jhearl

I recently purchased the 2" Quick Vise, #1276 from Little Machine Shop. Thought I'd give a quick review. Here's the "executive summary" - DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!
 
The vise arrived coated with a thick, sticky preservative. I had to completely disassemble the vise to clean it, which required two sizes of metric hex wrenches. In the middle of the vise, there is a sliding part that has to move backwards and forwards to allow you to tighten the moveable jaw. That sliding part is meant to move backwards, pushed by a small, weak spring, when you turn the handle counter clockwise. Because of the preservative, that slide wouldn't move at all. Hence the need for disassembly. The handle itself is not even attached to the sliding part - it just fits into a hole in the end of it. Before I cleaned the vise, the handle completely unscrewed from the body of the vise and I thought it was broken until I realized how it is meant to work.
 
As can be seen in the picture below, there is a lever on the back of the moveable jaw. It is meant to sit in one of several slots in the sliding piece, allowing for quick widening. Unfortunately, there is no connection between the jaw and the adjusting screw, so when you want to open the vise, the jaw has to be moved back by hand. The machining on the vise is terrible. Neither the sliding piece or the moveable jaw move freely because they are so rough. I'm guessing the vise is made to the lowest possible standards in China although there is no marking of any kind on the vise. As well, the handle is quite thin, making it hard to tighten the vise.
 

 
The worst part of the vise is that the moveable jaw machining is so sloppy, if you just snug it up to the fixed jaw, you can open a 1/16" wide gap at the opposite end of the jaws. (Should be visible in the picture above.) That alone makes it pretty much worthless, but on top of that, it appears that the jaws aren't even machined flat. I clamped a piece of brass bar stock in the vise such that one end was right next to the V in the moveable jaw and the bar stock was fully clamped in the left side of the vise. I tightened the jaw as hard as I could and I was able to easily lift up the left end of the bar stock with my finger. It only clamped in the center so that the bar stock pivoted on the tiny spot where it was clamped. If a vise can't even hold the piece you are working on, it has no value.
 

 
So, bottom line, this is a useless piece of junk. The vise costs $39.95 and on top of that is $12.40 shipping. Little Machine Shop's return policy is that if you return it, you get to pay the return shipping and don't get a refund on the original shipping. So if I returned it, I'd be out $25 anyway. Hardly worth the effort for what would amount to a $15 refund. Some time back, I bought an A2Z quick-change tool post for my Sherline lathe and once I modified it to fit, I've been quite satisfied with it. But I definitely am not happy with this vise and would advise anyone to steer well clear of this one. I think Little Machine Shop is doing disservice to their customers and to their business by selling this.
 
Cheers -
John

I recently purchased the 2" Quick Vise, #1276 from Little Machine Shop. Thought I'd give a quick review. Here's the "executive summary" - DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!
 
The vise arrived coated with a thick, sticky preservative. I had to completely disassemble the vise to clean it, which required two sizes of metric hex wrenches. In the middle of the vise, there is a sliding part that has to move backwards and forwards to allow you to tighten the moveable jaw. That sliding part is meant to move backwards, pushed by a small, weak spring, when you turn the handle counter clockwise. Because of the preservative, that slide wouldn't move at all. Hence the need for disassembly. The handle itself is not even attached to the sliding part - it just fits into a hole in the end of it. Before I cleaned the vise, the handle completely unscrewed from the body of the vise and I thought it was broken until I realized how it is meant to work.
 
As can be seen in the picture below, there is a lever on the back of the moveable jaw. It is meant to sit in one of several slots in the sliding piece, allowing for quick widening. Unfortunately, there is no connection between the jaw and the adjusting screw, so when you want to open the vise, the jaw has to be moved back by hand. The machining on the vise is terrible. Neither the sliding piece or the moveable jaw move freely because they are so rough. I'm guessing the vise is made to the lowest possible standards in China although there is no marking of any kind on the vise. As well, the handle is quite thin, making it hard to tighten the vise.
 

