MSW USS Constitution

Check Dave Stevens at the Lumberyard (active on this forum). He can custom saw strips and you’ll actually get what you ordered, not a model kit mystery wood. BTW he has some REAL Boxwood. This would make a lovely deck if you are willing to forego staining in favor of the original appearance of the newly laid pine deck.

Roger
 
I just PM'd Dave and got a call from Ev the other day on my order of West Indies boxwood. Will post once it arrives, but they were very attentive to my request.
Dave knows more about wood than most of us put together! Allan
 
well i have been playing around with different stains and pretreat on basswood test samples, and I am not getting what I want. So, in light of this, I have decided that the deck will not be stained. I have had enough of this. So I'll plank the deck, seal it then varnish it and call it a day. That means I will have to mark the edges in black to simulate the caulking between the deck boards.
 
May I suggest carrying out a test to make certain that your thinned varnish won’t make it bleed into the porous wood?
May I also suggest that you make test section with no caulking simulation. At 1:76 and black marker on light colored wood it may not look like you are hoping. Most modelers do not caulk the hull planking and it looks great.

This makes me wonder why there is such a preoccupation with caulking the deck planks. This includes me :confused: as I have caulked deck planks with dark tissue, pencil, black marker pens, brown marker pens, and brown paint as well as not doing any caulking at all. To this day I do not dislike any of them except black marker as it is so stark. Keep in mind the seams were sealed with oakum and/or cotton, the fibers of which were traditionally impregnated with pine tar, which is a brown or amber-colored pitch, not black.

Allan
 
this is similar to the trunnel debate. Trunnel or not trunnel. Caulking or no caulking. Cannon rigging or no cannon rigging(eesh where did that one come from)?
 
Great. But don't give it a go just after reading instructions! I create a test panel every time I do something significant (staining, varnishing, nailing, trenailing, etc. etc. etc.). It's a rare day when my first test is used on the ship. You claim to be impatient - but little is gained when you have to tear out something you thought was completed. THAT is what tries my patience... :). I think you will rather enjoy the testing process - it gives you a chance to experiment and achieve what you are imagining it will look like.
Test and practice pieces are well worth the time and effort. You can screw up as many as you like before settling on the techniques, materials and procedures you like best. Best to keep a journal of procedures for each so that when you get what you want you can reproduce it easily. The time you spend doing this you will recoup every time you use it successfully on ongoing projects. You will thank yourself when you find you don't have to tear up and redo hours of work on your project, because you can be assured that the finishing you are about to embark on is going to succeed.
 
helps with memory too. I sort of have a journal going on my computer. I grouped things by subject matter. For this specific issue about staining, lesson learned.

What I am missing is the ability to select a type of wood and mill it down to a 24 inch strip. I wouldn't even know where to get the raw material and I don't have a table saw so I am limited to using whatever is in the kit. Yes there are some places to buy wood strips but the shipping costs are outrageous so that is not an option.
 
helps with memory too. I sort of have a journal going on my computer. I grouped things by subject matter. For this specific issue about staining, lesson learned.

What I am missing is the ability to select a type of wood and mill it down to a 24 inch strip. I wouldn't even know where to get the raw material and I don't have a table saw so I am limited to using whatever is in the kit. Yes there are some places to buy wood strips but the shipping costs are outrageous so that is not an option.
A good investment would be in a mini table saw with a slotting blade. You can source veneers from a supplier which you can rip to the widths you want without the necessity of a thickness sander to make your own strips.
 
Jack, Another opinion. I have both a full sized table saw and the Rolls Royce of mini table saws- a Byrnes Saw. If I could only own one it would be the full sized saw. For work that you want to do, a full sized saw can be fitted with the right blade to cut strips from full sized planks. I bought my 10in Delta saw for $150 and the guy included a canoe trailer in the deal for hauling the saw home! Well cared for used tools are well made, rugged, and free of plastics and annoying electronic gadgetry. IMHO, they are better than many new ones.

Today I mostly use my Byrnes Saw for two things: Sawing brass sheet and tubing and cutting and grooving craft plywood for making temporary jigs and fixtures. Properly tuned up and fitted with a sharp blade it’s a wonderful tool but just a little out of alignment it can kick and stall.

Roger
 
i am just going to use a sharpie marker.
If you do, only apply the marker to ONE edge of each plank, and match that edge in a joint to an unstained edge. Otherwise, the lines will be too dark and not real to scale. They will stand out too much at distance, such as those on my first model below. They should be subtle, but not invisible. Many use a graphite stick, or even a harder pencil lead, to darken the edges just a bit. If you need to see the final result, make a test piece first.

604 Progress So Far12.jpg.
 
A good investment would be in a mini table saw with a slotting blade. You can source veneers from a supplier which you can rip to the widths you want without the necessity of a thickness sander to make your own strips.

You can actually cut thin veneers into planks with a box cutter and a straight edge like the marquetry people do.
 
Progressing on replanking of deck. Much happier with the filler blocks. They make it easier to support the planking and the hatches. I may continue the blocks right to the sides. Not sure yet if I will or not.



View attachment 483718
Good morning Jack. I had to play some catch up with your latest modelling endeavor. What a cool ship to build. So far so good and she is looking great. Excuse the pun but I love the gratings on her. Cheers Grant
 
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