My current spouse wants me to build a model of our house. I need a laser to cut the parts so she commanded Santa to bring me a low power, relatively low cost unit from Australia called the Afinia Emblaser. I've been fumbling around with it and managed to produce parts for a 1:48 scale farm wagon to go with that "little house on the prairie" I finished a month or so ago. (The problems I experienced getting somebody to cut the windows for that model, their mediocre quality, and the month it required to mail parts back and forth are what made my wife demand the laser.)
The photo shows some test pieces for the wagon. I built them up from layers of parts I cut from Strathmore 300 series velum and Wausau 65 pound Bright White cover stock. I stained them with SilverWood. The wheel is less than an inch in diameter and consists of 20 parts: two hubs, each made from 8 pieces, two spoked wheel centers, and a thinner outer rim on each side. To put things into perspective, the wagon side boards on the right are 2.5 inches long.
I am insane for trying to build something so small in 1:48; an appropriate scale would be at least 1:24. Better would be 1:8 like Greenie's models. Anyway, the wagon will take a long time to build and, when I eventually finish and then calm down by drinking six or seven bottles of fine cognac, I may attempt the model of our house.
Oh, the things I do for my wife ....
Russ
Wow! Those look good, Russ!
Russ! You've been hiding some of your talents under a bushel basket!
Those tiny parts look very good. You seem to have assembled all the first wheel parts just fine, so the rest of the wagon and then the house should go well.
Good work for trying your new tool.
Looking very good Russ. Congrats on adding the laser cutter to your arsenal... you must have been a good boy last year! That will certainly save you a lot of the time and hassle of dealing with outsourcing the process.
And now we know why there's such a supply shortage of fine cognac... ;)
Russ, congratulations to such a woman. In any case, not only cleanly cut but also carried out an excellent detail construction beforehand. I would like to see the 20 individual parts of the wheel after cutting.
-1 for not engraving the outer metal band on the wheel.
as someone here on the forum says...
Acceptable... or something like that!
Very well done mate. Congrats on the new toy.
A good investment, and you seem to have mastered the machine quickly. The parts certainly look good.
I've been a good boy, too. That's why Santa also came to me and brought me a CNC milling machine. I was already thinking about adding a laser unit next to the spindle. What can you cut with it? Can you also cut thin nickel silver sheet?
Bernhard
Helmut, I can't show you all the pieces of the wheel but I can show many of them. I added text to the photo to identify the pieces.
I built eight half-hubs from a "large" (just over 0.25") Strathmore disc; then two slightly smaller discs, one from thin cardstock and another of the same size from Strathmore; another pair of slightly smaller discs from the same papers; a Strathmore ring; and finally a nut in the center. I assembled each hub by slipping the parts in order over a vertical piece of wire on a styrene base, staining them, then gluing them into a single unit. The result is a slightly conical half-hub to match the shape of actual wagon wheel hubs. Each wheel has a front half and a rear half.
The basic wheel consists of a sandwich of two spoked centers of 0.016" thick Strathmore to create the proper thickness, a thinner (0.012") outer rim on each side, and a strip of 0.012" thick card for the tire.
Those keeping score with calculators will notice in my first post I added the parts incorrectly, hadn't included the tire (because I hadn't installed it yet), and came up with 20 parts. The correct number of parts per wheel is 19. I don't want to be accused of exaggerating and be sent to the corner on New Year's Day.
I completely understand if some of you fell asleep halfway through this description so, when you wake up, just move on to the other threads. They are much more interesting anyway.
Russ
Wow! That looks like fun. Assuming you have applied for your Emblasing permit?
"Those keeping score with calculators will notice in my first post I added the parts incorrectly, hadn't included the tire (because I hadn't installed it yet), and came up with 20 parts. The correct number of parts per wheel is 19. I don't want to be accused of exaggerating and be sent to the corner on New Year's Day."
I stand corrected! I will go stand in the corner now...
Very nice. Normally I loath laser-cut wagon wheels 'cos people insist on cutting them out of a single piece of plywood, complete with exaggerated grain going in all the wrong directions. Yours are spot on.
