usedtosail

Another option, which I have started using for Stay Brite soldering, is a small pencil butane torch, which is refillable.

I finished the trim strips around the cockpit openings. I used an X-Acto knife to scrap away the excess glue around the trim. I am now going to attend to the finish on the hull since I am going to use a spray lacquer on the deck and sides, then a spray copper paint for the bottom with a white waterline stripe. This is said to be a classic look for these boats. I have ordered all the sprays so now I am waiting for them to arrive later this week. In the mean time I am masking off the trim and cockpit openings. I also cleaned up the struct more and painted it with some copper enamel.

Fantastic looking frames, Dave. Really nice tight joints.

Nice job creating those missing port lids. I used the same technique for copper plating my Constitution model, although I scored the plates into the tape before applying it to the hull. Your cross section is coming out great.

First, here is the new strut I made. I needs more work on the finish as you can see. I continue bending the trim strips around the cockpit openings. There is a slight overlap of the deck which allows a clamp to just bite so I don't have to hold these with my hands. I also modified a working stand I had to hold this hull so I can add the propeller and rudder with less chance of breaking them off.

I have the seats ready to install now but first the instructions want me to add the trim around the cockpit openings, which are 1/16" half round styrene strips. I first had to figure out the best way to bend these around the corners while keeping them flat. If I heat them with a hair dryer they are pretty flexible so that is what I am doing. I also experimented with using medium CA or Hypo cement to secure them and found the hypo cement works better. It takes a little longer to dry but seems to hold better. I started by gluing one edge up to the bend, then after that dries, heating the strip at the bend and working it around, then putting glue on the underside of the trim and clamping it to the next edge then flat around the bend. Here is the start of this process. It will take a while to get all three done but I can do a little every couple of hours after the hypo cement dries. I did make a new strut for the propeller shaft yesterday. The kit supplied a thin piece of mahogany to use as the strut which had no strength at all. I made a new one out of a piece of brass with a pin on the face that goes against the hull and a piece of tubing soldered to the other face that the shaft slides in. I am also going to glue a piece of tubing into the hull bottom where the shaft goes into the hull instead just a hole. I will be installing all this after the trim is done.

Thanks again Yves. I bought it from Micro Mark many years ago and I find it handy for assembling deck furniture. Here are the seat backs and cushions after many coats of diluted green paint over gesso. Next will be to glue them to the supports and add them to the cockpits.

What a beautiful model you have made and your research is top notch, This was a pleasure to follow.

Thanks Yves. I'll hold off on the poly coat until later. I started building the cockpit seats using the supplied balsa seat backs and seats, with mahogany kick boards. I started by scoring the seat backs and seats every 5mm using an X-Acto knife, then rounding the edges. I tried using the back of the knife for scoring but the balsa was tearing too much. I then gave them a coat of diluted gesso. This covered up the score lines more than I liked. While those dried I glued the kick boards to the seat support pieces, using a magnetic jig and Legos to hold them square. Last night I went over the score lines with a triangular needle file which opened them up nicely. I gave the seat backs and seats a first coat of thinned green paint this morning. It's the same paint I mixed up for the Constitution bulwarks and used on the Sicilian cargo boat, since I really like the color. I'll have pictures of those when they are fully painted. I also gave the kick boards a coat of mahogany stain.

Thanks Mike. I think I got the idea to use the Spaz products from your build log. I was very happy with the results. I hit a bit of a milestone today - the hull is finally filled and sanded after many weeks. I made a thinned solution of wood filler and added some mahogany stain to it, then used it to fill all the thin cracks and tiny holes in the hull. After a final sanding this is what the hull looked like. I then gave the hull a coat of mahogany stain, which evened out the colors really well. I am contemplating giving the hull a few coats of glossy polyurethane but I still have to glue a bunch of stuff to it, so I may wait. Seats are next to do. I am going to practice with some extra balsa to see if I can carve a realistic looking seat cushion. Stay healthy and happy.

great job on the deck planking!

I am building the Dumas Chris Craft 1938 27' Triple Barrel Back, which is a scale of 1/24.

Jeff, I used tulle material for the netting on my Connie. You can get it in different colors at fabric stores like Joanne's. It is the stuff they use for wedding vails.

Nice work on the deck planking Mike. I was not successful in my attempt at that. Can I ask you what you used for the seat cushions. In the kit I am working on they provide plain balsa to use for them and I wanted to add some seam details so they look more realistic. Yours look great. Thanks.

It starting to get there...