bhermann

Futtock Shroud Band…
 
More Metal Work practice…. 
 

Band shaped and soldered to fit proper height on the Main Mast. 

Drill holes and insert wire to form shackles.

Solder shackles in place. Use alligator clips to sink heat away from previous solder joints. 

File excess solder and shape brass. 

Repeat opposite side…

Clip excess wire inside and file inside diameter smooth. 

Drilling out the excess solder that flowed into the shackle. (0.8 mm)

Blacken after a bath in Acetone. 

Futtock Shroud complete…
 
Ready to build Trestle Trees.
 
Cheers 🍻 

Mast Hoops…
 
These need to be prepared and added to the mast “before” the trestle trees are built. If you forget… 

Immediately, I noticed these were not your typical laser cut parts.  

The laser did not cut through the bottom ply. This made for very tedious cutting and several broken blades. 😣

The small hoops were fine, popped right out. 😆

After sanding and staining the hoops are ready to go. 

Mast Hoops complete… 
 
Cheers 🍻 

A few more small updates...  As mentioned previously, I gave the hull several "seal coats" using the Minwax Wipe-On poly.  Nice and shiny!
 

 
Before sealing the deck and some of the box structures, I needed to finish the skylight.  As I did with the other boxes, I used some 1/16" thick basswood sheet stock for the base, the walls and the top.  As I've done on the other deck structures, I added some scrap stock to the inside corners for stability.  Stained the base and top and painted the walls white.  Drilled a 3/32" hole in the port and starboard sides. 
 

 
It was now time to position all of the deck structures completed so far on the deck, get them glued down, and seal everything.  Made sure everything set nicely to the contour of the deck, and PVA'd each structure in position.   Two coats of Minwax Wipe-On Poly were brushed on here, as it was hard to get into some of the tighter areas.  All in all, looked pretty sharp.
 

 
Now it's time to knock out some of the smaller deck pieces...
 
Fore Boom Sheet Buffer - I had already done the main BSB when putting in the aft main rail, because of the tight space underneath and, at the time, had cleaned up and painted the fore BSB cast metal piece black with the gold ring on top.  So, just needed to assemble the laser cut pieces for the little shelf that covers the BSB.  Painted the shelf white, drilled holes in the deck close to the great beam, inserted the Boom Sheet Buffer, and glued the shelf above it.
 

 
Main Boom Crutch - Laser cut piece for the vertical stand.  The base was made from a 1/16" x 7/32" piece cut 3/8" long.  Drilled partial 1/16" holes for the notches in the bottom of the stand to sit in when assembled.  Stained the base and painted the stand white.  Glued the base to its location on the deck behind the wheel box and in front of the main rail, but will not place the stand into the base until later, as it would be a prime candidate for getting knocked over by an errant arm swing while doing other things on this busy deck.
 

 
Bilge Pumps - I flattened the bottom of these castings with my Dremel, drilled a hole in the bottom and inserted a 1/32" brass rod to make it easier to secure to the deck.  Dropped in some white distilled vinegar to clean, then primed them and painted black.  Drilled holes in deck and used CA glue to fix onto deck.
 

 
Quarter Bits - Used 1/8" square stock. Although plans mention using wood, I decided to use brass rods and keep them brass colored.  Also placed 1/32" brass rods in the bottom to help secure to deck.  
 

 
Galley Stack - Same as the bilge pumps, I cut off the bottom piece of the Britannia casting using the Dremel to make it flat, and drill a hole for a brass rod.  Cleaned, primed and painted black.
 

 
Stern & Bow Chocks - Cleaned, primed, painted black and placed using CA glue.
Main Sheet Lead Block Horse - Used brass rod, drilled holes just in front of main boom sheet buffer and behind main boom crutch base.
Jumbo Jib Sheet Traveler Horse - Same procedure as the Main sheet horse above.  This one sits just ahead of the fore deck mast hole.
 
A few fun little pieces to knock out.  Next projects will be to assemble the fife rail and to work on the catheads.  From what I have read on others' build logs, the catheads could be a challenge.  
 
Always appreciate the drop-in peeks, likes and comments.  The advice I have received so far has been awesome and much appreciated.  Supposed to be in the 70s in Kansas City for the next week or so, so may try to get outside around the yard before it gets colder heading towards late fall and... ugghhh... winter.  