Russ, The tiny pieces went together really well. Will you infuse the parts with something like thin cyanoacrylite to seal and stiffen them?
Russ, thank you read with excitement and interest and thanks also for the illustration. Yes, by doubling in different thicknesses, excellent 3D structures can be achieved.
Well that's just amazing beautiful work!!
Guess you were lucky when your wife picked you to be her husband!! ;)
Jerry
Quote from: TRAINS1941 on December 31, 2021, 08:42:53 AM
Well that's just amazing beautiful work!!
Guess you were lucky when your wife picked you to be her husband!! ;)
Jerry
Her first choice is spending time in San Quentin , so she had to lower her sights !
Happy New Year , Y'all.
Nick
Go stand in the corner! — Russ
Hi everybody .
Russ and all you other downloaders and fiddlers the very best New Year 2022 , stay safe.
There are some great projects being posted it is such a pleasure to be part of the active group.
Cheers Kim
Quote from: Krusty on December 31, 2021, 12:09:56 AM
Very nice. Normally I loath laser-cut wagon wheels 'cos people insist on cutting them out of a single piece of plywood, complete with exaggerated grain going in all the wrong directions. Yours are spot on.
Could not agree more. That and window frames and doors with grain running the wrong direction. Far too common and laziness.
Back around 2005 I noticed the same thing as you so I asked Tom Fitzgerald of Crystal River Products to laser cut some Strathmore doors and windows for me. He added them to his line and was the first and only kit maker to do that. He expanded those first three items to include many of his wood doors and windows. Eventually somebody copied him but it never caught on. Most model railroad guys are interested in collecting trains or running them but consider accurately modeled structures a very secondary part of the hobby.
Strathmore (300 to 500 series Bristol Plate) is the ideal material because you can stain it, paint it, and scribe it to achieve virtually any finish or level of weathering you want. For that reason it beats laser board (also called oil board and stencil card). plastic, and any wood with visible grain.
For the record, since my first attempt in 1980, my Strathmore models have proven as durable and warp resistant as any wood model.
One thing a majority of the model railroad hobby seems to lack is an open mind.
Russ
Good investment and pretty details !
Russ, I like the look of all your care and attention to detail. Not going out on a limb at all to say: "Inspiring, Good Job!"
Many, many years ago I constructed a small HO scale engine shed with Strathmore paper clapboard siding. Each piece cut to scale width and individually attached with photographic DryMount tissue to a Strathmore multiply paper with a delicately used soldering iron to the activate the adhesive. It was an enjoyable build and has held together for more than 30 years.
I'll attempt a photo or two in the near future after deciphering a new iPhone camera's options.
And thank you for the effort it must take to keep the wheels all turning in the proper direction.
Frank65
I built several HO structures from Strathmore in the 1980s and '90s. I mostly used Walthers Goo, a rubber based adhesive. All are still in perfect condition and look as they did when I completed them. In HO scale, I found Strathmore a better choice overall than wood except for very distressed buildings. It's an overlooked gem and I suspect styrene was a big factor in its demise. A shame. In the music recording business ribbon microphones, a 1930s design, made a big comeback after the advent of digital because the same thing engineers didn't like about how they sounded with tape ended up being a very positive sound with digital. Unfortunately the model railroad hobby is less open minded and analytical but maybe "generic" modelers someday will rediscover the benefits of some art papers.
Soon I hope to post a few more photos of subassemblies for the horse drawn wagon I'm fooling with.
Russ
Soot
perhaps it is also of interest to show these early works in comparison to today's ones.
Okay, Helmut, I found my first three Strathmore structures. I built the first between about 1984 and 1987. It sat in storage for a few years when I moved to another city for a job as a TV reporter so I finished it when I moved to the house I now live in. This model and the others are HO scale. -- Russ
The sandhouse was my second Strathmore model. I drew the plans myself (in the days before CAD). It is my favorite. -- Russ
I also used my pencil, triangle, and compass to draw plans for this enginehouse. It was the final model of the series and I think I built it around 1988 (still in the pre-digital era). Some of you may have deduced that, after that first model, I never again wanted to scratchbuild a window! -- Russ
Thank you for showing Russ, now I can understand all this much better. I also experimented with cardboard models of cardboard boxes with advertising. Drawn on the computer and printed on high-quality paper, the most difficult thing at times was the subsequent cutting.
