Enterprise by src - Constructo - 1:51 - or Lessons in Adapt Improvise and Overcome

[russ]

^Sam:

^{That is actually the cathead. Poor translation indeed.}

 

^{You did well with it though. Good work.}

 

^Russ

[Shazmira]

Sam, WOW, very clean crisp work. I am duly impressed! I do love the contrasting color  of the wood as well. Hope you start feeling better soon

[cog]

Sam,

 

Catheads look real good, not to say marvelous.

 

You shouldn't be working on the front and the back end at the same time! Just pulling your leg. What happened? I see it's wrong, but you measure everything tripple, so I can't understand it ...

[src]

Robbyn, thank you. How is that garden coming?

 

Carl, Yes sometimes I feel like Janus, but looking on "two" many directions at once! Sorry, couldnt resist the pun. The gap at the top is just gravity pulling the transom away from the hull, there are 6 brass pins I am using both as locators and as reinforcement when I took the picture there was nothing holding the part in place other then the friction of the pins so it fell away a bit. The real problem is I never beveled the bottom edge for some reason, probably because I have been working on multiple subassemblies at once and didnt pay enough attention to the edge. I have corrected the angle and glued a new trim strip to the stern ring. I will get a picture of that tonight or tomorrow, hopefully I can get the transom glued up this weekend.

 

Russ, catheads huh? I have heard the term but didnt really know how it applied, any idea where the name came from?

Maybe i made a mistake and they are supposed to look like this??

 

Ok, enough play, time to go to work.

Sam

[Shazmira]

LOL Sam, look great to me! Garden is all in, now back to building!!

[russ]

Sam:

Not sure of the etymology of that term, but that is what they are called.

 

Russ

[Auger]

Looking really good. I just dusted mine off last night, what a nightmare job that was...

[src]

Hey Auger! Thanks for stopping by, was wondering where you had got to. I see you just re-joined yesterday and I am your first post? I am honored.

 

Will we be seeing some new builds from you?

 

I imagine dusting these beasties is quite q chore, should I ever actually finish this one I will have to put her under glass. we live somewhat close to a freeway and having a 10 month old kitten all those fun and cloth and hangy-down-thingies will be a cat toy in the waiting. 

 

Sam

[src]

I have been noodeling over my stem off and on over the last couple of nights. The instructions call for the "headrails" and braces to be all made out of 2x2mm stock. Everything then comes together in a rather small area at the top of the stem. right now the way I have built things it all come together in a cludgy mess. The instructions dont give a real clear picture of the joinery:

 

 

I am thinking I will need to make some changes and go with 1x1mm stock for the braces:

 

Now another question. On the head rails, the instructions show/callout for two pieces, one straight, one somewhat elliptical running from the upper trailing edge of the stem to just under the cap rail. One set each port and starboard. I can see how the straight piece would help brace the stem, but I am not seeing any function for the lower elliptical shaped piece attached to it. Am I missing something or is this "Artistic License" on the part of the manufacture? Maybe to simplify the kit and keep it at an intermediate level?

[Auger]

Yep, my first post back on the board goes to you!

Been really busy lately and haven't had much free time, but hopefully I can re-post my Bounty build log since its still in the works.

[src]

Auger, welcome back! I'll be keeping an eye out for your build log.

Russ, I re-read my post from a couple of days ago and didnt thank you for your input on the catheads, I hope you didnt think my "cathead" picture was poking fun at your response, I truly appreciate and value your input.

 

Over the last few days I have managed to straighten out the bottom edge of the transom and glued up a whole two braces on the port side. tonight, if I am luck I will get one if the races on the starboard side glued on. Getting those little twigs to follow the curve of the stem has been a bit of a challenge.

 

I blackened my port hinges, but the blackening rubbed right off, gonna try again this weekend.......

 

Thats all for now,

Sam

 

 

 

 

[russ]

Sam:

No problem on the catheads.

