FriedClams

Hello Tim. Thank you for thinking of my Stonington boat model in regards to showing it at the Northeast Conference this coming October. I registered on-line several weeks ago and I will be bringing this Stonington dragger model with me. I'm looking forward to the event and seeing all the great models displayed by our fellow modelers. Should be fun and educational. And I thank you for the high appraisal of the model - I only hope it doesn't disappoint in person. See you there. Gary

Very nice carvings Mark. If I had carved those, I'd be pumped. Gary

Just found this build G.L. and I have read it from the beginning. Like your previous logs, it is packed with simple and innovative techniques. The bow sander makes so much sense and I'm surprised I haven't seen that idea used before, but I will be trying it. I also like your frame lamination method - nifty. And thanks for showing us the details of Mr. Orsel's strake cutting sled which is a perfect tool for hulls of this shape. Excellent work G.L. and I will be watching for future updates. Gary

Nice progress Brian - looks great! Gary

Spectacular figure painting yet again, O.C. You can almost hear that flag snapping and popping in the wind. Gary

Very nice progress on the Skipjack. Sorry to hear of your problems with CTS Michael. I wish you a successful outcome from the surgery and a rapid recovery. Gary

Nice progress on the carrier Paul - looking really good. Sweet 1:1 boat too! Gary

Sweet work Eric! I really like the cargo chests. They have a nice authentic feel and will be a nice visual addition to the display. One of the most difficult things about having to make so many of one item (besides the boredom) is getting them to all look the same - your oars look great! Gary

We are a patient bunch Keith. Better to be happy with your work on the first attempt, because backtracking, re-dos and that "if I had to do over" feeling can be so deflating. The "aha moment" will come. Nice score on the display case. Gary

Just catching up Ondras. Your model is looking fantastic - nice work on the lion also! Gary

Beautiful work Druxey! This build log is a real tour de force of small open boat modeling. In regards to the oar length, I found this formula when building a small wherry a few years ago. It comes from a oar and paddle manufacturer's web site and it is similar to others I've seen. [(D/2 +2) divided by 7] x 25 = length. D = distance between oar locks . It states that the inboard to outboard length ratio should be 7:18. The length of the inboard portion of the oar is dictated by the width between oarlocks. To maximize leverage, the oar handles should overlap by 4" when held level (parallel to the waterline.) So for each oar, the inboard length is 1/2 the distance between oarlocks plus 2". So for instance the beam on your boat is 7' or 84”. 84" divided by 2 + 2" = 44”' To achieve the recommended 7:18 ratio, the inboard portion must be 7/25ths of the total length. In this case that means (44 / 7) X 25 = 157” And 157” is just a hair over 13' total. This formula is probably not applicable to your model, but I though I would throw it out there anyway. Love this model Druxey - thanks for sharing your build techniques. Gary

Congratulations on completing the Dragone Jim - she looks fabulous! I always liked the contrasting woods tones on her and I think the natural finish is just the ticket. Great job! Like the cradle stand too. Gary

Catching up Mark and I think your carving is quite good. I also believe it will look better still when viewed in context on the stern of the ship. Placing it on the penny is great for comprehending it's small size but does nothing to foster appreciation of the piece as a delicate carving of wings. I like the progress on the planking as well. Nice work. Gary

Nice update Keith and I'll be watching for further progress. Good to hear you've been reconnecting with family and friends after the year long dumpster fire of 2020. I hope we can all get back to something that feels like normal this year. Gary

Looking forward to seeing you move ahead with this model Michael. But I enjoy all your projects, from steam liner restorations to locos. I learn something new from every one. Gary

Congratulations on a completing your canoe Chris. She looks great and I wish you many hours of peaceful paddling. Gary

That's a really good way to think about detail elements, which can sometimes be overdone. Very nice progress Roger. I like your plating method. Gary

