fltguy Posted February 15, 2021 Share #1 Posted February 15, 2021 Received my model from BlueJacket this past weekend. This model comes to me as the newbie builder and an aficionado of Maine and lobsters. I purchased the complete builder kit as I can always use the guidance and new tools. Inventoried the box and I will dry mount my plans on a cardboard piece today and place it in the workspace for daily motivation. I am a detail oriented guy, I look forward to making a display quality boat worthy of this forum and my study. thibaultron, Blackreed, pwog and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted February 15, 2021 Author Share #2 Posted February 15, 2021 Clearly, gaining inspiration from schooner, pwog and CTYankee build logs. Using a photo from schooner on my build binder. Thank you to these individuals for posting detailed photos and comments. pwog, schooner and thibaultron 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted February 15, 2021 Author Share #3 Posted February 15, 2021 Glued the plans to a stiff piece of cardboard to hang right in front of workbench. Corrected title on my boat build binder too, subtle, but important to me. thibaultron and schooner 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schooner Posted February 16, 2021 Share #4 Posted February 16, 2021 I hope you have as much fun with it as I did. Good luck! thibaultron and pwog 2 Quote Tim Current build: Continental Navy Frigate ALFRED (build log) Past builds: Steam Tug SEGUIN (build log in the kits 1850-1900 section) Liberty Ship SS Stephen Hopkins (Gallery & Build Log) USS Basilone (DD-824) (Gallery & Build Log) USS Olympia (Gallery) USS Kirk (FF-1087) (Gallery & Build Log) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlueJacket Posted February 16, 2021 Share #5 Posted February 16, 2021 Glad to see you are doing a build thread. When you have her finished, I will give you 10% off the next kit you buy from us. It's a standing offer I have for as long as I own blueJacket. Nic thibaultron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted February 19, 2021 Author Share #6 Posted February 19, 2021 Yesterday, I stopped by Hobby Lobby and low and behold, a 50% off on their paint supplies. Clearly I had to have some new stuff for my boat build. Good brushes, pipettes for mixing, plastic cups for mineral spirits and sealed containers for something. My wife purchased a few sewing items too. All in all, a good visit. thibaultron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted February 19, 2021 Author Share #7 Posted February 19, 2021 (edited) Back at it this morning with some sanding and priming. Pretty straight forward stuff. I chose to paint both sides of the cabin structure. Plans suggest painting one side, however, I had a brush and primer so I practiced on both sides. I'll let the primer dry and then sand and prime again tomorrow. Mahogany parts await, sanding, staining and some clear coat with glaze. Edited February 19, 2021 by fltguy thibaultron, bruce d and schooner 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwog Posted February 20, 2021 Share #8 Posted February 20, 2021 The Red Baron was a fun build. Enjoy! thibaultron 1 Quote Paul On the Ways: Mighty Mite, Harbor Tugboat by pwog - NautiCurso - 1:64 __________________________________________________________________ Completed Builds: Lobster Boat Red Baron (Bluejacket) Sardine Carrier Pauline (Bluejacket) Swampscott Dory (BlueJacket) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted February 23, 2021 Author Share #9 Posted February 23, 2021 Finished up the cradle this weekend. Stained all four pieces with a dark oak stain followed by three coats of glaze. I did sand in between glaze applications. It turned out fine. I spent a lot of time on it as I started with an easy assembly. pwog, thibaultron and schooner 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted February 23, 2021 Author Share #10 Posted February 23, 2021 (edited) Today, a departure from the order of steps suggested by the instructions. Actually, I'm just procrastinating on sanding the hull. The hull and sanding seems like a daunting task. I worked on the motor box. I rounded the edges as I thought about sharp corners on a rocking boat while attempting to work in the cabin area. Careful sanding with 150 grit took awhile, but, in the end I got the look I was after. I brushed on the primer with the kit provided brush. Randomly, I dipped the brush in the paint thinner and it help spread the primer evenly. Tomorrow, the hull. Edited February 23, 2021 by fltguy pwog, bruce d, thibaultron and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted February 23, 2021 Author Share #11 Posted February 23, 2021 Model Lite was suggested to me by an airplane RC guy. He swears by it so I purchased it on Amazon along with some non specific brand of spot putty. This jar arrived this evening. I will provide a full report. schooner and thibaultron 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share #12 Posted February 28, 2021 I spent the better part of the day shaving, sanding and sculpting the bow area of the boat. Patience and music made the job tolerable. Carefully shaving