Piet

Today was going to be the day to put some primer on the hull but before I could do that I had to install the cutwater firs.  Fortunately, it almost fit perfect and had to dress it down only in a few places.  I cemented it on with CA.
 
As the CA was curing I did some final sanding of the hull and then wiped it clean with a damp rag with enamel reducer.  The I started with the masking off of the topsides.
After I checked the masking that it I had closed all possible openings I took the model outside and sprayed a light coat of white primer on it.  It warmed up to about 65 F + 18C.
 
In the meantime that the prier was drying I made about 10 or so eye bolts for the rigging.  The kit supplied bass split pins are just too bulky.  I made three different sizes for the different functions in the rigging.  
 
I also finished making the bowsprit, main mast and boom.  Then I started with the gaff.  For the forked end or jaws as the kit calls it, I used boxwood instead of the kit supplied basswood.  I had a small piece of boxwood left over from the O19 dinghy that was just the right size.  I cut the two halves out to the measurements as shown on the drawings and filed the mating ends half round with a rat-tail file to fit the gaff.  I used CA again to glue them together.  Tomorrow I'll shave and file them to the correct size and looks.
 
In the afternoon when the primer had dried I sanded it down with 300 grit paper to find the high and low spots.  It'll require just a few spots that can use some wood filler and then another coat of primer.   
That's where I left it for today.
 
I think that was a day well spend and here are a few pics of the results.
 

 

 

This shows the hardware I made today.  Just below the #11 blade are the kit supplied split pins.  You can see how bulky they are and then try to put it into a 1/8 inch wooden dowel.  The combination on the left is what is to make the main boom swivel but instead I made an eye bolt to go through the mast and another eye bolt that'll go into the end of the boom.  They'll be connected with a pin so the boom can swivel and also to be removable.  
The largest eye bolt goes into the deck as guides for the sheets.  The middle ones can go into the mast and the smallest ones go into the ends of the bowsprit, boom, gaf and top of the mast.  They'll look a lot better then those bulky split pins.  
 
Cheers,

Not much done today.  This morning I had an appointment with my oncologist / surgeon doctor for a check how my bod is doing.  He was very happy and encouraged.  Well, that made two of us.  I'll have to see him again the 20th for an actual look-see inside.
 
I glued the two oarlock blocks to the deck as well as the modified samson post.
 
Now it was time to make the oarlocks.  I decided to make them from narrow strips of 0.5 mm brass shim and 0.5 mm brass rod for the posts.  I also cut two small pieces of 1 mm brass tubing for the receptacles that'll go into the blocks.
The kit instructions have you make the oarlocks by twisting two pieces of wire together for the post and then bend the two loose ends into a U shape.  The oarlocks will be permanently installed going it the kit's way and that's not the way it is in the real world.  You should be able to remove them when not in use otherwise they'll get in the way when hauling in the lobster traps in.  This just didn't suit me so I made tem the same way as I did for my sub model dinghy.
 
For the running rigging line guides they give you split-pins or cotter-keys.  Also not acceptable.  I'll make  eyebolts from brass rod . 
 
I did some more fiddling around, trying to remove some of those pesky wood fibers that keep popping up. Well, that's what to expect with basswood and poplar.  That wood hardener stuff works okay but there is always some things that need to be cleaned up.
 
I am also not happy at all with the cabin door hinges so I'll redo them as well.
 
Here are a few pics of today's efforts.
 

Here you see the three parts that make up the oarlocks and the receptacle.  I hand filed the oarlocks narrower after the pins were soldered in.  The two bushing are cemented into the wooden blocks.
 

Both oarlocks are now completed, rather simple.
 

This shows both oarlocks placed in there receptacles and ready for use.
 

This is the way I made my samson post for the bowsprit.  It'll slide between the uprights and under the cross beam.  Then it'll be "bolted" secure through the uprights posts.  In the real world the bowsprit is removable and I'd like to do the same here.  I guess I'll have to add a lower stay too.
 
Cheers,
 
 

Hey Piet! I second Remco's comments about the nut and washers. Are you totally insane!!! You've taken the basic kit and turned it into a "Piet-Masterpiece" as only you can do.
 
With all the love and attention that you're pouring into it, it would be difficult to part with it. However, there're few causes more worthy than the Wounded Warriors project. I take my hat off to you! It's definitely going to be a worthy prize to cherish. Be sure to inscribe your details somewhere in the ship for future generations to uncover.
 