Thank you O.C. and Popeye for the nice comments - I appreciate it. And thanks to all for looking in and for the likes. That's nothing Keith, look at their coveralls. A little honest dirt never hurt anyone. Thank you Mark and Egilman. More eyes and constructive criticism is always appreciated and welcomed as it invariably results in a better model. Yes you right, it is too light and clean looking and needs additional attention. I'll wait until I get the lighting in to see how much darker it needs to go. Hello Lou, thanks for the comment. I agree that service pits were commonplace and even iconic in repair shops of yesteryear, but as you say they have been mostly replaced with lifts. Which is good because today, many jurisdictions have banned pits altogether citing fume accumulation (one of several concerns) as a danger to workers health and the potential for ignition. In fact, the National Electrical Code considers them a hazardous location requiring an explosionproof wiring system (to prevent ignition) for light and ventilation. Something I've found curious looking through old photos is the scarcity of pits and instead this method of working the underside. Based on the abundance of images like this, it must have been a very common way to work on these old rather light vehicles. But it is timely that you mentioned service pits - please read on. . . Backtracking - Adding a Service Pit One of the things I like best about modeling these small dioramas is that there is no specific prototype - only what's in my head. So there is no set design that I must adhere to or elements that I must include. Starting out, I always think I know how it will end, but rarely do my initial plans go unchanged. I had intended to have several vehicles all pointing forward, side by side with one vehicle displayed in profile in front of the work bench. Shop equipment would be placed around the wall perimeter. It occurred to me that this arrangement is rather dull, visually uninteresting and there is something about it I just don't like. I believe dioramas need to have a central focus, something prominent that your eye is drawn to - something my model doesn't have. Looking through my collection of old photos, I found this one of a wheel alignment/service pit and decided this element could be a great main focus for my dio. The image is from one of the collections at the Library of Congress, but I don't remember which one. There are a number of things that drew me to it. One is that the pit itself is irregular in shape and there is working room around the vehicle, not just a narrow pit down the center. The pit has two depth levels; the outer shallower level and a deeper drivetrain pit, so it will add dimension to the model. Also, the iron structure of the platform is an eye draw and I think it will nicely display the vehicle standing on it in profile – or so I hope. And I have just enough room in the shadow box case to drop it down through the floor. So I drew up a pit that will fit the space I have. The general dimensions and depths were taken from modern truck wheel alignment pits. One of the wheel rails is movable in or out to accommodate vehicles of different widths. As you can see below, the pit eats up a lot of real estate, but I think the scene will feel less crowded because of it. It is made from sheet styrene; .040” for the floor and .020” for the walls. 1-2-3 blocks were used to keeps things square and true in its assembly. Modifications to the existing model were necessary to accommodate the pit. First, the electrical piping was removed and then the mezzanine was shortened because the new side door is quite wide and would run into it. Also, the ladder for the mezzanine will be pushed back to the rear wall whereas originally it was going to be free standing up front. Three feet were cut from from the structure and the free hanging end was braced. The mezzanine will also have support from hanging ceiling tie rods when the time comes. The side window was removed and the opening enlarged to a height of 12 feet by 10 feet wide for the doorway. The floor was cut out and the pit was test fit. The double door is wood and opens outward, so the hinges and locking hardware would be on the outside. A drew up a door and used it as a construction template. The basswood strips were colored beforehand with India ink/alcohol and topped with a green acrylic mixture, some of which was pulled off with cellophane tape. The boards are glued directly to the template with PVA and the frame work is glued on top of that – then trimmed with a straight edge and scalpel. Using the drawing tick marks as a guide, holes for the exterior strap hinge bolts are drilled clear through the material and injection molded washer/bolts are inserted. The bolt shanks are trimmed flush on the back side of the template. A touch of thin CA is applied to the ends of the trimmed shanks where capillary action draws it into the hole leaving the front side clean of glue. A security bar is added. The brackets are made from aluminum beverage can sidewall. I drilled small shallow divots into the brackets to mimic attachment screw heads, but they're barely visible. Also, I ran a black permanent marker down the back side of the template where the two door sections meet so that the white paper doesn't show through. The door header is a styrene “I” beam with one side sanded off and it scales to about 9” wide by 12.5' long. Flat black enamel was applied with a cosmetic sponge to add a little texture followed by pigment powder to add a hint of rust. Styrene bolt heads were placed and pencil graphite was rubbed on to highlight beam edges. Basswood door jambs and side casings were glued into the opening. The header was glued on and the wall opening was backed with a piece of sheet wood as a place to land the door itself. The ladder for the mezzanine is basswood with brass rungs. The brass is .014” dia. and the rails are scale 2” x 4”. The two rails are taped together and the rung holes are drilled through both at the same time. Short pieces (about 1”) of the pre-blackened brass are inserted through the holes and the rails are then pulled apart until the desired width of ladder is reached. This leaves all the brass rungs jaggedly sticking out both rails which are now trimmed flush and end glued with thin CA. The rails are stained and styrene stand-off brackets attached. The styrene pit was primed with an air brush followed by a couple of shades of gray acrylic on top. This is not the final coloring, just a base. The pit was glued into place and styrene angle fitted around the perimeter. Enough with backtracking - it's time to move forward again. Thanks for taking a look. Gary