Opening up my Micro Foundry…

Fore Mast Cap…

3/16” Drill bit…

Soldering
 
.9 mm drill bit

complete assembly 

additional soldering 

Still working on my soldering skill set. Lots of micro filing needed to clean this up. 

Cleaning with Acetone 

Blackening

Brush off excess crud to polish it up. 

3 of 99 parts to go. Steady as she goes. 

Cheers 🍻 
 
 
 

Great job on reaching this milestone, John.  She is coming along beautifully!  Keep this up and you may inspire me to take up my own build again
 
Bob

Great job on reaching this milestone, John.  She is coming along beautifully!  Keep this up and you may inspire me to take up my own build again
 
Bob

Deck Furnishings complete…


Although my goal was realism in the storage of 16 oars and 20 Thwarts in the top Dory, which I believe I achieved, I don’t like the look. 

So, I have opted to place 8 oars neatly laid out in the top Dory on each side. I think it’s a much better presentation. 

The Deck is complete, just over a year since I started this project. It was July 18 2022 when I opened the box. I estimate 600 hours a year based on my first build where I actually tracked my hours. 😆

We are ready to go aloft! 
 
Thank you all for your comments, likes and encouragement a long the way. 
 
Cheers 🍻 

Batten Platform…

@GGibson Thanks for the reminder, I nearly forgot to place this small but important detail. I used 1/32” Mahogany,  only because I didn’t have the 1/64” material in a hardwood. I think we can overlook the over scale on this one, just this once. 😆 

On second thought… I will probably go for all the glory of my inspiration photo. I have looking at this photo on my bench for three years now. 

Steady as she goes… 🍻

Got a few more things completed...
 
NAMEPLATES/SCROLLWORK
The work on the nameplates and scrollwork took a bit longer than I had originally planned.  First, I was going to enlist the help of my 14-year-old granddaughter to assist me with some Photoshop work to take some of the scrollwork I had obtained on the internet, change it to a yellow color, give it a black background, add some text where needed, and print for me.  Well, a 14-year-old's life seems to be more hectic than papa's with schoolwork and other activities, so I decided to tackle the work myself.  Actually, didn't do too badly, after downloading the 30-day trial of Photoshop and fussing with it a bit.
 
I then stumbled a bit, as I was printing the decals using the clear version of Sunnyscopa Laser Waterslide Decal Paper.  That was not working out well, as the yellow print was just not showing well when placed on the black hull.  Duh!  How about using their white-backed decal paper?!?  Worked very well! 
 
As recommended by others, I used the Microscale Micro Set & Micro Sol setting solution before and after placing the decals, and that seemed to help the adherence.  Added the hawse pipe lips with CA glue around the scroll work.
 
       
 
BATTEN
Back up to some of the deck fixtures, I worked on completing the batten that sits next to the wheel box.  Pretty straightforward assembly.  According to the plans, the batten appears to be about 14mm x 9 mm, and not very tall (as it had to be an easy step up for the helmsman).  I first made the batten using some 1/64" x 1/16" wood stock, but after assembling, gluing and staining, it looked horrible, so... let's try again.  This time I used a thicker stock, 1/32" x 3/32", and it came out better.  Used a routine of stacking one long piece, and then two side pieces, then another long piece, then two side pieces, etc, etc, until I got to that 9mm width.  Trimmed the pieces sticking out, sanded sides and top to get down to an appropriate length and height, and this attempt looked much better than the first.  The picture is prior to staining.  Moving on...
 

 
COMPANIONWAY
Had a little more time before finishing another project, so worked on the companionway next.  Decided to construct this, similar to how I did the wheelbox, using full 1/16" sheet for all sides, the base and, this time, for the fixed and sliding roof, as well.  Used a very thin piece of scrap for the slide rails.  And, like the wheelbox, placed some scrap stock pieces in each inner corner for bracing/support.  Although the close-up pictures distort the construction a bit, the final product came out pretty well.  Not as fine as I've seen others, but this was good.
 
     
 
 
 
SEALING THE HULL
With the nameplates and scrollwork completed, I am now able to seal the hull and bulwarks with Minwax Wipe-On Polyurethane.  Gave it one coat, sanded fairly lightly with 800 grit sandpaper, and just gave it a 2nd coat.  We'll see how it looks in a few hours after drying, but two coats may be good.
 
