Andrea Gail by popeye the Sailor - FINISHED - 1:20 scale

[Omega1234]

Hi Dennis. You're snowed in and we're sweltering in Summer. Hope all continues to go well with your AG once you get a chance to work on her.

Cheers

Patrick

Edited February 3, 2015 by Omega1234

[popeye the sailor]

no worries Patrick......I'll not give up the ship      got a bit of clean up to do outside with the snow and all,  but I'll be at the table.   I do have the one picture of the prop going on........didn't have to glue it or anything......the paint will do just fine  {almost couldn't get it threaded on} 

 

 

I was looking at the stand,  trying to figure out what made the scratches the first time around.   this Billing's paint,  when it dries,  is a pretty hard finish.......I've not seen this before.   the hull has been upside down for well over three days now........it should be fully cured.

[cog]

Would expect to be sufficient, i.e. 3 days drying ... Still, if it's cold and/or humid it could take a while, quality of the paint can play a major factor ... I've had a laquer which took 4 days to dry ... couldn't find the reason why though ...

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Carl......yea,  right now,  the cellar is less than sufficient......had to bring her up to warmer temps.   I got to my week-end {which is four days long}.......I hoped to get to something today,  but clean up took longer than expected.  after that I was too pooped 

 

humidity is not good for lacquer......turns it white    the problem you had might have been too little thinner,  or there was a suspension issue with the lacquer......which points to poor batch quality.  I used it extensively when I worked in the cabinet shop.  we had a batch one time that was so bad,  it would catch fire five mins after being sprayed on a rag!   it can create it own heat source if not made properly.  in those days we got it in 55 gal drums........today I work with 1 oz bottles.........big difference 

 

hopefully,  a better table day tomorrow........thanks for the good word! 

[popeye the sailor]

it was a broken day at the table.......kept getting pulled away.......and then having to go for the dreaded hair cut.  death for the living when the admiral gets together with 'the girls' {I'd rather be cooped up in some stuffy craft shop}      Tuesday night,  I did get a chance though to fix the stand,  so the hull could be put on without scratching the keel....just stuffed some felt in the slots.

 

 

...not a flattering picture,  but there she is.   as mentioned,  the pilot house is the next point of interest,  since it need to be in place to continue the trawl assembly.   I had mentioned these wide strips of mahogany,  that I have.   I'll use a strip to do the floor.

 

 

 

I really should use a different glue......white glue is water based......and we all know what happens to thin wide wood when water is applied.....curling!   very hard to work with!  I also found another bottle of paint that had met it's maker.   the caps have this plastic cone in it.......I suspect it gives the cap a very poor seal.

 

 

previously,  I tried working with brass to make some of parts I'm going to need.   I found that I'm poorly set up for that at the moment,  so I'm going to settle with making the parts from sheet styrene.  I'll see how this works for me 

 

 

the second bottle of 'dark ad gray'  was good....so I painted the dash it's base color.  I don't think the interior will have the visibility factor.......but I'll do a little in there anyway. 

 

 

the floor is finished......but not as well as I would have liked......not to mention the white glue blotch in the middle...which I failed to adequately clean up.  looking from a few angles......only snippets of the floor will ever be seen....so the heck with it.  I gave it a coat of semi gloss.....I may give it another to bring the sheen factor up....it will hide it better.

 

 

I also cemented in the blank for the entrance.......I knew I had cut the opening a bit too large,  but I had some bone headed idea about counter-sinking the door .......to add demention {if that's a word}.   but it turned to dementia........and equated to nothing more than an indention.   go figure.......and then the thought about a window kicked in..........

 

 

 

I still have those planks strips that I had ripped {thickness-wise} with the scroll saw.   I painted the best parts and threw the rest away.

 

 

....and that's when the camera tried to lie to me.......think you know someone this long.....and they try to stab you in the back!   I had painted the stabilizer booms.......when I took the picture,  it tried to tell me that I had not painted one side,  on one of them.  OK......I'll give you the benefit of the doubt......bad light and angle.......white is such a suck - up!

