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barkeater
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Everything posted by barkeater
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Modelers Central carries Beech strips. Just checked and they have 14 different sizes in 950 mm lengths. Unfortunately, in 1 mm the widest they have is 5 mm. I've ordered from them before and was satisfied with product and shipping time. Rich
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I third Chuck's recommendation. If you want to see what beech decking looks like, look in thread "snapshot of members current builds". I've put a few pictures of L'Unite in there as I've been doing the build and it has beech planking. Rich i also secom
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My newest Challenge
barkeater replied to James Flynn's topic in Building, Framing, Planking and plating a ships hull and deck
The right side is the bow, and the left is the stern in the first image top left. The figure directly below is a puzzle to me as it is different. Maybe somebody else knows. Also, the lines are not the ribs but rather depict the contour of the ship. Ribs are more numerous however if you are going to do a plank on bulkhead and not a plank on frame, you can use the lines for your bulkheads. Richard This was already answered as I was formulating an answer. Did not intend to repeat. -
Problems with blackening brass
barkeater replied to Desertanimal's topic in Metal Work, Soldering and Metal Fittings
The brass blackening agents work as a powder coating on the surface and therefore could be and was pulled off when you stuck tape on. You can help keep the powder coating on by using a sealant. I always give any blackened part an overcoat of Testor's Dulcote (non-shiny) which locks it in. The more you handle blackened parts the greater the risk of removing the coating and I would never use tape on them. Richard -
Hello. I'm assuming that you want to use the pin pusher for planking. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Having said that, you will find two groups of people here, those that use pins and those that don't. I'm in the latter group. I use an electric plank bender to get the shape to the plank I'm working on and then just glue it with wood glue. If correctly formed you can just hold it place for a minute and move on. For really tricky spots add a tiny bit of cyanoacrylate which sets up in seconds but be careful as it stains wood and is hard to sand out as it penetrates. With pins, you risk splitting the wood and, in most cases, they have to be removed. Pins also leave holes so if you are doing your second layer in a double planked model you then have to deal with the holes. I do use pins to attach furniture and where I want to simulate a bolt, but that is about it. I do use tree nails on my second planking but here I glue the plank in place then drill a hole with a pine vise and insert the tree nail. For your info, a #72 drill bit usually works well with the pins you get. Have fun and best of luck. Richard
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As a follow up, this is a green wing teal hen made from basswood. I used gesso from an art store and painted over. None of the detail was lost. Notice that you can make out each individual barb on the feathers which had been burned into the wood using a hot knife. I don't know if this would work for you but gesso, at least in my hands, does not obscure detail and gets rid of the fuzzies. Richard
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Duck carvers who use basswood almost exclusively use gesso as an undercoat to acrylic paint. It gets rid of the fuzzies and gives a nice clean surface to paint over. I don't use basswood except internally, and I don't paint my models except decorative pieces, but I have used it in carving decoys, and it worked. Richard
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You are talking about the checkerboard pattern floor covering depicted in captain's cabins. This was made from painted sail canvas. Richard
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In answer to the matte finish question,. The one I use Testors Dulcoate is brushed on. It does coat nice and evenly if that was your concern.
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Rik, To get the best results, put the parts in acetone (nail polish remover), then into distilled water and finally into the blackener after drying. Don't touch with your hands. I coat them after drying with a matte finish (testors dulcoate) which I feel helps to lock in the coating. If I have not gotten sufficient blackening when I take them out of the blackening agent, I just leave them in longer. Also, the thicker the wire I'm using seems to take longer. I can't think of an explanation for this, it is just an observation. Finally, I've found that even though two pieces are supposed to be the same metal (brass, copper, silver) if they are from different sources they will blacken differently. Your model looks great. Rich
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To work with, I like walnut a little better than mahogany. However, color wise, mahogany gets my nod and the color contrast in your case might be more attractive than walnut alone. Since I don't see a big difference in usage between the two, I would favor going with mahogany. Richard
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Working with blackend brass.
