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realworkingsailor

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Everything posted by realworkingsailor

  1. Thanks again, everyone. A small break from the shipyard today, well... Half day break.... Started working on getting the stern section ready. Unfortunately there seem to be few clear photos kicking around, of the Stad's stern. The views that I've found will allow me to progress to some degree, the rest will have to be a matter of conjecture, educated guesswork, and comparison with contemporary vessels. Like I stated at the beginning, the goal is to creat something that looks superficially similar to the prototype. One of the key sticking points right now is the arrangement of the stern anchor. More on that tomorrow when I've managed a bit more progress..... And photos... Andy
  2. I think there was a few build logs of this ship on the old MSW.... And we all know what happened.... Interesting idea, dropping the gunport patterns, looks like it should work well for you. Andy
  3. Sjors, Yes I will be using an airbrush (and the odd rattle can too). She will be painted at the club, as we have a spray booth. She will also be displayed there as part of the layout, so no cases need to be bought, or space made in the house (at least after she's built). And for the record, it's not that my bench is too short.... More like it's too crowded.... Andy
  4. Looks great, Tom! Sorry I missed your earlier posting, but everything turn out really nice. Can't wait to see it all painted up and installed. Andy
  5. Like many of the chemicals we use, ventilation is the key. I have a large ceiling fan that can move a considerable quantity of air.... Also being sparing with the application and keeping the lid on the bottle as much as possible, keeps the fumes to a minimum. As for the wheelhouse details, most are already supplied with the kit and just need a bit of cleaning up. But all that will have to wait until the painting has happened. Andy
  6. To be honest, bite the bullet and go with CA. Get a respirator and gloves too, if you need them. Make sure any mould release is washed off the resin first, before gluing parts. Also it helps to rough up the mating surfaces a little with some 220 grit sandpaper. Hope that helps. Andy
  7. It's very different from the rest of the world, a unique take on short-sea shipping. If you get the chance, you should tour the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway system, you'd find it very worth while. Andy
  8. I have no idea where the term originated, but on a forward end job, the deck below the wheelhouse is traditionally called the Texas deck. But this seems a reasonable enough explanation: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_(steamboat) As for the eyebrow, I'd love to be able to tell you how I calculated all the geometry and worked out all the radii..... But to be honest, it was half way between a lucky guess, trial and error and referring to the part supplied for the kit pilot house. With a small dose of swearing thrown in for good measure Andy
  9. More work on the forward house. It seems every time I turn around, there some other little bit to be added on. One of those perilous things about knowing how actual ships are built.... it can make things rather tedious... So I've finished the eyebrow over the forward pilot house windows. I've also added monkey's island (yes the IS what the top of the wheel house is called.... stop laughing..... seriously..... stop it!). It is removable for now, so that after painting, I can still access the inside to I can add all the nice details. I then carried on the deck framing under the Texas deck. A few more bits to add around the sides and the forward corners. And finally, just for good measure, in case anyone has forgotten how big this beast of a model ship really is.... Andy
  10. If you're going with a power drill, yes a brad point is the way to go. I did all mine by hand, so I used ordinary drill bits, but I start small and work my way up to the size I want. A final touch up with a round file and voila..... Port holes. Andy
  11. She's going to be part of a scene on a model railway club layout. (I'm a part of the club BTW). The scene will be a representation of the Stelco steel mill in Hamilton, Ontario, which received a large part of their raw materials via lake boat. And all my fingers too First off, I wanted to model a ship from the company I work for (proudly celebrating the 100th anniversary of its formation this year). Secondly, I had to find a ship that was proportionately similar. In this case, the major dimensions scale out to roughly 70% of the prototype, so she's slightly selectively compressed, but believeable. Thirdly, for some sadistic reason, I've wanted to build this kit up as a self-unloader.And finally she had to be operating through different eras. On the club layout, the goal is to be able to depict the changing railway scene in southern Ontario from the 50s to the 90s, and although my ship was not always a self unloader (converted in 1958/59), or was owned by CSL (sold in the mid/late 60s), she did last until 1983. Hope that answers your question(s) Andy
  12. Thanks Popeye, I'll have further updates tomorrow on my progress. I've since started work on the "eye brow" over the windows as well as a removable (for the time being) top for it as well. Andy
  13. Carrying on.... Spent a lot of time yesterday cutting out windows.... a tedious task, pretty much on par with tying ratlines... but with the added risk of turning fingers (or the styrene sheet) to hamburger. A word of advice.... always use a fresh sharp blade, it won't hang up as much in the plastic, decreasing the ammount of force needed to make the cuts. And always make a cut in several light passes, don't try and cut through on the first pass..... So... the windows... yes... an important feature of the pilot house, whose sides I have now completed. I made most of them from 0.030" sheet, but the forward curved part I opted to use 0.020" sheet. A little thinner to help make the curve a little easier. A few more finishing touches and it will be ready to paint. I won't be putting the top on just yet. I have to finish the interior after painting... and add window glazing. For now it will have to sit as a hollow shell. Also got some 0.040" round stock to cap off the Texas Deck (Yes, that's what it's really called) bulwark. I know right now it seems I'm repetitively posting various shades of the colour white, but believe me, a ship is emerging slowly from all of that. When the time comes to paint, it will make a startling difference. Andy
  14. Having worked one season on a forward end job.... We walked back for meals. Rest assured, however, that most of these ships were fitted with side tunnels just below the main deck so you could make your way aft safely in any weather. Andy
  15. Hi Matti, Everyone tells me to be careful with resin, but from my research, it seems to have an effect only if you are already allergic to it (just like CA glue). Look under "health and safety": http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyurethane Andy
  16. Sjors, the way this kit was designed, in three major sections (fore, midship, and aft) it allows the builder to customize the length if desired, since Sylvan supplies extra sections for just that purpose. Andy
  17. If you can, mild dish soap and water, well rinsed off afterwards. Otherwise, Windex should also work well. Are you looking to cover the old paint, or remove it? Andy
  18. Do a google image search for "steam blowdown muffler" Might give you some inspiration. Andy
  19. A slow-ish day in the yard. Got a few things done though... Installed the hawse pipes. One of those things that will never be seen, but nice to know they're there! Also some more work on the foreward house. Added some frames to the upper bulwarks. I still need to cap the bulwark with some round stock. I was on the fence about modifying the kit supplied pilot house, or going it on my own. I opted once again for the latter option. As built, the Stadacona had a typical Lakes style semi-circular design. In order to improve rear-ward visibility, after her conversion to a self unloader, enclosed wings were added. You will also note that the house was also raised up from the deck about 3 feet or so, this was not a modification from her conversion, but rather, she was built in this manner. I'm not entirely sure on the reasons why this was done, but the practice of raised pilot houses persisted until the begining of all-houses-aft lakers in the 1970s. Andy
  20. What about model railroad figures? There might be something in O scale (1:48) from Preiser or Faller Andy
  21. Sjors: She's a very traditional laker. The forward house has the wheelhouse (pilot house) on top, the captain's and officer's quarters just below and the deck crew's quarters just below that. The after house has the engineer's quarters, the galley (and galley staff quarters) and, of course, the engine room. Hope that helps Andy
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