Keith Black

Bob, be they mice? Mothballs do a pretty good job at keeping pest at bay. Glad to hear you and yours are feeling better. Get back to us when you can, we'll be here.

Congratulations, Nils. She's a peach.

Brian, absolutely! Redoing the mizzen main stay with bullseyes is the only change that I'll document as the other pre shroud work have much less visual interest. I wish I had done this before things go so closed in. Looking back, after the hell I went through getting the aft stack's chain stays in place i was afraid to work around those chains by adding bullseyes, just running the stay ends to eye pins seemed so much safer. But now that I've added bullseyes to all the other stays, not having a pair on the mizzen main stay seemed goofy. An hour into the change over i was wishing I'd left well enough alone. i started on the port side working around the gaff lines and trying to stab the twisted end, .028 inches, into the .034 inch drilled hole about had me throwing things! I crushed one twisted bullseye and had to make up another lashed pair. Before inserting eye pins, blocks, and bullseyes I apply CA gel on the twisted end and insert. Once inserted I'll add some additional CA liquid with an homemade needle applicator around the base. Last night I struggled keeping the gelled end from coming into contact with any and everything except its intended target. Eventually perseverance won out, thankfully the starboard side went like a breeze.........whew! Lashed bullseyes ready to place. Before, stay tied off to eye pin After, port side bullseyes added. Starboard side added. The lines are not tied off at this point as some additional work needs to be done to the stay lines below the top. Thank you to all for the likes and for following along.

Ian, welcome to MSW. I'll be following your build, wishing you great success.

Tom, what was the custom durning Sophie's time period, painted mast and spars or unpainted?

Joe, welcome to MSW. Good luck with your restoration. Glad to have you aboard.

At this stage of our lives we don't to worry about exciting events blowing our hair back.

Congratulations, Mark. Good to see you back working on the Jylland. in about six months you'll wonder how you ever had the time to hold down a full time job.

IMHO the most simple solution is to use a small round head brass nail and cut it to the desired length. If needed you can file the head diameter down to a smaller diameter. You can also file the head flat if desired.

Joe, if you add 'Norwegian Sailing Pram' in the search box on the MSW's home page there are many Pram build logs. I'm sure if you explore those logs you'll find see how others have handled that issue.

Very nice, Mark. She's a beauty.

Comments housekeeping...... Thank you, Pat. Most of the corrections are going to be so minor they'll likely go unnoticed. The one that will be noticed is adding bullseyes to the mizzen mainstay attaching abreast the rear stack. Currently the stay is merely tied at eye pins. When I originally installed that stay I was afraid I'd make a dog's lunch out of the stack's chain stays if I tied adding bullseyes there but I now think I can do so without damage to the chains. I'll certain post that correction. Thank you, Rick. Because I cheat with the way I strop and attach blocks and deadeyes it makes that tiny finger work manageable. I'f I was doing it the normal way they'ed have to put me in a home. Those that work in even smaller scales (Eberhard for one) blow my mind. Thank you, Andy. I use Gutermann polyester thread. I have limited experience with cotton thread and I hated working with and the finished look. the biggest knock against polyester the than being nontraditional is because it stretches, i have not experienced that. I've had line at the stern of the mizzen tied off going on two years this Spring without any noticeable droop. I didn't pre stretch the thread, I just pulled it taunt and tied if off. i would never consider using cotton after my experience with the Gutxrmann polyester thread. Thank you, Keith Keith, you made me smile. Consider it yours, Eric. Glen, Tom, and Dave, thank you guys, you're too kind. Thank you to all for the comments and thank you to all for the likes. Your support warms the cockles of me ole heart.

Gerry, welcome to MSW. learning the model ship hobby is not a bad thing unless you absolutely hate the idea of it. As we get older learning new things helps keep our ole gray cells functioning properly. If you have no desire then i hope you're able to find someone to repair your father's model, being able to enjoy a father's passion is a blessing. Glad to have you aboard.

I like to think that when 'House Cats' were on God's design table as a joke some of the Angels switcherooed some of the plan's features. Of course God would have caught the changes but He probably laughed and said, why not and let er roll.

Bob's your uncle is my favorite UK expression. 'There it is or there you have it' is very appropriate after all the trials and tribulations you went through to get to the final ship's wheel.

For those of you who follow Leo and team rebuilding the Tally Ho, I'm sure you've already seen this week's episode but for those of you who do not, you're missing a real treat. This weeks episode deals with the rigging, it's well worth the watch to see how things are done in real life. I wish there was a serving mallet for models. Below is to the website for the folks responsible for making Tally Ho's rigging, It's an interesting tour. http://briontoss.com

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

In real life didn't the length of the steam box play an important part as to the length of hull planks?

I always enjoy your updates, Keith. Clean work shown every time. Cats are such goofy creatures but they are a joy to share life with.

Very nice ship's wheel, Tom. Bob's your uncle.

Thank you, Brian. Knowing the shrouds will pull all the tension aft is the reason none of the stays or running lines are tied off. They're there to eliminate having to add them later but I'll have the ability to pull them taunt once the shrouds are in place. Thank you, Eberhard. I'm not doing sails and because my rigging knowledge/experience is limited many rigging details will not be included. A unknowledgeable viewer will be none the wiser and the knowledgeable viewer will just have to look on with sympathetic forgiveness. Speaking of forgiveness......profile shots are pretty boring so I've included an angled view. Thank you to all for the support and thank you to all for the likes.

Brian, Keith A, and Keith C, thank you for the comments and thank you to all for the likes. I enhanced this photo where the lines and stays could be more easily seen and after adding the fore's top, topgallant braces, standing stays from main to fore, and standing stays from fore to bowsprit, the skyline is pretty stinkin' close which is amazing to me all things considered. Bowsprit details with added bullseyes. With the exception of the mizzen the main and fore's stays and running lines are not permanently tied off as adjustment will be required once the shrouds have been added. i have a punch list for items that need addressed on the main and mizzen. Correcting the main and mizzen's main and top standing stays and adding bullseyes to the mizzen main stay abreast the aft stack. Additionally.... i thought the fore's main yard brace attached to the outside of the hull as does the cross jack and the main's main yard but not so. in the enhanced photo it can be clearly seen the fore main braces attache to blocks beneath the main's top next to the main's top yard brace blocks. I'll have to add the two single blocks which will require a bit of standing on my head and i'll search for any necessary paint touchups. But all this inside work needs to be done before adding the shrouds as when done the inside workspace will be, hard to come by. Once the punch list is completed I'll post a 'proof of life' photo and then on to the dreaded shrouds.

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

Welcome to MSW, glad to have you aboard.

Eric, the boiler turned out great!