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

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Aldo......still more to do yet....hope to have an update on her soon

[SkerryAmp]

Looks great Popeye- the "fix" doesn't show except that it looks real good.  And I echo the sentiment on the cleanness of the decking.

 

Crisp!!

 

-Adam

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Adam......I should be back at it shortly.  I still haven't found the string I've been using for the dead eyes and running rigging on the Goth.....I'm hoping soon........before the hobby stores switch gears.   who ever heard of flying a kite in a snowstorm? 

[patrickmil]

Flying a kite in a snowstorm is cold work I would think. Your Half Moon is looking great!

[popeye the sailor]

hee.....hee.......would make for some great excercise though    found some string like it,  but it's like the next size up.  I'll save it for larger builds.  I think I'll have better luck at the dollar stores........I mentioned the string on my Goth build    thanks for looking in and the good word....I hope to have some progress soon

[popeye the sailor]

I was thinking about this the other evening,  after I had finshed what I was doing on the trawler.   I have the wales for her already to go,  but I couldn't decide whether to stain the hull first,  or just throw caution to the wind.           sooooo...........

 

I finished sanding the hull.......I didn't have much to do.

 

 

then I used the Billing's Mahogany stain.........

 

 

 

 

 

when I get the other cabin bulkheads done,  I will stain the interior of the ship

[SkerryAmp]

OOooh, now that is a nice rich stain color.   Like it!!     You said that was billings?  I havn't found too many stains that I really like the colors always seem to light or too dark; but never thought to try some of the hobby stains out there.   That there color - SUCCESS!!!

 

 

-Adam

[Shazmira]

Beautiful finish to her, she will look stunning as per your usual work I am sure!

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Adam        you see......I am in a much different dilemma with my wales.   I want to paint them a darker color before i put them on,  but I was also curious about this stain......I've never tried it before.   it looks a bit on the red side......but I am pleased to see the glue blotches are very few.  as I had mentioned on your build.....the hull would not have a uniform appearance.....weather and  'patchwork' would have a lot to do with this.   the wales may even hide some of them    thanks for the good word

 

 

thank you Robbyn...... this is a bold step.   the last time I stained a ship,  I ended up renaming her.   I think that this one though,  will be good  I have to bite the bullet and start somewhere       thanks for the good word.

[augie]

Planking looks just great....and the color makes her POP!

[Jim Lad]

Hmmmm, that's funny - I thought you were working on a trawler!

 

I like that stain colour, mate.

 

John

[Sjors]

You are confusing everyone Popeye…….

 

But I agree with the others….nice stain colour!!!!!!

 

[rdsaplala]

Wow! that is one very clean looking planking and staining work Popeye, she looks a treat!  

[patrickmil]

Popeye, the stain looks great on her! I like the color and didn't realize that Billings had a line of stains also.

[lamarvalley]

Veery nice hull Popeye... came out with great color 

[captainbob]

I don’t remember the trawler having such a high stern, and I thought it was already painted.  What did you do?       

 

Bob

[popeye the sailor]

oh....crap!!!!  I put that structure in the wrong ship!!! :D :D    you would have to read the goings on in  SkerryAmp's mayflower log to get an idea of what I was thinking.   I wanted to do the wales,  but I don't want them done in this color.   I also have a bit of painting to do,  but was unsure how to go about it.  so,  I took the bull by the horns and did it.......now I don't have to worry about glue blotches from the wales and rub rails.   I need to finish the last two cabin bulkheads {change the direction of the planking},  before I can stain the interior. 

 

you should have seen the mess I made......in the first picture,  you'll notice a cap on the table.......it's from the bottle of mahogany stain.  I stirred it to be sure it was mixed.   folding up a rag,  I held it loose to the bottle,  so the stain could saturate the cloth.   it did alright.....it went all over my table!!!!   so,  as I was staining the hull........I was sopping up the excess on the table.  then the admiral tells me that it was 11:00PM.......I should be asleep by now..........wake up is at 3:30 AM.   made for a very interesting work day

 

so,  for now the trawler is off the table,  but there are a few things I can do in between everything else.   I want to do a little on the Half Moon......but I also want to get back to the shrouds  {Sjors will get mad at me if I don't}.  so much to do...

 

 

thanks randy for the good word....I always wondered what the Billing's mahogany looked like  

Edited October 8, 2013 by popeye the sailor

[popeye the sailor]

I finally got those recessed cabin bulkheads corrected........and yea......it wasn't easy.   it went quickly though......and that was a plus,  dispite having to sand them to shape and all.   using the templates I traced earlier,  the aft bulkhead planks were cut.

 

 

 

 

 

this one was made a bit easier,  because of the opening in the deck above,  trading the plank from one tweezer to another.   then,  the fore bulkhead.........

