popeye the sailor

hi J..........hang on to that thought........the update might shock ya! gotta get this one thing done first

they're like a telescope.....the more 'in focus' you get 'em, the better they look don't worry.....the ship is still in the box somewhere. it's a bit of work to find it.......and you will, I'm sure

but........I didn't use one. that's the point I'm trying to make I do have a verbal update for you fine folks though. it started out not too good. I tried to thin down the Billing's copper, but found that it had clumps in it.......it came out of the airbrush like spatter paint so I abandoned that idea, and went with the Testor's copper paint. there isn't much to do to it, but I cleaned the airbrush.......I had a window open, but it was just too much to deal with, in the house >the admiral said she didn't mind......so I went with it< I dumped the idea and just used the brush again. I had to repaint the entire bottom anyway.......plus clean off the spatter to boot. I also made an adjustment to the rudder hole and had to touch that up as well........so for that feeble reason, I gave it another coat of the flat lacquer. I hope I fixed it OK I'll show ya in a bit........I'm not done doll'in 'er up yet.

hey there Michael........this is quite a ship your building! you can't be that much of a novice, pull'in off some of the stuff I've seen here really super work.........! I haven't gone though the entire log.......but I will

I also wish you luck on the start of this wonderful journey........off to a good start

thanks for the good word........and to those who hit the like button I have been trying to be fair.........with just a couple more days left to my vacation, I have been trying to throw some attention to the trawler build. so close, but yet so far. 'ole Thermie has a ways to go yet thanks Zoltan! yea......making the structures is cool........but getting to the hull really has allowed me to get on with some major progress. it continues! thanks Pat it's one of the reasons why I pick and choose to paint with the brush. large areas can be a chore.....the airbrush has been a god send. you can get a consistent even coat of paint in less time. basically, that's the cause.....uneven layering of paint. it's more noticeable using a flat, than with a gloss........instead of the sheen curing to a flat appearance, thicker areas tend to retain the sheen. it's also another reason why I stick to using enamels.......it's easier to use lacquers and polyurethanes on it, than with other types of paint. it sure beats having to sand or remove paint with thinners and such..........less messy too thanks Carl. Billing's paint is a good paint. it dries to a hard finish and is fairly resistant to dings and scratches, when fully cured. the only real drawback that I can see is that storing it, it is not as resilient, than other paint types. I blame the bottling.......they have a crappy seal. although, I've had this inventory of paint for quite some time now.......you figure that I've had it since Billing USA closed........I've got maybe 20 or so bottles still......it's a crap shoot what I'll find when I open the bottle. the sheen factor between gloss and flat is good too......if your a car model buff, this is the paint for you. I've had to knock the sheen down, for cry'in out loud {granted I was working on the Michael Keaton Batmobile at the time}.....it was just TOOOOOO shiny! flat is flat.....dead sheen. John is right........the waterline on the Thermopylae {easy to spell now.......I typed it enough times} is too high.......don't know what I was thinking. I'll use the airbrush to repaint it......not hard to adapt the Testor's EZ airbrush to the Spraycraft compressor. I am having my doubts that I'll be able to adequately thin down the Billing's copper paint though.....it was pretty thick when I ended up stirring it by hand, rather than shaking it. I may have to switch over to the Testor's paint........I've had very little trouble storing Testor's paint. there is a big difference between these two paints. the Billing's copper has a dull hue, compared to the Testor's copper, which has a more vibrant hue and a higher sheen factor. I have plenty of spare bottles kick'in around......I'll try both and see what happens. it all boils down to this though...........I may sound like a poster child for Billing's paint, but trust me.......you'll fair just as well buying what you can get locally. car buffs........check this site out http://www.gravitycolors.com/us/product/porsche-pearl-silverstone/

with good reason ..........she's not loaded I'll fix it...........>famous last words<

the thought of giving this a second coat did not impress me. that's when I thought of the dull coat. I did notice another spray can in the back row that I hadn't looked at........it was a can of flat lacquer. it's put out by model master....does it matter what I use.........no, not really........hmmmmmm. setting the hull in the spray booth I set up.......all it took was three quick passes. when both sides were done, I closed the door and waited for it to dry. I checked in on it after a while and was amazed with what I saw. the hull looked much better.......the blotches were gone, as well as the problem that was plaguing the bottom paint. it needed to dry a little bit longer. when I finally brought the hull back out to the computer room, it was completely dry. where I use enamels, there were no adverse effects. I'll allow it to dry for most of the day before I do anything more.......still more deck work to go. I could do the rudder.........makes sense

