I had little time to work on the next four of these models last night although I did manage to complete the casemate section on each of them prior to fitting out with gun ports, hatches , funnels and the pilot house. This is the fiddliest part of the undertaking as getting the sloping panels and angles to match and fit is an exercise in patience. Happily they all appear to be OK in this respect so after the tidying up with an emery board the hard part of the model is done. I make both the front and rear casemate panel slightly larger than the final size in order to allow for this finishing off as the extra wood can then be filed to fit on the model. A rough and ready technique I know but helpful to the occasional modeller rather than the draftsman!
I use emery boards (nail files to the uninitiated) for filing and sanding because balsa wood is very delicate and emery boards, being designed to be used on fingernails, are much 'softer' on the building material as well as more convenient to use. I had one of these from SWMBO but had to buy a packet of my own at the weekend - £1 for 10 - from Savers - a local discount drugstore. I also acquired a pack of wooden cuticle removers for the same price - these looked like fat cocktail sticks - that are exactly the right size to use for the slimmer funnels that some ships had rather than the dowel I am currently using.
I am hoping to have these four models completed over the next day or so and will post pictures when they are ready as usual.
No comments:
Post a Comment