Lady Nelson by Dave_E - FINISHED - Amati/Victory Models - 1:64

[Keith Black]

 Dave, knots aren't that important as most of them are too small to see/tell if it's a bowline or a granny. If you do the ratlines in the traditional method then a clove hitch is essential. Your rigging plan should make it pretty clear as what line goes to what block. That's where books and build logs come in to play to fill in the blanks. Start searching how to strop blocks and start fiddling around in your spare time. I went with wire stropping for the blocks on the Tennessee. I found it to be so much easier. 

[lraymo]

Just discovered your build log!  Nice work so far...  I'll need to follow along!

[Dave_E]

Good Evening Everyone,

 

I thought I’d keep the blackening discussion here… for my build, didn’t want to reopen something from a year or two ago. I gave the eyelets an honest go with the Birchwood Casey. I tried soaking in acetone, rinsing, then soaking. They did turn black, rinsed and dried. Then after dried, the black wiped right off and  back to shiny brass.

 

Discovered the brass was coated. Ok, got out the dremil and with a brush and gave each one of these little hummers a work over that removed the finish (it was visible to the naked eye). Gave those the business and boy they blackened in a hurry. Rinsed them off and they passed the rub check. Black did rub off but the underlying brass stayed a dull grey… not black.

 

Then I painted 3 samples, one with flat black enamel, one with acrylic dull black and one with acrylic ironwork black. 
 

 

The next picture shows from left to right: out of the box, Birchwood Casey, enamel flat black, acrylic ironwork black, acrylic dull black.

 

 

So… the time spent on 22 eyelets (with only 13 passing Dave’s quality inspection) was an hour and a half. 😳

I can see going through an arduous procedure for the brass implements but then it may not match any painting I do. I noticed the flat black enamel went on but dried so fast the finish was not very good. The acrylics went on ok, but I had to really load the brush otherwise it went on too thin and brass showed through. 

 

I have read most every post on blackening on the forum and am not inclined to go get heat pots and chemicals etc.. 

 

For those of you who paint… what kind of paint and application is what I want to pick your brains for.

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Dave_E

[Keith Black]

 Dave, I use a craft acrylic paint.

 

 The process I use is the same as yours up to painting. If the eyelets are to be used in a wide open space, I go ahead and glue the eyelet  in place and then paint. I don't have to get too close to the wood because the eyelet has been blackened. Once the acrylic paint has dried I poly coat the eyelet. I use satin polyurethane to seal my work. 

[Dave_E]

It's has begun... 😳 Not as easy as it looks. I just ordered some decent .50 mm bits. Wasted 4 eyelets getting the hang of it. Hope Amati gave me a couple spares. 😁E

[Keith Black]

Dave, I become more impressed with the deck layout with every new photo you post.

[Dave_E]

Got the mounting figured out. I did the math and purchased some brass sheet, cut little pieces and glued them in the pedestals. As you can see in photo where the pedestals will go, they took off the paint. I drilled 1mm holes and will epoxy brass rod into the keel and the pedestals after they are mounted to the display board. 
 

Edited March 20, 2022 by Dave_E

[Dave_E]

Ok, I know the following photo has nothing to do with my build log, but it came today. 😁
 

Edited March 23, 2022 by Dave_E

[Dave_E]

This is getting serious now boys. 😆

 

 

 

[Gregory]

Not too serious..  Your workspace is way too clean..😁

[Dave_E]

On 3/24/2022 at 4:07 AM, Gregory said:

Not too serious..  Your workspace is way too clean..😁

I can’t help it. Comes from a lifetime of: being raised in a military family, then being in the military for 16 years, then 33 years at  major aircraft manufacturer and all the way hearing, seeing and doing “clean as you go”. 😀

[Dave_E]

Hi All,

 

This question is really for anyone who has built the Lady. I'm to a point where I'm building the implements and structures on deck. The bow sprit mount... all per drawing and in place. I set the bow sprit in place. It doesn't even come close to sitting in the cutout at the bow ( see photo 1) without the angle being all wrong. The box cover from Amati shows the bow sprit way up off the cutout and covering the holes for the forestay.

