popeye the sailor

so sorry to hear of your loss.....my condolences to you and your family

looks very interesting.......I'm in

thanks John......oh...there a lot more planking to come. by the time I'm done, I should be frazzled

thanks Bob....I'm hoping I can achieve what I'm going for thanks for the good word! this morning was fairly productive. around the deck, the edges were trimmed and cleaned up. the structures were put on the deck to see how they will look. not that there will be much of an impact....they're as barren as a desert. the deck was finished out the rest of the way, and then a light sanding over the whole thing. to richen it up again, I went over it again with stain. it needs to be banded before the seal coat is put down......I want to get started with the structures, so I'll do it when I get to a point that requires some major dry time. the structures are to be planked with thin strip, that has been stained with Mahogany. this is red Mahogany stain, kinds skeptical, since it doesn't seem to have the red characteristic. perhaps it will when the seal coat is applied. I did find the parts list...in about three different languages. at least now, I can get a better idea of what wood to use. I made the same choice as Hugh did, putting the corner molding on the structures first. I planked one wall already.......this made me wish I had gone the other way. the increment was off, leaving not enough space for the final plank. again, I fell back to the 3 mm planking, staining up one {which came out very dark}, to fill the gap. to make matters worse, one side is a tad off, so I had to taper the plank as well. in this case, instead of having all of them ending in the same place, I will alter how each side is planked, so it ends up in different places. trimming this was the pits as well.......I need to go on an errand anyway. when I got back, I was all smiles.......I bought a new pair of clippers. not just any pair either......I found a two in one pair of clippers! it has the convex on one end and the concave on the other end! the convex side seems like it has less of an angle too. they can also be use for trimming rigging....they are great for getting close enough to the knot, so you won't leave the tell tail bit of thread. so now I can trim the excess planking cleanly. should have more for you soon

really nice progress Tom......rigging and yards look very nice congratz on your upcoming retirement......wish I could say the same. you'll love the countryside up there.......does this mean your next project could be R/C?

you've done a great job with the balcony.......all three together are going to really look nice

nice way of stowing the studding sale booms too...........well done!

that's odd..........nothing I've done on my end. the structures only assemble one way....and the only assembly done at this time.

looks really nice

too awesome for words Danny.........I am amazed

if you tire of watching you glue tube, looking like a tiki torch, just use a drill bit of the same diameter. I'm a no fuss guy at times......in those times I just shove a pin in the hole, and let's go!

thank you Kevin........and all who hit the like button. I really need to get back to her........planking has distracted me something terrible. I will make time for her today

what a big difference! very nice progress love what you did with the stern cabin! is that a gap at the top of the transom? will it cover with the stern decorations?

scraping after sealing is not a good idea.....more of a chance to mar the wood.......then a second coat will make it look lumpy. I haven't scraped too many times, but I scrape it into a pile, and them 'dump' it......blow the rest off with air. I do like the effect of sanding......it will blend it in to some degree, and the added hue does look good when sealed over. the archive pen doesn't leave much of the hue, so it's not as noticeable. if your going to stain the deck, go back over it with the stain cloth after sanding or scraping, it will revive the color. steel wool should only be used after the first sealing, and even then wait at least a day before you do it.

thanks Piet and Mark........OH yea! some of the strips are curved......if I was planking a sailing ship, they would be perfect good to find a way to use them up......I think they've aged long enough time for other wood to take their place. I've heard of that kit Ken........I've never done a solid hull model, although I do have that PT boat by Marine Models tucked away in the closet. {boy, when I start on that one, it's gonna need all new wood!} I finished planking the main deck last night.......after a few interruptions. at one point, I needed to go over to my son Kevin's house to help set up his new air compressor. I still need to refine the stern and sand around the edges, so the decorative strip can be glued on. I had worked on the port side for a short time, before I thought to snap the continuation picture. note that I have been drawing the butt staggers in where the structures lie, so I won't lose my place with them. before long, the bow section was planked, and proceeding aftward. when laying the sections inside the structure lines, I didn't bother cutting or calking, but only did what would go beyond the confines. when the bow had dried for a short time, the port side was trimmed and sanded. I really need to find the good pair of nail clippers....I have a habit of using them to cut brass rod, and it does tend to dull them. reaching the stern, I had to get a little creative on this side. the planking didn't align as well, as they did on the starboard side. the slots will need to be trimmed a lot more on the port side. a small piece of the 3 mm was fitted within the extension, and an even narrower piece needed to be fitted along the inside edge. I didn't have any blonde strip, so I used some Annegre strip I have on hand. the color being a bit off, it was sanded and then stained over, which made it blend in. the paddle wheel brackets will cover it though, so it may not be seen. the 3 mm that was patched along the fore section of the starboard side was trimmed and sanded, and some of the port side edge too. not much has been done with the port stern....I'll leave that for tomorrow. sanding and clear coating will be done then as well. the waste you see is what there is in total.......out of all the strips I stained, I'm left with the equivalent of 2 strips. I'll see what I can get done today

this will be the go to log for anyone building this vessel. it's a great log Michael, and I've enjoyed your progress immensely. the lantern your working with looks like a Billing Boats lantern......I have one in my inventory. how do you adhere the leaf to the part? do you glue it? I see this stuff at Hobby Lobby and have been tempted to buy some, but I'm not familiar with it's use.

your gonna have the helicopter in there anyways....it wouldn't do to have it closed

you've made some really great progress! did you need to get on a step ladder to take that one picture? absolutely splendid!

leave it to you to be resourceful Piet.....we've come to expect that your almost caught up.........and look'in great

boy.....really shows how much further you have to go, now don't it super photo!

sometimes sanding will blend the pencil. I used to use crayon......depending on the wood, sometimes it doesn't look half bad. I got turn on to the archive pen and haven't looked back. the capstans look great.....awesome work on 'em. good luck with the planking......the combinations you have there look really good, especially with the tree nails

the more you add, the better she looks! I agree....the vents look great.

thank you Michael and Mike........I'm just getting started with the planking, and the planking, and planking

hello Eric OK.......how about the Baton Rouge I haven't seen a kit for it welcome........glad to have you following along.

this morning I got back to the planking. getting to the paddle wheel opening, I lined the center edge with a strip. when I plank those two extensions, it will box in the opening. I did the same thing with the aft structure, making sure that any part of the planking that will lie outside the structure, is done with the archive pen. around the bow of the deck, planking hung over the edge. I use the convex nail clippers to trim it, and sandpaper to make the edge smooth. along the side of the deck, a very small sliver of bare plywood can be seen. odd that it's not consistent. the sliver stops further back and starts again at the stern. to fill this in, I have some 3 mm blonde thin strip. a strip was stained to fill them in. these two areas were filled in and they will be trimmed when dry. back at the stern, the starboard extension was planked. these are kind of a nuisance.......I hit this one earlier and cracked the glue. this should fix it. I'm thinking that the difference in planking width accounts for this.....we all know that there is a tolerance, as much as 1 mm in some cases. most of the time, I compare the width of the planking I use........you never know. I recall one bundle of planking I got one time was so badly cut and varied so much, that I actually opted to use other planking I had on hand. I should be able to get more done today.....I'm shooting to get the entire deck finished. more soon