Ships model

Loren:

I'm hoping to make some canoes for my layout. It's a winter scene, but it has a small/pond lake. I was thinking of having the canoes layed up on the shore for the winter.

I was hoping to cast them with hollow hulls (adding styrene seat boards later). But I think they would be too fragile to handle, even if the hulls were as thick as the gunwhales. Any thoughts guys - what casting material would be best for this or would it be a waste of time?

Jeremy

i would think a person could use heavy weight paper to cut and outline that could be folded (in half) and joined at the ends. if cut right i should be possible to form a simply canoe. painting with a flat finish should give it some hardness. i haven't done it, but that is how i would try to do it.

Jeremy,
I think David might be on to something. Maybe some sort of mold to wet the paper first, and mold it around a form till it dried?

Haven't got time to experiment, but will keep that thought in my "to do and try it out bin"
Loren

Can't little boats be made with an old school vacu-form? At least the hulls of boats. john boats and maybe canoes?
Anyone still know how to do this? Is it too hard to do in Z?

Kelly,
Never thought of that, but yes it is possible. In the dental industry we use vacuform machines to make mouth guards and with the right material, we could probably do just that. It would take an accurate model to use as the basic mold form. Once the sides had been trimmed to desired dimensions the interior could be built from styrene and wood etc.
One more "to do" idea.
Loren

The nice little autos that are hand made over here are made from dental stuff. They are super light weight and can be molded and sanded real good. They also take paint and can be drilled. I don't know how expensive the stuff is and it might be something different than used in the States. I got Schizo teeth myself as Army dentists did some work, and German dentists did other work ..and every time they scratch their heads and wonder what the other was thinking when they did it.
Vacuform machines used to be easy and cheap to make. should be plans online..but I am sure yours would be more precise.

This is just an example..First thing I grabbed off Google
www.internetmodeler.com/2001/march/new-releases/vac.htm

If you are doing a winter scene, most canoes are stored upside down or "Bottoms up".
They are also transported on a car roof UPSIDEDOWN. That makes it easy. Just take a square piece of styrene, mark to lenght-1. Shape the shear strakes, then sand the outer hull. Do step 1 before cutting to length, so you have something to hold on to. (Evergreen has lots of thicknesses) sand, scrape, or file to shape. Styrene is better than wood as there is no grain to contend with. and the grain usually lifts a bit on painting.
As far as an upside right canoe, 1. shape shear strakes, 2. dig out the inner shape and then shave or GENTLY sand the outer hull to shape. As my nuclear propulsion proffresor would say--"simple-SANDBOX". I just made two- one downsideup, the other upsidedown.. no problem. just to test my theory.
I have a 1:1 13' canoe, canvas, oak ribs and yoke for portaging. Grumman made those horrible alumium (Aluminum) canoes that were noisey and had the sleek lines of a brick. I like the Indian birch bark canoes as thier bows and sterns-- the pointy ends for those that are not sea lubbers- had a higher rake.
Unless you need a whole camp full of canoes, this might be the way to go.

Wow! Lot's of feedback.

I was hoping to cast so I could make some quick reproductions, but it sounds like a one-by-one process may be the way to go.

BTW, In Oregon, it doesn't matter whether it's summer, fall, winter or spring. If you store your canoe outside, it better be upside down. A bottom only form would simplify things for casting. Sadly, I was kinda thinking about modeling after the Grumman aluminum canoes. Their what I'm familiar with, since that's what is used at Boy Scout Camp. I've never seen one of the nice wooden ones in person - only in pics.

As for vacuum-forming, it would be a cool thing, but a bit out of the money and space budget for now.

The dental stuff - alginate? (I just read about it last night). How 'bout it Loren, would it work?

So, Fred were you a 3353? And do you have pics of your model canoes?

Cheers,
Jeremy

Jeremy,
Let me ponder the situation for awhile. Going to a train show this weekend so don't ask me to expend any brain cells on this project just yet.

Alginte, see it all the time. Great stuff for certain applications.
Loren