HMS Victory by William-Victory - Heller - PLASTIC - First ship build

[William-Victory]

My wife found these little clothes pins at the ‘dollar tree’.  They are very handy. 

[William-Victory]

Need opinion, diagnosis, prognosis of the wax I’m using.  Or maybe the way I’m using it. Or maybe because it’s from hobby lobby crafts section?  
it seems clumpy, and I try a little to smooth it in to the rope, but it’s always the white moldy look.  It holds simple knots that I like and exploit. 
So I served the lines for the shrouds anyways. Hold it in front of the heater, and the wax blends them nicely into the rope.

Usually, then, when it’s melted into the rope, I put dabs of glue on the end and trim.

Am I using too much wax or is my wax to cold or is my wax too thick?

The end result looks OK to me for 100 scale. Good thing we live in Texas. The beeswax will always be soft.

 

[William-Victory]

My oh my!!  Look what came from Deutchland!  Much nicer and likely easier to rig with despite the size. 

 

[kruginmi]

Good Day William.  Mind if I pull up a seat and attend the show?  You are going in really deep and I respect that.  Great progress!

[William-Victory]

3 hours ago, kruginmi said:

Good Day William.  Mind if I pull up a seat and attend the show?  You are going in really deep and I respect that.  Great progress!

Thank you!  Before this ship I built many modern cars planes and won a few ribbons.  I started this Victory with the same intent but working at 100 scale is a serious challenge.  Then I happened upon dafi's Victory and beyond.   You can see I am heavily influenced and motivated in the dafi style.  If it wasn't for MSW build logs I would be totally lost. 

I am fixing to cut the bowsprit rigging I've done and the old shroud deadeyes are all gone.  Starting over.  Glad I take breaks too or I wouldnt be happy.

My Dr found a spot in my lungs and Im holding my breath while I wait for biopsy...  I need to finish this for my son.  So I am pressing on (Slowly) but determined.

[Bob Cleek]

On 12/29/2023 at 12:09 PM, William-Victory said:

Am I using too much wax or is my wax to cold or is my wax too thick?

Well, actually, your "bees wax" looks more like paraffin wax, the stuff they use for pouring over the top a jam and jelly in canning jars. There is a white beeswax, but I've never seen it in the flesh, as it were. All the beeswax I've ever seen is yellowish brown.

 

Using beeswax on model ship rigging is questioned these days due to concern regarding the acidity of it contributing to the deterioration of models over time and beeswax's propensity for collecting dust. The general opinion among professional museum curators seems to be that microcrystalline "conservator's wax" is the better option.  Many still use beeswax, though. You might find this thread of interest: 

 

 

Speaking of thread, the recent acceptance of Dacron and Dacron-blend thread for model ship rigging cordage, which has been "blessed" as acceptably archival for museum use by some of the major museums, has gone a long way to solve the problem of "the fuzzies." Formerly, line had to be "flamed" (passed through a flame) to remove this fuzz and wax used to keep it from reappearing, but the synthetic thread cordage doesn't seem to have the problem, the synthetic fibers being much longer than the natural ones. (Finally! No split ends!  ) I know you are a way along with some of your rigging, but what they have provided in the kit is really junk and way oversized and out of scale from all appearances. It's your call, but before you start getting into the rigging with a vengeance, you may want to consider getting into spinning your own properly scaled rope or purchasing aftermarket rope from Syren Ship Model Company (an MSW sponsor.) Syren rope has no fuzz and doesn't unravel. It's easily "stiffened" and knots secured with a touch of thinned PVA or clear shellac. (The shellac is easier to remove with alcohol if you want to undo a knot if a mistake is made or an adjustment necessary.) (See the pictures and URL below.) This is what correctly made scale rope should look like in the correct sizes. It is also so much easier to work with. When I looked at what they gave you for gun tackle line, I thought, "Oh, the poor guy!" You did a lot better job with what you had to work with than I ever could, but how you got that loose, oversized stuff through your blocks is beyond me!  Your rigging skills look fine. It's the quality of the line you are using that's holding you back from achieving a much better result and with a lot less work! Poor rigging line is a common frustrating defect with kits. If you've decided to go with photoetched detail (finestkind!) you may as well match that quality with good rigging line. In for a penny, in for a pound. 

 

 

See: Scale Miniature rope for Rigging Ship Models - Hand made rigging line for ship model builders (syrenshipmodelcompany.com)

 

 

 

[dafi]

Then I simply wish you all the best !

 

XXXDAn

[William-Victory]

4 hours ago, dafi said:

Then I simply wish you all the best !

 

XXXDAn

Thanks dafi.  With your help it’ll be my best. 

[William-Victory]

Now you see it. A half hearted push to make progress. 

Cutting corners and haste felt good for a little while.  Forgetting to correct things that were important before proceeding etc. 

 

Disregarding my studies in ‘Dafinology’ I pressed forward.  To this point….
Now you don’t.  And so begins my work again. 

I couldn’t understand this brass wire.  Then remembered that the warped plastic required temporary pinning to hold until the glue set. 

I’m wondering now what will happen when I pull it out. 

 

[William-Victory]

One more display of the repercussions of haste.  As I look closer I’m finding these things. 

 

[dafi]

13 hours ago, William-Victory said:

Disregarding my studies in ‘Dafinology’ ...  

🤣🤣🤣

 

You could carefully try to press the grating upwards. If not too much glue is involved it should be possible.

 

XXXDAn

[William-Victory]

On 1/18/2024 at 6:26 AM, Bob Cleek said:

or purchasing aftermarket rope from Syren Ship Model

Thanks Bob! Haha! Ever since I used the kit thread!