I'm holding off on sealing the deck until I finish these "major structures" that sit on the deck and get them fixed on the deck.  I will then put a seal on the deck and the structures.
 
Still haven't completely decided on how this Bluenose will be displayed, but have been seriously thinking of using a launching way display with full rigging but no sails.  Whatever I am going to do, I probably need to decide soon, as I continue working on all of the deck structures, but before we get to the masts and rigging.
 
As always, appreciate the peek-ins, likes and comments.

Storage Bins…

Much Better! Back to carving out those pesky oars and thwarts. 😎
Cheers🍻

Additional Deck Furnishings…

Deck Furnishings are now complete and ready for fishing. Next up oars and thwarts stowed in the top Dories as seen in the fore ground of this photo. 


Cheers 🍻 

Continuing to work on the details and starting work on the masts.  Soldered up the stove pipe for the top of the cabin, and while I was at it, decided to make the other stack from scratch to try and improve on the cast piece.  I kept the base of the cast piece and drilled it out to insert the new brass pipe.

Added the dory racks to the deck and started work on the dories.  The boats are a bit of a challenge to get all the parts lined up and locked into the jig for gluing.  I got 4 put together and set everything off to the side to tackle later, as I was not happy with how things were turning out in the one boat I started to finish out.

On to the masts.  One note....Need to make sure you add the mast hoops BEFORE adding the spreaders and pin saddle!! Learning that the hard way and now need to figure out how to add them to the main mast without damaging anything.  

The laser cut pin saddle halves are larger in diameter than the mast.  Added wood strips to the inside after soaking and bending to fill the gap.

A few more details to add to the main mast and then on to the fore mast.
 
Tim
 
 

Waiting on an Amazon delivery in order to hopefully finish the Bluenose scrollwork and nameplate project.  In the meantime, let's knock out the unidentified object and the hatches, shall we? Two (well, technically three) pretty straight-forward simple builds...
 
For the unidentified object, I used a 7/16" OD dowel.  Before cutting it down to size, I first created the lid seam, as it was easier to do this in the mini-miter box with a longer dowel to hang onto.  Created the circle with the miter saw, and widened it slightly all around with an xacto knife.  Then cut the dowel at about a 4mm height.  Placed a small brass rod in the bottom, which made it easier to hold while staining/painting, and I can use it when I mount and glue this on the deck for additional adhesion/support.  Stained the lower part with red mahogany stain I am using for all of the deck buildings and painted the lid white.
 
For the hatches, since they are virtually the same, just slightly longer for the one being placed on the fore deck, I did a lot of the cutting, gluing and staining at the same time.  My measurements were 24x24mm and 24x36mm.  For the outside frame, I used 1/4" x 1/8" wood stock and used a 3/16" x 3/16" wood stock for inner support and something for the 1/16" panel sheet to sit on.  On both of the sheets, I made a groove down the center of the panel to simulate the door halves.  I stained the frames in the red mahogany again, and stained the hatch covers in a lighter cherry, which is what I will also stain the deck in a bit, as well as the masts. 
 
I will glue the covers inside the frame inserts and drill the appropriate holes on the covers and on the frame sides for the ringbolts.  I will also sand on the bottoms to match the deck curvature before permanently placing.  The attached picture is obviously before these guys were fully completed. 
 
Alright, I hope to get the nameplate issues I've been having resolved soon!  Thanks again for peeking in, along with the likes, comments, criticisms and recommendations.
 

Well, I finally got to the rudder assembly on my Bluenose.  I had actually worked on shaping and painting the rudder several weeks ago in some down time, in between one of the projects for which I was probably waiting on more parts delivery!  So now, it was time to complete the pintles and gudgeons construction and get the rudder attached to the hull.
 
In reading and studying many of the completed build logs for the Bluenose, such as those done by David Lester, Ed Kutay, Bob Hermann and others, also including current builds, I continue to look back especially to genericDave's Bluenose log and detailed descriptions, both here on MSW, as well as his Suburban Ship Modeler website.  I decided to attempt Dave's approach to completing the pintles and gudgeons for the rudder assembly.
 
