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ing Tips & Tools Monthly, Issue #90--Remember The Heros
July 15, 2014
July 15, 2014

Out Of The Depths

If there is but one thing we can do through Modeling World War II ships it is to maintain a lasting memory. Too many young people today and even some of our elders have little idea of what World War II actually meant and what it brought to us.

There is no way to understand and even realize what it meant to sacrifice as a hero.

You can begin to understand for remembering 9/11 and heroes who were actually created in saving others.

Heroes are not defined by long successful passes and football games, they are not even connected to those depicted on movie screens but have to come from real life.

The Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific in July 1945 after delivering parts for the atomic bomb to bomber bases on the island of Tinian Survivors of the blasts spent nearly a week in shark-infested waters fighting off attacks Of the ships 1,197 crewmen, only 317 survived

Over 300 survive the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945 only through the grace of God.

Modeling helps keep these stories alive even if only they provide a talking point.

Read story of the crew of the USS Indianapolis in a book called "Out Of The Depths" by Edgar Harrell, USMC.

Life in a bomb shelter

Next time you choose a truck mounted missile launcher to model you might give thought to what life is like on both ends of the device.

Recently I downloaded an Israeli app called Red Alert for my iPad. It signals me every time a Hamas missile, mortar or rocket is launched into Israel.

Recently I downloaded an Israeli app called Red Alert for my iPad. It signals me every time a Hamas missile, mortar or rocket is launched into Israel.

The red alert sounded over 120 times on the 12th.

It helps me to better understand the assault these people are under and yes, even pray for those who may be on the receiving end of those rockets. Eerily the app goes off dozens of times throughout daylight hours.

Most Americans cannot begin to understand what day-to-day life is like for millions of Israelis living under a constant barrage, listening for sirens to tell them they have less then a minute to seek shelter.

We've never had to curl up in bomb shelters with strangers wondering about the safety of our families and friends.

But it I'd a distinct possibility.

Cathead Positioning, a Matter of Choice

found this exchange on the forum I was reading recently it raised a couple of points that you need to keep in mind.

I am working on my first boat. A Mamoli Constitution. Does anyone have any advice as to how to position and drill the hole to put the cathead through? I have reviewed all the plans, looked at the photos, and reviewed the angles in Marquardt's "The Anatomy of a 44 Gun Frigate". It just makes me really nervous to drill holes through the hull. I know it has to be done, I just want to make sure I do it correctly to minimize issues.

Once I have correctly located the hole, what is the best procedure to actually drill the hole. I have everything from a hand drill to a floor standing drill press. That or I could use the Foredom rotary tool.

But I do know how you feel about drilling holes... I'm currently taking a break, but I'm almost 1 year into my model, and the more I get finished, the more nervous I get drilling or cutting anything new.

My advice... if it were me... I would probably use a very small drill bit and pin-vice, and once you're happy with the catheads position, hand drill the first tap hole. Very, very slowly, double and triple check from every possible angle your going in properly. Then, if the tap hole is straight, I would hand drill a larger hole. And a third if necessary. After that I would switch to a thin rat tailed file and expand the hole to fit your cathead. I don't like any motorized... well, anything... near my ship. Not unless absolutely necessary. Foredom, dremels... anything like that... they scare me... and I'm really experienced with them. You have to be extra super careful or they take off too much too fast... even drilling holes.

Whatever you do... take your time and triple check your measurements... my catheads were cut into the log-rails, so I didn't have to drill holes... but I spent half a morning positioning mine before I was happy. They really do stick out on a model, so you want them to be as perfect as possible.

But don't take it too seriously. Measure every which way you can, but to me the important thing is symmetry with the other side. Also, its one of those things that stands out at this point in the build, but when everything is done, it just blends in with all your other mistakes.

The problem with words and thinking

May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer. -Psalm 19:14 (TLB)

Robert Browning said, "Thought is the soul of the act." Emerson said, "Thought is the seat of action. The ancestor of every action is thought."

If God destroyed the world once for its continually evil imaginations, is it not reasonable to believe that all of the sin, lust, and licentiousness that is rampant today grieves His heart just as it did in that day?

sinful imaginations to accumulate in your mind and soul than you would let garbage collect in your living room.

Many people dream of sin, imagine sin, and-if granted the opportunity-would indulge in sin. All they lack is the occasion to sin. So, in the sight of God, they are sinners as great as though they actually had committed immorality. All transgressions begin with sinful thinking.

You who have come to Christ for a pure heart, guard against the pictures of lewdness and sensuality which Satan flashes upon the screen of your imagination, select with care the books you read, choose discerningly the kind of entertainment you attend, the kind of associates with whom you mingle, and the kind of environment in which you place yourself. You should no more allow sinful imaginations to accumulate in your mind and soul than you would let garbage collect in your living room.

Just For Yuks

Be Careful About Stepping On Ants

Yup, they're still all sharp

Maybe. These aren't so sharp

Dealing With Getting Older and Less Flexible

It sucks to get older, but it is a lot worse to stop getting older.

When you are young and robust, you find you don't have time to devote to scale modeling. There are better things such as work, family activities, outdoor activities and social activities that come first.

Now that you have a family teaching scale modeling to your offspring is great idea --I think. Today, you will find your sons focus on scale modeling extends to about the time the telephone rings. Electronic devices have brought us a lot of advantages but one thing you lose is the ability to be consistent.

Now your son is off to college and you finally have some free time you can devote to your scale model. That's what you thought. There is always something around the house that needs your attention and your wife's to do list grows and grows.

Agh, Retirement nothing but free time. You now can devote hours to your scale model.

They say the first thing to go is usually short-term memory but I've found that eyesight is one that earlier losses.

Makes sense now to start thinking about moving into larger scales that don't demand so much of your vision.

The trade-off are space requirements, more expense in modeling purchases, reading plans, and dealing with missed details.

At 76 there is little fun in fiddling with the rigging on a model of the HMS Victory and in a lot of cases it can be downright dangerous to attempt to rerail a string of N-scale boxcars on the backside of your 4X12 layout.

Think ahead to offset inflexability. Stools can be a great help as well as "grabber", even a set of your wife's salad tongs. If you do this surreptitiously, be sure to slip them into the dishwasher before returning them to more sterile usage.

And other frequent requirement for model railroading is the ability to work beneath the layout with your hands over your head. This isn't an easy trick when you're over 70. Here's where a little stool can come in handy.

But if you have too many of these wiring lenders requiring the ability to work under the layout model railroading maybe going by the boards.

This is only accelerated by surgery to joints, hips and backs and the requirement to bend at acute angles.

And lest it slipped by there is the real issue of memory-mostly short term.

Readers Better Ideas

Keeping Adhesive Out Of The Wrong Places

Most glues used in scale modeling come with some kind of applicator weather it is a brush, a tube tip or a sliver of plastic.

For maintaing control in tight places, I have found them all to be just one or two levels above useless.

Most liquid cements come with a brush built into the cap far too wide for most joints we have to adhere.

One method of dealing with this is to trim away all but two or three bristles from the cap's brush. The thing I don't like about this is you can't put the bristles back.

Instead I prefer a cheap paintbrush which is easier to control than a brush mounted on a cap.

I have also had good success with toothpicks to dab either liquid or paste adhesives.

Until Next Month

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