Hank

Back from the coast. All seemed to be in order; we didn't see any damage, i.e. - beyond what Florence caused and has still to be replaced/repaired/rebuilt. Most places were open, req'd. masks, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Visited with the New Bern Model Maker's Guild on Sat. for their monthly meeting and had a great time. My new LED Architect's Lamp was waiting for me, so I got that hooked up and amid all the clutter, should work well on the cool white setting: Of course, it's a bit hard to see - but, it should work fine once things are stowed away properly and the area ready for construction. I think I will try it with the included mounting bracket before I start drilling holes all over the place and then cry a lotEvery thing in it's own good time, right?

Pat, Well, speaking of pegboards, I just finished a 2nd one (2'Hx3'L) and got it hung on the side wall behind a couple benchtop tools. Couple days at the coast and then back to shop work next week!!! Also, going to visit the New Bern NC model club at their Aug. meeting on Sat. noon. See what those pirates are up to these days!!!

Ken, Thanks, I appreciate it!!! Yes, getting closer each week. Unpacking things will be a chore - sorting out and categorizing will take some time - I don't want to have to do it twice. But, no-one's timing this, so who cares, right? Hank

Maury, Nirvana - Yes, things are progressing to a point where sawdust (plastic filings!) may soon be generated....and not by the chop saw!!!! Roger - thanks, I PMd you re. the plates. Hank

Did a little clean up today, more un packing, and storms off & on, so I'm looking now for workbench lights. I've surveyed my stash of half dozen various desk lamps, etc. and have decided to donate the lot to Habitat Re-store. I did mount my old round fluorescent fixture on the back of the drafting table, but I may replace it eventually, also. Looking for LED worktable lamps (w/long bulb, etc.) as the brighter & smaller lamps are the way to go. I'm mainly concerned about the mounts. Roger Pellett mentioned a while back about a metal bracket he had made so he could move his lamps as needed. Great idea, Rog. !!! I'm thinking of possibly 3 lamps and 6 metal mounting plates to be located along the workbench at the back, out of the way. My machinist friend could make these easily for me - he's just finished a seat mounting plate for my wife's artist chair (came from Amazon - wrong size for wrong chair, go figure, right?). 6 or so 2" sq. plates would be a breeze for him. My only concern is that the 1/2" dia. hole for the lamp's mounting pin should really have a collar below it welded to the plate. I guess the first thing would be to decide on the lamp fixture, purchase them, and then make the plate/collar to suit; that sounds like a plan to me!! So, anyhow - here's the shop today: So, we'll see what happens next week...

Well, today was kind of a catch-up day of sorts: Got the shelf along the partition/long wall painted & installed. Began, assembling framed artwork & such and grouping into subject matter for hanging, etc. Had to break during the hot afternoon, but returned to work there this evening. Thunderstorms tonight, welcome cooldown from the day! Starting to open boxes and get things sorted out, all along with putting up more shelves and so forth. So, it's an organized mess!!! May have more pix tomorrow late or evening as things progress.

Thanks, Roger!!! Wed. night - Well, today I order a portable a/c unit for the shop - Black & Decker 14k BTU w/heat - got a used "very good condition" (small cosmetic blemishes on top/sides) from Amazon at a good savings over buying the same item as brand new. So, in a week or so we'll see if this pans out. I read reviews, did research, and watched an installation video of the basic unit which sort of sold me on it. Not a whole lot of affordable ones out there sized for my shop and including heat. Today/tonight I got the ceiling finished and then started work on a wrap-around shelf that will go 12" below the top of the walls on one side - for my collection of annual gas tanker trucks, etc. Here is the shop as of evening: So, depending on the weather and The Admiral tomorrow, my schedule is flexible....!

Da ding be dere!!! Of course, once the interior work is completed, I'll roll another coat of paint prior to actual usage of the shop - I gots a whole gallon to use!!!! Well, this a.m. the HVAC Guy shows up on time, removes the old mini-split and installs the new one - only here 2 hours or so and it's cooing things quite nicely!!!! While he's not experienced with portable a/c units, I gave him a tour of my shop and mentioned my plans for a port. a/c w/heat and he thought that this might be an excellent choice given size, windows, etc. So, I'm in the research mode on that end of things. This afternoon I did the the 2 LED lite fixtures installed and they are working great!!! It's really bright in there with the new fixtures turned on. The two units come with std. B/W/G leads that need to be connected to the power source (110v or 120v - normal elec. supply current. So, having a spare, unused #12 wire coming from the junction box in the attic space above the shop ceiling, I ran that to a new std. receptacle box (1st Picture below). I had two unused older extension cords (3 prong) and I cut off the female ends of both cords, stripped the wires and connected them to the leads (b/w/g) in each of the LED units with wire nuts. So, after drilling a 1 1/2" dia. hole in the ceiling for each lite fixture, I ran the cord thru the hole to connect to the new receptacle box. Once I put the covers on each of the fixtures, I then secured them to the ceiling and returned to the next receptacle box. I wired a new dual receptacle, put the cover on and plugged in the cords. Operating off the wall switch, everything was on!!! (2nd Picture below). So, tonight I plan to get the remaining ceiling panel in place and then do touch up on paint, etc. Once the ceiling is finished, I'll concentrate on other things in the shop itself - HVAC, getting tools arranged, things unpacked, etc. Then, possibly address the exterior painting, roof, etc.