My first task, then, was to make a building board like he did so that I could determine where to drill holes in the supplied 1/16" brass strips.  Using a scrap piece of board, I marked on it where I would drill the holes on the three (3) sets of strips.  I decided the pintles would have 3, 4 & 2 pinholes top to bottom, spaced 2.2mm apart, and the gudgeons would all have just 2 pinholes on all three, spaced 2.5mm apart.
 
Determining the thickness of the rudder and the sternpost at each contact point, I then made lines on the building board (and marks on the strips using an Xacto blade for where each of the strips would be bent in order to wrap around the rudder and sternpost/hull.  
 
This work gave me the opportunity to purchase a new tool for the shipyard!  In order to assist in making these super-small holes just millimeters apart from each other, I purchased a Proxxon Micro Bench Drill Press (Model #TBM115) and a Proxxon Micro Compound X/Y Table (Model #KT70).  I glued the outside edges of the strips (parts that would ultimately get cut off) to the board to keep them secure while drilling, using a #66 sized micro bit.  Although they weren't "perfect", the holes looked pretty darn good after drilling.
 
        
 

 
It was now time to solder tubes to all of the strips so that a pin could be placed in each of the pintles to create the hinge.  My past experiences with soldering did not go well.  What to do this time?  After some research, I decided to go the resistance soldering route and, once again, time for a shipyard purchase.  I got the MicroMark RSU unit.  After several practice rounds using scrap brass tubing and strips, I got comfortable enough to solder the 1/16" OD tubing to the pintle and gudgeon strips.  Using the Dremel, I then cut the excess tubing and, after a bit of reaming where necessary, confirmed that the pins would still go through the tubes.
 

 
I decided against using the Brass Black in order to darken the pieces, and instead cleaned them up with some white distilled vinegar and then primed and painted them with the same Liquitex Basics Acrylic Mars Black paint that I used on the hull.  I then secured each of the pins in the tubes with a spot of CA glue and cut the pins to their appropriate length to insert properly into their respective gudgeon.  Time to get these on the wood!
 

 
I first attached each of the pintles to the rudder using some J-B Weld ClearWeld Epoxy.  I set them in their locations on the rudder, wrapped them in wax paper (so the clamps wouldn't stick on any epoxy seepage) and clamped them for 24 hours.  I then drilled small shallow holes in the wood to match the holes in the strips, cut some brass nails with heads to a very short length, dipped them in CA glue, and inserted them to resemble the bolts.
 

 
With the ship upside down and resting on the foam cradle I have, I then fit the gudgeons onto the sternpost and hull in their appropriate spots, again using the J-B Weld epoxy to secure.  Once that dried, I then repeated the brass nail process on the gudgeon holes.  All-in-all, things came out pretty well.  One of those, from a natural viewing point, it looks good, but as the modeler and inspecting closely, I made a few oopsies.  Things to remember on my next ship's rudder installation.
 
      
 
Hopefully, I will be able to complete the nameplate and scrollwork in the coming days.  I've had several "re-do's" on that process, but may have an acceptable solution done soon.  Once that is done, I will do some touch-up work wherever need on the hull and then get it sealed and finished.  I've already started on some of the deck buildings in between some of these delays I've experienced on the bottom side, so progress has been slow but fairly steady.
 
Appreciate the peek-ins, comments and criticisms, and advice on anything that may be heading my way on the top side.  Thanks... 

Wheel box etc…

Deck furnishings complete. Woo Hoo!

Next up… I have decided to add a little something to the deck. I am going to add fishing gear. I asked the question, Are we going to fish or cut bait? The answer is of course, YES!
 
More research 🧐 

The Cabin…

Cheers 🍻 

Heading on vacation for a week tonight, so last update for a bit. What I've done in the last couple of days (not a huge amount, but something).
Attached and anchored the spanker boom topping lifts with their tackles. Attached the main spencer gaff and its topping lift Installed the mizzen skysail braces Installed lines for the main spencer vangs (although not the vangs themselves). I'm avoiding the vangs for now so I can get easier access to the pin rails. So a couple of views:
 

 

 

 
BTW, I guess I need to confess that I have not slavishly copied the belaying plan. I have, to paraphrase the instructions, put things where convenient as needed. This has been particularly true of the braces. I know - a shocking confession - but the plans were guides, and they are being belayed at least near where the plans suggest.
 