thanks Michael.....welcome to the log you haven't missed too much.......still plenty to go yet. enjoy

your probably right Bob........I think you covered the way I do my hulls well enough

thanks Dave..........wind burned??? up here we can't seem to lose the wind........man! you ought to see it out there right now.......winds reaching up to 50 MPH!!!!! I gotta go back to work this week end, and the forecast is calling for snow flurries and rain......STINK-O!!! glad you like the build so far.......I hope you still do, once I'm done what I'm about to do wish me luck! I know I'm late.......I don't get out much, what can I say!

after I left here, I took a look in the camera. I have a few pictures from the other day....for cry'in out loud! I even have a picture of the deck with a coat or two of lacquer Don. I prefer the semi gloss......it tends to leave a slight sheen, but not overwhelming on the deck. decks, I feel, should be close to flat, since they see the weather. the lacquer I decanted is a flat......actually it's called dull coat {after reading what it said on the cap}. this leaves the deck dead flat........a little too flat, than what I prefer. as can be seen in this picture, the rub rails have been added. having marked them off, both sides were installed. the transom was a bit tougher to do. after soaking two pieces of strip stock, they were bent and fitted.......one didn't make it. a short time later, it was trimmed and cemented in place. that's when the filler came into play.......I went over the hull, filling in all the imperfections I could see. this included the transom, filling in all that nonsense and what gaps were in the transom rail. more sanding was done after, evening up the stern keel {you can see the bulge there}, and anywhere else that needed help. .......and then it happened! the bottom paint was added. I thought about doing the copper thing, but thinking how small the the pieces would be, I opted just to do the paint. this is the Billing's paint - copper......the same paint I used on the AmericA build. it's a different hue than the Testor's copper paint.........I have at least five or so bottles of it. back when I was doing my first United States build {back in the 90's}, I ran out of copper paint and couldn't find any anywhere. come to find out, there was a shortage of copper {so I was told}, and all copper reserves were being used to make coin.........no copper products were being produced because of it. my admiral and a friend of hers were out shopping one day, and spotted a model paint display, which had several bottles of copper paint. she called me and asked me about it......needless to say, I directed her to buy as many as she could.......I got all seven bottles. so, I've had this supply since then........and when Billing USA went out of business, Tom sent me what was left of his inventory of paint. this also had four or five bottles of copper paint.......I am lousy with copper, gold, and silver paint {meaning, I have a lot of it}. the Testor's copper paint is more vibrant in hue, than the Billing's copper........it also dries to more of a flat finish. the hull was masked of and painted. you see the blotch I did with the archive pen........actually, the tip of the pen wasn't damaged by it either.....it lives to mark another day then came the sad part....... after allowing this to dry for the rest of the day...this morning, I decided to paint the upper part of the hull. I chose a nice green....Testor's paint. I was about to add some thinner to it.......opening the cap, I noticed that the paint had solidified! I took my pick, thinking that it just might have skinned over, and tried to pull the layer off of it........wasn't happening. it was jelly underneath. oh well.......what to do, what to do.........I have nothing in the Billing's paint........unless you like Brunswick green {too dark}. the only thing I have, is a bottle of Model Master med green {FS34102}. shaking the bottle and looking at it........I liked the color better....a better hue than the Testor's green I was going to use. so......on it went! I like it...........it's still a little blotchy because it's not totally dry, but I think {I hope}, it will go away. I have a little touch up to do on the starboard side, but other than that, it looks good. I'm going to add a bit of tension here.....kinda make this a nail biter......the blotchyness did not go away. I'm thinking of what I can do to alleviate it. ....a second coat.......? I did both colors with a brush........shows how much technique I've lost, since I started to use an air brush. I wouldn't have had this problem, if I had used one in the first place!! I have the Spraycraft compressor {I have a complete outfit of this brand of air brush}.......I could have set it up and used it, instead of the compressor set up I have in the garage {it's still too cold out}. I wasn't happy with the copper either........now that it is closer to being fully cured, it seems to have taken on a faded, dusty appearance. I'll usually will do a primer coat before the color coat......I didn't in this case. am I to pay dearly for it? .....fine mess I've gotten myself into! putting on the painter's cap......I have an idea. icky-mae!

