Lula by Keith Black - 1:120 Scale - 1870s Sternwheeler Supply Boat for Floating Pile Driver

[Keith Black]

5 hours ago, tmj said:

Looking good, Keith... looking "REAL GOOD!"

 Thank you, Tom.

 

4 hours ago, BANYAN said:

That's a very creditable effort on that little engine Keith; great work.

 Thank you, Pat.

 

2 hours ago, Glen McGuire said:

No worries, Keith.  I just enjoy seeing how the sausage is made, especially on something as unusual as your engine.

 Glen, I'll include photos of the sausage factory shortly. 

[Knocklouder]

Very nicely done Keith,  have you named the crewman yet? The crew would like to know lol. Very impressive work Keith,  .

 Bob  M.

& Crew

[Keith Black]

38 minutes ago, Knocklouder said:

Very nicely done Keith,  have you named the crewman yet? The crew would like to know lol. Very impressive work Keith, 

 Thank you, Bob. Nope, no name, I just grabbed one of the men for the photo op.

[MAGIC's Craig]

I have been away a bit.  Delighted to find a notification about Lula.. but I'm gobsmacked to see what you have accomplished and especially in such a scale!  Once again, you are kindly showing all of us what can be accomplished with some care (and desire).

[Keith Black]

 Components used thus far making the beam engine. 

 

 After doing research when I start to make a thing I immediately go through my stash of bits and pieces. I look at each piece thinking if it or a version of it can be used. Those aha pieces go into my working bit tray along with the maybe pieces.

 

 I look at this process like it's kitting up the pieces for a model but not knowing if all the pieces will work. Working at this scale eliminates a lot of the bits I've collected over the years.

 

 Every thing is put together using CA

 

A. Beam and Column

 1. This piece is out of a package of boat davit parts. I used these in the pile driver build for the drum shaft. Here I've used it on the cylinder side of the column. It's had the center cut out.

 2. 1mm etched eye pins. I've used these things on every build, their just so handy and perfect for this scale. I'm using them here for rods.

 3. Cornwall model boats list these as a flange. When I ordered the several weeks ago I did so not having a purpose for them, they looked like they might come in handy. Here they'er used for the beam.

 4. Solid brass ring (I don't remember what they came out of?) used here glued to the top of the dowel.

 5. Brass split ring from craft store's jewelry section used at the bottom of the column. The split ring slips over the dowel, part 5 fits on top of the dowel. It gives the impression of a tapered column. The dowel is too small to make a proper taper.

 6. Very small dowel. 

 

B. Base

 1. Wheel from Tichy Train Group

 2. Pillow blocks from Tichy Train.

 3. Larger etched brass eye pin used here for the control rod from shaft to valves.

 

 C. Water Pump

  1. One hole stanchion. I've used pieces of these for various items, here the base is turned upside down and the length trimmed to pin into the base.

  2. Brass bead fitted over stanchion base to add shape to the water pump. 

 

 D. Cam

 1. Same flange as A, 3. Here I cut off about a third, shaped, drilled hole, and added pin. 

 

 I'll now paint and assemble these components before moving on to making the cylinder, steam chest, and rods. 

 

 

 Thank you to everyone so muck for the kind comments, likes, and support.

 

  Keith

Edited December 18, 2024 by Keith Black

[Keith Black]

59 minutes ago, MAGIC's Craig said:

I have been away a bit.  Delighted to find a notification about Lula.. but I'm gobsmacked to see what you have accomplished and especially in such a scale!  Once again, you are kindly showing all of us what can be accomplished with some care (and desire).

 Craig, thank you and glad you're back with us. 

[Glen McGuire]

6 hours ago, Keith Black said:

Components used thus far making the beam engine. 

Thanks for adding that step of the building process.  Fascinating work, Keith!

[Jim Lad]

Great stuff, Keith!

 

John

[Keith Black]

7 hours ago, Jim Lad said:

Great stuff, Keith!

 Thank you, John. 

[Keith Black]

 Thank you to all for the likes and the comments. Your support is the wind in my sails!

 

What I have done so far on the beam engine sits atop a penny assembled and painted. I really am going to get to the the cylinder side. Hopefully I'll have the engine completed in the next couple of days then the boiler.

 

  Thank you to everyone for your interest and for following along. 

 

    Keith

[Rick310]

WOW. Wonderful work!!

Rick

[TBlack]

Keith, Your eyesight must be phenominal!

[Glen McGuire]

4 hours ago, Keith Black said:

What I have done so far on the beam engine sits atop a penny assembled and painted.

That looks fantastic!   With that skill level at such a small scale, I hear an SIB project calling your name!

[Keith Black]

4 hours ago, Rick310 said:

WOW. Wonderful work!!

 Thank you, Rick.

 

2 hours ago, TBlack said:

Your eyesight must be phenomenal!

 Not really, brother Tom. I wear reading glasses when at the computer or worktable but when working with tiny stuff and painting I wear a pair of 6x glasses.

