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Freebird

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Everything posted by Freebird

  1. Freebird
    Walrusguy, I’ve been closely following your fantastic log and applaud your talents and efforts! Quick question for ya (perhaps Chuck can chime in also). I’m a big fan of Alaskan Yellow Cedar (AYC), because of its wonderful color and workability. The question is, do you think that using thinner 1/32 thick planks instead of 1/16 thick planks is doable? Thanks for your thoughts! Best Regards …. Rick
  2. Freebird
    I know this is an order post, but…. does anyone make any replacements for the cast metal parts (mostly the figurehead) that come in the kit? I’m not crazy about the supplied items. TIA! Best Regards …. Rick
  3. Freebird
    Thanks Chuck! The hunt is on! Best Regards …. Rick
  4. Freebird
    Thank you All, for the likes! Much appreciated! Question for the group. I’m very close to starting the sticks and strings, and I want to serve the shrouds as I have Chuck’s serving machine. What size and color thread have you guys used for serving? I’ve been reading the build logs but haven’t seen much on the subject other the lines being served. Thanks for the help! Best Regards …. Rick
  5. Freebird
    As I mentioned above, I made another tiller. I think this one (one on top), looks much better. Best Regards …. Rick
  6. Freebird
    More enjoyable work has been completed. I’ve dressed the nails on the port side and applied a coat of WOP. I also made and attached the fixed block on the stem. And last but not least, the rudder has been shaped and made the tiller. I’m probably going to make another tiller as I’m not happy with this one. Best Regards …. Rick
  7. Freebird
    Got the molding glued to the port side. I soaked a few inches in hot water for several minutes, clamped it in place around the bow and dried it with a heat gun. Worked very well. Now that was completed I could finish the treenails on the port side. I’ll clean them up tomorrow and reapply a coat of WOP. Best Regards …. Rick
  8. Freebird
    Still looking for ideas to bend the boxwood molding before gluing it into place. Any recommendations? Best Regards …. Rick
  9. Freebird
    Had some time to spend in the shipyard and accomplished a few tasks. Iron work has been blackened and attached to the thwart and the thwart has been installed and also the last of the thwart knees. Windlass and the bars are also completed and a couple coats of WOP applied. The iron work was a bigger challenge than I expected. So far, so good. Up next is the fixed block on the stem. Best Regards …. Rick
  10. Freebird
    Thank you Captn! I’ve learned a lot and have really enjoyed the build. Waiting in the dockyard is Cheerful, love the lines on that Cutter! Best Regards …. Rick
  11. Freebird
    Quick question to those that have gone before me. I'd like to glue the molding in place under the frieze, however the boxwood strip is very stiff and greatly resists bending at the bow. How do I overcome this? Do I set up a jig and soak the wood for a while and clamp in the jig? Or do I soak the wood and then clamp it in place on the hull and let it dry? I don't think that applying heat to the hull is a good idea. Also, what glue should I use? I don't want to make a mess. Need some thoughts here, Thank you! Best Regards .... Rick
  12. Freebird
    Thanks guys for all the likes and great comments, much appreciated! This has really been a fun and exciting project! Best Regards …. Rick
  13. Freebird
    Made the windlass and the bars today, still need to size and round the ends of the windlass. Not sure how to approach this as I don’t want to mess it up. Also added 4 of the 6 knees on the thwarts. I want to complete the mast thwart outside of the hull. As you can see, the paint has taken a beating, no worries though as a couple more coats are needed. Best Regards …. Rick
  14. Freebird
    This morning I wanted to do something a little different, so I cleaned up the pedestals and glued them to the cross braces. I also taped some sandpaper to the hull and tapered the arms to match the bottom of the hull. Best Regards …. Rick
  15. Freebird
    Rcmdrvr, I’ve read many of the build logs on this site and one of the themes I’ve noticed is that slow and steady is the path. Trust me, there are several belaying pins in the trash that don’t look anything like belaying pins and some planks didn’t make the grade. Also, don’t settle for substandard work, just about every task to date has taken more than one try. If there’s something I don’t understand, I stop and search other logs for possible solutions. Main thing though is to have fun. Best Regards …. Rick
