Atomic Shrimp - Tag - Woodworking2023-02-01T12:10:35+00:00urn:md5:c0b98cd55ab1d3c468ecdbd19e8bc1dbDotclearCrafting With Coconut Shell - Making A Kalimbaurn:md5:30af1e32f96afd07202f1bc68f9b8bf72017-02-25T21:58:00+00:002017-02-25T21:58:00+00:00MikeCraftInstrumentProjectsWoodworking<p><img alt="" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/kalimbathumb.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" />Coconut shell is quite an interesting material - underneath that bristly exterior, there is a lustrous dark shell that can be polished to quite a lovely finish.</p>
<p>In this article, I take a coconut shell and make it into a little musical instrument.<br style="clear:both;" />
</p> <p>I've done a bit of coconut shell crafting before - <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2009/05/09/Out-Of-A-Nutshell-Coconut-Shell-Crafting-Experiments">here</a> - so I knew what I was hoping for when I set out to make this object.</p>
<h3>The Project</h3>
<p>The construction of my coconut shell kalimba is presented here in two video parts:</p>
<h4>Preparing The Shell</h4>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qR9o9s8ItwA" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p><img alt="" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/kalimba1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" />So at the end of that process, I had a polished and prepared piece of shell - a little more than half of the original coconut, and cut diagonally so as to make the most of the available material.</p>
<h4><br style="clear:both;" />
Making The Kalimba</h4>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pTmemuFrW9E" width="560"></iframe></p>
<h3>The End Result</h3>
<p>It's a lovely thing - and a delight to hold in the hand - the shell blends smoothly into the timber sounding board and it just feels beautifully smooth and polished.</p>
<p><img alt="" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/kalimba2.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: table;" /></p>Old Into New Times Two - Making Over An Old Workbench And Upcycling The Old Benchtopsurn:md5:f064da7b7b54824316e518d242b969b92016-10-31T22:30:00+00:002016-11-01T07:39:54+00:00MikeCraftProjectsRecyclingVideoWoodworking<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonewthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonewthumb.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The wooden tops of my trusty old folding workbench were starting to look really beaten and worn - time to make them over with some lovely new hardwood.</p>
<p>After I finished doing that, I also had a great idea for repurposing the old scarred and worn bench tops into something unique and new.</p> <div class="clearleft"> </div>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonew1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew1.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The old benchtops really were starting to look worse for wear - some parts were nearly more paint spills and holes than they were timber.</p>
<p>I zoomed off to the <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2014/01/11/Southampton-Wood-Recycling">Southampton Wood Recycling Project</a> and picked up a couple of lovely slabs of heavy hardwood - at next to no cost.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonew2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew2.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The wood just needed a little bit of cleaning up and smoothing - starting with the electric planer, the router to round over the outside edges and finally, a run over with the electric orbital sander to smooth everything off.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonew3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew3.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Once the shaping and smoothing was complete, I did a quick trial run of the fit on the workbench, on top of the old wooden jaws.</p>
<p>The new top was going to be a little wider and broader, as well as considerably thicker, heavier and more substantial than the old one.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonew4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew4.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
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<p>Removing the old wooden jaws was a breexe - just a few screws, then the metal frame just lifted off.</p>
<p>(You can see in this picture that I actually already reversed one of the jaws already to try to eke out a bit longer life for this hardy tool.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonew5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew5.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Reassembling with the new jaws was just as easy - the same process in reverse - placing the metal frame on top of the underside of the old jaws, then screwing it down</p>
<p>A quick lick of linseed oil to finish and protect the new timber, and it was done - a sturdy workbench that is better than it was when it was new.</p>
<p>I might drill some holes in it later for bench dogs, but I might not - I hardly use them after all.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<h3>The End Result</h3>
<p>Nice. A trusty old bit of kit given a new lease of life as a really solid and good-looking workbench.</p>
<p>I guess I'll probably make a sad little noise the first time I accidentally drill or cut into it, but that's just part of the story - read on...</p>
<figure style="margin: 0 auto; display: table;"><img alt="oldintonew6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew6.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<h3>Now, About Those Benchtops...</h3>
<p>At the end of this, I was just a little reluctant and sentimental about throwing away the old wooden bench tops - they have so much story and character in them. So I set about a plan to make them into a memento worth keeping.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonew7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew7.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I cut a 30 degree wedge of scrap plywood and lined it up so that the central axis of the wedge intersected the centre of one of the dog holes - then clamped it down.</p>
<p>I used the straight sides of the wedge as a cutting guide, sawing a straight and perpendcular cut through the wood.</p>
<p>I repeated this 11 times until I had twelve sort-of-similar pieces.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonew8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew8.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A quick rub on a sheet of medium grit abrasive was all they needed to flatten the edges ready for fixing together.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonew9.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew9.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Gluing pieces of wood edge to edge isn't always easy - but it can be made easier by taping the back of the two pieces together whilst holding them flush as they will finally be joined.</p>
<p>Then the two pieces can be opened apart like a book, glue spread into the gap, then closed back up and secured around with more tape.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonew10.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew10.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I left the glue overnight to fully dry and set. I then glued the pairs of pieces together into one large more-or-less circular piece.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonew11.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew11.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I used a large holesaw to mark out a shallw circular cut surrounding the centre - then cut a recess inside this boundary using my router.</p>
<p>I could have just marked the circle with a pencil, but cutting a shallow slot like this makes it somehow easier to work freehand with the router - there is additional resistance to cutting once it crosses the line, and this can be felt, and makes it easy to back off and cut in a different direction.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonew12.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew12.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A quartz clock mechanism fitted neatly inside the recess.</p>
<p>I fixed this into place by blobbing a large amount of hot melt glue alongside it on each edge.</p>
<p>(I could have affixed it with glue pads in between the mechanism and the wood, but this would have pulled the spindle back inside the clock face - and clearance was at an absolute premium here.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="oldintonew13.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/oldintonew13.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>All that was left to do then was to fit the hands - they just push onto the spindle, but they do need a little bit of adjustment in the form of bending and tweaking so that they don't collide with each other - it's a good idea to wind the clock forward through a full 12 hour cycle to ensure that the hands clear each other, and the clock face, in all positions.</p>