😎👍

I would pay extra if it came on spools. A bad example below of how I used to wrap it on my own spools.

…below is the wax I’m using.  I’m betting paraffin from the color.  The yellowish color is from my shop light. (Plus I live in dusty Texas.)

I’m fixing to shop for the material you recommend. 
Thanks for the advice.  I’m buying from the Syren shop. 

Edited January 21 by William-Victory

[Bob Cleek]

11 hours ago, William-Victory said:

I would pay extra if it came on spools. A bad example below of how I used to wrap it on my own spools.

Consider wrapping it on a larger diameter cylindrical shapes. This avoids the line taking a set at the sharp edges when wrapped around square shapes and a curved shape tends to keep the tension in the line equally distributed while stored for long periods. I've used empty cans sometimes as big around as coffee cans. Tape one end of the line to the can and wrap it neatly without overlaps and then tape the other end to the can. You can put a fair amount on a single can and see at a glance how much you have if you don't overlap the turns on top of each other. Even smaller cylindrical shapes work fine. Empty toilet paper rolls work really well. They are easy to write on to note the size of the line wrapped on them and easier to store than coffee cans. (If you have a lady or two living in your home, there should never be any shortage of empty toilet paper rolls. When I once worked part-time as a school janitor, we used to figure as a rule of thumb a ratio of three to one between the girls' and the boys' lavatories when filling the toilet paper dispensers and despite decades of living with a wife and three daughters, I've never unraveled the mystery of why this is so, but it seems to be one of life's immutable truths. ) I've also seen some guys who have used longer cylinders such as empty paper towel rolls mounted on a row of horizontal spindles in the same manner as a single paper towel roll holder. From this arrangement, they can at a glance choose which type of line in their stock supply they wish to use, measure off a length and cut it from the roll.

[William-Victory]

5 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

If you have a lady or two living in your home, there should never be any shortage of empty toilet paper rolls

😂🤣!!!   In their  defense they use it for two purposes. 🤔🤔🤔

 

thanks for the tips! 

[William-Victory]

This is all I can find on bowsprit rigging. 

…the collars specifically is what I mean. I have these as reference (below) and I’m still not trusting the instructions from the kit. 

[dafi]

Hello William,

 

you always will have sources that seem to contradict each other. Usually it is just a question of timing 🙂

Even I do always struggle ...

The solution there is quite similar to both Longridge and McKay, Peterssen is missing one boobstay as he treats a smaller vessel.

 

Does this help?

 

XXXDAn

 

PS: Always do it with your heart(s) 😉

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/76-hms-victory-by-dafi-heller-plastic-to-victory-and-beyond/?do=findComment&comment=1001636

Edited January 29 by dafi

[William-Victory]

16 minutes ago, dafi said:

Hello William,

 

you always will have sources that seem to contradict each other

Yessir! Thank you.  Also my bowsprit has conflicting stop cleats.  Below the reference…

And below is my kit with stop cleats on the bottom.  To me it seams stop cleats on the bottom would stress the bobstay collars. 

thing i will shave them and place correct cleats at what appears as 4 and 5 O’clock in the top reference.  🤔🤔

[William-Victory]

The gammoning conversation probably would go like…

“…did you do this?! I did NOT do this sir!”

[William-Victory]

A little bit better.  Not as bulky and messy looking. 
On the bend of the eye the rope threads separated a little.

[William-Victory]

This. 
I purchased these “1:100 scale figures” once upon a time.  I have been using them as scale reference. 
    Since re working the bowsprit for ha’s I stood my adult and child figure at the community head.  The child figure looks to be closer to the scale of the seating. 

…and as I add the new gammoning I think the .88mm rope is too thick for 9 wraps.

   The scale of everything is tweaking my melon. 

[William-Victory]

32 minutes ago, William-Victory said:

88mm rope is too thick for 9 wraps.

oh my.  I am not paying attention. Too many things on my mind. 

[William-Victory]

3 days. 3 tries. It’s not perfect but I’m gonna accept it as done.  I’m not kean that the gammoning doesn’t match the fish.  And seizing (“hoving tight”) is a mess but at this scale and my eyesight I’m going to keep it. 

[William-Victory]

Testors paint. Everyone that’s ever used it has spilled it.  Testors is dead to me….

All my foreshrouds that were ready are now retired. 

[William-Victory]

Noticed my trimming accident. I have new scissors, very sharp.  It was barely holding together.  I only noticed it when I was setting up pins for a duplicate piece. 
‘Edit’. I see why it broke now.  My pyro cleanup method is killing me.  (Cover it below)

Edited February 6 by William-Victory

[William-Victory]

…I end my daily playtime with effort number three.  I like to burn off the ends off of the serving line of fly thread…  too close. Effort four tomorrow. 
The white goop is the microcrystalline wax. I was rubbing it into the rope where the CA shows white when you manipulate it. 

[William-Victory]

This is after the wax on the CA ‘dust’.  I’m not sure what to think. 
…this resin heart is extremely resilient. I can’t say the same of the damaged paint from repeating this step. 

[dafi]

Good start nevertheless 🙂

 

I would use white glue for wood from the DIY-department. Also use it as well as the black paint before binding in the heart.

 

Good success, Daniel

Edited February 8 by dafi

[William-Victory]

Getting much better.  The glue/paint treatment on the rope that was suggested looks good.  Getting better at using fly fish thread. 

[William-Victory]

An epiphany.  Placing a sheet of paper behind working on black thread in a dark shed.  Genius. 🤔

[dafi]

And if you put a white drap under the whole area and strech it even towards you covering your lap, then also much less parts will not pay a visite in one of our paralell universes 🙂

Edited February 8 by dafi