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Keith Black

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Everything posted by Keith Black

  1. Keith Black
    Eric, thank you for your willingness to follow along. A few interesting observations made since we last spoke on the subject, 1) No stern upward sweep. This vessel was built like a shoebox, a level deck with squared ends. 2) The drive shafts of two wheel halves sit high above the deck by two to three feet. The wheel halve buckets seem to also sit high in the water as the wheel halves are relatively small in diameter which would help explain the lack of a normally needed stern wall. 2) There's a smaller exhaust stack visible next to and to the rear of a steam whistle at the rear edge of the pilothouse. In the first photo only a wisp of smoke can be seen but in the last photo the amount of smoke is much more pronounced. Question is, why type of engine does it lead to? I don't think an electric generator would create the amount of exhaust seen in the last photo but electricity was used based on the forward light atop the pilothouse along with a working light on the port side plus a light bulb that can be seen at the top edge of forward engine room wall What appears to be a high pressure water hose can be seen on the forward starboard side engine room wall. Could the engine be a high pressure water pump? Piping can be seen through the engine room near the base of where the smaller exhaust stack would end. This was one quirky ugly beast.
  2. Keith Black
    Thank you, Pat.
  3. Keith Black
    She is very different looking indeed, John. There's not a pretty thing about her, she is the essence of an ugly duck. Thank you, Phil and Jacques. I hope I'm able to do the build and the Hard Coal Navy story justice.
  4. Keith Black
    Thank you very much, Grant.
  5. Keith Black
    Is it a line that a ship's boat could grab/hold temporally before a securing line is tied off?
  6. Keith Black
    Thank you, Kurt. I'd love for you to see Lula, it's a shame we live so far away from the East Coast.
  7. Keith Black
    If I ever do another vessel that actually sails I'd like to add sails.
  8. Keith Black
    You're doing a bang on job, Keith. I love the clean lines and the color of the wood. Are you going to add sails? Please forgive if I've asked that question before.
  9. Keith Black
    Nice on ship thimble rigging, Jacques. My arms tire too easily to do that on ship business, I have to do as much off ship as possible.
  10. Keith Black
    In the past I've concentrated my builds in the 1851 to 1900 time period around the New York Harbor area with the idea that all my models could have been seen plying those waters together during the same time period. The difference with this model is the time period. Yes, I could try and shoehorn this build into the 1851-1900 time period but what I don't want to do is take away from the story of the Hard Coal Navy whose story is well worth the telling. There are three photos of this sternwheeler though the last one posted here is pretty useless for any detailed observations. I believe this sternwheeler was fueled by coal because of the smoke coming from the stack. Because the wheel is split into two sections and because pitman arms cannot be seen on the outside edges of the wheel, I believe this vessel was powered by a twin cylinder steam donkey engine. Because of the way a twin cylinder steam donkey engine is built it makes sense that the the two cylinders were connected to the inside edges of the two halves of the wheel. Because the two cylinders could operate independently of one another it would make the two wheel halves independent meaning one wheel half could go forward and one wheel half go in reverse meaning.............it could do donuts! I think. I'm early into my research and much more is required before I start cutting wood. After building the pile driver and hiding the steam donkey engine inside an engine shed, I wanted to build an open air twin cylinder steam donkey engine. I now have my chance. https://unchartedlancaster.com/2023/06/17/scraping-the-bottom-dredging-for-coal-on-the-susquehanna/ https://susquehannagreenway.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Danville_Hard_Coal_Navy_Sign-for-web.pdf
  11. Keith Black
    Thank you, Andrew.
  12. Keith Black
    Thank you, Bob. Thank you, John. No, not anymore, Siggi. With the advancement of weathering products and techniques and the desire to add realism, workboats such as Lula can be displayed as they were seen in their everyday life. Thank you for following along on Lula's journey. Thank you, Paul. Thank you, Glen. Thank you, Chris and thank you for taking care of the title change for me. Thank you, Ken. Thank you, Eric. I am both humbled and honored by your comment. Thank you, Chris. Thank you, Phil. Thank you, Jacques.
  13. Keith Black
    Lula is finished. A special "thank you" to Kurt, @kurtvd19, for pushing me out of my comfort zone and challenging me to take on the project of building Lula. Also, a special "thank you" to Eric. @Cathead, for taking the time to show me how the sternwheeler sausage is made. And a huge thank you to everyone for following along on Lula's journey and your most valued support, for your wonderful comments, and for the likes. You folks made this build an absolute pleasure to work on. The base is nothing more than trying to get Lula elevated a little off the maple tabletop. It will not be used for Lula's final display and she and the pile driver will be displayed together. In the next week or so I'll post some photos of the two together in the Gallery section. In person the weathering is much more pronounced. For whatever reason my camera is not picking up the weather well at all. When I said I was through with construction, I lied. I added the chest on the boiler deck the holds the coal oil, replacement burners, and wicks for the lanterns. It also means not having to explain the why of the high lettering of Lula's name on the forward pilothouse wall. I think it's a perfect fit and addition. I added green algae along the waterline. It's not noticeable but I poly coated the hull, the wheel. and stern wall to suggest wetness. Thank you, Lula. Keith
  14. Keith Black
    Thank you, Lynn.
  15. Keith Black
    That is amazing, Glen. Great idea to use bonsai driftwood, I'd never heard of such. It looks tipsy or is that the Bundaberg whispering in the background?
  16. Keith Black
    Thank you, Eberhard.
  17. Keith Black
    Normally when folks take closeup photos of their work it's none too kind. With Siggi's Gokstad, the closer the photo taken the more beautiful it is. Case in point are the third and second to last photos in post #125, those are just remarkable images.
  18. Keith Black
    Eberhard, provided the visit with the vascular surgeon on the 19th of June is optimistic I'll be trying to build the sternwheeler from the Hard Coal Navy, see page 20 post # 595.
  19. Keith Black
    Eric, that took a bit of nerve to do that but your tunnel entrance looks a lot more convincing. 👍
  20. Keith Black
    Thank you, Craig. We're not popping champagne corks just yet as I still need to get the weathering done which I plan on taking my time doing. Thank you, mcb.
  21. Keith Black
    There's a great joke somewhere in there.
  22. Keith Black
    Thank you, brother Tom.
  23. Keith Black
    I take my hat off to you,Phil. I could never do card models, I'd have that looking like the dog's lunch within the first hour. it really is looking splendid.
  24. Keith Black
    Thank you, LJP. Thank you, Eric. Thank you, Daniel Thank you, Phil.
  25. Keith Black
    Congratulations, Greg. Well deserved!

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