popeye the sailor

bow spirit is looking really nice Tom......interesting take on making the stairs

thanks Lawrence.....I'll be happy to see all this in place yepper........we've seen him.......got quite a bit of hair for a 5 1/2 pounder! they were kinda worried because he was breathing fast, but I guess it calmed down....they got to take him home yesterday I got the starboard side dump ramp in place, and now I'm working on the gallows winch. I also made some pulleys for the fore gallows. I should have an update tomorrow.........thanks for the good word

I think the tack lines are rigged down there as well. yea......this will be very interesting to see

thanks Pat..........no, still more to go. when I got back to this one, I thought to just be simple and get her done. who the heck was I kidding?!?! I still have the stern to finish.......and of course, to dress up the booms. I'm hoping on a finish soon though......I really want to get out from under all these projects... I've got others in this twisted mind of mine thanks for the good word

thanks Mark......the chain reaction is this........the winch for the gallows need to go first, due to the pulleys that need to line the bulwarks {or deck....I haven't decided which} then the fish box can be next. the boom winch.....and then the mast, since I still need to clarify the boom rigging. add the little things that make it feel like home.....and that should cover the mid ship thanks Michael........heck....I'm still trying to grasp some of the thing you come up with but, if something I've done lights the bulb........run with it!

sounds terrible ...........so sorry to hear! take it easy and heal up. still plenty of things to do in a sitting position.

thanks Patrick.........and all who hit the like button. there is more to add. I still need to put the other ramp on the starboard side......then I need to get that other winch assembled. I cant do anything permanent until that's done first.........it's turning into one huge chain reaction more to come

very nice progress Nenad.........holds and canvas covers look great! super job!

makes it look more complete............wonderful work!

I'd love one of these.........would make my life a heck of a lot easier. awesome stuff Mark

looks very nice Nils.........what will fill the space beside the structure? neat 'n clean!

and by now, it's most likely long gone.........sorry to hear that John. hope it's not too much of a bugger to make. it's good to see you back, best wished to your mother in law........hope she better.

thanks for the good word John! with the way I assembled the wall panel parts, white glue oozed out under them.......I had to pry them off the table. one of the good things about a formica table top. sanding them removed the smears.......staining shows hardly any at all. I still have more to add to it. thanks again for the vote of confidence

I got back to the hinges........figured out a neat way to measure them. I lined the length up to the table edge. I clamped the brass rod to the table, and slid the part under the wire. once lined up to the edge of the table, I held it in place and bent it with a free finger. it's not fool proof because the wire does tend to flex a little.........good enough for what I need to do I made a couple more of the longer ones.......enough that I had two sets of four, the same length. then I did the shorter ones. I made a few more and picked out the ones I wanted. I cut a length of rod and fed them on......one short...one long... etc the last pair, I had to switch, because the bottoms are to be soldered to the rod....there will be one on both ends. the bottom ones were soldered in the fixed position. the top ones will be movable.......I soldered them to hold the bend closed. had to be careful not to use too mush solder. I did have to reheat a couple of them to free them up......from there I just kept them moving till the solder went solid. as mentioned.....I needed to get stain. all I have is a single bottle of billing mahogany stain 1/2 oz.......I didn't want to use it, but I wanted to keep going........so I did. we did go out......I did get stain.........but when we came home, I finished staining it with the billings stain {the fear of two different colors}. I have some lifecolor weathering kits.....one for wood, one for armor, and one for figures. they are acrylics though, and I didn't want to mix them with enamels or lacquers. I got carried away..........I did the port side dump ramp........but here is how the box looks with stain. ...and here's the port side with the ramp and hinge assembly. one of the hinges is a little off.........this was taken when I first did it. I went to open the ramp, and it fell off. putting it back together, it got a few CA smears..........scraped it best I could and went back over it with the stain. when I give it a coat of lacquer {or poly urethane}, it should hide it well enough..........just don't look at it lengthwise here it is with the door open.......some CA did get into the hinge as well. I'll work it a few times.......should free up enough. it'll keep the hinge from being floppy .......trust me in place on the deck....the ramp adds quite a bit to the box. you can see the height........ adding the extra plank gives it enough reach.....it extends just over the cap rail. now to get the starboard side done........hopefully without any funny stuff

thanks for the kind comments and to all who hit the like button. even though I went to Home Depot and bought some stain......I ended up using my last bottle of Billing mahogany stain. I didn't want to.......it's for any work I need to do on the Half Moon......yea, I know......long overdue. I do have an update that I can't wait to show you.......it's really neat you know it Carl! this will be the most elaborate one I've done so far..........thanks Patrick! you betcha Pat........I have another project to do on the admiral's hutch. I need to make a cap for the top, so she can put some of her M&M cookie jars up there. so I picked up another 2' x 4' sheet of 3/16 plywood..........I won't use it all. I should have enough to make a set of bulkheads icky mae! NCIS........you betcha I miss Tony and Zeva. I'm a big fan of David Mc Callun too........used to watch Man from U.N.C.L.E......never missed a show!

my main table is 35 inches..........my other table {which is an old desk}is around 30 inches. I stand at both, but I can sit at the other table if I need to.....which is seldom, since I use my computer desk as well.