thanks Piet..........almost update time again she's gone through a major change in the last day or so. did you change your user name?

awesome job on this build!

sounds unanimous to me belay that order........give 'er a dry dock of 'er own! it'll still be a while......this was something I was toss'in 'round in my head. by that time, I should have a name for 'er. thanks all for the help.......couldn't see leav'in 'er in with the other two......that wouldn't be right either.

masting looks great Rob! gett'in pretty close to rigging time

I've done a carrier before.......but not the scale you and Greg are attempting. I have a couple plastic ship kits in the stash.....but I'm still trying to bring down the unfinished roster. I don't think I'm doing too good. I can at least flounder in my own turmoil, and live vicariously though your and Greg's. perhaps the next millennium, I may sink my teeth into one of these models

hi Don.....I'm typing with one hand again......holding a rub rail. the finish you see there is just the stain.......but I think the aft deck has a coat of the bottled lacquer {which I have now run out of}. I just finished giving both decks two coats of the new lacquer......which I find is a flat........says dull coat on the cap. it really doesn't matter which one you use.....the semi gloss tends to dull out as it cures. it gives a nice hard finish and is a bit more scratch resistant.......that's why I like it. there is one draw back though. the bottled lacquer is not as bad, but the rattle can lacquer can be very touchy to temp and humidity, due to the addition of propellant in the formula. when I {if you have to do it} decant my paints, I leave the caps loose for at least 12 hours, lightly shaking it every once in a while. if you have to use the rattle can.......be sure the temp is around 70 degrees with low humidity. it's worth the effort though...... thanks Carl!

thanks Patrick......still a bit to go yet. for as long as this project has taken, it's going to be a very happy ending not that I'm tired of it, but because I'm not use to having a project last this long.....I know I have others. fear not though......there are a couple more fishing boats in the que........namely {namelessly}, the boat that spawned from the Holiday harbor project. I'm still at odds with it.......I'm thinking of continuing her here in this log, rather than start a separate one for her. I value any thoughts that you fine folks may have. ...as for a case.......nawwww, wish I could, but my budget doesn't allow for it. we do keep our eyes on the flea markets and stuff.......recently we heard that Hallmark is closing in the mall. they are selling off everything, even their cases. it would be cool to pick up a case like that. we keep looking thanks for the good word my friend!

thanks Kees.........and all who hit the like button. I wish I had done more, but the sizing of the portholes might not have been a good thing, if I had assembled the nets before hand. there is not much else that requires me not to add them now. the portholes need the window maker.......and then the aft deck can be done. drat! I still need to get new ink cartridges!

man those rooms are tiny! I see you already have the closets shelved off. it will be interesting to see what feng shui you add to them. I hope to draw some of your style for one of my builds really cool stuff....awesome job!

I saw the bulkheads in a row.......then you have made great progress recovery must be going well at your house......glad to hear it!

sneaky.........you built the hull without showing us >must review entire log to see< grand looking structure you have there.........nicely detailed overlay form very well done!

a little more has been done to the build........nothing yesterday though. I got side tracked doing video production. we have a couple of bins of VHS tapes...movies...........we bought a VHS to DVD program for the computer. I tried three computers, until I found the one that will handle the program. I had to give up my keyboard {hence my not being here yesterday}....but for my sacrifice, I got a brand new one of course, the first tape I had to burn was our wedding video........I looked like a dork! anyway........I did finish the aft deck. the two deck in relation, look pretty good it was sanded and scraped.....and given the stain coat. it really changed the way it looks. I have run out of the semi gloss lacquer. I had gone to Hobby Lobby.......and my luck, they don't carry it in the bottle.......I had to get a rattle can. so I decanted some and I had to wait for the propellant to escape, before I can use it. I'll be giving her a coat or two today. I had better hurry though.......it's my youngest son's birthday, and I promised a taco supper for him and his girlfriend. fun times had by all!

we pick our own challenges.....model manufacturers have come so far, in offering us these options. one could simply throw it together and be done with it, but for those who want more out of the experience, chose to take a more detailed approach. I wish I knew if this was available to me, when I was a young pup, putting all those plane and car models together. take short breaks in between, to give your eyes a rest.