popeye the sailor

looking good Andy.......I with you on that.......making the structures are always the most fun. you did well with the shape....very nice

hey Bob.......just something I want to try......besides, I mentioned it to the admiral, and she loves the idea. it will make the scavenger hunt that much more interesting thanks for looking in...wish I had a big update for ya, but I'm back at work for another three days....that is, unless I take Monday off might just do it........last Sunday, the transmission crapped out on the SUV......so, until it is fixed, my son and I are sharing one car......his hours are so crazy, he's bringing me to work, and I have to find a way home. it sucks! thank you to all who've hit the like button........glad you like it

thanks gentlemen.......so far.......A.....O.K. {I just wish it was moving a bit faster} :D

gee.....that table look awfully clean nice looking serving machine too !

the stand looks neat Adrieke.......it will look nice when stained. was that on both sides? a fluke, perhaps?

I'll go get the WD 40 John.........I thought it was mice! :D no.....not eight boxes Sjors........only four {for now} thanks for the good word

I also got a bit of a start on the hull frame that I dubbed Curly. it's not much, but things are moving along. these are full length planking strips, primarily to stabilize the entire frame. I wanted to do all of the bulwarks with this 1.8 x 8 x 720mm planking.......I took a count......I figure four per side. that equates to 24 strips......I won't have enough. so one per side will have to be done with the 1.8 x 8 x 550mm strips that I have on hand. as long as I have a full strip along the scupper line, It'll be alright. the reason why I'm concerned with this, is because I don't want the scuppers to be near a butt joint. I did a twist test with the frame I dubbed Moe, and with two rows of planking, it seems pretty sturdy. so, here is the progress I've done on this one. ok.........now I go to bring the Christmas stuff up from down in the cellar. who knows what I'll find....last year's fruitcake......maybe

I mentioned LED lighting.........this is something totally new to me. I mean.....I've messed with Christmas lighting and all that........but lighting like this..........well......... A friend of mine in Canada sent me a flasher unit a while ago....he dabbled quite a bit with trains, and he thought I might find a use for it. it comes complete with an on / off switch.......and I believe the other one switches from flash to steady lighting. looking at the size of the wiring, I had a thought. the admiral and I used to make cat 5 cables for a woman who used to be our landlord. for those who aren't into computers and communication, these are internet cables. we used to make {and test.....ugh} about 1,200 a day. we have a bunch of these on hand. I took one of the shorter ones, and stripped out the wires. I forget what gauge they are....but they are the same size as the flasher when I was done, I had four sets......all color coded, quite easy to map out the positive and negative. I don't recall if this is solid core or strand wire....I'd have to strip some out to see. I don't believe it will matter though. I had mentioned about doing the LED thing.......my {our} good friend Mobbsie offered me some that he had, if I could use them........I can't thank you enough! I'll watch the mailbox,I owe you one! this will let you know that my gears are turning over here as well, I'm on the look - out!

we had to run out for a birthday party Sjors.....sorry I had to cut you short. .....getting confused.....well, no not really......not when you have lots of boot boxes I get new boots every year it seems.....I save the boxes {they have a flip top lid}. I used to keep the kit boxes around.......but they are quite bulky and take up a lot of room. I just punch out all the parts and bag them according to step...long parts go in a planking bag {I have a lot of them from all the planking I've gotten already}, and I label them. once everything's in the boot box, I label that as well. the parts panels get bagged and saved in a special box I have for them. the boxes get stacked in the closet, and the bags get put in one of the tubes in my organizer.....that's what two of the big tubes in the back are for {just the right height}. every kit is now compact and set up is easy. that's also the beauty with scratch built models......there aren't any parts! I do have the trawler, that I have already bought parts for....that build has a box. when I start acquiring parts for the H.H. Fleet, then I will set them up with a box. now......if I only had a system for my tools I have a little more to report on the hull frame that I dubbed 'Moe'. I have the second row of planking on the bulwarks. a few more rows, and it might start to look like something the one thing I am really happy about, is the shape

you should have just answered him........F......antastic! :D

super update Augie.....the planking looks great. you recovered quite nicely

WHAT!?!?!? you finish a ship the likes of this.........and only a few pictures!?!?!?!? <just kidding> beautifully done Sjors! the hull looks great.....and the rigging is very well done! .....and no butter stains! {from the popcorn} now, you need to get the S.I. back on the table, before glue even touches the Aggie! great job, my friend..........is there a case for her in the future?

hey Mick, gee....I wished I had seen your build earlier.....I have a good suggestion for the bulwark dilemma. my first build was the Nordkap by Billing's. having never built one before, I ran into the same problem. it was a printed deck, so I traced out the waterways and made a pair for it.....worked very well. I was just real careful how the cuts at the posts were......lots of fitting. if you have the panel that the deck platforms came from, you could have done the same. painting the deck was not a hard rule.......I believe it to be the desire of the Captain, although I have seen quite a few that were painted. you would have to find out more info on the W.E. to see what it had. I airbrush quite a bit........I got back into it after seeing how large these hulls were I have a simple Testor's airbrush system. I adapted it to run off my large compressor....run it just once, and I have enough air to do the entire job. the Testor's airbrush is not fancy, so I make up for it, with how i mix my paints. thin paint is good......light coats delivered in sessions, but for thicker paint, I up the air a little, and it does well with that {it's a siphon system}. I use enamels only.......model master for flats, and Testor's and Billing's for gloss. I've tried others, but they don't have the gloss quality and suspension. the billing's paint gives a nice hard finish, very hard to nick or dent I couldn't agree more on the fitting choices..........I have quite an inventory of those plastic blocks. I'm making a scratch built trawler, so I can use them up what I don't like in plastic, I make out of wood.........sounds like you have a direction that your going to go. they are a nice kit though......with a little tweaking, they look even better! I'll enjoy watching your build.....building what 'seems' to be a beginner's kit. coupled with those instructions.......there's nothing beginner about it......heck, they'd confuse anybody! :D but, that I think is why I like the Billing's kits....they are quite challenging

