Another brave fool(from South Africa)

[The Bitter End]

Good day Gentlemen/women

 

After much thought, research and deliberation(literally years of umming and aahing) I decided that I would bite the bullet and purchase a fairly challenging vessel to start my career in model ship building. I settled on the HMS Pegasus and I am extremely excited about getting started on it. I realise that any sane person would have started on something far more simple but my thinking is as follows...

 

1. I have prepared myself for what I expect to be a 2 year project.

2. The wealth of knowledge, willingness to help and attention to detail that can be found on this forum really gave me hope that I could work through this project and succeed.

3. I feel that every single element of doing this project is essentially very simple if it is broken down to its tiniest detail, every step is researched carefully and tackled without haste.

4. I like to think that I am fairly good with my hands. I do blacksmithing and carpentry both as hobbies and essential skills for a farmer in a remote part of South Africa.

 

I hope that this somewhat simplified approach to this problem will turn out to be correct but the proof will be in the proverbial pudding.

 

As of this moment I am still waiting for my model to arrive(I ordered directly from AMATI and paid 319 Euros including shipping). Unfortunately amati used a shipping company called Asendia who then handed the shipping over to the South African post office. This means that I can expect my package to arrive sometime within the next week or possibly during the next ice age. At this stage my primary means of securing my package is being on hold to the post office, checking my tracking number 380 times a day and thumb holding.

 

In the meantime I have built a couple of simple tools to assist me and purchased the rest. The home made tools include.

 

A "U" shaped desk(which through some bizarre negotiation with my girlfriend ended up being painted "teal"(thats blue to you and I))

An adjustable, lockable, rotating, swiveling, pitching, rolling keel clamp

An adjustable keel rest (this is probably not the right term)

And a guillotine with adjustable angles that takes a carpet knife blade.

A plank bender made from a forged and polished chunk of copper and a soldering iron.

 

I am not sure if there is a specific place where I should post photos and text about some of the tools that I made or if anyone would be interested in this but the information if available if anyone is interested.

 

I also managed to get hold of a broken down scroll saw for a bargain and I restored it to a condition that im proud of.

 

I have a dremmel stylus with a decent selection of attachments as well as the following bits and pieces

 

Soldering Iron

hand scroll saw

razor saw

multiple scalpel blade holders

a variety of drawing equipment for technical drawig

a variety of drill bits, sandpaper, clips, clamps, files, brushes, chisels blades, rulers, squares, clippers, cutters and pliers.

 

If anyone has any questions, advice, suggestions or guidance for me(or perhaps a recommendation for which pegasus/fly builds to reference most) then I would be eternally grateful.

 

Gods speed to you all!

 

Cheers!

 

Haiko(The Bitter End)

 

 

 

 

[bruce d]

Hello Haiko and welcome to MSW. Your approach sounds good, hope the parcel arrives safe and sound.

There is a place for tools and jigs, scroll down the forum list and look for the clues in the titles.

You can ask anything here: I have and it can lead in interesting directions. 

 

[loupy45]

Hello form Cape town (Durbanville) , unfortunately you will have to pay customs and post office handling charges.

 

I purchase my  kit  from Artisania Latina "San Juan Nepomuceno" in Barcelona while i was on holiday.

I took me 47 months to finish. I posted the photos on the MSW. 

If i can be of any assistance let me know.

Regards,

Renato

 

 

[Jim Lad]

Hello Haiko, and a warm welcome form over in OZ.

 

John

[The Bitter End]

3 hours ago, bruce d said:

Hello Haiko and welcome to MSW. Your approach sounds good, hope the parcel arrives safe and sound.

There is a place for tools and jigs, scroll down the forum list and look for the clues in the titles.

You can ask anything here: I have and it can lead in interesting directions. 

 

Hi Bruce!

 

Thanks for the support and kind words, I already have hundreds of questions but I decided for everones sanity that I should cross each bridge as I get to it and then patiently wait for replies before progressing to the next step in my build.

 

DO you recommend starting a build log? and if so would that be an appopriate place to ask questions as I go?

[The Bitter End]

2 hours ago, Jim Lad said:

Hello Haiko, and a warm welcome form over in OZ.

 

John

Jim Lad, thank you for the welcome. It seems like sharing a hemisphere makes us neighbors in this hobby. I hope you are enjoying the start of summer as much as I am.

[The Bitter End]

2 hours ago, loupy45 said:

Hello form Cape town (Durbanville) , unfortunately you will have to pay customs and post office handling charges.

 

I purchase my  kit  from Artisania Latina "San Juan Nepomuceno" in Barcelona while i was on holiday.

I took me 47 months to finish. I posted the photos on the MSW. 

If i can be of any assistance let me know.

Regards,

Renato

 

 

G'day to you Loupy

 

I know Durbanville well, I grew up in the southern suburbs before moving into the karoo to farm. Its good to know there is someone so close to home to help, I think you can expect me to pick your brain on surviving this hobby in RSA where everything is just a little harder to get and takes just a little longer.

 

I believe that I actually took a look at your build while doing my research. If Iremember correctly it is inspiringly beautiful. If you dont mind me asking, of the 47 months of work, were there long breaks inbetween or was it more or less constant chipping away?

 

I hope you are mistaken about the customs bill according to the schedule there is no charge but who knows what is going to happen, the whim on the SA post office and customs has proven to be somewhat fluid.( I hope you can see the extract from the customs website below)

[Jolley Roger]

Welcome Haiko!

 

Looks like you are of to a great start.

If you are in the Koo valley then you should have access to pear and apple wood - very valuable for model ship building.

