Hi Dan,

Glad to hear you're still plugging along on your AVS.

As far as pictures, there's a free program called Picasa2 that can be downloaded from Google. Once downloaded you can go to help and search for resize and it will give instructions on how to accomplish this.

Happy modeling,
Len

Thanks a lot, Len. I'll try it. Dan

You probably had Microsoft Photo Editor, which I still think is one of the easiest photo editors to work with. As you say, it was provided with earlier editions of windows, and more recently with MS Office. If you have an old copy of 'Microsoft Office XP', you can install it from that disk. Newer editions of Office replaced it with MS Office Picture Manager.

... I had a simple photo editor program that worked great - which I had copied from previous editions of Windows. It was previously offered as part of the windows package, but has been omitted from the last two or three generations. So, I think I've permanently lost it.

Dan

Thanks, I down loaded the one Len suggested, but I can't figure out how to keep the same picture size but just reduce the resolution - size of file. I'll see if I have an old copy of windows, but think I'm out of luck.

I've just about finished my add-on ship's boat for my AVS, chain plates, and have a few other photos to add to my AVS album. So, when I get this thing figured out, can share them.

Dan

I found a copy of MS Photo Editor on old editions of MS Office I had procrastinated in discarding, and it works great now. Well, so much for putting "off until tomorrow what you can do today." Procrastination wins again!! How about that!!

For anyone who may be following my slow meandering, I just uploaded a few updates showing my chainplates, swivel guns, and other mounted deck furniture. I also decided my AVS will also have a ship's boat mounted and just completed the boat, with photos uploaded.

I'm getting ready to tackle the anchor floats, then start masts and rigging - the final two chapters of Bob Hunt's practicum.

In Feb 07 it will have taken me 2 years to get to this point. It's been pretty much steady progress, with a few times of slowing down - as I'm sure the next phase of completion will demonstrate as well. Along the way I've picked up several readings on both vessel construction and modeling, as well as pirate wars in the age of sail from the military clothing store - of all places.

When I get to something I haven't tackled yet, I usually take a lot of time thinking it over and reading what others have written (being a confirmed introvert). Then a breaking point hits and I'm able to consider how I can do it myself.

I'm thankful for Tom and Len, who are both superbly capable artists and did some great research up front on this thread. I'm also really thankful for Jerry Gilckstein (Jerry, if I misspelled your last name - you can clobber me later), who puts up with my wild ideas and helps me explore techniques I'm thinking about (master craftsman). These guys are great friends, and I continue to value their advice.

Dan

Meant to say Jerry is the master craftsman, not implying that I am. dp

Oops, I thought it was a given so didn't mention it in my last com - that I owe even starting this projecrt to Bob Hunt and his great AVS practicum. Everything is step-by-step and easy to follow. I would have been completely lost without that. By the time you've gone a small distance with Bob's practicum, you will become even better at reading plans and deciding how you'd like to do a project on your own. I have nearly all of Bob's practicums and expect to go through each one - if I live that long.

Bob does a fantastic job of getting a big chicken like me - into the water and swimming pretty well. The practicum answers a lot of questions before I even asked them. If I'd simply purchased this "Entry Level" model, I could have expected to do a lot more reading than I've done, and whining on any practicum that would listen - begging for help every step of the way.

So, I highly recommend buying a practicum from him if you are considering the AVS as your first model. It could be the difference between a very frustrating experience, and a happy voyage, and it could be the difference between a pile of wood pieces in your closet - and a great finished piece of art on display. It's well worth the investment even in future projects, because you'll emerge with skills you otherwise wouldn't have.

Dan

Dan

Hi all,

I see that Dan thinks highly of the Bob Hunt practicum on the AVS and I was wondering if anyone else has had any experience with it. I am about to complete my first ship modeling attempt (an old AL "Swift" kit) and a fellow in my club suggested the AVS next accompanied by the Hunt Practicum. Just would like a few more opinions before I go investing my hard-earned money!! The Swift kit has been fun and I have learned a lot both from building it and reading various books about ship model construction, so I hope to make the next one better and all the ones after that even better.

Thanks for any comments.

