Martin W
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Great job, Mike -- I join Spy in that salute. Looking at the picture from the bow aft, I have to say that I like the shape you got better than my own. And your jigsaw joint is tighter than mine. One question: are you going to cut a window into the captain's cabin? Oh, and I have 3 bunches of those planking screws -- I didn't use them at all on the Rattlesnake, but have used them consistently on the Fly. It helps on the fingers if you drill a guide hole into the bulkhead -- I also found that without the guide hole they broke. Cheers, Martin -
Bravo, Mike! Looks like you've got the strips on -- and on the first try, no less, well you're there. And that deck is something to behold. Bravo again! Martin
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In a big way, Mike, it's the gunport strips that serve as the initiation rite into the Pegasus/Fly builders club. If you can get them on without the neighbors complaining about your language, you're in. It took me 3 tries (oooh, those pesky neighbors -- why don't they just turn up their stereo! ) Sausage rolls are always good. Cheers, Martin
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Hello Everybody -- This is just a short and swift update before I lock myself in the kitchen to make high caloric dishes for the holidays. Starting on the second planking (in boxwood), I have laid the first two rows, which will be the main wales. Part way through laying the row below that, I realized that if I wanted to use planking screws to help glue in the second layer for the wales (and I do), I'd better stop the regular planking and lay down the rest of the wales. So here you see that I've begun sanding the two rows in preparation for the next layer: I have already eaten so much that I've begun feeling unsure about my whereabouts, however, so I might not get much done till Boxing Day at the soonest. Till then, my First and Best Mate, Bounce would like to wish all modellers throughout the known modelling universe a happy holiday season, with hopes that your moustache never gets this dirty: Cheers to all, Martin & Bounce
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Mike -- I honestly can't remember what the label on the wood said when I bought it. Looking at those pictures, though, I'd say it was more like bloodwood's changing tone, but it isn't really moving toward brown, but more toward dark, blackish blood. Yecch. The problems I'm having with the boxwood only have to do with bending it, since it's dense enough not to bend as easily as softer woods or woods with more open grains, like walnut. Still, it's a pleasure to cut and shape. No kids here, just a very old dog, one lone remaining horse, the Missus and her beer-loving spouse (who has promised her fresh ravioli for Christmas eve). Cheers, Martin
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That staysail really adds a new dimension -- it's more than just a furled sail, it has the look of weight (if that makes sense). Cheers, Martin
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Beautiful work, Nils. I didn't think you'd be able to shape bamboo into such fine lines. Happy holidays to you and yours! Martin
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Hi Mike -- The saga of wood coloring continues! Your commentary (on the previous page) about the effect of the matte finish on the end-grain reminded me that this past weekend I was killing time out in my workshop, and I noticed the chunk of redheart I'd bought from Woodcraft several months back and had cut strips from to build my capstan. When I bought the wood, it was encased in a layer of wax that I had to scrap off. And when I'd done cutting the pieces for the capstan, I negligently left the remainder lying on the workbench by the window. What I noticed is that it had gotten significantly darker, just as Jeff had told you it would do. It's still red-ish, though very dark, and well on the way toward blackish. Now, my capstan has 3 coats of poly, and it currently resides in a windowless room; it is still happily red. I'm still kinda thinking of planking the inner bulwarks with redheart, but might opt for stained boxwood if the redheart does go black. I think, just as an experiment, I'll cut off a piece from the original chunk of redheart, and leave by the window to see what happens over the next few months. Thanks for the detailed account of cutting those top & butt / anchor planks -- I have a rip-taper jig for my Byrnes, but haven't really managed to perfect its use yet. But, in working on the second layer of planking for my Fly, I'm encountering more challenges than I'd expected or hoped for, so maybe this would be a good time to add triangles into the stew. Happy holidays (and with twins, you're sure to make Santa thrilled), Martin
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Hi Mike -- That anchor stock planking looks terrific. And the fact that you cut them out by hand is especially impressive. I've wanted to do some of that, but my planking is pre-cut (except for 2 sheets on hand, which I am devoting to the spiled planks -- and which seem to exist on almost every row). Do you use a knife or a chisel? Cheers, Martin
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Great work, Nils. And the discussions on the arrangement of the crew, oarlocks, and rudder are all informative and useful -- not only for us fellow Pegasus/Fly builders, but I think for anyone getting ready to build the boats. Cheers, Martin
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Hi Scott -- good save there on the traveller. I also had to fabricate one, and then I found something ugly in Britannia that I think was probably the kit's version. It was bad enough that even my rough attempt looked good by comparison. Yours looks very neat. Cheers, Martin
