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When I think of Wagner, I always conjure up an image of a lot of fat ladies wearing helmets with horns sticking out of the sides and holding spears and shields while singing gutteral German in the...

Manganese bronze, such as props are made of, is slightly magneticly reactive. One test for it is to dangle a pencil magnet on a thread near a piece of it and ,if it is manganese, it will be...

Just to comment on Italian "Bel Canto", it is a way of singing with the least amount of restriction in the throat and tension in the tongue. The method creates the greatest amount of resonance and...

A warm Liver of Sulfur and water solution will turn them instantly dark. Make sure they are free of any oil or wax.
Jay

Luke, I would sincerly like to post them, but the effort is impractical for me at this time. It would require taking the plans to a copy service and putting them into a printable foremat. I am also...

Many of my experiences with kiln dried lumber in relation to boat building have been extremely negative. Experience has shown me that in certain instances, kiln drying can render a large percenatage...

This is not exactly a boat shop. But it sure has some therapeutic appeal for we who live within the stress of the modern age.
Enjoy,
Jay
>http://www.youtube.com/v/_mKSKZau9qs#

The "Star of India" and several other classic vessels are on display at the Marine Museum. The steam yacht "Medea" is also of great interest and once belonged to my friend Paul Whittier. Another...

I might add that it is all wrong and the rest of it is questionable!
In truth, there is no justification to even think of using red oak on a wooden boat other than if you plan to use it as fuel or...

Dusty is correct. Japanese Shokonin, cabinet makers, did not use dovetails for making drawers in cabinets, Tansu, in the beginning. Rather they used simple half lap rabbet joints that were held with...

Castrol R is not an oil I would choose to use in an outboard motor. I used it back when I was racing Porsche. It smelled great. But it also had a nasty habit of gumming up valves and roller crank...

I have always been of the opinion that the wood used for Marimba Keys would work well for caulking mallets.
Jay

I'm glad you agree. And, I must admit that, even though I can free hand hone a tool, I reserve that for quick touch up work and still use the jig for an involved job such as a chip in the blade.
Jay

When the Alden "Wandelure II" was changed from a gaff fore to a stays'l rig she went better and out pointed her sister ship "Medley". With her golly and light genny set up she was a witch. No fore...

When you find the problem, it will be of interest to me as I have one of the same vintage that is still in storage and I dread having to work on it. This reminds me that Ed Rickets and John...

Hey sorry to hear of your running aground on your maiden voyage! I once ran aground on a maiden during a voyage and ended up marrying her! That incident has turned out to be one of over forty years...

A study of masts that have been successful on traditional sailing craft can be found in Uffa Fox's books. I believe his second book has many examples and useful comments. A mast that is hollow is...

One important tool, for a beginning, wood worker: be it boat or other, is a sharpening jig that will hold a constant angle for honing a chisle or plane blade during the sharpening process. ...

I really have to agree with you on this one. Incidentlly, I never really understood how versitile and accurate a block plane could be until I started using Japanese pull planes and other tools. ...

Yes indeed, a wise decision on your part! This sounds like an exciting and worthy project!
Do keep us all informed on your progress.
Jay

Yes, coming apart is a bummer! I can note that we once built new spars for a sixty foot British ketch that had a set of spars that started delaminating when the boat was in transit across the...

John, I just got a note from Chris this AM. He seems to be in good spirits. I did always like his "Cicero" and was surprised when he sold it. Currently he has a traditional cruising power boat of...

I see it comes complete with a set of Lord Galvin's Balls.
Jay

If you are seeking a strong material, you might investigate Lexan for your windows. Unless they have a bronze frame that allows them to open they are fixed windows but, they can also be called fixed...

Oops! That ruined your entire day! Just seeing that makes me cringe on your behalf. Are the repairs completed? If not, you might want to talk to my friend Chris McMullen of the old McMullen Wing...

Yes John, You are very correct and, I am not arguing your point. I might add that I have been aboard some five boats that experienced mast failure as a result of rigging flaws and one collision. ...

If you wish to eliminate scarfing and pass a frame all the way from the rail to the bilge it can now be done. There is a new process for making wood, especially white oak, flexible enough to be...

Actually it is possible to lose a mast without a rigging failure. L.Francis Herreshoff once noted how the mast in "Reliance" litteraly exploded during race practice.
According to him not a piece of...

I realy like to row a Catalina Wherry. http://setsail.com/gig-harbor-rowing-dinghy/
These boats were designed and built around the mid of the last century in Avalon Catalina as a rugged rental boat...

I was there for the building of both of Lynn and Larry Pardey's boats. They have sailed around the world twice. Their motto was always that they would go sailing away from their launch point as...

Sorry, I can't say, I only googled the info on your behalf. I would suggest you contact the mfg. I trust that they would give you the best advise.
Jay

Tanbark is the old method. But, it contains a lot of, now, hard to find items in the mix. This might be a better approach.
http://tweetys.com/canvas-preservative.aspx
Jay

This is interesting Peter! Did you make the models?
Thanks,
Jay

Well, thanks for the kind words and "Kelpie" is indeed one of my favorite boats. I enjoyed some good times on her. I do hope that I am not warndering too far away from boats by posting some of my...

We are all waiting with baited breath!
Jay

Them indeed was the days! Dad's Donut Shop is still there but now owned by an oriental gentleman as Dad passed away many years ago. The Jolly Roger on the Island had several of my signs on the...

Thanks for the info S.R. We only made five. I will have to check on the ones you mention. So far as "Kelpie" and her carvings are concerned, I supose they will have to make trail badges for her...

No drinks were exchanged for this one. This was a fairly big job that involved signs for five of their stores. I have been known to work on the barter system however. And, Spike and I tipped a few...

My old partner in the sign business Walter Methner sent me this photo of one of the old signs I did for the Jolly Roger resturant chain.
The banners are made of white pine and the sails on the ship,...

One parting comment I might suggest is, to start with the easiest and most logical approach first. If that doesn't work then, go for the complex solution.
Sweet boat!
Jay

Avast there Cap'n! I charge you with having too much fun. What a great project. I wish my Dad had the forsight to build something like this when I was a kid!
Jay

The zip loc bags are there to prevent the pressed sawdust logs from absorbing moisture which, causes them to disintigrate in a hurry. We do use paper bags if we are burning briquets. A new Tiny Tot...

That is blindingly beautiful!
Jay

Although not as economical as cut wood, the compressed sawdust logs are very efficient and burn clean. They also put out a lot of BTU's and last quite a while.
We chopped them into one inch disks...

I must reinforce my first statement that the crack will open and close with changes in weather. For this reason, you will need an adhesive that is flexible and also has slight gap filling capacity. ...

I might add to David's note here that oak being a difficult wood to glue plus the stainless fastenings, most likely, contributed to the break down of the wood.
You might consider another kind of...

The problem involved with this kind of crack is that there is no way to clamp it if it is to be glued. If it is not clamped, it will open and shut with changes in weather and dampness. Splining it...

In case you don't know about Navigator Stove Works, here are a few of their products that your insurance underwriter will approve of.
Jay
http://www.marinestove.com/sardineinfo.htm

Different ships, different long splices indeed! Likewise, I was taught by my Pappy that the lowest plank on the hull is the "Garboard" which is a corruption of the name "Garbage Board". This plank...

Indeed you are correct! Using a dapping die in place of peening will, most likely cause the rivet to buckel. Unfortunatly I failed to mention that the Dapping Die is used after the peening is...