Bob :xrolleyes:

Bob,

Just noticed your appeal for anyone who has an opinion on purchasing Bob Hunt's practicum for the AVS. I have to agree with Dan and purchase it. You're in better shape than I was in starting this hobby. You already have completed a build. I started on a cross section of the Victory and couldn't get myself to continue when I came to the part of routing out the gun ports. I would have approached the build differently now. About a year or so after this I came accross Bob's website and purchased the AVS and bought his practicum. This has been the best investment I have made in this hobby. I know without it I would have given up again, if I even attempted another try at building a model. Bob's practicum has given me the confidence and now the rewarding satisfaction to continue on in becoming a better modeler. I have completed the AVS (pictures are in the users gallery under freewheelinguy).

This has been a very enjoyable pastime for me. I'm currently working on the Constitution which I started back in June. I estimate this will be a four year project given the amount of time, although I'm retiring in less than two years.

Happy modeling,
Len Zanetich

Len, I relook your photos often and gain a new appreciation for your work each time. I noticed that you included your anchor floats. Did you actually tie them, or fake some of the rope work?

Currently, I plan to drill a hole all the way through my float and push a single blackened rod straight through and make a hook on both ends - then either glue threads on or put them on with a marker.

Dan

Hi Dan,

I beleive I built the floats as instructed in the practicum, although I'm really dissatisfied how they turned out. I should have used larger material for the floats than what was called out, but at that time in the build I was anxious to get it completed. I will go back and redo them. I'm presently waiting for a friend who has offered to make a display case for the AVS and at that time I'll redo the floats and add some additional ropes coils. The AVS is in my bedroom wraped in plastic waiting for it's home. I really liked the way Peter from Bob's site constructed his. Have you downloaded his pdf file for constructing them?

Happy modeling,
Len

PS I didn't realize you are a Chaplain. Not sure how I should address you. I too am close to retirement. Anxiously waiting for September of 2008.

Bob

I have just started building ships and decided to begin with the AVS. After doing lots of reading around the subject I decided to buy into Bob Hunts Practicum.

It arrives as a CD and as we have a very quick colour laser printer at work I printed everything off and have bound everything by chapter. It makes a cracking reference.

The practicum also allows you access to Bob Hunts web forum where there is an AVS discussion board. This contains many threads regarding specific details of the build.

I am currently accumulating the various recommended jigs and tools and plan to begin work in earnest on 1 Feb!

Regards, Phil G

WOW, Phil, I'm looking forward to your experiences as you progress. Dan

Hey Bob,
I'm new to modeling and still have a lot to learn. where do I look into Bob Hunt practicum? Do you know of any other practicum's availablefor other models? I am building first entry level (Phantom) and looking forward to my next (intermediate level?) ship.
Dennis

Hi Len,
Well, I finally took everybody's advice and bought the Bob Hunt practicum. I looked at it a bit and it looks like it should ease the pain considerably from what I went through with my first kit. I hope to learn much from it. I have discovered that, even though I have many years of model aircraft modeling under my belt, ship modeling is a very different critter and I have m,uch to learn. Thanks for the help!

Bob

Bob

Thats good news. The first thing I did was get it all printed and then bound so that it is portable and easy to read. It's too big for 1 binder so I grouped by 'Hull', Deck Fittings' and 'Yards and Ropeworks' and that makes it much easier.

I bought my kit yesterday...As I bought it the shop owner offered to buy it straight back when complete so that it could go in the window! Bit naive I thought.

I matched the kit list to the contents and there are a few small items missing (cleats) so it is worthwhile doing that. I have also sorted and labeled the wood by type and size (why arn't you guys metric yet?) and that was a real challenge - I'm off to buy a proper guage today (whoever heard of 5/64ths x 11/64ths wood?)

PhilG

Hi Bob and Phil,

Lots of luck with your AVS builds. Hope you both get as much enjoyment as I did. It takes a lot of persistence to complete one of these, so be prepared for some fustration and tedius building assignments at times. Just keep pluging away and eventually you'll finish and appreciate your accomplishment for years to come. This has been a great hobby for me, but I guess you won't know until you get your hands dirty.

