Does foam float your boat?

[Ian101]

Still waiting for a video of that Dave.

[Dave Hopkin]

Posted by Ian101 on 04/07/2015 20:02:21:

Still waiting for a video of that Dave.

It flies like a cow at the moment - we are trying to work out whats wrong, it might be the stabiliser incidence, not been able to experiment for a while high winds/test pilots holidays......

[eflightray]

Just some of my Depron foam models, all electric power -

98" span scratch Lancaster -

72" span Spitfire based on RCM&E Tony N's balsa/IC version -

90" span scratch Short Sunderland -

64" span scratch Mig 1.44 ducted prop -

67" span scratch Douglas SBD Dauntless, SBD = Scratch Built Depron -

Ray.

[Foxfan]

When we lived afloat, we did so on probably the most well known truly historic narrow boat on the canals. Never a day went by without somebody waving one of several books at us and asking if it was THE boat they were reading about and could they take pictures.

Then the snobs started in with all their "knowledge". Then they'd start on the "plastic pig" lark, poh-poohing GRP cruisers. To which, to their amazement, my response was always, "better a boat than never afloat". Having moved back on the bank, because we ran out of boatyards, I'd kill for a nice little GRP weekender now.

As a professional modelmaker, I use all manner of materials. Ironically I am doing a model of a modern "trad" narrow boat and in there are balsa wood, birch ply, Ureol tooling block, aluminium litho plate, styrene sheet, scale hardwoods (pear mainly), brass and, yes, fillers of different types.

I used to work almost exclusively in brass and am a demon silver solderer, but I actually prefer working aluminium, but you can't easily join the stuff.

I use a foam board called Foamex for the scale model buildings I make for scenic set-pieces, for me and customers and I glue it with UHU Por. I also use the very traditional cardboard, shellacked, but much as I love cardboard for its traditional history in scenic work, I could not have made the model of the church where we were married without Foamex, being able to engrave and impress stonework on it with absolute clarity. AND it takes paint beautifully.

I am currently making an all wood Super 60 to train on, but if I ever had the time to research foam to the level shown by Ian above, I wouldn't flinch from using it.

Maybe, having to make a living at this lark makes one less single minded and more ready to try new stuff. OK, I may find I couldn't get on with Depron (whatever it may be!), but I'd give it a damned good try before casting it out as "not cricket".

As to small ready to run moulded foam starter models....that's a different discussion. I'm sure, if I could afford one, I'd have a ball flying it. I am still such a beginner to this game that I'd be like a kid at Christmas and would NOT look down my nose at a youngster (or anyone else) getting a start in the hobby.

Cheers,

MrTin

[Ian101]

Mr Tin, we also lived on a narrowboat, for 9 years and it was fantastic.

Is there a website or somewhere we can see some of your work? Sounds really interesting.

[Foxfan]

Ian,

small world, eh? We had a marvelous time afloat. Met some amazing characters, too.

I don't have a website as such. I find I get all the work I can cope with through emails and Facebook, but I do have a blog, which, if you trawl through, will show many of the models I do and have done.

It's on:-http://oddsoracle.blogspot.co.uk/ It's a bit of an allsorts, but I enjoy writing sometimes so thought I'd have a crack at it.

Cheers,

MrTin