HMS Fly by Martin W - Amati/Victory Models - 1/64

[Martin W]

Hello Everybody -- Thanks for all the kind comments, they always remind me that ship modellers really do form a community.  And thanks to everyone who clicked the Like button.

 

Mike --  Pegasus would be interesting to carve.  There's lots of opportunities for working out details, and as I found out making that rocking horse some years back, there are some long-standing conventions that can guide you along the way.  Best of luck with it, and I can't wait to see what you come up with.

 

Toni -- As always your advice is really good.  I hadn't thought of using a building board, because I'd become fixated on using a mounting board.  But your suggestion sounds much more stable and protective.  I still worry, though, about the fact that the models will be riding in the seat of an F-250, which has never been known for its smoothness (or quietness).  And then there are my other two builds that are rigged -- with those I can only think that I'll have to make cases for them.

 

Peter -- I would absolutely LOVE to spend the rest of my life in the Alps.  I'd need to relearn both the German and Italian that I've long since lost, and I'd have to find resources well beyond those of a retired university professor.   One reason I'm eager to get to a cooler region is because I miss ice skating terribly.  My wife & I have been talking about a trip to Lugano -- which I haven't seen since 1988 -- and that's made me start thinking about the food, which I might miss even more than the skating.

 

Cheers to all,

 

Martin

 

 

[Martin W]

Hi Spy -- Your response came in right as I was submitting mine.  It's great to hear from you.  And I can't count the number of times I've bled over some part of the build.  I keep a box of band aids at my work bench, and go through them apace.  My own eyesight is  terrible, and last summer I got an infection in a finger joint which left the whole finger almost unusable so that working on fine details has become even more of a challenge than before.  Nonetheless, we endure.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[tlevine]

And here I am, looking at going to a warmer climate after retirement.  Although this winter in Chicago has been unbelievably warm.  Martin, I agree that you are stuck with casing the rigged models.  However, If you are going to move them yourself, the enclosure can be made of pegboard or even cardboard.  Many years ago I moved cross-country with three fully-rigged models in cases made of cardboard boxes.  Aligned along the back seat of our Datsun they gave each other support and prevented tipping.

[Martin W]

Hello Everybody -- For these past 6 months, I've started on some phase or other of the Fly only to realize I had packed away the tools I needed to get it done.  I put together a batch of Syren's deadeyes, and used the sanding contraption to round them off, but then saw I had no equipment to solder the chainplates.  I started on the masts and spars, and tried out different species of wood, ultimately ending up with the spruce that I used for the Rattlesnake.  But then I only had stock long enough to cut 2 masts.  And then packing took over.

 

We bit the bullet and bought a house in NW Connecticut, having sold our house here much faster than we had imagined possible.  I finished my last two woodworking projects (a blanket chest for my sister out of walnut, and a credenza for Mrs W out of white oak), then used my full scale tools for one final task, that of packing the two models I'll be able to take with me.  Here's the process, based on Toni's sage advice.

 

 

Here's the old Rattlesnake perched on a piece of pegboard, to which I've screwed some pieces of scrap that will hold the sides.  The frame is the white oak credenza (minus the drawer pulls, which I've roughed out, and will have to finish carving in CT).

 

 

Here you can see the back of the box that will encase the model.

 

And here's the fully encased model:

 

Next up is the Fly, which will be easier, since it's unmasted and will take a smaller box.  It isn't on its final base yet, so I used a piece of one-by pine that I had lying around the workshop:

 

 

The process is just the same as before, but with a smaller box, and with some baltic birch 1/4 inch ply I wanted to use up:

 

 

And here's the last glimpse before getting to my new boatyard:

 

 

The only problem now is that with no modelling to do, and no furniture or carving projects going, I can only twiddle my thumbs till we start the drive.  I might have to take up beer-drinking.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

 

 

[ccoyle]

Moving is no fun, and I should know, cuz I've done it 38 times in 56+ years. 😳 I hope yours is trouble-free!