If you need help, Bob's freshman course forum and forums like this are great sources for information. A word of warning though. Be careful on the information you may give out here. Bob's material is copywrited. I had a problem in this area from some posts I made here and was confronted from Bob. Since then, I've been very careful on the information I give.

Phil...Your profile says US, you use metric?

Happy modeling,
Len Zanetich

Hey Bob,
I'm new to modeling and still have a lot to learn. where do I look into Bob Hunt practicum? Do you know of any other practicum's availablefor other models? I am building first entry level (Phantom) and looking forward to my next (intermediate level?) ship.
Dennis


Hi Dennis,

So sorry it took me so long to reply. You can find the Bob Hunt practicum here:
http://www.lauckstreetshipyard.com/index.html

There are practicums in quite a few sites on the web. It takes a lot of digging sometimes. Lots of them seem to be aimed at experienced modelers who are into scratch building plank-on-frame models, which are way beyond my skills at this point. Bob's guides are aimed at us beginner types who want to produce a worthy model from a kit. I have completed one ship model...an AL "Swift"...and have a couple of others...a Mamoli Constitution and a Mantua Royal Caroline...that I bought in moments of weakness and with the whimsical notion that they would be no problem for me to tackle. WRONG!!! :bonk: I joined a local shipmodeling club and they all advised me to go with the AVS and the HUnt practicum, so I did. From what I have seen so far, it looks like good advice. Best of luck with your Phantom!

Bob

Bob

Thats good news. The first thing I did was get it all printed and then bound so that it is portable and easy to read. It's too big for 1 binder so I grouped by 'Hull', Deck Fittings' and 'Yards and Ropeworks' and that makes it much easier.

I bought my kit yesterday...As I bought it the shop owner offered to buy it straight back when complete so that it could go in the window! Bit naive I thought.

I matched the kit list to the contents and there are a few small items missing (cleats) so it is worthwhile doing that. I have also sorted and labeled the wood by type and size (why arn't you guys metric yet?) and that was a real challenge - I'm off to buy a proper guage today (whoever heard of 5/64ths x 11/64ths wood?)

PhilG

Hi Phil,

Yeah, I'm printing the practicum too. Can't be running back to the computer every time I need to refer to the notes!!

Thanks for the advice on inventory of the parts. I haven't done that yet but definitely will. Might as well get replacements ordered now!

You must be European?? ("why aren't you guys metric yet?") Don't blame us! Blame the British! They are the ones who invented the system we use and made us use it! It's all their fault! :wink:

Bob

Len

Thanks for the support and the advice. Not my intent to undermine Bob's copyright and I certainly do not wish to put my future use of his other practicums at risk.

PhilG

Phil, Bob,

Just a quick note about Bob Hunt's practicums. One of the things I benefited greatly from, was carefully comparing what Bob's practicum says to do - to the charts. I double checked the lengths he gives for cutting items to my own measurements from the charts. That helps me get an idea where his measurements come from, and prepares me for someday doing one completely on my own. However, I expect that day to be perhaps beyond my lifetime, since I bought nearly all of Bob's practicums and the have the models as well.

The charts are mostly to scale (except for some of the detail drawings - a bit larger or smaller to show relationships), so if you were doing things without the practicum, you'd be taking measurements both from the charts and from your model, where the item needs to fit. This practice has helped me understand how things should look on the model.

Bob's photos are fantastic and show you everything you need to know. But sometimes I seem a bit thick-headed and just can't get the picture. That slows me down a bit until I can figure out what really needs to be happening.

Since I am trying to get as much experience, on as many different tasks as I can possibly have, I've done a couple of extra things that I picked up from other readings (which add a lot of pleasure to this build).

I also bought the kit for the Duke William (the alternate freshman course) and expect to be starting that perhaps by the end of this year. That one seems not to be as popular as the AVS. If after working on your AVS you are interested in the Duke William, I sent Bob Hunt the info on how I ordered it from the guy in Germany who builds them. I found only one dealer in the U.S. who would sell it to me, but he'd have to order it. I saved about $250 by ordering it through the German fellow.

This hobby is more fun than I could have ever imagined, especially in the readings and association with so many other skilled craftspeople. The kid that lives in me, gets to come out and play a lot more these days. I've also made some great friends through this forum and Bob's.

