The Ship Model Forum

Joachim.

There are several types of flux, and each requires a different cleaner/solvent.

I prefer liquid water soluble fluxes, especially the citrus based fluxes (weak citric acid). They smell like orange juice, and can be cleaned up with water and a tooth brush. These fluxes are applied with a small brush and flow between the pieces, dissolving oxidation, leaving a clean surface. When the flux is heated it evaporates, and in the process draws the liquid solder into the joint, producing a good bond. Water soluble fluxes are not flammable and do not produce toxic vapors.

Avoid using the acid core solders or strong acid flux. They can be cleaned up with water but can also cause corrosion if you don't get them all washed off.

If you use a resin flux acetone is the best solvent, but it is extremely flammable and should be used outdoors or in a well ventilated spark free fume hood. Isopropyl alcohol (Isopropanol or rubbing alcohol) can be used but it isn't quite as good a solvent for resin as acetone. Isopropanol is also flammable, but not as explosive as acetone. You can also use petroleum ether (hexane) or paint thinner, but these are also flammable and somewhat toxic. Turpentine can also be used - just about any organic solvent. They are all flammable and should not be inhaled if you want to keep all your brain cells.

Phil

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A collision at sea will ruin your entire day. Aristotle

Hello Phil,

thank you so much for your explanation!
I searched for information about the stuff I am using and found the producer´s technical data sheets where it says: Water soluble.
So out of ignorance I got it right I had bought the only available liquid flux in the harware store...

Good to know that I can simply keep on!
Lets see what I can roast next

Have a nice sunday! Here in Germany its sunny today, but still cold at night

Happy modelling

Jo

Good evening from Wetzlar!

The last days I had been working on my parts of horror: the chart house and the bridge of MA rangefinders on top.
I had really actually delt with the thought about tinkering the component by 3d printer. But one would have to master CAD or something else in order to draw the thing first.And for an awoved analogist like me that is the core of the problem. So, like all our ancestors, I sawed, drilled and sanded and soldered all the parts together. I was very afraid of that, but I guess one only has to start once

Have a nice weekend!

Jo

Buena sera!

Today I made a little trial run and put all the bridge stuff onto the superstructure. Starts looking like a battleship, hm?

Next step is installation of the smoke generator. I´d like to but it between the two sidemembers under the superstructure, between the funnels.
I am justa bit clueless how to get the electricity up to that place: install the switches down in the hull and only lay cables for the generator, it´s ventilator into the top - and maybe also another one for the postion LEDs... I will be looking for a solution at the two big electrical supplie stores here, conrad.de and reichelt.de. Hope I can show some results soon!

Jo

Indeed she is! Very fine work!

_________________
Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

Dear friends,

I used the days off during easter thinkingabout how to get electricity for additional functions - as smoke generater and it´s fan, position lights and maybe searchlights later - from the hull into thesuperstructure without plugs and cables.

So finally I had the idea of mounting gold plugs in a rack in hull and superstructure and today I glued all stuff together. After being separated for a while, hull and bridge got re-united:-)

Hopefully I can test my invention the next days and continue!

Happy modelling!

Joachim

Dear friends,

after one year of absence due to job- and eye trouble and thus a lack of motivation, I am back in the shipyard.
My plan for the next weeks is the completion of the superstructure, beginning with bridge an foremast.
I replaced the old styrene masthead by a brass one - the tiny little things to be soldered are no fun, not even with reading glasses or magnifying glass. I have not yet found a really good solution for better eyesight....
The outcome is not as expected, but at first the mast will stay like this and be varnished soon.

I hope I can present some more progress soon! At least our basement is a cool refuge in the actual hot days!

Best regards from tropical Wetzlar
Joachim

Good evening dear friends,

today I faced my horror fittings, the type 281 Radar antennas.
In my little Profile Morskiye book there are no details, just a very simplified drawing.
After studying several good photos in the internet I decided to go half the way between the simple example and the original.
Hopefully in a couple of days I can finish the masts and let little Aztek spit some varnish!

best regards

Joachim

Those radars look really good. Well done!

_________________
Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

Dear friends,

today I have reached a little milestone, the foremast got its varnish.

On July 30th i will join a fleet meeting in Witten, a small town in Dortmund´s vicinity, and my plan was to present at least a bit of progress in comparison to the last meeting one year ago. i hope i can add a bit of rigging till then.

On this Saturday i try to improve Renowns trim and add a third accumulator to the wiring - and maybe i continue with varnish preparations for the bridge. Now i am in a workflow

Best regards from too hot Germany!

Joachim

Good evening from tropical hot Wetzlar!

Today I did not continue with the mast or any exteriors but installed a 3rd akkumulator and then checked the trim.
So far, everthing seems fine for the meeting next Saturday!

Have a nice weekend!

Joachim

That looks great! I am really glad that someone showed me that type of trim adjustment tank for use close to or in your workshop! I've got one that I used to trim out my Bonnie, and it was rather handy since it was in the middle of winter, and it's rather tough to use the lake at that time of year!

Your Radar antennas look amazing. I'm certain that you see tiny flaws as the creator of them, but as an observer - I'm impressed at your craftsmanship! Well Done!

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ICBM Address: 44:78N 063:63W

Ex RCN, HMC Ships Gatineau, Athabaskan, Charlottetown, St. John's, Montreal, Charlottetown, Summerside, Montreal.

Brilliant job

Dear friends,
here are some pics from yesterdays meeting in Witten.
Its been very fine weather, almost 30 models had been on display or water.
No losses, no collisions, everything was fine.

Berst regards

Joachim

Some more pics:

Some excellent models there! Congrats on the progress on your Renown as well! Good to see you hanging on on this beautiful model.

_________________
The merchant shipyard

Good heavens,my last post was in 2022!

Sorry for the long silence!
I did not really find motivation for modelling in the last months: a new job, the illness and death of a dear friend - needed some time to think.

I did some little things with Renown and joined some meetings, see the pics.

I hope I can show you some progress with the boats soon!

Happy modelling and best regards from Wetzlar!

Joachim