Reducing the list:
 
Spencer gaff: 2                                 Braces: 30 22
     topping lifts: 2                             Stun'sl booms on hull: 2
     vangs: 4  2                                    Stun'sl booms on yards: 12
Spanker boom: 1                             Davits: 4
     sheets: 2                                           Boat tackle: 4
     Topping lifts: 2                             Decals: 3        
Spanker gaff: 1                                 Gilded balls on mast trucks: 3
     peak halyard: 1                           
     Throat halyard: 1
     vangs: 2
     ensign halyard: 1
 
Change:
0 Additions
-6 (2 spanker topping lifts, 1 spencer gaff, 1 spencer gaff topping lift, 2 braces)
Net = -6
Remaining items: 57
 
As always, thanks for looking in, and I'll hopefully have an update in about 10-14 days.
 
George

Well, I keep delaying the work on finishing the rudder assembly, waiting on another tool addition to the shipyard, so... thought I would begin work on the cabin.
 
This is certainly one of the biggest deck structures for the Bluenose, and was challenging, yet fun, to build.  Started with 1/2" x 1/16" strips cut to size.  Used 1/4" support in corners and beams.  Probably used excessive support beams, but wanted to make the planking easier, with plenty of underneath support and gluing contact.  Also, rather than using small strips for the moulding, I thought I would use a full 1/16" stock piece as the base.  Also, cut pieces for the companionway and the skylight walls from 1/16" stock.
 
       
 
For the cabin rooftop, I used the same 1/8" x 1/16" planks that I used for the decking.  The planking was tapered bow to stern as needed in order to fit well.  The two outside planks on the port and starboard sides were a bit wider and were cut and sanded to shape for the edge overhang.  I should have used wider planks on all four sides, as a border, if I had it to do all over again.
 
The cabin rooftop was stained with the Minwax Red Mahogany stain that I decided to use for all of the deck structures.  I wanted the deck structures to be a bit darker than the cherry stain that the deck will be shaded.  It may be a bit darker than I had anticipated on this larger structure, but should be good once placed on the deck with everything else.  We shall see...  With the base stained and glued to the rest of the cabin structure, I then placed a piece of sandpaper on the Bluenose deck and sanded the cabin structure to match the deck camber.
 
For the compass cover, I used a spare block of wood, cut it and shaped it.  A 1/16" x 3/16" strip was then wetted, steamed, shaped and wrapped around the top for the cover.
 
For the skylight, I hemmed and hawed on how I was going to complete it, and was impressed with how others had completed their skylights in their build logs.  I used 3/64" x 3/8" strips cut for each of the skylight frames. A small sheet, painted black, was then placed behind each of the frames.  Using both some PVA and CA glue, I was then able to cut some 22 Ga. copper wire to form bars, and glued the wire bars to the black backing.  It worked out pretty well, but I probably used a bit too much CA glue.  Some cleanup, though, helped the appearance.  I may still do some touchup changes on this cabin before its final placement on the deck, after seeing John Ruy's pictures of the Bluenose II on his build log.
 
       
 
I still need to add the smoke pipe/vent, but will need to do some solder work for that.  I also need to do the soldering in order to complete the pintles & gudgeons on the rudder assembly, as well, so... guess that's next on the list!  

Pumps and another Hatch…

Up next, The Cabin…

Details…
 
Here are a couple of photos I took on board the Bluenose II. 

Cheers 🍻 
 
 

Main Mast and Fife Rail…

Laser cut parts for the Fife Rail. 

Did someone say “tedious”? 

Repaired…  

Next step, repair the knees.
NOTE: Knees were on up side down. 😬

Love my new micro drill bits…

Knees look better. 😆

Used paper strip for mast coat. 

Laser cut Boom Rest needed a bushing to fit the mast. Again, paper strip…

Snatch Blocks… More “tedious” detail. 

Chocks for Boom Rest. 

Paint White with Semi Gloss Poly. 

Galvanized Metal Chafing Peace for Main Boom Jaws. 

Completed Main Mast Fife Rail. 
 
Next up, another Hatch and Pumps. 

Cheers 🍻 
 

Thanks - appreciate the compliment. I tend to find that my hands start to shake after a certain amount of very fine work even without COVID, although it is annoying that I am still testing positive.
 
