Stevinne

I just recently ordered one of their small torpedo boats and their PC-461 subchaser. I haven't built either yet, but they came quickly and the quality of the moldings seems good with lots of detail molded on, though there is a little flash. I've never done resin before, and these looked like good places to start. At about $25 for each kit, though they are small, they seem like a good deal, since they do come with the photoetch you need. Let me know if you'd like pictures of the unbuilt kits.

Going a little covid-stir-crazy, so broke out the Dremel tool today and filed the bulwarks to the curved outline from the plans. Fairly easy to do, though the Dremel quickly takes wood away and I have one divit that I will need to fill when I sandwich it between two layers of second planking.

One of the best things about working from home (but don't tell my boss).

Jean-Pierre, you are right. The ship history that came with the kit said she was a ship used by the Elector of Brandenburg. She was built in the Netherlands and then sold to him. That's why I called it Dutch. It looks like she served in the Baltic around Konigsberg.

Zappto, Sorry for not responding sooner. Yes, the stern gets a covered during the second planking. I will do it first, and then the rest of the hull. This way, the ends of the stern planking will be covered by the ends of the hull plank, which should make it look better when viewed from the side.

I figure since I am moving forward, I'll post some pictures of the jig I used to determine the angle of curve for the bulwark. My wife saw me cutting out the stern piece and wanted to know why I was making a wax paper jack-o-lantern.

I also play the tin whistle and recorder and have been threatening to learn the bagpipes, but had the same fears about maintaining my marital status. This year for Christmas I got an electronic bagpipe chanter that allows you to play while wearing headphones. I think it was a subtle comment on my playing.

The problem, I find, with being bad at banjo is that the things are so godawful loud. I can play my electric guitar with the headphones on and not bother anyone. I need to close the door when I pick up the mandolin, but it can also be played pretty softly. But the banjo? That sends folks running for the hills when I attempt it.

Taking a look at my log, I realize I had skipped a step. A couple of months ago I planked the facings of the cabins. I wasn't particularly happy with how they turned out, (maybe that's why I didn't post pictures) particularly the facing of the stern castle leading to the waist. On reflection, I probably should have planked them once I installed the false fronts and before I did the hull planking. I also starting from the top and worked my way down, since I had to leave the posts for the rails uncovered. That led to some difficulties when I got close to the deck. Something to consider if you are ever building this kit. My plan now is to add a water/glue mixture to the gaps once I remove the frames and see if sawdust might hide some sins. My other regret is that I didn't plank the deck before I planked the hull. I did this because the frames continue up above the deck. The idea is that the frames lend support while planking the hull and are then cut off, the nubs sanded down and then the deck planked. But now it is going to be difficult to make the deck planking in the big opening in the waist leading to the stern castle look good. Oh well, a hobby is supposed to fill the time, right?

Been a while, and I'm sorry. I'd like to say that in the intervening months I had gotten better at the mandolin and learned the banjo, but that might be exaggerating things. I had hoped that by now I'd be out of the unheated garage and into an indoor shipyard, but this virus lockdown has delayed my daughter's plans on moving out of the room that I have been quietly coveting since she completed her masters degree, since here they aren't sending out inspectors to issue CO's. Can't complain though. With my son back from college for the rest of the year, and my daughter pretty much prevented from going anywhere during the evening and my wife's library closed, we are all home together and getting along surprisingly well. I'm sure that I, at least, will always appreciate this extra, unexpected time together before my kids truly become adults. One of the problems with no dedicated build space is that I have no place to permanently hang my plans. Earlier this week, during lunch while working from home, I laid them out on the table and traced the lines onto a piece of wax paper and compared them to my model in preparation for the second layer of planking. I outlined the curve of the planks that I need to sand on the forecastle leading to the waist, and found that I had cut a little too much from the planking leading from the stern to the waist. Since this model will be double planked, not too big a deal. Rather than tearing all the planks off, I just added extensions. My next task is covering these with artist's paste and then sanding flat and then cutting gunports on the stern as well as a cutout for the tiller to enter the hull.

Welcome aboard, love your work so far. I'm originally from the Kensington section, so good to see another Brooklyn face.

Wow, they look a lot more majestic in the wild. A great picture. Thanks!

I've got two pets who, after my wife goes to sleep, begrudge anytime spent working on hobbies instead of paying attention to them. Lucy is our Springer/Cocker Spaniel mix and one of the joys of my life. She is truly the "best dog in the world," even if she made making my hand-made bamboo fly rod a little more difficult with her need for attention. Birdy Bird came into our family when we inherited him from my elderly neighbor who couldn't care for him. When we first met, Birdy climbed up to my shoulder and promptly fell asleep. He's called Birdy because we spent several months several years ago caring for him and thinking he wasn't ours before it became clear my neighbor wasn't coming back and we took responsibility for him. We hadn't wanted to name him, but now he gets petted when I wake up in the morning and gets a little bit of my cereal, and then comes out every night and sits on my shoulder for about an hour. A very affectionate creature with about as good a sense of humor as a bird can have.

So sorry to hear this. I hope for the best for you and would like to thank you for the hours of pleasure I've had reading your great logs. The best of luck to you.

I envy you. I've been fishing three decades, mostly on the East Coast, but also in Montana. I started tying flies and eventually built a bamboo rod from a blank. I do use some of my tying tools when rigging ships.