Welcome to my new Blog



Welcome to my Blog.
My Blog is mostly about my hobbies, ie Model boats, Cross Stitch, Gardening, Days out and about, Lego Technics and Photography you might recognize the hat rather than me. My models and other hobbies can be found in the Tabs at the top below the header picture.
There will also be entries of days out with my camera, weather permitting of course.

Friday 23 November 2012

More on the OL2

Due to the weather not being fit to put a dog out, Pepe and I have not been out in the wet and windy conditions over the past couple of days.
I've had to do the shopping and Pepe has run in and out of the back garden but that's it.
So it was a bit more modelling in the warmth of my workshop!.
All the pulleys were made up, same as these on the main gantry supports

Then it was a start made on the wheelhouse furniture,
ie Bench seat, rear control panel and the wheelhouse hatch.

It was then on to the front control panel, this was a bit tricky has there are quite a few angles involved.
The underneath of the control panel, have to get that square if nothing else.

All the parts cut out 

Then put together 

Have to admit I had to use a bit of filler in this section to get all the joints and angles right.
If you want to check if your joints are al-right, take a picture of the section, all will be revealed!.

And there's a problem! The Inspector Mr Pointy and his assistant have spotted the rough workmanship, but as I pointed out to him all these surfaces would be covered with decorative material, "Still not good enough to hide shoddy workmanship" he said, so back to the sanding!.
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If a man say's something in the woods and there is no woman around........is he still wrong?.

That's all for now Folks.
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Monday 19 November 2012

Past few days

Past few days has seen Pepe and I out and about again.
On the Stobart scene got this nice picture at the Heywood chilled depot.
This is Mara Elizabeth with the Salford City Reds trailer, big aren't they and very colourful, hope when the Rugby League sponsorship deal is finished that there will be other colourful trailers forthcoming!.

Whilst Eddie spotting on the footbridge over the M60 the other day spotted this Kestrel on the slip road off the Denton Interchange, usually only seen them in the air hovering on the sides of the motorways.
Rush hour lights sign.

Made me think of the birds this coming winter so bought a bird feeder with all the attachments.
Not many birds been on it yet, I suppose they have to get used to it.

After this we whipped down to McDonalds for a drink.
Where's the burger then Dad?.

Not much modelling at the moment has its been unusually dry and sunny so got out .but done a bit on the  Cod End gantry
 
Added some feet on the gantry legs to make it look more sturdy.
And finally finished all the deck pulleys, the large one rear left is the Main Gantry Gilson winch.
Bit more to do on the Cod end yet, before painting though.
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If all the worlds a stage where do the audience sit?.

Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back too?.

How much deeper would the oceans be if sponges didn't grow in it?.

That's all folk's.

Friday 16 November 2012

Out, about and modelling

Wednesday evening it was the boat judging at the club for the best builds over the past year.
I was not Abell to enter my "Narra boat" as I was a judge this year after winning best build last year!
Then I realised that John was entering two of his boats so it was agreed by all the other judges that I should step down to be fair to everyone.

Yesterday had a run to Etherow Park and met friends Bob and Joyce as I was coming away and they invited me to join them in their walk so it was a nice change to chat with them round the lake instead of in their living room, and the dogs seemed to enjoy the company of each other!.
Then as we were all getting ready to leave, another surprise, an invite to Abell Towers for dinner to-day!, what good friends they are.

On the modelling front since the last post I've made a start on the Cod End gantry, all will be revealed if you don't know what one of those are.
 Legs made of 5mm square section 

Two sets of legs joined in the middle

Checking for square

 Then realised that after making up cage built over the plan in the instruction book that it was all nice and square,! its on a sloping deck!! and was sat at an angle, so I had what Mate Bob would call a Eureka moment and got out my laser  
This checks out the water line and also the vertical.

So after packing up to the red line was abell to find the amount to come off one side 

And there it is nice and square.

Then I had another Eureka moment, laser was too high on the shelf I'd attached it to!. 

Then thought would my camera tripod fit it?

And Eureka! it did.
So it all worked out a treat, so I'm going to put a few more bits and pieces on the structure to make it more sturdy looking and then its on to something else.
Bye for now folks. 

Saturday 10 November 2012

Model to date

This week been out and about, but yesterday whilst waiting for Brit/Gas to come and service the central heating I did some of the pulley blocks I've been putting off because they are so fiddly!.
So I've done a few of them and as usual they were not as bad as I thought.
Boom winch

Showing scale
Wheelhouse front and rear pulley boxes

Deck side pulley boxes

Foredeck corner pulley


Wheelhouse rear tall pulley box

And here they are cleaned up and all ready for painting, did I say all?, that's wishful thinking perhaps as there are quite a few more to do.

On Sunday just passed I was one of the judges at the boat club for this years builds, I won the kit build last year so you judge the following year.  I will post pictures of the best after we had seen the rest this coming Wednesday evening at the clubhouse, nice high standard this year though.

On the Eddie spotting front I went to their Heywood chilled depot on Thursday and got some good spots and a few good pix's
Sasha Louise with Bradford Bull's trailer

Sue Rose with London Bronc's trailer
Won't bore you with any-more, these were the most colourful ones on the day!.
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Golf
They called it Golf because all the other four letters words were taken.

A below par golfer always takes two lumps with his tee.

Harry the henpecked husband had been ordered by his wife to buy some organic veg and asked the gardener "Have these veggies been sprayed with any poisonous chemicals?"
"No" replied the gardener "You will have to do that yourself"

Boom Boom
Thank's all folks
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Sunday 4 November 2012

Model up-date

Over the past few days as well as going out and about, I've been doing a little bit more on the wheelhouse mast!.
The last post showed the main structure of the mast and I thought that was about it, not a bit of it, there are 40 fiddly bits to make up and fit together after that stage  

Here are all the parts of the mast I've made up.

The instructions were all very clear as usual on this kit, oops hope I haven't I spoken too soon!.

See back of top picture.
This radar part in two halves as you would expect is vac formed and I don't know about anyone else but I find it hard to stick together two parts that are so thin, so I came up with a cunning plan as Baldrick would say, cleaned up the top half and then stuck it to a thin piece of scrap plasticard, cleaned that up and then stuck the bottom half to the scrap piece, Job done and quite a lot easier than usual.
Just have to paint the parts and assemble the lot together now.

One of Eddie Stobart's latest Ventures with Cumbria Police.
Edited by my good friend Bob!
Good advice with the weather getting colder.

That's all for now folks, off to the Club boat judging at the lake this morning, will probabell-ly see stuff that puts mine to shame!, will get some pictures for you of the entrants.