as it stains and I do not paint my hulls.
  2. barkeater
    I double plank. Besides allowing you to even out any imperfections it also gives you more strength to the hull. While this may not be as important on a schooner, with models having bulwarks above the deck cannon ports, hawser holes or any other perforation in the hull it is a big benefit.
  3. barkeater
    I do one thing at a time. I scratch build and have to fabricate as I go along which means that some pieces have to wait until others are done in order to get the dimensions right. As an example, my current build is a two decker and I can't build the capstan until I have the exact height of the main/gun deck set. There are some things I could do such as carriages but one thing at a time works for me and helps to keep my clutter down.
  4. barkeater
    Now I see pics in this link. Big job but your restoration really looks great.
  5. barkeater
    For the metal sheave, you can also use a round metal punch to cut out 2 pieces of brass or other metal plate. Then punch a hole in the center, blacken and place in your block. Not as elegant but it works if you don't have the power tools.
  6. barkeater
    If you are looking for plans to complete it, you could try looking through the National Maritime Collection Greenwich England site. You probably won't find the exact plans but you may find plans close enough to go on.
  7. barkeater
    In the United States there are quite a few places you can get 20-24 inch pieces in 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 thickness. The 1/8 is what I use for planking as it is between 3 and 4 mm. which fits my scale. The thicker pieces I use for things like cap rails. It depends on your scale. Larger pieces can also be ripped down to what you need. There are also a some places that sell wood strips in various thicknesses and widths although the variety of wood types is not as great as buying wood pieces and ripping them. As far as how much to have on hand, the ready availability allows one to just order what you need allowing for waste rather than stockpiling. Ships take months or years to complete so there is plenty of time to order new wood.
  8. barkeater
    I just can't bring myself to paint over the thousands of treenails I made, drilled and installed. I try to paint as little as possible. I like the look of wood and use different species of wood to try to get close to what I think the paint schemes were and to highlight the different areas (eg. wales). Current build so far has walnut, bubinga, ebony, rose wood, yellow heart, red heart, cherry and beech. But this is just me and to each his own. It is whatever makes you happy.
  9. barkeater
    I have and it works however I feel that soaking and then bending works better. If you do it be careful to not come in contact with the steam. I did a piece of Bolivian Rosewood and let the steam hit my face. The next morning I woke up with what looked like poison ivy on my face.
  10. barkeater
    You could also try duck decoy carvers as this is what is commonly used.
  11. barkeater
    A case will cost you several hundred dollars. You can use an air puffer to blow dust off and keep it looking fairly respectable. Is a case worth it? That is up to the individual and I would think that most people would only case models which they have built.
  12. barkeater
    Scott Hello from Monmouth County.
  13. barkeater
    Watered down wood glue here.
  14. barkeater
    Added little details such as an anchor buoy can add to the overall appearance of a ships model. Being an avid fly fisherman I came up with this solution. I used a strike indicator (bobber) which is used in nymphing. They have a slot down the middle which you can use to form your two loops then double back to the far end and wind your line around the buoy towards you. I found it easiest to stop half way and cover with watered down white glue. Hold it in place either with fingers or a clamp if you have one that will work. Let it dry then finish the other half and tuck the free tag into the slot after applying the glue mixture. Let it dry again then attach your coiled line. Strike indicators come in 3 sizes so you can choose one to fit your scale.
  15. barkeater
    If I remember correctly, the naval battle itself was watched by a crowd on shore along the nearby cliffs. Jones had been raiding isolated seaports along the coast of England and Scotland much to the consternation of the British Government and terrifying the local populations. It may not have sunk in shallow waters the battle was close to land.
  16. barkeater
    "Rigging Period Ship Models" by Lennarth Peterson shows deck belaying plans. There were standards to follow like most things in the navy at that time which could be modified to fit the needs and peculiarities of individual vessels (example- bomb ketch).
  17. barkeater
    Yes, great pictures. Thanks.
  18. barkeater
    Love the tiller with blocks and rope work. Nicely done detail.
  19. barkeater
    On mini files, The hobby shops near me sell two types, a fine tooth and a coarser or larger tooth. The finer will take off wood slowly and give it a smoother surface. The larger toothed is when you want to take off a lot of wood. Be careful with these larger tooth files. Go lightly until you get used to them and the particular type of wood you are using them on. They can take off wood quick and also can splinter an edge or pull off small pieces along the edge. I have: round, flat, semi round and flat, triangular and square and I use them all. I don' bother with a handle as I feel I can get better control of the file by holding it in my fingers. I use fine tooth a lot more than the coarse. Those are fine tooth in my picture above.
  20. barkeater
    Not an expert but I vote shroud. I don't remember ever having seen it whipped to the lanyard.
  21. barkeater
    Absolute necessary tools: Small saw and mitre box, scalpel or hobby knife, flexible ruler with metric and inches, micro files of various shapes, different clamps including the ones attached to your hands, sand paper and not for you but for me 5x magnification glasses. You can build any kit with just these tools. My advise is not to go overboard. Just get the minimum and add when you see something that you really need. Otherwise you wind up with a drawer of tools that just gather dust.
  22. barkeater
    Cool, I always wondered how card was done.
  23. barkeater
    Old school keel holder. I don't know how everyone else does it but I hold my model on my lap as I secure planks and use the frame/holder just to set it in when not working to keep it from warping
  24. barkeater
    Thanks for the ideas. It will remain a mystery. If I try to picture three dimensionally from the drawing, I see a raised letter H sort of with shorter upper limbs placed on a flat background. For the life of me I can not figure out why other than decorative but the configuration would not help water runoff so why this shape? I like the idea of stamped lead and would guess maybe copper.
  25. barkeater
    I've been looking at the plans for the Unite 1796 concerning the quarter galley roof and I'd be interested to know what the roof was made out of. It looks like it might be metal given the drawing has the appearance of a pattern to the pieces. However Goodwin in "Construction and Fitting of the Sailing Man of War 1650-1850" indicates that they were plank and frame although he notes construction details are unknown. I wonder if they were shingled over with cast metal given the appearance of the drawing. Ideas? Opinions?

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