Peanut6

I could have sworn that I had this build log marked to follow, sorry Knocklouder. After a strong power reread I'm up to date, and now that its marked I won't miss any more of your great progress.

Hey Knocklouder, you probably spent some days at the track to learn that word, lol. But since you made an NHL reference, I would say you had back to back Hat Tricks Myself, I got confirmation during the first play of the Super Bowl, that I won our NFL season long game picking contest for the 6th time in its 35 year history and was able to enjoy the Super Bowl without any pressure of possibly falling out of 1st place which made my jalapeno and cheddar cheese sausages taste all the better. Now I need to see the save you made on your Mayflower. HHH, we wouldn't be hijacking your wonderful build log, would we?

If I'm not mistaken, you are in the correct area for that to happen (sorry, couldn't help myself)

Interesting jig you came up with. It could/should be able to get most of your planks bent close enough that some fine tuning and a bit of coaxing gets them just as they need to be. May I ask why you opted for ammonia and a soak time of 3 days? I've not heard of that combination being used before and looking to learn something here. I've got some guesses but don't know for sure.

Perfection has been achieved.

Hey Scotty, welcome aboard. As Allan said, great backstory. I'll be following along with your build as I'm very strongly leaning towards this kit for my second build. I'm so close to finishing up my little Jolly Boat, but just can't seem to get my act together lately so I can get it done. I've decided it's better to hold off and be in the right frame of mind than to force thru it just to be done. As I'm sure you're figuring out, this site is the best. So many knowledgeable and experienced people who are more than willing to guide/advise you thru any snags you may come across. All you have to do is ask. Just about any oops/error/screw-up/failure can be fixed/corrected if you feel strong enough to do it, so don't feel as though you must resolve yourself to a situation if you can't "live with it". Regarding your CA trouble, you might want to consider using a gel form. Some builders swear by CA and others avoid it like the plague. I finally tried the "liquid" formula and had major issues. Then I tried a medium gel formula and it made all the difference in the world. The various formulas will have different set-up times to help you decide which one fits your needs. I only use CA when clamping is an issue. Good luck with your build and don't hesitate to ask questions. Oh, BTW you can/will get better responses/replies to your questions if you post them both in this build log but also in the appropriate folder. More people will see your question(s) there than those who may be following your build. Sorry to ramble on like this. Have fun and enjoy the voyage of your first build

The oars look pretty sharp. I see some "dangladge" below the rudder on what looks like your "corkscrews", would that be the aft ballast and release mechanism?

you wouldn't need corkscrews if you went the way of the amber nectar it' looking beautiful HHH, you should be very proud

HHH, looks great. IMHO, I think blackening them would be best.

Hey HHH, you always make me smile, thank you. This is what I've learned about the "liquid refreshments" approach, it usually doesn't work but after awhile you really don't care. The problem is you have to realize it isn't working before you don't care anymore or you've gotten yourself into more trouble than just a little bit. Why would your pictures be all wet with black paint? I know I'm a newbie but I would think it might work out a lot better if you would want to put the black paint on your Dremel holed tiny brass pieces Sorry, once again I couldn't help myself.

It appears that a decision has been made, but I would like to go back to the original question. You might be able to look into local high schools, colleges, clubs, etc. I've become aware that they often accept these types of "jobs" for free, or the cost of the material, as a teaching tool for their students and some clubs will do it as a courtesy or learning experience, even some merchants will do this type of stuff in hopes of making a future equipment sale. Just a thought for you to consider if you haven't pulled the trigger yet on a purchase.

Looks great I've learned, as I'm sure you have, to take the oops' that turn into "well that'll work just fine" as a victory that you planned all along

Ultimately it's your call on what you would like to do. IMHO, for the money it might be a great learning opportunity for you to see what you can do the way you want to do it. A clean slate to go anywhere and do anything you want.

" , . . . if I can" says the man who has proved that he can do anything with such great skill and artistry to humble one and all. I really enjoy your work, it is a wonder to behold.

Really looking good overall and the tiller is pretty sharp, I like it, the slow and steady progress you're making is getting it done quite nicely. More than I can say for myself, I can't seem to get it gear again - maybe I need a new throw-out bearing.

Very nice HHH. @Hollowneck, I was thinking the same thing.

Wow those are tiny.

Welcome aboard Chuck, a ditto to what others have said. Sure sounds like you're introducing yourself into the hobby with the best possible attitude. Keeping things in the proper perspective and accepting that some things are going to be a given (good or bad), or at least they're the nature of the beast due to one's experience/situation, probably will help keep you in your happy place during the most frustrating times of a build. But never despair, you've got over 43,000 people here who, at one time or another, stood in the exact same place as you. A newbie wanting to try something new because, for one reason or another, it just looks like it could be very fun, rewarding and satisfying. Probably one of the biggest pieces of advice I can offer, never ever hesitate to ask questions. No matter how silly or inane you think they may be, you really need to ask. I'm sure you'll be surprised how helpful and supportive this bunch can be. Everyone here really does want to help each other and takes great joy in seeing one succeed. So be patient with yourself, have as much fun as you can and enjoy the voyage.

One does not have to perfect an endeavor to experience the joy and satisfaction of the practice. The key is that what ever it was, served it's purpose and you found enjoyment. IMHO a diversity of interests most definitely helps to help keep life fun and interesting. Might it be possible to use a poor man's lathe, a variable speed hand drill, to do what you need to do? That is how I turned down my stuff. Granted it may take a bit of thinking/planning to do, I have no idea what exactly you need to do but it might be a possibility.

The thought that immediately comes to mind is how many people have used that table and what drawings came from it over the years. It is becoming more and more evident that you are a man of many skills. Scientist, writer, musician, hobbyist, angler and now we learn you are a painter. I suppose that leaves just one question , , , , do you do windows? Sorry, I couldn't resist. Oh, and by the way, the turret looks pretty sharp to boot!

Oh my, that is quite the find. Very old school and probably weighs more than a few pounds. Good for you

Dude Ya' nailed it IMHO I can't see how it could have turned out any better Now what thoughts do you have for how you plan on using that drafting table?

Wow HHH, that is looking very good. I can't wait to see it stained, the grain patterns of the planks should make for a really nice presentation, IMHO.

@Keith_W thank you so much for the ratio information, as I suspected I had mine all wrong and it is no surprise it didn't work for me.

HHH, I've tried the PVA and sawdust mixture on my Jolly Boat. It really didn't work for me but I'll bet I had the proportions wrong. I saw a build where they filled the gags with PVA and then packed sawdust in abundance over the top and they had great results when it dried and was sanded down. I do know that you can get wood filler in different colors so you can select the one that most matches your wood. My experience has been that PVA doesn't take a stain and some wood fillers do not either. In "window shopping" at various stores I know that there is a stainable wood filler. For me I guess the brass ring would be a colored stainable wood filler.