Cathead

Another option is to look for a kit that has pre-spiled planks (usually laser cut). I believe Dusek does this for some models, and I saw a lot of praise for Master Korabel kits well but I'm not sure it's easy to get their kits these days as the maker is Russian.

Wefalck, thanks, I'd figured that out in theory but was struggling with putting it into practice. I'll definitely try Brian's method with card stock. I'd tried thin styrene but it didn't cut or fold cleanly enough. And thanks for the pictures, I'm also very visual.

So here's what the new stacks look like. Still not attached permanently so don't worry about their exact orientation. I still have to figure out how to make the little rain shields (I assume that's what they are) that sit between the chimneys and the broader heat shields; you can see them clearly in this image: I've tried a few things and none have looked good. On to the pilot house. Here's a bit more progress, showing the ubiquitous wood stove in the corner, and the back wall added. This had an unusual window pattern that you can see here: And some rafters added: Better late than never, I added some hardware to the bottom of the hull so the model could be bolted down to a base if desired. I should have done this much sooner, and now was the last chance while I could reasonably work on it upside down (before more delicate structures were added). That's all for now, but it's progress. Thanks so much for sticking with me!

Yes, I also found the need to adjust a few. It's likely that'll occur in any kit, so it ends up being part of the learning experience. Nice work so far! For what it's worth, Toni is a woman.

All right, you lot got your way! I went to the hardware store and got some brass tubing to play with. Here's the resulting second draft of the chimneys. I scored them using a razor saw to simulate the joints. I shaved/sanded a wooden plug to fit tightly in the bottom of each so they'd sit and attach properly. Don't judge their exact angle, they're just sitting there as a test-fit. I also moved forward on the pilot house; here's its current status. I used some clear plastic and CA formulated not to craze plastic. Not entirely happy with the outcome but it's too late now. Guess it looks like old glass. It'll certainly blend into the background of the finished model. Sharp eyes will notice that I simulated the gap into which the lower half of the wheel vanishes by just putting down a thin dark piece of wood. It'll be barely visible in the finished pilot house and I didn't think building in the full gap and wheel was worth it. I still need to weather the steps to match the pilot house floor. Next up I need to decide whether to try blackening the brass, or painting it with primer and then black paint. Also whether to try roughing it up with fine sandpaper or leaving it smooth. Will do some test pieces since there's tubing left over. Thanks for pushing me to improve my work!

You're not the only one, I did a bunch of things differently, too. Diverging from the instructions is part of model-building!

Just a quick note on fires, I'm in winter on the opposite side of the world, but we're under what the US calls "Red Flag Warnings" today and probably tomorrow, with near-record high temperatures, gusty winds, and a long-running drought parching fuels. Ironically, there's also been a lot of prescribed burning in the area lately, taking advantage of more benign but conducive fire conditions (my wife spent all Saturday working a big one). Back on topic, I'm very much looking forward to seeing how you apply your typical artistry to the silk span.

Good grief! With attention to detail like that, you can be my accountant any time! As an Earth scientist, I'm glad NCAR is in such good hands.

Thanks so much for finding the time to keep us updated in what's an overwhelming period. We're all here pulling for you both.

Lots of input to consider here, thank you! One note, Roger, great idea, but there isn't any natural mica within probably 800 miles of here!

John, good feedback. I think my pilot house is more open and the panes wider, so the plastic would show more. Maybe I'll mock up an example and show photos both ways so we can all judge the options more accurately.

I love the extra few details added into the case...really provides more context for the viewer. Nicely done!

What a terrifying ordeal for you both. So grateful to hear there's a positive outcome on the horizon. I've always been appreciative of your kind support and interest in my builds and will absolutely be keeping you both in my thoughts. Here are some cheery spring flowers from my collection, as a reminder of new hope on the horizon even in darker times. Please let us know if there's anything we as a community can do.

It's clear by now that this project is morphing far away from my original goal of building it mostly with on-farm wood. I keep realizing (a) how much more time-intensive that is, (b) that I don't quite have the setup or skill to mill all the tiny 1:87 scale lumber I'd need, and (c) that I have enough material in my scrap box to build this without any additional cost. I've yet to buy anything for this model and I think I'll make it to the end like that. I've also come to realize that the on-farm wood approach just doesn't fit my goal for this model to be something that looks right in a model railroad setting. If I want to do an all on-farm wood model, it should be a more artistic model that really shows off that wood rather than hiding it under paint and other details. Sorry to anyone who's disappointed after the initial promise. Anyway, I've been moving forward on the pilot house and chimneys. The idea here is to get all the upper superstructure built so I can lay out the covering of the boiler deck to match. I have a big scrap box of model railroad scratch-building supplies (doors, windows, ladders, piping, etc.) so I just drew from those materials to make a reasonable match with the original Peerless photos. So here are some shots of the pilot house underway, using those pieces plus some scrap scribed wood sheets and other scrap wood. So far so good. An interesting question here is what to do about glass in these windows. In most model settings you could just glue a piece of clear plastic behind the window, but that would look awful here where you can clearly see into the interior from multiple angles. My leaning right now is just to leave the windows un-glassed; whether or not it's right, I think the eye will see it as more natural than a clearly wrong attempt at glass. In other words, the viewer's eye is less likely to notice the absence of an accurate detail than the presence of a distractingly wrong detail. Thoughts? I've also been playing with the chimneys. I have both dowels and styrene tubes on hand, but I'd rather use dowels for the main stack as they're more solid and easier to anchor to the model. But I need to simulate the subtle bands around the chimney, and some form of empty opening at the top. So here's the approach I came up with, using thin rings cut from a slightly wider styrene tube: For the top, I cut a longer section of tubing, then sanded the lower edge to blend back into the stack. It's not exactly like the real Peerless but I think it looks nice and is a practical and easy way to do cap the chimneys, and many steamers did have flared chimneys like this. And here's a loose test-fit on the model. You can see I also carved and sanded some maple blocks to roughly represent the base of the chimneys where they come through the heat shields on the boiler deck. As above, I couldn't get these to match the original photos perfectly, but they evoke the essence of the right idea, which I'm fine with. When I'm satisfied with these, I'll prime and paint them just like the boilers, and I think they'll bend nicely into a coherent whole that looks right.