 

 

the two on the bottom have already been shaped a little.   the top plank needed to have 1mm removed from the width.

 

 

 

 

now I can stain the interior.  from there,  I can the support posts for the aft deck,  cap off the ends of the upper decks {to hide the ends of the plywood platforms},  and install the cap rails.

 

 

 

[augie]

Feels like I'm standing right there on her deck Popeye

[SkerryAmp]

Very nice Popeye - love the lighting on those shots through the grate.  Makes the quality of the work stand out.

[popeye the sailor]

let's hope your vision as better than my camera :D     thanks a bunch! 

 

 

thanks Adam.......just a perk from the position of the lamp     now that the corrections are done......I can move on

 

thanks for the good word Augie and Adam 

Edited October 10, 2013 by popeye the sailor

[captainbob]

Looking good.  I knew you could do it.

 

Bob

[riverboat]

nice Popeye, ........ everything looks ship shape, like your color choice on the stain........ I know the feeling when you spill whatever it is your using on the table, good thing I use a work bench , man I've tipped over many paint bottles, that's why I'm trying out tube acrylics, so far I 'm getting to like them .I bought some Jo Sonja artists colors, they are a matte acrylic lay real smooth and flat..... I think they have some stains also, might give those a try , anyhow your build is looking real good keep up the good work!!

Frank

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Bob......yea,  it was a feat trying not to get glue ooze on the planks

 

thanks as well Frank......you use that paint too huh?!?   I have a friend on another site that has been experimenting with Jo Sonja and Chroma paints on plastic.  he's proven {believe it or not} that it is doable    other parts that are not in the kit,  are the doors for the cabin bulkheads.  I've made some.....what I'm working on at the moment.   a bit more progress here.......and I'll head back to the Goth

 

thanks for the good word Bob and Frank 

[Foremast]

Nice work, Popeye. I like it a lot

 

Alex

[Jim Lad]

Very nicely done fix, Popeye!

 

John

[mobbsie]

You don't have problems Popeye, you just have setbacks, and boy do you know how to deal with them, Great fix mate.

 

Love the colour, I also wasn't aware that Billings had stains, was that a single coat or did you have to apply several coats ?.

 

Your ding a fantastic job on her mate, keep it up.

 

mobbsie

[patrickmil]

The bulkheads look really great Popeye. The Half Moon is really shaping up.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks to all for your kind words.   I have been working on the doors for the bulkheads........should be finished with them today.  I can then do the stain job to the interior and begin on the cap rails.  that will be a cool feature....I hope 

 

hello Alex!   nice to see you.......hope to see more on your fine build

 

thanks John......it really wasn't that bad.....that will teach me not to follow what my initial thoughts were.  I should have done this in the first place 

 

thanks Mobbsie......yea,  there really isn't any difference......problems VS setbacks.  I've read a few logs where folks knock the kit for these inconsistancies....sadly,  some even end up being scrapped,  because of them.   this kit is already missing a few parts.......it already suffers it's own handicap.....not an impossible task for  "Bash man"    

the Billing line of paints aren't that old........they've had 'em for a few years now.   they also have the metallic paints as well....copper,  silver,  and gold..........they are unique,  because they don't have the luster that Testor's paints do.   it's a nice antique look when they are fully cured.   as for stains,  the only one is the mahogany stain,  that I know of.   so far,  this is only one application,  but after the interior and cap rails are done,  it will get a second application,  and then sealed.   I'm not concerned with the archive pen calking,  by the time I get around to doing the clear finish,  it should be long dried and won't become solvent.   the hull work still has a way to go yet.

 

thanks Patrick..........so far........so good 

[popeye the sailor]

the doors as I mentioned,  are missing in the kit........an entire sheet of parts is missing.   the rigging sheet is 1:1 with the model,  so I was able to trace the doors from the over view diagrams,  on the other side of the sheet.

 

 

I cut them out from a left over piece of 1/16 flat stock.

 

 

I made a couple of extra,  so I can select the better of them.   there are two large doors and one small one......they were sanded and shaped.   I intend to cover them with .5 X 2mm strip Annegre.   the edges will be penned in.

 

 

once they were done,  they will be trimmed and sanded.   the outer edges will be done with the archive pen,  and given the dark mahogany bars.

 

 

 

I took a couple of miniutes and used the scroll saw to cut the posts for the lower aft deck.   there needs to be a beam along the underside of the deck......there is a noticeable curvature of the deck lip.  it will also need to be pulled together......the walls sort of splay outward.

 

 

the doors were cemented in place...when the interior is stained,  they will be stained as well.  then I can put some hardware on them then.

 

 

 

in preparation for the cap rails,  the stern edge needs to be shaped with a curve.   the ends were wet down and wedged between two glasses and allowed to dry.