<div class="clearleft"> </div>
<h3>The End Result</h3>
<p>I'm rather happy with this - it's not exactly pretty, but it has bags of charm - and every little hole, gouge, paint blob and clamp mark tells a story - some of them more obvious than others - for example, the green paint is from when I made the <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2010/08/15/Building-A-Boat-Page-12-The-Triumph-Of-The-Snow-Pea">Snow Pea</a>. The darker red paint is from when I made my <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2007/11/24/Spin-Art-Machine">Spin Art</a> machine. The deep slots (near the middle of the 6 and 7 segments) are from when I tried hollowing out a book using my router (I don't think I wrote that one up, as it was a disaster!)</p>
<figure style="margin: 0 auto; display: table;"><img alt="oldintonew14.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/o/.oldintonew14_m.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p> </p>
<h3>Video Stuff</h3>
<p>If you'd like to see more about the process of both of these halves of the project, there's a video for each of them - below:</p>
<div class="clearleft imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2nSvqRdKM1Y" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div class="clearleft imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UUgPBlN4E8M" width="560"></iframe></div>Upcycled Foraging Knifeurn:md5:66ef1f05ee3c00019bbd2cfab411c58d2016-08-04T23:09:00+00:002016-11-01T07:39:07+00:00MikeCraftForagingMetalworkProjectsRecyclingVideoWoodworking<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="knifethumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/knifethumb.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I wanted to make a one-off little knife to use when I go foraging for mushrooms. I made this one out of cheap junk.</p> <p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="knife1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/knife1.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>My foraging knife began life as a worn and broken decorator's knife that I picked up for 75p at a car boot sale - it had a thin and beautifully springy blade. I could see the potential.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="knife2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/knife2.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I removed the old handle and ferrule and I ground the blade, rounding off the tip where it had been broken.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="knife3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/knife3.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For the handle, I selected a piece of scrap hardwood that came from an imported pallet.</p>
<p>I don't know the exact species of wood. It smells like black pepper when cut - it's hard and fibrous, but sands to a very smooth finish.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="knife4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/knife4.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I cut a rectangular section of the timber and drilled a hole in one end.</p>
<p>Then I glued the tang into the handle using epoxy thickened with some of the sawdust from the drilled hole.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="knife5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/knife5.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The glue cured and formed a very firm bond between blade and handle.</p>
<p>Using a coarse file, I shaped the wood to form a proper handle. I didn't really have any idea what shape I wanted at first - I just sort of 'found' it within the wood.</p>
<p>I ended up with something that's actually lovely to hold - tapered in the middle and with a curved back, it fits the hand very nicely.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="knife6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/knife6.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Using an 80 grit sanding flap wheel, I took off the file marks and did some initial smoothing.</p>
<p>There were still some imperfections, but I decided I actually like them. The blade isn't new or perfect, so it is in keeping that the handle looks a little lived-in.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="knife7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/knife7.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Once the handle had taken shape, I quickly realised the blade looked too rounded and dumpy - so I did some more grinding - mostly along the back side, to introduce a slight curve and bring the tip to a point.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="knife8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/knife8.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I finished sanding the handle down to 400 grit - event though the wood is just scrap pallet timber, it finished quite flat and silky.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="knife9.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/knife9.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I rubbed on a little Linseed oil to finish the handle. It brought depth and shine to the wood grain.</p>
<p>It also did highlight some of the imperfections, but I am resolved to keep those.</p>
<p>I intended to put a layer of shellac varnish over the oil, but in the end, decided against it - I actually really like the soft sheen of the oiled wood handle. It will take on more colour and character as it ages, and as it is handled.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<h3>The End Result</h3>
<p>This knife turned out much nicer than I hoped or expected. I'm really pleased to have taken what was essentially a workman's tool, fit for disposal, and given it a new life where it will be loved and cherished. It makes me feel good.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="margin: 0 auto; display: table;"><img alt="knife10.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/knife10.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<p>I've a mind to do some more things like this. In case you can't tell, I've been watching Trollskyy's channel on YouTube, and finding it quite inspiring.</p>
<p>I can't ever hope to be an expert knifemaker like him, but I do intend to explore a little more. I like the idea of upcycling an old file into a strong bushcraft knife - that might be coming soon here...</p>
<h3>Video</h3>
<p>Here's a video that goes into a little more detail of this upcycling project.</p>
<p class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="287" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zfrEkyg246s" width="510"></iframe></p>Making A Koncovka (Slovak Wooden Flute)urn:md5:8e8c68a8237ec179cd4afa1c65dc269f2016-05-28T21:06:00+00:002016-06-12T14:33:52+00:00MikeCraftInstrumentVideoWoodworking<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="koncovkathumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovkathumb.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I fancy making a musical instrument. Trouble is, I'm no musician (well, I can play the harmonica and pan flute to a mediocre level).</p>
<p>So I was looking for something that requires a bit of intuition, rather than dexterity in the playing. The Koncovka seems to fit the bill exactly - read on to find out why...</p> <p class="clearleft"> </p>
<p>The Koncovka (pronounced kont-sov-ka) is a bit of an unusual wind instrument. It resembles a simple recorder or penny whistle, except there are no finger holes at all - different notes are achieved by overblowing - that is, the note produced changes depending on the pressure of the airstream being blown.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That sounds ideal for me - I don't know that I'd ever have the patience and dexterity to master or even become moderately competent at the recorder, but the koncovka sounds like it's something that you almost play as an extension of your own body - I like the sound of this.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="koncovka1.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovka1.png" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This instrument is traditionally made from a natural branch of Elder (Sambucus spp). Fortunately, Elder trees are abundant near me (I have already enjoyed their <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2009/06/03/Elderflower-Fizz">flowers</a> in other articles).</p>
<p>So I cut a nice straight piece of Elder branch, about 30mm in diameter. I think I'm supposed to leave this to dry out for a couple of years, but that's too long a game for me, so I will be trying to work with green wood here...</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="koncovka2.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovka2.png" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Elder is a curious timber - very hard and tough when dry, but when wet, very pliable and almost rubbery.</p>
