Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Beginners start here...! => Topic started by: ChrisF on October 23, 2017, 10:26:40 am
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My eldest son moved out again a few weeks ago after what should have been a few weeks but became over a year and friends have come and gone so at long last I've been able to start on clearing a space for model boat construction.
Many boxes of photographs, books, motorcycle parts and other items have been moved from the smallest bedroom/former drawing office into now what is now the spare bedroom again before I do my magic trick again of distributing the contents elsewhere in the house and garage!
Today I shall retrieve my DIY tools from the storage unit rented for over a year which was going to be 3 months!
I'd have more room if I got rid of my large drawing board and stand which my wife has tried to convince me to do many times but it will be useful for putting plans on etc. Sadly most of my drawing pens are blocked with dried ink but I still have all my other drawing equipment including scale rules, French curves, set-squares, compasses etc. which will definitely come in useful.
Yesterday I collected a couple of base units bought off Ebay, 300 and 500mm wide which will be ideal for the work bench. I can then get the scroll saw I've been promising myself.
I've been collecting materials and hardware for some time and with a visit to the upcoming International Model Boat Show to get the last few items I will be good to go. Costs soon start to add up don't they!
After all this I hope I can cut the mustard!
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If you are anything like me, you will have as much fun putting your man-cave together as you do modelling. You can never have too many shelves or cubby holes.
On the subject of tools, ahem :embarrassed: Here is a tip that might save you some money. You don't need all of the 'must have' %) tools that you might be led to believe that you need, or just plain lust after.
I found that everyday/full size power tools are good enough for most modelling in wood, and a fraction of the price of miniature power tools. Unless you are going to do a great deal of really fine work, save your money. I think my Dremel has been out of the box twice, I have Minicraft tools that have also been rarely used. Some of the 'must have tools' that I was saving up for, well I found I didn't need them (same for my non-modelling tool set).
However, I have made a lot of use of small hand tools, especially my razor saw, miniature block plane, and jeweler's/watch maker''s drill. You can also do one heck of a lot with sandpaper and block.
Good luck with your workshop :-))
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Chris
I seem to recall you're a proficient user of CAD. If this is the case then take my advice and dump the board. I had an A0A-size one (1000 x 1360), complete with 3D pneumatic stand, Anglepoise lamp and drafting machine, in a shed 10 x 8! Since building my new workshop I've dumped it and haven't missed it once. Life is so much easier without having to climb around a monster like that to get anything from the cupboards behind it.
DM
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TT - good advice. Yes, a lot of my larger tools will do the job but I have bought some smaller ones like files, pliers etc. I shall get the odd other one but will try and restrain myself!
Dave - we shall see. Mine's not quite as big as yours being a parallel motion jobbie and the stand folds up so the footprint isn't too bad and as said will be useful for the plans. Part of the reluctance is that I've had it for over 40 years!
I'm just about to take the units into the room so I might be revising my view!
Chris
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I have heard of other folks that are emotionally attached to their old drafting tables. I learned how to use Sketchup (free) this year and it is a great user friendly CAD tool. The real power is how you can amend drawings simply, especially if you are designing on the fly. I would not go back to paper now. If all you are using your table for is holding A0 drawings, that is very space consuming. I have to agree with Inertia on questioning why you need to hang on to the drafting table, wonderful as they were.
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Given that the work area won't be that big, about 6 feet long, the extra space afforded by using the drawing board may come in useful, it can be angled almost flat.
Once my other son moves out as well, probably to work abroad, I will move some of the shelving out as well which will give me some more room.
Back on the subject of tools I've got form I'm afraid! In the garage I've got quite a few spanners etc. that have rarely, or in some cases never been used. Nice having them though!
Just having a rest after climbing into the roof space off a step ladder to put some of the boxes up there. Definitely getting too old to keep doing that!
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Hi Chris, glad to see you getting back into the hobby, I have too so lets see how we both get on!
Might be too late for this but see a shot here of my Workbench. A friend of mine Longshanks suggested slicing up the worktop and installing runners at lower intervals so that when working 'inside' you can have it low down and then when 'underneath' or 'level' bring it up to working level. I have found it works really well for me but all credit to Longshanks he gave me the idea. Just a thought. Derek
https://www.flickr.com/photos/155484366@N08/37339093564/in/dateposted-public/
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That's far too neat Derek, work benches aren't supposed to look like that {-)
Peter.
