Those Eureka moments!

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Looking at that rudder gave me quite a funny turn Bob – very agricultural…

Colin

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thanks, Colin

Being agricultural……….I hope it "PLOUGHS" through the water!

Bob

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Finding foam tube from a builders merchant to make rubber life rafts (cant spell dingie) from, was a recent one.

Comes in a range of sizes, and a nice grey to boot for those who dont want to paint afterwards.

Cheap. £3 for about 50 rafts worth!!

Ashley

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Ashley

A photo of your Moment would be nice?

Bob

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Bob. The spongy tube is nothing much to look at, but the life rafts took about 15 mins to make, rather than hours faffing around sanding something or carving something. Straps hiding the tube joins. I used Bostic, but I recon evo-stick would probably do a better job and the ends would glue flat enough together and firm enough not to have to hide the joint

Top not on properly in this shot hence uneven gaps underneath. It does close with minimal gap. Not finished, blast mats and some sandbags to go, perhaps a few ropes or something, dont know yet. Rear area cramped as I have made the boat too small for scale at 1/32. Pleased with the 88, looks just like the Dinky ones!

Ashley

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Those little tinlets of Humbrol paint take some stirring!

Must have been in the model shop for years!

Some sort of mixer was required, hence…….

Does a lovely job!

Tip of the week……..Switch off mixer before removing from tin!

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Contrary to what people think…..I do do household maintainance once in a while!

The gutter had been leaking for weeks……..Needed a squirt of gunge!

Problem……No gunge squirter!……….and they cost £8.00 btw!

Answer……..An old sash clamp saved the day!……..

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

This week`s issue of Sovereign of the Seas is the Jolly boat

The parts are so small and the construction so delicate, it needs a close eye on things!

So the Eureka Moment was to make an eye level work rest!……..And what a treat it is, not having to bend down!

It`s fully adjustable too!

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

This plastic moulding, needs to be glued together, edge on and the material is only about 0.012" thick

Not easy

Duckie came up with a super Eureka Moment!……..Glue a flat sheet to the edge of one half first, trim round, then glue the other half on!

Brilliant!…..And it`s much stronger too!

Well done, Duckie………..Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Tips for beginners………

Drilling narrow links accurately, as shown below is quite a tricky job!

My method is to make one link first, by using a drill slightly smaller than the finished size.

On close inspection, the hole will always be slightly "off"

Using a high level workrest, for comfort………Correct the hole using a needle file

For further links, use the original as a template, accurately clamped

You will still find that the hole is still slightly "off"……..Correct as above

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Tips for beginners……

Cutting sheet metal on a bandsaw is also a tricky task, as usually the saw teeth are for cutting wood and the cutting action can be very aggressive and scarey!

I always place a piece of scrap ply under the metal for maximum support and a cleaner cut…

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

There`s nothing nicer than a new crisp sharp straight sanding block!

……….and they are so easy to make!

Use the "ali oxide" type of abrasive sheet and glue it to a sheet of ply, using PVA

Place a weight on top and leave overnight

Turn the ply over and mark the back into a few assorted shapes or strips

Saw on the bandsaw, with the grit facing DOWNWARDS

The reason for the grit to face downwards, is to allow the saw teeth to knock the grit particles off…………..rather than try and saw through them.

Don`t they look nice?……….Sure do!……….Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

I needed to bend a short length of plastic tubing

I tried all sorts….hot water….blowlamp…….hairdrier………all failed

Then the Eureka Moment came!………Brill!

I inserted a length of brass wire inside and bent it easily…. and it stayed bent too!

Lovely job?………Bob

Bob……Feeling very pleased!

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

I needed several dowels……..Exactly the same length with square ends……Jig required!

Take a piece of material with the width being the final dowel length

Drill several holes slightly larger than the dowel size

Place the dowels in the holes and sand the tops off!

And………Bobs yer uncle!

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Nice idea Bob

You should put together a list of your ideas and submit them to Paul Freshney for publication.

Call it Bob the builder.

Paul

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thank you, Paul

If Mr Freshney likes the ideas, he could take them directly off the forum and use them as space fillers?

Help yourself, Paul F

Bob

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Bob

Like watching Fred Dibnah your style of passing on information is unique and would be difficult for anyone else to replicate.

Besides Paul is to busy drinking coffee & enjoying the view from his ivory tower….

I would enjoy reading a monthly article on Bobs workshop tips.

Paul

Edited By Paul T on 01/12/2012 07:58:29

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hi Paul

The wife says that too!…..lol

I would have loved to have met up with Fred Dibnah, we would have got on well together……

But not on the top of a hundred foot chimney!

Bob

[LARRY WHETTONParticipant @larrywhetton68737]

Good morning Bob,

You and Fred wuold have got on well , met the great man 5 times and photo graphed im serval times

at Blandford steam fair, for Old Glory magazine, on free lance press pass , also met is last wife ,

who as my pictures…….will try to have look my files, for early pictures but lost a lot to computer

mess up , he was a great story teller when having a drink, good he put away the pints.

a great loss to , there never be another…………cheers LARRY

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Sure enough…..Another flippin` jig!

Needed to "Half Moon" a 10mm dowel for a structure on the Glasgow model

I could have "Knife and forked" it with rasp and file etc, but preferred to try a drill jig method and cut it out in one foul swoop…..So to speak

I think this is self explanatory?…….

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Some members of the forum have been interested in the method of achieving very tight planking bends as seen on my Sovereign of the Seas galleon

I fitted a blunt blade in the vertical drill and used it as a Fly Press

Using a steel base block, the plank was crushed every three millimetres by the blunt tool and the Bamboo plank curved nicely.

Worth remembering for future projects?

Bob

[LARRY WHETTONParticipant @larrywhetton68737]

Good Morning Bob,

Another great idea , also you bend bamboo with little aplide heat with blow torch ,

round a template a bit of scorching but soon semoved with sand paper ,……

Also there are some tips on this web site …MODEL SHIP WORLD…

Some great modelers on here who build this type models……..cheers Larry…

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thanks for your comments and bending info, Larry…..Always welcome

Bob

[Kimosubby ShipyardsParticipant @kimosubbyshipyards]

Hi Bob,

a eureka moment again from me.

I like to work all materials to make model boats, mostly, and after my first visit to Dortmund got hooked on card modelling, that's paper card. Any way, there's a whole load of skills you can acquire when glueing up the cut out bits, to make things look a whole lot neater. The most useful is creating curvature to form a ships hull plates or sails, both requiring complex curves in three dimensions. I use wood dowelling of various diameters and a very soft rubber mat, about 25mm thick to roll the card on.

When making the navigation bouys I need to pre-curve the paper card so that when finished there was no strain at the glue join and the shape was natural. I applied the dowell tecnique to plasticard and it works, though it takes longer and more effort, but the plastic behaves just as the paper and rolls up into the required rounded shapes perfectly.

These cut outs are flat, but when rolled on the mat under dowel, they take on their designed shape.

Once shaped the glueing is simple and under very little or no strain.

Now others might have known this plastic shaping trick, I did for paper, but it was quite an eye opener for it to work so well on plastic. I've even had success on wood and thin ply (birch 0.4 to abot 0.8mm).

Kimosubby

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Very nice, Kimmo……..Did you calculate the arc lengths?

(I may have used wood and turned them?)

What are the buoys to be used for?

Bob

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