Here are two other ideas for threading lines through tiny holes. This is often a problem because even tiny threads can come loose and catch on the block. So you want to make the business end of the line as sharp and tight as possible. You can try wetting the tip with your mouth or water, which helps pack the threads in. Or you can use a tiny dab of glue on the end of the line, which you can then shave into a sharp point with a knife. Otherwise you can get a needle or a threading tool from a variety of sources, whether model shops, craft shops, or even fly-tying suppliers.

Just saw this mentioned in your other log. What a cool project! I'm all in. The deck far overhanging the hull was a standard design feature on American paddle steamers, too.

Oh, wow. And here I was telling myself it was ok to be moving so slowly on my riverboat because Brian wasn't making much progress either. Oopsie. This looks amazing, and I enjoy all the problem-solving.

Seems to me the builder is free to use whatever methods he feels most comfortable with, unless he's aiming for a specific contest standard. And I don't see any functional problem with his choices that would require warning or criticism (as opposed to, say, using wood glue to bond metal parts or something, which actually might require a gentle nudge of advice). And plastic is already becoming quite common through the use of 3D printed parts. There are fair perspectives for and against this, but it seems a touch rude to imply that the builder here is somehow diminishing wooden ship modeling by using a few plastic parts for clearly explained reasons, especially in a thread where the builder and others have already shared stories of overly critical commenters demeaning their work.

I roughly trimmed the deck back with a knife and then sanded it smooth to the beams. The edges look rough but it doesn't matter because they'll get wrapped with a piece of trim. Next it was time to cut the access hole for the staircase. I measured out its approximate location, drilled some pilot holes, then slowly started cutting away the opening with a sharp knife. A few shots of the sequence: And here's the deck with its cute little access hole: And here's a teaser for work underway, fidding with the pilot house and chimneys: Thanks for following along!

Sorry to hear that but it also takes courage to make such a decision. Many of us have embarked on a version II at some point. Looking forward to your recommencement!

You guys made me laugh, but in fairness, the clothes pins/pegs are clamping the deck onto the open beams, where the span is very small, whereas the two big clamps are holding the deck onto the solid engine room. So I had to use large clamps there because the deck is essentially flush with the wall, running all the way down to the base of the hull. There isn't that much risk because the entire space between the two parts of the clamp is solid wood. The two clothes pins at the stern are grabbing a small corner where the deck sticks out enough for them to grab. There will be more progress to post later today!

I love that German idiom, though I learned it as "Schnee von gestern" (snow from yesterday). You might be interested to know that a rough English equivalent is "water under the bridge", both referring to something that has passed and can be forgotten or forgiven. Wonderful work as always!

Well, I did it. I cut out a boiler deck from some thin scrap I had on hand and did some basic scribing with a knife and ruler. Messed up a couple places where the knife wandered but it really won't be noticeable when it's installed. I then used a pencil to darken the scribing lines, since a test-fit showed that just the cut lines couldn't be seen at all when on the model, then used some black pastel to weather the underside. If you notice the messier pastel streaks at the stern, that was intentional (really!) to demonstrate that you have to be careful applying pastels. That area will be hidden over the engine room so it was a good demonstration zone for why not to smear pastels directly on from the stick. I used a brush to gently apply powder, working along the scribing lines, and rubbing it in with a finger once applied. Gives the surface some subtle texture. Then I brushed wood glue across all the relevant surfaces of beams and so on, which took longer than I'd anticipated trying to keep the glue from leaking down onto the sides of all the narrow beams. Then I took the plunge and clamped the deck down. It's cut to be a little wide all the way around so I can do final exact edge trimming on the model. Will let it dry overnight, then see how it turned out!

As a former Russian major, I have a soft spot for relevant history. Never done a MK kit but they've always struck me as well-made. If you want to keep your card credentials, you can always do paper sails!

Leaving the brass showing is an artistic styling choice, not one based on realism. It looks nice but in most cases isn't accurate. So it's up to you which direction you want your model to go (more artistic or more realistic).