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Moderators: MartinJQuinn, JIM BAUMANN, HMAS, Tiny69, Dave Wooley
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grim reaper
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 1:52 pm
- Location: Mississippi
If Bill is buying a scale shipyard hull ( included with this hull) is a 4 piece fiberglass superstructure molding set which includes the main structure from main deck level to the 03 level, conning tower, forward director tower with stack & cap and the after director tower. Also included is a set of plans for BB-58 as she was in 1944.
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kennylibben
- Posts: 1065
- Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 7:25 am
- Location: I live in Off-Topic...
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seaphoto
- SeaPhoto
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2005 7:11 pm
- Location: Grass Valley, CA
- Contact:
On the subject of cost of fiberglass vs. scratchbuilt hulls, a lot depends on the materials you build the hull from. Balsa / basswood over bulkhead, you will save a lot of money scratchbuilding. If you make the hull from lifts of mahogany or other high grade carving wood, the savings will be considerably less.
In operational enviorments (r/c) , glass hulls do better, as wood hulls tend to degrade over time, especially in warmer climates.
I have been building for a long time, and have done hulls using a variety of methods, but at this point in my life, if a nicely done commercial unit is available, I will use it without question. It lets me get to the more enjoyable aspects (for me) - outfitting with gear, detailing - that much sooner. Other guys really enjoy the process of building a hull, and so for them, it makes sense to go that route. That is the great thing about this hobby, you have a lot of choices.
Kurt
In operational enviorments (r/c) , glass hulls do better, as wood hulls tend to degrade over time, especially in warmer climates.
I have been building for a long time, and have done hulls using a variety of methods, but at this point in my life, if a nicely done commercial unit is available, I will use it without question. It lets me get to the more enjoyable aspects (for me) - outfitting with gear, detailing - that much sooner. Other guys really enjoy the process of building a hull, and so for them, it makes sense to go that route. That is the great thing about this hobby, you have a lot of choices.
Kurt
Kurt Greiner
http://www.warshipmodelsunderway.com
Home of the Big Models
http://www.warshipphotos.com
SeaPhoto Maritime Photography
http://www.warshipmodelsunderway.com
Home of the Big Models
http://www.warshipphotos.com
SeaPhoto Maritime Photography
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Dave Wooley
- Posts: 4131
- Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:18 am
- Location: Liverpool
Hi Kurt I agree with all your points and see no problem what so ever in building on a GRP hull accept perhaps one of cost. Having built up hulls from scratch and used /using GRP there are benefits in going down both avenues. I think scratch allows for a much wider choice assuming drawings are available but GRP is more durable. There is of course that great feeling of satisfaction in building a model from the keel up and seeing it sail well but that is a rather abstract description as satisfaction with a model is all relative. I think most modellers me included tend to include a degree of bought in fittings so even the description Scratch becomes blurred.
Dave Wooley
Dave Wooley
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W.L. Upshaw
Fiberglass. AKA. GRP Hulls
One of the largest benifits of using fiberglass hulls for working models is the robustness of the hull which can be a very good thing when your model is in the water which equates into longevity of the model as well.
This is more of an issue with a museum model, as these models must last without any warping or especially cracking of the hull or joints in the superstructure for a minimum of 5 years and some museums require the fit and finish of the model to be guaranteed for longer periods then this.
Naturally balsa wood is not the material of choice here, even taking and skinning the balsa wood with styrene has ts problems as the two materials can delaminate with time, I have seen this with several models, I usually will laminate styrene over plexiglass or lexan but I use solvent type glues to make ure the two materials stay together.
The use of fiberglass hulls and plastics has only recently been accepted by museums and not all museums will accept it still.
The Museum at the US Naval Academy still requires old growth southern white pine for the hulls and structures, that stuff is getting as rare as Edsell Dealerships and very expensive. Newer plantation grown woods are just not as stable.
The fiberglass hulls that I make here at Scale Shipyard will be around long after we are all gone to dust, This is becoming a problem for fiberglass shops disposing of the waste from production as this stuff does not break down in landfills that well eiher, some larger manufactures grind this down to a powder for use as fillers needed in subsequent production.
This is more of an issue with a museum model, as these models must last without any warping or especially cracking of the hull or joints in the superstructure for a minimum of 5 years and some museums require the fit and finish of the model to be guaranteed for longer periods then this.
Naturally balsa wood is not the material of choice here, even taking and skinning the balsa wood with styrene has ts problems as the two materials can delaminate with time, I have seen this with several models, I usually will laminate styrene over plexiglass or lexan but I use solvent type glues to make ure the two materials stay together.
The use of fiberglass hulls and plastics has only recently been accepted by museums and not all museums will accept it still.
The Museum at the US Naval Academy still requires old growth southern white pine for the hulls and structures, that stuff is getting as rare as Edsell Dealerships and very expensive. Newer plantation grown woods are just not as stable.
The fiberglass hulls that I make here at Scale Shipyard will be around long after we are all gone to dust, This is becoming a problem for fiberglass shops disposing of the waste from production as this stuff does not break down in landfills that well eiher, some larger manufactures grind this down to a powder for use as fillers needed in subsequent production.
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ARH
- Posts: 2557
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 10:52 am
- Location: Land of the Cheshire cat
Naturally balsa wood is not the material of choice here, even taking and skinning the balsa wood with styrene has ts problems as the two materials can delaminate with time, I have seen this with several models, I usually will laminate styrene over plexiglass or lexan but I use solvent type glues to make ure the two materials stay together.
There is nothing wrong with balsa wood in a model, its how you go about it. Most of my models use balsa wood but it is treated with resin and laminated with fiber matting added to that fiber paste ( car body filla) its like a fiber glass hull, the balsa only acts as a carrier for the resining and matting.
I have models in my garage that are 20 years old, no degrading, still like the day they were built, and these are all sailing models, a guy asked me once, are they strong, giving it a whack with a 2lb hammer , I said how strong do you want it.
There is nothing wrong with balsa wood in a model, its how you go about it. Most of my models use balsa wood but it is treated with resin and laminated with fiber matting added to that fiber paste ( car body filla) its like a fiber glass hull, the balsa only acts as a carrier for the resining and matting.
I have models in my garage that are 20 years old, no degrading, still like the day they were built, and these are all sailing models, a guy asked me once, are they strong, giving it a whack with a 2lb hammer , I said how strong do you want it.
Simple but effective.