 

24 minutes ago, Glen McGuire said:

That looks fantastic!   With that skill level at such a small scale, I hear an SIB project calling your name!

 Thank you, Glen. If I could get these fat fingers inside a bottle I'd give it a go but working with tweezers inside a bottle would drive me bonkers.  

 

 

 I got the cylinder and steam chest made and installed. I need to paint both and then make the connecting rods. I'm not sure how much of the rod assembly I'm going to be able to replicate? 

[Jim Lad]

The engine looks great. Keith. No idea how big your 'penny' is, but I'm guessing not very big?

 

John

[Keith Black]

7 hours ago, Jim Lad said:

The engine looks great. Keith. No idea how big your 'penny' is, but I'm guessing not very big?

 Thank you, John. A US penny is is 0.70 inches in diameter. 

[Keith Black]

 Thank you to all for your likes and for the thoughtful comments.

 

 The little beam engines is done except for the weathering needing to be tweaked a bit. 

 

 The weathering is not this dark. I hate it when my camera and I aren't on the same page. 

 

 

 This is the boiler side. The space between the beam engine and the boiler is going to be tight so this side would be darker but not this dark....stupid camera.  

 

This is the port side and I need to lighten this side up a smidge.  

 

 

 I took a shot of Lula next to the pile driver for myself but I decided to show it to you folks because THIS is how dark the beam engine weathering really is. The barrel on the pile driver deck hasn't't been painted and I'm trying to decide if I like the barrel being there.

 

 Thank you for your interest and for following along on Lula's journey.

 

  Keith 

 

 

 

 

[Jim Lad]

Very nice "grunging". Keith.

 

John

[BANYAN]

Looks good Keith.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Paul Le Wol]

Keith, love the group picture. This is going to be a great looking presentation!

[Cathead]

That last photo is an early Christmas present. What a great set this is going to be!

[clearway]

coming along nicely Keith- the barrel on the donkey pile doesn't look like it shouldn't be there if that makes sense!

 

Keith

[kurtvd19]

Every barrel starts out new.  Having a new barrel is normal -  at least for a day or two.

[Keith Black]

On 12/21/2024 at 3:59 PM, Jim Lad said:

Very nice "grunging". Keith

 John, thank you but my first attempt at weathering proved to be too much. Photos shortly. 

 

On 12/21/2024 at 6:15 PM, Paul Le Wol said:

Keith, love the group picture. This is going to be a great looking presentation!

Thank you, Paul. I very much look forward to the time when the three sit near each other. Yes, three, a piling barge needs to be built after Lula is finished.

 

11 hours ago, Cathead said:

That last photo is an early Christmas present. What a great set this is going to be!

 Thank you, Eric.

 

7 hours ago, clearway said:

coming along nicely Keith- the barrel on the donkey pile doesn't look like it shouldn't be there if that makes sense!

 Thank you, Keith. Yeah, that barrel is WAY too clean.

 

 

6 hours ago, kurtvd19 said:

Every barrel starts out new.  Having a new barrel is normal -  at least for a day or two.

 Thank you, Kurt. The barrel needs the hoops and staves painted and looks of dirt added. I wish I were good enough to paint the word "lard" on the side.

 

[Keith Black]

 Thank you for the likes and comments.

 

 

 I wrestled with the images of the beam engine in my head all last night. In the end it wasn't stupid camera, it was stupid Keith. One has to remember I'm like a child with a new toy regarding powdered pastels, I have so much to learn. 

 

 I over cooked the pastels and consequently hid most of the detail I tried so hard creating. So I took a moist paintbrush and removed most of the "grunge" leaving it primarily at the bottom and in the depressions. More highlighting than the unnatural covering I first applied. 

 

 From the photos I see a couple of places I could rework a tad but even as is my mind is much more at ease tonight. This will be the last photos of the beam engine as a singular item, I've used up more than my share of bandwidth and I'm sure you folks are bored with images of a beam engine. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Thank you to everyone for the support and for following along.

 

  Keith

[Ian_Grant]

The engine looks really good now. Great work!

[Keith Black]

4 minutes ago, Ian_Grant said:

The engine looks really good now. Great work!

 Thank you, Ian. 

[mcb]

Hi Keith,

That looks good.  Your pastels seem like the old chalks that I use, easy to adjust (until you clear coat it). 

This project is really moving along.

Thanks for posting it,

mcb

[Cathead]

Quote

I'm sure you folks are bored with images of a beam engine

I'm not sure you're reading the room correctly, LOL.

 

[Keith Black]

10 hours ago, mcb said:

That looks good.  Your pastels seem like the old chalks that I use, easy to adjust (until you clear coat it). 

This project is really moving along.

Thanks for posting it,

 Thank you, mcb, my pleasure. 

 

29 minutes ago, Cathead said:

I'm not sure you're reading the room correctly, LOL.

 You're much too kind, Eric. Thank you. 

 

 

 For all you steam junkies, this is a neat vid.