Here is an example:
(https://www.design-hsb.de/Kartons.jpg)
Prior to the widespread use of styrene to modeling card stock was widely used; one of the common techniques was to coat parts with diluted Duco cement, let it dry, and then bond with solvent as we do with styrene today
Holy cow, those are great models, Russ!
Helmut, those boxes turned out beautifully!
Last night I ended up assembling the ranch wagon underbody. What a fussy, tension producing couple of hours! Anyway, at about midnight I grabbed my iPhone and snapped a progress shot. Remember, the wheelbase of this little monster is only about two inches. I colored the parts with two ChartPak markers, Cool Grey for the wood and Sepia for the rusty metal. I'm pretty sure this assembly alone has at least 7,000,000 individual parts ....
Russ
Hello Russ, really uniquely beautiful, what a wealth of detail.
Don't you mean 7,000,000 drops of whiskey?
Cardboard modeling is actually completely underestimated when - as here - an expert is at work.
Bernhard
Hello Russ,
A great Christmas present.
I hope you will use it to conjure up many more beautiful models that you then show us!
In addition to the 7,000,000 there are a few missing screws on the drawbar ;)
The missing screws on the drawbar are because I drank 7,000,000 bottles of cognac. -- Russ
7,000,000 bottle of cognac! There's probably more screws loose than on the drawbar. Your earlier models are really nice. Glad you still have them and hope to see the house and more new ones coming along.
The wagon is looking good. Do you coat the Strathmore with anything when you're finished to help stablize it from absorbing moisture? I'm thinking about small items like the wagon wheels sagging over time
I never did anything to stabilize the HO Strathmore models or, for that matter, any of my paper models whether Strathmore, Lanaquarelle, Wausau ExactIndex, or anything else. I'm more worried about my clumsy fingers wreaking havoc (or another massive brush fire like the one three years ago) than the weather. -- Russ
Just fascinating stuff - so fine - just keep it coming -its very enjoyable to look at
Barney
Russ,
not bad! A heartly welcome to the world of serious modeling - you cranked out some really impressive results with that laser, and well, your hands. The two-dimensional prints and the three-dimensional laser parts match perfectly. Don't worry about the brush fires. Even brass models tend to shift shape at higher temperatures.
Cheers,
Volker
The wagon is finally complete, at least to the degree I can detail such a tiny model representing a decaying relic. I'll show one shot of the finished model here, then show the drawings I sent to the laser, and conclude with more photos.
This model is so small many parts are too small and delicate to pick up with my fingers. The photos don't convey the actual size.
Here's the overall wagon.
Russ
Here is the first 8.5 x 11 inch sheet I sent to the laser.
The second sheet has all the tiny detail parts, most representing metal straps. I used 65 pound Wausau Bright White "cover sheet" paper, about 0.009-inch thick. Anything thinner is too fragile. Even so, after I colored them with Chartpak artist's markers I had to stiffen some parts with matte varnish. The angled straps below the driver's footboard are an example. Handling an unvarnished part that thin would be like trying to build with boiled spaghetti. And, yes, I anticipated the need for more parts than I actually used.
The final sheet is again 0.016-inch thick Strathmore Series 300 Bristol. When you laminate three or more pieces with white glue the result is similar to plywood and seems as durable as wood. Most Strathmore parts required at least one additional layer to achieve proper thickness. I used both SilverWood and a ChartPak Cool Grey marker to color the parts prior to assembly. Ultimately the marker won. The appearance was the same but the color was much less sloppy to apply.
I began construction with the underframe. Actually, I planned just to test fit some pieces but realized I had to glue them together. I assumed the first attempt would be a trial run and I'd have to laminate a lot of new parts after I discovered the trouble spots. Amazingly everything fit.