 
The worst part of the vise is that the moveable jaw machining is so sloppy, if you just snug it up to the fixed jaw, you can open a 1/16" wide gap at the opposite end of the jaws. (Should be visible in the picture above.) That alone makes it pretty much worthless, but on top of that, it appears that the jaws aren't even machined flat. I clamped a piece of brass bar stock in the vise such that one end was right next to the V in the moveable jaw and the bar stock was fully clamped in the left side of the vise. I tightened the jaw as hard as I could and I was able to easily lift up the left end of the bar stock with my finger. It only clamped in the center so that the bar stock pivoted on the tiny spot where it was clamped. If a vise can't even hold the piece you are working on, it has no value.
 

 
So, bottom line, this is a useless piece of junk. The vise costs $39.95 and on top of that is $12.40 shipping. Little Machine Shop's return policy is that if you return it, you get to pay the return shipping and don't get a refund on the original shipping. So if I returned it, I'd be out $25 anyway. Hardly worth the effort for what would amount to a $15 refund. Some time back, I bought an A2Z quick-change tool post for my Sherline lathe and once I modified it to fit, I've been quite satisfied with it. But I definitely am not happy with this vise and would advise anyone to steer well clear of this one. I think Little Machine Shop is doing disservice to their customers and to their business by selling this.
 
Cheers -
John

I recently purchased the 2" Quick Vise, #1276 from Little Machine Shop. Thought I'd give a quick review. Here's the "executive summary" - DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!
 
The vise arrived coated with a thick, sticky preservative. I had to completely disassemble the vise to clean it, which required two sizes of metric hex wrenches. In the middle of the vise, there is a sliding part that has to move backwards and forwards to allow you to tighten the moveable jaw. That sliding part is meant to move backwards, pushed by a small, weak spring, when you turn the handle counter clockwise. Because of the preservative, that slide wouldn't move at all. Hence the need for disassembly. The handle itself is not even attached to the sliding part - it just fits into a hole in the end of it. Before I cleaned the vise, the handle completely unscrewed from the body of the vise and I thought it was broken until I realized how it is meant to work.
 
As can be seen in the picture below, there is a lever on the back of the moveable jaw. It is meant to sit in one of several slots in the sliding piece, allowing for quick widening. Unfortunately, there is no connection between the jaw and the adjusting screw, so when you want to open the vise, the jaw has to be moved back by hand. The machining on the vise is terrible. Neither the sliding piece or the moveable jaw move freely because they are so rough. I'm guessing the vise is made to the lowest possible standards in China although there is no marking of any kind on the vise. As well, the handle is quite thin, making it hard to tighten the vise.
 

 
The worst part of the vise is that the moveable jaw machining is so sloppy, if you just snug it up to the fixed jaw, you can open a 1/16" wide gap at the opposite end of the jaws. (Should be visible in the picture above.) That alone makes it pretty much worthless, but on top of that, it appears that the jaws aren't even machined flat. I clamped a piece of brass bar stock in the vise such that one end was right next to the V in the moveable jaw and the bar stock was fully clamped in the left side of the vise. I tightened the jaw as hard as I could and I was able to easily lift up the left end of the bar stock with my finger. It only clamped in the center so that the bar stock pivoted on the tiny spot where it was clamped. If a vise can't even hold the piece you are working on, it has no value.
 

 
So, bottom line, this is a useless piece of junk. The vise costs $39.95 and on top of that is $12.40 shipping. Little Machine Shop's return policy is that if you return it, you get to pay the return shipping and don't get a refund on the original shipping. So if I returned it, I'd be out $25 anyway. Hardly worth the effort for what would amount to a $15 refund. Some time back, I bought an A2Z quick-change tool post for my Sherline lathe and once I modified it to fit, I've been quite satisfied with it. But I definitely am not happy with this vise and would advise anyone to steer well clear of this one. I think Little Machine Shop is doing disservice to their customers and to their business by selling this.
 
