Salty Sea Dog

Is that mean that I'm that difficult????????
 
I'm the innocent himself…...
 

Congratulations Anja! 
 
You will certainly make a great moderator with all the practice you've had handling Sjors  :D :D .....
 
Jim
 

Ok Sjors, just for you, some pics.
 
Cannons and carriages on the deck (not yet rigged)
guns at the bow and stern installed
Pinracks in place
raiings done
channels on
also have anchors done but since I can't do my deadeyes and chainplates yet, I can't mount the anchors
 
 
Ready to start working on the masts tonight....then I am going to have to decide what I want to do with this lifeboat...use it as is and call her good, or build myself one....hmmmm....
 



 

Hello Robbyn,
 
I just re-joined MSW after a long hiatus and found a number of subjects within your build log interesting and easy to relate to. First and foremost, it is so great to see another person from Kansas in this hobby,  I live in the Southeast part of the state and its interesting to discuss the reactions I get from members of my community when they find out what my hobby is, Yes, I like ships, the ocean, and I live in Kansas, so the point is?
 
I am in the middle of two builds, HMS Endeavor and Constitution, of which both got put on hold as of last summer because of an injury to my right index finger.  I slipped with a screwdriver, yup, a tiny flathead screwdriver, which dig into the finger right at the knuckle and cut through two tendons and into the bone.   After surgury, some rehab, and a rather large withdrawal from my bank account, I now have full use of the finger, which comes in very handy when tying up Ratlines and shrouds.
 
On the subject of stain, I have the problem when I apply it in that it is too light, too dark, too sticky, or just right.  Your’s came out just right.  I like the dark look.
 
Regarding dogs, I have four of them ranging from a Shitzu to a Labrador.  Yup, they keep the floor very clean and they find that Basswood is quite palatable.  Yet these dogs are not as dramatic as the cats, who do their best at keeping me busy with repairs and rebuilds.  I leaned one thing building with cats, NEVER PUSH A LONG HAIRED CAT OUT OF THE WAY WITH SUPERGLUE ON YOUR HANDS!  Almost needed stitches after that incident.
 
I look forward to seeing you work at fitting out and then rigging the San Francisco.  
 
Regards,
Scott

Daniel,
 
I think that a little fun keeps the forum alive but you also have to know when to stop.
It is still a builders forum…...
That's why I love this forum.
We don't know each other then only by words.
But there is a kind of chemistry between all of us.
And yes, sometimes there is a side kick but the main thing will be building.
When we are keeping that in mind. I think that MSW is going bigger then any other site!
Augie, your build log is now yours again ( for the time being  )
Now back to the shipyard.
 

 

The next step is to create the four main ribs by bending and attaching to the numbered forms. The instructions say you can soak the 1/16" strips in water for 15 minutes and they will be pliable enough to make the curve. My attempts at this just ended up with a lot of crimped wood.
I resorted to the Midwest procedure of adding ammonia to the soaking water. I then used tiny clothes pins and medicine bottle caps to form the half circle. This was much better.
Pete

FYI  here's a close up of the nails

Well, a bit more progress today.  I am still working on the main mast - I am installing the forestays and topping lift prior to installing on the hull - to these old eyes, it is a lot easier to seize these knots off the hull than on it.  I still need to add a block on each stay before I step the mast..
 
Topping Lift temporarily tied to the main boom.  There will be a block at the end of the lift and then a line seized to the boom that runs through the block, back through a sheave in the boom and belays to a cleat on the side of the boom
 

 
Mast rings and boom jaws on the cradle.  The line coming down is one of the forestays for the main mast.
 

 
Profile view with the main mast dryfitted - almost looks like a ship now!
 

 
Also installed the fife rail at the foremast today.
 

 
Have installed the stanchions and handrails on the starboard side.  Still need to add these on the port side.
 

 
Back to getting the last little bits on the main mast, continuing to manufacture chainplates for the shrouds, then once I get those mounted I can finally install the main mast.
 
 

Congratulations Anja, hope that your new contract is to your satisfaction. Wish you all the luck in your new(old) career.
Most important is that the atmosphere in your working environment will be as you are used to.
 
Regards,
John

Congratulations, Anja - I hope it works out in your favor! 