This view is similar to one at the beginning of the thread but the frame now has the four bolsters for retaining the wagon bed. To give an idea of how I built the model, each bolster consists of three laminated Strathmore parts to represent the wooden center and a strip of Wausau to represent a metal strap that loops over the top and continues on the back side.
Here's a top view of the underframe. A bolster sits on each axle and each consists of six layers of laser cut Strathmore. The problem is that parts of the frame, both front and back, are angled and the laser only can cut each piece to fit a straight part. So I applied a drop of CA to the areas requiring surgery and, when it had hardened, cut and filed the notches to the proper angles as though they were wood.
Why not use wood in the first place? Because I'd need a mill and the skill of a master machinist to produce those parts. Ain't got no mill and ain't got no skill. Besides, building a wagon from paper just isn't done so I wanted to try it.
This view shows the microscopic bracing below the (angled) footboard. Now do you understand why I had to stiffen the angled straps before somehow managing to glue them in place? Same with the leaf springs under the seat. Those were no fun to build.
I thought building the wagon bed would be a snap. Wrong. It took two attempts because the first time I put some bracing in the wrong place.
If you look under the wagon bed you can see the rear horizontal bolster resting above the axle. All those curves and angles would be impossible for me to create with traditional tools.
The final photo just proves the model actually has two sides ... unlike those building flats I've posted that have no back wall or, for that matter, only a small length of side wall.
For the record, when I was about twelve years old I built a Revell plastic chuck wagon kit and it turned out pretty well except for the brushed gloss enamel paint job. (Well, that was before hobby shops had aerosol spray paints and no kid my age had ever heard of an airbrush.) Anyhow, as it turns out, the plastic kit represented a wagon very similar in appearance and the same size as my paper model. It also was the same scale (1:48) and, with a decent paint job and without the canvas roof, probably would have looked nearly the same as my paper model (with its nearly 200 individual paper pieces).
The Revell kit also was slightly easier to build. And the fact that I actually designed and constructed this ranch wagon suggests I am a very troubled man.
Russ
The result is friendly and the laser cut well controlled.
I think we almost all started with paintings Enamel applied with a brush for a mediocre result.
What an incredible amount of individual parts, which then have to be assembled accurately. But the result is absolutely convincing.
Bernhard
That wagon looks outstanding. Lets see more like it!
Russ, your wagon turned out most excellent...except for one thing... As you have often pointed out to members who do not post their photos directly onto your forum that at some point their images will be lost when their hosting sites close or otherwise change and the links are broken. Alas, I fear the same fate for much of your wagon's color.
I also have often tried to point out Chatpak artists markers and all similar solvent markers are not lightfast. Yes, they are "permanent", but technically that only means they will not smear if wet with water. Almost all of the dyes themselves are fugitive and fade over time, quickly when exposed to bright light, but eventually if exposed to air and sometimes heat.
I have seen model railroaders painstakingly use a fine tip Sharpie to color window gaskets on rolling stock only to discover 6 months later the color is gone.
Winsor & Newton makes(?) a line of water soluble markers that are lightfast. They use pigments similar to their watercolors. These may have been discontinued.
https://www.dickblick.com/products/winsor-newton-pigment-markers/
Sakura makes Pigma Micron markers that are archival. These "markers" are more like technical drafting pens and are available in several size tips. There are a limited number of colors that are probably the most useful: black, burnt sienna and burnt umber.
https://www.sakuraofamerica.com/product/pigma-micron/
Bernhard, I could have cut wood for most parts and eliminated most of the laminating. I wanted to build this model from paper just to see if I could do it and how it would turn out. If I ever build the wagon again it will be at least 1:24 scale and most parts will be wood or, if it will represent a newer wagon, styrene.
Bill ... now you tell me! Anyway, for a couple of reasons I'm less concerned with Chartpak's color-fastness than I would have been a few years ago: First, at my age, the model probably will outlive me. And, second, my models rarely see the light of day. They remain locked in closets or in the shadowed recesses of my "workshop", the smallest and darkest room of the house. Fortunately, until now, I've only used Cool Grey markers to disguise the white edges of paper veneers; it's a neutral color and blends with nearly everything. But thanks for the tip. I'll look into those Sakura markers.