 

For blackening, use a file to rough up the surface of the brass. That will help. I usually paint the Blackening right on to the piece, then dunk it in some water after a minute or so, blot it dry, then go again. I do this until I get the depth of color I want. It takes some time, but the outcome is good.

 

Russ

[src]

Quick post, nothing new to show on the build, but received a PM asking about the clothes pin clamps used in post 71, "Laundry Pegs" as I now know they are called by our friends on the other side of the pond.

 

They are nothing more than your everyday clothes pin reversed and turned inside out. This was something I saw on the Old MSW in the tips or tool section I cant remember. I use two versions but I dont recall if both were found on the old site or if I "improved" on the original. For the clamps used in post 71 I needed more room to maneuver so I used a sharp chisel and made needle nosed clamps out of them. I like the wooded pegs for this reason, they are very easy to modify.

 

 

 

 

Hope this answers the question and maybe helps somebody in the future as well.

Sam

[russ]

That is a good idea. I have been using this type of clothes pin for about 40 years. I have seen many different ways to modify them for various circumstances. They will always find a place in my tool kit.

 

Russ

[src]

Thanks Russ. Its really a shame all the bits of knowledge lost in the crash. This is one of those indispensable bits that I have found I cant build with out. Its become so second nature a thing to reach for one and carve on it to suit my needs that I totally forgot there might be someone who had never seen/thought to reverse one themselves, I know I didnt till I saw it.

[src]

Well I finished fitting up the braces last night and temporarily pinned the headrails in place. The work around came out OK. I think I will wait to glue the headrails in until I clear coat the hull. It will be much easier to get a clean smooth finish with those out of the way. I can scrape the top coat away to get a good glue joint and then reinforce with the dowels. I may have opened up a can of worms with the dowels though, outside of the deck they are the only ones visible at the moment.

 

Now if I can come up with a good solution to Commander Lorcans "improvements" to the stem....

 

I pulled the clamps off the transom and and overall I like how it looks. I am not 100% satisfied with the gunports but I am pretty much out of Mahogany strips at this point so I am not sure I can do any better. If all goes as planned I will get the hinges re-blackened today and see if that doesnt improve the look enough. 

 

 

 

Onward!!

Sam

 

 

[src]

No building for me today. A quiet day. I was somewhat surprised and gladdened  by the number of flags flying on our street, not only today but all weekend. Not only known "American" homes but Immigrant homes as well. 

Thanks you Vets, each and every one of you.

Sam

[Rich.F]

HI Sam Hows the build going?  and of course Work!?

 

Rich

[src]

Rich, 

Work has been keeping me hopping, which of course interferes with build time.....

Right now I am vacillating on the chain plates, I am not sure if what the kit supplied is correct, looks like it is time to post a question in the Rigging forums

sam

[src]

Spent some time this afternoon building. Got a coat of linseed oil on. I had planned on using blond shellac up until this morning. I didnt want a high gloss finish, I really prefer a more satin sheen but the more I though about it the less attractive rubbing a shellac finish to satin was becoming. I could have used a water based satin finish but I dont have much experience with water borne finishes and really didnt want to start learning on my build, I have enough to learn as it is!  (see my rudder below) So I decided on rubbed oil and I think I like it. A few more coats and the hull should have that "you gotta touch it" look. Sorry Lorcan-Kitty its claws off the build for you......

 

On another note, I started mounting the gudgeons and pintles while the oil was drying. I was generally pleased with how the soldering and fitting went until I laid it up on the hull. The kit came with pre drilled parts, all the same length. You bend them in place and trim off the excess. all well and good except they drilled all the holes on the same spacing. I think the holes probably should have been drilled to the part after cutting to length.

 

My lack of experience is showing on the stern, unfortunately I didnt taper the hull enough at the stern and now I am going to have a funny step in the bottom hinge. I also didnt research the rudder early enough in the build to mount it as close to the stern as it should be. I am going to have to live with those mistakes and chalk them up to the learning experience. 

