lraymo

Wow! Incredible detail, and at such a small scale. Beautiful!

I'm finally back at it! The missing copper tape arrived, and I started the coppering of the hull. I'm trying to follow the pattern shown in the directions. It'll take some time to finish it, but at least I've got it started! I was able to "tape off" the waterline. And the Keel Pins are still attached (I covered them with tape so that I don't poke myself!). They are so securely fastened, I figured it would be easier to keep them in at this point! Beginning to attach the copper plates... The picture from the instructions...

Congrats on 42 years! What a great story and history. Alaska is beautiful. I've taken a couple cruises to Alaska, and spent a few days in Denali.. but would love to go back and spend some serious time there, learning more about it. Again, 42 years! Congratulations! Thanks Brian! There's a few dribs and drabs, but I tried my best to clean up as much as I could!

Absolutely fabulous detail! I am in awe of your skills!

SkiBee, its looking really good. I'm totally intimidated about what comes next after coppering... thinning the Bulwarks, and then seeing all the other work you've done so far! I will be coming back to your pages alot!

Just finished coppering the keel with the remaining few inches of tape from the kit. They only sent 14 inches, instead of the required 14 feet, and now its backordered for 15-20 days. So I found some copper tape on Amazon, and will give it a try. Meanwhile, I also set the keel "pins" which will secure it to the launchway. Having to wait on the remaining copper, I finished the Launchway. With my "precision" being somewhat suspect, i went ahead and built a little jig to help keep everything parallel, and it seemed to work out well. After it was finished, I did a "dry fit' to make sure everything fits. And I used my little broaches to widen the holes so that the pins would easily fit onto the launch. (I love all the advice you all have given me on tools!) I appreciate all the comments about the wood in boat docks (and thanks for the pics @BrianK! I had to give up on Starbucks, since they now charge $5.78 for my decaf sugar-free vanilla latte! And Keith, I like Jordan too! But i was happy to see Jim Furyk doing so well on the opening day of the Sony... although he didn't keep it going. Meanwhile, I think I'll wait till the Phantom is completed, before I decide what treatment to do on the Launchway. But this has been an interesting discussion on creosote. You worked on the docks in Alaska? Is that how you got interested in model ship building? Coppering the keel My "jig" Finished Dry Fit

Thanks for the feedback, Keith and SkiBee! Especially praying alot! LOL! I'm learning quite a bit, and realizing what a rank beginner I am, but its all a process, right? Meanwhile, I am waiting for the replacement copper tape before I can continue on that adventure (gulp!) Hopefully, it will work out ok, but I will definitely be doing some testing before I begin! Yay for eBay! 4 classic cars, and 800 purchases? I am impressed! Yay for golf on TV! (I watched the latest in Hawaii... wow, wish I was there!)

Back at it! First of all, yes, Keith, I received the vise, but haven't set it up yet. It was missing the liners, but the ebay seller found some replacements and sent them to me at his own expense. I was thankful! So to get back to work, I finished the rudder, and "copper-plated" it. I positioned it on the hull via some scotch tape, just to see how it looks, and I'm pleased with how it turned out! Next, I painted the hull. I think I need to find some instruction on how to paint and finish wood! The pictures below show the 2nd coat of paint, then sanding with 400 grit, then the 3rd coat of paint. I was surprised at how much paint came off after sanding. I think I need to use 1000 or higher grit for the next sanding pass. My goal for this model has always been to show off the masts and rigging, and I'm not so much worried about the hull, since it won't be seen as much as you look down on it. So I just want it to look fairly smooth, with no obvious globs of paint or major defects. After a few more rounds of sanding and painting, I'll be ready to copper the bottom. The kit only sent 14 inches of tape instead of the 14 feet required, per the parts list, so I am waiting for Model-Expo to send more copper tape, then I'll get started. (I'm a little intimidated by the prospect of adhering 100's of little pieces of tape to the hull, but I've got some tweezers that might come in handy!) The rudder! (I realized my inability to neatly wrap Christmas presents carries over into neatly wrapping copper tape! But I'm ok with how it looks!) 2nd coat of paint (will need many more!) After sanding with 400 grit 3rd coat of paint. I'll sand using 1000 or higher next time. Hopefully won't need too many more coats of paint.

Wow! Looks great!

Ha! Thanks Keith! You're always the voice of reason! I was getting a little caried away trying to decide, but what I really want to do is get back to the main goal of working on the hull, the coppering, etc. Now that I've got the launchway materials cut to length, I can keep them safely tucked away till i really need it, somewhere near the end of the project! (And then I can match the treatment to the way the Pilot Boat looks when its painted and coppered!) Today, I'm putting the workshop back together (I mean, really, meals don't have to be eaten at the table... the couch works just fine!!!)