Cheers -
John

I recently purchased the 2" Quick Vise, #1276 from Little Machine Shop. Thought I'd give a quick review. Here's the "executive summary" - DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!
 
The vise arrived coated with a thick, sticky preservative. I had to completely disassemble the vise to clean it, which required two sizes of metric hex wrenches. In the middle of the vise, there is a sliding part that has to move backwards and forwards to allow you to tighten the moveable jaw. That sliding part is meant to move backwards, pushed by a small, weak spring, when you turn the handle counter clockwise. Because of the preservative, that slide wouldn't move at all. Hence the need for disassembly. The handle itself is not even attached to the sliding part - it just fits into a hole in the end of it. Before I cleaned the vise, the handle completely unscrewed from the body of the vise and I thought it was broken until I realized how it is meant to work.
 
As can be seen in the picture below, there is a lever on the back of the moveable jaw. It is meant to sit in one of several slots in the sliding piece, allowing for quick widening. Unfortunately, there is no connection between the jaw and the adjusting screw, so when you want to open the vise, the jaw has to be moved back by hand. The machining on the vise is terrible. Neither the sliding piece or the moveable jaw move freely because they are so rough. I'm guessing the vise is made to the lowest possible standards in China although there is no marking of any kind on the vise. As well, the handle is quite thin, making it hard to tighten the vise.
 

 
The worst part of the vise is that the moveable jaw machining is so sloppy, if you just snug it up to the fixed jaw, you can open a 1/16" wide gap at the opposite end of the jaws. (Should be visible in the picture above.) That alone makes it pretty much worthless, but on top of that, it appears that the jaws aren't even machined flat. I clamped a piece of brass bar stock in the vise such that one end was right next to the V in the moveable jaw and the bar stock was fully clamped in the left side of the vise. I tightened the jaw as hard as I could and I was able to easily lift up the left end of the bar stock with my finger. It only clamped in the center so that the bar stock pivoted on the tiny spot where it was clamped. If a vise can't even hold the piece you are working on, it has no value.
 

 
So, bottom line, this is a useless piece of junk. The vise costs $39.95 and on top of that is $12.40 shipping. Little Machine Shop's return policy is that if you return it, you get to pay the return shipping and don't get a refund on the original shipping. So if I returned it, I'd be out $25 anyway. Hardly worth the effort for what would amount to a $15 refund. Some time back, I bought an A2Z quick-change tool post for my Sherline lathe and once I modified it to fit, I've been quite satisfied with it. But I definitely am not happy with this vise and would advise anyone to steer well clear of this one. I think Little Machine Shop is doing disservice to their customers and to their business by selling this.
 
Cheers -
John

I recently purchased the 2" Quick Vise, #1276 from Little Machine Shop. Thought I'd give a quick review. Here's the "executive summary" - DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!
 
The vise arrived coated with a thick, sticky preservative. I had to completely disassemble the vise to clean it, which required two sizes of metric hex wrenches. In the middle of the vise, there is a sliding part that has to move backwards and forwards to allow you to tighten the moveable jaw. That sliding part is meant to move backwards, pushed by a small, weak spring, when you turn the handle counter clockwise. Because of the preservative, that slide wouldn't move at all. Hence the need for disassembly. The handle itself is not even attached to the sliding part - it just fits into a hole in the end of it. Before I cleaned the vise, the handle completely unscrewed from the body of the vise and I thought it was broken until I realized how it is meant to work.
 
As can be seen in the picture below, there is a lever on the back of the moveable jaw. It is meant to sit in one of several slots in the sliding piece, allowing for quick widening. Unfortunately, there is no connection between the jaw and the adjusting screw, so when you want to open the vise, the jaw has to be moved back by hand. The machining on the vise is terrible. Neither the sliding piece or the moveable jaw move freely because they are so rough. I'm guessing the vise is made to the lowest possible standards in China although there is no marking of any kind on the vise. As well, the handle is quite thin, making it hard to tighten the vise.
 