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Nice taut lines, Bob. Rigging, like planking, can really try a Captain's patience -- and somehow it's more enjoyable to watch someone else's work than one's own. By the way, your photography of the rigging so far exceeds anything I could ever do -- the big question is always how to get the focus on those thin lines. cheers, Martin
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Great work, Scott -- your deadeyes all look even, which will really be satisfying when the rigging is done and the model is on display. As for that last line, well, my recollection (I'm too lazy to walk to the other end of the house and look) is that I tied it off on an available cleat. There ended up being a few others like it, and I just did my best to avoid having their ends float off in the air. And as for the tautness of the shrouds, I think the really, really talented and experienced folks can get that right, but I find that just when I have one pair of shrouds taut (one shroud on each side), then the forestays or something else will pull them slack. In the midst of the frustration you can find yourself getting a sense of the dynamics of the rigging, and appreciating what the captain had to understand. Cheers, Martin
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That is one strong sailor, if he is in fact planning on lifting that good looking anchor with just one arm!! Nice work as always, Peter. Cheers, Martin
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Nils -- That's a little gem you've built. I like your description of it weighing no more than the shell of a walnut -- that just emphasizes how delicate it is. Bravo! it's an inspiration! Martin
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Mike -- It's amazing what oil will do to wood. The pear with the tung oil looks mighty nice, though over the years it could lose some of the depth. Some of the grain seems to get lost in the stains -- at least in these photos. And it is striking how dark that redheart gets on the end grain -- I had no idea it would go like that. But the middle test strip, with the redheart & oil looks spectacular. It's surprising that the pear would get so dark with the blue stain -- though the maple looks very nice indeed, with the grain still visible. All very informative. Martin
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Those are very informative links, Mike -- I bookmarked them, in part to remind myself that wood does change. I'm surprised, though, that even with the urethane finish that so much change can still happen. Your concerns about the redheart might be realistic. Maybe one answer is to find a display area that's well out of the sun -- though the sense from the website is that it's still going to happen. Nonetheless, I'm sticking with my idea of planking the inner bulwarks with redheart -- maybe that's foolish, but we can find out together, eh? And thanks, Ian for that info. I don't know if the English merchant would ship stateside. Cheers, Martin
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Those are nice photos, Mike. Your decking looks very precise. And I forgot that I was looking at maple -- in the photo it's light enough to double as holly (which would be easier to cut, but harder to extract body fluids from). And I like those straight edges. I've avoided using rulers, since I've encountered the same lesson as you, but didn't extract the moral that I should then buy a safer cutting edge. For long rips, I now use my Byrnes saw. Ian, may I use LL Mike's log to ask you where you got your safety rule & Morton Swann knife? I especially salivate over that knife. Cheers, and good luck with the Santa thing -- I've already been told that the most I can hope for is low-grade coal. Martin
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Very impressive planning, NIls. Planning and cutting your own frames takes skill and natural talent, as far as I see. Bravo! Martin
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Hi Jon -- Congratulations on surviving Thanksgiving, which sounds more elaborate for you than it is even for us out here on the prairie (we don't have much to do, so we make certain holidays big). The trip to Old Ironsides sounds fantastic. I have yet to step foot on an actual historical ship, but have long wanted to walk the quarterdeck (especially of the Victory). And your photo of the burton pendants is valuable. You're going at this with your usual precision. Terrific. Cheers, Martin
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I don't know which will make you swear more -- stairs or tying off all those little blocks. Your use of the brass is interesting indeed, and will make for a distinctive build in the end. Well done. Martin
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Nils -- It looks GOOD indeed. I, for one, just can't imagine squeezing sails through the complicated lines of rigging !!! Cheers, Martin
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Spy -- I agree, those middle bulkheads looked to be right in line, and like you I used them to check all the others. But that blasted dip is sure enough there. But you know what happens when you bet with yourself, eh? Martin
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Thanks for checking in, guys, and thanks for the likes. Mike, that's intersting about the white stain -- if it even covers walnut then it sounds really good. Jeff's closing puts a giant question mark on future builds for all of us. And it has also made me anxious about the 2nd planking and beyond for this build, since I keep wondering, what if I blow too many planks? what if I have an inspiration for the rails, or something I haven't even begun thinking about yet? A sad day in Model Town. Spy, the indentation lies just aft of #6. So did you win? Cheers, Martin
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