Subject: SMML VOL 1226 Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2001 04:22:28 +1000 shipmodels@tac.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Re: Whats on the workbench and reading table 2: Workbench projects 3: USS Oregon Handout? 4: Re: Saratoga 5: Re: What's on the workbench? 6: Re: Humbrol Paints 7: Reading on the work bench (or what?) 8: CSS Stonewall 9: 1/700 and drying colour problem 10: Re: Felix's Paint problems 11: For Hugh 12: What is on the work bench 13: Skyway pre: Fletcher 14: Re: Paint storage 15: Re: Did this ever happen to you? 16: Re: Lake Vostok Mystery 17: Re: Soviet PE, and Peter Hall's cancelled 1/350 Kirov 18: Re: Did This Ever Happen To You? 19: Model bases and covers, GREAT PRICES! 20: Re: Spray painting Outside 21: Re: Modellers' wives 22: Re: BOFORS Quad 40mm 23: Re: What is on the work bench 24: Re: Did This Every Happen To You? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD INDEX 1: OzMods Web Site 2: SMML Special offer on Tamiya 1/350 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Daniel H. Jones" Subject: Re: Whats on the workbench and reading table The workbench is active for the first time in about a year - just finished assembly work on a Skywave Buckley DE for a planned sea base diorama display. As for reading, I am always doing that.... just finished "Unrestricted Warfare" by James DeRose - about the revolution in tactics wrought by the officer alumni of the submarine Wahoo. Currently I am into "The Silent War" by John Pina Craven, a first hand account of the naval cold war by a leading participant. Next up "With Ensigns Flying" by David Thomas (1958 - William Kimber pub. - about WW II British DD's). And of course, working on PSM 25 in between. Recently got a copy of "British Warships of the Second World War" by John Roberts. I would recommend it highly - contrary to some of the disparaging comments I have seen on this list. Yes, the drawings are a mixed bag. They are reproductions of the builders drawings rather than being redrawn for modelers. However the warships covered are well chosen for interest and the smaller the class (cruisers downward) the more useful the drawings are for details. Certainly by reproducing the original official plans the book cannot be faulted for accuracy. Daniel Jones -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Dick Hopper" Subject: Workbench projects I'm taking a rest from building grey funnel line over 35 years. Currently completing 2 Hercules 1/48 scale a/c, Italieri kits. One h, one J series. All lights, engines fire up (using tiny camera motors), sound. Hangers copy of RNZAF Whenuapai base. Auckland, Antipodes. Have plans for Shaw Shavill liner circa 1950s, Northern Star, plans ex Greenwhich Museum, will build r/c model, 8ft. long. Do catch glimpse of wife and cat at feed time. Dick Hopper. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Ned Barnett Subject: USS Oregon Handout? >> Talk to Gary Kingzett, he did a handout on what has to be done to the Oregon kit to accurize the gun deck. It is not that bad as you essentially use the casement sides, cut off the flying bridge/catwalk, and a few of the structures on the deck and then toss the rest. You also have to lengthen the ventilators and ad a lower mast section to the boat cranes. << GARY - are you on this list? What do I have to do to get what Bradford mentioned here? Thanks! Ned -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Bradford Chaucer Subject: Re: Saratoga >> Which Saratoga would that be? CV60? I thought that was still in Newport RI? << You're of course correct, danger of typing while half asleep, Should have said Hornet!!! Regards, Bradford Chaucer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: "Ray Mehlberger" Subject: Re: What's on the workbench? Lots and lots of armor kits...hee hee hee....(maniacal laughter) Lots and lots of aircraft (more giggles and snorts) and an occassional ship kit.:-) Ray Mehlberger Contributing Armor Editor for INTERNET MODELER MAGAZINE www.internetmodeler.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) From: "Kelvin Mok" Subject: Re: Humbrol Paints >> I thinned that mix for airbrushing the main resin parts using Floquil thinner (which I think is also called dio-sol) from the large tin. I few weeks later, I opened the jar and the paint had dried up even though it was sealed tight. I though perhaps the thinner had a long term reaction with the paint. A few weeks have passed and the paint is forming a thick skin on top which I can break to get to the paint, but it looks like it is drying up again. << Was I ever glad that I discovered water based acrylics. I went through years ago all the problems you had with Humbrol paints. I think the problem is with the bottle caps not having a resilient seal and letting the solvent outgas. I also had problems with tin containers that would catch paint on the lip and seal the tin lids tight then drop dried paint flakes into the good stuff when I finally mangled the lid open. At that long ago time I had to save my allowance by using hardware store lacquer paint solvent to thin the Humbrol paint. Worked great most of the time. But it reacted with some types of plastics and the paint would remain tacky for ages, in the meantime grow a fur coat of lint. I never knew what I was getting in that solvent (just as you are using non-Humbrol solvents) for with other batches of Humbrol paints it would cause the pigment to settle on the bottom and would never go back into suspension again even with vigorous stirring. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) From: "Pletscher-Lenz-Schneider" Subject: Reading on the work bench (or what?) On my work bench are: WSW 1/700 T-35 - just finished, WSW 1/700 T-28 - almost finished, WSW 1/700 T-23 - still puzzling with her camo paint scheme, and . . . the master-patterns for two new WSW kits (but I won't tell you more at this time). And reading? Jack Greene & Alessandro Massignani: Ironclads at War(thanks to a hint by Dan Jones) - very intersting and much more informative than Richard Hill's War at Sea in the Ironclad Age. Falk Pletscher -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) From: Edwparent@aol.com Subject: CSS Stonewall I thought I was the only one in the world interested in a model of this ship! I have built a small 1/240 scale waterline model of Stonewall but had to make my own plans from six photos and two sketches found in various Civil War books. To add to the confusion, this ship had more nationalities and name changes throughout its career than any other I am aware of. This vessel was one of several French built ironclads sold to other countries in the 1860's. Originally it was named Sphinx and almost sold to Denmark but acquired by the Confederate States and named Stonewall. She was finished too late to participate in the war. On March 28, 1865 she sailed from Lisbon, Portugal to Havana, Cuba followed by shadowing Union ships. Confederate Captain Thomas Page, on learning that the war was over, sold her to Spanish authorities to pay off the crew. The ironclad was then handed over to the U.S.Government and later sold to the Shogun of Japan. When the Stonewall arrived in Yokohama in April 1868 she was siezed by the Emperor's forces and renamed Koketsu and was later used to attack the Shogun's stronghold. In 1881 she was renamed Aduma, and in 1888 was retired to use as an accomodation ship. You may be able to find some plans of this ship from a Japanese government office or museum but I have no idea on how to make contact. There is a near sistership of Stonewall named Prinz Adalbert sold to Prussia from which a model was built. There is a picture of this model in P.V.D. Stern's book"The Confederate Navy" (p.163) If none of this helps, I would be happy to mail you a picture of my model and/or the 1/240 plan I made. You need to contact me off line with your mailing address. Ed Parent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) From: Bergschöld Pelle Subject: 1/700 and drying colour problem Hugh. There's at least two of us. I do only 1/700. At the moment a few DML subs and a kitbashing of an 1/600 Airfix Leander to make it 1/700. No, I will not embarass myself with pictures of it. Felix. I do not know the Testors jars, but I guess that the jar you're using just isn't tight enough. That might come either from original design, rough handling of the jar or dried up paint that prevents the lid from sealing properly. Since I reckon that reasons two and three isn't applicable in your case, I return to number one. There's two different solutions to the problem. If yo don't want to replace the jar you're using, the easiest way of sealing it off is to simply store it upside down. That way the paint itself will be the sealant. Good luck. Pelle SWE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) From: "Mike C" Subject: Re: Felix's Paint problems Felix, Check the rims of your paint jars first. I've seen some of the after market jars and often the edge isn't uniformly level. You may have grabbed two jars from the same mold with that problem and you have an air leak no matter how tight you close the lids. I've taken to reusing off the shelf paint bottles for mixing and storage. When the original paint runs out, I scrape off the label, clean the bottle and use a small, pre-cut, self-adhesive circle label from the stationery store to identify the new contents. I have mixes that are several years old that I can still shake up to their original consistency. I've heard that storing bottles inverted helps extend the shelf life. Apparently, if air gets to it, it forms a crust that inhibits the rest of the paint from drying out too fast. If the lids get stuck while in storage, squirt some thinner in the grooves of the cap while it's inverted and let it sit until it softens up enough to twist off. I'm no chemist, but I have found that Mr. Color thinner works on almost anything except water-based paints. Test a small paint sample first to see if you get any curdling. However, the most