barkeater replied to SiriusVoyager's topic in Metal Work, Soldering and Metal Fittings
Here's a pic of the chain plates. This is of the Unite as refit 1796 by the British which I'm currently working on, and the empty chain plate is as depicted on the original French design. Richard
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Working with blackend brass.
barkeater replied to SiriusVoyager's topic in Metal Work, Soldering and Metal Fittings
I bend the chain plate piece around the deadeye how I want it first. Then I pop the deadeye out and do my soldering and attach any other meatal segments if it is a multi-piece chain plate. I then blacken and coat it with varnish (Testors dull coat) which helps to lock in the blackening since it is a powder coating. I then reinsert the deadeye. I haven't had a problem doing it this way. I make the circle fairly tight but I'm able to squeeze back in the deadeyes. As I recently said in another thread, I use silver wire, but this should not make a difference. Richard -
Brass wire: it bends, it breaks!
barkeater replied to Mollusc's topic in Metal Work, Soldering and Metal Fittings
As an alternative, you can use silver wire sold for jewelry making. It is stronger than the brass wire sold in craft stores and comes in a variety of gauges and hardness. It solders well using silver solder paste and blackens nicely with brass black. I use it instead of brass wire. Richard -
First timer introduction and needing some advice
barkeater replied to Stuka's topic in New member Introductions
Good choice. Have fun. Richard -
I use 5x glasses which can be bought for about $10 on line. I fly fish and also use them for fly tying and keep a pair on me when fishing to tie on tiny flies. Richard
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Amazing some of the **** you learn here.😁
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These are ships boats I've been working on. The oars were made from a thin dowel from a craft store (Hobby Lobby) for the shaft and a strip of cherry for the blade. The scale is 1/48. I don't know what scale you are working on. Rich
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Proxxon mini lathe verdict
barkeater replied to Srenner's topic in Modeling tools and Workshop Equipment
Just to be clear, I have the Proxxon db250 which online goes for $230-270 with one add for $97, although with that price I would be quite skeptical. I forgot how much I paid but it was well worth it in time spent and the decreased wear on my wrists given the dozen or so yards I did as well as the ornamental balustrades on my current model. Rich -
Proxxon mini lathe verdict
barkeater replied to Srenner's topic in Modeling tools and Workshop Equipment
I have the Proxxon and use the add on 3 jaw chuck like Rob. The pass-through ability is key as it allows for longer stock and helps avoid whipping. The two shown by Gregory don't seem to have this pass-through feature. Overall, I'm well satisfied with it and the money I spent. I've done larger oversize pieces down to 3-4 mm thickness. Rich -
The problem with using CA for planking is that it stains any exposed surface and is just about impossible to sand out because it penetrates. This persists when you overcoat with varnish or shellac. A stain can even be seen when you paint over the area because you lose the grain of the surface as it is replaced by plastic. A good rule of thumb is to use PVA on wood or any wood product such as paper and leave the CA for bonding metal or plastic to wood. You can use it where you need a quick bond but if you've shaped your wood beforehand this is rarely necessary. PVA clamped by hand if you can't get a mechanical clamp on it and counting count to 100 usually is enough to hold your bond. Rich
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I do not pin or glue my yards and don't have a problem in getting them how I want them. Since I've never done it, I can't say from experience but the thought of drilling holes in my masts after they have been stepped makes me nervous. Another example of different modelers taking different approaches. Rich
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I can't really add much to what Steve said. Hopefully you can figure out most of it by comparing the instruction list to the dimensions of the wood supplied along with the quantity supplied for each. I would add that walnut, can also be used for the second planking. Rich
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For identification try The Wood Database which lists many different types with pictures. To identify I really need to see the grain. I do wonder if the dark grey/black wood is dyed. The dowels are probably birch. The brown wood is probably walnut and or mahogany. The light colored could be bass or not. Hopefully someone here has built this kit. Good luck, and welcome to ship building. Rich
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I realize that others have shown this or similar. Mondfeld's was an easy reference point to illustrate what I was talking about in a widely owned and relatively cheap book. Rich
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