Altduck

Howdy everyone, 
 
I know it has been a while since I last updated this log, This has been one busy summer and I have hardly had time to work on any personal projects. Most of the last few months have been spent helping my daughter and son-in-law get their house finished, most of the stuff they didn't want to contract out like running the 900' water line, fencing, dirt work, tree clearing and other odds and ends. However with the bulk of the work done I finally found some time focus on my projects and get some work done on the shipyard.
 
I am not real sure what day I left off on so I will just post some of the things that I have accomplished.
 
First, I took ,my adjustable work bench and scaled sown the top a bit to fit in the room. The length had to be cut down to 5' from 6' and I squared off the front to make it more uniform.

 
I took the old gray, dinged up bottom and gave it a fresh coat of flat black, to fit my color scheme of the room a little better.

 
Next, I wanted to dress off the edges of the top, so I purchased some vinyl trim to protect the edges, routed the groove and installed the edging. 


The final product, I am completely satisfied with.


 
Then it was on to building the shelves for my reloading bench to help organize some of the clutter. I didn't take any pictures of the building process, but this is the finished results.

 
 
Next, I wanted to have a place that I could use to clean my guns, or work on them, or other tasks, but didn't want to take up more space, so I decide to build a Murphy Desk. Some thing that would fold up out of the way, but could be setup quickly if I needed the extra counter space. Again, I failed to take pictures of the build, but this is what I came up with.


 
Finally, needed a place to store all of my wood strips that wouldn't take up valuable counter top space. Some place out of the way, but with easy access. I decided that a small shelf under my storage area was the perfect place. I just purchased some inexpensive drawer dividers, turned them on their side and glued them into place on the shelf. Now I can keep them nice and organized and out of the way, and all I have to do is a 180 from the workbench and grab what I need.

 
I've started work on the book/display case. So far I have managed to get the main framework of it built, I just need to cut and install the facing and trim, then paint it all up. I plan on running lights to the display area, where my Chaperon proudly sits temporarily and I will also install a glass panel on the front to help keep the dust off of her.

 
More to come soon. The brutal Texas summer has finally started to subside and the weather is getting a bit more tolerable to work out in the barn.
 
Thanks again for stopping by, and I hope to not wait so long between updates. I'm really ready to be done with this project and get back to the Caroline. Her hull has been sitting on the workbench, neglected and untouched for way too long.
 
-Brian

https://www.pressherald.com/2023/10/09/one-killed-3-injured-in-accident-aboard-the-schooner-grace-bailey/
 
 

Not the final product yet, but the stern balcony is put in place for further work later on - after the planking work on the areas above wheatherdeck and etc.

Hi All,
 
It's been a while since my last update as I have been quite busy at work recently. I managed to finish the door & window frames at the aft gallery area and also finished planking this section. After which I began planking the upper levels. 

Clever!!!!

They sure are pretty little tools.
Which size did you get, and how did you decide?

They sure are pretty little tools.
Which size did you get, and how did you decide?

So I had gotten both of my wheels done yesterday just to realize that all of the handles were too long. After trying to shorten them and breaking several I just had to remake all 20 of them. I’m just happy that I was able to speed up my turning process. I now have both joined together!

Model Shipways Shipwright Series combo bought.  Thanks folks for talking me into the water.

Im definitely starting to get excited about getting my spar deck done! My fife rails are done and I’m extremely glad that I just made all of my stanchions completely from scratch!

Yes I use my pullouts on both sides at times. My hobby desk is a roll top desk. It keeps the cats and little one from all the tools and paints and it conceals the general mess that my desk turns into when I’m working.

Good evening mates, another update on the hull. I have put on the last coat of primer, sealing in the rivets. So far I’m very pleased with the results.
 

Mounting her, (to a base), get your minds out of the gutter.
 
Now it was time to get the ship mounted on its permanent base from its temporary construction mount.  I was terrified to drill the mounting holes for the screws through the keel and into the interior of the ship.  I measured and measured and planned and planned how to do this critical step. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I searched for the best possible screws to do the job since I thought the ones that came with the kit were too long.  The kit supplied a beautiful piece of wood for the stand, already routed on the edges.  It just needed a little sanding, some stain and good gloss varnish.  The brass mounts were terribly tarnished after being in the box for almost 50 years, so I gave them to a neighbor to clean up with his Brass-o since he was so interested in the model.  He brought them back shiny as new a couple of days later, thanks Rob, so I never touched them with my bare fingers and gloss varnished them as soon as I could.  Next onto drilling holes in the stand for the mounting screws.  I measured two points along the centerline of the stand equidistant from the ends of the stand and at points on the ship that broke the keel into thirds. 
 