 
The worst part of the vise is that the moveable jaw machining is so sloppy, if you just snug it up to the fixed jaw, you can open a 1/16" wide gap at the opposite end of the jaws. (Should be visible in the picture above.) That alone makes it pretty much worthless, but on top of that, it appears that the jaws aren't even machined flat. I clamped a piece of brass bar stock in the vise such that one end was right next to the V in the moveable jaw and the bar stock was fully clamped in the left side of the vise. I tightened the jaw as hard as I could and I was able to easily lift up the left end of the bar stock with my finger. It only clamped in the center so that the bar stock pivoted on the tiny spot where it was clamped. If a vise can't even hold the piece you are working on, it has no value.
 

 
So, bottom line, this is a useless piece of junk. The vise costs $39.95 and on top of that is $12.40 shipping. Little Machine Shop's return policy is that if you return it, you get to pay the return shipping and don't get a refund on the original shipping. So if I returned it, I'd be out $25 anyway. Hardly worth the effort for what would amount to a $15 refund. Some time back, I bought an A2Z quick-change tool post for my Sherline lathe and once I modified it to fit, I've been quite satisfied with it. But I definitely am not happy with this vise and would advise anyone to steer well clear of this one. I think Little Machine Shop is doing disservice to their customers and to their business by selling this.
 
Cheers -
John

Do a Google image search on "mast hoops" and look to see how mast hoops are attached on real boats. Then you can decide for yourself what size and color  thread would be appropriate. I can tell you in advance it will be thin. As for the seams, they are often sewn on model sails despite the fact that they are typically out of scale. If, for example, your sewing machine has a stitch length of 1/16" and the scale of the boat is 1:24, that means there would be 8 stitches per foot on the real boat. Very much out of scale. But many modelers like the look anyway. It's a matter of personal taste.
 
Cheers -
John

Do a Google image search on "mast hoops" and look to see how mast hoops are attached on real boats. Then you can decide for yourself what size and color  thread would be appropriate. I can tell you in advance it will be thin. As for the seams, they are often sewn on model sails despite the fact that they are typically out of scale. If, for example, your sewing machine has a stitch length of 1/16" and the scale of the boat is 1:24, that means there would be 8 stitches per foot on the real boat. Very much out of scale. But many modelers like the look anyway. It's a matter of personal taste.
 
Cheers -
John

You might want to take a look at this site - Don's Airbrush Tips - I found it quite helpful. Earlier this year, I bought an Iwata Medea Neo TRN-1. It comes with a ,35mm tip and I found it to be too small for me. I really like the design but the coverage was just too narrow and it tended to clog easily. I wound up changing it to a .50 tip and now it works like a dream, but that was not a cheap thing to do. The TRN-2 comes with a .50 tip to begin with so it might be a consideration. With the .50 tip, I can spray Vallejo Model Air and Testor's Model Master acrylics right out of the bottle. I just find it easier to use this style gun as opposed to the style with a trigger on top.
 
Cheers -
John

You might want to take a look at this site - Don's Airbrush Tips - I found it quite helpful. Earlier this year, I bought an Iwata Medea Neo TRN-1. It comes with a ,35mm tip and I found it to be too small for me. I really like the design but the coverage was just too narrow and it tended to clog easily. I wound up changing it to a .50 tip and now it works like a dream, but that was not a cheap thing to do. The TRN-2 comes with a .50 tip to begin with so it might be a consideration. With the .50 tip, I can spray Vallejo Model Air and Testor's Model Master acrylics right out of the bottle. I just find it easier to use this style gun as opposed to the style with a trigger on top.
 
Cheers -
John

The planking booklet that brought it all together for me is "Planking the Built-Up Ship Model" by Jim Roberts, available from Model Expo
http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=MSB113
 
I read the book several times and confess I didn't really understand it until I got a small plank-on-bulkhead hull and planked it using the techniques in the book. For some reason, the "doing" versus just the "reading" made it all understandable.
 