8c) French polishing finish coats continued:
 
Hello again! Since the last post I used pumice to go for the matte finish look but decided what the heck, I'll do the full French polish and show some of the steps needed to do that. In order to get into the nooks and crannies along the keel better, a smaller pad was needed. This was made with a piece of muslin and chopped up sweat socks. The photos were taken doing a dry run so I wouldn't get shellac on the camera, but during the 'wet' run, shellac and alcohol were added before folding it up. On a new pad, I like to soak the socks with equal amounts of shellac and alcohol to sort of 'prime the pump'. Excess shellac can be blotted off on a sheet of clean paper atop newspaper or just quickly spread it over a large area of the project. Baby oil is used to keep the pad from sticking. For a pointy narrow pad to fit into corners, the muslin is folded in triangles and then folded inwards like a paper airplane. The 'tail' is twisted which puffs up the pad a bit and makes a smooth wrinkle-free contact patch (the tail was untwisting itself when I let go to take the picture). All the loose threads in the pictures were picked off the cloth and the edges were cleaned up a little before actually using this pad.
 

 

 

 

 
Pads can be stored in airtight jars with a drizzle of alcohol and can be reused for quite a long time. When the face of the pad begins to get rough, replace it. Next to the jar is what's known as a pounce bag. It is a cloth 'bag' containing fine 4F pumice. The muslin weave only lets very fine pumice through. If you need to fill pores (or in my case a small gap at a plank seam -see the last photo in part 8b, post#48 ), the ponce bag can be tapped against the area and padded over with circular motions to work the pumice into the gaps. The pumice is invisible in the shellac.
 

 
So here's the boat after 1 more padding session. This shiny look is starting to grow on me!
 

8c) French polishing finish coats continued:
 
Hello again! Since the last post I used pumice to go for the matte finish look but decided what the heck, I'll do the full French polish and show some of the steps needed to do that. In order to get into the nooks and crannies along the keel better, a smaller pad was needed. This was made with a piece of muslin and chopped up sweat socks. The photos were taken doing a dry run so I wouldn't get shellac on the camera, but during the 'wet' run, shellac and alcohol were added before folding it up. On a new pad, I like to soak the socks with equal amounts of shellac and alcohol to sort of 'prime the pump'. Excess shellac can be blotted off on a sheet of clean paper atop newspaper or just quickly spread it over a large area of the project. Baby oil is used to keep the pad from sticking. For a pointy narrow pad to fit into corners, the muslin is folded in triangles and then folded inwards like a paper airplane. The 'tail' is twisted which puffs up the pad a bit and makes a smooth wrinkle-free contact patch (the tail was untwisting itself when I let go to take the picture). All the loose threads in the pictures were picked off the cloth and the edges were cleaned up a little before actually using this pad.
 

 

 

 

 
Pads can be stored in airtight jars with a drizzle of alcohol and can be reused for quite a long time. When the face of the pad begins to get rough, replace it. Next to the jar is what's known as a pounce bag. It is a cloth 'bag' containing fine 4F pumice. The muslin weave only lets very fine pumice through. If you need to fill pores (or in my case a small gap at a plank seam -see the last photo in part 8b, post#48 ), the ponce bag can be tapped against the area and padded over with circular motions to work the pumice into the gaps. The pumice is invisible in the shellac.
 

 
So here's the boat after 1 more padding session. This shiny look is starting to grow on me!
 

Hi Sarah!
 
I love the look of contrasting wood too! Best wishes with this new build. I'm worried that you and Keith are gonna force me into adding one of these kits to my ship locker!

Dang Bob! Why did you have to go and plant an idea like that in my head? Now my imagination has fallen down a rabbit hole and I'm having some Popeye sort of thoughts! From what I have read, there was a lot of competition between whaleboat crews and speed was a factor to be able to "dart" a whale and claim it for a boat's crew. I think many of the successful crews earned bonuses. It makes sense that the speedier you could make a whaleboat, the more advantage the crew would have. Herreshoff was the king of beautiful and fast racing yachts. If he had made a fast whaleboat....
 
It would need a super smooth and slick finish. It would need a taller mast and bigger sail and therefore a bigger centerboard. But it couldn't really stop there. Nope, the normal thwart seats would have to be replaced with the mechanical sliding seats out of a rowing shell and only the the most finely crafted harpoons and accessories would be used. So the shiny brass colored Liam Neeson looking hatchet would have been correct! I'm getting dizzy. I need to sit down with a little white dog in my lap and think peaceful thoughts about mountain streams. Get ye behind me crazy thoughts! 