<p>It also has the unusual feature of a core of soft pith running right down the centre - this, I hope, will make it easier to hollow out - the theory being that the lead point of my spade drill bit should follow the path of least resistance of the soft central pith, and this should keep the bore centred within the branch.</p>
<p>As I'm using a spade bit, I can't just mount the branch in a clamp and drill down into it - the waste material will choke the hole and jam the drill bit solid within the workpiece. A different, slightly unconventional approach is required:</p>
<p>I've actually mounted my drill upside down in a bracket. I will present the workpiece to the drill and push it downwards.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="margin: 0 auto; display: table;"><img alt="koncovka3.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovka3.png" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This presents a few safety challenges - firstly, the fact that when the workpiece is not in place, there's a spinning drill sticking up in mid air waiting for me to poke myself with, or snag my clothing on, so I was extra careful. The other risk is that the drillbit could just burst out of the side of the branch and I may catch myself on it - to mitigate this, I made sure to hold the workpiece well away from the area where I knew the end of the drill bit to be.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="koncovka4.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovka4.png" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Anyway, it worked. It was hard work and the friction caused the green timber to emit copious steam at times, but I ended up with a nice, fairly clean 19mm hole all the way down the centre of the branch.</p>
<p>I considered mounting the piece between centres in my drill powered lathe, to remove the bark and turn it completely cylindrical, but the piece isn't straight enough for that - I would break through the wall somewhere. Anyway, this is a folk instrument we're making - it's supposed to have a sort of rustic, knobbly look to it.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="koncovka5.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovka5.png" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So I just shaved the bark off with my pocket knife. This, and the hollow centre, should allow the timber to dry in a matter of days or weeks, rather than months or years.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="koncovka6.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovka6.png" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A week later, my hollow branch had dried very significantly - it shrank in diameter by maybe 10 percent and felt a lot lighter and stiffer than it was originally.</p>
<p>I sanded the outside smooth and filled in a little crack that had opened up at one end (using epoxy mixed with wood dust saved from sanding), then I cut a voice hole near one end.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="koncovka7.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovka7.png" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Next, I made a small cylindrical fipple plug out of hazel wood and formed it to fit snugly inside the end of the bore.</p>
<p>I cut a shallow notch lengthwise in the plug.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="koncovka8.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovka8.png" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I glued it in place - testing by blowing as I positioned it - for this reason, I used nontoxic PVA glue as I didn't fancy getting something like epoxy in my mouth.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="koncovka9.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovka9.png" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When the glue was dry, I cut the plug flush with the end of the instrument, then sanded it smooth.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="koncovka10.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovka10.png" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The result is a narrow windway that directs a stream of air at the tapered lip of the voicing hole.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="koncovka11.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovka11.png" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finally, I finished the outside of the instrument with a mixture of beeswax and linseed oil, then rubbed it vigorously with a soft cloth to polish it.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<p>I'm really happy with the way this project turned out. It's traditional to decorate these instruments with intricate floral and vinous patterns, but I decided that I actually really like the mottled appearance of the natural wood.</p>
<figure style="margin: 0 auto; display: table;"><img alt="koncovka12.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/k/koncovka12.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<h3>Playing The Koncovka</h3>
<p>It's not all that difficult to get a good range of different notes out of this interesting instrument. I need some practice on it of course, but it's a lot of fun. </p>
<h3>Video</h3>
<p>Here's the video version of the whole process of makimg the thing:</p>
<p> </p>
<iframe width="510" height="287" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hJNgQm5F5j4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p> </p>Sliced Tree Bowlurn:md5:b63d889a76d118a97193d09d6fde7af02016-04-17T15:42:00+00:002016-04-21T20:25:34+00:00MikeCraftHedgerowsProjectsWoodworking<figure class="clearleft" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="treeslicebowlthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/treeslicebowlthumb.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is a project based on a woodworking technique that I discovered (or maybe invented!) completely by accident.</p>
<p>It's a wooden bowl made from slices of tree trunk - the clever part is that nature provides the curvature...</p>
<p> </p> <p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="treeslicebowl2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/treeslicebowl2.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It started with some coppiced hazel sticks - near where I live, the local council had cut down a mixed hardwood hedgerow - including some hazel coppice yielding very straight sticks in a variety of diameters from about 5cm to 15cm.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm fairly sure these poles will either just be left to rot (which isn't necessarily a bad thing - it's good for wildlife), or they will be chipped and hauled off for disposal.</p>
<p>I grabbed a small selection of them for some small-scale woodworking projects.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="treeslicebowl3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/treeslicebowl3.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The wood is still 'green' (full of natural moisture) so can't be used for ordinary woodworking purposes, but it is possible to turn items on the lathe from green, and I intended to do this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In order to square off the base of one of the pieces I had already cut, I had to slice a very thin piece off the end.</p>
<p>The resulting piece was very lovely - translucent in its wet state and it was possible to see the rings and medullary rays through the wood when it was held up to the light.</p>
<p>Because it was a curiosity, I brought it indoors and set it flat on a table. The next day, a surprising change had taken place.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="treeslicebowl4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/treeslicebowl4.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The piece had acquired a curious cupped shape - concave on the upper side that had been exposed to the air, convex on the underside that had been flat against the table.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I expected this effect to even itself out (and the piece to return to a flat disc when fully dried on both sides), but it didn't.</p>
<p>The disc, once completely dry (which only took a week, as it was so thin) retained its cupped shape. Immediately, ideas started forming in my head.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="treeslicebowl5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/treeslicebowl5.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I cut another 25 or so thin slices of green hazel log. To accentuate the cupping, I lightly sponged one side of each, and laid them, wet side down, on a sheet of plastic.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I left them there for a week - and sure enough, they all did the same thing as the original slice - they curled up at the edges, each forming a tiny bowl.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<h3>Why Did The Wood Curl Up?</h3>
<p>Wood is composed of longitudinal fibres (that is, running up and down parallel with the axis of the trunk)</p>