BrianK, first let me say your bridge frames look fantastic! Nice work! This whole idea of weathering has taken me on an entirely new path. I had put away my “workshop” (aka kitchen table) for the holidays, and thought I could ease back into the work by building the “easier” Launchway next, before starting back on the hull. Little did I know I would discover I have limited talent for cutting accurate lengths of wood (hence the purchase of the “cutter”), and now I’m off on this interesting tangent to find the right colors for the timbers, thanks to feedback from you, Keith, Cathead and others. You bring up a good point about “slightly” weathered wood. Your back fence is a good example. Now I’m thinking a light stain might look good with the copper plating. But no matter which way I go, this has been a fun experiment! The bottom two are samples of the only stains I currently have, and I think I like the lighter one better!

Here's 3, 5, and 6 next to each other. I think I can make each "timber" some version of these three, and then the whole "Launchway" will have a weathered look, with each piece having a bit different treatment. The Kit shows a Launchway of raw wood, but I think the weathered look would look good against the copper bottom. Thoughts?

@BrianK wow, I looked at Jason Jensen's modeling videos. What a resource! I don't have a multitude of paints or stains yet, but I can see i'll need to invest as I go forward. Thanks for the link... its great to see what can be achieved with skill and the right resources! I will keep these videos in my "How To" notes!

2nd try, and Keith, I really like the sample photo you posted. So far, I'm not able to get that look. One of my issues is that the "timbers" of the launchway are only 1/8" thick. So not much surface to work with! Anyway, my next try includes 6 pieces, with various shades of "brown" (I have to improvise with a red & black misture). I made grooves, but again, not much surface to work with. Could any of these work? I like @ or 3, or possibly 5?

Thanks for the feedback, Keith. I like your wire brush Idea. (Fortunately, I have just the thing... a wire brush that I use to clean my golf clubs!) What fun! Thanks!

Hi Keith, I was really interested in the 8" table top vise you just got on ebay, since I am looking for some way to hold my little phantom, when I start working on the deck and rigging (sometime in the future, since I have lots to finish on the hull first!) So I jumped over to ebay, and found a new, in-the-box, Workmate. I didn't get quite as good a deal as you got, but for under $60, I went ahead and bought it! Thanks for the showing it in your log!

@BrianK, Hi, and welcome aboard! Thanks for your tips about the sanders! @Keith Black, I decided to try my hand at weathering, after reading Gary's incredible logs. (What amazing detail!) Anyway, I tried to use what I have on hand, and I came up with a few samples. I started by mixing some "Iron Cannon Black" with "Warm White" till I came up with a nice shade of gray. Then took some scrap basswood, painted it with the gray, and then used a light coat of "MS 4831-White" brushed on sparingly. (I tried to use the "tape" method described by Gary, but I didn't have much luck.) But I like some of these samples, with #3 the best, followed by #4, #5, and #9. Any thoughts? Do any of these look "weathered" enough to use for my Launch Way?

Thanks Keith, I will read Gary's logs with much interest!

Keith, my plan was to use a light stain (Minwax Wood Finish "Golden Oak") which I have on hand. Not sure how to weather... I would assume it would involve a grey stain, but what else would need to be done to achieve a weathered look? It's a cool idea which I hadn't thought of!

WOW! Fabulous work! (of course, now I want to hear about that jeep in the hallway...)

Although the "workshop" has been put away for the holidays, the "Cutter" arrived today, and I just had to try it out! It worked well, and I cut 10 very evenly cut "keel blocks" and I trimmed the 32 bed timbers to a consistent length. They aren't perfect, but only because my original cuts didn't square off the ends very well. (The Cutter does a nice job on the ends!) I didn't want to continue to trim, as the 3" "target" length is now down to 2 3/4" and I figured no one would notice the slight imperfections in length! Happy Holidays everyone, and see you again after the New Year!

LOL, I'm trying to breathe through my eyelids, but I keep falling asleep! But with the help of my new "cutter" I am hoping to take my time and be more accurate in my cuts!

Thanks, this looks like a great idea! I can see alot of value in this, so I just decided to purchase it as a Christmas present to myself! Thanks!!!

Thanks Keith! I'm embarrassed to say that my "accuracy" problem is mostly from being too fast and too sloppy in my measurements!

Had to pack up the workshop (a.k.a. kitchen table) for the holidays, so I won't be getting much done till January. But I did try to cut the pieces for the Launching Ways, only to realize my ability to cut accurate 3" pieces of wood isn't very good! Some longer, some shorter than needed, so I tried to even them all out using a razor saw, but still didn't get really good accurate cuts. Figured they'll be ok, but not happy with my inability to make precise cuts! Initial attempt: Tried to trim the ends... still not great, but will have to do for now. Workshop packed up. After Christmas festivities, I'll be able to use the table again!