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The "Chinese" Harvey

And so, I'm sorry if this does not belong in this thread. I am an instructor for a very advanced class in robotics. And I make little models to de-compress after being on my feet for 9 hours for a couple of days in that stressful environment. And I very much appreciate what Kurt has brought to me. I believe it is called "Mentorship". And so I was wondering if this community wanted to start a Mentorship program.

I've seen a LOT of posts from people who are trying to learn how to do what you do. How about teaching one or two how to "carry on?"

M.
 
mondrasek said:
Cautious
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Dear Mondrasek. I am sure that Kurt will reply, but, in the meantime, I will try to respond to your suggestion of mentorship. You will have noticed that whenever you asked a question or advice, you received an answer. That is very much the nature of members on SOS - whenever you require assistance there will be a number of people who will be always willing to help. Establishing a mentorship, might very well be possible, but not always feasible. Here I am thinking of work schedules (many members still have a full-time job), personal builds and other commitments which might potentially pose a problem. As soon as something like that is formalized, it becomes a responsibility for the mentor which may make people hesitant.

My suggestion is that this is something which needs to happen in a spontaneous way - people will always be more than willing to assist, but they will be able to do so without the added responsibility. Obviously, these are only my two cents - everyone is encouraged to voice their opinion on the subject.
 
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
Get some light brown paint, dilute it, then wash the ropes with it carefully using a small paint brush, without spilling any color onto the deck. A dark wash enhances the twists and darkens the line. Try in on some scrap line first, and change color of the paint until the wash gives you the effect that you want. I had to do this once when I ran out of line for a particular maker for a specific color.
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Here are the test pieces with a wash of Caramel (on the left) and a mix of Caramel and Brown (on the right):

no wash.jpg

And since there was not as much enhancement of the twists as I was hoping for, I followed up with a very light wash with black:

with wash.jpg

I think I may have washed away the underlying colors!

Truth be told, I could not see anything other than a blur of color until I took these pics and saw them on the computer monitor!

Not sure what to go with yet (or try more techniques?). And testing on lines not already glued to the model deck is a bit different than re-working the ones already installed, I'm sure! Thank goodness only 2 are fully secured to the deck so far...

I'm thinking that having the correct color "ropes" to start with would have been the best choice.

Cheers,

M.
 
Heinrich said:
Dear Mondrasek. I am sure that Kurt will reply, but, in the meantime, I will try to respond to your suggestion of mentorship. You will have noticed that whenever you asked a question or advice, you received an answer. That is very much the nature of members on SOS - whenever you require assistance there will be a number of people who will be always willing to help. Establishing a mentorship, might very well be possible, but not always feasible. Here I am thinking of work schedules (many members still have a full-time job), personal builds and other commitments which might potentially pose a problem. As soon as something like that is formalized, it becomes a responsibility for the mentor which may make people hesitant.

My suggestion is that this is something which needs to happen in a spontaneous way - people will always be more than willing to assist, but they will be able to do so without the added responsibility. Obviously, these are only my two cents - everyone is encouraged to voice their opinion on the subject.
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Very good points all around. I agree that having the relationship develop organically should be preferable to any formal system. And so I think I would encourage the master builders at SOS to engage with advice where they see fit! Do not only wait for questions. For example, I did not know my cannon breech ropes looked unrealistic until Kurt pointed that out. But I'm glad he did.
 
I think I like the mix of caramel and brown personally.
As far as your mentorship idea, I believe it is a great idea. On the other side, you have seen how many different ways people provide to solve a solution. If they have a mentor and only go to them, you will only get one way to solve a solution. That could make it easier for the new builder, or it could hinder them because the method the mentor doesn't work well for them.

Maybe it could be an optional program where it's available by request?
That's my 2 cents. :D

Jeff
 
Corsair said:
I think I like the mix of caramel and brown personally.
As far as your mentorship idea, I believe it is a great idea. On the other side, you have seen how many different ways people provide to solve a solution. If they have a mentor and only go to them, you will only get one way to solve a solution. That could make it easier for the new builder, or it could hinder them because the method the mentor doesn't work well for them.

Maybe it could be an optional program where it's available by request?
That's my 2 cents. :D

Jeff
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Well, I think you may have presented a good solution to the downside you have brought up! Every "tip" would need to be presented as an "option" such as saying "One way I've seen (or done ) is to...

And YES! I think any request for a Mentor, as well as volunteering to be a Mentor should definitely be optional, IMHO.

I think there are sooooooo many Master Modelers on SOS that should pass on their knowledge in a personable way! I mean, I know, mostly, on SOS everyone shows the results of their AWESOME work! But coaching another about what you have learned through the years to get to the point of displaying that Masterpiece should be Passed Down. Just MHO.

