Rich_engr
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Everything posted by Rich_engr
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Lol- I showed them one full pic (taken around late August- it's prob in my log). It was when they asked what kinds of stuff do I like to do, hobbies, etc... that's when I whipped out the phone and showed them. They were a bit impressed, and the program manager was like, "Wow!! That is detailed!!" with eyes almost bulging out! So yeah, I think it helped some. Plus, my other interests line up with theirs (biking, shooting, outdoors, etc.), the job (detail, precision, drive for excellence, in addition to Navy-related work), and what's in the area (close to water, gorgeous scenery, family). My soon-to-be supervisor also has a salt water aquarium (we used to have a 50 gallon one), so that was nice little way to connect/establish excellent rapport. Yes it is driving me nuts with my ENTIRE shop and build packed up here in the garage!!! After extensive yard work, cleaning the whole outside of the house, going room-to-room and packing, cleaning, and repairs, all I want to do is sit down and work on my ship (which I can see from here, sitting in its clear plastic bin with tools, parts, and some books), which is probably why I check in here quite often and drool at everyone else's work! lol~~ (Plus, the waiting part is driving me nuts, and I was supposed to start a week from tomorrow, but that might be pushed back.) Which is why I'm glad to see you and the rest of MSW making great progress! -
Larry- awesome work on the planking!!! She's really moving along and taking shape!!! I'm sorry to hear about your plank bender- I'd be lost without mine!!! But I'd probably stay away from using the soldering iron, since it's not quite the same thing... (Did you try to remove the round head from the bender and attach it to the iron??) Great work though! Heck, by the time I get up and settled, and get my shop set up, you'll probably be planking the deck and then some!!!
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Coming along nicely! Luckily it's the 1st planking, so I wouldn't worry about it too much, just as long as you have a good foundation for the 2nd final planking. I believe you mentioned earlier that the mast was a giant dowel- would it be possible to buy a long piece that is square, which might help with the shaping??
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Yes, ME = Model Expo. (Of course, doing an Amati or Mamoli kit would be a change-up since it'd be in metric, not english measurements...)
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Aw, man- that sucks! Your framing looked good- what was wrong with the bulkhead??? From your pics, everything looked like it was shaping up very well!! Thankfully ME is awesome with their parts-replacement and customer service!!! So "projects and attempting to date after divorce"- that'd be time consuming and I can only imagine your difficulties (not to mention one's focus is all over the place). Perhaps try the Zen approach to modeling: relax, breathe, and center the mind. I find connecting with the wood to be very soothing and almost meditative. It definitely helps wash away the stress and scatter-brain. We're all pulling for ya, so don't stress about the build (or life)- we're here for ya!!!
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Wow!! I just started following this log- awesome work!!! And BIG!! She reminds me of an R/C (plastic hull) kit I had when I was a kid of the Stars & Stripes. She was over 3 feet long and about 5 feet tall. The sails were so large that she wanted to blow over every time I had the window open!! How do the Italian kits (Amati, Mamoli) compare to the ME kits? It looks like it's well supplied and are the instructions really good? Love those J boats!!! Absolutely gorgeous!!!!
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Larry- that's what my gf and I keep saying, that we're just cleaning the place up for them and not ourselves... lol~ funny how stuff works like that. Mark- thank you. Yes, the bench is coming with us (it's obviously not where I build- garage has zero climate control). But we're getting there slowly but steadily. Realtor wants to get final pictures on Friday so she can list the house, which may/may not have to be delayed until I know 100% for certain that everything with the job is all-clear. Still, pressing ahead like we have good sense. Either way, the house needs prepping to sell/move.
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Finally got the garage done yesterday- took about 10 hrs! I dragged every single thing out and emptied it, then swept all the crud, spiderwebs, dust, etc., then sorted and packed a bunch of stuff. By 10pm I was whipped! But it's done, and all that's left is the attic and some small stuff here-and-there in the house. So it only took us about 2 weeks to get the entire house and yard ready to show (and it was a bit of a mess beforehand). Here's before: Here's after emptying and cleaning:
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Laying the deck off the ship first may help with the planking, but could also cause some height issues later on. Planking the deck on the ship and then staining/cutting holes, etc. isn't too hard- the curves are gentle and there's room to work. Are you going to include butts in your deck planks, or run them as full-length strips?
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Ahhh... still cleaning/packing the house... also waiting for the final word on when I'll start (still haven't processed my "stuff" yet)... Original plan was to leave here next Friday (the 8th), but that might be pushed back a few weeks because of govt shutdown, so just getting as much of the house in order as we can. Shop is 100% torn down now. Just a few plastic bins of all of my stuff and half of my workbench is all that remains~~~ Should be putting the For Sale sign in the yard next week, but might have to delay that until I'm 100% certain of the job and when I start. soooo may variables right now~~
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Yep- slow, but steady ahead~~ It took me about 3 years to finish planking just the hull, so I wouldn't worry about things taking some time. Besides, the patience shows in your work, and it looks great!!! Bob has a good point: most of the time is spent looking at plans, researching, and figuring things out. The small percentage of time is actual wood work. Plus, he has a nifty idea for those darn stern filler blocks!!!!!! But relax, be patient, and above all- have fun!!