Thanks to everyone for your comments.
Russ
Wonderful job Unc! I'm impressed with the way you manged to laser cut all the parts and everything fit so nicely.
Jerry
Excellent so lets have more !!!!!
Barney
Russ, I am totally blown away by the quality of that wagon! I would never have thought it was paper. It looks much, much better than any kit I've ever seen.
Quote from: finescalerr on January 02, 2022, 12:46:43 PM
Back around 2005 I noticed the same thing as you so I asked Tom Fitzgerald of Crystal River Products to laser cut some Strathmore doors and windows for me. He added them to his line and was the first and only kit maker to do that. He expanded those first three items to include many of his wood doors and windows. Eventually somebody copied him but it never caught on. Most model railroad guys are interested in collecting trains or running them but consider accurately modeled structures a very secondary part of the hobby.
Strathmore (300 to 500 series Bristol Plate) is the ideal material because you can stain it, paint it, and scribe it to achieve virtually any finish or level of weathering you want. For that reason it beats laser board (also called oil board and stencil card). plastic, and any wood with visible grain.
For the record, since my first attempt in 1980, my Strathmore models have proven as durable and warp resistant as any wood model.
One thing a majority of the model railroad hobby seems to lack is an open mind.
Russ
One of my favorite materials for laser cutting and building is Polybak. It is a resin impregnated craft paper product used for backer for laminates and veneers. Comes in various thicknesses from 0.11 to 0.32. I really like for modeling things like your wagon/wheels etc. It cuts beautifully on the laser and more importantly it engraves very well on the laser with it's lack of grain due to the resin.
It is extremely stable material, water proof, but takes paint very well. It is very tuff for it's thickness. Sands and carves like styrene but has the good painting qualities of paper. It comes in 49" widths and 10 and 12 foot lengths. We go through a lot of it so we buy a few hundred sheets at a time, but you can get small amounts from some of the online laser suppliers out there.
I do agree that the RR modelers are slowly picking up the techniques of the plastic modelers and military modelers. We have been pushing new materials and techniques in our kits where we can so you can do more than just build square boxes with the laser.
You have mastered it already in your wagon.... BTW, that would make a great kit!! let me know if you want to make millions of 1:48 dollars with your design.
Russ, you've really taken this medium to another level. I can't believe how fiddly it must have been to assemble that cart.
Of course, the question remains... are you going to model an old sway-back horse to pull it? ;)
Paul, please don't be surprised when you read the following reply: GO STAND IN THE CORNER! -- Russ
Not until he becomes proficient in 3D printing
Quote from: finescalerr on January 22, 2022, 12:44:30 AM
Paul, please don't be surprised when you read the following reply: GO STAND IN THE CORNER! -- Russ
Hooray, back in the corner again with cookies and whisky! Getting worried I was losing my touch... ;)
I may as well post the 1:48 scale "skiff under reconstruction" I just finished assembling. It will sit in front of a boat repair structure I built years ago. The model is 3 inches long and still needs paint so you can see how it went together. It's entirely laser cut 0.016-inch thick paper (Strathmore 300 series Bristol Smooth). I'll probably color it gray to represent primer and, when it's done, I'll post another photo. That may take a few days; I don't have any gray spray paint.
I don't know how anyone can build a boat. Almost everything is curved and shaped to fit areas I can't even imagine. It was a real challenge just to design the few parts I used on the model.
Russ
So now you're just showing off ;D (and doing it quite well)
I don't know the timeframe of your skiff & boat repair shop, and I'm not a boat builder, but I don't think that the frame would be primed with gray. Maybe white lead?
Nicely done... and welcome to the dark side! Is the skiff going to represent a boat in use or one that's retired and weathered?
Which corner is serving crisps and whisky? Far better then the one with the pizza oven!
Thanks for the paint tip, Bill. The boat represents a skiff in for rebuilding or repair circa 1890. That means white is probably the appropriate color.
I am blown away by the possibilities a laser has opened up. I never would have been able to create the parts for any boat with knives, files, or scissors.