 

 

 
 
 
After searching for better replacements for the kit screws, I went with the originals but had to cut off a little from the end of each so they wouldn’t go into the interior of the ship but stop in the keel.  I had to find a shorter screw to hold the brass stands in place while the ship sat in them so I could use them as a drilling guide to drill into the keel from below.  I countersank the holes on the bottom of the stand where I’d tested the stains so the screw head would be flush with the base. 

 

 

 

 
 
 
Once it appeared level side to side, I clamped the ship to the base and flipped it on its side.  I them removed the temporary shorter screw and drilled the final sized hole into the keel through the base and brass stands, holding my breath all the way in.  I only had a mm or so of clearance on each side of the keel. 

 

 

 
.
 

 
 
Having gone well, I screwed the permanent screws in and done.  So glad to be done with that, it was stressful but I managed and it looks great. 
 
Thanks for reading! More to come when I get not lazy enough to write about it.  Model on!
 
 

The main topsail is also complete, giving the ship its final silhouette. 

Building the railings on a separate board is definitely the way to go! I'm sure I picked up the hint from a log on here, and I apologize I don't remember who said it. But either way it worked very well, and is how I'll do the remaining rails when it comes time (if it's feasible to do so.) It took longer to drill the holes (making sure they were precisely aligned with the marks) than it did actually transferring it over.
 

The rails maintained their shape and the paint acted as a glue, as long as I was careful. Tweezers and magnification helped be gentle, and having the drilled holes 0.86mm (stanchions are 0.85mm) helped to hold them in place. I could then slide each one up and apply the tiniest drop of wood glue, then push them down and clean up the squeeze out with a micro applicator.
 

I've viewed some brass soldering tutorials and have a better idea of how to tackle the railings in the future. I'm also going to re-try the ladders with what I've learned. The point is, touch up was needed because the railings shifted ~0.6mm in some spots. Even just soldering (or gluing) the corners would probably have helped, but honestly, touch up paint took 10 mins or less so it wasn't a big deal.
 

And here we are. I'm extremely proud of how straight everything is. I was a bit worried about bending it and keeping the stanchions straight up and down, but it really wasn't that bad.

Some more photos of rams from the Egadi finds.
 



 
Apparently 26 of these have been found so far, along with helmet cheekpieces, coins and a sword . . .
 
Steven

Okay, so here's what i did. In order to change out the existing anchor line, i glued the end of the old like to the end of the new one, and just pulled until the new line was through both holes. 
Then, because actual anchor rope knots are horrible, i did a simple half hitch and then seized the end onto the anchor rope. 

Well, now i know why i've had no energy at all. My hematologist says i have anemia due to loss of blood. Blood tests have been ordered for Saturday, and i think it is only mild. However, it does explain a great many things. 
The main topsail halyard is complete and the yard is in place. 
 

Is it starting to look like a real ship yet? 

Thank you very much everyone 😊.  I took my Nina upstairs to join the fleet, wow I was overwhelmed.  I looked at those 3 ships and  said to myself "thank you MSN and NRG". I am still having the time of my life  with this hobby. 
 The Nina was a fun model to put together,  and easier to put together.  I know it's  because of MSW, it's  here where we learn to build. So many talented people and amazing build.
  Some last pictures of the fleet,  then @Landlubber Mike dust off the   your Pegasus  and let the good times roll lol 😆.  I started my Pegasus log today lol.


So we put the case back on for now , the next time I will take it off is for the Mayflower, and who knows  when I will finish her. The Pegasus will get it's own special case.


So long my friends  and thanks again. Sea  you soon lol 😆           
 

Third Deck Planking
The technique of gluing planks to a paper backing is working extremely well. The 2 mm walnut strips supplied with the kit are about 20" long, and I am gluing up 10" segments of 2, 3, 4, and 5 strips, plus segments of 1+2+2+1 mm strips that fit the doors and windows. I put a stop block on my cutting board to cut pieces to the height of the cabin.  I saw with paper side down so the wood doesn't tear when the saw cuts through.

