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Mike Dowling

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  1. Mike Dowling
    Hi there Shihawk and thanks for the post. I have been watching your build and I think your planking looks brilliant despite your 'shades'. I can't believe on a real ship of that age would be the same shade throughout so whilst you might be cheesed off with it (and I do understand your point). I actually and quite deliberately did exactly the opposite from you as I wanted my planking to be random. The wood is 'Mukali' whatever that is ! The second planking on the hull was just 0.5ml sapele so more forgiving than the first go ! You are absolutely right about the weather !!!!
  2. Mike Dowling
    Well folks, after a bit more sanding and a couple of coats of varnish the hull doesn't look too bad. I have now attached it to the lower deck, started to do some of the first deck woodwork and put the finishing strip around the edge. That took a fair bit of soaking and bending but it's on !!! I wish the ply sections were laser cut but they are not. They have to be cut our from a marked sheet which is really tricky and then sand everything down - takes ages !!
  3. Mike Dowling
    So why do so many boat kits insist on double planking ?
  4. Mike Dowling
    I had one and sold it on before I constructed it. I think to be honest it is quite an expensive thing for what it is and I couldn't honestly recommend it. Their kits are good though !
  5. Mike Dowling
    Thanks Mike. I have to say it is definitely not the best kit in the world and if I follow the destructions (!!!) the finished model except for the windows, doors and handrails should be wood and not painted. I would prefer it to be that way but I will see how it goes. I know most of the REL's I have seen are mostly white.
  6. Mike Dowling
    Well the second planking proved to be every bit as difficult as the first go. The stern on this beastie have been really hard to do, more so I think than an orthodox boat. I am still not sure why except that the stern is more bendy than it looks and the wood didn't want to play. At least I got it covered. It has been sanded and sealed with lacquer but I am hoping that a bit more sanding and a couple of coats of varnish will make it look better. I am not very happy with it but my consolation has to be that the hull on a paddle steamer doesn't show very much.
  7. Mike Dowling
    Not sure what Jan.B's problem is ! Language is an interesting topic regardless of it's origins. Are we all expected to get so PC that we can't even have a sensible discussion anymore ? The world is going completely mad !!
  8. Mike Dowling
    Nice job Ian, well done indeed. What's next ?
  9. Mike Dowling
    I have been looking at the Unimat so I too am interested in how the different set ups work, particularly the jig saw. Putting it together looks harder than some of the kit builds !!
  10. Mike Dowling
    I finally got the hull covered. What a saga ! I thought this was going to be fairly easy but how wrong could I be. It has taken ages and, for all you sadists out there I had to cheat at the stern. I simply couldn't get the 2x5mm wood to bend round it so I had to resort to balsa packing and yes, ashamed as I am to admit it, filler !! I just could not see another way round it. So here are some pictures for you to laugh at !! I still have to trim and sand it all down before the second veneer planking which I sincerely hope will be easier than the first lot ! Whilst waiting for planks etc to dry I did at least get the first deck planked !
  11. Mike Dowling
    Well about time too ! Been waiting for an update for months !! Despite your trials and tribulations you have done an amazing job thus far ! Be proud of yourself and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
  12. Mike Dowling
    Progress report ! Frames fixed nice and square on false keel. Hull bottom pieces are on. The bow and stern re-enforcements are on and the whole hull has been sanded and faired. Seemed strange to have to fair such a shallow hull but it had to be done. Next stage is the first planking on the hull sides.
  13. Mike Dowling
    Here we go again, my next project ! I decided to do another paddle steamer, this time a Constructo kit. First impressions, not impressed by the plywood parts. They don't use laser cutting which means you have to cut most of the parts with a knife. The plywood is very thin and quite badly warped but, being so thin I should be able to flatten it OK. Nice bundled wood for the model as I found with the Louise. Reasonable instruction book with photos and two 1/1 sheets showing side elevations and overhead deck diagrams. So, first thing as usual is to put frames on the false keel which will lead to double planking of the hull.
  14. Mike Dowling
    Especially for mcrwilk ! Louise is now flying the red ensign !!!
  15. Mike Dowling
    The only reason I put the Union flag on Louise is because that is what came with the kit. Also it is printed on pre-glued paper so there is no point in trying to soak it and any bend you try to put in just straightens itself out again. Anyway, I don't really feel that it detracts from the rest of the boat.