Cheers -
John

The planking booklet that brought it all together for me is "Planking the Built-Up Ship Model" by Jim Roberts, available from Model Expo
http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=MSB113
 
I read the book several times and confess I didn't really understand it until I got a small plank-on-bulkhead hull and planked it using the techniques in the book. For some reason, the "doing" versus just the "reading" made it all understandable.
 
Cheers -
John

The planking booklet that brought it all together for me is "Planking the Built-Up Ship Model" by Jim Roberts, available from Model Expo
http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=MSB113
 
I read the book several times and confess I didn't really understand it until I got a small plank-on-bulkhead hull and planked it using the techniques in the book. For some reason, the "doing" versus just the "reading" made it all understandable.
 
Cheers -
John

The planking booklet that brought it all together for me is "Planking the Built-Up Ship Model" by Jim Roberts, available from Model Expo
http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=MSB113
 
I read the book several times and confess I didn't really understand it until I got a small plank-on-bulkhead hull and planked it using the techniques in the book. For some reason, the "doing" versus just the "reading" made it all understandable.
 
Cheers -
John

If you have a computer and a scanner you can scan parts of the original plans, print what you scanned (flip it if necessary), and cut out what you need to put onto the wood or simply use as a reference. For something like a rabbet on a false keel, you can put some carbon paper under the printout to transfer the lines to the false keel. Or use a pin to prick a series of holes along the line in the drawing and then draw between the pin pricks on the false keel with a fine pencil. I often will take the scanned printout of some part and rubber-cement it to a piece of wood to get the size/shape I need.
 
Cheers -
John

If you have a computer and a scanner you can scan parts of the original plans, print what you scanned (flip it if necessary), and cut out what you need to put onto the wood or simply use as a reference. For something like a rabbet on a false keel, you can put some carbon paper under the printout to transfer the lines to the false keel. Or use a pin to prick a series of holes along the line in the drawing and then draw between the pin pricks on the false keel with a fine pencil. I often will take the scanned printout of some part and rubber-cement it to a piece of wood to get the size/shape I need.
 
Cheers -
John

Something I've used is Mod Podge (available in craft stores and even in "dollar" stores. Comes in a gloss finish. It's a white liquid in the bottle but dries clear. It does tend to shrink as it dries, so you may have to apply twice and it takes a good 24 hours or more to dry.

Something I've used is Mod Podge (available in craft stores and even in "dollar" stores. Comes in a gloss finish. It's a white liquid in the bottle but dries clear. It does tend to shrink as it dries, so you may have to apply twice and it takes a good 24 hours or more to dry.

You might want to take a look at this site - Don's Airbrush Tips - I found it quite helpful. Earlier this year, I bought an Iwata Medea Neo TRN-1. It comes with a ,35mm tip and I found it to be too small for me. I really like the design but the coverage was just too narrow and it tended to clog easily. I wound up changing it to a .50 tip and now it works like a dream, but that was not a cheap thing to do. The TRN-2 comes with a .50 tip to begin with so it might be a consideration. With the .50 tip, I can spray Vallejo Model Air and Testor's Model Master acrylics right out of the bottle. I just find it easier to use this style gun as opposed to the style with a trigger on top.
 
Cheers -
John

You might want to take a look at this site - Don's Airbrush Tips - I found it quite helpful. Earlier this year, I bought an Iwata Medea Neo TRN-1. It comes with a ,35mm tip and I found it to be too small for me. I really like the design but the coverage was just too narrow and it tended to clog easily. I wound up changing it to a .50 tip and now it works like a dream, but that was not a cheap thing to do. The TRN-2 comes with a .50 tip to begin with so it might be a consideration. With the .50 tip, I can spray Vallejo Model Air and Testor's Model Master acrylics right out of the bottle. I just find it easier to use this style gun as opposed to the style with a trigger on top.
 