  16. Freebird
    Still more progress. I wanted to get the mast thwart in place, so it was time to tackle the belaying pins. Again, I’ve never made anything like this, but using the photos in Chuck’s practicum, I was able to turn out (pun intended) some pins using my Dremel and 3/32 square boxwood. I know Chuck says to use 1/16 square stock, but I wanted to have a little more wood to work with. Best Regards …. Rick
  17. Freebird
    Thank you Chris, much appreciated! I have learned so much from this site. One piece of sage advice I believe was from Chuck, take your time and treat each piece/part as its own project. Never thought of modeling in that fashion and it’s making me a much better builder. Best Regards …. Rick
  18. Freebird
    Another first, I made a scraper from 1/32 brass and made the moldings. Looks good to my eye, even though I’d use some thinner brass next time. Best Regards …. Rick
  19. Freebird
    Here’s my story. I have been building plastic and balsa airplanes as far back as I can remember. My father was a true craftsman building R/C planes and I learned a lot from him. Over the years though, I yearned to build a wooden POB or POF ship. Back in the mid 70’s I bought a Cutty Sark (I forget the manufacturer), anyways with my meager and limited skills I tried to build this ship and failed miserably. So I shelved the idea of wood ship models and concentrated on R/C planes. Fast forward to 2020 and I was having a conversation with Nic of Bluejacket fame (he’s been a good friend for quite a few years), and he turned me on to this site. To say I was blown away is an understatement! There are so many talented builders and information and how-to’s, it was mind numbing. After reading so many inspiring build logs, I honed in on Chuck’s offerings (I also have 3 Model Shipways kits, which are Chuck’s designs). After reading about his Medway Longboat, I decided this was the place to start, and I’m not disappointed. I loved the lines and the support that is offered by those who went before me, which is truly amazing and appreciated! So some 40 years later, I started on my desire to build a wooden boat/ship. I’m currently on/off working on a Syren Medway Longboat and I’m just amazed with the results. While I know some skills are needed and more need to be developed, the design also contributes greatly to success. So while I believe there are many very good kits out there, I love Chuck’s approach to make modelers develop skills that greatly improves building skills. I’ve built a lot of kits in my time, but ship modeling building is on a different level that I’m enjoying to the max. So my experiences so far is with Syren Ship Models (I have Cheerful waiting in the wings), and has been my to go source. I also look forward to building my Model Shipways kits. Those are the only 2 vendors at this time I’ve gotten items from, but I’m eyeballing some from Vanguard Models as Chris’s approach are very unique. Attached are a few Medway pictures. Best Regards …. Rick
  20. Freebird
    Thank you Chuck, that means a lot to this newbie! Merry Christmas! p.s. My Admiral …. er Santa was very generous with the beginnings of a Winnie! Best Regards …. Rick
  21. Freebird
    BTW - Thanks for all the likes! Much appreciated! Best Regards …. Rick
  22. Freebird
    Had a little time to accomplish a task or two, so I decided to tackle some metal work. Like most items on this project, the metal work is something I’ve never done. Took 3 tries to make half mast hoop, still needs a little tweaking. The straps weren’t too bad, again took several attempts to get the holes drilled in a straight line that was centered. Not perfect, but being I was running out of metal I had to quit while I was ahead. Next up is to blacken the brass. Merry Christmas to All! 🎁🎄 Best Regards …. Rick
  23. Freebird
    Just catching up on this build, beautiful! Quick question - will the figurehead be available separately? Merry Christmas to all! Rick
  24. Freebird
    Haven’t had much time to work on the longboat. I added the frieze, added some filler to fill the gap in the cockpit and added a few more coats of paint. The knees for the thwarts have been fitted and are being painted, several more coats are needed. I really like Chuck’s technique of applying many coats of thinned paint, results are really nice. The transom frieze was very difficult to size, I’m not really happy with it. I may redo it. Best Regards …. Rick
  25. Freebird
    Thank you, Todd! It’s been a fun and challenging build. I too hope that Chuck will cut a few more. Best Regards …. Rick

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