Oh, Pat - da deck be scuffed!!! Fer Shur@!!!!!! But, I appreciate the comment as I've strived to get it as neat and clean as possible. Of course, just walking in the shop draws dirt - just like Pigpen and his sandbox!!!! Evening work: I put down a single 3' wide strip of construction paper in the center of the shop while I'm working on the LED fixtures. Made progress tonight and have one unit ready to go. Once I've wired the 2nd unit, I'll do the attic wiring and then locate the connection points for the fixtures. With the HVAC guy coming in the morning to work on the house, I probably won't get out to the shop until late.

The Admiral's RFO has been postponed until such time as I'm able to "properly" amend her digital calendar; my first attempt at sliding in an unscheduled visit w/o being caught was unsuccessful and I was duly introduced to "The Cat" - I should be able to regain full usage of my shoulders, neck, and right ear (her aim is not that precise!) in good time.🥵

Monday, 27 July 20: Morning activities included removal of unnecessary "stuff" from interior of shop and touching up wall, baseboard, & cabinetry paint. Construction paper was removed from deck and sweep down was held on said deck. Paint repairs logged for touch-up after elec. lighting work is completed. Due to high heat/humidity noon chow call was piped down early. Arrangements were made with S.O.P.A. Chief at end of street to provide transportation availability for ship's movement in early afternoon. All preparations for moving ships were completed by 1330 and Fleet Operations Recovery & Distribution vehicle F150 arrived to escort 2 naval vessels to their new moorings. Vessels shifting berths are USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) and U.S. Sloop of War PEACOCK. Loading of aforementioned vessels was completed at 1340 and transit to new berths commenced. Arrival at new berthing accommodations was completed at 1355 and F.O.R.D. F150 departed to conduct local exercises before returning to home port. USS NEW JERSEY is now located in Construction Area "1" in workshop for necessary upkeep and repairs. Sloop of War PEACOCK is now residing in her new permanent berth in Ship's Study & Library, Room Alpha. The following photos are available for publication: After evening chow is piped down, further interior work on shop will proceed.

You got that right, Jack!!!!! (Roger)!!!!!! LOL!!! Seriously though, I'm still on my first can and I used probably the last I'll need for a while this morning when I filled in the last of the floor panel screw holes. The shop floor is now painted (2 coats), it's drying, and I'll begin this afternoon putting in the remaining baseboard. Once that's completed, I can begin to move things around and some "stuff" out. I hope to get the new lite fixtures installed early this week. Maybe have a late Sunday afternoon update with pix. Sunday evening update: Floor and baseboards are in. Some paint touch-up next on everything! Began moving things tonight and will pick-up again in the morning. Hope to also get started on the LED lite fixtures. Then, the real fun begins.....! Pix tonight:

Thanks, Al!! Well, I'm not there yet, but making progress!!! We will expect to see a full report on your shop revamp this fall - right? Today's progress: after another morning hour of moving "stuff" & various wood over to the small shed, I spent a couple hours mixing Durham's and filling in all the cracks, holes, etc. - Done for today to let things set up and dry. Will resume work tomorrow.

I agree, in fact - I used a very fine grit dk. gray sandpaper for the helo deck on my NEW JERSEY battleship model (1:200 scale) - spray adhered to the plastic underneath. Being that your model is 1/144 scale, you might want to check around for deck decals that are made in that scale for a FLETCHER class DD. I do know that the Revell 1/144 FLETCHER DD kit (Revell Germany) includes decals for the main deck non-slip walkways (I just looked at my kit). Hope this helps! Hank

Re. FLETCHER class DDs in WWII & deck paint: It would depend on if the ship you were modeling was painted in a camouflaged paint scheme, which one, etc. or not. This would also depend on the time frame you are depicting your model. If it was not camouflaged, then the std. navy paint scheme for that time period would be indicated. Generally speaking, the deck would be Deck Gray (Haze Gray which was mentioned earlier by another respondent is for vertical surfaces, not horizontal surfaces). The main deck of FLETCHER class DDs also had some form of non-skid deck treads or walkways laid out (such as shown in Don's model pictured in his earlier post). This was usually black in color, as mentioned earlier paint mixed with sand to give a "gritty" surface. Here is a good shot of DD-522 in camo showing her main deck in 1944: As you can see, there is no walkway or deck treads laid down; the main deck & above levels follow the camo pattern from the sides of the hull. Sorry, I don't have a suitable photo of a FLETCHER during WWII showing the main deck with std. paint scheme. A good source for authentic paint chips for USN WWII era ships is from Snyder & Short - https://www.shipcamouflage.com/ and is well worth the money! Hope this helps, Hank