Keith Simmons

Thanks Bob!
 
Details? What details??? Just joking, of course!
 
Stay tuned, because now I'm working on the bathrooms at the forward part of the Lower Deck. Teeny tiny, but still challenging to see how I'm going to be able to do them convincingly.
 
Have a great day!
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

and your doubting your skill level?!?!?!   baloney!   awesome detail you've got in there!   loss of detail vs scale really doesn't apply here.........I guess you've shot that theory down.....in FLAMES!   table and chairs look great..........I do notice that one of the chairs is backwards.   is that a 'missing man' sort of thing?
 
   love the murals too.........adding bits like that can add so much more depth to a build.......A+++  

And you keep adding more detail . . . and more . . . and more . . . and
 
Bob

Thanks Elijah!

Nice job! The detail in there really boggles the mind .

Hi folks
 
Just a quick update for you.  The internal fit-out of the lower deck continues.  Last night, I added the mattresses and pillow-cases in the cabins, as well as another couple of cupboards in the two forward cabins.
 
Also, as I don't think I'd shown you guys before: A few weeks ago I added table mats to the round outdoor table situated on the Bridge Deck.  You can just see it in one of the photos.
 
I hope you enjoy the photos!
 
All the best.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Great looking hull and assuming that the stand is robust enough to do its job, I think that it accentuates the hull shape.
 
Well done!
 
Roger

Next instalment !
 
The hull is now covered which I must say was a bit more of a wrestling match than previous paddle steamers I have done but I feel I have emerged victorious !!
 
Next stage is to do some serious sanding before filling remaining gaps.
 
 
 
 

And here are a couple of shots of the boiler. A wee bit more paint and the steam lines to go on but otherwise done. Matt black really doesn't photograph well and I can't believe something so boring to look at could have taken so long to put together!
 
 

No sensible answer to that really Carl. I sort of gauged the size to that of my Robert E Lee Steamer and whilst I know this is a bit bigger I didn't want the stand to detract too much if that makes any sense ?!
 
Just going back a bit to previous comments, if I paint the decks in iron oxide colour, should the paddle wheel be a brighter red or the same as the decks ?

Well folks,
 
I made myself a stand for the beast !
 
Having done all the filling and sanding I tried to hand paint the hull as I don't have an airbrush. After four, yes four coats of paint it still looked absolutely dreadful. So I purchased a matt white aerosol spray paint, sanded the whole thing down again and gave it three coats of spray. Strange really, gloss paint is easy to get a smooth finish but matt (thanks Kurt) is a nightmare.
 
Never mind, it's done now and I must admit to being rather pleased with the result.
 
I have been building the boiler whilst waiting for the paint to be delivered and I managed to find some iron oxide acrylic paint to do the decks with, coming soon!
 
 

By way of illustration of my handy tip (!!!), the hull is now filled and sanded ready to put the keel strip on and then first coat of paint.
 
 
 
 

Thanks Jerry, your instructions were very helpful around coppering.
I'm keen on copper over paint to get a nice aged patina and this project is a bit of a test of materials and technique so given its still way cheaper than a kit another $40 for the real thing looks like small beer.
Did you use any CA glue or anything else to stick it down or just rely on the adhesive backing and if so how has it lasted? I've tried a test run as below and the adhesive bond feels very solid considering the tape is very thin. I'd like to just do this and maybe a dash of CA here and there but worst case scenario is applying a thin coat of resin to it after the patina is how I want it. I'd rather avoid the resin though.
 
Anyway, as per the inventive Jerry Todd and a few other builders like Fam http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/8675-brick-de-24-by-fam-scale-148-1809-pob/page-7, a stamp was made from timber with holes drilled for the small brass pins that come with ship kits. The plate size 1:1 is about 13-14inch x 4 ft. The vertical plate join is scribed onto the copper tape with the back of a blade. A small overlap on the horizontal edges was tried on the uppermost join but not on the bottom. It's so imperceptible I don't think I'll bother with overlap as I'm going for the 3ft rule - if it looks ok from that distance it's worked.
 
The tape is Masterfoil plus copper tape from venture tapes. It's aimed at the stained glass industry and is 3/8inch or 9.53mm wide.
 

Hi John,
                Thank you for the kind words, I really enjoy the design and building process of my ships and boats, I only use the Elves for painting... .
   
 
          Thanks again,   Keith

Hi John,
                Thank you for the kind words, I really enjoy the design and building process of my ships and boats, I only use the Elves for painting... .
   
 
          Thanks again,   Keith

Thank you Mark, she was the most difficult hull I've tried to date. Now on to something easy, fantasy ship !   
 
 
Keith

Ahoy Patrick
 
Thanks for the comment, she was a bit of a beast but came out pretty close to what I saw in my head.....
 
Now onto the next one,
 
                                     Keith

Finally have the Ketch to the final detail stage.  Stairs sails and deck furniture etc....
 
 
   Thanks for looking in,   Keith

Hi Bob
 
Thanks for your compliments.  Greatly appreciated!
 
I love old steam launches like Puffin.  There's something magical about a steam power plant that adds a certain 'majesty' to a boat.  Almost as if it's really alive.
 
If you have any photos of your full and half hull models, it'd be great to post them on the Gallery.  However, given that they were built some time ago, that's probably not possible, though.
 
Thanks and all the best.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

thanks to all of you for the kind comments,  and to those who hit the like button.     the work week is over.........playtime tomorrow   YIPPIE!!!!!!!  

Hi Denis,
                All I have to say is " very nice work ".       
 
 
Keep it up, matey
                               Keith

Patrick, absolutely beautiful job, my hat is off to you  !

Hi Glenn,
 
               Beautiful work, after viewing your log you have convinced me that I need to try and build my idea of a showboat. It won't be historically correct (then again, none of my ships are) but it sure looks like fun.    
 
                 Should be finishing my current Paddle wheeler project soon , can't wait to get started on a stern wheeler.
 
     Thanks for the inspiration, Keith   

August 4,5, and 6th WW.
 
I'll definitely have my camera with me.

It's great to see you back, Dave.  And good luck and wishes for the show.  The SoS is coming along beautifully.