Seriously well done.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Those washers and nuts are insane.... I hope you haven't lost it Piet
 
Remco

Piet,
Your MBLS is coming along very nicely. 
The boom / mast connection as described by the Midwest plan is 'fiction'.  In real life, it appears the boom was connected to the mast with a yoke, the same as the gaff.  Below is a photo from my build log showing the yoke on the boom and gaff.  Also, the boom was held down by a rope that ran between an eye bolt on the bottom side of the boom and a eye bolt that was added to the mast, about 12" below the boom.
Dee Dee
 

 
 
 

Hi Piet.  There's some pretty tiny parts there. Almost need a microscope.  That problem you have with the stain penetrating,---have you tried wiping the parts down with mineral spirits and staining with oil-based stain? Oil-base always seems to work better for me. 
 
Cheers 

More fiddling work done this morning like more sanding on the hull after I added another coat of wood hardener on, painted the aft-outside of the cabin bulkhead before starting the wrestle with the sliding hatch.
I decided to use 1 mm birch ply for the track guides instead of brass shim.  I felt that the brass would not hold up with the CA.  After the four small pieces were cut and CA'd on the hatch side braces I tried the fit.  Hmmm, not good, so I had to fiddle with the track width some more and that finally worked out okay.  Hatch slides nice and easy now.
 
I have made a few pics to show what it looks like.
 
After this was done I turned to the cabin doors.  I am using paper for the hinges.  After they are painted black it'll look like wrought iron 
I glued them on with a little thinned down TiteBond and let it cure.
 
Next step was to make mounting blocks for the oar locks that'll go on the deck just aft of the fish well, per the kit instructions.  The actual oarlocks I'll made tomorrow after I come back from the oncologist's visit.  
 
Then I made the three parts that'll make the bowsprit samson post.  I deviated from the drawing and made it the same way as I did on my Friendship Sloop model.
The bowsprit will slide between the verticals and cross beam and is secured with a bolt that'll run horizontal through the vertical posts.  These will be pinned and CA cemented to the deck.
I used poplar wood for these things instead of the kit supplied basswood.  I dislike that stuff and it was also what gave me greef with the hatch tracks.
 
I think that after these things are done I can finally cement the cutwater to the bow.  I'll be using a few bamboo pins to help secure it to the keel frame. 
 

This shows the hatch track with the groove for the track guides.
 

This shows the bottom or inside of the hatch with the four track guides cemented to the side braces.
 

Paper door hinges in a rough cut.  I'll dress them up after they are glued to the doors.
 

Door hinges glued to the doors.  They'll be ready for final trimming after te glue has set.
 

These are the door handles, also still in the rough.
 

Cabin doors are now installed and working.  This shows the doors in the closed position with the hatch closed.
 

Here the doors are open with the hatch slid forward, welcome into the cabin and enjoy a drink from the wet bar 
 

Pillows on the bunk mattresses.
 
Cheers,

Hello everyone,
 
I had to make a new cabin roof for this little boat and also a working hatch.  I could not use the kit supplied wood, it was just too flimsy to my liking.  I used the 1 mm birch plywood.  As is usual I made a paper template for the roof outline and the entry opening.
I also made the sliding hatch in the rough.  I had to wait till the roof was secure to install the sliding hatch rails.
The kit does not have a working hatch or working doors.  
 
Oh yeah, I also put the "glass" in for the portholes before the roof was permanently on cemented. 
 
First I had to glue the extra moulding in on the top of the cabin coaming for a better glue surface for the roof.  Then fairing everything for a good fit of the roof.  After the TiteBond glue had set enough I could then cement the roof on using the "slow set" CA.  I had to use all ten fingers to hold it down.
 
At this point I made the sliding roof rails.  I cut a groove in them on the outboard side for the slider hardware.  These will be made from 0.2 mm brass shim stock cemented to the hatch sides.
The hatch has stop strips on the forward and aft sides to prevent it from sliding off.
 
The slider hardware and doors will be my next project.  I did cut the doors out and started to fit them when it was time to close shop.  There is always another day.  The doors will be hinged. 
 
Okay, here are a few pics for you to peruse, 
 

This shows the cabin roof installed with the sliding hatch in the closed position.  It's still loose and waiting for the slider hardware.
 

