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Post by Mike B on Apr 15, 2009 23:25:50 GMT 1
Have you ever considered neurosurgery, brilliant work mate! No need to cut a hole in the head - Mike could work through the nose ;D How did you guess? That do-it-yourself operation gave me my masochistic tendencies! ;D I'm considering publishing a weekly partworks entitled "DIY frontal lobotomy " in 10 weekly parts. After week 10 you will be capable of building a Billings boat kit!
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Post by ph on Apr 16, 2009 14:30:17 GMT 1
How can you have the patience to do something like that,id tossed it in bin long time ago. Well done,cant wait to see it finished
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Post by scootermoose on Apr 18, 2009 4:49:28 GMT 1
Blimmy what a beautyful job you have done on the models...... master peice
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Post by Mike B on Apr 20, 2009 20:41:48 GMT 1
Here is the main mast in position. I decided to try and simulate the rigging blocks. I wanted to put a “ball” of brown on the threads. I tried paint but it wouldn’t “ball” on the thread. I then tried epoxy glue mixed with paint but it also wouldn’t “ball” or stick to the thread. I then tried quickset PVA mixed with paint and it was perfect. Now the main mast is rigged. The foremast being placed in the bottle. And finally, the foremast is in place and jib sails positioned. This has been a 100% learning curve so far and at the end of the diary, I will summarize all that went wrong and the solutions that I found that worked for me.
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Post by Mike B on Apr 23, 2009 21:34:05 GMT 1
Finally, the ship is completely rigged. There are 51 rigging lines going through the hull and 31 lines going from mast to mast and jib. Now, all the rigging lines through the hull are pulled tight, one by one and then 5 min epoxy is applied to them where they exit the front tube of the lower hull. When dry, they are cut.
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Post by Mark on Apr 23, 2009 23:17:46 GMT 1
Awesome Mike ! Truely a work of art !!
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Post by eric on Apr 23, 2009 23:23:48 GMT 1
Superb!
I can't belive you've managed to do that, amazing just amazing.
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Post by poulw on Apr 24, 2009 2:34:49 GMT 1
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Post by Mike B on Apr 24, 2009 20:24:42 GMT 1
And I thought my work was fiddly After seeing your work Poul, I think mine was easier!
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Post by Baz on Apr 25, 2009 4:46:20 GMT 1
An absolute credit to your patience and craftsmanship Mike ..... Baz
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Post by swanrail on Apr 25, 2009 19:10:15 GMT 1
Congratulations Mike B, looks very good, what next?
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Post by Mike B on Apr 26, 2009 19:17:46 GMT 1
The plasticine is now “tuned” and the sea touched up with some white acrylic paint. After all the stress and swear words that would make even Nemesis blush, cutting the last thread was a huge anticlimax! It was like coming down from an adrenalin high! The neck of the bottle is sealed with a “cap” made from thick string. The string is glued in a spiral with PVA and then formed into a sleeve around the neck of the bottle. The name is from some transfers left over from the “big” model. MISTAKES AND MY SOLUTIONSFirst of all, it is vital that all rigging lines are comprehensively marked as to their location. After finishing the masts, I decided that my original idea of rigging all the masts on the jig was the better one. Rigging the masts after the hull was in the bottle proved harder as it was more difficult to check that the lines did not cross each other coming out of the bottle due to distortion when looking through the glass and the number of lines converging at the neck. The main problem, however, whichever method was used, was the lines getting tangled. The lines always got tangled due to the ends being loose. To overcome this, I grouped the lines together in plastic straws and sealed the ends in plastic bank bags. When inserting the mast into the bottle, it is vital that the mast does not get even one twist. Set the mast in its position on a temporary jig, outside the bottle, take up the slack and then fit it into a paper tube whilst inserting it into the bottle, top first. Slide it in, 10mm at a time, pulling the rigging lines one at a time, to take up the slack. Do not pull the lines as a group, but one at a time. Make sure all the other rigging lines are out of the way to avoid tangling. I snapped the mizzen mast outside the bottle and the foremast snapped inside the bottle whilst trying to position it. The problem was the yard mounting holes drilled into the masts. These weaken the dowel and even strengthening the holes with CA did not cure the problem. It was also very difficult to see where the holes were on the masts, once inside the bottle. My solution is to not compromise the masts with holes but to fix the yards on brackets fitted to the masts. See example below. This also makes the mounting of the yards much easier. (By the way, a toilet roll is great for holding small parts). Putting a ship in a bottle is not for the faint hearted. If it was not for the fact that I had a special reason to do this particular ship, a simpler rigged ship or even a cargo or warship is a must for a beginner. You will have to make a variety of special tools as no ordinary tools can be used.
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Post by Mike B on Apr 26, 2009 19:43:01 GMT 1
Thanks to everyone for their very welcome comments. It was a great encouragement to persevere with a sometimes hugely frustrating task, especially as I had no previous experience to guide me. This, to me, is the fun of modelling - attempting something different, just to see if I can do it and how to do it. If it fails, at least I tried - If it succeeds, a sense of pride. Congratulations Mike B, looks very good, what next? My next project is a scratch built MV Mountwood, the Mersey ferryboat that was used in the film "Ferry across the Mersey" with Gerry and the Pacemakers. I purchased a copy of the original plans from the naval architects that designed the boat, and bought the DVD of the film from "The Video Beat" to capture still images of the various parts of the boat as seen in the film. "The Video Beat" is a company in the states that transfers 60's and 70's films from 35mm to DVD or Video tape. I found them via Wikipedia when trolling for pictures of the ferry boats. It has been on hold until now. It is still in the planning stage. The plans are 1:48 scale (1/4" to the foot) but I am leaning towards 1/60 scale for the model. Here is a picture of it's sister ship, Woodchurch.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2009 1:43:59 GMT 1
Well done Mike, umm are you going to put it in a bottle as well. ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Mike B on Apr 27, 2009 16:49:53 GMT 1
Well done Mike, umm are you going to put it in a bottle as well. ;D ;D ;D Funny you should say that, sky! I've been thinking - after the many months/years it takes to build the normal scale ship model, a nice breather would be to build a bottle version to compliment the "big" model. It adds interest to the display.
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