<p>These shrink across their thickness (but not their length) when they dry out - and expand when they get wet - as a result, a piece of wood will swell up in directions perpendicular to the grain when it gets wet.</p>
<p>This wood was already wet with the natural moisture that exists in fresh green wood. Placing the pieces flat on the table means that the exposed upper side could dry out and shrink faster than the underside, where moisture was trapped and prevented from leaving.</p>
<p>So the top side of the discs shrank, pulling up the edges - it is quite surprising that this didn't result in the formation of cracks, but it didn't.</p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="treeslicebowl6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/treeslicebowl6.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Of course, a collection of tiny bowls is still not a lot of use like that, however, I had an idea, but first, they would need to be tidied up a little.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="treeslicebowl7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/treeslicebowl7.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I carefully sanded the concave side of each one using an 80 grit flap wheel sanding accessory, mounted in an electric drill. This is a coarser sanding grit than I would have liked, but the finest I could find as a flap wheel, so it would have to do. I just took it gently, and the finish still came out nice and smooth,</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="treeslicebowl8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/treeslicebowl8.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The convex side of the pieces was easier - I sanded this smooth against a drill-mounted sanding disc.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The gloves were a worthwhile precaution, by the way - I thought I wouldn't need them, but looking at the condition of the leather after I had finished sanding all of the wooden discs on both sides, I reckon I would have lost a fair bit of skin and a couple of fingernails if I had not worn the gloves.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;"><img alt="treeslicebowl9.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/treeslicebowl9.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Now it was time to start assembling my plan. I used a hot melt glue gun to stick the discs together in an overlapping pattern.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The individual small curvature of each piece very quickly compounds to form a bowl-like assembly.</p>
<p>It all went together very nicely, although the end result is not exactly regular - there are a few gaps and wrong overlaps, but still the effect works.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>
<figure style="margin: 0 auto; display: table;"><img alt="treeslicebowl10.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/treeslicebowl10.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As a proof of concept, I am actually quite thrilled and excited by this - and I still have a number of the hazel logs left, so I have aple opportunity to try again - in fact, this is an incredibly economical method of making an object - it only consumed about 25cm of the hazel pole, but has made a bowl that is more than 30cm in diameter.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I think with a little more care in construction, it would make a good fruit bowl or serving basket for bread - despite being thin and light, it feels quite strong.</p>
<figure style="margin: 0 auto; display: table;"><img alt="treeslicebowl1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/treeslicebowl1.jpg" />
<figcaption> </figcaption>
</figure>
<h3>Video</h3>
<p>Here's a video showing a little more detail of the methods of construction of this experimental bowl:</p>
<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="287" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8yWq38VwmrU" width="510"></iframe></p>Making A Wooden Whistleurn:md5:b7e7342c12d4af8656849f73357cf9442015-07-26T13:28:00+00:002015-07-26T23:07:24+00:00MikeCraftInstrumentVideoWoodworking<p><img alt="DSCF0951thumb.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/.DSCF0951thumb_t.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="DSCF0951thumb.JPG, Jul 2015" />This was a quick Saturday morning project to do something that's been on my To Do list for years and years - try to make a wooden whistle completely from scratch.</p> <p class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="287" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WIf4NaerL50" width="510"></iframe></p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h40m02s47.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/.woodwhstl015-07-26-13h40m02s47_s.png" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h40m02s47.png, Jul 2015" /><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">I began with a small Birch log that has been drying in my garage for a year - I originally collected it and used half to give our gerbils something to gnaw on - this other half just sat there waiting to be used.</span></p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h40m38s228.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/woodwhstl015-07-26-13h40m38s228.png" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h40m38s228.png, Jul 2015" />The best possible way to cut small blanks for woodturning is probably a bandsaw, but I don't have one of those, so I just split it with a hammer and chisel.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h41m34s231.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/woodwhstl015-07-26-13h41m34s231.png" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h41m34s231.png, Jul 2015" />It's a straight-grained piece of wood, so it split very cleanly and neatly into usable pieces.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h42m15s159.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/woodwhstl015-07-26-13h42m15s159.png" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h42m15s159.png, Jul 2015" />I drilled a deep, 10mm diameter hole into one end of the blank, then mounted it in my drill-powered lathe and turned it down to a rough cylinder.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h43m36s197.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/woodwhstl015-07-26-13h43m36s197.png" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h43m36s197.png, Jul 2015" />I turned it until the walls of the hollow part were only about 3mm thick, then shaped a taper on the closed end - this would be the neck where I would attach a lanyard later.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h44m12s44.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/woodwhstl015-07-26-13h44m12s44.png" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h44m12s44.png, Jul 2015" />I sanded it very smooth with strips of abrasive while it spun in the lathe.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h44m44s97.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/woodwhstl015-07-26-13h44m44s97.png" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h44m44s97.png, Jul 2015" />Also while it was still spinning, I gave it a rub with some wax polish using a soft cloth.</p>
<p>Then I pressed a junior hacksaw blade against the spindle end to cut it away and release it.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h45m30s51.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/woodwhstl015-07-26-13h45m30s51.png" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h45m30s51.png, Jul 2015" />I turned another solid peg - this would be used for the fipple plug.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h45m49s10.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/woodwhstl015-07-26-13h45m49s10.png" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h45m49s10.png, Jul 2015" />I filed a flat on the fipple plug (this will become the slot through which air is blown).</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h46m53s125.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/woodwhstl015-07-26-13h46m53s125.png" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h46m53s125.png, Jul 2015" />I drilled a hole avout one third of the way down the hollow part of the whistle, then filed this out square to make the voicing hole, with one sloped side, called the labium.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h47m26s203.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/woodwhstl015-07-26-13h47m26s203.png" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h47m26s203.png, Jul 2015" />After a little trial fitting and blowing to find the point where it whistled the best, I glued the plug in place using PVA.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h48m45s209.png" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/woodwhstl015-07-26-13h48m45s209.png" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="woodwhstl015-07-26-13h48m45s209.png, Jul 2015" />Once the glue was fully dried, I undercut the fipple slot to make a mouthpiece.</p>