 

 

here is a better picture.....I hope

 

 

I'll see what I can do today.......it's snowing again.  may have to run out and buy some new shovels...my son broke the home made 'pusher' shovel.......the shaft was made from 1 1/2 inch round stock.  I made it to push the loose stuff down the driveway,  after the  'first wave'  shovels had remove the bulk of it.

    it wasn't made as a  'digger'  shovel......and that's what he was doing......broke in three pieces.  oh...well! 

[augie]

Lots of things going on there!  That 'unflattering photo' looks great from here!

[GLakie]

She's looking good back up on her "haunches" Dennis.  I kind of feel like that kid who always asks "Are we there yet?" Almost can't wait for the rest of the fittings to go on. 

 

Cheers 

[Omega1234]

Hi Dennis Your AG is looking amazing; what with all the time and inspiration that you've put into it.  You must be very proud about the process so far!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[Jim Lad]

She's coming on really nicely, mate!

 

John

[Piet]

Love the colors Popeye, very good choice    Try to scrape the cockpit floor to remove most of the glue spot.  At least it may reduce the area somewhat.

 

Cheers,

[mtaylor]

Looking better and better with every update, Denis.

[popeye the sailor]

thank you very much for the wonderful comments gentlemen!  now that the major paint work is done,  I thought to put a dry fit together,  but of course,  I'm getting side tracked      at this stage of the game......it's better to simply cement everything in place rather than play 'dress up'        the work on the pilot house is in full swing,  and I've also got a few other sub assemblies in the works as well.

 

thanks to all who hit the like button as well ! 

 

thanks George......it's not me anymore......the build is in control now!  I may try my hand at being creative,  but when I add it to the build,  it magnifies it.   it's like I said.......when I thought of this vessel when I made the hull for the Boulogne.....I never imagined that it would turn out as well as it has.   took a little to get to this point,  but it is worth it!

 

that's OK Piet........the floor will most likely be very hard to see in it's entirety......the blotch doesn't even come close to what I did to it last night.   I touched up bare spots around the pilot house,  and primer spattered onto the floor!  end of the world......not likely.  I put the brush in the bottle of dirty primer.......and brushed down the floor     got rid of them pronto.........by blending them into the floor.  I already had a coat of semi gloss on the floor......the whole process seemed to make it look better........and it didn't harm the floor either!

     I agree.......ya gotta love this color combination!      I'm going to see enough of it though,  when I get the Holiday boys painted 

[popeye the sailor]

Yesterday was a time thing.......when I started.....was good,  but when I went to the glue part,  I had to play the waiting game.  {I guess I forgot how slow styrene cement can be at times}     cutting the strips I needed was OK........once I found my Utility knife!   I knew i had put one in my tool box! 

 

 

rough the sides out and cement the parts together........

 

 

then made a couple other parts that I will be needing......again,  once they are dry,  I can begin shaping, like the one I did in the foreground 

 

 

when I had removed the railings......I saw again what happens when one paints round parts.   I had to touch up the undersides of them.

 

 

by this time,  I had the pair of stabilizer boom brackets shaped out.......a bit more refinement to get them to look more alike.

 

 

the hole that needs to be drilled in them was figured out and done

 

 

sadly,  I have to wait till the main part of the trawl rig is in place before any more can be done with this.

 

.....call it incentive to get my butt in gear! 

[Mfelinger]

Well done Dennis, I likes!

 

Matija

Edited February 6, 2015 by Matija

[GLakie]

Hi Dennis:  Nice work on those railings and stanchions! 

   Since I can see the need for using styrene in my eminent future, I was wondering who your go-to place is for plastic stock. So far, I've found Evergreen, but for shop-around purposes, could use another good option.