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Lol!!! Sam, that's one FULL week of probably 14hr days... gonna take just a day to drag everything out so I can sweep the dirt, webs, and fur out... then deciding what can be tossed and what can be neatly organized... From my perspective, it's a rat hole of a mess. Oh, and then there's dragging two rooms' worth of crap down from the attic (mostly books, which aren't light)... Still moving ahead. Passed my pee test, did some of the required paperwork/background stuff... now just waiting on my interim approval and I'll be all set. Met with the realtor the other day and she's coming by to check out the house tomorrow (see what needs updating/replacing/painting, etc.) so we can have a more realistic game plan. I also have to get my car looked at to get it ready for the cross-country drive and maybe winter tires (haven't driven in real snow in a looooooong time). So it's going to be my ship+shop tools, some books, and clothes all packed into my Rav4... it'll definitely be an experience!! Next two weeks are gonna be super busy and are going to fly by~~~
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Very good! Coming along really well!!
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Tony- I agree with what Patrick said. For most, if not all builders, everyone has "what the heck? how do I___??" moments. But your work is excellent, so you shouldn't worry. I know framing and planking takes a good while, but it's well worth it if you're patient and believe in yourself (and your plan). Nice touch with the treenails- they really do make a difference. Maybe I'll try that on my next build. Awesome shop- you're definitely all set to tackle whatever gets thrown your way!!
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Lol- that's funny how guys tend to do that with cars... and yet I don't know a darn thing about vehicles (other than where the gas, air, and maybe oil go)... Still, I can imagine seeing engine parts, grease and oil stains, and tools all over a bathroom or living room! But no such mess here- we spent the whole weekend cleaning, painting, etc. Only got about 3 rooms and 1 bathroom done (I pressure washed the entire outside of the house, patios, and fence). Still have to go through the other half of the house inside, plus I gotta tackle the garage and attic (which will take me a week- yeah, it's that bad)... 18 days until I head out!!
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Ok... there will quite possibly be zero build updates for a while, since last night I packed up the shop. I fit most of my tools and parts into a plastic bin, and I have to find another one to fit the ship in. It's amazing how compact my shop is- all parts, paints, most wood (and scraps), power drill, tools (files, sand blocks, tweezers, all clamps, calipers, drafting sets, etc), and plans & books/notebooks all fit into a medium sized tub. The only remaining items are my lamp, Dremel & stand, and vise. Now if I could just get the rest of the house and garage as packed and clean in the next 3 weeks...
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Glad I could help! Belt sander, disc sander, sand blaster- we use whatever is needed to get the job done, right? (Heck, even my cat can help trim down those "unsightly" horn timbers.)
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Lol- thanks Sam! I remember when I was in my first two years of college living in the dorms- there was this one guy (my dorm was the crime-ridden ghetto) who was rebuilding a Harley in his dorm room, on the 2nd floor!!! Mind you, the rooms were small, and luckily he didn't have a roommate. The guy had parts, tools, oil pans, etc. all over the place. But alas, zero pets allowed in the room I found, which is fine for now (it's just me going for the time being). This was the cheapest place I could find (and literally next door to work), so it should be fine for now. If all of us were moving right now, it'd be impossible to find a place (apt or house) to rent that allows 3 dogs, 2 cats, 2 people, and can accommodate furnishings for a 4-bedroom house (otherwise we'd need about 2 storage units)... So yeah, too much crap to keep bringing along... whereas I usually live a rather spartan lifestyle (bed, laptop, coffee maker, some clothes and books... and my Niagara- that's all I need).
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Yeah, the 3D curves were weird... at first I thought I had it figured out, then my brain choked and couldn't see how to do it exactly... so I just traced the curves/lines from the plans, then took the Dremel to take out the chunk of material in the middle to start, then just sanded the rest of the way in... Maybe our CAD guys can help with some 3D printing of filler blocks... but where's the fun in that?
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For the plank widths for belts B-D, use the side view (with stern on one side and bow on the other)- just follow along to the bulkheads there (the dashed vertical lines) and measure the distance between the planks. Otherwise, if you use the full side view, what you're measuring is actually the arc-length of the plank, not its exact width. What I did was use the side views to get the full belt width, then divide by 8 (divide by 5 for belt D). But before trimming planks down to your exact width, always leave a little extra to fine tune it once in place. I'll check in with you later this evening- gotta do pee test and eQIP/paperwork stuff...
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Bob- this place doesn't allow pets at all (no dogs, cats, fish, iguanas, nada). Still, I doubt there's much I can get done in a little room w/o my entire shop. There's not even a desk in there. Edwin- thank you! Yes, I do feel a lot of relief, but now the different stress of packing, moving, selling the house, etc. is starting to set in (but in a good way). Three and a half weeks to get everything set and ready to go!! lol~
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Awesome!!! Great work on the planks- it's cool watching her take shape, especially where the planks bend at the stern. Seems like you got the hang of it now!
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Yeah, the blocks they supplied for the stern fillers are way over-sized... I cut mine in half first (like, cut off what sticks out past bulkhead Q), then traced the lines and hit it pretty hard with the Dremel sanding drum. Then sanding & filing to get them down to their final shape. To help make sure they're both the same, try placing them side by side when sanding- use calipers or a good eye to check for symmetry. Same for the bow fillers. Also, make sure that the inside corners of the blocks are square so you get a good tight fit with the keel & bulkheads (also helps with making sure the port & starboard sides are the same).
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Kevin- my build and especially the support from MSW is what helped keep my mind focused and (not as) stressed during this time. After ten to sixteen hour days searching for positions all over the place, working in the shop was a very welcomed break and de-stressor. But after the initial move, maybe I can get some small stuff done, like hull touch-ups and whatnot. I doubt the new landlord would like sawdust, glue, and paint all over the place...
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Dying the planks? That sounds interesting... I know they soak up water very well, and Sharpies bleed pretty easily, so why not thinned paint? Might help with having to re-touch paint nicks later on...
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