Another big advantage is that when I mess up and glue something crooked, it cuts off easily through the paper backing and just requires a little sanding to remove the paper.


I planked the forward cabin, sanded and oiled it in two days. Then painted the window interiors and added the windows and doors in a couple more hours.

The flat planks on the walnut cabins look SO much better than the chamfered planks on the painted cabins. The next deck is back to white, and I will totally forget the chamfering.

I planked the aft cabin in 3 hours.


 

Can't beat those punishing tasks we make for ourselves Daniel- they look better flattened though. i have the joy of scratchbuilding deadeye strops for my HMS Erebus to look forward to!
 
Keith

Time for another update mates, but really not a lot of visual progress. I have finished the rain gutters on each and every porthole! I have included a couple close shots to visualize the difference.
 
i used 0.5mm brass wire and shaped around a proper sized drill, cut to achieve the look on the AV, then glued in place with very thin CA glue, wicking up the excess with a paper towel. I thought that would be it; however, when I looked close at my installation, I realized it looked like I glued on a piece of wire. Next I sanded each gutter to flatten the edge so it looked more realistic. A few more attachments for the hull, then another round of primer before paint.

Before sanding, just the wire rain gutter.

After sanding, a more square look.

OK, another food post, but with a purpose. If it wasn't already clear, one of the core values of an oven like this isn't an occasional pizza party, but the ability to cook a lot of things over a period of time with a minimal input of energy. The ideal efficiency is to have a lot of things lined up that require different levels of heat, then progressively bake/roast them over time.
 
For example, Saturday late afternoon we fired the oven up to pizza temperature as some friends came over. We made a whole bunch of pizzas, then as the oven started to cool, put in two loaves of bread, then when those came out slow-roasted a large stack of fresh-harvested sweet corn. Many hours of cooking from the initial small armload of wood.
 
Sunday midday we fired the oven again, roasted another large pile of sweet corn, then a pan of okra (roasted okra is food for the gods), then made a tray of bruschetta from yesterday's oven bread and lots of fresh-chopped garden veggies. Those all became lunch, after which we put in a large baking pan with two venison shoulders over a base of tomatoes, onions, garlic, & potatoes (all fresh garden produce). That slow-roasted all the way to dinner, making for another easy meal, while being followed by a tray of sweet potatoes slow-baking at lower temperature that we'll pull out around dark. All of that from the one initial midday firing with a small load of wood.
 
Essentially no management work for either day of cooking other than the food prep. No 6-8 hours of heat being pumped into the kitchen by a standard range, costing us electricity directly and indirectly (through the need for extra A/C). Far higher quality; it's amazing how the truly even heat in this oven improves the cooking and flavor of everything we put in it. We got a lot of other things done both days because the oven takes care of itself.
 
And we have food for days now. About 3 lb of venison leftovers, a whole loaf of bread (already ate the first one), leftover pizza, lots of cooked sweet potatoes and sweet corn, etc. This weekend really demonstrated a core goal for this project, the ability to produce a wide variety of high-quality food with a small input of on-farm firewood, no electricity or wasted in-house heat, and minimal kitchen fuss.
 
Next up I'll be working on the open firebrick grill that will sit next to the oven, allowing us to do other large-scale cooking projects like boiling down tomatoes for canning, reducing maple sap to syrup, and of course normal grilling of homemade venison sausages, burgers, and all sorts of other stuff.
 
Another loaf of brick-oven bread:

Bruschetta:

Lunch of bruschetta, roasted okra, and roasted sweet corn, all from the oven:

Roasting pan of 4.5 lbs of venison shoulders, lined with garden tomatoes, onions, garlic, and potatoes, after ~4 hours. Meat falling off the bone tender:

It is indescribably sweet to be reaping the dividends from a project that took way longer, and far more effort, than we initially (naively?) thought, and one we dreamed about and discussed for many years. Thanks for your tolerance and interest, stay tuned as I keep adding features to the kitchen overall.

Yes

Here are some more pictures of progress! Deck housing and bilge pump, bowsprit bitt!