Building a Sudan Gunboat (1 Viewer)

theBaron said:
Looks really good, Mike! Your finish on the decking fooled my eye, until I read your description. Honestly, I thought you had salvaged a piece of wood from a school desk chair or some similar source, it looks so smooth and uniform. A really great project.

I may have missed this in an earlier post-what did you use to make the boilers at the aft end of the deck?

Prost!
Brad
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Am a little embarassed...Never discard those cardboard rolls, after the paper is all used up..You just never know what they might be needed for, in the fertile mind of a crafty type of person........Michael
 
maddadicus said:
Am a little embarassed...Never discard those cardboard rolls, after the paper is all used up..You just never know what they might be needed for, in the fertile mind of a crafty type of person........Michael
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:)

Yup-I've always thought they'd be great to make columns in a medieval hall, especially the tubes from paper towel rolls.
 
maddadicus said:
AYE, but only after he pays the usual $300 fee for change of surname..Michael
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Wraith said:
I've only got $200 in cash, so I'm thinking perhaps 'Smike', until I can raise the extra $100? :D
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LOL You guys are killing me. Mike Smike that is what some woman thought my name was. I would not tell her my last name. I kept saying It's Mike over and over again. She was going to call my parents and inform them of some transgression I had performed at a pool.:D:D:eek:
 
Quickee update..I have been trial and error building the upper command deck..It is one piece with liftoff roofs, to place figures.. It is basswood sheets and strips , dowels, costume jewelry, wooden maxims, etc. To compress the actual ship details into a condensed space has been a challenge. I do like the overall look, so far...I could use a cheap source for Britains like recast Sudan era sailors, as gunners, loaders, stokers...Michael
 

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Michael,
This beautiful beast is coming along very nicely! I can't wait to be invited onboard for the maiden voyage.
Mike

PS-Have you looked into Dorset stuff to see what they have for figures?
 
1879fanatic said:
Michael,
This beautiful beast is coming along very nicely! I can't wait to be invited onboard for the maiden voyage.
Mike

PS-Have you looked into Dorset stuff to see what they have for figures?
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I have Dorset sailors and 1 Deck gun, but to crew a ship, would cost me more than to build the ship...Michael
 
Hi Michael,

I am following your work with great interest. Your resourcefulness in using inexpensive materials with which to build your gunboat is extremely noteworthy. And, I am most certainly enjoying watching you bring all the different elements and details together. Thank you very much for allowing us to follow your progress!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat :)
 
Michael,
Again I'm most impressed by your talent.
The result is wonderful and I wonder how you go progress so fast with such a good result.
Congratulations !
Michel
Ps: I'm noting down some of your nice ideas for future use ;)
 
This is your best boat yet Michael. I love the detail you have on this one. Any way to make the pictures larger? I had a hard time making out your guns. They look nice from what I can see.
 
kilted vampire said:
This is your best boat yet Michael. I love the detail you have on this one. Any way to make the pictures larger? I had a hard time making out your guns. They look nice from what I can see.
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I second KV for larger pictures. that would be great !
Michel
 
I am back..The reason it takes me so long between takes, is that I build these from scratch, using cheap, everyday stuff. Since I build trial and error, I need to make sure everything works, before passing the info. Fact is the boat was done, till I reworked the upper deck. The first effort was shoddy and not to my specs..But here we go...First picture is of the gun rail made from basswood precut strips. The building are just 4 basswood sheets glued together...The roof is balsa wood and will be painted an oak deck color..Basswood could be used. The rivets are 4mm facetted stones woodglued to thin basswood strips. I put a small drop of woodglue and then after it gets tacky, just drop a bead on the spot. I space the beads based on looks..I did find some sticky back stones, but they are a bugger to get off the paper..I use woodglue with a few drops of superglue, to hold the sections together. The superglue gives an instant tack, so that when the woodglue dries, there will be a sold bond. This method also allows more immediate handling rather then wait for the woodglue to set. The stones are found in the beads and jewelry section of my craft store. The windows will be shown in the next picture.. ( AC Moore, Michaels etc. )
 

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The top level shows the conning tower and bridge. The windows are 2 different sized shaped jewelry links. I cut off the connecting rings, glue a black painted piece of cardboard to the window and then glue the whole assembly to the cabin walls. Again, rivet strips are strategically glued in place. I use balsa wood again for the roof sections.....Note the wooden life preservers and anchors that I found at the craft store. The searchlight is made from a wood bucket, glued to a base and painted yellow inside. I intend to glue a flat brass grommet to the front rim..
 

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Some craft stores have a domestics dept. with different cloth on rolls..I found a canvas looking piece and bought some. To make my awnings, I create a wooden form as a support base. I then cut a square or rectangle section, making it a little bit larger then the form..Because this material will fray, I fold up and glue down opposite ends of the cloth equal to the length of the form. Folding the cloth in half, I drape over the roof of the form and glue to the peak of the form...I take a small dowel and glue it to the open, unfolded ends. I start rolling these ends, keeping everything tight and when I reach the wood form, I secure the roll with glue. Repeat for the other end..
 

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Michael,

Really nice to see your work continuing. I love the Vampire. It is in one of the main cases in the living room of the new digs.





 
maddadicus said:
Some craft stores have a domestics dept. with different cloth on rolls..I found a canvas looking piece and bought some. To make my awnings, I create a wooden form as a support base. I then cut a square or rectangle section, making it a little bit larger then the form..Because this material will fray, I fold up and glue down opposite ends of the cloth equal to the length of the form. Folding the cloth in half, I drape over the roof of the form and glue to the peak of the form...I take a small dowel and glue it to the open, unfolded ends. I start rolling these ends, keeping everything tight and when I reach the wood form, I secure the roll with glue. Repeat for the other end..
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Again thanks for the step-by-step.
I'm impatient to see the final result !
Michel
 
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