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Don Quixote

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Everything posted by Don Quixote

  1. Don Quixote
    What's this planking tool and where did you get it? Definitely one plank at a time! It's all about finding the right 4 letter words. Regarding the portable AC. The exhaust hose is plastic and gets HOT. Get some insulation and wrap it around it. Believe me! Also keep the unit as far from the wall as you can. If not enough air can pass behind it, it'll get confused as to what the temperature really is. The exhaust will keep it warm back there so It'll just keep running and running. I can't understate how much heat comes off that plastic exhaust hose. I think it literally and exactly counteracts the cooling. Massive insulation around it. Can you tell I can't stress that enough? Spent the 1st 45 years of my live in Michigan so I know what you're facing with humidity. I'd ADD a stand alone dehumidifier. Don't get discouraged! I think it's all about the next ship. I'm working on eliminating everything not to do so that when I start my next build the only thing left will be uh... Another set of problems to solve.
  2. Don Quixote
    Hey, Larry. Y'all okay? I know you said you're on a hiatus, but not knowing what that means exactly, one gets concerned. Not that the bulk of us where spring chickens decades ago!
  3. Don Quixote
    Okay, what the heck is a dumb sheave? Supposed to be on the jib boom and the spanker boom. Plans just show a dashed line on page 4 of the plans and I see nothing of the sort on any of the other builds I'm following.
  4. Don Quixote
    Oddly, here in the valley, we get mold on the stucco of our houses. In the summer it sometimes hits 115 with only 7 percent humidity. In the winter, our wettest month is January with only 2.6" on average. Average temp is 55.
  5. Don Quixote
    This hand held steamer for clothes, curtains...etc. will make a bow tie from a plank. By Shark.
  6. Don Quixote
    Hi, Mike. Just found your log. Keep up the great work. Regarding the bugs... I too work in my garage. Check this out. http://www.lifestylescreens.com/ A screen for the garage door. No idea what they cost, my neighbor has one. You can also get some from your local DIY store like Menards or Home Depot. Also you can get some from Amazon. $50 +/-. Not as fancy as the one in the link, that one goes up and down like a regular garage door so you could probably put it in the center door. I have a 2 stall that I insulated. I put some cheap 3/8" dry wall in the bottoms of the rafters and rented a blower so I have the "attic" insulated too. I installed some of that pink Owens Corning extruded polystyrene foam in the door of my garage, too. I installed a 24000 BTU window A/C and can set it at 72 degrees and it hardly breaks a sweat even when it's 110 degrees here in central California. I too use a ceiling fan to distribute the air. Then I found a "blue flame heater" on Amazon for $220. Works on propane or natural gas with the flip of a switch. Not that it gets below 50 here in the winter, but it's nice. Thermostat and all.
  7. Don Quixote
    Next issue: looking at the caps. I find 3 sets of 2. The set that matches the plans is .65" tall, but has an oblong hole, not round. The other 2 sets are either too big, or too small. Is it safe to assume I'm to use the .65" pcs and round out that hole? They're with other parts involved in the bowsprit, jib boom...etc. The plans show the jib boom as round.
  8. Don Quixote
    Onward and forward. Working on the bowsprit. Got that done. Hmph. The last 2 pictures are upside down. I can either use a picture editor and fix it or... Go stand on your head! Since the bowsprit tapers, I clamped a hunk of straight wood next to it so I could use a square to mark off where the foot treads go. After making the bobstay from brass, I cut a small slit in the bowsprit where the ends of the bobstay meet and inserted the "iron" bar with the hole and soldered it. So I burned it! I gets painted black anyway, right? See, the way I do this is, I type out what I want to say but leave spaces where the techno babble goes. Then I go back to the plans and see, OH. That's a bobstay, or OH, that's a foot tread or a cap! This way you think I have a clew. Like how I spelled that?
  9. Don Quixote
    No matter how I tried, I cannot get any slack so that the anchor hangs down at all. Well, it's better than it was. Now my serving is fraying, so I think I'll leave well enough alone. Thanks, jbshan!
  10. Don Quixote
    Must have some big balls. I'm surprised more than his belly fit.
  11. Don Quixote
    Just catching up on your build and watching a few videos at a time. Doesn't even begin to describe my feelings. I'm watching a master! There are no words. There has never been, there is not now, nor will there ever be a poet that can put into words how amazed I am. Thank your parents for me for conceiving you:)
  12. Don Quixote
    Today I broke a mirror.
  13. Don Quixote
    How did you know we have a cat? 25 pound Mancoon. 32" nose to tail.
  14. Don Quixote
