Keith Black

Welcome to MSW. Glad to have you aboard. 

On 2/25/2025 at 6:54 PM, Jim Lad said:

Keith, I doubt that  avessel such as 'Lula' would run to anything as sophisticated as telegraphs. Probably a signal bell, or even perhaps just the skipper stamping on the deck!!

 Thank you, John. As I said, I'm going to make the engines controllable from the pilothouse.

On 2/25/2025 at 8:41 PM, TBlack said:

So, we have 2 Keiths in favor of that linoleum. One of the Keiths, being part of my family, I feel responsible for. Keith #1, you and I need a talk, but I'm encouraged that you've seen the light.

  I told you when you went away to college that leaving me alone under Mom's influence was a bad idea. 

 Thank you to everyone for supporting me with your comments and likes. 

 Hopefully in the next couple of days the engine room gets nailed to the deck as I need to start on the storage deck structure. Before gluing down the engine room means I need to get all the close up fiddly work done first while the ER is still separated. 

 Today I finished painting the ER's sides and painted the trim black. I also added Lula's name (dry transfer) on the stern wall. All very tedious work.  

 Stairway blocks and storage deck floor joist support added. 

 Looking at the original Lula photo I always assumed the trim was black, After studding the photo again this morning, now I'm not so sure. The trim looks like it might be a dark red, boxcar red...maybe?? I really don't care for the black trim so if someone thinks the trim wasn't black, I'm all ears. Plus, it doesn't match the linoleum. 

 Slowly but surely she's getting there.  

 Thank you to each of you for following along.

   Keith

 Handsome studding sail booms, Glen. 

 Sorry to say but the only use for that model is if you've had a recent Viking death in the family. 

 I've had the best success painting brass by first applying a coat of poly and then painting with craft acrylic paint.

That's incredible watch like workmanship, Eberhard. Really neat, thank you for sharing. 

 Jacques, I like the rudder with the piece added in the last photo. If you keep the rudder with the added piece will you add the metal strapping? 

4 hours ago, LJP said:

I am very happy the buckets were not feathered, this was bad enough.  I had seen those type buckets on sidewheelers but do not recall seeing them on sternwheelers.

 Is this a "feathered" wheel?

58 minutes ago, Lecrenb said:

Ooohh... Good point! Maybe I should put it back for posterity?

 With a note asking for forgiveness for the poor housekeeping. 

15 hours ago, Ras Ambrioso said:

Keith, thanks for the tip. I'll check it out.

 You are more than welcome, Ras. I first became aware of Archer rivet transfers when following @mcb Blairstown build log. His use of Archer rivets adds striking realism, much much better than a bounce wheel. 

 Mark, welcome to MSW. Glad to have you aboard. 

 Ras, are you aware you can get transfer rivets in multiple patterns and scales from Archer Transfers? If not, see the link below.

 https://www.archertransfers.com/search?q=rivets&type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage&options[prefix]=last

1 hour ago, wefalck said:

Sorry, to have killed your linoleum-dream 🫢

 

I gather you have to teleport LULA then into the 1900s or so.

 Not an issue, Eberhard. I just liked the look of the linoleum, it's been discarded. 

 Fantastic wheel, LJP. 

 I'm sorry to hear of Rodney's passing, Bob. My condolences.

46 minutes ago, Cathead said:

Keith, I look forward to your adventures attempting to hand-make that spittoon on the floor by the stove.

 

My vote is for plain wooden flooring. It's something the viewer "expects" to see and so fits nicely with the overall aesthetic.

 Thank you, Eric. Spittoons, geez, every pilothouse seems to have had one. How bout i use one of the several buckets I have instead of a spittoon? 

 I sanded and poly coated the wood flooring last night. I really did like the look of the linoleum, it's a shame it doesn't fit into Lula's timeframe. 

19 hours ago, wefalck said:

If linoleum, I would have thought of plain so-called Battleship-Linoleum in iron-oxide red ... However, linoleum wasn't invented until the mid-1860s by Walton, who remain the main producer (through subsidiaries) in Europe. Some years ago I did quite extensive research on the possible use of linoleum on the original configuration of SMS WESPE, but concluded that 1876 was too early. Shipboard use didn't really commence before the 1880s.