[rlb]

Congrats on the new home, Martin!  You're moving to my general area of the country!

 

When do you leave?

 

Ron

[Beef Wellington]

Hope everything arrives safely!  Where is your new home Martin, I'm in Simsbury...not too far, but there again, nothing is in CT 🙂

[Landlubber Mike]

Hello Martin!  Congrats on the new house and upcoming move!  Good luck with everything - glad to see your Fly and Rattlesnake making the trip with you  

[tlevine]

Congrats on the house sale and have a safe move.

[Martin W]

Thanks everybody! 

 

Chris, 38 moves tops just about everyone I know.  My parents were with an oil company and moved 32 times -- I settled down somewhere around the 25th, and REALLY hope this will be the last.

 

Spy, it's great to hear from you.  There was a time when the Swan class builds were all over the place, different, and exciting.  I still hope that when I finish this Fly I can take on a scratch-build of a Swan at 1/4 scale, which will be much easier on the eyes.

 

Ron, we're leaving town next week, and right now from the perspective of non-stop packing it seems both like an infinitude and much too soon.

 

Jason, we will be almost neighbors -- I'll be in Winchester.  When I get my wits about me again, and if CT doesn't enter a second shutdown, we'll have to get together to talk ships.

 

Mike, I have gone around in circles about taking these two ships.  I gave the Prince away, just because 3 of these crates wouldn't leave any room for the other things I have to squeeze into the cab of my truck.  I reminded myself of Bob Fine's motto of one ship in, one out, and decided that someone else might enjoy looking at a model and maybe even get inspired to try their hand at it.

 

Thanks for checking in, Toni, and thanks again for the suggestion about the peg board -- aren't you also about to make a big move?  Florida?  Santa Fe?  They're both pretty warm.

 

Cheers to all until I get to Litchfield County!

 

Martin

 

 

[flyer]

Hi Martin

 

When checking on CT, I noticed that you will not get completely rid of the cows but you will have some decent vineyards nearby. Being in a nice rural landscape but only 2 hours from NY and BOS looks just great.

 

I wish you save travel and a very happy landing at your new home.

Peter

[Martin W]

And here I am 8 months later.  There was an unbelievable amount of work involved simply in getting the new house organized, and the pandemic hasn't helped.  After I got to a point where I could begin to think about modelling again, I had to set up a shop/boatyard somewhere.  This house has a large basement and a very large garage, but neither has adequate power.  The garage is heated and insulated, it has better light, and in the warm weather I can open the door and let my dog (a rescue who is still afraid of just about everyone) hang out.  That became my choice:

 

 

The workbench I made in the autumn, it's just construction grade lumber but will do the trick for a while at least.  I hope that over the next several months you'll see the overall area improve as I paint the walls and figure out something to lay over that hard tool-damaging cement floor.

 

One setback came when I unpacked the Fly.  Both it and the Rattlesnake made the trip just fine, but the Fly stayed in its shipping container until just about a month ago.  I kept it in the basement thinking that it would be safe from all the jostling and re-arranging we'd been doing.  My guess is that the crew who installed the central air system might have bumped into the crate, and the result was that when I carried the crate upstairs I heard a sickening rattling inside.  Here's what I saw when I took the top board off:

 

 

That's a serious list.  Luckily, none of the delicate details were damaged -- it was only the keel that snapped off, and I can easily glue that back on, though I doubt I'll be able to use the mounting posts again to display it.

 

 

Now to work:

 

A few pieces of deck furniture remain to be constructed, but I think it's time to start on the masting and rigging.  I have a bag of birch dowels, but they are all too short to serve as masts.  So I got some birch from the Lumberyard which I can cut down to narrow square stock for the masts and spars.  I've got the foremast shaped, and am now working on the mainmast.  Here I'm cutting the area for the cheeks:

 

 

I'd like to use my Proxxon lathe for these, but I don't have the extension bed, and the main mast anyway is too long for the regular bed.  Once I finish the basic shaping of this mast, I'll move on the the mizzen, and then upward.