With that said, a short update. I finished the remaining sheets and clews on the mizzen royal and skysail yards.
 

 
And, I've started dealing with the spanker.
 

 
I've mounted the spanker gaff and boom. The gaff has both the throat and the peak halyards fully mounted. I've also put in the topping lifts, but I'm not going to mark them as done because I have to put in the tackles that connect to the live ends. 
 
So, the list:
mizzen yards: 5                               Jib halyards: 4
     lifts: 10                                         Jib downhauls: 4
     sheets: 8                                      Staysail halyards: 2
     clews: 8                                        Staysail downhauls: 2 
     halyards: 4
Spencer gaff: 2 1                              Braces: 30 24
     topping lifts: 2 1                          Stun'sl booms on hull: 2
     vangs: 4  2                                    Stun'sl booms on yards: 12
Spanker boom: 1                             Davits: 4
     sheets: 2                                           Boat tackle: 4
     Topping lifts: 2                             Decals: 3        
Spanker gaff: 1                                 Gilded balls on mast trucks: 3
     peak halyard: 1                           Fairleads on shrouds: 8
     Throat halyard: 1
     vangs: 2
     ensign halyard: 1
 
Change:
-3 (only 1 throat halyard, not doing 2 outhaul sheets) - also adjusted topping lift to spanker boom, and throat halyard to gaff)
-8 (spanker gaff, Spanker boom, peak halyard, throat halyard, 2 clews, 2 sheets)
Net = -11
Remaining items: 63
 
As always, thanks for looking in, and for the likes and comments.
 
Regards,
George

Only the two on top have been fitted inboard. I’m not that crazy. 😜 I do still have Sixteen pairs of oars to carve out and stow in the top of the Dories. 
 
John

Back from a HOT Florida visiting two of our granddaughters... ok, and their parents, as well... and jumping back to the shipyard to continue my Bluenose journey!
 
Placed an order for some items needed, and while I am waiting, I decided to knock out some of the eyebolt, ringbolt and belaying pin placements around the rails and bulwarks while the deck was empty and those are easier to place.  The supply of eyebolts and rings in the kit were nice, shiny brass, which I thought would look sharp around the deck, so went with the brass.  The belaying pins provided, though, needed to be painted brass in order to match and look nice along the rails.  I wanted to prepare and paint as many of the pins as I needed as effectively as I could, so I took a spare wood strip and drilled the necessary 1/16" holes to hold all of the belaying pins while I painted them. To match the brass eyebolts and ringbolts, I used DecoArt Extreme Sheen Vintage Brass Metallic Paint, and the process worked pretty well.  I drilled the holes in the appropriate locations along the rails, and also drilled holes for the eyebolts using a pin vise with a #71 micro drill bit.
 
   
 
Wheel Box
 
Still waiting on that other item, so let's begin working on some of the deck structures!  Seems like, in reviewing other build logs, everyone starts with the wheel box, so I will, too!  I measured each of the four wall sides from the plans, and using an available 1/16" thick basswood sheet, I cut out each of the sides using an X-acto blade.  Once cut, I sanded the port and starboard sides together so they matched, and started fitting all of them together so they made a nice box, and glued them using some PVA glue.  I placed some spare pieces of 1/8" square rail on the inside corners to make them even more solid. 
 
For the base, I glued together a 3/8" x 3/64" strip and a 1/4" x 3/64" strip, in order to make the base slightly wider than the box width, and cut to the proper depth, again slightly longer than the depth of the box.  I rounded the top edges of the completed base, then, so it appeared to mimick a cove baseboard moulding.  Pretty small. but I think the effect was there!
 
For the wheel box roof top, I glued together two (2) 3/8" x 3/64" and placed a 3/32" sq strip on each side to simulate an overhang. Once these were glued and set, I sanded each side, though, a lot in order to narrow the roof top to a nice fitting size. 
 
For the wheel box sides, I used a compass with a sharp point (same as I used to score the inside edges of the main rails when I cut them by hand) in order to create the grooves in the side panels.  That worked out pretty well.  Once all the pieces (the box, the roof and the base) all dry-fit properly and looked good, it was time to paint/stain.
 