This hows the sliding hatch in the open position.  You can see here the aft stop strip cemented to the underside of the hatch.
 

A peek inside.  I still have to make pillows and blankets for the bunks.
 

Here is a bow view.
 

This shows the prototype cabin doors being fitted.
 
Cheers,

Welcome back Adriaan, I'm looking forward to updates and a plethora of pictures 
 
Have a great and prosperous 2015.
 
Cheers,

As promised yesterday the pictures.
 
Now I can play with the  2 mm blocks......
When the first one is done I will post another picture of that to see if I'm on the right track.
Enjoy your sunday and do the things that you have to do.
 
Sjors
 
 

Progress report.  I have been messing around in the cabin and made two bunks with mattresses on the port side.  Then I made a fake cabinet on the starboard side with a little table.  The cabinet is just a plank with the cabinet doors and mouldings scribed into it.  
 
I am looking for some material for the blankets.  I may have to go to the fabric store and see if they can give me a a few square inches.  For the mattresses I used small pieces of styrofoam and wrapped pieces of an old handkerchief around it.  With the blankets over it it should look quite nice.
 
I made the helm from boxwood and soaked it in water overnight and bend it around my coffee cup and clamped it till it was dry.  I stained it in New England MapleI and used the same stain for the cockpit benches and the cabin furniture.
I painted the cabin walls white as the bulwarks.  I used Testors flat white, looks okay.   
 
I installed the rudder and helm.  It works 
 
I am ready to cement the deck to the hull but am rather apprehensive doing it.  The kit plans call for using slow acting CA but even with that I am afraid that I don't have enough time to position the deck properly. I have done a few dry runs and I do need more time positioning it properly then the CA gives me.  
I'm really leaning towards using Titebond glue and plenty of elastic bands to clamp it down.  Right now I'm not committed yet to which glue I'll be using.
 
Okay, here are a few pics of how the sloop looks like as of today.
 

This shows the finished benches and the helm.  The deck is just laying loose on top of the hull.  Thinking about the paint scheme, I may just paint the frames, bulwarks and bulkheads green.  I'll use the same green for the cabin coamings, toe rails, trail boards and wales.  I think to paint it red below the waterline and white above the waterline.  Just thinking ahead right now.
You may also see a pencil outline to where I thought in trimming some decking away.  This too is still up in the air.  It seems strange to me to have such a wide deck area where they man-handle lobster traps in and out.  But then again, why make extra work for me.
 

This hows the two bunks with the mattresses.  Yup, it's a fist class cabin, nothing but the best. 
 

This shows the starboard side of the cabin with the fake cupboard and table.  The cupboard is still  made to fit after the coaming and roof are being installed.  Thinking of adding a strip of wood around the top of the coaming for extra glue area for the cabin roof.
 

 
Cheers.

Hello everyone, I trust all y'all had a great holiday.
 
I finally finished the dinghy for my O19 submarine model and can spend more time on this little boat.
In between jobs I managed to finish the cockpit seat and installed it.  
I'm now moving forward and started on making the bunks for the little cabin.  The lower bunk is all glued in but the top bunk still needs to be finished.  I'm holding off with that one till I have scrounged up "stuff" for the mattress and bedding materials before I can glue the top bunk in for excess to the lower bunk.  I still need to stain the bulkhead planking before I can finalize the bunks.
I don't know yet about other furniture beside a table.  A stove would be nice but I need to think about that one.  It would pose a real fire hazzard and we need to put some asbestos heat shields in    OSHA and the EPA will not be happy with that idea   
 
I also made the gudgeons and pintles for the rudder today but need to wait with installing the rudder till the cabin interior is finished.  That'll be the last thing to do before I can put the deck on.
 
Here are a few picks of the work so far.
 

 

 

I made lockers under the benches to stow "stuff" in.  
 

Perhaps not standard equipment, having two bunks but I figured - why not.  I plan to add 2 mm to the cabin roof to give the top bunk a little more headroom 
 
Cheers,

Thank you George for your kind words and thanks to all for visiting and clicking the like button.
 
Did some work on this little sloop.  I made the bench seat for the cockpit out of a piece of 1.5 mm boxwood that I cut out of a previously made plank.  I made that plank for another project out of a larger timber on my 10 inch bench saw and smoothed it down with a belt sander.
 