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That's far too neat Derek, work benches aren't supposed to look like that {-)
Peter.
too right peter, lol..........but I really must have a tidy up and find that chuck key, lol.
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Hi Chris, glad to see you getting back into the hobby, I have too so lets see how we both get on!
Might be too late for this but see a shot here of my Workbench. A friend of mine Longshanks suggested slicing up the worktop and installing runners at lower intervals so that when working 'inside' you can have it low down and then when 'underneath' or 'level' bring it up to working level. I have found it works really well for me but all credit to Longshanks he gave me the idea. Just a thought. Derek
https://www.flickr.com/photos/155484366@N08/37339093564/in/dateposted-public/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/155484366@N08/37339093564/in/dateposted-public/)
That is a good idea but as you say a bit late for me. Not very practical for me either, as at the moment it would be a bit tight for me getting the worktop in and out.
I've recycled the head board off my son's bed from his first flat we were storing (he doesn't know about it yet :-) ) as the worktop and the rest has gone down the tip. I've screwed the legs for the units up quite high which gives me a good compromise for working standing up or using my draughtsman's chair which again, like the drawing board, had to survive my wife's "idea" to get rid of it - glad I kept it now. The worktop isn't massive at about 7 feet, but it's big enough for the models I'm going to build at 33 inches and less. Over time I shall clear some of the shelves in there which will give me more space.
So the work area is all set up now and I've filled the cupboards with all the stuff model boat related including tools etc. I'd forgotten about in various bags from my visit to last years International Model Boat Show! Almost time to go again now and get the last of the plywood etc. that I need.
Then just the scroll saw to get and I can then print off the various parts and make a start.
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Good luck with that Neil!
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Keep your Drawing Board. It is essential part of any workspace O0
You never know when you need to do a drawing of that detail part. I did a whole heap of them for the 'Rat'
Neil, mine looks like a smaller version of yours. it's bolted onto an old table.
I have had it for over 50 years and it came from UK on the boat with us when we emigrated. :embarrassed:
Keep the draughting stool as well. So easy to get up from when the joints start to ache.
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Good luck with that Neil!
{-) {-) {-) :-))
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If you look at my indoor work room on my build SD14 card model you'll see what I did what the wife calls cosy
but am happy often I don't even have to stand up I just finished my outdoor shipyard (was a garage) will post photos soon
Regards Howard.
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I have one of those drawing boards (its in my parents garage at the moment) since I use CAD a lot, I dont really need it (though I still have all the old fashioned pens and drawing tools to).
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Brian - your drawing board looks virtually identical to mine, though mine is mounted on a stand. From memory (at work at the moment) the make is Admal?
Bought mine second-hand it having been used in an engineering company.
I've tried draughting machines like the one DM had but never really got on with them for architectural drawing - I found the parallel motion and set-squares easier to work with particularly where long horizontal lines had to be drawn.
Grendel - I have my Rotring pens, though as said, most are blocked with dried ink. And I still have the ones I started work with, 45 years ago (Pelikan?) which had interchangeable nibs that you dropped ink into! Messy, ran out of ink quickly and not good for curves but the line quality was better than the later Rotrings.
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too right peter, lol..........but I really must have a tidy up and find that chuck key, lol.
It's bound to be there somewhere Neil............isn't it???? {:-{
Peter.
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Brian - your drawing board looks virtually identical to mine, though mine is mounted on a stand. From memory (at work at the moment) the make is Admal?
Bought mine second-hand it having been used in an engineering company.
I've tried draughting machines like the one DM had but never really got on with them for architectural drawing - I found the parallel motion and set-squares easier to work with particularly where long horizontal lines had to be drawn.
Grendel - I have my Rotring pens, though as said, most are blocked with dried ink. And I still have the ones I started work with, 45 years ago (Pelikan?) which had interchangeable nibs that you dropped ink into! Messy, ran out of ink quickly and not good for curves but the line quality was better than the later Rotrings.
Yes Chris. Mine is an Admel as well. I also have My Rotring pens and Pelikan Graphos nibs. A collegue at work had a bet that he could draw such a fine line with a Graphos that it would not print. He won his bet. :-))
For those who do not know what we are talking about I have posted a photo of my first 1960 Graphos and later pens.