I hope you find at least as much pleasure out of doing your build as I have. I'm slowly building masts and spars right now, and that is a whole world of woodworking that I've never tried before now - making things round that were square, making things square that were round, wanting to learn about lathe work, etc.

The plans for the AVS give good sail installation drawings, but I'll probably wait to try that skill until I work on the Duke William.

It's great finding that others are starting up on this model (AVS). I look forward to seeing your posts as you make progress. It's just flat out exciting.

Dan

Hi Dan,

Thanks for the info on the practicum and the encouraging words. In looking through the practicum, I have already come across a few things that are the type that cause you to smack yourself in the forehead and say, "Now why didn't I think of that??!!!" But I supposed that is the essence of learning...somebody pointing out his way of doing something and asking you to try it that way. Anyhow, I am glad I got it. I am looking forward to starting the kit. I have another project I am finishing right now...a model of a McKenzie River Driftboat. I see by your profile that you might be familiar with this type of boat, or if you are not, you will be when you move to Wasington!!! You'll see lots of them being towed around and paddling down the rivers in the Northwest. You can see a picture of the full scale version here: http://www.dhdriftboats.com/
I own a full scale version and saw a kit for a model some years ago at a boat show and had to buy it. I finally got going on it and I have established a rule for myself that I must complete on project before I start another. Otherwise I wind up with lots of partially completed things sitting around. I should be ready to start the AVS in another week or two. I did an inventory last Friday and found all of the parts to be present and accounted for, except for three of the strips which probably were broken in packing.
Thanks again and see you later.
Bob

Thanks for the neat site. There was such a boat in the back of a house I bought in Steilacoom, WA, and still own - boat's not there now. I didn't know what it was, and thought it looked like something I didnt' want to get into. I hope to be back in Steilacoom this coming June. Dan

Well, I've gotten well underway and have completed Chapter 1 of Bob H's practicum, which completes the basic hull structure (center keel, bulkheads, sub-decks, stern framing and bow filler blocks and lots and lots and lots of hand sanding). I am very pleased with the results so far. I do most of my posting on the "Freshman forum", though I also have some photos posted on the photo gallery on LSS site, which anyone can view.

I have run into a few snags along the way, but nothing major. The one that alarmed me the most was that when I got the main sub-deck glued down, the pre-cut holes for the hatches, companionway, etc. were all off-center. After a lot of advice from those who had already been there, I found out that this was a manufacturing defect and would not really cause a great deal of problem later on as the final positions of these openings is actually determined by the hull planking. For anyone who hasn't gotten to that point, the best thing to do is draw a centerline on your subdeck and use that to establish where the deck will sit. If your openings are off-center (and they most likely will be), ignore it and concentrate on getting the main deck centered.

I have found that the easiest way to do the sanding of the hull structure is to "invent" your own sanding blocks to fit the specific tasks. Figure out what sort of curves you will need on the blocks and cut them out of some fir or pine or oak or whatever you have at hand and glue sandpaper to them. I use 3M "Spray Mount Artist's Adhesive" and it works very well for this purpose. I just cut the paper to size and spray the adhesive onto the back side of the paper, but not on the block. Let it dry for a few minutes after you stick them together and it will stay stuck until the sandpaper wears out. Use 100 grit sandpaper for sure on this phase of the construction, by the way. It seemed to me like that would be way too aggressive at first, but it works very well when hand sanding. When the paper wears out, peel off what you can by hand (it peels pretty easily) and remove any residue with acetone. It will leave your sanding block "clean as a whistle" and ready for some new paper.

Happy building!

It's been way too long since I was involved here. My move to Ft Lewis and other pretty intense life situations have kept me sidelined. My AVS with masts and spars (made but not completely fitted out yet) are sitting on the bench and the "shop" is in a bit of dissaray because of some other projects that took priority. I'm hoping to get settled in a bit more and build a protable workbench shown on http://www.shipmodeling.ca/aaplandusite.html. I think it's $35 for a three year subscription to the webside, but will probably be the best investment in this hobby you'll make after Bob Hunt's practicums.

I hope to make better progress and add some comments and photos. Dan