Looking at the photo I think I'll have to make it a little narrower and also narrower planks.  I kinda followed the kit drawing but it just looks a little to big.  
There'll be (fake) storage lockers under the seats therefore the seat planking will have to be close together to keep most of the water out of the lockers
 
There is some more cleaning and tweeking to be done with other things as well but I'm progressing.
 

 

 
Cheers, 

Last Friday I painted the entire hull mat white, on de suggestion of my dear bride Gwen.  It does look very nice and I can always change my mind down the road and paint her red below the water line.
 
I also tried working with the stain some more but it just wont penetrate into the wood.  I washed it down and scrubbed it with MEK trying to remove the oily stain.  At this point I'm reluctant to try it again with fresh stain from the store or just go ahead and paint everything white as the kit have you do it.  It's a real disappointment to me because stained wood for the mast, boom, bowsprit and gaff would really make the model stand out.
 
I can also go to plan B and remake all this woodwork and try it again with some fresh stain.  It's not that much more work and the end result wil be a nicer looking model.  Something to think about.
 
I remade the boom swivel hardware.  I made two washers and the nut that'll bolt it to the mast.  I see on the photos that I need to do some more work on all three.  The nut needs to be more defined with six sides and the washers can be made rounder.
Something to do while I'm thinking about going to plan B for the mast and etc.  Well, I can also make an anchor yet.
 
Well, here are a few pics of the hardware I made yesterday.
 

This shows just part of all the hardware I made.  Instead of running standing rigging wire through holes in the mast, boom, gaff and bowsprit I made small eye bolts that I'll cement into these parts.  I can then run the rigging wire through them and simulate turnbuckles.  I just can't bring myself to run either a brass wire or thread through these parts and tie it off there.  A few of these small eye bolts are on the right of the picture.  The remade boom attaching assembly is on the top with the two washers and one nut.  The nut is on the right of the 2 washers as they are fitted on the sloop.  Then two of the seven blocks that I rigged per the kit plans except that I soldered the ends of the brass wire instead of cementing it with CA.  
 

This shows the two washers and one nut. As you can see they do need a little more work.  Hey, it's not easy holding these small buggers between my thumb and index finger and then file them 
 
Cheers,

Last Friday I painted the entire hull mat white, on de suggestion of my dear bride Gwen.  It does look very nice and I can always change my mind down the road and paint her red below the water line.
 
I also tried working with the stain some more but it just wont penetrate into the wood.  I washed it down and scrubbed it with MEK trying to remove the oily stain.  At this point I'm reluctant to try it again with fresh stain from the store or just go ahead and paint everything white as the kit have you do it.  It's a real disappointment to me because stained wood for the mast, boom, bowsprit and gaff would really make the model stand out.
 
I can also go to plan B and remake all this woodwork and try it again with some fresh stain.  It's not that much more work and the end result wil be a nicer looking model.  Something to think about.
 
I remade the boom swivel hardware.  I made two washers and the nut that'll bolt it to the mast.  I see on the photos that I need to do some more work on all three.  The nut needs to be more defined with six sides and the washers can be made rounder.
Something to do while I'm thinking about going to plan B for the mast and etc.  Well, I can also make an anchor yet.
 
Well, here are a few pics of the hardware I made yesterday.
 

This shows just part of all the hardware I made.  Instead of running standing rigging wire through holes in the mast, boom, gaff and bowsprit I made small eye bolts that I'll cement into these parts.  I can then run the rigging wire through them and simulate turnbuckles.  I just can't bring myself to run either a brass wire or thread through these parts and tie it off there.  A few of these small eye bolts are on the right of the picture.  The remade boom attaching assembly is on the top with the two washers and one nut.  The nut is on the right of the 2 washers as they are fitted on the sloop.  Then two of the seven blocks that I rigged per the kit plans except that I soldered the ends of the brass wire instead of cementing it with CA.  
 

This shows the two washers and one nut. As you can see they do need a little more work.  Hey, it's not easy holding these small buggers between my thumb and index finger and then file them 
 
Cheers,

Last Friday I painted the entire hull mat white, on de suggestion of my dear bride Gwen.  It does look very nice and I can always change my mind down the road and paint her red below the water line.
 