 

Cheers to all,

 

Martin

[Blue Ensign]

Good to hear from you Martin, and great to see your Fly emerge from her hibernation.

 

Sorry about the damage but at least it wasn’t the headworks, so all should be good.

That is an amazing workspace for you to set things out to best effect.

 

Remember the basic rule, you can never have enough power points. I’ve got eight in the space of six feet, and twelve overall in my office/workshop set up.

 

Pleased you have taken on a new shipyard companion, hopefully once he/she starts to feel safe, trust will return.

 

Looking forward to Fly progressing.

 

 

Regards,

 

 

B.E.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Blue Ensign

[Martin W]

Thanks to everyone who clicked "like"  -- it's comforting to know I haven't been entirely forgotten.

 

Great to hear from you, BE.  I'm with you entirely on having as many electrical outlets as possible:  I like to have them no more than 4 ft apart.  My plan is to get two circuits wired at 120v (I'm still in the States) with 20 amps apiece to cover all the basic power tools, and two other circuits at 220/240 v dedicated to the saw and dust collector.  Right now, though, I'm just trying to get my hand back into the build.  Last night I was rooting around in my wood supply and found 2 masts I'd made in Oklahoma.  I have no recollection of working on them.

 

One disappointment came a few months ago when I was using my milling machine to cut a small mortise.  As I began lowering it for the cut, the turning knob fell off.  Then I noticed that the 3 knobs for the X-Y table were also badly bent.  Who knows what happened, but I haven't been able to get it working at all.  As long as I've had it, it's mostly been the cause of bad language on my part, but it did help with some delicate cuts.  I've started looking at the Proxxon mill.

 

Here is my young apprentice, Winkie:

 

 

I'm off to cut cheeks.

 

Martin

[flyer]

Hi Martin

 

It's great to see you back in the wharf.

 

Maybe you could still use those supporting columns with longer screws, reaching well up into the (as I hope) plywood keel.

 

Nice co-worker. He looks quite intelligent but he might  perhaps be not too handy with delicate work.

 

Cheers

Peter

[Blue Ensign]

 

I was hoping you would post a photo of your new assistant, he looks a fine little chap - hi Winkie.

has he met the neighbours yet - those large  furry brown ones.

 

I think you would find the Proxxon mill ideal for model making, I don't use mine a lot but it comes in for slotting and profiling, and when you need it you need it.

 

B.E.

 

 

 

 

 

[Landlubber Mike]

Congrats on the move!  I'm very envious of your workshop.  Glad to see that the damage wasn't too extensive!

[Martin W]

Thanks Peter, BE, and Mike.

 

Peter, Winkie is probably a little too good with those small pieces, which go straight into his mouth.  I'm not sure how longer screws will work, since I don't know exactly what they would screw into.  I'm going to give that a try if I can find some longer screws that are still thin enough.  They have to have the length to pass through the base and then into the keel and plywood.

 

BE -- He hasn't encountered any bears . . . yet.  He and the turkeys mostly ignore each other, but the herd of deer that passed through our woods a few mornings ago set him off growling and barking for an hour until I took him out and let him sniff their tracks.  The Proxxon mill is definitely on my list, along with all the full-sized power tools I really, really need to make my life complete.

 

Thanks for checking in, Mike.  The work space is big, but I will probably manage to fill it up all too easily.

 

Photos are on hold for a while, as the charging port on my phone has gone haywire.  The repair shop says it might get a part in next week.  Meanwhile, I've got the three lower masts shaped, and am finishing the cheeks for the foremast.  I'm hoping to get the upper masts done this afternoon and tomorrow, and then I can start on the mast heads.  I'm reviewing lots of build logs in hopes of getting the details right.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin