crazypoet Posted April 27, 2017 Author Share Posted April 27, 2017 Reminder to self: thick plastic does not bend and shape the same as thin wood... I'm working on parts of the display base, in this case one of the boat stands. Re-learning how to do curved joints in what will eventually be a pair of "iron" stands is kinda fun - I'd forgotten how tricky it can be to get precise curves along edge joints under tension. The good news is that it's all coming back to me and I might actually be able to use this one after a moderate amount of sanding and filling. The bad news is that it shouldn't have *required* a moderate amount of sanding and filling! The core of each stand is 1mm evergreen sheet (as these will bear a good bit of weight when finished), to which I'll add seams, plates and MasterClub resin rivets, all finished with Uschi's metal powders in a mix of iron and steel. I'm also badly mistreating a lovely new map, to make it look like a lovely *old* map. The first wash of strong coffee and food-coloring is done. After it dries I'll borrow one of Mrs. Poet's irons to make it nice and smooth again before I mount it to the board and hit it with some tinted varnish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share Posted April 30, 2017 The stands are taking shape. Once I wrapped my somewhat ancient brain around compound curves on butt-joints, everything came together handily. Started on rivets today... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 I've not been completely idle these last few weeks... well, *mostly* idle, but not completely so... i'm nearly finished with the first of two Boat stands. A bit more work on the rust and it's there... i'm experimenting with some new techniques which is an utter blast - and I like the results so far. What you see here is red oxide primer followed by graphite followed by Ueschi powders in both iron and steel followed by Vallejo rust wash. I still need to do a bit of blending and streaking, but it's getting close to the look I want. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Great result. I love the Uschi powders and find them really controlable compared to some other options. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 I like the powders though I do wish they were a bit more opaque. Still, the results are every bit of what I wanted to see. This was my first try with them. For the second Boat stand (after all the rivets are done - they take about a week, given my current pace) I'll go with black primer first with a red oxide primer wash over that followed by the powders. What I'm wanting to get is just a *peek* of red rust coming through where the powders are thinnest and where they can't reach. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted May 17, 2017 Author Share Posted May 17, 2017 (edited) A day in the life... Starting to cut out ironclad armor plating for the top half of the base, and laying out deck planking for the bottom... An hour of cutting Styrene sheet... And starting to lay lay out the pieces... All this because I needed a break from applying rivets to the second Boat stand... hmmmm... I'm thinking this base idea was a bit ambitious! It will be really nice when it's done, though, and will help to put the Picket Boat into context... Edited May 17, 2017 by crazypoet Typos - hates them I do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted June 4, 2017 Author Share Posted June 4, 2017 There's not been much happening that's photo-worthy, though I'm continuing to make progress on the base and stands. in the interim, I finished up the title plate today. I had it done at Shapeways, based on an HO-scale building sign... The finish is Tamiya fine filler/primer, graphite, Uschi iron and steel powders, rust wash and more iron and steel powders to tie it all together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Very effective. Just love those Uschi powders! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted August 8, 2017 Author Share Posted August 8, 2017 After a long delay caused by relocating to a new living space, I'm finally getting my working space functional again - look for updates to this over the next few weeks. I'm also looking at PhotoBucket to see why my pics aren't displaying - I upgraded my account some time ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 Good to hear everything is settling down and we'll see some more of your outstanding work. Worrying that PB seem to be screwing over even those with 'premium' accounts. So the the $400 or whatever really is extortion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARU 5137 Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 crazypoet.. just read through your Superb build. it's OUTSTANDING .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 It's been a very long and trying year and a half, but I'm finally in a position to dust off the workbench and will be moving this project from "In progress" to "Complete" in the next month or so. Wow - has it really been four years? Yikes!!! Thought for this day? "Life is what actually happens while you're busy making other plans!" :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HubertB Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 Just went though the whole thread. Truly outstanding workmanship and attention to detail ... Great job Hubert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 Well, ok, it’s been three moves since I last got any work done on this, but it’s finally moving. i finished the main part of the stands tonight. These will sit on some 3D printed stone tiles, which will then sit on the wood base Hopefully, now that i’m Working again, I can wrap up the base, do some final rope-work on the gun carriage and put this behind me. I never, in my most fevered nightmares, would have dreamt that this would be such a long-term project! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 Good to see this one continue . Can't wait for the finish line. Cheers Rob 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted July 16, 2019 Author Share Posted July 16, 2019 Step by slow step - trying to mimic the grayish/yellowish/reddish sandstone from around the Chesapeake for the stone tiles that the iron stands will rest on... I 3D printed the stone tiles (thank you Thingiverse!) and am working through layers of color to get it right. The reddish one on top is close, I think, so i’m doing the second to match. And with one of the iron stands... in parallel, i’m Wrapping up the (also 3D printed) nameplate for the whole assemblage... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Clunkmeister Posted July 17, 2019 Administrators Share Posted July 17, 2019 I just saw this. Amazing, inspiring work here! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted July 25, 2019 Author Share Posted July 25, 2019 Getting there - laying out the base before I do the last bit of rigging and the lettering on the ammo cases The ropes all need a bit of aging to make them look appropriately worn. I still need to finalize the rigging on the gun. Since it was designed to be “portable” (a hernia-inducing carry in two pieces by six men) and was also meant to swivel around three different mounts, it would not have had the more complex run-in/run-out rigging of larger shipboard guns. Short ropes on each of the four rings on the carriage both make sense and align well with existing documentation. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grunhertz Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 Wow!!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HubertB Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 Great modelling ! Hubert 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted July 31, 2019 Author Share Posted July 31, 2019 So it seems that the 12-pound boat howitzer was rigged with a “training line” for the designated crewman to use to point the thing, and to help swivel the mount to it’s various pivot points. cool. except, well, there seems to be no place - even in period ordnance manuals - with a description of how the damned thing was done. sooooo... i’m Back to making things up. I think I have an approach that’s at least defensible. We’ll see who screams and points accusing fingers when I get it out on display finally! I also finally figured out what I was doing wrong with my dry-transfer decal paper, so I can finish the base and the ammo chests... wheee! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted July 31, 2019 Author Share Posted July 31, 2019 RANT Ok, just venting for a minute. i’ve been nose-down in documentation for this thing all week... you’d think that, given the Navy’s penchant for documenting *everything* (including, for instance, how many times to strike a cannon-wad forming jig with a hammer while forming the wad**), that something as standardized as ammunition cases would be well-represented in the literature. ummm. Not. Army ammo cases are *very* well documented, and period examples exist in sufficient quantity to cross-verify. not so the navy. Small arms? No problem - these are well-attested. but fixed ammunition for the boat howitzer? HAH! I have a set of dimensions for the case (from the Navy Ordnance Manual - exactly where it should be), so that’s not at issue. question is... What color was the damned thing, and how was it marked??? My best guesses of the moment are either blue with white letters (as used for navy small arms ammo boxes) or buff with black letters as specified for army pre-packed canister. Given that the navy packaged their ammo differently (9 rounds per box for the navy vs 8 rounds per box for the army) there’s no specific reason for them to use the army paint scheme, but then there’s no reason *not* to, either... i’m going to flip a coin, have a double gin-n-tonic and make it up. /RANT ** the answer is 21 times, with moderate force, in sets of 3 strikes. Now you know 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted August 1, 2019 Author Share Posted August 1, 2019 Training Lines done on the carriage - at least so far as my best guess can take me! I also got the first of the big dry transfer decals on the base - an old map of the Albemarle Sound region, where the Actions surrounding October 24 1864 occurred... i still need to finish the torpedo rigging, ammo chests and a few more details on the base... but...PROGRESS! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted August 1, 2019 Share Posted August 1, 2019 Ace stuff, I like your picket boat with all the different shades of wood and nice material approach. The large scale is an invitation to super detailing and that is what you do masterful. Cheers Rob 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted August 1, 2019 Author Share Posted August 1, 2019 1 hour ago, DocRob said: Ace stuff, I like your picket boat with all the different shades of wood and nice material approach. The large scale is an invitation to super detailing and that is what you do masterful. Cheers Rob Thanks! Despite my intermittent complaints, I love the challenge of research and re-engineering from first principles when docs don’t exist. tech and material-wise, this thing is something akin to Frankenstein ‘s monster. Wood mostly, but also plastic, brass, white metal, 3D printed resin, copper, fiber (I recall that there’s some dryer lint and a few acorns as well!)... that’s been part of the fun, learning new materials and new techniques along the way 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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