very shallow strokes, makes it a straight forward job. I used aggressive sand paper to get the bow close to the template shapes. A lot of sanding with the medium grit helped with the finesse work. Nearly three hours spent on this step. A note of caution, the hobby knife blades provided in the kit are extremely sharp. It's very easy to nick a finger. It did it twice and that brought the whole adventure to a stop for the day. I will need to heal. Unfortunately, no pictures. pwog 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwog Posted February 28, 2021 Share #13 Posted February 28, 2021 I think drawing blood with a hobby knife must be a right of passage. I cut myself on my Red Baron build too. fltguy 1 Quote Paul On the Ways: Mighty Mite, Harbor Tugboat by pwog - NautiCurso - 1:64 __________________________________________________________________ Completed Builds: Lobster Boat Red Baron (Bluejacket) Sardine Carrier Pauline (Bluejacket) Swampscott Dory (BlueJacket) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share #14 Posted February 28, 2021 (edited) Three days later and I was back at the work bench ready to attach the keel. I read in other posts that some builders had used tiny brass pins to affix the keel to the hull. That idea appealed to me for strength and rigidity. (Is it really necessary?) Instead of brass pins, I used 1" common straight pins. I used the kit provided #75 drill bit (the really tiny one) for five holes along the keel. The drill holes are eyeballed evenly along the keel only. I did not pre-drill into the hull. My thought process, push the pins into the hull when the keel is positioned. When the glue dries, I'll use needle nose pliers to pull the heads off the pins and sand what is left of the pin. Additionally, I used generic wood glue versus CA glue. Wood glue has a setup time measured in minutes, CA glue is nearly instantaneous. I wanted the ability to move or align the keel. Additionally, the tiny gaps between the hull and the keel, wood glue would fill these voids. I did break the forward portion of the keel. I was being careful too. Stuff happens. A very light coat of glue on the keel is all that is required. Setting the pins was harder that I thought it would be. I used a hammer to set the pins. The round pinheads helped set the keel. The gap between the hull and keel is negligible, but I've got filler for that. Overall, I am happy with today's results. Edited February 28, 2021 by fltguy schooner and gsdpic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share #15 Posted February 28, 2021 (edited) Saturday afternoon and some time for the Red Baron. Removing the pin heads and fairing the keel to the hull. The results with the wood glue and straight pins were very favorable. I applied a very thin coat of white model filler to the keel area. A short drying time with this filler allowed me to finish sanding where the keel and hull meet. I did sand those areas of the hull that I filled with fine grit paper, more so than was really necessary. At this point, I am very happy with the smoothness of the hull. Priming the basswood hull will raise the grain and expose those areas that need improvement with sanding and patching. Great!...more sanding. Edited February 28, 2021 by fltguy schooner, bruce d, gsdpic and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted March 1, 2021 Author Share #16 Posted March 1, 2021 (edited) At some point prior to today's activity I drilled the holes in the keel and hull for the rudder and prop installations. Sanded and primed the hull. Mixed primer with mineral spirits in a ratio of 3:1. This mix gave me a better flow with the brush. The goal was to minimizing brush strokes and making subsequent sanding easier. I'm pleased with the day's results. More sanding and primer tomorrow. Edited March 1, 2021 by fltguy schooner, bruce d and pwog 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwog Posted March 1, 2021 Share #17 Posted March 1, 2021 Looking good! Quote Paul On the Ways: Mighty Mite, Harbor Tugboat by pwog - NautiCurso - 1:64 __________________________________________________________________ Completed Builds: Lobster Boat Red Baron (Bluejacket) Sardine Carrier Pauline (Bluejacket) Swampscott Dory (BlueJacket) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted March 1, 2021 Author Share #18 Posted March 1, 2021 Sanding the deck well has been problematic. Small space makes sanding with my fingers difficult at best. I read in previous posts that foam helps with sanding in tight quarters. I have it pretty smooth right now, not realistic for an operational lobster boat. Contemplating flooring grit for the floor of well deck. That maybe over the top. I'm not sure how I can make that happen, glue sand paper to the deck? bruce d 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsdpic Posted March 3, 2021 Share #19 Posted March 3, 2021 Your sanding and priming is paying off, the hull is looking really good. Maybe for the deck, just rough it up a bit with some coarse sandpaper (80 or 100 grit)? Remember you are doing a 1/32nd scale representation of something that is already just a tiny fraction of an inch on the real thing. Quote - Gary Current