 

All the best and good luck with the SAPO.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Jolley Roger
Add

[chris watton]

Congratulations!  The Pegasus is a relatively easy build, as all major components are pre-cut, and the photo etched decoration will always fit perfectly and is very easy to apply. The most difficult part will be hull planking, but make sure you check in here for advice, all the planks need is a slight taper and perhaps a soak in water for extra pliability. 

[The Bitter End]

4 minutes ago, Jolley Roger said:

Welcome Haiko!

 

Looks like you are of to a great start.

If you are in the Koo valley then you should have access to pear and apple wood - very valuable for model ship building.

 

All the best and good luck with the SAPO.

Good afternoon Mr. Roger

 

Thanks for the positivity, I need all I can get. You are absolutely correct, I didn't even think about that. You might be horrified to hear that I use pear wood to braai(barbecue) on. If you(or anyone else in the hobby) ever need apple, pear, peach,plum or apricot wood I have access to an almost unlimited supply which you are most welcome to. Infact I am about to pull out 900 forelle pear trees if you are looking for fresh wood.

 

[The Bitter End]

4 minutes ago, chris watton said:

Congratulations!  The Pegasus is a relatively easy build, as all major components are pre-cut, and the photo etched decoration will always fit perfectly and is very easy to apply. The most difficult part will be hull planking, but make sure you check in here for advice, all the planks need is a slight taper and perhaps a soak in water for extra pliability. 

Thanks Chris!

 

I agree entirely that the hull planking looks like it might be the greatest challenge. Im hoping that I can learn the bulk of my lessons(without destroying the model) ont the first planking so that my second planking doesnt suffer too much.

 

What is an appropriate soaking time for hull planking and should one then make further adjustments with the application of heat?

[chris watton]

I usually only soak the planks for a few minutes, if you leave it too long, too much water soaks into the wood and as it dries out, the planks shrink and leave gaps between each. I have personally never used a heat gun for the limewood, as it's quite pliable anyway. However, everyone will have their own method for planking.

[GrandpaPhil]

Welcome!

[Jolley Roger]

51 minutes ago, The_bitter_end said:

You might be horrified to hear that I use pear wood to braai(barbecue) on. If you(or anyone else in the hobby) ever need apple, pear, peach,plum or apricot wood I have access to an almost unlimited supply which you are most welcome to. In fact I am about to pull out 900 forelle pear trees if you are looking for fresh wood.

Ha ha, not at all, you have your priorities straight! Over here (I live in Hartbeespoort, North West) we braai with Red Ivory!

Thank you for the generous offer, you should consider selling to the local hobbyists. ☺️

I bought some Swiss pear(steamed pear) from Rare Woods in Knysna about two weeks ago, selling for R62000 per cubic meter!

https://www.rarewoods.co.za/wood-price-list

[Tigerdvr]

Welcome. I know it's just me but I tend to let a build log interfere with my actual building project. Considering this is your first major project you might consider focusing on the build itself. You

seem have a good systematic approach which will be a great asset. As they say (whoever "they" are) there's no such thing as a dumb question just unanswered questions. So don't hesitate to share your questions with others on this site. That will help you and others of us that may have the same question.

Most important, enjoy yourself. When things get frustrating, take a break.

Cheers, Harley

[Matt H]

Hello and welcome.

[mtaylor]

Welcome to MSW, Haiko.    

 

It sounds like you have a good plan and now you have a great support system here.   Do start a build log once you have the model in hand.  It's a great way to get help and make friends.

 

As for the tools... you can open a topic here:  https://modelshipworld.com/forum/18-modeling-tools-and-workshop-equipment/

[The Bitter End]

17 hours ago, chris watton said:

I usually only soak the planks for a few minutes, if you leave it too long, too much water soaks into the wood and as it dries out, the planks shrink and leave gaps between each. I have personally never used a heat gun for the limewood, as it's quite pliable anyway. However, everyone will have their own method for planking.

Thanks for getting back to me Chris. I will do a couple of trials with soak times and heat/no heat and do a mini post about a novices ability to use each method.

[The Bitter End]

17 hours ago, GrandpaPhil said:

Welcome!

Thanks Gramps!

[The Bitter End]

14 hours ago, tigerdvr said:

Welcome. I know it's just me but I tend to let a build log interfere with my actual building project. Considering this is your first major project you might consider focusing on the build itself. You

seem have a good systematic approach which will be a great asset. As they say (whoever "they" are) there's no such thing as a dumb question just unanswered questions. So don't hesitate to share your questions with others on this site. That will help you and others of us that may have the same question.

Most important, enjoy yourself. When things get frustrating, take a break.

Cheers, Harley

Good morning Tiger, thanks for the input and support. I think that it is so critical that I dont force myself through a portion of the build when things stop being fun, I will be sure to walk away and revisit each step when it feels right.

 

As for the build log i think i might just do a "questions log" basically post with photos and a background to the issue every time I have a question about a portion of my build(i expect this will turn into a fairly comprehensive build log regardless)

[The Bitter End]

17 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

Welcome to MSW, Haiko.    

 

It sounds like you have a good plan and now you have a great support system here.   Do start a build log once you have the model in hand.  It's a great way to get help and make friends.

 

As for the tools... you can open a topic here:  https://modelshipworld.com/forum/18-modeling-tools-and-workshop-equipment/

Good day to you kind sir!

 

Thank you for your message. I will head over to the tools department shortly to start gathering all the advice I can(thanks for the link).

 

As for the build log I think I will be making use of one to create a forum to help me through my challenges.

 

I would like to say that I am remarkably impressed by this group of enthusiasts. I am yet to see a negative or unhelpful comment anywhere on here. even the most disastrous builds are revieved with kindness and helpfulness. It is an absolute pleasure to see in these times.

[The Bitter End]

15 hours ago, Matt H said:

Hello and welcome.

Hello and Thanks Matt!

[Baker]

Hello from Belgium.

 

And