<p>I sanded all of the rough edges away, then put on a little more wax polish and buffed the completed whistle to a soft shine.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="DSCF0951thumb.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/w/.DSCF0951thumb_m.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="DSCF0951thumb.JPG, Jul 2015" />The completed whistle is a lovely little thing, if I do say so myself - and it makes a sweet, yet soft, high-pitched flute-like note.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>Invention Diceurn:md5:0910c9aa3df9ad12202c250e057756942014-01-20T23:47:00+00:002015-01-14T00:42:34+00:00MikeCraftGamesProjectsWoodworking<p><img alt="inventiondicethumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondicethumb.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="inventiondicethumb.jpg, Jan 2013" />Even the most creative people get stuck for ideas once in a while - here's a way of generating brand new ideas - Invention Dice - a method for making the Muse less fickle.</p> <p class="clearleft">It's a set of six dice - each one has a theme; the themes are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Materials</li>
<li>Motive Power</li>
<li>Scale</li>
<li>Device</li>
<li>Consumer</li>
<li>Action</li>
</ul>
<p><img alt="inventiondice1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondice1.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="inventiondice1.jpg, Jan 2013" /></p>
<p>Rolling the dice generates one of 46,656 different unique combinations - which the inventor can then use as inspiration for a brainstorming session.</p>
<p>Some of the combinations are nonsensical, but this itself can be provocative - and the ideas that flow from your imagination in this process don't necessarily have to fit all or any of the original criteria - it's just meant to spark the imagination.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Making The Dice</h3>
<p><img alt="inventiondice2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondice2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="inventiondice2.jpg, Jan 2013" />I made my Invention Dice from a piece of scrap hardwood - in this case, False Acacia, which is a nice heavy, hard wood that can be sanded to a smooth finish. Beech, maple cherry, apple or other fine-grained hardwoods would also work.</p>
<p>I planed the piece until it was square (about 2cm) in section (as the piece was originally a thick dowel, there was a slight rounded chamfer on each edge, but this didn't matter, as I would be sanding chamfers on all edges of the dice anyway).</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="inventiondice3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondice3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="inventiondice3.jpg, Jan 2013" />I clamped a stop to my mitre jig and cut six identical cubes.</p>
<div class="wikinote notetip">
<p class="note-title"><strong>Tip:</strong></p>
<p>cut a slice off the end first to make sure it's cut square - then lay this slice down and use it to measure and accurately position the clamped stop - that way, you'll cut perfect cubes)</p>
</div>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="inventiondice4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondice4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="inventiondice4.jpg, Jan 2013" />I sanded each face of each cube, then sanded a small chamfer on each edge - this makes the dice more comfortable to use - and helps them to roll a little more.</p>
<p>It's a lot of sanding - 36 faces, 72 edges and 48 corners, but it's worth taking the time to do it properly.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="inventiondice6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondice6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="inventiondice6.jpg, Jan 2013" />Using Inkscape (an open source vector graphics program) I designed a set of icons for the faces of the dice - my original plan was to print these in mirror image on T Shirt transfer material, then iron them onto the faces of the dice - but that didn't work (they didn't adhere well to the smooth wood - and there was a tendency to scorch the timber)</p>
<p>So I drew them by hand onto each face - using a CD marker pen - then painted them (where appropriate) with acrylic paints, then touched up the outlinee again with the CD pen.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="inventiondice7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondice7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="inventiondice7.jpg, Jan 2013" />I wrote the labels underneath with a fine graphic pen.</p>
<p>It's worth testing all of these media on a scrap piece of wood, as some inks will tend to bleed into the grain - and some woods are more absorbent than others.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="inventiondice8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondice8.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="inventiondice8.jpg, Jan 2013" />I knitted a small string bag with a drawstring - using my 14-peg French knitting loom - but it would have been just as easy to sew a small pouch out of scraps of fabric.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="inventiondice9.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondice9.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="inventiondice9.jpg, Jan 2013" />The six dice pack nicely inside the string bag and it fits comfortably in the pocket .</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Playing The Game</h3>
<p>Just roll the dice, then try to assemble them into a coherent statement - then think about how you would make that thing - for example (as pictured):</p>
<p><b><img alt="inventiondice11.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondice11.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="inventiondice11.jpg, Jan 2013" />Giant Random Industrial Metal Clockwork Robot</b></p>
<p>This could be an idea for a story - or maybe just elements of this combination are provocative - how can we use randomness industrially? - How would you make a random device based on clockwork mechanism? Is it possible to make clockwork toy robots from industrial scrap metal? etc...</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="inventiondice12.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondice12.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="inventiondice12.jpg, Jan 2013" />Wearable Organic Wind Stealth Home Vehicle</b></p>
<p>Hmmm... tricky, but maybe it could provoke thoughts on sustainable laundry drying methods for camper vans used by crack commandos.</p>
<p>OK, work with me... the point is, this starts you thinking in new directions - what about a foldable fabric wind turbine for charging a camping lantern?</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="inventiondice13.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondice13.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="inventiondice13.jpg, Jan 2013" />Manual Random Pocket Wood Personal Game</b></p>
<p>I'm picturing something made from wooden cubes... Any ideas?</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">If You Want To Make Your Own</h3>
<p>If you can't find suitable timber, or can't be bothered with all that cutting and sanding, it's possible to buy blank dice or wooden cubes from craft stores.</p>
<h3>The Icons</h3>
<p>The icons comprise:</p>
<ul>
<li><b>Materials:</b> Metal, Wood, Plastic, Edible, Paper, Organic</li>
<li><b>Motive Power:</b> Manual, Electric, Clockwork, Solar, Wind, Water</li>
<li><b>Scale:</b> Giant, Mini, Pocket, Portable, Wearable, Inhabitable</li>
<li><b>Device:</b> Robot, Vehicle, Computer, Game, Tool, Art</li>
<li><b>Consumer:</b> Family, Personal, Office, Home, Industrial, Public</li>
<li><b>Action:</b> Flying, Random, Self-Build, Underwater, Stealth, Disposable</li>
</ul>
<h3>Printable</h3>
<p>A high-quality PNG version of this icon set is <a href="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/i/inventiondice5.png">here</a> - it can be printed on self-adhesive paper and attached to premade blank dice.</p>
<p>Obviously, these aren't the only possible categories of icons for a set like this, and other possibilities exist within each category.</p>
<h2 class="clearleft">Play Invention Dice Online!</h2>
<p>If you can't wait to make your own Invention Dice (or if you just can't be bothered), you can still play the online version here:</p>
<div class="imagecentre" p=""><iframe frameborder="0" height="100" name="dice" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/include/dice/dice.php" width="520"></iframe>
<p><button onclick="var ifr=document.getElementsByName('dice')[0]; ifr.src=ifr.src;">Roll The Dice</button></p>
</div>Making A Cider Pressurn:md5:d1691676daae64162dd1435b9268a01c2013-09-15T19:44:00+00:002015-01-24T20:06:12+00:00MikeProjectsVideoWoodworking<p><img alt="ciderpressthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpressthumb.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpressthumb.jpg, Jan 2015" />Here's a project to make a cheap and simple press for apples (and maybe cheese), from readily available materials and components.</p> <p class="clearleft">This is going to differ from some of my previous projects in several ways, but most notably - it needs to be quick (at the time of starting, the apples are already nearly ripe), and it's going to be properly designed - there will be no guesswork or cut-first-then-measure.</p>