obvious answer to your problem is that you are taking far too long to finish your models! ;-D Good luck with your problem. I hope someone else has a less empirical solution. Mike Czibovic -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11) From: "Mike C" Subject: For Hugh We are not alone, my friend. Trust me on this one. Mike -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12) From: Donald Woolley Subject: What is on the work bench I just moved, but when I figure out which boxes have the tools, which have the paints and where the glue is, I am working on two little 1/700 scratch builds. Both are fictional ships from the Tintin series of books from Herge. The first is the polar explorer ship Aurora from "The Shooting Star" and the other is the trawler Sirius from the same book and the two that followed it. The hulls and housings were done and the styrene and brass bits were ready, then I up and had to pack everything. I even have a little hand cranked diving suit pump using WEM ship's wheels for the Sirius and WEM's Arado float plane for the Aurora. (Sigh) Its all bound to turn up eventually. Right? After all it took a week to find the canned goods, and we really, really wanted to find them. Donald Woolley -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13) From: "Cooper, Mike" Subject: Skyway pre: Fletcher Dear SMMlies Well, its a lovely sunny Friday in Reading... OK. Do any of you know anything about Skywave/Pit-Road doing a US pre war destroyer. I've heard something to the effect that they might be, but without being able to pin it down. Mike Cooper Reading, UK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14) From: "J. London" Subject: Re: Paint storage Re: Paint storage and Felix Bustelo's problems with HUMBROL paint drying up in the container. I always use the plastic containers in which 35mm film comes. Each container holds the equivalent of two HUMBROL tinlets and have tight seals which are easy to remove. To make sure that no air gets into the container I then store them UPSIDE DOWN. In this way the paint inside forms a natural seal against air infiltration. A label identifying the HUMBROL number and/or mix is added, also inverted of course, and for fast reference the bottom of the container is painted with a sample of the contents. Michael London -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15) From: "David Griffith" Subject: Re: Did this ever happen to you? Dear Felix, This sort of thing happens all the time to me with Humbrol paints. The infuriating thing is that sometimes it does and sometimes it don't! A month ago I mixed up some Royal Navy grey and it solidified in a day or so. Last year I did it with some USN blues and greys and they stayed usable for months. I'm sorry, but I haven't got an answer, and if anyone else has got one I'd be glad to hear it. Humbrol paints seem to be unpredicatable in the tin. Sometimes they go solid very quickly but on the other hand I've got some tins in the drawer that have been there for many years, and although needing a good stir to mix it up are still usable. What most annoys me about Humbrol is the tendency for their matt black to dry glossy. I don't know how many tins of this I have thrown away over the years due to this, but it probably contributes to them still being in business! Despite this, Humbrol is still the only brand of paint that I find it possible to apply with a brush, but even now that is becoming more difficult as their new formulation seems to be less dense in pigment. It maybe easier to airbrush, but painting any area, large or small with a brush results in streaky transparency. I have never found acrylics easy to brush on as they dry so quickly that the brush sticks to the surface, and/or lifts what you have put on with the previous stroke. It also sets solid in the brush before you can wash it out. The only other brand of enamel that seems to be readily available in the UK is Extracolor. Again I find this impossible to brush paint with as it is thick and gooey in the tin and needs thinning. It is nowhere near as pigment dense as Humbrol (old or new formulation) and has very poor covering power with a brush. To my mind it is best applied with an airbrush. As someone who has previously been more interested in aeroplanes and tanks, and only recently trying my hand at ships again, this is a slight problem. Has anyone out there got any advice, thinners? brush types? brushing techniques? Regards, David Griffith -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16) From: "David Griffith" Subject: Re: Lake Vostok Mystery Did I miss the beginning of this thread? Perhaps it was in one of those issues that came while I was on holiday and deleted because I didn't have time to read them. Drilling into polar lakes, people getting taken mysteriously ill, secret cargoes; this all sounds a bit like the storyline of "Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow" by Peter Hoeg. Has someone somewhere been reading too many complex Danish thrillers? Be