            
 
So, I needed to decide if I was going to stain or paint many of the deck structures.  The plans call for using a Burnt Umber color paint, but many other modelers have been staining instead.  This is, then, an appropriate time to analyze and decide what I am going to do for various parts, such as the deck floor itself, the deck structures, masts, and blocks and deadeyes.  I had several stain variations on my shelf, so I tested them all on a spare piece of basswood, both with and without a pre-stain.  Red Oak, Cherry, Golden Oak, Early American and Red Mahogany.  My chart below may be hard to read and see the color variations clearly, but I decided to stain the deck at the appropriate time with Cherry.  The deck structures, like the Wheel Box I am currently working on, will be a slightly darker color, using the Red Mahogany stain. I will use pre-stain on all of these.  The masts will be stained with Cherry and the blocks and deadeyes will be dipped in a Golden Oak stain.  The Burnt Umber paint is sampled on the small board under the chart.  Very similar to the Red Mahogany stain, but I'll stick with the stain applications.
 

 
The staining and painting progressed well, and once all pieces were completed, it was time to glue them all up!
 
                       
 
The kit-provided steering wheel was in good shape, nothing broken or bent.  I dipped the Britannia casting in a bath of white distilled vinegar for about 10 minutes to clean it.  After it dried, I gave it a coat of white primer, followed by the DecoArt Extreme Sheen Vintage Brass Metallic Paint on the spokes and Liquitex Basics Acrylic Mars Black paint on the circle.    Once the paint dried, i drilled a hole in the front of the wheel box using the pin vise and a #55 micro drill bit, dabbed a little CA glue on the pin on the back side of the wheel, inserted, and... done.  All in all, came out looking pretty decent.  Had to set it on the deck to just see how it looked.  But it is now going in a safe place until it is time to permanently install!
 
                  
 
Still needing to work on completing the rudder assembly with the pintles and gudgeons.  Got a new tool for the shipyard, a Proxxon Micro Bench Drill Press, which I should be able to use right away with this rudder assembly.  I've got a large Delta 8" drill press out on the workbench in the garage, but thought this Proxxon would be best for these small pieces.  Ehhh, we will see!
 
Also, need to decide how I want to mount this Bluenose, as I discussed in my previous update.  Appreciate any advice/suggestions, and I always am thankful for the comments, criticisms, and likes.  I learn so much from others!  Thanks!

Thanks again for all the well wishes! I was back to work (from home obviously) last Monday but I am still testing positive 9 days later which is rather annoying. Still grateful for having a mild case, despite the long testing tail.
 
Between COVID and the dreadful weather I've had some time to work. So, current status. The mizzen top and topgallant sheets (the chain ones), their tackles the and associated clews are mounted on both sides.
 
The royal and skysail sheets and clews are mounted on the starboard side only. I have lines made but have only installed the royal clew as my hands were starting to shake. Not ideal when there are lines and yards everywhere.
 

 
While on virus themes, as I was stropping blocks with some wire, just how much they resembled bacteriophage T4, an E. Coli virus that was a common genetic research organism while I was an undergrad and grad student.
 

 

(Photo CC-BY from Wikipedia)
 
Anyway, I doubt current students bother with this sort of thing since we only used it because we couldn't sequence or synthesize DNA, but it amused me nonetheless.
 
The list:
mizzen yards: 5                               Jib halyards: 4
     lifts: 10                                         Jib downhauls: 4
     sheets: 8 2                                      Staysail halyards: 2
     clews: 8 2                                       Staysail downhauls: 2 
     halyards: 4
Spencer gaff: 2 1                              Braces: 30 24
     topping lifts: 2 1                          Stun'sl booms on hull: 2
     vangs: 4  2                                    Stun'sl booms on yards: 12
Spanker boom: 1                             Davits: 4
     sheets: 2                                           Boat tackle: 4
Spanker gaff: 1                                 Decals: 3        
     throat halyard: 2                         Gilded balls on mast trucks: 3
     peak halyards: 1                          Fairleads on shrouds: 8
     topping lifts: 2
     outhaul sheets: 2
     vangs: 2
     ensign halyard: 1
 
Change:
+0 (Nothing Added!)
-12 (6 clews, 6 sheets)
Net = -12
Remaining items: 74
   
As always, thanks for the likes and for looking in.
 
George