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It's great how you work with metal. 👍

I also want to try to solder some details. What tool do I need to buy for this, what solders? What power soldering iron is suitable for such work?

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15 minutes ago, Dmitriy1967 said:

What tool do I need to buy for this

Hi Dmitriy,

 

I have a couple of soldering irons but I don't like them.  They take too long to get the substrate hot and are quite clumsy, or I am, either way the effect is the same and not good.  Instead I use this (Oxyturbo Turbo Set 90 Lead Welding & Lead Burning Kit) with a 0.8mm needle tip.  This gives me great local intense heat, is super quick and good for both soft and silver soldering.  That way you can do multi-part assembly soldering without unsoldering other bits (sometimes...) 

 

For brass I use a low temperature silver solder (normal silver solder has a melting point not too far from brass and so mistakes are easy), 0.5mm wire and powder flux dissolved in water. Silver soldering is actually very easy, the solder runs to the heat (which always amazes me) so you heat on the side of the joint away from the solder and the solder melts and runs to the joint.  Get it right and its very satisfying.  With this torch I can easily silver solder 0.5mm brass wire without melting it. 

 

For larger assemblies like the one above, I use soft solver paste (Fryolux Paint) which splatters like mad but doesn't add a lot of solder to spoil the details on the etching. 

 

For gap filling I use soft solder wire (sold for plumbers) but only occasionally as it runs everywhere and can spoil work. 

 

Hope that helps.  People seem worried about silver soldering, get enough heat and its really easy.

 

Cheers

 

Steve

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Update on the Wheelhouse and misc fittings

 

Below a shot of various printed fittings in white and grey primer

 

DSCN2390

 

Lockers, loaded and empty depth charge shutes, fire extinguishers, lifebuoys in racks and the flag locker assemblies that fit either side of the wheelhouse entrance plus an oil drum.  I've seen ;pictures of these being carried on deck and thought it might be fun to include them, we will see.  One thing I love is cluttered decks, so many models have clean decks with just a couple of ropes.  Wartime decks were cluttered as hell, many ropes and all sorts of other items (like the Danbouy I've made.  The aim as ever it to create an impression of realism

 

Here is where I've got to added detail to the wheelhouse (glazing comes as the end, one of the reasons its removable).  Handrails, nav lights, the badge, a circuit breaker box and the binnacle all clearish in this shot 

 

DSCN2393

 

The starboard side, voice pipes, seat, flag locker resting in place, shops wheel and steering stool, visible here

 

DSCN2392

 

And the port side showing the armoured door, hydraulic fluid reservoir tank, port seat and port flag locker assembly with hand held fire extinguisher.  Better shot of the binnacle support

 

DSCN2391

 

I have the engine and torpedo tube controls to add plus more timber hand-holds.  The latter will go in after painting as they will be left wood finish.  The masking tape on the seats is covering the wood surface for priming an painting, which will be left natural.  The primed lockers are removable for final painting, they are stuck in very late on

 

So, nearly done.  Moving to the mast assembly next with its lowering upper mast section that slides into the square lower box section, interesting detail

 

Cheers

 

Steve

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Every now and again, its nice just to make something from scratch, no etching or printing, old school.

 

Below one of the .303 Lewis guns on its pedestal mounting

 

DSCN2395

 

And before you ask, yes it swivels and tilts.....

 

Cheers

 

Steve

 

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Not much of a post this time, been fiddling with tiny bits (engine quadrant, too small to photograph etc.)  However, in between it came time to prime the wheelhouse and add the grey undercoat stripe to the starboard torpedo tube.  This is such a cool paint scheme I thought I'd share, also note claxon on wheelhouse roof, scratch-made in brass and added and nav lights, Carley floats awaiting rigging

 

DSCN2396

 

Those stripes do line-up when you get it fully side on

 

DSCN2397

 

Can't wait to see it in blue, it will really pop :yikes:

 

Cheers

 

Steve  

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To break things up, I did a little work on the Carley floats today.  I'd noticed in a couple of pictures that these floats don't have wooden plank bases, they actually had netting so I made up a small frames and wove a net section.  I use a thin crochet thread, stained down with teak wood stain for this.  The net is woven and then the intersections are fixed with a blob of cyno, slips off the frame and glues to the underside of the printed float.

 

DSCN2398

 

 

DSCN2399

 

The grab lacing is then threaded in the groves in the printed float, the paddles are just sanded from some 3mm by 1 mm lime wood, will be stained down with Tung oil to finish

 

DSCN2400

 

She carried two floats, so repeat, these will be lashed down to the support beams in the end.  Just visible at the end of the torpedo tube are the rather tiny ladder hooks where the raised timber gangway bearer sits on the deck.  The sea ladder will be stowed on the Carley floats 

 

DSCN2401

 

The unpainted support beams and a few other details I missed earlier are awaiting primer, tomorrow, final colour painting coming soon

 

Cheers

 

Steve

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As I've said earlier in the thread, the mast is telescopic.  The lower section is rectangular and hollow to allow the upper section to slide inside.  A detail I've not seen before.