  16. Mike Dowling
    Thank you Cap'n' !
  17. Mike Dowling
    Happy New Year to all. A big thank you to Cap'n'Bob and GuntherMT for your generous comments. All I had to do next was put the bits together, add the awning a some deck furniture and Louise is now finished. She turned out quite well I think. I did go to the extra expense of buying some brass rod because it gives a much better result. Why do these kit manufacturers include brass wire wound up ? It is impossible to straighten properly and gives a very poor finish although I have to say I used their stuff for the boiler fittings. Anyway, I hope you like her.
  18. Mike Dowling
    Sorry, I have rushed ahead somewhat without many updates but here we are. I managed to bend those cockpit surrounds and the trim to go with them and the splits I got have fortunately come out better than I expected so they are now on and varnished. The boiler I worked on whilst waiting for the surrounds to dry. A lot of wire bending as you can see - not my favourite part as I have always preferred woodwork to metalwork but I am quite pleased with the final result. Then the cabin had to be made from individual strips of wood, no laser cut ply backing for this ! A good lesson in marquetry I guess, not something I had tried before but I can include pictures of the making and the finished item.
  19. Mike Dowling
    I thought you might like to see my progress. Louise has had her frames removed and now has her keel, her transom piece, her wales and the floor and deck have been planked. Next stage is to put some frames back in - weird eh ? I have also been bending the wood for the cockpit frames. Those are quite some bends to expect from 1.5 x 7mm sapele and the eagle eyed amongst you will notice that both bends split at the tightest part. I can't say I am surprised but I hope my repair will have worked when I remove them.
  20. Mike Dowling
    Here we are again !! Louise now has a layer of planking on her hull. The wood used was 2 x 5mm sapele which in my humble opinion was too thick for a boat of this size. It was difficult to bend and much prefers to return to being straight. What I thought would be a problem was in as much as I couldn't glue the planks to most of the frames because they have to be removed and even trying to glue the plank edges meant missing out the areas of the frames. Anyway she has been sanded and sealed but, if I leave her as she is she will still be sanded again and have at least two coats of clear gloss varnish eventually. I am hopeful that that would make the lines between some of the planks less noticeable. My question is does she need planking again with veneer or is she OK as is ?
  21. Mike Dowling
    I guess you could turn this into an RC model but it might be a bit small.
  22. Mike Dowling
    So, I have made a start. The hull frames are cut in half which means that each side has to be attached to the false keel separately. A rather strange and unnecessary complication to my mind and very difficult to line up squarely. Three of the frames had to be planked and varnished prior to attachment as they will show from the top of the boat and there is no access once the deck is on. The added complication of this build is that five of the frames have to removed after planking so they are only there as guides and cannot be glued to. This has proved to bit a bit of a nightmare. Once the frames were attached a 'ribband' had to be run along the length of the hull but only attached to the non-removable frames making it hard to glue bendy pieces of wood. Anyway, once on the deck had to be cut out and glued onto the ribbands and fixed frames. The sheet containing the deck was poorly cut with the laser which had failed to cut right through the sheer so some delicate knife work was required to remove the parts. Finally achieved the deck has now been fixed on and I have faired the hull ready for planking with 2 x 5mm sapele planks. One rather good thing about the kit is that a set of veneer is included for those who want to double plank the hull. I think in view of the construction this may well be required but it is nice to know it's there in case.
  23. Mike Dowling
    Hi everyone. Thought you might like to see my next build. This one is to tide me over until I start another big build. Louise is a small Victorian steam launch, the kit from Constructo who I have never had anything to do with before. The kit arrived in a nicely packed box with various bits and pieces in numbered bags that are referred to in the parts list. The build instructions are in a booklet in about a zillion languages including English accompanied by a booklet of photographs at various stages of the build. There is also a 1/1 plan sheet showing side elevations and various parts of the build including the boiler construction and that of the cabin. The only laser cut parts are for the deck and the hull frames. The rest of the kit is various sizes of five different types of wood which seem to be of good quality.
  24. Mike Dowling
    Really valuable point there Keith, easily missed I think but very difficult without the extra plank. Of course 'anorak' is a compliment after all, they keep you prepared for all weathers !!!
  25. Mike Dowling
    What happened to 'if I can do it then so can you' !!!

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