M.
 
I'm going with Caramel and a black wash. Here it is on a newly roped canon. Not sure yet if I can do the same on the other three that are already on deck or if they will need to be liberated and redone. Or if I need to get a life?!?

IMG_0343.jpeg
 
mondrasek said:
I'm going with Caramel and a black wash. Here it is on a newly roped canon. Not sure yet if I can do the same on the other three that are already on deck or if they will need to be liberated and redone. Or if I need to get a life?!?

View attachment 425704
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If you are careful with a brush and have a Q-tip cotton swab handy to wipe off accidental excess, you could do the other carriages in place. How steady are your hands?
 
Not too steady in the AM! But the essential tremors come and go along with the quality of my eyesight. If I am stressed, my BP and shakes increase. So we will definitely not try this in the AM while waking up with coffee. Usually rock steady by evening.

I used to build 1/72 models all the time as a kid! I could paint the light reflection dots in the eyes of figures. No magnification needed at all. I had to trim 4/0 brushes down to thin out how many bristles they had. Where has it all gone?

I Carameled one of the breech ropes on a fixed cannon over the weekend. Waiting for more time to try the trickier Black wash.

M.
 
I think these breech ropes look alright. At least for the scale and for the type of thread that came with the kit and all. I appreciate Kurt's advice on how to lay them. And if he has more critiques on this particular subject, I would very much APPRECIATE it if he kept it to himself. I have already learned that I must remove the three other mounted cannon from the boat as the first attempt to even "caramel" a breech left some stains on the deck. And though I could just say that it was due to sailors who puked on deck, I thought that would not be funny to more than about many of all of us. And so I resisted:

right.jpegleft.jpg

And to keep the scale in mind:

IMG_0346.jpeg
 
Starboard cannon at the ready, Capt'n. However, the port side is a wee bit lacking. But I've got a plan! I say we only turn to the left!?! And then we should be able to get some shots off as we come 'round and 'round?

Or, better yet, Capt'n, sir. I think we we're not built to fight as much as born to run. So I say, "Let's moon 'em."

IMG_0347.jpeg
 
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Okay! All cannon on deck (finally)! Breech ropes still need to be laid down on about four, but it is still progress, right?

Because of the super cool detail of the bashed cannon now I cannot stand the look of the capstan. It definitely needs some love. So, again, advice is definitely welcomed.

M.

IMG_0349.jpeg
 
Some elements of original design are hard to improve upon without replacing them entirely. I lived with the simple capstan, even though three are only 4 whelps. A line has to be drawn somewhere beyond which you don't replace parts of the cheap model. Builder's discretion as to where that line is. The capstan on my boat was stained dark along with many other features, which helped blend it in a bit. The contrast of the cannons on your boat looks really nice from an artistic standpoint.
 
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
Some elements of original design are hard to improve upon without replacing them entirely. I lived with the simple capstan, even though three are only 4 whelps. A line has to be drawn somewhere beyond which you don't replace parts of the cheap model. Builder's discretion as to where that line is. The capstan on my boat was stained dark along with many other features, which helped blend it in a bit.
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Thanks Kurt. But please elucidate! What are whelps? Are they the posts that should radiate from the top of the capstan for the sailors to press on to rotate the winch? If so, how many posts do you think (or know) were on these winches?
 
mondrasek said:
Thanks Kurt. But please elucidate! What are whelps? Are they the posts that should radiate from the top of the capstan for the sailors to press on to rotate the winch? If so, how many posts do you think (or know) were on these winches?
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These things...
1708194137383.png
Usually there are at least 6 of them. On our simplified models, there are 4. Be advised that the capstan shown above is an antiquated, 17th century design. A modern 19th century one looks like this:
1708194331719.png
 
You could go with very sender wooden capstan bars, or chemically brawn some brass, your preference. Making such choices is part of scratch building, and there is no right or wrong choice. I usually use what looks best to me, often looking at photographs of real ship's parts to help me choose, and go with that. The bars are only inserted into the capstan barrel when the capstan is being used. Otherwise they are stored below deck. Sometimes the modeler will insert the bars just for show as a matter of preference. Since this boat is so small, browned brass wire of an appropriate diameter could be a good way to go. The scale of the part often influences what you choose to build the part out of.

This capstan photo is a pretty good copy of the capstan found on our model and makes a good reference. Google Images "capstan" for other pictures for comparison. In the drumhead of this capstan, there are two levels of holes to accept bars. Often there is just one set of holes. This capstan offers a different height to accommodate the size of persons using it. One thing you learn about modeling is the variations between features on boats and ships. The uniqueness of ships is something you tend to recognize more of as you build more models.
1708202831417.png
 
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