 

Cheers 

[popeye the sailor]

I tried not to leave too much clearance.......I'll take it up with some thin stuff.   by the time I get back to it,  the cement should be fully cured.  the other thing I was thinking about,  was the doors......the one on the pilot house,  and the one on the main deck bulkhead.   now that I have an indented area to work with,  I'll see how this is going to flesh out.   it starts with 3/16 square stock,  to make the door jams.

 

 

then the door itself.  with this one,  since it is inset,  I won't put a threshold at the bottom.  it's already there.

 

 

I had cut out the window........this square was traced onto the blank and later cut out.   believe it or not,  this was pretty easy to do.......I had the thought that the blank might break free or something worse.  the door was put back in place.

 

 

 

at the bow,  under the small cap,  there is a black box-like object,  in the plans.  I'm thinking it's some concept of a windlass / winch for an anchor........but there is no mention of an anchor in the plans or kit.   I added it in anyway.

 

 

I started to do some detail work to the dash......but more important,  id that the railings are now being cemented in place.   I'm figuring to do the over spray touch ups as I go along.

 

 

....meanwhile,  back at the doors.......      I should make two of these......one for inside the pilot house,  but this one is slated for the main deck bulkhead.  the door part is cut out.

 

 

the window has been cut out,  and the jams have been installed.   I have a very neat idea for the window........tell ya more when the process gets there 

 

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Matija........I have a few sub assemblies done........when they are all in place,  then the build will really look like I've gotten somewhere!      glad you like the build!

 

thanks George.......evergreen is one of the biggest suppliers for HO scale train materials and supplies.   I was looking through the display they have at our local HobbyTown.....they even have structural parts.....girders and trusses.   love to do a tanker somewhere down the road!   another product is Plastruct,  also found in most hobby and craft stores.  they too have just about anything you can think of...square stock.....solid round stock .....hollow round stock.......angle,  quarter round,  half round.........I can go on and on.   I usually go to Hobby Town,  Hobby Lobby,  Michael's,  A.C. Moore......just a few of the places in my area.  doing a search might produce more,  even places that specialize in decorative moldings for doll house and such.  if I remember correctly,  I even recall seeing the old Ambroid company......name changed to Northeastern scale lumber is still around.....haven't looked in lately,  but they did supply wood sculpted moldings.   I'm sure you'll be able to find what your looking for         thanks for the good word!

[augie]

A lot of fine details coming together. Wish I could help on the 'black box'.......access to a chain locker????

 

Are you using that thin liquid glue on the styrene?

[popeye the sailor]

could be Augie......I'm following the instructions.  who ever heard of using instructions to build a scratch built model......that is.....unless you drew them up yourself        I shouldn't laugh......it's probably been done before    I'm using what's left of a old tube of Testor's red...I do have two fresh tubes,  I bought for the Titanic.   I also have the liquid cement in the applicator bottle {black},  but I don't use it too much.

 

more door work is going on....... 

[Jim Lad]

Keep those details coming, Popeye - they're what make your models!

 

John

[augie]

Thanks, Popeye.  Be interested to see if it takes paint well.  Keep us posted.

[Omega1234]

Hi Dennis

 

Looking really good. I especially love the railings that you've built. The smaller details that you're building now are also great. I can't get over the size of the model. I know the scale's all relative, of course, but when I look at the size of the hull and deck taken from a distance, it's clear that the the broad beam and wide decks means that there's no end to the amount of details that you can add. That's the beauty of building at your scale, I guess.

 

Look forward to more updates.

 

Cheers

 

Patrick have a

[gerty]

Very nice job popeye !  - I enjoy pics of your terrific work !   Now I'm going back to look at your pics again.  Nice job on the railings - in addition to everything else !

[popeye the sailor]

thanks John and Augie.........I was rushed to go to work yesterday,  so I couldn't drop a line to let you know I appreciate your kind comments.    I have much more to show.