Love all your various blocks Keith - they turned out very nice. I like the way your rigged block looks, even in the greatly magnified photo above. A shackle at .05" is crazy small and in my unasked for opinion, I just don't believe it's worth the effort to create something (300 times) which in the end will only detract from the overall look and feel of the model just to say the detail is there. Usually when I model something that looks like a "twisted dead gnat" (made me laugh out loud) - I leave it out. It's a scale representation 120 times smaller than the prototype and many details must of course be left off. Very nice progress Keith. Gary

She's looking beautiful Chris - nice job. Really like that deep blue. She's going to be a pleasure to paddle. Gary

Just catching up OC and I see you’re progressing nicely. The figures are terrific as expected and that extra face shading really makes a difference. At your level of detailed perfection, it does not surprise me that you can only complete 6-8 per week. After all the problems with the glass case(s) it must feel good to finally be in possession of an undamaged display case. I think switching to acrylic was a good choice and I look forward to watching the building of the structures and scenery. Gary

Wonderful work on the oar rest Steve - elegant and utilitarian at the same time. And the boat itself is expertly crafted and simply beautiful. I love it. I remember seeing it when I was following your 1:8 model build of it (also stunning.) There is something so appealing and even nostalgic about a small lapstrake boat. Gary

Hello Chris - very nice progress on Sassafras. Looks like first launch is not far off. I want to chime in on the tie down issue. I don't proclaim to be an expert on canoes and kayaks, but I have owned and transported quite a few of them. I don't believe any of the hardware shown in post #182 is adequate as roof top tie-down points. A heavy gust of wind or the first time a tractor trailer rig blows past at 70 MPH and I would expect them to be torn off or broken off. Wrapping web straps around thwarts up close to the breast hooks at both ends is a better option. As @Bedford has stated, the craft needs to be kept from sliding forward during emergency braking. And you also want to keep it on the roof during strong winds. I always strap completely over the craft with ratchet straps in addition to the positioning attachments. I think of my canoe as a narrow parachute whenever I lash it to a vehicle. Typically you will not find any hooks or cleats on canoes/kayaks, especially above the gunwales. Unlike small open boats, canoes are expected to be flipped and metal protrusions are a liability and just something to get hooked on or clothes/line to get tangled in. Especially important if you end up on a stream or river. Not trying to lecture here Chris – just my two-cents worth. She looking sweet. Have fun. Gary

Just found your log Andrew and I really like the way your model is progressing. Beautiful work - so clean and precise. I'll be watching for future installments. Gary

Just read through your log FF and very much enjoyed it. Nice work on the hull and a great job scratching the engine - I like it. Your model has a wonderful authentic feel to it. Look forward to future updates. Gary