Tag Archives: Walnut

Fife Rails

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After a couple of stops and starts, I finally made a satisfactory Column part of the Fife Rail.

This is the most difficult because you have to carve out the top part and also carve the notches for the Cross-bar goes across.

The Mahogany 3mm x 3mm Stock that Mamoli provided with unsatisfactory. It had this horrible saw mark on one side. Also, they didn’t provide enough of it.

So, I remembered that I had bought some 3mm thick Walnut Stock awhile back from Modelers Central. It was for this very reason that I bought it!… For things like this!

Anyway, I used my Mini-Tablesaw and cut a bunch of 3×3 Pieces… They look a lot better.

Here’s the Column piece I just carved…

Notch in Column Piece

I found that using a Xacto blade, I was able to notch out the main parts, then I used my mini triangle file for the top portion. Then for the notch, I used my mini square shaped file for that work.

Mini triangle and mini square files
Letting the SuperGlue get nice and hard.

I’m going to let it get nice and set and then sand the bottoms down to the proper height.

Fife Rail ready to go in. I put in the 1mm Dowels in the bottom.
1st one installed
2nd one installed

Walnut Wales Bending

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My first experiment produced a couple of Wales that were bend nicely however there were a few cracks in them…

Wales with cracks

I mean… They’re perfectly usuable, but I think that I’ll use them on the Lower Wales so that the cracks aren’t as visible.

That process was simply soaking for 1 hour in 1/2 cup Ammonia + 1 Cup Water in my Plank Soaker. Then bending it around my Jig.

This next experiment, I soaked the Wales for 2 hours or more. Then I carefully inserted the 2 Planks into the Jig and clamped them together with my little Clamp I made to keep them from turning like they did last time.

Then, I used some Clips to weigh them down and stress them gently into a bend… Instead of rapidly like I did last time.

I then used my Iron, set to Max with Steam… I gently went back and forth across it to make it bend.

Well… It bent pretty nicely I must say…

Gently bending with weight
Getting ready to bend 4 – 2mm x 2mm and 2 1mm x 4mm Walnut stock
Slow bending with my Jig
Walnut without cracks or breaks

Yeah… It seems like taking your time is the key with bending these Walnut stock.

I did manage to crack 2 of them… But I think that was just a matter of me sticking it in to get bend in the wrong direction. The wood didn’t like it.

You have to determine what the wood wants to do. Or else it will end up cracking on you.

Walnut Wales

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Here I’m trying to bend these 2mm x 2mm Walnut Wales after I had it soaking in hot water with Ammonia for about an hour.

Bending Walnut Wales

I’m not too happy about how it cracked the outside of it… Perhaps for the next ones I’ll soak them for a lot longer maybe.

I submitted a question to my Model Shipbuilding Group which went –

You should see all the answers. One of them did make sense… which I’ll try next.

I’m soaking the Walnut 2mm x 2mm stock for extra long. Then, I’m going to slowly bend it, but this time I’m going to use a couple of clamps across the Walnut and bend it extra slowly while applying heat to it using an Iron. I was thinking about using my Plank Bender Heater… I’ll try that next.

That’s one thing that I love about this hobby is going through these different types of experiments to see what works…

Transom Planking

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The Transom took these .5mm x 3mm Walnut Planks.

It kind of came out uneven so I had to make a Filler sliver. Then while the White Glue was still wet, I rubbed across it with the 120 Grit, just enough to generate a few Walnut Sawdust to act as Putty. Now the descrepancy is barely visible.

Sliver on right side
Transom Planking done
Close up of Rudder Hole

Walnut Strake above Sheer Strake

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I wet this 1.5mm x 3mm Walnut Plank for about an hour so that I can try and bend it around the bow for a bit to take the bend.

While I was bending it, I noticed that the Walnut tended to break. I suppose that I could have accomplished the same thing without forming it first with water.

I ended up with trying to use some Titebond on the break. We don’t think it will break any further.

I’m literally holding it with my finger waiting for it to grab.

I’m leaving a bit of a lip on it where the Gun Ports will go.

I almost had a potential disaster when this Walnut Plank broke. I filled the crack with some glue while I hold it. Basically performing Wood first-aid.

This Walnut strip runs along the Gun Ports. I don’t know what it’s called.