 

Patrick.......scale, in my opinion,  has nothing really to do with it.  detail is only relevant with the amount of creativity a person has.  the scale in which you build at,  and the detail that you've envisioned for her,  is amazing.   kits don't even come close,  to the amount of detail that you've packed in there!  the scale that I work with suits me well....due to my big fingers    to me.......if you can envision it and make it appear on your table {or in your model},  I think that is about the greatest asset a modeler can have.   there is much I want to add to this build.....I hope to see much more in yours    thanks for the good word my friend!

[popeye the sailor]

thank you Gerty.......welcome!  always glad to see new folks looking in    I can say that it will get more interesting.....I can start adding aspects permanently now,  instead of the usual dry fits.  thanks for the good word!  hope you follow along 

[popeye the sailor]

my work week {this week}  has really been interesting.   who would have thought that a trip to work,  would end up being stranded on the highway!  well,  that's what happened to me......on the way home,  the truck broke down in the middle of nowhere.  I stayed with the truck for almost an hour,  before deciding to walk, which the State Trooper estimated was about three miles....before he caught up with me.  the admiral was frantic.......called the shop.......called the State Police.  left work around 5:30 PM.......didn't get home until after 8:00PM.  the end of it came,  when my son pulled up as I was talking to the cop.  luckily,  I have towing in my insurance policy....my son met the fella at the truck......got it home.  it now sits nestled in the garage,  where I can tear into it to see what happened.  anyway......back to Andrea {I'll burn the truck later!}

 

the door that will be located on the main deck bulkhead needs to have a threshold.

 

 

after it was trimmed to size,  and the edge rounded off,  it was put in place to see how it would look.

 

 

it was primered and rivet holes were drilled......a bit of added detail

 

 

for inside the pilot house,  I thought to keep it simple.  since the outer door panel will show on the outside,  I thought just to make the door frame,  using the outer door panel as a template.

 

 

the inner looks of the door will require a threshold as well.....I had this part from another build,  that I didn't use.  it found a use here....painting it flat black.

 

 

I'm going to use 7 mm brads for the rivets......they were painted flat black as well.

 

 

the door jam {frame} on the pilot house was drilled for rivets as well.

 

 

the inside door frame was cemented in place and painted.   the bare wall is very tempting......I have an urge to put a picture there,  like I did the the Nordkap.  the thought is there......I'll think on it 

 

 

one thought I had,  is that there are to be decals on the pilot house.......they do not like to stick well to flat paint.   the pilot house and the door parts were painted with gloss white.

 

 

the door recess of the pilot house,  and the outer door panel,  is going to create a sort of sandwich,  so I thought this would be a perfect way to install the glass.   I have some really thin clear cello,  cut to the size of the door opening.

 

 

I wasn't too sure if the white glue would adhere to the cello,  so I used a hole punch to create openings for the glue to get through to the outer panel.

 

 

I have more to add.......but between being side tracked a few times......supper......and taking Gibbs out, it slowed down a bit.   I will put this together and show you in a bit.  I also forgot that I needed to touch up the port side from the over spray.   Since I'm not working today......and I'm off Monday {scheduled time off},  I can finish up with what I was doing.  I'll be back! 

[Omega1234]

Hi Dennis

 

That sounds like one heck of a drama with your truck! I'm glad things worked out safely. Did you not have a mobile phone to call your Admiral?

 

As for your AG, brilliant detail work as always. If I were you, I'd definitely put a painting on the wall. If not a painting, then maybe a large map. But that's just me.

 

Looking great and am looking forward to the next update.

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

Edited February 9, 2015 by Omega1234

[riverboat]

Glad you got home safely . nice work on the doors!!

 

Frank

[Sjors]

Nice doors Popeye !

 

Can you open and closed them ???   

 

Sjors

[GLakie]

Your skills never cease to amaze Dennis! Nice job!  Glad you made it back home OK. 

 

Cheers