Half Moon by popeye the sailor - Billing Boats - 1:40 scale kit

[Jim Lad]

Popeye,

 

The doors look good, but how are you going to get to the one under the break of the poop to put the hardware on?

 

John

[popeye the sailor]

well.........I thought it was going to be a chore to get the bulkheads changed over.     this area is still going to be open,  till I can get the interior stained.   the hardware is going to consist of a pair of tiny hinges {still have to make them}  and some sort of handle.  I'll just tweezer them in place after,  before I do the clear seal coat.   tricky,  but that's how my cookie is crumbling.......so I kinda have to go with it.

 

thanks for the good word and concern John..........

[newbuilder101]

Doors are looking nice! You're moving right along. 

[edmay]

Hello Denis,choo choo, moving right along is right ,doors look great,nicely done,the decks are also neat . Edwin  

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Sherry and Edwin.........yes it is      I hope to make a bit more,  before I go back to the Gothenborg.

 

 

I had test fitted the stern rails earlier........I have a serious gap under the rail.   to fill it,   I made up a piece of curved plywood and will later sand it down to match the incline.

 

 

 

the stern rails are dry........and the curvature is good

 

 

and finally..........the interior is stained at last!

 

 

 

 

....more good stuff to come soon! 

[SkerryAmp]

Oooooooh, very nice!

 

The doors came out quite well - nice having 1:1 plans to work from and they came out quite nice.   The overall stain pulls it all together and looks sharp!!  CAREFUL pulling the sides in,  I had to do the same to some degree and well, now am trying to figure out how to fix an alignment issue on the Mayflower .    I can't give much advice - but that I can warn ya about since the ships are so much alike.

 

 

Really like that color and I normally don't like dark but it is nice and rich and classy!

[Sjors]

Hi Popeye,

 

Everything looks just great !

But when you are missing a whole sheet, can you not send BB an E-mail ?

When I'm missing parts, I send a e-mail to the manufacturer and most of the time they send me the missing parts.

But I think that you don't want to do that, because you love scratch…..

 

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Adam!  when I install the post supports for the lower deck,  I will pull it together then.  this way I'll be able to do the entire wall.   I find that there are a few more glue blotches inside than outside...I'll remedy them before it gets the seal coat.  I think that's the coolest thing about our builds........thanks very much for the concern.......but it needs to be done

 

when I got the kit Sjors,  it was said that I could just use it for junk and spare parts.   bit,  with so much of the kit intact,  I thought "why not build it".......I love the challenge.  it will teach me so much more this way.  thanks for the good word my friend......I'll be back to the shrouds soon

[mobbsie]

SWEET          

 

mobbsie

[captainbob]

Looking good.  The doors really dress up the ship.  Now for the tweezers work. 

Ah, the problems we give ourselves.

 

Bob

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Mobbsie...I appreciate the way you've summed it up     

 

thanks Bob........in layman's terms.......a model builder is a person who has the ability to paint themselves into a corner.......and come out of it smelling like a rose! :D      I wonder what Bashman would do in a case like this?    thanks for the good word.........we'll have to see in the next episode .........same bash-time........same bash-channel  :D

[realworkingsailor]

Geez... with all that work you're putting in here, that poor Gothenborg must feel like the unloved older sister....

[popeye the sailor]

I know Andy..........once I get this part done,  I will be getting back to the Goth.    thanks for looking in and the good word 

[Shazmira]

The color looks great, a nice rich tone that really draws the eye. I do like your doors as well, and I love the ingenious use of a couple of glasses to get the bend you needed, I will have to remember that trick for the future!

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Robbyn.......one thing I will add to the glass trick......make sure that they are smooth round glasses,  and not faceted.   they leave marks in the wood.......thankfully they are on the underside of the part      now I have to cut and bend the parts I will need for the cap rails.   I have already pre-bent the main wale boards.......now I need to do the smaller ones.

[popeye the sailor]

with the ship stained,  now is the task of figuring out what I'm going to do about the cap rails,  wales and rub rails.   I first looked at stain.  I went with a dark stain.......to add some contrast

 

 

nice........but I think it needs something......kind of a reddish look.   I went over this with the Billing's mahogany.