 

Never afraid of a challenge, I made the lower section from 2mm rectangular hollow section brass and the upper section from 1.6mm tube to that I could slot in the 1 mm wire lightning conductor.  It was tapered to a tiny mast cap in the lathe.  The cross yard is made from1.2 mm brass wire and the flag gaff from 1mm wire.  To the base you can see a cleat, there is a second one on the wheelhouse wall.  The RHS was capped with a turned section that I filed down to be just proud of the mast, this supports the mast-head light platform. 

 

Nice little project.  Its sitting on an etched base with raised bolt heads (not that anyone will see them....)

 

DSCN2403

 

Resting in place in its upper support bracket.  Note I've added printed louvre doors to the engine room hatch and primed the additional bits on the deck, deck ready for final colour.  At the stern you can just see the new smoke machine.  The other one I made was a US Navy pattern smoke machine (drawings from a USN manual).  I did think they were all the same but it was wrong for the MTB, this one is much better and matches the pictures I have.

 

DSCN2404

 

Now in primer waiting for the mast head light (which I will turn from Perspex rod) final paint, rigging and the ensign

 

DSCN2405

 

Can't keep putting off the second torpedo tube, running out of other stuff to make...

 

Cheers

 

Steve

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To all those who wanted it blue, here it is in what is quite a shocking colour scheme (to me at least).  This is going to take some weathering :yikes:

 

Be kind, some of these edges need tidying I know, hopefully I can make it decent and the weathering will help detract from the starkness of these imperfect contrasting lines, there is no-where to hide with this scheme and I'm rubbish at painting.

 

First, I glazed the wheelhouse and added the clear-view screens, the rear locker assemblies, grab bars, the wheel (scratch-built in brass), light screens (rolled up, made in tissue), and then painted it

 

DSCN2408

 

Those lines across the torpedo troughs are a nightmare, should have added them to the decal set..  In the end I've added strips of 0.2mm thick perspex to provide an edge, this still needs more work as does the sheer line which is contrasting blue...:banghead:  Deck has had two caots but no varnish which will level it all up

 

Rear of the wheelhouse showing wheel etc.  The starboard side flag locker has its canvas cover (in tissue) the port side has some flags, also made of coloured tissue paper.  Side seats in lime wood, grab rails in walnut.  Note the masthead light now added but the mast still needs rigging of course.  Hull scuttles still need glazing as do the various decklights and of course, the vickers tub is missing its guns, will add after painting the inner mount

 

DSCN2409

 

DSCN2410

 

DSCN2407

 

It's certainly distinctive, needs a lot of toning down...

 

Cheers

 

Steve

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13 hours ago, Courageous said:

Looking definitely very blue...

 

11 hours ago, Dmitriy1967 said:

Yes, weathering is necessary here, otherwise it looks unrealistically neat.

I agree in full, just wait until it is completed, it will lok very different.....

 

Cheers

 

Steve

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Its the stage when nothing seems to change much, but I've been busy on a number of fronts.

 

I made up the forestay jack (not sure the right term) from 1mm and 0,8mm brass wire plus a stanchion base I had spare

 

DSCN2411

 

Then I made up the three short immediate stanchions that run down the centreline supporting the hand-wire that runs to the front of the wheelhouse,.  These were made from 0.8mm tubing and some other stanchion bases I had left over.  Drilled out 0.7 mm to take the wire later on.  Two of these need brackets added to hold the ships poles, next week  

 

Other details of note are the number transfers, the rolled up window blinds and the cowl vent bases all painted and added now plus the scuttles are now glazed with clearfix.  Little touch-up still needed where the boot topping crosses the chine but I'm getting happier with the thin blue line on the torpedo chute (but still not quite finished tinkering with it...)  Looking at the full size picture closely, I was interested to see that the crew didn't make a perfect job here either :wink:.....  Second torpedo tube made up in the background, rails still need making.  It's still very blue

 

DSCN2412

 

Stern view with the props in place and the transom numbers, nice

 

DSCN2413

 

Lastly, I've more or less finished the twin Vickers mount, not fixed yet but mostly painted and guns installed

 

DSCN2414

 

Nicer shot of the port lockers inside the wheelhouse with flags poking out and a fire extinguisher mounted forward of the locker.  On the starboard side, I've added a cleat so now I have three, one for the blocks each side of the yard and the mast cleat ready for the ensign.  In this shot you can see that at the rear of the torpedo tube, I've turned the bracket round as the wire rope actually runs to the stern jack so it passes through this fixing, rather than being anchored to it.  It's secured to a similar bracket at the front of the tube which I 'd missed before, details details....

 

Almost ready to start weathering the deck, wish me luck toning down that shocking blue.

 

Meanwhile, I have a challenge.  This extract (sorry very small) of MTB 34 at speed shows the lifebuoy against the blue stripe.  Now, clearly it's not the same colour as the stripe though the bracket is.  

 

lifebuoy

 

I've been giving this a lot of thought, the coastal craft illustration cops out and shows it blue, but it's clearly not.  Personally, given the need to see these things in the water, blue or black would be daft.  I'm thinking its red which will look dark in a B&W photograph.  Does anyone have a better idea or even know the truth?  If no one has, I'm going for red

 

Cheers

 

Steve

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Steve - Stunning progress - love every bit of it.  No real idea about the lifebuoy colour except that the colour pics of the Canadian MGBs definitely show yellow/red painted lifebuoys.

Rob

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