 

Another option is wax-cloth, forerunner and inspiration for linoleum. I believe waxed cloth was used as cheap floor-covering from around the 1840s, but doubt that it would have stood up to rough shipboard use. It's the same kind of stuff they still sell as tablecloth today.

 

To be honest, I think the most realistic bet would be plain wooden flooring.

 Eberhard, thank you taking the time to explain. I thought I could shoehorn linoleum into Lula's time period but I can now see that's not the case. 

19 hours ago, TBlack said:

Boy, I sure hope you seriously consider this idea.

Okay, okay, wood flooring it is. But I did quite like the linoleum, Tom......from your girlyman brother. 

19 hours ago, TBlack said:

if there is no EOT in the wheelhouse, how does the helm communicate with the engine room?

12 hours ago, BANYAN said:

Tom, probably by voice pipe and possibly also bells.

 Tom and Pat. Unlike the majority of steam vessels Lula's pilothouse sits right on top of the engine room. In fact, if there was a hole in the pilothouse floor the captain/pilot could reach through and strike the engines with his cane. I'm going to portray Lula's engines being controlled from the pilothouse without the aid of someone in the engine room.

 If there are those that feel this is impractical, I have two EOT's, I could add on in the engine room and one in the pilothouse. But in the below photo I posted earlier, isn't that what's being shown regardless of the EOT? Oh, I'll also be adding a steam whistle and also keeping the bell. 

 She's really starting to show her beauty. Wonderful job, John. You and your wife enjoy your time away, be safe. 

 Doug, welcome to MSW. Glad to have you aboard. 

25 minutes ago, KeithAug said:

I also remember being inspired to start my boat modelling career when I watched Noah working on his Arc.

 I laughed so hard I think I broke my laugh emoji button.

1 hour ago, clearway said:

i know they say you shouldn't drink excess coffee but geez😁😜

 I'm tryin' to quit, I'm down to a tenth of inch a day. 

19 minutes ago, wefalck said:

The linoleum looks like the captain is a lady 😁

 Eberhard, I searched Mr Google for a dark antique linoleum and this is the best that Mr Google came up with. If in your travels you find something that looks more manly please post the photo and I'll scale it and print it and see how it looks. I like the linoleum look but I'm not 100% sold on this pattern. 

 Thank you to everyone for your comments and likes.

 After the potbelly stove debacle it's great to be back on track making progress.

 Because the engine room's roof is convex I laid down the pilothouse floor plates and bottom siding boards and sanded them level. This allows bringing up the walls without having to make a bunch of wonky cuts. After the floor plates and threshold were done the pilothouse flooring was added. 

The ships wheel is unattached and raw at this point which still needs to be addressed. 

If there was any elegance to Lula it would have been inside the pilothouse. Looking through the aft door, the floor is dark after the white threshold so the the floor doesn't look like it's painted white. The chart desk/table is white but the walls don't appear to be white suggesting they may have been paneled? One can also see a four legged stool with a backrest and then the wheel. That's all we can see for certain, anything else I may add and the interior treatment is conjecture on my part.   

 Pilothouses seemed to be comfortable with a certain amount of beauty. This pilothouse interior is what I'll use as a templet for Lula less the engine telegraph. I could sand the flooring I added and give it a poly coat or...

 I could add linoleum which was a traditional flooring treatment. I think this looks pretty stinkin' hot. I like it but it's so different and out of character, it'd take some getting used to. 

 I was going to add doors on the port and starboard walls but I need wall space plus the single aft door keeps the original Lula look intact. 

 Thank you for your support and for following along.

   Keith

3 hours ago, lraymo said:

And it probably wouldn't hold much coffee!!!  😁

 It'd hold a tenth of an inch worth. 

 The water turned out great, Bob. 

8 hours ago, KeithAug said:

Not very expensive then.

 Compared to the amount of time I spent trying to make one it's dirt cheap.

8 hours ago, KeithAug said:

You could always try a bit of tin basing and solder. You would only need basic hand tools.

 At a tenth of an inch I'd do better trying to shape the solder blob with a jewelers file. As long as a turning is simple or an object is straight lines I can get objects made that measure between .03 and .04 with moderate success. I've had enough time in the saddle in the 1:120 world to know that a tenth of an inch object is beyond my meager skills.