kurtvd19

All NRG members will be getting their invitations with the ZOOM link later today.  This promises to be a great presentation.
Kurt

Still working on deadeyes and straps.  Made a little more progress.  The starboard side is complete.   Now to complete the other side.
 

 

Thank you for the comments and the likes.
 
 I got the steam whistle line brace made and attached to the exhaust line. I couldn't connect the brace to the pilothouse wall as there just isn't enough room in that space to work and make a successful connection to the wall and lines. The distance between the steam whistle line and the exhaust line is 0.20 inches. I had to keep the brace higher than I wanted because I needed to get the jewelry plier jaws between the lines to work making the brace. It was fiddly delicate work, hopefully I learned a lesson and won't get ahead of myself in the future.
 
 The brace is made from a single piece of PE brass 0.011 inches thick and 0.042 inches wide looped around the lines with the ends meeting in the middle between the two lines and held together with CA.  
 
 
 It looks okayish and I'm happy it's done. Back on schedule. 

 
 Thank you to each of you for your support. 
 
   Keith

That would work - with the attachment point on the pilothouse high enough so the crew don't bump their heads.  I realize you just randomly terminated the red line at the pilothouse.
Kurt
 

Keith:
Looking real nice.  You have captured the essence of a unique work boat.   Are you planning any sort of brace for the steam whistle pipe or is the actual diameter such that a brace is not needed?  You probably mentioned the size but my memory is not always connected correctly.
Kurt
 

While we're on the subject of leaving things off.......
 
 I can't confidently determine what this is. 

 
At the start of this build, Eric (Cathead) thought it was a ship's boat/skiff. I don't think that's what it is for two reasons.
 
1) If one enlarges the below photo till it pixelates one sees something like what I've drawn. The black object I took to be the water tank and it made sense for it to be there because that would have been adjacent to a pump. 
 
 2) if in fact the black object is a water tank, once added there's insufficient room for a ship's boat/skiff. 
 
 I think what we're seeing (the white object) is a poly tank added when the water pump was upgraded requiring additional tank capacity. Poly tanks didn't come about till the 1960's. These photos could have easily been taken in the 60's not 50's as I had originally thought.  
 
 Whatever it is I'm leaving it off due to uncertainty and making the push boat as it would have been before a possible water pump upgrade.   
 
 The below is a more modern, larger, and better designed Susquehanna towboat and for the life of me, I don't see a ship's boat/skiff. In the limited number of Hard Coal Navy photos I don't see a ship's boat/skiff on any of the vessels. 

That would work - with the attachment point on the pilothouse high enough so the crew don't bump their heads.  I realize you just randomly terminated the red line at the pilothouse.
Kurt
 

Keith:
Looking real nice.  You have captured the essence of a unique work boat.   Are you planning any sort of brace for the steam whistle pipe or is the actual diameter such that a brace is not needed?  You probably mentioned the size but my memory is not always connected correctly.
Kurt
 

That would work - with the attachment point on the pilothouse high enough so the crew don't bump their heads.  I realize you just randomly terminated the red line at the pilothouse.
Kurt
 

That would work - with the attachment point on the pilothouse high enough so the crew don't bump their heads.  I realize you just randomly terminated the red line at the pilothouse.
Kurt
 

That would work - with the attachment point on the pilothouse high enough so the crew don't bump their heads.  I realize you just randomly terminated the red line at the pilothouse.
Kurt
 

Keith:
Looking real nice.  You have captured the essence of a unique work boat.   Are you planning any sort of brace for the steam whistle pipe or is the actual diameter such that a brace is not needed?  You probably mentioned the size but my memory is not always connected correctly.
Kurt
 

Keith:
Looking real nice.  You have captured the essence of a unique work boat.   Are you planning any sort of brace for the steam whistle pipe or is the actual diameter such that a brace is not needed?  You probably mentioned the size but my memory is not always connected correctly.
Kurt
 

The carlines are done and now it is time to plank the boiler deck.

Surprisingly it was not the carlines which took the time but all of the other little piddly stuff: the two bells, the speaking tube, steering ropes, and a bilge pump.  Several water pipes were also added.  Most of this will never be seen unless it is really looked for.