your finished?!?!?!?! Whoaaaaaaa........you really can't wait to start Aggie, can you! now is not the time to get professional on us.....pictures please!!!!!

guess we don't have to worry about you Piet, if the world goes to crap.......you can fashion your own weapons! :D they need you on 'walking dead'!

ohhh, I didn't sand outside.........I did it in the front porch! I had a good time in spite of it all. thanks Augie....hope you had a good day as well........plenty of turkey! for now Bob......it's just the bulwarks......but it will get hot and heavy real soon! crap! it sounds like a Vin Diesel movie! :D I'll answer you later Sjors..........but I think it's eight! don't say that though.........or I'll get confused too ! :D

I think you did a super job Denis........there really isn't any rule as to how the masting is done..... the only problem I see here, is it's going to be a feat to do the shrouds. but I'm sure you have a plan for this, and I'm intrigued.......the masting looks great! the sails came out really REALLY good. you have most of your lines marked, so you don't seen lost or anything. as I always say......every modeler has a method for their madness! I'd say you fit right in with the rest of us! :D

only two cuts.........must be a record for that somewhere.............geeze, I got a small cut on my thumb ..don't know when it happened. your putting some super detail into her.........looking soooooooo sweet!

it does in the beginning, Michael.........the planking is going to be quite a job. but once the hulls are done, and the work is confined to the deck and fittings, I can branch out and work on them.....one on one. some of the fittings will be identical, but i also want to give them their own character. this will give me a chance to see what process works quicker than others.......in the event I show these around, and they seem.........."lucrative" I expect the problems John.........it would be a fool's errand, if I didn't. but I like the idea and concept......it's a wide open field. this is probably going to be the hardest part. after this, it will all be creativity and gravy!

I wished I worked like that.........my table always looks like ground zero! :D what I meant Michael, is are there to be stops for the hatch cover rails......to keep it from sliding too far backwards and forwards.

looking very nice Steve......those rabbits are really cool! once planked, hopefully you won't have to drill through a rib structure to do the prop tubes.......there isn't much room to work with.

that's what scratch building is all about you mold and shape {sometimes repeatedly} until your satisfied with what your creating. to think of what the early scratch builders did, your doing something that, back in the 40's and 50's, used to be the norm. it is an art form, gentlemen, to be able to see your subject, and copy it through the use of your hands. to perfect it, takes time......but when your done, the mere fact that you made it from nothing, is a feat, unmatched. keep up the good work!

more progress made on the H H trio. today was bow faring day........this was done out on the front porch. the first to get the trim job, was Moe, since he is made totally of the 1/4 inch plywood. as the bow was fared, I went over a few of the high spots and cut imperfections. after that, it was sanded with the block, to smooth everything out and clean it up........especially at the bulwarks {I can continue to adjust them as I go along}. these first pictures didn't come out as good as I wanted them to, but I think you'll see the shaping well enough when I felt it had the right shaping........I was a little too steep with the Dremel, but it gave me a good reference for the other two. I made sure that there was a good sill for the planks to sit on. time for Moe to get on the table. the first bulwark planks will be full length, since these will also serve as a stabilizer for the frames. I have other planking for the lower portions. the first one is cemented in place. during the time this one dried, I had fared the other frames and readied them for the sanding. I did break away from time to time, to help with the prep for the Thanksgiving feast. later on, the other side was cemented in place. unfortunately, the sanding of the other two was put on hold for a bit. when I cut the ribs for Curly, I had one that encountered a void in the plywood. I was going to fill it in earlier, but I forgot. I did it before the sanding got too far......the sanding started to tear away the outer laminates. with that done, I began to sand Larry, being very careful of the bulwark posts {I didn't fix the one that broke....I just re-cemented it}. I had it lying on my leg.....and I was sanding away at her.......and then I heard a resounding crack! whether it was the stern post that gave me trouble....I didn't bother to check, but it had broken on one side. I glued it back together, and splinted it with a piece of wood. I'll be so glad when this phase is over.............another thing I can say about this oak plywood, is that it didn't react well to the Dremel......kept wanting to gouge. the regular plywood was much better in this respect.......it behaved much better, and I could get a much better curve. I look forward to the time when the hulls are planked, and I won't have to deal with manipulating it anymore. like I stated earlier, never again

looking great Nenad........the curve looks much better

mighty tall order you got going on here........with school and stuff on top of that, you must not have any free time. if you need Billing's info...you'll be able to get it all from the site, as well as Dumas products Dumas Products - Dumas Products Estore Billing Boats Official Website 2012