One had to wash them, and ones hands very well to get the Indian ink off. %)
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I remember my Rotrings with great fondness.
Started in the Architectural drawing office of Taylor Woodrow in September 1980 and on the first day the Office Manager presented me with a list of the 'tools' that I needed to buy for my job. This comprised: Rotring pens sized 0.1, 0.25, 0.3, 0.5 & 0.7, a scale rule that could read 1:5, 1:10, 1:20, 1:50, 1:100, 1:200 & 1:500, a set of Rotring lettering stencils in 2mm, 3mm and 5mm, a set of French curves, a Flexi-curve and an adjustable set-square. Now, this was my first day....no pay packet until the end of the month!!! I had to borrow the money off my dad to pay for it all......and it took me nigh-on 6 months to pay it back!!! My first wage was £1250 per annum so just over £100 per month before tax! That list was damned expensive so I looked after those tools like they were made of gold.
Still got most of them........ And, boy, did they teach me how to draw!!!!
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When i started in printing college i had to get all these too as well as fountain pens with interchangeable nibs to learn calligraphy! Used at college then they were all put away with all my tech drawing pencils derwents 4b through to 9h. I must still have them somewhere.
On a side note........i still have some old berol markers....anyone want a snif?
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I remember the days when legal plans all had to be hand coloured in - using watercolours, every copy had to be perfect.
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I remember my Rotrings with great fondness.
Started in the Architectural drawing office of Taylor Woodrow in September 1980 and on the first day the Office Manager presented me with a list of the 'tools' that I needed to buy for my job. This comprised: Rotring pens sized 0.1, 0.25, 0.3, 0.5 & 0.7, a scale rule that could read 1:5, 1:10, 1:20, 1:50, 1:100, 1:200 & 1:500, a set of Rotring lettering stencils in 2mm, 3mm and 5mm, a set of French curves, a Flexi-curve and an adjustable set-square. Now, this was my first day....no pay packet until the end of the month!!! I had to borrow the money off my dad to pay for it all......and it took me nigh-on 6 months to pay it back!!! My first wage was £1250 per annum so just over £100 per month before tax! That list was damned expensive so I looked after those tools like they were made of gold.
Still got most of them........ And, boy, did they teach me how to draw!!!!
Yes, I have those and more - don't forget the compasses etc! The first ones I had were like the Pelikan pens in that you had to add ink to the blade that adjusted for different line thicknesses. Kept adding to over the years when I needed an additional stencil etc. for a particular job. Mostly Rotring and other German equipment, must have added up to quite a few quid.
You were lucky! I started as an architectural technician in 1972 on the princely annual sum of £950! Mind you it was enough for beer and petrol!
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What! No aerosol can of Snopake? :}
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No, we worked on tracing paper and if you made a mistake or made alterations you scraped the ink off with a razor blade and rubbed over with an eraser to give a smooth surface for the ink!
Oh the joy of CAD!
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oh yes, in those days - if you put something in the wrong place, it could be 3 days work to move it (trace over, erase, reposition and redraw from the tracing), nowadays in CAD 5 seconds max.
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Or using acetone to remove the surface finish of draughting film - that film really did wear out the nibs of the Rotrings!!!
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we used to have our utility maps with the background printed photographically on the back, if the background needed amending it was out with the potassium ferro cyanide (a lovely yellow green colour the same as lime juice from the drinks machine) this was put in a disposable plastic cup and removed the photographic background, boy were we careful about drinking lime juice back then.
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Picked up a sheet of 18mm thick MDF today to use as the building board.
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Chris don't work on that directly. It won't take too much gluing assembling etc before the surface is ruined and you need to replace it. Get yourself off to a local arts crafts shop - Hobbycraft is a good place to look. Buy a large cutting mat, I have an 1A0 size on my desk, but you could looking at yours get a A0 size. They might be around 15-20 quid, but in the long term work out cheaper than replacing the worktop every 6 months.
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Thanks for the advice Brian.
The intention was to attach the build to that building board, the 18mm board is lying on the recycled head board forming the worktop at the moment, but I've since decided to use a thinner and smaller piece of MDF to attach the build to which will be better as I can move it around.
Due to the curved deck I'm building the right way up and have added some temporary nibs to the keel for fixing to the board.
Chris