Still needs a bunch of cleanups before the next step can start.

Note the four little piles of deck boards needed for the next step.
 

And one more building done this weekend. This one was a laser-cut kit, so went a lot more quickly. 
 
Basic airbrushed coloration, again just a low-key color scheme.
 
Assembling walls with windows, doors, and roof braces. Already weathered the walls the same way as the last building, using pastels and small brush. Wood porch, same thing.


The kit's wood is quite thin, so I added some braces to keep it from warping.

Basic tarpaper roofing, colored with pastels.

Finished building, with posts and chimney installed. No need for a foundation on this one!



And here it is in its rough intended location.



As discussed earlier, this part of town is meant to be a somewhat poorer district down along the river, which is a short distance from the fascia here. It's hard to see in the photos, but the scenery slopes down gently from the tracks toward the river. There will be a small general store type building across the road from this, also up on posts due to the location. Using this style building helps differentiate from the higher ground districts across the tracks, and implies the nearby presence of the river.
 
As much as I like scratchbuilding, I do enjoy a well-designed kit where someone's put careful thought into all the dimensions and fit and so on, so I can focus on the artistic side. If you're wondering, here's the kit: https://www.blairline.com/cohouse/ Blair Line is a small Missouri-based manufacturer and I'm happy to support them.
 
Thanks for reading!
 
 
 
 

Great question, I had actually given this some thought; guess I should have discussed that! I decided not to list a specific business for two reasons.
Laziness. I just didn't want to hand-letter "Furniture makers" or some such in an even smaller font unless I really had to! Especially for a background/backdrop building. Leading to the next point. Flexibility. Even though in my head it might be a furniture maker, why not leave it a bit more open in practice? Maybe it's a cooper's shop instead? Since, as you say, there's precedent for just the owner's name, I decided that worked fine in this case. You can argue that in a small town like this, everyone knows everyone and their business. And this isn't so much a walk-up business like a grocer or clothes shop, so they're not as concerned with drawing casual passersby. Essentially versions of your B2B point. In the railroad's business directory, virtually every business was simply listed by owner's name, not any further clarification other than the general category. For example, under "general merchandise", they just listed J.B. Challis, H.R. Harris, etc. rather than something like "H.R. Harris, dry goods" or "J.B. Challis, grocer". Finally, defining it too specifically doesn't alter operations; you don't need to know exactly what that business is to accept that crates of goods are arriving at the depot for it. It's the depot operators need to recognize, not this little background structure. I will likely be putting more details on buildings that are more day-to-day public retail (bank, grocers, etc.). Later, I could also change my mind and make a separate sign saying "Furniture makers" or the like, and hang it over the door.
 
You two are on top of things! It actually does have a foundation, I just didn't photograph it. My goal is to install the foundation permanently on the layout to allow scenic material to overlap up to it, while the building stays removable. Same plan for most of my other structures. This lets me integrate scenery in without risking staining the building. I was planning on presenting that when I did the scenic install work, which I haven't done yet.
 
But since you asked, here it is with its foundation loosely held in place. Most of this will be hidden by overlapping scenery and by a partial wooden walkway. The overhang is just a storage area where I'll pile stacks of lumber, barrels of nails, etc., so it'll just have a gravel base.

Thanks for the attention to detail and thoughtful questions!

Greeting everyone,
 
I'm sure by now all have just about counted me out on this build. Well, I had to put the build and MSW on hold for a while, while we sorted out some family things. The loss of our daughter in law brought more pains than I care to bring up on this forum, but we have all finally got our lives on track and it's time to get back to it.
 
My initial plan was to have this build completed by the end of August, but the plan fell through. So I picked things back up around the first of September and have taken advantage of the hot late summer days and spent a few weekends just working on the build. Now my new goal is to be done by December. 
 
In no particular order, I'll do my best to describe each step as I went along.
 
First up is the construction of the deck lights. I created these using my 3D printer, just a simple two color print with amber and silver.

 
Once they were printed they were placed on the superstructure.


 
 
 
Next was the construction of the fire hoses. I used the laser cutter to cut the frame work from card stock. I painted to yardstick first then drew up the pattern on the computer.
 



