USS Perry by EricWilliamMarshall - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - Scale 1/96

[TomShipModel]

Have you tried using mica.  I don't know where you might get it but it does look very good.  It flakes off the larger piece and can be cut with an exacto blade or scalpel.  The openings look too large for Krystal Klear.  Acetate would work as well.

 

Tom

[Hubac's Historian]

Acetate sheet is always a good option for glass.  It is usually obtainable in a good art supply store like Blick.  It can be cut with a matte knife.

[carlo_l]

Did not know this kit producer 😃

Impressive work Eric

[EricWilliamMarshall]

Amazon sells mica sheets, so the post will delivery some in due course. As always, thanks for the ‘likes’ and sage advice as always!

[EricWilliamMarshall]

Apparently I forgot to add a pic of the ‘finished’ product!

[sjanicki]

I love watching your progress! Keep it up

[Ian_Grant]

On 7/26/2022 at 10:48 PM, TomShipModel said:

Have you tried using mica.  I don't know where you might get it but it does look very good.  It flakes off the larger piece and can be cut with an exacto blade or scalpel.  The openings look too large for Krystal Klear.  Acetate would work as well.

 

Tom

Funnily enough, there are chunks of mica just lying on the ground all around our cottage. There was once a mica mine in the hills across the other side of the access road. Every time we dig a post hole we find more. The kids used to be fascinated by it, peeling it apart endlessly.

 

I used to joke about going into production of capacitors.

 

If ever EV batteries need mica, we'll be RICH!! 😆

 

LATER EDIT: Was at the cottage this weekend; here are a couple of pieces of mica I picked up. The one in my left hand is small, but so thin and clear you can hardly see it in the shot.

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Ian_Grant

[Hubac's Historian]

Yeah, weirdly, mica was something readily available in the ground where I grew up (Northern Westchester County, NY).  I wasn’t a hoarder back then, or I might still be carrying around chunks of this remarkably useful material.

[Ian_Grant]

1 hour ago, Hubac's Historian said:

Y<snip..snip>  I wasn’t a hoarder back then, .............

But you are now?

[Hubac's Historian]

Absolutely, when it comes to scraps of plastic and off-cuts from nice furniture projects;  one never knows when they may have to splice a dutchman with perfectly matching color and grain - kids being kids, and all.

 

I do at least go through my plastic scraps and use the just big enough piece for the next little thing I’m making.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

Regarding experiments with mica, as suggested by @TomShipModel, (thanks again for help!) that is the way to go!! Easy to flake/peel easy to cut with an x-acto blade and it can flex to some degree without cracking! Much less fuss and mess! In the photos, you can see the product I bought via Amazon, my first attempt to peel off a single 'sheet' (using my fingers and an x-acto blade) and my first attempt to cut the same. I can't express the easy in comparison to using glass. There is a very slight tint to the mica but that is tiny price for ease of use.

[TomShipModel]

Good deal Eric.  Good to see that it works for you.

 

Tom

[EricWilliamMarshall]

A little work towards the deck fixtures. I stained the wood before sanding the char off. A couple touchups and then CA glue applied with a needle.

[hollowneck]

27 minutes ago, EricWilliamMarshall said:

A little work towards the deck fixtures. I stained the wood before sanding the char off. A couple touchups and then CA glue applied with a needle.

That's some crazy small stuff, Eric. Good job getting those stairs to look even. The companionways look good too.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

9 hours ago, hollowneck said:

That's some crazy small

Agreed! It was easy to ensure the first joint was correct (90 degrees, etc.) Then it got ‘fiddlely”. In the end, I would glue two rungs to a side, eyeballing the angles and glue the other side on and then the last rung, holding the assembly in my hand the whole time. It would only take a minute or two, once I got rolling. 
 

Thanks again to everyone for the kind words and likes!

 

[Jeff preisler]

Excellent build thread and fine workmanship.  I currently started this project myself and your build thread is a wealth of detailed information, thank you.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

@Jeff preisler Thank you for the kind words and glad to hear the blog has been of some use to you on yours!

[EricWilliamMarshall]

After a few other wanderings and adventures, I back at the bench. I have finally started to add some of the deck furniture to the deck! 

[TomShipModel]

Looking very good Eric.

 

Tom

[Chuck]

Yes indeed,  that looks great Eric.

 

 

[Azzoun]

Great progress so far!

[wtimlen]

Nice work, looking forward to next post.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

Joshua Mark was kind enough to record my presentation on sharpening chisels (from this year's Joint Clubs get-together) and post it on Youtube: 

 

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I was lucky enough to finally travel to Europe with the family in tow this year. I was able to stop by the wonderful National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam. It Is well worth a visit! I will also add that Amsterdam is a very very English language friendly place, so don't let language stop you from a visit. I dumped a bunch of snapshots here:

 

[EricWilliamMarshall]

For those working on this kit, the catheads should be fitted in earlier then the instructions state. I suggest doing that work after attaching the bulwarks but before adding the rails. Otherwise, if you’re like me you will find it difficult to cleanly cut the correct angles without damaging the delicate curved bulwarks and breaking the rails. Note: the instructions state to paint the catheads black but everyone (including the writer of the instructions) has painted them white.

Edited July 29, 2023 by EricWilliamMarshall
Added image

[sjanicki]

On 7/29/2023 at 5:12 PM, EricWilliamMarshall said:

For those working on this kit, the catheads should be fitted in earlier then the instructions state. I suggest doing that work after attaching the bulwarks but before adding the rails. Otherwise, if you’re like me you will find it difficult to cleanly cut the correct angles without damaging the delicate curved bulwarks and breaking the rails. Note: the instructions state to paint the catheads black but everyone (including the writer of the instructions) has painted them white.

 

If it makes you feel any better, I made the exact same mistake when building the kit! Thanks for flagging it - hopefully they adjust the instructions.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I mis-stepped in working on the windlass. The instructions state one should use 1/32” wire. I didn’t see it in mix and grabbed what appeared to be the smallest wire which was 1/16” I broke the photo-etch while trying to expand the holes before realizing the error.

Edited August 15, 2023 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

The kit comes with the most delicate boxes to support the delicate laser-cut gratings. Unfortunately, the laser cut gratings are a different size than the supporting boxes. My solution (eventually) was to cut the boxes at the corners (on the short-grain side, due to ease) leaving me with two “L” shaped pieces. I then could glue each piece separately and then trim allowing for a tight fit around each grating. In retrospect, I could have also built an interior “lining” for each box for the grating to rest on, but it didn’t occur to me until writing this.  

[EricWilliamMarshall]

A bit of progress with the deck “furniture”.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

Which way do folks think the kitchen’s chimney should point? The photo of the model points to the aft but others point the other direction.