Beautiful job. Your workmanship is an inspiration. I will be using this build as a reference for alot of things.
Pete

Hi Wayne. No I don't mind one bit. Hope you enjoy the ride!
 
The next stage involved adding the deck, the cockpit sole and the lazarette top.
 

 
The deck has quite alot of sheer and I had to bend the sheet so it conformed to the tops of the bulkheads. For this I use the plank bender extordinnaire, the electic kettle! Just make sure you wear some heavy leather gloves. The sheet and kettle exhaust in pretty toasty!
 

 
I've used a few plank bending techniques in the past including Billing's tip of using a candle flame. I had a few singed planks and finger tips using that method. The kettle is my favourite by far.
 

 
In the photo above the deck is in place as well as the cabin and cabin top. All pieces are laser cut so assembly is a snap. However, I did not use the laser cut piece for the cabin top. It was a single sheet of thin ply, and I am at a loss as to how Mr. Billing meant us to form its shape. There in not only a sheer bend lengthwise, but also a camber. I opted to use strips of mahogony that I had laying around which I was going to lacquer. That way the planks could bend to the sheer as they conformed to the camber athwartships. In the end, I decided to paint the cabin top.
 

 
I used mahogany strips to laminate the cabin bulkhead and lazarette. The printed sheets don't compliment the model one bit. It added a bit of work but the results are worth the effort. I also used narrow strips of mahogony to simulate a deck grate on the cockpit sole.
 

Carl, Carl, Carl...would I do that to you fine folk here at MSW?????
 
Progress is decidely slow right now, but there has been some.  I have built the build board, recruited additional workers (courtesy of Maurys) and we are preparing to lay the keel this weekend. 
 
The PHTS crew preparing the building ways. 
 

 
Verifying the squareness and alignment
 

 
Checking for the fit of the scarph.  A bit of sanding to remove the char then, this weekend, the keel gets laid and start work on figuring out where that rascally rabbet goes!!!
 

Goose-neck Part 2
 
continuing on this picture does show the roller reefing that inspired my version.
 

 
the worm was held in place with two retainers that were filed up and bolted with 2x56 round headed machine screws, the shaft through the worm is 1/8th diameter filed square at each end, so the the reefing can happen from either side.
 

 

 

 
The part of the goose neck that is fitted to the mast was inspired by one from Cockwells web site .
 
The first step was to machine up the block to mate to the boom(this needed extensive fining to allow the boom to swing when I mated the two parts together) the top and bottom straps were silver soldered to the block this also annealed the bands.
 

 

 

 
I used this same technique for the base step band.
 
The soldered and formed piece. ready for clean up, .. files, emery paper , steel wool .
 

 
Final assembly
 

 

 
end of roller reefing
 
Michael
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi Doris,
 
Perfect doesnot exist, but you are so very very close to it.
 
Regards,
John

I have adjusted the position of the sculpture on the right side of the stern, because there was an asymmetry and it did not look nice. Now the lions are at the same height as Pegasus on the left.

After patina and colour shading:



 




 

Just amazing and beautiful work, Doris. I like the way you did yourself as a figure also.   Is that your dog?  Or the King's dog?

Today I made a couple of buckets for the dory.  There are many methods, but this is the way I did it.
 
 
First I cut 12 staves the same size and mount them on a piece of masking tape.  These are .03” X .50” X .16”.  

I sand a slight taper from end to end so one end is narrower than the other.

Then one by one I sand the edges so the cross section is a trapezoid.

Place them side by side on clear tape with the smaller face pointing up and the narrow ends all at the same edge.  You can see how the taper causes a curve.

Cut off one end of the tape flush with the edge of the last stave.

Now roll the tape with the wood inside until the first and last pieces of wood meet and the tape on the end goes around the outside to hold it all together.

Make a disc of wood to fit inside the smaller end and glue it into place.

The bands are made from narrow strips of card stock.  After cutting I stained them.

Cut the tape off the lower part of the bucket and glue the card stock to look like a band.

Remove the rest of the tape and glue the other band around the top.

I didn't measure the taped staves for the diameter of the bottom but you could measure everything carefully and use geometry.
 
 
Bob