 
I also used the card stock cut in thin strips to simulate the collapsed and stowed fire hose.


The completed hose reels.


 
Next I added the water line and valves to the reels.

 
Then it was getting them mounted to the superstructure.



 
Once all the fire hose reels were in place, I built up the flagpole/antenna mast. This was built from a wooden dowel, using brass wire woven thought the dowel to form the steps. The antenna was 3D printed and installed at the top of the mast.



 
Next it was the construction of the radar, searchlights, and other details that are installed on top of the pilothouse roof.
 
Searchlights. These were 3D printed as well and I used aluminum tape for the reflectors. I didn't take any pictures of them once they were finished, but there are some of them installed in later pictures.

Radar and GPS heads.

Forward navigation light.


Radar and painted GPS heads.

Horns, anemometer, searchlights and other features installed.


And as she sits up to this point.

 
Next up, I wanted to get the name and company logo put on. These were all cut on the laser tool from adhesive vinyl. I just size the letters and then the tool do all the detail work.





After the name was installed I built the aft navigation light mast. This was built the same as the flagpole/antenna mast. Wooden dowel and 3D printed lights.


 
Then it was time to knock out some of the more fiddly bits. These are the stanchions that run along side the main deck and are removable when the boat is docked in port. These took the better part of a day, having to drill all the small, no tiny holes in the 1mm styrene rod. A true test of patience.

 
It was back to the 3D printer to print up the deck winches and fire extinguishers.


 
Once the winches were painted up, I printed the capstans and installed them on the foredeck.

 
More images of the foredeck details.


More details added to the foredeck. Axes, ratchets and standpipes.

 
I thought the tow knees looked a bit naked so I added some ropes and bouys coiled up between them. Something to fill in the space and give the deck some "life".



 
Speaking of adding some life, what's boat life without barbecue? I ran across a video of the Titletown USA that had a BBQ grill on the deck and figured I'd add that as a neat little detail. I 3D printed this as well and fastened it in place up front.


 

 
One of the last things that I have completed were the aft work lights. I 3D printed the main structure of these and used the aluminum tape for the reflector. Once the selector was installed I used some of the clear 3D printer filament painted black on each end to simulate the light bulb. Once the bulb was installed I covered face with clear acetate paper then cut a face frame on the laser tool. I have not installed these yet, I didn't want to knock them loose while working on some of the other features on the deck.




After the lights were completed, I started adding the deck features. Engine room vents, oil baths, the funnels were secured in place and the booms were glued into place.

 
 
Finally, I printed up some warning signs and put them in place.



 
Well that is all for now, hopefully I didn't lose too much of my audience, but I understand. If you are still following, I appreciate you sticking with me. More to come soon now that I have some motivation.
 
Thank you all for stopping by.
 
-Brian
 
 


 
 

Thank you to everyone for the likes and the kind comments.
 
 
 Not much to report this evening. I've been working with 24 GA annealed wire trying to create the river to pump, pump to water tank, and tank overflow water lines.
 
Making these little lines is about to drive me batty. "How hard can it be" you ask, well, pretty dang tough! The home run piece between the pump and tank has been the most difficult. I'll think I'm almost there, I make a slight adjustment and then I'm back to square one. The challenge is not only connecting the two point but also making the line square while following the roof angle. 

 
 I'm still not 100% satisfied with the pump to tank line. Once the engine room is attached I may start over using what I have as a pattern.

 
 The overflow and river to pump lines are acceptable. 

 
 i did manage to get a steam pressure gauge and water level sight gauge made and attached. 

 
 I still have the tank to boiler water line, two exhaust and three steam lines to run before I can permanently attach the engine room. 
 
 
 To each of you, thank you for your support and for being part of the  journey.
 
    Keith 

Hi Everyone, hope you are all well. Thank you for the Comments and Likes. I've been working on the cabins on the cabin deck. The frames that will be the finished opening for the windows were made from 1/16"x 1/8"  and 1/32"x 3/16" AYC  with the latter ending up being proud of the 1/16" plywood by about 1/16"
 

 
 

 
The doors were then laid out with the stiles being 1/32"x 1/16" . The bottom rail is 1/32"x 5/64" and the rest of the rails are 1/32"x 1/16".
 