 

All in all the rudder isnt terrible, I will most likely try to scratch some new pintles and gudgeons and maybe just fake the gap and not try to make a perfect fit, that will just highlight the issue.

 

As always, comments suggestions and critiques are always welcome.

[russ]

I think the finish on the hull looks very good. It has an antique look to it. Very pleasing.

 

I think scratching the pintles and gudgeons is a good idea. Make some that fit your hull, not what they thought would fit. I think you can pad out the sternpost with a thin strip of wood to make up that thickness right under the gudgeon. If it is the same width as the gudgeon and the same color as the sternpost, no one will notice unless you point it out.

 

Russ

[Shazmira]

Sam, the finish is beautiful, and that first picture show a beautifully planked hull. Those bits at the stern that have your attention...I am betting when finished, you are the only one who will notice the discrepancy. But, you know the rule of modeling...if you aren't content and happy with it, if it is the cause of sleepless nights, THEN you need to rework and scratch it to please yourself!

[src]

Russ, the filler piece is a great idea, I think I will go with that, thanks.

 

Hmmm....Robbyn... is that an echo I hear?  Your right of course, build it to your level of satisfaction. I have had to leave several things less that what I envisioned, they would have been major re-works to get right. I dont want that to become a habit though.

 

I appreciate the compliments on the hull, thank you. I am trying to not dwell on the failings on it, stain grian filler and even the grain itself hide most of what I see as flaws. Ultimately, when I walk in the room and look at her I am pleased with what I see, thats the most important thing. 

 

Well I have a side project to finish up this morning; a friend bought his wife a Koa chair in Hawaii and it was severely dammaged in shipping. Koa is EXPENSIVE! An 8/4 plank 5" wide by 20" long was $90.00 plus shipping!  And I thought this hobby was expensive....

 

Ok enough rambling, fix a chair and then off to the hobby store to buy some brass.

 

Thanks for stopping by

Onward! 

Sam

[cog]

Sam,

 

Nice to see your progress. As usual a stunning eye for very sharp details in your work!

[ZyXuz]

Excellent work, Sam.

I love the way you handle all the fittings, especially the head rails.  

Thanks for the detail pictures!

[runner63]

Sam;

 

Your build is beautiful, keep up the good work.

 

I will follow with interest

 

runner63

[src]

Wow! Thank you everybody! Always appreciated. 

 

Brian, yes I was forced into the stern ring when my "cat ate it!" At least I am assuming that is what happened, I came in one night to work and found 2/3 of my part on the work bench, never did find the other 1/3. Best guess is its in one of her two favorite hiding places, under the sofa or on top of the book shelf. It turned out to be a good exercise in joinery. As far as the hobby store having brass in stock....I ended up ordering online, its getting harder and harder to get that stuff here, and I have 5 hobby stores in a ten mile radius! Do you live in the "country" as we call it here or is Wales "hobby store challenged"? Sometimes I forget how fortunate I am where I live, L.A. has everything you could ask for (and a lot you would never want)

 

Ok now that Robbyn has reminded me I can re-do things I need to go see about re-doing my gun port hinges, they are several scale inches too short. Thanks Robbyn!  

 

Sam

[src]

ZyXuz, Just checked out your blog, nice work. your little barrel switch gave me an idea. Too late to do it on this build, but next time I think I will try making the capstan into a switch.

Now if only I could keep the cat from running off with parts!, She literally just ran off with my small bin of treenails!   I would lock her out but she has torn up the carpet under the door. 

sam

[Shazmira]

Sam, hey don't blame me...I do believe I am only echoing what you told me You know the rules..do it and do it again until YOU are happy!

Send the cat to me...you will never have to worry about her again

[src]

Brian,

Two humans and sheep for neighbors, how come that doesnt sound bad at all?

Ya gotta love the internet, I try to buy from local hobby stores as much as is practical but even being blessed with multiple sources I have found that I still get most of my ship building supplies online.

How is your bulkhead and deck fit up coming along?

sam