When all else fails, follow the instructions.

This is what I have learned myself the hard way through life. When all else fails, ( in my case building model ships, etc.. ) I find that its back to the drawing , and first establish what it was I did wrong, and why did I do it. Secondly don't be to hard on yourself , that will get you no where. Next , think what  to do next time ,and this my take some reading as to some solution to the problem.

I have found that in myself,sometimes I don't ask enough questions about a project or situation that I am involved in, and I have come out short, and hung out to dry, ( so to speak ) This is not good. So the solution for me that is, is to sit down and write out all the questions I can think of, and see that I  get answers, and write down the answers to the questions. One thing I have found out recently Is that people that you may be dealing with, wont offer you any information on a particular situation, unless you ask them flat out what you need to know, and have it spelled out in a contract.

You see old people don't know everything,like some think. ( that's because I’m  one of them )

I am still Alive.

 

Makin My Boat

Hi ; I’m still alive, been to busy lately, almost 79 years old, but seem to be busy most of the time.( also forgot how to get into my blog,) but now here I am.

Been making a model of  H.M.S. Bounty lately,making it all from scratch. Got a set of plans from the guild, and went from there. I had a bunch of oak edgings given to me, so after sawing them down to a certain thickness, I glued them up to pieces 6’’ to 8’’ wide, then had them planed down to 5mm thick. Made patters of all bulkheads and keel, and all other parts required , then proceeded to cut out parts on my jigsaw.After assembling all bulkheads on keel as they should be, I proceeded to plank in the hull. I made planking out of basswood and pine, 5mm. w x 1.5 mm. thick.

After setting the frame of the hull in line with the waterline, I proceeded to strike a line on both sides of the ship for the deck line, and started the planking from there going down to keel line. Some places I used wood dowels about ( 1.5mm) and pegged where needed. Have to say it was tough going in some places, but I made it. I make my own dowels out of stripes of wood either on my wood lathe or on my drill press, and can make them as I need them. After I finished the hull, I planked the deck, ( I now know what the term”Plank the Deck” means , plank the deck! ) O.K. As I did the deck, I had to set the masts in place, and deck around them, as masts had to be in the right angle of the ship. I made all the masts, booms, and their fittings out of oak on my lathe, sanded and varnished  them all after in place. I made the dead eyes out of oak with a 1/4’’ plug cutter on my drill press,  set them on the hull with wire fittings as required , and as shown on plans. Some detail I made up my self, a privilege  some of us take at times we don’t agree, or we just don’t understand,( probably  ‘’don’t understand, that’s why we don’t agree”) . I must have made at least 100 dead eyes for this ship, drilled and varnished them all, 3 small holes in each, what a job.

Have almost all the rigging done, except for the rat lines on all the shrouds, full height of the ship. That’s going to take some doing, not looking forward to it, but has to be done. I made all the rope connections out of sheet metal, and bent them with pliers, then painted them black. Made the rudder and connections out of my own head, as what was shown on plans was not to my liking, so did not use it.

Guess that’s all for now folks, see you next time.   “Makin my  Boat”