I also tried working with the stain some more but it just wont penetrate into the wood.  I washed it down and scrubbed it with MEK trying to remove the oily stain.  At this point I'm reluctant to try it again with fresh stain from the store or just go ahead and paint everything white as the kit have you do it.  It's a real disappointment to me because stained wood for the mast, boom, bowsprit and gaff would really make the model stand out.
 
I can also go to plan B and remake all this woodwork and try it again with some fresh stain.  It's not that much more work and the end result wil be a nicer looking model.  Something to think about.
 
I remade the boom swivel hardware.  I made two washers and the nut that'll bolt it to the mast.  I see on the photos that I need to do some more work on all three.  The nut needs to be more defined with six sides and the washers can be made rounder.
Something to do while I'm thinking about going to plan B for the mast and etc.  Well, I can also make an anchor yet.
 
Well, here are a few pics of the hardware I made yesterday.
 

This shows just part of all the hardware I made.  Instead of running standing rigging wire through holes in the mast, boom, gaff and bowsprit I made small eye bolts that I'll cement into these parts.  I can then run the rigging wire through them and simulate turnbuckles.  I just can't bring myself to run either a brass wire or thread through these parts and tie it off there.  A few of these small eye bolts are on the right of the picture.  The remade boom attaching assembly is on the top with the two washers and one nut.  The nut is on the right of the 2 washers as they are fitted on the sloop.  Then two of the seven blocks that I rigged per the kit plans except that I soldered the ends of the brass wire instead of cementing it with CA.  
 

This shows the two washers and one nut. As you can see they do need a little more work.  Hey, it's not easy holding these small buggers between my thumb and index finger and then file them 
 
Cheers,

First of all let me thank everyone for checking in and clicking the like button, It's really very much appreciated.
 
@ Russ: thank you.  The primer showed several spots that needed some work but I figured that already.  
 
@ George:  Thank you too.  Well, I assume that in using split-pins is for the easy way out for the novice builder.  But the caveat is when the gaff is already 1/8 inch in diameter and the split-pin is slightly larger then what do you suppose the novice is to do?  Bend over and punt?  There is plenty of miniature hardware available so why not stock up in bulk and include that in the kits.
It's a good thing I know how to make that small stuff myself and it really doesn't take that much time.  Yes, I had to modify my own needle nose pliers for doing these very small parts but for a certificated machinist and tool and die maker that was no problem.
 
@ Remco: Thank you.  Yeah, well, I really went overbard a little but just couldn't resist to "improve" on it a little.  Hexnut and Dee Dee batched their kits too and it sounded like the thing to do.  In retrospect I should have just planked this thing with regular planking instead of using that crummy balsa.  But, as I mentioned in my first logs, I wanted to experience what a novice would be facing.
 
@ Omega:  Hey, welcome to my humble boat works, there is plenty of place and grab a box to sit on and pour yourself a cup of coffee.
 
@ Pete:  Thank you Pete.  Yeah, they are one of my favorite designs.  I really like the Friendship sloops.  If I were you build one from scratch and in a larger scale, you cam then really go hog-wild with details.
 
 
To update all y'all - I spend a fair amount of time in sanding the primer on the hull, or I should say off the hull.  It really showed several places with bumps and valleys.  But after a few hours of work I called it passible.  
I only needed to use a little filler in a few spots but after the really last light coat of primer had dried I could put the actual finish coat of white paint on it.
As I used to do when painting aircraft I only sprayed the final white coat where it's needed, overlapping to just below the water line.  I'll paint it red below the waterline, I think that'll look okay with the green trim.
I used a satin white enamel from Testors in a small rattle can.  When I showed it to Gwen, the Admiral, and told her the plan to paint it red below the waterline she thinks that a red bottom will be too overwhelming for this little boat and suggests to keep the hull white, offset with the green trim. 
The green for the trim will be what I used on the O19 sub model,Rustoleum in a rattle can.
So, tomorrow I'll spray the entire hull satin white.
 
I changed my mind with the main boom attaching hardware.  I am using a long eye bolt to go through the mast and have another eye bolt hooked into it that's cemented into the boom end.  The eye bolt through the mast will be secured with a nut on the forward side.  So I had to make a new longer eye bolt and a nut.  Now I still need to make two washers, one for between the eye and mast and the other for between the mast and he nut.  This way the boom can swivel and move up and down and can be removed for maintenance.  I'll make a few pics tomorrow to show.  
 
