norm1116

John, Your work looks really great!

John, I'm looking at your window trim work. It's incredible! I hope mine comes out that clean. You are right about the Portland, but it is one of the best looking paddlewheelers I've ever seen. I'm going to be one proud dad when this one is completed! Maybe this log will attract others to the Portland and BlueJacket.

John, The skylight looks great! I've been reading the manual that came with the new model, but after reading your post, I'm going to check out the manual from the original kit. I set out all of my stuff to get back to building, but needed to be sure I wouldn't have to put it away for any Easter family gatherings. I plan on starting up again next week! I have been tying up a lot of time with a 3d printer I bought for my birthday last November! Way too much fun! I may use this printer to produce some parts for the engine.

That Portland is spectacular!

John, Take care of yourself, and get well. That trestle looks spectacular! In a million years, I might be able to produce a model half as good as what you have produced. Your train stuff is unbelievable. I wish I had the skill you show in your work!

Hello! Due to the holidays, we will need the dining room table back to normal, so my Portland is going into dry dock until January. Wishing everyone a great holiday season!

Rudder - I followed the directions for the rudder. I did have to trim things more than I expected to get it to fit, but it looks fair. I'm reading up to see what the next step is, plus I'm going to start the walking beam, so I hope to have more posts soon. There is a steering arm that will be added to the rudder at a later date. I'll put that here when I get to it.

Priming, Hull Paint, Waterline, Keel, Stem Post, Stern Post I learned a lot about painting. Actually I remembered most of it from the past, but it came rushing back while painting the hull. I suck at painting. Spray, brush, you name it, I am no good at it. So here goes... I felt that I did an OK job getting the hull ready to paint. I figured after a coat of primer I'd notice a few spots to fix. Let me tell you, painting the hull showed me how wrong I was. My hull has many more imperfections than I would like to admit to. I'm letting many of them go since they will not be visible on display, but they are there! I did a couple of primer coats using a white spray primer. You may have noticed that I forgot a step. I need to refer to that manual more often. I should have installed the keel, stem post, and stern post first. To get there, I needed to take care of my display needs. I purchased the optional stanchions and display board. Both are exceptional. I knew the keel would need to be removed where the stanchions are located. They recommend and send 3 stanchions for the Portland, but I want to try only 2. My thought is I could set it up for 2 and add the third later if needed. I pulled out the display board and decided how I wanted the boat to sit on it. I drilled holes for the stanchions. I used my string to find the center of the hull. I set the boat on the stanchions where I wanted it to sit, lining up the center as close as possible. I then pushed a screw up through the stanchion to mark where the hole would need to be drilled in the hull. I drilled that 1 hole on the center line, and mounted it to the base. I aligned the 2nd hole, and marked it with the tip of a screw through the stanchion. I unscrewed the hull, adjusted the 2nd mark to the center line, and drilled the 2nd hole. I remounted it all to see the results. Check out that display board. It is really top notch. I'm sorry I didn't take any photos bending the wood around the bow, but I followed the manual and here's what I ended up with. Using the plans, I tried to have this part meet the keel where the thickness changes. I don't remember the exact measurements, but the keel is the same thickness until it approaches the bow, where it thins out a bit. I knew the keel would need to be cut out for the stanchions, so I added the first piece. I added the keel between the 2 stanchion holes, and the keel post. Using a sanding block, I sanded this area so the keel smoothly rounded the bow. I left the bow part thicker than the plans show. I may need to resand it later, but I wanted a bit if insurance just in case. You can see the final product below: I used calipers to measure where the waterline is on both ends of the boat and marked the hull at those locations. I needed a flat area to do this work, so I used the kitchen island. I liked John's use of a large mirror, but if you saw me you would understand why there are no large mirrors at my house. Using my highly professional Norm-O-Matic waterline marker, version 2.0, I lined my pencil to the mark on the bow. The pencil did not align at the stern. I added the necessary shim to raise the stern to the correct height. That did it. The next step was to make sure the port and starboard heights were the same. I used the square and made necessary adjustments. I went by the deck height. It worked out alright. I drew the line around the hull. Be careful around the sponsons. It felt tricky. If I took a photo of both sides of the boat, the waterline looks "off" a bit. But I think it's because of how I built the sponsons. Not really noticeable, but it's there. I think the first place I heard about Tamiya tape was on Dan's Portland page. Then John mentioned it also. So, I decided to buy some from Amazon. Worth every penny! I don't know how others do the waterline thing, but my thought was to use the tape to cover the line I drew, then mark the line again for cutting. It turns out that the Tamiya tape is kind of see through! So, using a fresh X-Acto blade, I carefully trimmed the tape at the marked waterline. I do not have a photo, but I added a 2nd layer of tape below the first so I wouldn't have any slip ups. So here's the first coat of red, hand painted with the paint I got from BlueJacket. Another plug for them. It is really nice paint. A bit of sanding and a 2nd coat. More sanding, a third coat, and remove the tape! I have a touch up or two to take care of, but in display mode, I'm accepting my work as it appears. Thanks as always!

All, Sorry things are going slowly! I got a part time job stocking shelves at my local Walmart. I could walk there if I had to. I'm working 3 days a week 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. After 21 years behind a desk and never exercising, this has been good getting me back into exercise, and I'm getting paid for it! Of course, cleaning up 21 years of sedentary fatness is a bit painful. I painted the hull, so I will post those photos today.

Dan, Your Portland came out great! You gave me a couple of ideas for mine. Again, the figures/lighting/tables add a lot of realism to the build, Nice job, and thanks for sharing.

Thanks Dan!

John/Dan/other portland builders, I have a question. Reading the manual, it says that most of the walking beam engine is below the main deck. According to the blueprints, we only need to build what shows ABOVE the main deck? I'm figuring the final engine size to be 4.5 to 5 inches tall? Does that sound right? The instructions say to show as much detail as you can. It would have been fun building more of it. I'm painting my hull now. More sanding, more filler. I hope to have a new post in the next week or so. Like I said, I'm also working part time too. Any thoughts on the walking beam process?

Other photos from the Annapolis Naval Academy Museum. Some of these models were 5 feet long. At least one is considered to be one of the oldest models in existence, built in 1650! If you are in Maryland and get the opportunity, try to visit the museum. I tried to keep the placard photos in line with the ship, but one or two may be out of order.

I went to Annapolis to visit the Naval Academy Museum. They have quite a collection of models and other items. Some of the models are as old as the original ships. They have a model of a walking beam engine. It is displayed in a position where it is difficult to get a shot of the back of it. Also, it is attached to an electric motor and gear so you can see how it worked. That part was out of commission, but there is a youtube video of it. Here's a video of the walking beam engine I took. If it doesn't work, message me. Walking beam video Here's a few pictures I took while I was there.

John, Your HO work is unbelievable! I love seeing it!