<h3>Possibilities</h3>
<p>Before starting, I sketched out a few design possibilities - the first one is mechanically very simple - essentially a scaled-up nutcracker - a lever is used to turn a large movement with small force (provided either by a person leaning down on the lever, or a Spanish Windlass) into a small movement with large force:</p>
<p><img alt="ciderpress1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress1.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="ciderpress1.jpg, Jan 2015" /></p>
<p>I decided against this design for several reasons: the long levers would make it unwieldy to transport, the action of the press would not be perfectly vertical (so there might be a tendency for the pressed layers to squirt out to the side), and the single action may make it difficult to apply force evenly and smoothly.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress2.jpg, Jan 2015" />The next design possibility comprises a stout, solid square base with two loops of strong chain - ends attached to each of the four sides (or maybe corners). A scissor or bottle jack strains against the crossed chains, providing downward force against the press plate.</p>
<p>I decided against this one because strong enough chain turned out to be quite expensive, and the design, although interesting, is as far as I know, unproven.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Convention</h3>
<p><img alt="ciderpress3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress3.jpg, Jan 2015" />There's sometimes a reason why everyone does things the same way - and this is an occasion where I am going to resist the temptation to depart from convention. Well, mostly.</p>
<p>My cider press will be a strong rectangular frame that constrains a scissor jack enabling it to press down a thick wooden board against a strong, flat base.</p>
<p>The slight departure from convention I mentioned above will be in regard to the material and method of construction - the usual advice is to frame the press using beams of oak or other hardwood, on account of strength.</p>
<p>However, it's not impossible to make strong beams from softwood - the trick is to choose straight-grained timber, to avoid placing large knots at stress points, and to glue-laminate multiple layers to increase stiffness and so that any imperfections in one layer are supported by other layers.</p>
<p>Also, over-engineering the size of the timbers will help.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Design, Design, Design</h3>
<p><img alt="ciderpress4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress4.jpg, Sep 2013" />I'm determined not to let this project become complex, or drag on because of mistakes or poor choices made at the start.</p>
<p>So I've drawn up designs, calculated the necessary sizes of all the components, worked out where the fixings will go - I've even spent time calculating the depth of the press based on the optimum use of the 250mm travel of the scissor jack I will be using to apply force.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Materials</h3>
<p><img alt="ciderpress5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress5.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress5.jpg, Sep 2013" />I was fortunate enough to pick up this lovely stainless steel tray for just a pound in a charity shop - the internal dimensions are about 25 by 45cm. This will be placed on the baseplate of my press and will serve to collect all of the juice.</p>
<p>The tray, although made from heavy steel, will not itself be strong or stiff enough to form the bottom part of the press, so it will stand on top of the built wooden bottom of the press and will be supported across the full width and depth of the press area.</p>
<p>I will need to drill or cut a spout in it, so the collected juice can be drained off.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress6.jpg, Sep 2013" />The press force will be provided by this scissor jack - it's only 1 ton capacity, but this should be just about enough for this little press.</p>
<p>I'll need some kind of metal socket to spread the force of the top end of the jack, to prevent it crushing the timber.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress7.jpg, Sep 2013" />The top plate of the press is made from CLS framing timber - four pieces side by side happened to be almost exactly the right size.</p>
<p>The timber is too porous to come into direct contact with the fruit being pressed though - I'll be fixing a square of plastic on the bottom of it - cut from a cheap polypropylene chopping board.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress8.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress8.jpg, Sep 2013" />My timber is square planed pine, 18mm x 146mm - I bought 8 lengths of 2.4 metres, which should be enough.</p>
<p>My plan and cutting list came in really handy here - I was able to cut all of the components to size in one session.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress9.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress9.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress9.jpg, Sep 2013" />I made a template for drilling the pieces - this made it easy to place all of the holes consistently without any further measuring and marking.</p>
<p>The timbers are cut and configured in such way that the frame will be self-squaring when assembled - the square end of one timber will butt closely against the edge of another - so it will be almost impossible to build the made load frame out of true.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress10.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress10.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress10.jpg, Sep 2013" />The frame went together quite nicely - although everything was a little tighter fit than I thought it would be.</p>
<p>The timbers are glue laminated, then clamped together by means of M8 threaded rod with large flat washers. The final strength of the frame will be in the timbers and glue, not the bolts - but I'll probably leave them in place anyway.</p>
<p>Next steps will be to laminate further pieces on the bottom, to support the steel tray.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress11.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress11.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress11.jpg, Sep 2013" />The apples will be pressed in cloth-wrapped layers, which need to be separated by slotted boards - the purpose of these is to provide stability and to create channels for the juice to run out more easily.</p>
<p>Mine will be made from polypropylene cutting boards - so I stacked them up and taped them together, then drilled through them all with a spade bit (this made a phenomenal amount of mess on the garage floor - the plastic shaves away in crinkly ribbons that bulk up to many times the volume of the hole they are cut from.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress12.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress12.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress12.jpg, Sep 2013" />I cut between the holes with an electric jig saw,</p>
<p>Later (after this photo), I tidied up the ragged edges with a small file - the tatters of loose material scraped off quite easily.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress13.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress13.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress13.jpg, Sep 2013" />I finished the base of the press by adding two additional horizontal sections on either side, spaced out by smaller pieces of timber.</p>
<p>The smaller pieces extend downwards below the load frame of the press - forming feet, which serve to raise the whole press off the ground (important, as I need to be able to get a jug or bowl under the tray to collect the pressed juice).</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress14.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress14.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress14.jpg, Sep 2013" />The scissor jack has its own load spreader on the base, as it's designed to be used sitting on the ground, but the top of the jack is just a small rectangular part with a slot in it - if I were to allow this to press directly against the wood of the load frame, it would dig into the timber and this damage might propagate into breakage under load - so a load spreader is needed for the top too.</p>
<p>After a long search, I found a bolt-down post fixing socket, which when sawn off, was just right. This will be tidied up with a file (including rounding off the corners of the base plate) and affixed to the underside of the top section of the load frame.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress15.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress15.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress15.jpg, Sep 2013" />I fixed the load spreader in place with hooked bolts, looped over the threaded rods that were used to clamp the frame laminations together.</p>