I tried to stain the mast, boom, gaff and bowsprit with maple but for some reason the stain isn't penetrating into the wood.  It looks rather anemic right now.  May have to spring for a new can of stain.
I already noticed it when staining the hatches and other parts.  Hmmm, I hope I can remove the stain.  I'll use MEK and see what it does.
 
I also started to "rig" the pulley blocks using the kit's suggestions.  They make you use thin brass wire to go around the block and attach whatever hardware to it by twisting the wire.  I found this rather difficult to do and make it look acceptable.  Again, this is not an easy job for a novice model builder and could easily result in frustration.  I'm mostly thinking of young people who like to start in the ship / boat modeling.  To me then, I would recommend using black "rope" or thread instead.  It's a lot easier to handle and strop around the blocks.
Oh well, I'll continue with it but instead of using AC to secure the brass wire as the kit instructions do, I soldered the ends, which is a lot neater and more secure.
 
Okay, that's all for tonight and cheers to all,
 

Last Friday I painted the entire hull mat white, on de suggestion of my dear bride Gwen.  It does look very nice and I can always change my mind down the road and paint her red below the water line.
 
I also tried working with the stain some more but it just wont penetrate into the wood.  I washed it down and scrubbed it with MEK trying to remove the oily stain.  At this point I'm reluctant to try it again with fresh stain from the store or just go ahead and paint everything white as the kit have you do it.  It's a real disappointment to me because stained wood for the mast, boom, bowsprit and gaff would really make the model stand out.
 
I can also go to plan B and remake all this woodwork and try it again with some fresh stain.  It's not that much more work and the end result wil be a nicer looking model.  Something to think about.
 
I remade the boom swivel hardware.  I made two washers and the nut that'll bolt it to the mast.  I see on the photos that I need to do some more work on all three.  The nut needs to be more defined with six sides and the washers can be made rounder.
Something to do while I'm thinking about going to plan B for the mast and etc.  Well, I can also make an anchor yet.
 
Well, here are a few pics of the hardware I made yesterday.
 

This shows just part of all the hardware I made.  Instead of running standing rigging wire through holes in the mast, boom, gaff and bowsprit I made small eye bolts that I'll cement into these parts.  I can then run the rigging wire through them and simulate turnbuckles.  I just can't bring myself to run either a brass wire or thread through these parts and tie it off there.  A few of these small eye bolts are on the right of the picture.  The remade boom attaching assembly is on the top with the two washers and one nut.  The nut is on the right of the 2 washers as they are fitted on the sloop.  Then two of the seven blocks that I rigged per the kit plans except that I soldered the ends of the brass wire instead of cementing it with CA.  
 

This shows the two washers and one nut. As you can see they do need a little more work.  Hey, it's not easy holding these small buggers between my thumb and index finger and then file them 
 
Cheers,

Last Friday I painted the entire hull mat white, on de suggestion of my dear bride Gwen.  It does look very nice and I can always change my mind down the road and paint her red below the water line.
 
I also tried working with the stain some more but it just wont penetrate into the wood.  I washed it down and scrubbed it with MEK trying to remove the oily stain.  At this point I'm reluctant to try it again with fresh stain from the store or just go ahead and paint everything white as the kit have you do it.  It's a real disappointment to me because stained wood for the mast, boom, bowsprit and gaff would really make the model stand out.
 
I can also go to plan B and remake all this woodwork and try it again with some fresh stain.  It's not that much more work and the end result wil be a nicer looking model.  Something to think about.
 
I remade the boom swivel hardware.  I made two washers and the nut that'll bolt it to the mast.  I see on the photos that I need to do some more work on all three.  The nut needs to be more defined with six sides and the washers can be made rounder.
Something to do while I'm thinking about going to plan B for the mast and etc.  Well, I can also make an anchor yet.
 
Well, here are a few pics of the hardware I made yesterday.
 

This shows just part of all the hardware I made.  Instead of running standing rigging wire through holes in the mast, boom, gaff and bowsprit I made small eye bolts that I'll cement into these parts.  I can then run the rigging wire through them and simulate turnbuckles.  I just can't bring myself to run either a brass wire or thread through these parts and tie it off there.  A few of these small eye bolts are on the right of the picture.  The remade boom attaching assembly is on the top with the two washers and one nut.  The nut is on the right of the 2 washers as they are fitted on the sloop.  Then two of the seven blocks that I rigged per the kit plans except that I soldered the ends of the brass wire instead of cementing it with CA.  
 