Lawton, please schedule more therapy time with your mental health counselor.
Russ
Looks great, Russ!
Russ, such boats used to be never painted but left wood-colored. Because if such a wooden boat leaked, it was simply sunk then the wood swelled and the boat was tight again.
Still very nice and I like it.
Just enter wooden boat construction on Google and look at them pictures.
Thank you, Helmut. Now I have a real problem. The boat is made from paper and I cannot make it look just like wood. If I find some thin sheets of wood and re-cut and rebuild the model, the grain will be too coarse for 1:48 scale. In other words, I know of no elegant solution.
Maybe I'll just do what Bill suggested and paint it white. When I was very young, my father used to shoot a lot of photos of fishing boats. Nearly all wooden skiffs I saw as a child were painted (I still have my father's photos) so maybe a few boats already had paint around 1900.
Russ
Russ, for a very elegant solution/answer to your query about making the skiff in timber.
Go to a reputable timber merchant and start looking at all the different types of MYRTLE timbers.
You will immediately notice that there is virtually NO big pore holes showing in most of the MYRTLE timbers.
The grain in some Myrtle timbers will not be showing AT ALL and this type of timber can be used right down to 1/76 scale as polished Timber and still look IN SCALE.
Choose the one that has a colour that suits you, then get it cut into whatever sizes you want and put that timber thru a THICKNESS SANDER.
A good well made Thickness Sander can reduce that timber down to about the thickness of two bits of paper before turning it into $hit.
Now you can use your laser to cut the timber, easy as, eh. :-)
Check out the links below ---
https://www.wood-database.com/tasmanian-myrtle/
https://www.google.com/search?q=nothofagus+cunninghamii+timber&client=firefox-b-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjWraWpitb1AhWezzgGHVjOCKQQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1678&bih=1014&dpr=2
I have no means of creating thin sheets of myrtle or, for that matter, obtaining a 9x12x1/16 inch sheet of the wood itself but your suggestion and links gave me an interesting idea. I could use my scan of a sheet of similar wood to create a photo on an appropriate sheet of paper, then cut parts for the boat from that photo. It might solve the challenge of scaling down appearance, grain, and texture. I've attached the scan to show how it is reasonably close to the Tasmanian myrtle photo in your first link.
I already have built a "pilot" model and just finished the boat in the photos. At this point I have little desire to build yet another model of what is only a prop for an existing structure. But at some point I want to experiment with the concept. I also want to experiment someday with a sheet of myrtle.
Russ
Yep, that would work as well.
See, there are more than just one way to skin a cat, eh.
Looking great young Russ.
Just look a the many different materials they used for the skin of boats.
The one that springs to mind is what we call Plywood the most common use that springs to mind is the patrol boats of WW 2, basically, a smooth skin cut from sheets. Your laser-printed wood sheet is really good to represent this finish.
Professional wooden model boat builders build up their skins in at least 2 layers the first to get the shape right the second or top layer to get the detail.
Enjoying your posts.
cheers.
only a new skiff under construction would be all new lumber, so if being repaired you should mix new with old and go from there.
Quote from: greenie on January 28, 2022, 08:06:47 PM
Go to a reputable timber merchant and start looking at all the different types of MYRTLE timbers.
Good tip on the Myrtle... a wood I've wanted to try. However, it's not available in Canada with the occasional exception for figured turning blanks, not suitable for my purpose. It is possible to find pieces for sale on eBay but they are horrendously expensive. For example a 21" L. x 2.75" W. x 2.75" T. piece is $155.50 including shipping from Australia. My preferred woods that have little to no visible grain are boxwood and swiss pear, but again, almost impossible to find in Canada and pricing is outrageous. Fortunately I have a limited stock of each purchased years ago in the U.K.
Skiffs and other work boats built on the Chesapeake Bay were traditionally planked in cypress. Known for durability when exposed to weather.
Another wood to think about is holly known for lack of grain and colour.
A band saw with home made fixtures can be used as a miniature saw mill and cut your own timber as needed. This weekend's blizzard knocked a large Crepe Myrtle down last night and I am going to try and mill it this spring.