 

 

still looked kinda dark,  so I switched it

 

 

then I did a traditional flat black strip

 

 

lets compare.........left side : mahogany over dark    right side:  dark over mahogany

 

 

now the black

 

 

mahogany over dark won........it carried the best redish hue

 

 

 

I needed two of the 7mm and 4 of the 5mm strips.   this seems to be easier said than done.   while staining them,  I broke three of the 5mm strips.   wet down and bent more strips..........after they were dry,  I stained them and broke two more in the process........set'em up again charlie

[popeye the sailor]

I figured while I was waiting,  I might as well stain the stern cap rails to see what they would look like

                                                   

 

 

the other ones weren't ready yet,   so I decided to do the starboard side.

 

 

 

 

 

[augie]

Really nice effect with the contrast on those rails, Popeye.  

[Piet]

Hey Popeye, nice wales, nice contrast!!  Re breaking the strips, could be the grain not being parallel to the run of the strips, I had the same problem.  But you'll get there my friend.

She's really looking very nice, bravo.

 

Cheers,

[Jim Lad]

Mmmmmm!  Nice look, Popeye!

 

John

[edmay]

Hello Denis,good choice nice contrast.Edwin

[SkerryAmp]

Excellent choice my friend.  The contrast is great looking and "classy".

 

I approve,  carry on

[Shazmira]

Wow, you seem to just be flying through this build!!! She looks exceptionally good!

[popeye the sailor]

thanks everyone for the good word........when I saw the pictures of them on the ship......I had to keep looking at it, because they look odd.

it's just the pictures.........whewwwwwww!

 

it's the reason why I chose this particular wood Piet........the grain runs in an odd way.   I have a bunch of wood like this.   when I select wood for a build,  I look at the grain {even what they supply in kits},  and make sure.   I have been able to catch these little pho-pars,  if you don't it comes out looking like crap!     of course,  this is what you get when you rub wood the wrong way :D

 

well......I'm not REALLY flying trough it Robbyn.......just getting some progress on her,  before I get back to the Goth

 

now that these rails are on the hull,  I can give her a bit more stain........dulls out any glue marks and darkens the hull........I will try to get a picture in actual light.......using the crane light makes her look too light.  I've added more stain,  and she looks a lot darker.   I wasn't too pleased with it at first.......but now that I have done this,  I feel a bit more at ease with the color.  she's going to look really good with the seal coat..........I hope to be doing that very soon.   few more thing to do yet before that happens though

 

I really appreciate all your kind words........she's shaping up better than I ever expected.

[popeye the sailor]

I did a bit more before I gave in to gibb's request last evening.   I cemented in some extra wood for when I cement the stern cap rails in place.........gives more surface area for a better bond.   the pin racks are part of these parts,  so they need to be as strong as possible.

 

 

this morning,  after my reply.....I thought to bring her into the living room and snap a couple pictures of her in actual light.   pardon the upheaval........but I had to give in to gibbs last night.  lately,  he's taken to goading me into the living room to watch TV....for some reason,  he likes the room,  but doesn't want to be in there alone.   this has been going on for a while now.........the admiral thinks it's real funny.  so,  I go in there and watch TV,  while he lays on the floor {and sometimes on the couch with me},  and chews his whatever they are.  he can be very affectionate........but can get downright ornery,  when he don't get his way.   he knows I'm his  'Alpha',  so I don't get too much crap,  but he can get bossy with the admiral.  he is an American Eskimo,  but I think there is a bit of Pomerainian in him.

 

 

 

Gibbs though he was getting his way without even trying....... :D (I got news for him} :evil:   I got thing to do today.

 

 

there is some blotchiness,  but before I give her the seal coat,  I'll even it out.   the Billing's mahogany comes in the small bottles.....the same as their paints.   I'm working on my third bottle.........but,  I have back-ups.

 

[riverboat]

Looks real good ! Popeye........

 

frank

[Sjors]

I'm just watching and enjoying myself Popeye !

 

Looks fantastic !

 

[SkerryAmp]

Looks terrific Popeye!!!

 

I hate it when the blotchiness attacks!  But if I can even it out I am sure you will have no problem at all!!!!  (not that it really shows that much to begin with )

[newbuilder101]

Looks terrific Popeye! Great colours, great contrast, great progress!

[popeye the sailor]

thanks again everyone!   there are a couple more rail to go on yet,  but it give you a better idea of the true color.   I was able to come up with the two 5mm  rails for the port side,   although I did manage to break another one in the process.  as for the broken ones......I'll more than likely find a use for them somewhere......if not,  I'll just sleeve them and save them for another build.   you never know