This shows the two washers and one nut. As you can see they do need a little more work.  Hey, it's not easy holding these small buggers between my thumb and index finger and then file them 
 
Cheers,

Ed, thank you, your comment means a great deal to me.
 
this evening I am having a hard time wiping the silly grin off my face.
 
Beginning cuts
 

 
Half a day later the last tooth cut
 

 
Back to the lathe for some rough shaping
 

 
I ground up a bit of a form tool to get the curved recess better.
 

 
After parting it off I slipped it onto the camshaft .
 

 

 

 
It is actually on the shaft backwards I have to set it up in a fixture on the four jaw chuck now and machine the eccentric cam for the water pump then it can be flipped to finish the front side.
 
It did mesh nicely though even without any clean up yet,
 
Michael

Elia the short answer is Yes.
 
I began with the base external Dimensions of the Engine, as noted in the Buffalo catalogue. determined the bore and stroke based on a scaled version of original core dimensions such as the diameters and lengths etc. Some dimensions are absolutely critical, Gear meshing , piston fits shaft diameters and so on. I do have leeway over many ancillary dimensions though. for instance the outside diameter of the hub for the 30 tooth gear, I drew it at .250" I think the final finished dimension was .249" is doesn't matter and without miking the diameter it is impossible to see. it could just have easily been .235"
 
Without actually having the real engine in front of me to measure, and this is a model after all I certainly have taken dimensional liberties as well as material and design ones.
 
I have no way of knowing some dimensions and so they are guesses, there is enough "stacking " as you say that I can make some adjustments as I go along.
 
One of the most critical and challenging fits is going to be the smooth meshing of the gears, on the real engine the DP of the teeth is an unknown to me, I could have done more research and found out exactly no doubt but being impatient I scaled from photographs of the engine counted the number of teeth, in actuality the real gears are 64 and 32 a 2:1 ratio.
I do not have a proper dividing head or gears with those numbers of teeth to use as masters, only a rotary table albeit a good but very large one it can measure into degrees minutes and seconds.  The key information is the ratio of 2:1.
 
The camshaft had to be clear of the con rods, and I had some general dimensions based on the catalogue and photographs Gears are really no more than a couple of discs ( Pitch Circle) that rub against each other with teeth projecting from each so as not to slip. There are tables for all the standard tooth sizes these are based on the Diametral Pitch system which is the number of teeth in the gear for each inch of pitch diameter. lots of small gears use 64 or 48 teeth per inch these are standard ones that are sold through the commercial vendors.
 
On the engine that I am building neither of these pitches provided a pair of gears that were the correct ratio and the correct number of teeth to look scale or the correct Diameter(approx in any case ). I used the formulas to calculate from the diameters that were formed from the two circles on my drawing for the crankshaft and for the camshaft a set of gears that would give me 60 teeth and 30 teeth it worked out to 75 teeth per inch of pitch diameter.
 
A non commercial gear size, so using another set of tables in an article in a Model Engineer magazine, developed by model engineer D. J. Unwin, I made the tool to make the cutters for the 75DP gears.
 
Here's the rub, on paper they mesh perfectly ,I will find out soon enough if my machining tolerances are good enough for them to mesh perfectly in situ.
 
In the (unlikely   ) event that I need to make a minor adjustment I can make the camshaft bearing housing which are 3/16 diameter carrying a 1/8th inch shaft  (.18725" and .125" respectively ) I can make a second set that is very slightly eccentric which would allow for the camshaft to be moved to in order to have the best meshing. This is my fall back position.
 
I think that we always need to consider the fall back position when we are building our models because  "life is."
 
Apologies for another long winded answer, but a nice break from winding the table on the mill , only 30 teeth to go on the big gear.
 
Michael
 
 
 

Jud, thanks, regarding the shaping, the thing is I am taking very small cuts with the tool on a fairly forgiving material for the most part. The way the tools work on the lathe is mostly the work moves and depending on the diameter and shape of the tool the cutting will usually produce a nice smooth cut. Sometimes the cutter needs to be reshaped or lubricated to get the desired result, most of this has been learned by observing what happens when one tries something.
 