AYE! AYE! Skipper!!
Nice job your doing there!!
Jerry
I was considering all the ideas you guys have offered when I remembered our erstwhile world-class shipbuilder, Doris. I looked her up and found a link to this forum: https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1195.0 (https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1195.0). Her Sovereign of the Seas model and most others she has built predate my skiff by centuries and have white hulls. (She does a lot of historical research before starting a model.) Bill had suggested a 19th century boat maker night use white lead. Anyway, Doris' models would suggest I may spray my model with white paint and not worry too much about anachronism.
But look at the wealth of information forum members have turned up by answering the question!
Russ
Here is the final version of the skiff under construction. I painted the last version white and it's boring. So I built a third model to represent new unpainted wood. I did that by printing a sheet of Strathmore front and back with a photo of a sheet of basswood I'd scanned. I put that in the laser and cut the parts, then glued everything together yet again. Whatever might be wrong with the result, I'll make up some reason why it's okay because I can't face the prospect of building the darned thing a fourth time!
And, at least in person, it actually looks like I built it from wood.
Russ
Here's the underside.
And here is the stern.
Now it's time to please my current spouse and build that 1:48 model of our home.
Russ
Isn't paper wood? So you did build it from wood.:)
Your getting pretty good at this!!
Isn't there a ship magazine you could submit it to?? ;)
Looking forward to the house project!
Jerry
If there isn't, then Russ could start one!
Russ, looking like wood, I like the boat very much.
I'm late to the party. Not even fashionably.
Not even have you got a laser now, Russ, but look at the beautiful things you are doing with it!
Amazing work. We should catch up again soon (I'm moving back to the UK right now!)
Here's an idea for any of you who need clean laser cut parts:
In my never ending quest for perfection I found that some people taped cardstock to a plate of glass before putting it into the laser. I gave the local glass shop $14.00 and came home with a beautifully finished, shiny, pristine 1/4-inch thick 9x12 inch piece. I taped my printed Strathmore onto it and pushed the button. Well, golly gee snap-turtle if those folks weren't right! The underside of the parts for the "wooden" boat were free of ash smudges and the laser also cut everything more cleanly. The improvement was obvious.
The only casualty is the piece of glass. It now has laser etching marks on it.
I hope this tidbit may be of value to some of you someday even if you send out your work.
Russ
Nice work, Russ. Especially in the third picture, it's hard to tell that it's not really wood.
Bernhard
Looks great to me!
That's entirely acceptable Russ. Sounds like you're planning to show it as a skiff under construction. Are you planning to add lumber and tools laying about, perhaps a figure scratching his head?
Bernhard, I agree with you and am embarrassed to admit I shot the third photo with my iPhone and the other two with my expensive SLR.
Paul, I don't have any tool castings but, yes, I am planning to add some lumber and maybe a couple of rags to the scene. Were I to include a figure scratching his head, that would be me trying to get rid of my termites.
Russ
Russ,
Why do you still need your SLR camera when the iPhone does everything so well?
Lately I have been tending more and more to using a mobile phone as a camera ;-)
Russ, Talk about head scratching, I've been trying to find a link I saw awhile ago to a woman who provides laser services to artists. I think you'd find what she does very interesting and useful. Examples showed very delicate papercutting, taking just the dye layer off of cloth, engraving aluminum and cutting cast (not extruded) acrylic among other things.
Frithjof, the camera in my iPhone 7 was very good. I did not like the changes to the camera in the iPhone X and thought it a step down overall. At Christmas we bought the iPhone 13 and its camera is outstanding. It did not shoot accurate color of my little boat indoors, under a lamp. Outdoors it is fantastic.
Bill, my skill with a laser is rudimentary. I would waste a lot of paper to become more proficient.
Russ
Great thread, Russ.
I am sure you have already a long to-do list for the laser.
Do your wife knows she will get soon a model of the PONDEROSA for a 3D printer? :D
Daniel
B.t.w.: Sorry, Magoo discovered your answer with the link just a moment ago!!!
Hi Russ.
Great to join in with the other unwashed rabel that seem to populate this site.
all the best Kim