 
 

 
The siding could now be applied and I started laying out the Aft cabins to get a rest from the siding.
 

 
The forward and aft walls were made so that they could be dry fitted to keep things square
 

 
Then came more siding. It is all 1/32"x 5/64".
 

 
 

 
Once the walls were sanded the 1/32"x 1/32" boxwood window sashes were installed. Two pieces of 1/16" plastic were cut and placed into the the opening to keep the sashes about 1/32" back from the face of the siding while thinned white PVA was applied with a micro brush.  When dry, the plastic was removed and the inside was glued.
 

 
 

 
A couple of partitions were made to keep the side walls straight
 

 
The two end walls were glued to the side walls while in place. When they were dry the partitions were glued to the side walls
 

 
 

 
The structure was removed and the forward wall was sided
 

 
 

 
Some paint and then the forward cabins were dry fitted back in place. Going to wait before gluing just in case they have to be removed again
 

 
 

 
The aft cabins are underway. Hope to see you soon.

And these photo will need no explanation. These were made while waiting for other things to set etc. 
 











 
Until next time.

Time for an update. I've been away for just over two weeks and since returning, I've fought bad weather (for outside MDF sanding) and my head being crushed (metaphorically) from my new job.
 
Ok, here we go.
 
As the basic hull framing is now complete, it's time to prep it for the flat stuff (bulwarks, planks etc.). For this, I used 120 grit aluminium oxide paper, wrapped over a bit of thin ply. The inner bulwarks are easy to sand flat, with no protrusions etc...just a levelling of the various elements of the frame.

 
Aware that the bulkhead ears are always going to be vulnerable in some modeller's hands, jigs have been supplied that you clip to the protruding ears. These are now clipped to each of those areas. 




 
 
The hull is now faired. To do this, I used a combination of sanding paper, sanding sticks, and a sanding mouse. A strip of lime was used to gauge removal of material. 
 
 

 
 
Before I do anything to the interior, I need to take the inner bow bulwarks and soak these so they can be clamped into the areas to retain their new shapes. These are left for 24hrs to return back to their pre-soak size. Pear does expand a LOT when soaked.

As it turns out, I've worked as an editor for many years and have written freelance for various outlets, so writing this wasn't overly burdensome! It's still a good feeling to contribute to the historical record.

Thank you to everyone for the likes and the comments.
 
 
 I got the Myers water pump made and installed. It's been a long time since I've made a piece of any complexity that hasn't been under a roof.

 
 There are 7 pieces to the electric motor and 14 piece to the pump not counting the belt. The water pump pulley isn't a pulley per se but it's the only wheel I had that worked in scale. Those that followed my Tennessee build may recognize it as a sew on clothes snap. 
 
 The electric motor is 0.10 inches W x 0.20 inches L. The pump is 0.275 inches W x 0,50 inches L. 

 
 This is just a fun photo putting this little guy's size in prospective. 

 
Thank you to everyone for your kind support and for following along.
 
   Keith 

Mostly-finished Running and Standing Rigging plans.  Both are greatly reduced from their original 24" x 36" format.  I prefer to do separate rigging plans as it makes them less confusing for the builder with limited familiarity with rigging.  Because the original vessels used slats for ratlines, I've used the same laser-cut ladder format as I did with WYOMING, NOTMAN, and a few other kits.

Hello fellow ship modelers!
 
We've created a short video tutorial showing you how to properly apply our wooden decks to plastic base of ship model kits.
What you'll learn in the video: 
 
• Surface preparation - how to properly prepare the plastic base
• Adhesive selection - which glues to use
• Application technique - step-by-step installation process
• Tips and tricks - how to achieve perfect results
• Common mistakes - what to avoid when gluing
 
Video length: approx. 3 minutes
 
The video includes clear explanations of each step. This tutorial is particularly useful for popular kits like: • Revell Constitution • Airfix + Heller Victory
• Heller Soleil Royal And any other plastic sailing ship models.
 
➡️ Watch the video HERE
If you have any questions or need advice, feel free to ask in the comments below the video or here in the forum.