<p>This was preferable to screwing it directly into the frame - because anything that penetrates or damages the timber could cause it to fail under load.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress16.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress16.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress16.jpg, Sep 2013" />I drilled a hole in one corner of my steel tray, then creased it by hitting it with a brick chisel, to form a little spout to prevent the liquid from dribbling back along the underside of the tray.</p>
<p>I tested this over the kitchen sink and it worked perfectly.</p>
<p>And that's nearly everything - the cider press is all built - all that's left to make is a frame to help form the layers of apple pulp, and some cloths to wrap them.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress17.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress17.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="ciderpress17.jpg, Sep 2013" /></p>
<p>I need to wait a week or so now, to allow the glue to cure fully, then we can test it!</p>
<p>It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but maybe I'll decorate it a little once I'm sure it actually works.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Getting Ready</h3>
<p><img alt="ciderpress18.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress18.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress18.jpg, Sep 2013" />I cut four pieces of aluminium sheet for the pulp frame - half-slots in each end will intersect so that they can be fitted together to make a box.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress19.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress19.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress19.jpg, Sep 2013" />Jenny made some squares of thick cloth for me - these will be used to wrap and constrain the pulp while it is pressed.</p>
<p>The cloth is tough and non-stretchy (so it won't give or burst), but with a weave open enough to allow the juice to run out.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress20.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress20.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress20.jpg, Sep 2013" />I gave the separator boards and pulp frame parts a good scrub to remove any loose bits of plastic or metal filings.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress21.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress21.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress21.jpg, Sep 2013" />Finally, I went out and picked a mountain of feral apples of all shapes, sizes and colours. (three or four times as many as shown in this photo)</p>
<p>Some of them are small, sharp and tannic, others are huge and sweet and juicy - these will be blended with some named varieties and should produce some fantastic juice for fermenting into delicious cider.</p>
<p>As many of these feral apples were picked off the ground (having either fallen there naturally, or when I shook the tree), they will be scrubbed in a mild sterilising solution, then rinsed in clear water before pulping - this is to try to remove as much soil and soil-borne bacteria as possible - because that can really ruin the cider fermentation process.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Pressing Day!</h3>
<p><img alt="ciderpress22.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress22.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress22.jpg, Sep 2013" />The afternoon of 22nd September was perfect - dry, overcast, but mild.</p>
<p>We started a four-person production line - washing, chopping then shredding apples using a pair of food processors (seen here in the soft focus of a smear of apple juice on the lens of my camera!).</p>
<p>The food processors did a reasonable job, but it was quite slow and labour intensive processing the apples this way.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress23.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress23.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress23.jpg, Sep 2013" />Once we had enough pulped apple, we started loading the press (by this time, surrounded by a cloud of intensely curious wasps).</p>
<p>Loading the press comprises: put down a board, lay down a cloth, place the pulp frame and fill it, lift off the frame, carefully wrap the cloth over and tuck it, then add the next board and repeat.</p>
<p>Even at this stage, with no pressing force in action, a slow trickle of juice starts to run from the tray nozzle - so we made sure there was a jug there right from the start.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress24.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress24.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ciderpress24.jpg, Sep 2013" />The press has capacity for five cloth-wrapped layers of apple pulp - and we ran three pressings of pure apple (then one mixed, which I will describe in a moment).</p>
<p>The first pressing was a bit tricky and we quickly learned that it was better to pull the cloths tighter over the top of the pulp, as pressing force tends to spread the layers risking them overhanging the tray, or catching on the vertical beams of the press.</p>
<p>Under just a little compression, the juice flows readily. The juice is tawny amber in colour because the apples turn brown within seconds of being shredded - this could be avoided by adding citric or ascorbic acid to the process, but there is no need for this - it tastes fine regardless of colour.</p>
<p>Three full pressings of pure apple pulp nearly filled a 5 gallon plastic brewing keg for making into cider.</p>
<p>The first pressing of ripe dessert apples produced very syrupy, sweet juice - loads of sugar for the fermentation, but somewhat lacking in bite and acidity.</p>
<p>So for subsequent pressings, we mixed in a variety of smaller feral apples - some of which were juicy, but too bitter to eat raw - this added acidic and tannic sharpness to the mix, and it should hopefully ferment into a delicious tangy cider.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ciderpress25.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/c/ciderpress25.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="ciderpress25.jpg, Sep 2013" /></p>
<p>Once we had enough apple juice, we did a fourth pressing of a mixture of apples, pears and blackberries - producing about 7 litres of rose-red juice that is well-balanced between sweet and tangy, but with a delicious aroma. I'll ferment 4 litres of this in a glass demijohn - the rest is for drinking fresh.</p>
<p>We got a fairly good extraction of juice, I think - because when I shook the pomace out of the cloths after pressing, it was quite dry and crumbly.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Conclusion</h3>
<p>It works! - It actually works!</p>
<p>Now that I know this press works, I can set about making a motorised apple mill - this should dramatically ease and speed up production.</p>
<p>It's also interesting to note that, contrary to common advice, it is possible to build a working press out of softwood - it just needs to be sufficiently over-engineered.</p>
<h3>Video</h3>
<p>Here's a video of the press in action:</p>
<div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/k_6jObrHhPQ" width="510"></iframe></div>
<h3>Apples</h3>
<p>I don't actually have any apple trees in my garden, so it might seem a bit strange to be building a press for them - but really, getting the apples is the easy part - I can find plenty of feral apples in the hedgerows, beg them from neighbours (or pay them back with a share of the juice), or maybe volunteer to help picking at an orchard, and take my payment in kind.</p>
<h3>Beyond Apples</h3>
<p>This can be used to press other things - other fruits such as elderberries, which are abundantly available, but always problematic to extract the juice. Cheeses, which should enable me to make some nice firm curds - and maybe even other things that aren't for human consumption - the press could be used as a clamp for glued laminations, for example.</p>The Beadmen Are Backurn:md5:931f7729aefc4d4d5f537dcb4172de022013-04-22T12:39:00+00:002015-01-11T12:56:43+00:00MikeCraftProjectsWoodworking<p style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><img alt="beadmen1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/.beadmen1_t.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen1.jpg, Jan 2015" />Years ago, before the Atomic Shrimp website existed, I made some little bamboo and wooden mannequins, which I called <i>The Beadmen.</i></p>
<p style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Now, at last, it's time for them to come home.</p> <p class="clearleft"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">- Except this time, the Beadmen are Open Source! - If you're not one of the select few who finds one of the Beadmen I distribute, here's how to make one for yourself:</span></p>
<h2>How To Make A Beadman</h2>