Cheers -
John

Yes - you are correct - the blocks on the real BN2 are internally stropped. The goal of the practicum was to help novice builders put together a specific kit (and Ships in Scale elected the model, I didn't). About the only option for model-size internally stropped blocks are the pot-metal ones available at Bluejacket and they would add a good bit to the cost of the kit. So I used the blocks that were included with the kit and stropped them the way AL says to - with wire. Rope stropping would not be any more accurate and would certainly be more difficult for many. 
 
On the pinky I'm building currently, I'll be rope stropping blocks from Syren. Those blocks are far superior to the normal kit blocks and rope stropping would be appropriate for a boat of that type.
 
Cheers -
John

Another very good book on fishing schooners in general is "The American Fishing Schooners 1825-1935" by Howard I. Chapelle. It is available on Amazon but it is not cheap - $43 new - and even used copies are not inexpensive. It is full of incredible detail in its 690 pages. Perhaps a book that is only useful to those who have a real love for this type boat. Back when I was building Bluejacket's Smuggler, I found it to be invaluable and well worth the cost.
 
Cheers -
John

Yes - you are correct - the blocks on the real BN2 are internally stropped. The goal of the practicum was to help novice builders put together a specific kit (and Ships in Scale elected the model, I didn't). About the only option for model-size internally stropped blocks are the pot-metal ones available at Bluejacket and they would add a good bit to the cost of the kit. So I used the blocks that were included with the kit and stropped them the way AL says to - with wire. Rope stropping would not be any more accurate and would certainly be more difficult for many. 
 
On the pinky I'm building currently, I'll be rope stropping blocks from Syren. Those blocks are far superior to the normal kit blocks and rope stropping would be appropriate for a boat of that type.
 
Cheers -
John

Another very good book on fishing schooners in general is "The American Fishing Schooners 1825-1935" by Howard I. Chapelle. It is available on Amazon but it is not cheap - $43 new - and even used copies are not inexpensive. It is full of incredible detail in its 690 pages. Perhaps a book that is only useful to those who have a real love for this type boat. Back when I was building Bluejacket's Smuggler, I found it to be invaluable and well worth the cost.
 
Cheers -
John

The AL Bluenose 2 kit is at 1:75, so it’s reasonably close to your schooner. That kit uses only a few sizes of lines. Most of the standing rigging is 0.5mm (diameter). A couple of exceptions are the deadeye lanyards (they call for 0.25mm) and the ratlines (again, they call for 0.25mm but I think button thread works well here).  Most of the halyards and other running rigging calls for 0.15mm line. It wouldn’t hurt if the main sheet was a bit thicker.
 
The shrouds on the real BN2 were wire rope, so you’ll want to serve the shrouds where they loop around the mast head and also at the deadeyes.
 
If it would be of any help, you are welcome to take a look at the last part of my practicum on building the AL BN2 kit - http://modelboatyard.com/Bluenose2_Articles/Bluenose2-Part-8.pdf
I go into a bit more detail there.
 
Cheers -
John

The AL Bluenose 2 kit is at 1:75, so it’s reasonably close to your schooner. That kit uses only a few sizes of lines. Most of the standing rigging is 0.5mm (diameter). A couple of exceptions are the deadeye lanyards (they call for 0.25mm) and the ratlines (again, they call for 0.25mm but I think button thread works well here).  Most of the halyards and other running rigging calls for 0.15mm line. It wouldn’t hurt if the main sheet was a bit thicker.
 
The shrouds on the real BN2 were wire rope, so you’ll want to serve the shrouds where they loop around the mast head and also at the deadeyes.
 
If it would be of any help, you are welcome to take a look at the last part of my practicum on building the AL BN2 kit - http://modelboatyard.com/Bluenose2_Articles/Bluenose2-Part-8.pdf
I go into a bit more detail there.
 
Cheers -
John