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Adam: She looks great. It sounds like you had a great time. Russ

The metal looks very good so far. You have also made a good start on the push boat. Nice work. Russ

John: The bow ends of the planks definitely need tapering to avoid having them take up too much space along the bow. This is one reason I advocate marking the planks widths on the hull beforehand so you can see where the tapering needs to be done. Russ

John: Without the keel and stem in place it is difficult for me to see what needs to be done. I would say that the notch is going to be a problem because younhave that open space forward of the notch to be filled in. Russ

Model Expo still sells the Roberts book. It is about $10-12 I think. You can probably find used copies on www.abe.com Russ

Mark: You can plank a model hull with the strip wood in the kit. It can be done and made to look quite nice. However, at some point there will be some compromises that are inherent with a kit that will deviate from how a ship's hull was actually planked. Each of us has their own idea of what will look good on a model and each of us must decide what they want out of their model. Some go for more accuracy, others are not that concerned with it and neither are really correct or incorrect. Now, if you want to plank a hull as nearly as possible to how it was actually planked, that is where you would need to get some sheet wood and properly spile and taper planks. The hull form will dictate how many planks in the hull need spiling and how much of it will be needed. Spiling is nothing more than transferring the curve of the lower edge of one plank to the upper edge of the next plank below it. Once the upper edge of the plank is spiled and matches the lower edge of the next plank above, the spiled plank's lower edge is tapered. Tapering makes sure that you can get the same number of planks at each frame throughout the length of the hull. There are situations where a drop plank may be needed as you approach the bow or a stealer as you approach the stern, but it is quite common to be able to plank a hull with the same number of planks on each frame. Dividing the hull into bands does make the hull planking a bit more manageable by making it necessary to work on only a few strakes of planking at a time. Add to that, it is generally thought that you can plank the upper belt, then lower belt and that the middle belt last because the middle belt tends to be the easiest with the least amount of spiling or tapering necessary. I hope this helps a bit. Russ

John: I always use shorter planks and I soak those under running water one at a time. The planks I use are never more than maybe 6-8 inches long. Your tube set up is a good idea though. Russ

The masts looks about right, I think. Good job getting them set. Russ

Keesler is a very important part of the local economy. The casinos could leave and that would hurt a lot, but if Keesler closed, that would be the ball game. My later father was in the USAF for 24 years and my mother still has base privileges. She feels very fortunate to have access to the hospital, commissary etc. The coast has grown up quite a bit, but it still has a lot of the same charm it used. Things are more congested and everyone moves faster, but that is the nature of change and progress. It happens everywhere. I look forward to more progress on your model. Russ

Kenneth: Those anchors look fantastic. Excellent work. I have used paper, card stock, and tape for bands. It is never a bad idea to think out side the box. Russ

Things have changed and some will say more or less depending on their outlook. The antebellum homes were not replaced by casinos. Some are still here, others fell victim to hurricanes. Katrina wiped out a lot of the beach front. Yes, we have casinos down on the east end of town where many of the old seafood factories were located. Russ

Your deck house looks good so far. Russ

The metal work looks good. Well done. Russ

When fitted for naval service, she was coppered. Before that, when she was the merchant ship Bethia, she was not. Russ

The paint job looks very good. Nice crisp lines. Russ

I really like the natural sealed look. These decks were usually pine and this looks like it. As for the single edged razor, I never scrape quite that hard. I am still using the same razor I have had for years. Russ

The chain looks good. Many times you need a few treatments when blackening to get the color where you want it. Russ

The bracket for the lantern looks very good. Nice job. Russ

John: On your deck planking layout, one thing to keep in mind is that there would not have been any butt joints inside the width of the hatches etc. Russ

John: For some photos of the process, see the first page of my log. I used a piece of masking tape to measure the distance to be planked on each bulkhead. I placed the tape on a given bulkhead using a longer piece of tape and then marked the deck line on the tape and the top edge of the keel. Then I took the tape off and laid it out flat. Now, I measured the total distance between the two marks and divided that by the number of planks from deck to keel in the hull. That gave me the width each plank on that bulkhead. Now replace the tape on the bulkhead with part of the bulkhead showing and transfer the marks for the width of each plank onto the bulkhead. I repeated this operation for each bulkhead and now I have the width and shape of each plank laid out on the bulkheads. I did this along the angle of the bow and for the stern frame as well. I do this for both sides of the hull. When I planked this hull, I did not use any premilled strips, I cut each plank out of a sheet of basswood. These can be gotten for a few bucks at your local hobby or crafts store. I got mine from Hobby Lobby. I used white card stock for spiling and tapering each plank. Cut a piece of card stock just a little longer than you first plank at the deck at the bow. Make sure it is somewhat wider than you need as well. Hold or tape it against the hull so that its edge sticks up above the deck. Now, run a pencil along the edge of the deck against the card. This is the upper edge of your first plank. Now, cut the card to that line. Mark the bulkheads that your first plank crossed on the card and measure from each bulkhead the widths of the first plank on the card, using the upper edge of that plank on the card as you reference line. Do it for the bow rabbet as well. Once you have these widths marked on the card, connect the dots. Now you have the shape of your first plank. Decide where the butt end of the plank will occur. Now, cut the card to that shape and check it against the hull to make sure you have got the shape exactly as it is laid out on the bulkheads. If it has been done carefully, all is correct. Lay the card on a piece of basswood and trace the shape. Cut the plank out and use the card template as a guide to fine tune the shape of the plank. You can leave the plank a little long until you are ready to fit and glue it in place. If you need to soak the plank to get it to bend easier, that is no problem. I held mine under hot water from the faucet for a minute or so and then clamped it in place on the hull and let it dry. Once it was dry, the plank held its shape well enough that I was able to glue it place, using my fingers to hold it for a few seconds while the glue set enough. For planks that have their edge against another plank, use the card again as a template and use a compass to trace the edge of the plank above onto the card. You can connect the dots to get that edge shape for your next plank. That is spiling. Then you can measure the widths as before to get the bottom edge of that next plank. That is tapering. Where you have a bulkhead in the stern that does not extend down to the keel, draw lines extending that bulkhead's position on the deadwood down to the keel. Your measuring tape will need to cover that distance since planks will fill that area. Let me know if you need anything further. Russ

John: The false deck look good. This can be a difficult part of the build, but I think you managed it well. Russ

The seizing look very neat. You should be in the home stretch now. Russ

Your kevels look very good. Nice work and a decided improvement on the kit parts. Russ

Adam: I have blackened aircraft grade aluminum and it went pretty well. It was a large piece so it took some time and a few times in the solution to get the color deep enough for my taste. Russ

The shroud cleats look good. That is nice work. Russ