When I say that I am using the lathe or mill like a shaper, it is in the loosest way really, as you know on a shaper the tool is hinged so that on the back stroke the tool lifts and then the machine indexes over to make the next cut.
 
My tools are fixed and so the back stroke the tool stays in the same relative position. I am making very small cuts .005 max on the first cuts and backing off as the form tool gets deeper because it is doing more work, think of the chamfer on the corner of a piece of wood, as the chamfer gets wider more material is being cut by the plane or chisel, the same thing happens with the tools on the lathe.
 
The important thing is small cuts and keeping everything as rigid as possible. the last cuts on the gear teeth are repeated over 2 or 3 times without adjusting anything, the natural spring in the tools and materials take just that little bit extra material off in those last cuts, it is almost undetectable but it does matter for the final finish.
 
Each tooth on the gear takes a minimum of 15 cuts back and forth before moving on to the next tooth. it is a slow tedious process but satisfying because I can make what I need. I am 15 teeth into the 60 tooth gear at the moment and have to take little breaks to keep my sanity, and concentration level up, it is so easy to get lulled into a rhythm that causes a lack of attention and wham, a missed action or an additional one that can spell disaster, like this.
 

 
Just some thoughts about the way I work.
 
And again thanks for the likes
 
Michael

Yes....... A Swiss Watch!
 
 
Thanks everyone for your compliments
Michael

Row, Denis, Jeff, Carl, Jack, that you all so much for the encouraging remarks, they take the edge of these types of screw ups.
 
Thanks to all who are following along and noting it with the like button.
 
Today was a much better day nippy (-32 this morning)  but better.
 
I went back to square one with the tooling and reset the rotary table in the vertical position, and spent the time needed to get the chuck properly centered on the table with the dial indicator. I turned down some new stock to the .422" diameter the advantage to using the mill table and rotary is far greater accuracy can be achieved.
 

 
the depth of tooth cut can also be very accurately regulated the depth is .031" and I fixed the quill on the mill so that it could not rotate and unplugged the mill, then worked the table in the same manner as the compound slide on the lathe, in other words I used the mill like a shaper this time. I prefer the way the material finish occurs with the shaping cut versus the rotating cut.
 

 
The indexing was simply a matter of rotating the table in increments of 12 degrees.
 

 
Once the shaping of the teeth was completed the chuck went back onto the lathe to finish the other operations , drilling and boring to 1/8th and cutting the hub for pinning.
 

 
It cleaned up nicely and is now waiting for its big brother, on the camshaft, but i have to make a new cutter first.
 

 
Michael
 

Last Friday I painted the entire hull mat white, on de suggestion of my dear bride Gwen.  It does look very nice and I can always change my mind down the road and paint her red below the water line.
 
I also tried working with the stain some more but it just wont penetrate into the wood.  I washed it down and scrubbed it with MEK trying to remove the oily stain.  At this point I'm reluctant to try it again with fresh stain from the store or just go ahead and paint everything white as the kit have you do it.  It's a real disappointment to me because stained wood for the mast, boom, bowsprit and gaff would really make the model stand out.
 
I can also go to plan B and remake all this woodwork and try it again with some fresh stain.  It's not that much more work and the end result wil be a nicer looking model.  Something to think about.
 
I remade the boom swivel hardware.  I made two washers and the nut that'll bolt it to the mast.  I see on the photos that I need to do some more work on all three.  The nut needs to be more defined with six sides and the washers can be made rounder.
Something to do while I'm thinking about going to plan B for the mast and etc.  Well, I can also make an anchor yet.
 
Well, here are a few pics of the hardware I made yesterday.
 

This shows just part of all the hardware I made.  Instead of running standing rigging wire through holes in the mast, boom, gaff and bowsprit I made small eye bolts that I'll cement into these parts.  I can then run the rigging wire through them and simulate turnbuckles.  I just can't bring myself to run either a brass wire or thread through these parts and tie it off there.  A few of these small eye bolts are on the right of the picture.  The remade boom attaching assembly is on the top with the two washers and one nut.  The nut is on the right of the 2 washers as they are fitted on the sloop.  Then two of the seven blocks that I rigged per the kit plans except that I soldered the ends of the brass wire instead of cementing it with CA.  
 

This shows the two washers and one nut. As you can see they do need a little more work.  Hey, it's not easy holding these small buggers between my thumb and index finger and then file them 
 
Cheers,