 

is this one of those fix the bad kit moments? Lowering the mount?

[LyleK1]

50 minutes ago, Dave_E said:

Hi All,

 

This question is really for anyone who has built the Lady. I'm to a point where I'm building the implements and structures on deck. The bow sprit mount... all per drawing and in place. I set the bow sprit in place. It doesn't even come close to sitting in the cutout at the bow ( see photo 1) without the angle being all wrong. The box cover from Amati shows the bow sprit way up off the cutout and covering the holes for the forestay.

 

is this one of those fix the bad kit moments? Lowering the mount?

 

I am not familiar with the kit but it seems to me that the bowsprit would go below what appears to be the pin rails.

 Similar to this:

[glbarlow]

I covered this in my LN log

[Dave_E]

18 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

I covered this in my LN log

Thanks Glenn. Good insight. I have found at least 5 drawing errors so far, this is the worst. I'll have to think about this one. 😐

[Gregory]

8 hours ago, glbarlow said:

I covered this in my LN log

Right here if it helps..

 

[Dave_E]

Thanks Greg. I have Glenn’s completed Lady saved on speed dial and I visit it often when something I’m not sure about comes up and his build is a creation of quality that inspires me and gives me a result to strive for. I’m going to rebuild the original parts, will send photos when complete. Thanks 👍

[KirbysLunchBox]

I had to modify the mounts as well. 

[Dave_E]

I spent the day fixing the mounts. I filled in the old cut out and square holes, then laid out the new position for the cross brace, cut new notches and the sprit sits at the angle per the drawing. 👌 I then drilled a 1mm hole through the mounts and the sprit and will use wire. I don’t have what it takes to cut out a 1mm square. On to other deck equipment and more eyelets.
 

 

[KirbysLunchBox]

Very nice! I had attempted that as well, but I kept splitting the wood trying to make square holes. 

[Dave_E]

I’ve decided to keep the mast and the bow sprit “wood” with no paint. I’ll paint the spars black. The kit has walnut dowels for everything. Any suggestions on stain? Just leave it?

[Dave_E]

Update, coming together nicely.

 

 

Also decided to stain the blocks etc.. I think they look better.

 

[Gregory]

On 3/28/2022 at 12:03 AM, Dave_E said:

Just leave it?

Gets my vote, with satin varnish.

[KirbysLunchBox]

Coming together very nicely! I have had a little bit of time to work on my second planking, but nothing worth sharing. Keep on keeping on!

[Oldsalt1950]

Dave, just put a Danish oil finish on the masts. 

Jim

[Keith Black]

 Dave, the blocks look much better than (I'm guessing) the yellow blocks that came with the kit.

[Dave_E]

The Amati kit only has 10 of these things and I just horribly wasted 1 trying to get it opened up and then closed back around the deadeye. I found some YouTube videos, but they are all how to use steel wire, no one made a video on how to use these gizmos from Amati. You guys that have completed the Lady or any Amati model... how do these things work??? 😳

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Dave_E

[Dave_E]

I am having no luck finding out how to attach the kit supplied strops to the deadeyes (on YouTube or here on the forum)… but I see them everywhere in build logs. 🧐 I have found several articles and videos on “stropping deadeyes” with wire. I’m leaning toward trying that. 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Dave_E

[starlight]

Hm... that is troubling. My Amati kit probably has these same parts. I will give one a try today and let you know.

 

-starlight

[DavidEN]

I have found this method works for me:

 

1.     Take two pairs of pliers and gently open the strop.

2.     Do not open too wide.

3.     Wiggle the deadeye into place.

4.     Gentle squeeze shut with the pliers

5.     Deadeye should be able to rotate so as to position the holes for rigging