popeye the sailor

thanks OC........and thanks for all the likes ....couple of new names......well, thanks for look'in in, feel free to follow along. I'm no Picasso, but I do like to have fun. I've got a couple of other aspects done on the Norden today.......I hope to get more done.....that is, if I'm not breaking my tools in the process. I was playing with the flotation balls.......thinking about that little bib round the eyelet. I got it in my head that I could punch out perfect circles with an ordinary paper punch. cutting off a piece of some .005 brass, I put in in the jaws of the paper punch and squeezed so hard, I began to crush the handles together. of course, it wouldn't punch out the circle. after trying to straighten out the handles with a pair of pliers, I took each side and tried to pull it apart like a wishbone. the thing let go, parts flying on the floor! after picking up the pieces, it hit the circular file......guess I'll never know how many holes it will take to fill the Albert Hall anyway........the shroud hardware is in place...almost ready to seat the main mast. taking the larger of the kit supplied 'rope', a length of it was 'stained' with some Testor's flat tan paint. the anchor was lashed onto one end....on the other, an eye bolt. an eye bolt was added to the bow stem, and a hole was drilled into the bow deck. the anchor rope eye bolt was cemented in place, the rope coiled and then cemented on the deck behind the sampson post. the anchor ended up on top of the coil of rope. this brings the time close to supper.........and I'm supposed to make my shaved steak subs. I certainly will try to get more done.......I do, and you'll see it here as always.....thanks for look'in in.

that's what it's called........I agree, nice job making it. Krabbenkutter...is that the Cux or the Mary Ann?

I dunno........looks pretty good to me if you have any small gaps you want to get rid of.....here's something easy to do. I lightly rub white glue into the gap and wipe off the excess. them I sand over it.......it will push sawdust into the gap and mix with the glue. instant filler

well I hope you find one, or something with what you need for parts. I was faced with a problem that was sort of similar, but came to a better conclusion that the first time. the Nordkap was the first model I built in wood. the owner couldn't find the fitting kit, but later found it after I had gotten a kit from my friend Tom. this past Christmas, I received another kit of the Nprdkap.......older than the first one. it too lacked the fitting kit. I looked high and low for the fitting kit.....to order the kit piece meal, would have been very expensive. happening on the Billing site a few weeks ago......there it was.....a new listing! I ordered that bugger up in a snap! so now I have the entire kit......cool because I have pictures of another boat that can be built from the Nordkap kit. I plan on cloning the hull, so I can build it, but it dawned on me that I will need to order another fitting kit. the admiral's gonna shoot me! glad to hear that your not alone.....admirable......a big brother with a big heart I feel glad knowing you doing OK. be well

very interesting planking system.......especially in the plank hold down phase. very nicely done in quite innovative

the winch looks awesome Frank! it looks so real...a first class job

such awesome photos Patrick! she looks so nice all cleaned up........Martha Stewart would be proud {I trust your using some of her furnishings}. so much detail in such a small package...I'm in awe in how you do it. I do have to ask one thing though.......where are the engines?

have you started it? perhaps another build log?

I would call it more like a sill inside the coaming...the lip in which the hatch cover sits on. the deck came out nicely Russ.......I do the same process with the structures. it's easy to overcome the deck camber with the method......it can be seen inside the hatch. very nicely done

amazed with the progress you've been making on this model Nils. every piece added expands the looks of the model so much........it's become such a beautiful show piece your efforts shine so brightly she looks totally awesome!

your making some really nice progress .........neat that without ribs, it's able to keep it's shape. very nicely done so far

I was waiting patiently for the log to start.....I'm in!

hi there........excuse the spotty log the last couple of weeks. we are starting to get the jist of all the big changes that are to take place where I work. hate to say it, but if things don't work out, I may be job hunting. no love loss......I'm really starting to hate the place. not so much the people I work with, but the people who run it. my mind has been preoccupied....... I did some work on her through the week......it started by doing some assembly on the winch. the lower boom was fitted with the double blocks and the brass rod to fit into the gooseneck {or the reasonable facsimile of a gooseneck} I'll paint it later.... the aft mast was fitted out. instead of a ring for what appears to be a back stay, I substituted it with a single block. you recall my stripping out all the wire out of the red hose supplied in the kit. I had done this so a brass rod could be substituted, and a pin could be exposed at one end. it was coiled, and on the business end of the hose, I made a nozzle for it. the prop was shafted and painted.......and the float balls had to have the holes filled and concealed with wood. eye bolts will be added to them later, after they are painted. I started to paint the radar too. a hole was drilled in the base of the pilot house, and the hose was installed. the coiling was adjusted a bit more. it came to painting the flotation balls.......I was going to paint them red. I just couldn't shake the orange thing.......ha..ha! I have a bout five bottles of Billing's orange....I ended up tossing three of them out. they were bad....all jelled, and rendered useless. it must be the lighting.....but it's an odd color orange.....It'll do just fine though. the boom is now painted...... here is the Norden where she stands at the moment. if you can see the winch, I've added some of the lines that detail it. it appears that they suggest using thread for them, but to make these hug the casing better, I thought to use brass rod. the two that will go down to the base will be made up of soft wire, colored to simulate wiring. more tomorrow....thanks for look'in in

hair spray is like spray starch........dried with a hair dryer, you'd likely get the same results. my grand mother swore by it!

likewise........I hope you get better soon

when you mentioned starch......I thought hair spray. although I think merely getting the rope wet and using the hair dryer might have been effective as well. you accomplished what you wanted to do, and the rope looks good as a result. very resourceful

looking good in the progress dept Piet. I'll be getting into some of that P.E. stuff myself soon. can't wait to see the model in it's present stage

great job on the plane s and rigging Dan..........if you order one of those...post it in Shore leave! I'd love to see you build one

I'm doing something a bit different with the hull. I had a devil of a time with the thin plywood side panels......the bow section didn't appear to be spilled correctly combined with my not faring the bow bulkheads completely. I probably should post a log.......but there are quite a few logs on this model already. I may post one though. if it looks like a dog's body.......perhaps not.

that's a small problem, with little to no consequences did both structures line up with the slots in the deck platform? both of mine are off.....the fore structure more than the aft structure. then again, the deck platform isn't cemented to the hull yet. yea......I bit the bullet.....your having way too much fun here it was too much for me....I had to join in!

I think time will decrease the slack in the cathead lanyard pulleys.......perhaps if you put a clamp on the anchors, as added weight for a short time, it may help. glad to see your back and enjoyed seeing your superb progress.

superb looking model Bob......the rigging is outstanding. very well done !

making great progress.........she's look'in very nice

amazing progress! really coming together now

I've built many Billing Boats kits. I've also done a little customer service with the shop I was dealing with. older kits have printed decks and parts, but the newer ones do not, due to complaints about it. I'm actually surprised that your kit didn't come with planking for the deck.......all of the Billing kits that I've dealt with supplied it. you can do it......just use thin strip .5 x 3 mm and it should come out looking fine. I use a wood called Annegre, sold By Billing Boats. it's not a blonde wood like basswood or obechi.......but has a varied tan to reddish look {not as dark as mahogany}. it had a very nice look, after it's sealed with a semi gloss lacquer or urethane. I suggest semi gloss, because you have more control over the sheen you want, depending how many coats you put on the deck. you can also make up a pair of waterways {margins}, to run along the bulwarks, so you don't have to do all that fancy trimming around the bulwark posts. this is what the borders around the decks are called