    OUCH! NOOOOO!!!! This'll go in the "What did you do today" topic as well. Last week I got a Yamaha amplifier/receiver from a neighbor for $100. 2 years old, normally sells for around $550. 7.1 surround, multi-zone, lot's 'o watts... I do all my work here in the garage (MAN-cave). I bought 7 Polk Audio shelf speakers and a massive bass speaker, mounted them on the walls, got an optical cable (fiber optics) and a new sound card for my computer. Optical out from the computer, into the amp... It comes with a microphone you setup where you listen from and using program built into the amp, going through the TV, the speakers send sounds to the microphone and automatically adjusts itself to the ambiance of the room. The music program I use, Clementine has a built in EQ... Spent 2 FULL days tweaking the sound. Got it PERFECT. JUST what I like. Rebooted the computer and... Nothing. Not a sound. I'm a computer geek first, restore old cars second and touch anything made of wood and distant last. So I use this system called Linux, not Windows. It's not for the faint of heart. Could NOT remember what I did to get the music working in the fist place. Spent the next 2 days screwing up my computer and fixing it again getting seriously frustrated. This is how I made a living! Finally got it all working again. I can reboot the PC and the music still works, I'm happy so... I think I'll clean the garage, right? I need to smoke a few cigars, have a few drinks and relax. Moved the ship off the bench onto a small stand that's out of the way and did a bang up job, garage looked great. Then I bumped the little stand with my butt. Heard a crash. Felt the adrenaline hit the stomach. Sure enough, there's my little ship upside down, 32" below the stand where it was before I swung my butt around... Tears in my eyes, slowly I picked it up, tenderly I turned it upright, eyes closed, worked up the courage to open my eyes... One of the catheads was busted off and 2 cannon's barrels were loose. That's it. Must have done something right in another life. Sure wasn't this one.
  15. Don Quixote
    I have to admit I just barely know the difference between a bull frog and the bulwark... It looks to me like your wood stock and anchor are at more of a 45 degree angle than a 90? I also noticed that my cleat was way too close to the cat-head and should have been closer to the gun port. (I had to refer to the plans to recall the names of that "stuff"). I've been looking over a lot of other Niagara builds and it looks like most of us have chosen to simply drop the line from the end of the anchor down the forecastle hatchway. Given my skill level (Or lack there-of) I'll follow that example. I SURE do appreciate all the knowledge I'm gaining from this site! I don't know what I like more, the camaraderie or the ship building:)
  16. Don Quixote
    Don't suppose you have a picture of that. Or a diagram?
  17. Don Quixote
    Thanks for the input. Please don't think I don't appreciate it, but I now have some 27 months into this. I'm not doing anything over that I don't absolutely need to.
  18. Don Quixote
    That anchor was a TUFFY! How much rigging is there?
  19. Don Quixote
    I got the real poop people! This from the captain of the Niagara, Timothy P. McLaughlin. He actually went out and measured her for me!
  20. Don Quixote
    I found a web site, http://www.flagshipniagara.org They have an info@flagshipniagara.org that I emailed. Curious to see if they respond and with what. I have a niece that lives within 100 miles. I'm obsessed now, if I have to I'll ask her to drive down with a tape measurer.
  21. Don Quixote
    *SIGH!* If I didn't love this hobby so much I'd get another one. Like drinking too much. Which I may just start as a result of this hobby! So, per the article I got from Joel, most stanchions for the hammocks are 3'. Saw that a few other places just to be sure. My scale is 1:64 so 3/16" = 1'. According to the box and the plans. 3' X .1875 = .5625 (9/16") which is what I had. Comparing to other models, that looked way too tall. Finally I measured the plans themselves (DUH!) and it's 9/32"??? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? That's exactly half. Somehow I doubt the hammocks are only 1.5' tall. Suggestions?
  22. Don Quixote
    It's a"parent" you're right on that scale:)
  23. Don Quixote
    Thanks, Joel. I'm feeling silly. I saw on the prints that the stanchions were 3/8" = 1'. So, 1.125" right? Dote! It's a 1:64 scale model! 3/16" = 1' I was looking at an enlargement that said 3/8" = 1'. Sigh. Won't be the last time I took things apart and started over. It WILL be far from the last, I'm sure. Won't be the last time I contact the parts department at ME either. I'm going to stick with the 1/16" wide though, I feel I need the added support of the brad. I have a terrible habit of not watching where my left hand is and breaking things. To that end, I've broken the quarter boat davits of a number of times. I'm not seeing any reason they can't be installed last. Anyone?
  24. Don Quixote
    Hi, John, thanks for looking in. I'm sure I'll be following your log before I'm done. 2 years into this so far. This shipwright is slow, but as someone else said, the wood is patient. Nice photo's by the way.
  25. Don Quixote
    Hammock Stanchions too tall?

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