Subject: SMML VOL 1768 Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 01:18:02 +1000 SMML is proudly sponsored by SANDLE http://sandlehobbies.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS INDEX 1: Junk Ships Disposal 2: Re: HP-Models website 3: Re: Endoscopes 4: Re: various 5: Re: Naval Academy Ship Model Collection -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MODELLERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) From: Kelvin Mok Subject: Junk Ships Disposal >> One reason why there are so many "junk" ships currently being retained is because the economics of scrapping them are, at the moment, prohibitive. The cost of scrap metals is depressed, plus the costs of scrapping them in the United States are so prohibitive (EPA/OSHA regulations, higher costs of US labor, etc.). << What about the oft publicized efforts to sink ships off-shore where they will form attractive artificial reefs for fish and objects of interest for scuba divers? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) From: Uwe Besken Subject: Re: HP-Models website HP-Models has now a own website, still under construction the last weeks. It is most in german, but you can see what models are availlable and the order address is also shown. Take a closer look at it and may be you find the needed information. The address is www.hp-models.com Uwe -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) From: Erwin Van Deynze Subject: Re: Endoscopes Hi, Being an technician in a hospital gives me probably some insight in the endoscopic/laparoscopic field. First of all, you probably can get second-hand laparoscopes from hospital, problem is the major manufacturers/dealers of endoscopic material give price cuts for their new stuff when taking over the older stuff. These are refurbished and sold for veterinarians or other lower-grade uses. So the price usually stays a bit higher (a lot actually) than your average club budget. Many hospitals also prefer to keep their older scopes as a reserve or backup or to be used in less quality-demanding operations (Or simply as surplus so it is possible to have two or more surgeons using endoscopic material the same time, which, given the proliferation of keyhole techniques is a boost) Another problem is that these scopes (the optic part) are used with specialised CCD camera equipment and fiber-optic lighting equipment. The camera is usually replaced the same time as the scope, but not always. But the light source is many cases kept. Damaged scopes are usually repaired and not thrown away, there are even specialised firms for repairing damaged scopes. Beware that replacement parts are usually very expensive (as soon as you add the word 'Medical' to a description the price usually goes ten-fold...) Some lamps used in light sources can cost in the 500-750 Euro range or up, remind you, these lamps have a life-span of only 500 hrs! That said, the endoscopic technique isn't limited to medical purposes, technician also use scopes for inspecting machinery (Inspecting the cylinder wall and valves through the spark plug hole comes to mind) so these are available at much lower prices (remember: no 'Medical' prefix...) It probably helps to have some friends who work for Olympus, Wolf or other scope-producing firm or in a large hospital with acces to surplus or obsolete material, but don't keep your hopes up, in the fifteen years I'm working in the hospital (I admit, a very small one, about 250 beds) I've seen only two scopes being dismissed as obsolete, and these were bought by a relative of our technical department chief, for his veterinary practice. Other equipment such as ECG's, EEG's, bed-side monitors, echoscopes, dopplers... I've seen plenty enough. Most of them are stocked for a while, and when space becomes a premium thrown away... (Breaks your heart when you see a perfect working echoscope ending up in the van on its way to the junkyard...) Erwin (now back to modelling...) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) From: Fkbrown90@aol.com Subject: Re: various To Urich Rodofsky and to Joel Labow: Many thanks for your excellent suggestions for sources of "surplus" endoscopes etc. I have passed them on to the people in our club who are investigating this subject. I hope you have created a "run on the market"!!!!! To Jodie: I hadn't realized how much is involved in the scrapping process. We really "have a tiger by the tail", haven't we? Franklyn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) From: ELLshipmodeler@aol.com Subject: Re: Naval Academy Ship Model Collection Fkbrown90@aol.com wrote >> Therefore it can be safely assumed that these dockyard models are a very close approximation of what the actual ship looked like, and how it was built. << Not quite true. I am catching up on a backlog of messages. I'm surprised no one responded to this comment. The hulls are an "admiralty style" of model building and do not represent the true framing of the models. Although the models are amazing and inspiring, do not use the hull construction as true to the actual ship building of the time. There are several books on the subject, including one published by the museum on the collection. Gene Larson Alexandria, VA Member NRG -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the SMML site for the List Rules, Backissues, Member's models & reference pictures at: http://smmlonline.com Check out the APMA site for an index of ship articles in the Reference section at: http://apma.org.au/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Volume