each corner has a post........the post are different heights, depending where they are located. I had made up enough wall parts to create the 'fender walls', keeping the catch from spilling out onto the working areas of the ship. the aft wall was created first.......the two cut away, the side walls and the back. the fore walls of the receiving area was next. at both ends of these walls {this wall and the cut away wall}, they extend to the wall edge, creating a lip that the dump ramp can fit into when raised. this will create a flush fit........a seamless box. I probably should have been more rough with this..........but I sanded each wall part as I made them. I know they look smooth.......too smooth I think, for a fish box {but that's me, I guess. all butted ends will be sanded flush.....I've done a little, but not completely. posts were added for the fender walls of the hold. I did a dry fit of the dump ramps........even though the box is closer to the bulwarks now, they still seem a bit short. I will add another plank to the one I made........that will bring the width of the ramp to 20 mm. the overall height of the box is 24 mm. since the height of the bulwark {including cap rails} is 12 mm.......added to the height of the ramps when raised, will make them the highest part of the box, making that part of the box 32 mm. the fender walls were added along the sides of the hold walls........the wall in front of the hold will be left at that height, for access to the hold when it is in the open position. the dump ramp was cut to length and fitted. here is an example of how it will look when lowered into position. I had a can of stain.........but it had long since dried up. I found another can down in the cellar......but I'll be darned if I can find it........I've looked everywhere. I fear that I might have used it on the plate holders I made for the admiral. I don't want to use paint.............perhaps a trip to the hardware store is in order thanks for look'in in

yea.......I was rushed with the fish box.......I'm a bit shy along the bulwarks. the gap between is too much......especially if I want to try the ideas I came up with. the alteration starts on the port side......I cut out the section situated between the gallows. I have these parts........they can be found in just about every Billing's kit. they are supplied as dead eye straps. I don't use them........probably no one else does either. I will use these as the hinges. the cut out section was extended by adding a wall aft, and extending the wall fore of the box. more wall parts were being assembled as I was doing this. once these additional walls were dry enough, the cut out section was trimmed to fit and cemented back in place. this creates a larger 'receiving area'........and the larger opening leads to the 'sort area'. time to begin the starboard side alteration. quickly copied and quickly done............ the time spent between drying times, was devoted towards making hinges. taking a length of brass rod, the straps were folded, trimmed and bent around the rod. I wasn't measuring........just trying to see how consistent I could be. I'll need to make some shorter though.......at least eight of them should be 16 mm........or less. when finished with the alterations, I was a lot happier to see this. the sides are in closer proximity to the bulwarks. the 'dump ramps' may fit better. the ramps consist of four planks cemented together, in the same fashion as the box wall parts. here is the box fitted again on the deck.....still more to add to it, which will define the function of the box itself. there is more.........the installation of the 'fender walls'.........but Gibbs needs to go out. he told me so in so many barks...........I'll be back.

I know Michael.........just wanted to make you laugh you gotta have a good attitude.....I can imagine the feeling, as you were tearing 'er down. you chose a good place to start the process. are you 'washing' the parts as you work on them? wiping them down with a damp cloth, will enable you to get an idea of the exact color. it's quite possible that you'll need to mix paint to achieve some of the hues. filler and sand on the repairs?

it's a good question.....the main point though: why are the pins removable? I think this would be the way to separate the different type lines, as to cut out any confusion. in plastic kits, the belaying pins are in segments........the rigging diagram shows where each line ties to the corresponding segment. if any segment requires an additional pin, it's quite possible that it's pulled from a group that has an unused pin, thus creating a gap, or widens an existing gap. or course it needs more research......I'm no expert by any stretch, but I would think that not all holes are used, if they are not required. it shows this in your reference photos

now that's high class........he's fix'in 'em on a pool table that-a-way Michael! the fix is on!!!!

my my John..........what a story! she looks great in spite of all the problems you had. I only have one dog........he's more than enough! yep.......after hearing all the cat trilogies..........I'm glad I have a dog you must not have too much more to go..........keep up the good work.......she looks sweet!

gee.......thanks for all the kind comments and to all who hit the like button the winch still need a couple more parts, and it will be ready to cement in place. I also got slapped with another realization..........I'm going to need another winch. I had an early though to do individual winches for the gallows, but I think another four reel would be better. the best part........I have the room at the moment, I'm making adjustments to the fish box. there is too much room along the bulwarks. I need to widen these two areas up, if I want to put the.......still need to come up with a name for them. along side the gallows, there usually is a folding platform that can be positioned over the cap rails. I want to add a hinged platform on the fish box........can be raised and stowed when not in use....and dropped into place when bringing in the catch. I'll get this done.........and then we'll see about the other idea I have. thanks again for looking in........hope to have another update soon.

it looks like your coming up with some good ideas Michael. I like some of the test work you've done with the stays and guys so far...the whippings are going to look so much better........the original ones are dreadful. I had a nice pair of the small flush cutters.......Mac tools. I broke them trying to cut that steel wire I bought a while ago.

wow Kevin.........you've been busy! looking really good........ shows the true size of the model.