that as it may, it's a good book, and not too terrible a film, although the starring actress does not look much as though she is half Inuit. Yes, I know that comment is totally off subject! Regards, David Griffith -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17) From: "Poutre, Joseph A" Subject: Re: Soviet PE, and Peter Hall's cancelled 1/350 Kirov NOOO!!! I wanted that 1/350 Kirov so much! Phooey. Now my Tamiya 1/350 will sit alone. Ah, well, if you couldn't do it at a reasonable cost, just wait until I win the lottery. However, I will be very happy to purchase your planned Soviet PE set. I have the GMM set, but it needs an update for the later models to come out, the Sovremenny, Udaloy and Kuznetsov/Varyag. JoeP -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18) From: Mike Settle Subject: Re: Did This Ever Happen To You? >> Ok, I am stumped. A couple of months ago, I mixed two Humbrol colors to make some light admiralty gray for my WEM Ton class kit (based on the ratio provided in the painting instructions). I mixed and stored the paint in a standard Testors Model Master jar that you can buy at the hobby stores. I thinned that mix for airbrushing the main resin parts using Floquil thinner (which I think is also called dio-sol) from the large tin. I few weeks later, I opened the jar and the paint had dried up even though it was sealed tight. I though perhaps the thinner had a long term reaction with the paint. << Yeah, it really irritates me too when I use a bottle of paint one time, then open it up to use it again a few weeks later and it is a rubbery lump in the bottle. This happens to me a lot with Testors paint. I have heard that this is caused by the paint's exposure to the oxygen in the air, even the little bit of air remaining in the bottle when you close it back up, causing it to start curing. I am not a chemist, so I don't really know what causes it. It is just one of Murphy's Laws, I suppose. Although I have not tried this, I have also heard that this can be slowed or even prevented by gently blowing your breath through a straw into the bottle before you reseal the bottle. The theory is that your breath contains carbon dioxide rather than oxygen, thereby preventing the paint from setting up. As I say, I have only heard and read this in other places, so I can not say for certain if it will work or not. >> What am I doing wrong? I would hate to mix a third batch to finish the model. << Running and ducking for cover as I make the following statement: Work faster before the paint has a chance to set up in the bottle. :-) Mike Settle I am not agent #1908 of the non-existent Lumber Cartel (tinlc)tm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19) From: SHIPMDLR@aol.com Subject: Model bases and covers, GREAT PRICES! A week or two back a fellow on the list told everyone about a web site he found with great prices on model bases and covers. I was doubtful about this company so I checked them out. WOW! He wasn't kidding. I am currently working on a WEM Adams class DD that is already on the base. I couldn't remove it from the base because it's permanently anchored with Gel medium. Anyway, it's a good quality Oak base so I asked this guy for a quote for a custom top to fit the base. The cover size is about 1'-4" long by 8" by 10" high. He send me a price of $20.00 shipping included! These are high quality covers with the rounded front and back corners we're accustomed to using on ship models. He offers hard wood bases to go with all his covers as well for great prices too! Check this guy out. You won't be sorry. And thanks to the guy who posted his web address. I'll be using this company from now on. Here's his web site URL: http://www.bc-plastic.com/ Rusty White Flagship Models Inc. You can now pay using your Visa / MasterCard http://okclive.com/flagship/ "Yeah I want Cheesy Poofs!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20) From: Mike Settle Subject: Re: Spray painting Outside >> Assuming you have a moisture trap or use canned air, temperature becomes important. Back when I painted enamels in the garage, I found (at an auto paint supply store) a temperature-sensitive range of thinners. I don't remember the names, but I bought gallon-sized cans of the two most important ranges (hot and cold ); then shared with the entire local hobby club and it lasted us all for years. I don't know about water-based, as I never sprayed them. I never noticed that Floquil had a temperature-sensitivity. << Paint will flow from the airbrush or spray can better if it is warm. The colder the paint is, the higher its viscosity, or flow rate. That is why you see the recommendation to set the bottle of paint in a bowl of warm water before spraying it. When the paint flows better you will get a smoother coating on the model. If it is too cold outside when you try to paint, you will probably not be satisfied with the rough texture of your paint job. The cooler temperatures can also cause the paint to take longer to cure. Mike Settle I am not agent #1908 of the non-existent Lumber Cartel (tinlc)tm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21) From: Mike Settle Subject: Re: Modellers' wives >> Well you know what they say "A man with a hobby will never go mad - his wife probably will, but he won't". Michael London (with a still sane wife - at least she was the last time I emerged from my study and spoke to her)! << My wife has never been sane. After all, she DID marry me! But she has been supportive of my modeling hobby, helping me to mix and match paints (I have a color deficiency), and admiring my all too few finished efforts. She thinks that my finished and cased model of the Revell Firefighter looks good on the living room mantle, and will occasionally very carefully dust off the case. She does, however, sometimes cast a jaundiced eye at the three closets, two metal shelves in the bedroom, and one metal shelf in the dining room full of unbuilt models. Mike Settle I am not agent #1908 of the non-existent Lumber Cartel (tinlc)tm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22) From: SantMin@aol.com Subject: Re: BOFORS Quad 40mm >> Any model of a static or manned "Quad" 40mm looks a little out of place unless it is in a diorama that actually is showing this very impressive anti-aircraft weapon in the actual act of pumping out pounds per second of high-explosive destruction. So, what am I to model? << I did a 1/32 scale scratchbuilt model of this weapon in action years ago. It won several awards and was featured in several magazines. Contact me off list if you would like a couple of photos. Cheers, Bob Santos -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23) From: SteveWiper@aol.com Subject: Re: What is on the work bench >> with a 14 foot hull ontop of my Trans Am AARRRRRRRRGGGGG << John, I know how you feel! My wife finds it appropriate to store her inflatable pool raft atop my 1973 Trans Am, double AARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24) From: John Snyder Subject: Re: Did This Every Happen To You? Hi Felix, Sounds to me as if the liners on the jar lids are failing you and letting the volatiles escape and evaporate. I know that my partner, Randy Short, has found a line of similar bottles and has been carrying out experiments over the past two years regarding their ability to store mixed paints, using mixes of Humbrol enamels. To date, all his mixes remain usable. He has been toying with the idea of marketing the bottles through Snyder & Short. Any interest out there? John Snyder WEM and S&S -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TRADERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTICEBOARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: "Greg Anderson" Subject: OzMods Web Site Hi Shane: A quick note to advise you that the OzMods Web Site at ozmods.com.au will go down on Saturday 28 April - it will be redeveloped in the near future to accommodate our new range of 1/144 fully injected aircraft kits (and, hopefully, the Majestic carriers which are s l o w l y progressing towards the moulding stage). Everyone is also advised that our new E-mail address (ozmods@optushome.com.au) is also operational - as are our new phone number (07 3424 1724) and fax number (07 3389 0923). Kindest regards, Greg Anderson OZMODS AUSTRALIAN MODELS Postal Address: PO Box 1083, Gailes, QLD 4300, Australia. Phone: (07) 3424 1724. Mobile: 0421 044 824. Fax: (07) 3389 0923. E-mail: ozmods@optushome.com.au -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: "Christopher Decker" Subject: SMML Special offer on Tamiya 1/350 Special offer for SMML list members: From time to time, Nauticus Models makes available to members of this list special deals that we have been fortunate enough to encounter. Often times, we can pass substantial savings along to you. This is such the case now, as we were fortunate enough to get in a large supply of Tamiys 1/350 models at an exceptional price. While supplies last (we got a lot, so I don't think it will be a problem) We are pleased to offer to members of this list the following: 78001 -- Bismark -- $40.00 78002 -- Yamato -- $40.00 78003 -- Tirpitz -- $40.00 78004 -- Musashi -- $40.00 78005 -- New Jersey -- $40.00 78008 -- Missouri -- $40.00 78010 -- KGV -- $40.00 78011 -- Prince of Wales -- $40.00 We also have the Enterprise with both modern aircraft sets (78006, 78007, 78009) available for a special price of $130 (those models retail for a combined $212). If you are interested, please email cdecker@nauticusmodels.com and I will be happy to get these out to you. Shipping for the Battleships is $6.00 PER ORDER and shipping on the carrier and planes will be at cost. Happy Modeling! Chris Decker President NauticusModels.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Backissues, Member's models & reference pictures at: http://www.smml.org.uk Check out the APMA site for an index of ship articles in the Reference section at: http://www.tac.com.au/~sljenkins/apma.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume