Mayflower by SkerryAmp - Model Shipways - 5/32" = 1'

[SkerryAmp]

Hi Adam, very nice work. As a young boy I've build the Revell Mayflower.

 

 

Thank you sir!   I remember several of those plastic kits when I was younger as well. Never did the Mayflower but I do remember doing the Cutty Sark and Titanic!!

 

 

-Adam

[popeye the sailor]

I'm glad that I was able to be of some help.........I'm glad to hear that the flushness was indeed an optical illusion.    I was kinda worried that I might have come off a bit  'over the top w/ a dash of critic'........not my intention,  I assure you

 

yea.......staining the transom,  before all else,  can be somewhat of a handicap.   there is always the risk of not being able to match the color later on.   it'll work out........sounds like your being careful.     I'll look forward in seeing what you come up with.

[SkerryAmp]

Popeye sir (and others)  a bit o praise and a dash of critic is how we get better =)

 

Never take it as anything but constructive assistance-  I assure you

 

 

-Adam

[SkerryAmp]

Hidey ho again folks!

 

Got some more time on the bench today.  The goal today was to at least get the one side planked, treenaild, stained and shaped.   And that is where we are at!

 

Finished planking down to the lower wale.  I decided to not plank the entire hull for two reasons. One, it is going to be painted white and two, conserve material (wood is expensive ya know ).   Once I put the trim up which includes the wales it will all blend nicely together.

 

I did my best to keep consistent around the ship.  Used the archive pen for the caulklines so they would match the transom and insner bulwarks, used Min Wax walnut putty to fill the tree nails ( Hand is cramped from poking all those holes ) and then used a mix of 2.5ish to 1 Natural to Golden oak MinWax stain to wash over the entire side.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also went through and stained all the stanchions with the same mix. The thought was, while they were pear if I used the same mix of stain it would tint without changing the color and blend the tone throughout and give it a nice two tone look.   I think I pulled it off.

 

 

 

 

Now it is letting it dry a bit before moving onto the next few steps.   I still have to clean up the gun ports, attach the lids (going to go closed, no cannons showing) then the wales and trim.  Then I will move on to the other side!

 

Off to cook my wife my famous Chicken Kiev!   Then will decide what to do next when I get back down here.... decisions decisions..!!

 

 

Until later friends - Do what you enjoy and enjoy what you do!!!

 

 

[augie]

Fabulous.  You're working faster than Popeye.  That's a lotta planks

[lamarvalley]

Looking great Adam!      

[popeye the sailor]

AUGIE!!!!   I thought you were on MY side :D :D :D

 

man do you and I think alike......cripe!  after cementing the upper deck platform on the trawler........I made 2 half dozen of two different flavors of muffins..........feed Gibbs with his dog food and brocolli mix.......and made supper........my favorite:  steak and cheeze subs {chunk},  w/green peppers and onions.  {I'm on my second sub}.......I am one fat / happy camper right now!

 

you have done a superb job on the planking!..........I almost choked on a bite when I saw her!  the color is fantastic......and the treatment you applied really makes the difference!  I like how everything blends together......but I would suggest palnking all the way down to the keel.   your upper wales is going to sit on top of the planking......but where is the lower one going to be?   either on top of the last two rows of planks,  or used to terminate the planking {the waterline}.....there will still be quite a lip there.   for example:

 

 

when I did the second planking on the Gothenborg,  I used the .5mm planking.   here I could play with the thickness.   planking down from the bulwark,  the first wale was laid.   planked down from there,  and the second wale was laid.  the rest down to the keel was planked to termination.  the difference between the two woods,  still allowed the wales to protrude.  both wales are equal to proportion to the hull wall.

 

 

now on the Half Moon,  I am going to try my best not to double plank.  these wales are going to protrude the full 1.8mm......they will be more prominant.  but,   then again,  the other rub rails are going to compliment them.   the hull face will be even all the way down to the keel.   in both of these ship,  that is what I was shooting for.

 

again......I hope I'm wet behind the ears,  but the hull should be uniform all the way down to the keel.  I wish  the wales were on the H.M. so you could see the differences.  I just measured the strips I'm going to be using......1.5mm is what I see...but they list it as 1.8mm {probably some of the palnking used is exactly that}.    I like the idea of embedding the wales like I did on the goth....it made the rise more subtle.  don't think for a second,  that I'm suggesting ripping up planking....far from it.  my thoughts are on how much of a rise there will be at the second wale.   please don't shoot me........

[popeye the sailor]

oh....by the way.......where were thos blotches you were talking about earlier?  I didn't see them

[SkerryAmp]

Augie:  Thank you sir! YES it is a lot of planks - a LOT of planks.   Makes me wonder what I would be getting into on a bigger ship - this one isn't big compared to so many others. .  Thankfully it was sort of theraputic.  Repetetive but theraputic.

 

Randy:  Thank you!!   I am pleased with it so far.   Congrats btw... pats didn't make it out of the jungle after all !!

 

Popeye: Thank you as well!   I was pleased with how the color came out, glad it came out even - and yeah the blotchiness worked itself out.  I get a little skittish sometimes when it comes to the finishes.  I was a bit concerned I was going to change the pear color too much - but it didn't so that risk paid off

 

 

And after MUCH deliberation within my head,  I argued with myself on whether to plank down to the keel.  Back and forth,  lots of name calling (I am not kind to myself sometimes).  One side of me said some things, the other side said some things and unfortunately for me I sided with getting er done and done right.  Popeye, you are correct, I could skimp and skip it and probobly most wouldn't see the extra lip but after some dry fits and testing it was just enough for me to say... dangit - he's right.

 

So - with football on the television I spent the day working on the remainder of that side.   She is now fully planked down to the keel and then I sanded and filled to get it ready for the paint.   I am running out of wood though, so this week will go as far as I can until I can pick up some more to finish er off.

 

It came out well.   To fill it I used Sheetrock Mud which I have come to appreciate for large area work (hulls ).  Very easy to work with, very easy to smooth out, fills in cracks and dings and knicks and can be reworked with a damp cloth if need be.  So,  it is white as you will see but that is just the sanded mud.   

 

The first pic. is my Mayflowers Two-Face impersonation (hopefully there are some batman fans here).

 

 

 

And what it looks like with a little more sanding and shaping done.  Ready for a final fill/sand, then a sealer and a coat of paint.

 

 

 

 

 

Will be going over a couple other little blemishes, reasnding, sealing and painting most likely tomorrow night.

 

Thank you all for checking in and the good words (they are appreciated). And thank you for the crits as well (just as appreciated).  Popeye, thank you for keeping me honest

 

Until later - ENJOY!

 

-Adam

 

 

[popeye the sailor]

wow......it really made a difference!  looks super Adam     never heard of using mud as filler,  but it is to be painted,  so who would know the wiser      was this kit designed to be a second plank build?  sad to hear that you need to get more planking.......but when the wales are in place,  you'll be very happy.   the Gothenborg wasn't either...I wasn't happy with all the glue blotches.  I even got a call from Tom {when Billing Boats USA was around}  apologizing that I had to do it.  I hope I didn't come off that way.......I think your somewhat like me...I would have painted it,  done more work on her......all the while becoming dissatisfied with how that came out.  of course,  this would have happened when the ship would be next to impossible to flip over without breaking something.  I've been there.

 

now you won't have to back track.......now you can do the wales and get her all dolled up!  I can't wait to see it   you've done a great job!

[Sjors]

Great job Adam !!!!!

 

 My first replay on this beauty ???

How is that possible 

That's a lot of planking.

But great job !

 

[Ferit]

I like this aged aspect on model ships... Really nice...

[lamarvalley]

Looks really nice Adam.... and yep, the jungle did the pats in... but hey, any given Sunday right?... from my view the bengals did all they could in the end to give it away but then that heavy rain helped a bit eh?    

[SkerryAmp]

wow......it really made a difference!  looks super Adam     never heard of using mud as filler,  but it is to be painted,  so who would know the wiser      was this kit designed to be a second plank build?  sad to hear that you need to get more planking.......but when the wales are in place,  you'll be very happy.   the Gothenborg wasn't either...I wasn't happy with all the glue blotches.  I even got a call from Tom {when Billing Boats USA was around}  apologizing that I had to do it.  I hope I didn't come off that way.......I think your somewhat like me...I would have painted it,  done more work on her......all the while becoming dissatisfied with how that came out.  of course,  this would have happened when the ship would be next to impossible to flip over without breaking something.  I've been there.

 

now you won't have to back track.......now you can do the wales and get her all dolled up!  I can't wait to see it   you've done a great job!

 

I did a test fit of the wales yesterday and yes, MUCH much better.  You were right sir! and glad I took the advice =).    Using mud I admit is a bit unorthodox,  but I have found in some cases it works like a charm.  Especially since you can dampen it with a rag to smooth it out and cut down on the sanding needed.   I tend to bounce between mud and hobbylite depending on what I am doing.

 

very happy with how it is going now =)   If only I had some damn planks!!!! (

 

Great job Adam !!!!!

 

 My first replay on this beauty ???

How is that possible 

That's a lot of planking.

But great job !

 

 

Thank you Sjors,  yeah first reply - was feeling a bit neglected (sniff sniff)  JUST kidding.   It is hard with so many great logs going to keep up with them.   I didn't take it personally - this time .. but glad you are here! =)

 

 

I like this aged aspect on model ships... Really nice...

Thank you!!   I like the tone it is taking, the colors are coming out better than I had expected.  Once I get the paint on I will go over it with a semi poly and they should really deepen up a bit.

 

 

Looks really nice Adam.... and yep, the jungle did the pats in... but hey, any given Sunday right?... from my view the bengals did all they could in the end to give it away but then that heavy rain helped a bit eh?    

Yeah, the rain did help indeed - and it is any given sunday that keeps us coming back each week =)  Thanks for popping in and the good word - it is appreciated!

[SkerryAmp]

So, the Mayflower is begging me to keep working - yet, unfortunately I am out of planking stock.   I ran around Nashua (a neighboring town) looking at Michaels, AC Moore, and a local hobby store (used to be a HobbyTown but now is something else hmm).

 

Nothing. Nada. No luck.

 

So, inspiration struck me.   Why not make my own?

 

So, I did grab some stock from the hobby store......

 

 

I searched around my closet because I knew I had kicking around somewhere....

 

YES. there it is...

 

 

Balsa Stripper,  planking stock....   this should be a breeze!! (sigh)

 

Well, first the balsa stripper is a very neat little tool. Very simple.  Loosen the screws, insert blade, tighten screws.   Easy peasy right?

 

 

The package comes with a #11 blade, but Micro Mark had attached a #24 blade with the note that they had found it cut hard wood better.  Sweet!  I am in business.

 

The #24 blad doesn't fit.  If it goes in from the top it is nowhere near the material to cut. If it goes in the bottom it extends too far and raises the tool so it won't slide along the stock. 

 

So, I put in the #11 and attempted to strip basswood!

 

The #11 bent so much it was near impossible to get even strips.  Regardless of the speed I went, slow and stead, fast rips... junk planks.

 

I am sure it works great on balsa (it is called a balsa stripper after all), but my experience and my review of the unit on basswood?

 

Survey says!

 

 

 

So, I may try to head up to Manchester (the other direction of my town) and see if a hobby store up there may have some.

 

Until then, the mayflower sits and waits. 

 

 

 

[riverboat]

Adam, you're a card !!         ....... you watching the Pats NO game? 17 17..... great game go'n on.

frank

Edited October 13, 2013 by riverboat

[popeye the sailor]

send me a PM........I'll give you my address.  I have plenty of planking....I can give you some 

 

what size planking are you using?

Edited October 13, 2013 by popeye the sailor

[riverboat]

Wow!!!! what a game....... unbelievable!!

[popeye the sailor]

hey!!!!!!............there goes a streaker???!!?? :D

[SkerryAmp]

Adam, you're a card !!         ....... you watching the Pats NO game? 17 17..... great game go'n on.

frank

 

Wow!!!! what a game....... unbelievable!!

 

hey!!!!!!............there goes a streaker???!!?? :D

 

 

That game was NUTS!   I am glad my wife has a CPR cert,  needed defibrilation after that.  Loved it and hated it at the same time!

[SkerryAmp]

send me a PM........I'll give you my address.  I have plenty of planking....I can give you some 

 

what size planking are you using?

 

not sure what to say - incredibly kind of you sir .  PM incomming!

[popeye the sailor]

I hope I can help........not a problem..good sir 

[SkerryAmp]

 

 

And our saga comes to an end - whew!  

 

Thanks to a generous stimulus package from Mr. Popeye - there is planking to be had!!

 

Pop was gracious enough to invite me up to his place and let me tell you guys something...

 

One - it goes without saying but Popeye and the Admiral are wonderful people! Thank you again sir for inviting me to your home.  Meeting yourself in the flesh and your lovely wife was a great night!  My wife and I really enjoyed the visit!

 

Two - Yes; he is Popeye and nails the gestures, and the voice and can even make an excellent popeye face!

 

And Three - WOW, his work is amazing in pictures but in person is even more so.  What a great experience it was to have the opportunity to meet him and see his work live!

 

And he had just what the doctor ordered!   A little sanding and the influx of planks from popeyes private stock is working out quite well so the Mayflower is back in rotation!

 

No pictures quite yet (sorry Sjors)  but soon - VERY soon.

 

 

 

 

[Sjors]

Hi Adam,

 

Great to see that you have a wonderful visit at Popeye's residence……

I know how he sounds but not seeing him ( till he gets SKYPE !!! )

So you can go on with the planking……

 

[popeye the sailor]

not a problem Adam........glad I could help you     one thing I will do in the future though,  is keep the admiral in the loop,  as to what I'm up to........this way she won't look like a deer in the headlights,  when she answeres the door.........hee......hee!    Yepper!  it was a pleasure to meet you and your admiral.   if your ever in the neighborhood....stop by!   I think the admirals enjoyed themselves just as much

 

I haven't forgotten Sjors..........skype soon

[trippwj]

Ayuh, Popeye...it is ALWAYS a good idea to let the head of the household know that someone is stopping by...lets her know that you do still recognize who is in charge!!!!

Edited October 15, 2013 by trippwj

[edmay]

Hi Popeye,You and the Admiral are to be commended for your hospitality and generosity ,kudos.Edwin  

[SkerryAmp]

So, I figured I would try to get around here a bit more and get back into the swing of things.  As I mentioned in the willie log our family was dealt another blow, my Mother in law passed away very suddenly a couple of weeks ago.   We have now been to 6 wakes/funerals since last summer.  4 on the admirals side of the family and 2 related to close friends of ours.

 

On top of that I have decided to go back to school to finish up my degree.  1 year left for the bachelors and then another year to get my masters.

 

So have been once again sidelined by life.

 

However - the admiral and I decided this weekend we needed to get back to some sense of normal so have been back on the site at least and getting up to get back to the bench.

 

Not sure which project will get updated first but one of them will!

 

Stay tuned...   we can even take bets on which it will be - because I have no idea myself at the moment,  they are all calling for attention!

[popeye the sailor]

like it........but not really.   you folks will be in our thoughts.............I can wait for an update    looking forward in seeing you back on an even keel,  my friend 

[SkerryAmp]

Thank ya Dennis,  much appreciated!   The keel is a tad uneven, but we are banging it back into shape

Edited November 6, 2013 by SkerryAmp