Build: Artesania Latina Sopwith Camel Completed Builds: Blue Jacket America 1/48th Annapolis Wherry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlueJacket Posted March 3, 2021 Share #20 Posted March 3, 2021 I agree. Flooring grit would be microscopic. Actual grit size 280 is only 52.5 microns in diameter (about .002 inches) Dividing by 32 gives you a size of 0.0000625 inches. Just use flat gray paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlueJacket Posted March 3, 2021 Share #21 Posted March 3, 2021 As for HOBBY knifes having a tendency to "ahem" go where they shouldn't, in my 67 years of building models, I think I have left a bit of DNA on every one of them. Certainly the last 20 years that I can remember. NIC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alross2 Posted March 3, 2021 Share #22 Posted March 3, 2021 (edited) On 3/1/2021 at 5:20 PM, fltguy said: . I have it pretty smooth right now, not realistic for an operational lobster boat. Contemplating flooring grit for the floor of well deck. That maybe over the top. I'm not sure how I can make that happen, glue sand paper to the deck? Keep in mind that the real RED BARON is a fiberglass boat, built before 2000. She's going to be very smooth. At this scale, any non-slip is going to be very, very, very fine. Even 600 grit sandpaper is probably too coarse a grain for simulating non-slip. Edited March 3, 2021 by alross2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share #23 Posted March 3, 2021 (edited) Thank you. I could just leave it alone too. Over-thinking this. Edited March 3, 2021 by fltguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share #24 Posted March 8, 2021 (edited) Went to the big box store and bought a spray can of Krylon high solids primer for use on hull at $4. Good results with filling and dries quickly. Sanded with wet sand paper, 600 and 1000 grit, then wiped gently with terry cloth rag towel. This simple step resulted in a primed hull that is fiberglass smooth. Not shown here, I did spray the deck well too. Edited March 8, 2021 by fltguy schooner and gsdpic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share #25 Posted March 8, 2021 (edited) Time to open the CA and glue. Spent some time playing, adjusting and fussing with the cabin former. Procrastination. Edited March 8, 2021 by fltguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share #26 Posted March 8, 2021 Cabin former glued in place. Easy glue up with all my marks. schooner and pwog 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share #27 Posted March 8, 2021 (edited) Gluing up the cabin formers was a new adventure in first time model building and CA misadventures. Dry fitting these pieces looked good. Adding CA and placement of these two pieces should have been straight forward. I was unhappy with the installation. Great! My first real test with CA and I have to use the debonder. Drama and disappointment ensued. My fingers were a mess and debonder easily removes primer. I need to clean up and walk away this evening, thus no pictures of my debacle. Acetone removed the CA mess from my fingers. Tonight, was merely learning experience. Edited March 8, 2021 by fltguy pwog 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share #28 Posted March 8, 2021 (edited) Back at it after three days away. Careful and judicious use of CA made for uneventful install of cabin formers. I did spray primer on the formers and the inside of the cabin in an attempt to darken the cabin for the future. More importantly, it covered the glue mess made in my previous assembly attempt. 'Recovering', an important lesson. Success breads success, I formed both cabin sides with the help of hot water and rubber bands. I let the the cabin sides sit in some non-boiling, hot water in small pot over a low flame for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. These parts were very flexible. I have only included one picture. I did the exact same procedure for the other cabin side and it work out well. Edited March 8, 2021 by fltguy Mike Collier, gsdpic, schooner and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted March 26, 2021 Author Share #29 Posted March 26, 2021 (edited) Interesting how daily events can get in the way of one's hobby. Dry fit the forward cabin bulkhead, I cannot emphasize that enough. Installing the cabin roof was easy enough. More sanding too. The next post, shows a picture of my completed roof, after sanding it smooth with the bulkhead. I spent too much time adding unnecessary filler around the cabin. Edited March 26, 2021 by fltguy schooner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fltguy Posted March 26, 2021 Author Share #30 Posted March 26, 2021 (edited) Glued the windshield former to the roof. Once I was happy with the location of the former, I drew a fine pencil line along the forward edge. I needed help positioning this piece when gluing in place with CA. I got it pretty close. You can see where I marked the spots for drilling #51 holes for engine controls and the compass. Edited March 26, 2021 by fltguy schooner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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