<p><img alt="beadmen2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen2.jpg, Dec 2010" />My Beadmen started out life as a bamboo beaded door curtain. It's possible to buy the beads loose, but buying an item <i>made of beads</i>, then dismantling it, is often a much more economical way to go.</p>
<p>In this picture, you can actually see the sort of chance arrangement of beads that made me think of this idea in the first place - the tapered bead looks sort of like a torso, and the round bead like a head...</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beadmen3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen3.jpg, Dec 2010" />Snipping off the bottom bead from one of the strings yields a double handful of different shapes, sizes and colours of beads.</p>
<p>In addition, there is also the length of strong polymer cord on which the beads were threaded - this will not go to waste - in fact, it's absolutely essential to the construction of the Beadman.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Select The Beads</h3>
<p><img alt="beadmen4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen4.jpg, Dec 2010" />To make the Beadman, it's necessary to select suitable beads for head, torso and feet, plus two pairs of bamboo tube beads for the arms and legs.</p>
<p>Additionally, a small roundish bead will be needed for most of the joints (including a pair - not pictured here - for the shoulder joints).</p>
<p>The bamboo tube legs and arms need a joint midway along their length, so we'll need to cut them in half</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Drill Holes For The Arms</h3>
<p><img alt="beadmen5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen5.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen5.jpg, Dec 2010" />Most of the beads have all the holes they need quite naturally, but the torso needs holes for the arms - these can be drilled through in a single operation, pressing the bead hard against the bench or a scrap of wood when the drill breaks through the other side, to prevent splitting.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Cut The Bamboo Tubes To Size</h3>
<p><img alt="beadmen6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen6.jpg, Dec 2010" />The bamboo tube beads need cutting in half. Bamboo is a very fibrous material that splits and splinters easily, but a little care will prevent this being a problem.</p>
<p>Score all the way around the section first, using a pull stroke with a junior hacksaw (this will prevent the outer layers of the bamboo peeling away), then it should be possible to continue sawing gently, cutting the piece neatly into two halves.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Prepare The Head And Hands</h3>
<p><img alt="beadmen7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen7.jpg, Dec 2010" />The cord needs fixing into the head and hands - a single strand for each of the hands and a double for the head.</p>
<p>Tie a knot that is just small enough to pass (tightly) through the hole in the beads that are to be used.</p>
<p>The cords will be secured into the beads using glue from a hot melt glue gun.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Glue The Cord</h3>
<p><img alt="beadmen8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen8.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen8.jpg, Dec 2010" />Hold the bead and cord in such a way that the knot stands a little way proud of the bead. Deposit a blob of hot melt glue into the hole, then pull the cord gently so that the knot enters the hole, hopefully catching on the glue and becoming firmly stuck in place.</p>
<p>When the glue is fully cooled, give the cord a few tugs to make sure it's well stuck in place (some will inevitably fail and need re-gluing).</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beadmen9.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen9.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen9.jpg, Dec 2010" />Once you're sure the bond is good, trim off any short tail of cord protruding out of the bead.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Thread Up The Arms</h3>
<p><img alt="beadmen10.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen10.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen10.jpg, Dec 2010" />Assemble the arms, consisting of the glued-on hand, a section of arm, a small bead for the elbow joint, another section of arm and one more small bead for the shoulder.</p>
<p>It's a good idea here to make sure that the two arms match, and switch around some of the pieces if they don't.</p>
<p>You can, of course, select two quite different bamboo tube pieces for the arms, then - after cutting both in halves, select one half of each for each arm.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Join The Arms To The Torso</h3>
<p><img alt="beadmen11.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen11.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen11.jpg, Dec 2010" />Thread each of the arms through the drilled holes in the sides of the torso bead, threading both cords down and through the bottom of the bead.</p>
<p>The inside of the bead might not be smooth, so it might be necessary to help the cord on its way using a skewer or toothpick.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Add The Head</h3>
<p><img alt="beadmen12.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen12.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen12.jpg, Dec 2010" />Add a small bead for the neck joint and thread the two cords from the head straight down through the torso.</p>
<p>Separate the cords at the bottom - on each side, there should be one cord from an arm, plus one from the head.</p>
<p>(This is why the head needed two strands of cord - so that everything can be kept balanced and symmetrical - besides, it will become apparent later on why a total of four cords are needed...)</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Thread Up The Legs</h3>
<p><img alt="beadmen13.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen13.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen13.jpg, Dec 2010" />Carry on threading beads - so for each leg: a small bead for the hip joint, a section of leg, another small one for the knee, then the other section of leg.</p>
<p>There is no small bead for the ankle joint - the foot will just attach directly onto the bottom of the leg.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Attach The Foot</h3>
<p><img alt="beadmen14.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen14.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen14.jpg, Dec 2010" />On each leg, thread one cord through the oval foot bead, then loop it back around and through again.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beadmen15.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen15.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen15.jpg, Dec 2010" />The other cord needs to go into the other end of the bead first, then out of the top end of the bead (so the two cords are threaded through the same foot bead in opposite directions).</p>
<p>Loop the second cord back around and thread it through again.</p>
<p>At the end of this, each of the threads is threaded through the same bead twice, but in opposite directions.</p>
<p>Pull on the two cords to take up the slack (bringing the arm and neck into proper tension - not too tight though).</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beadmen16.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen16.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen16.jpg, Dec 2010" />Knot the two cord ends together several times - it should be possible to contrive to make this knot happen at the point where the top of the foot bead meets the bottom of the leg (i.e. the ankle).</p>
<p>Make sure these knots are secure - if they loosen, the Beadman will fall apart.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beadmen17.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen17.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen17.jpg, Dec 2010" />Thread the spare ends of the cord back up along the lower joint of the leg, then carefully trim them off at that point.</p>
<p>This keeps them long enough to prevent the knot undoing itself, but hides them out of the way, keeping a neat finish.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beadmen18.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen18.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="beadmen18.jpg, Dec 2010" />And that's it! - The Beadman is ready for action.</p>
<p>Assuming you've judged the cord tension right, the joints should be loose enough to be somewhat posable - although the Beadman will be as floppy as a ragdoll, so he won't hold a pose on his own.</p>
<p>By gearing up a production line process where all of the drilling, cutting and gluing is done in batches, it's possible to make quite a lot of Beadmen all in a fairly short time. Have fun!</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="beadmen19.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen19.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="beadmen19.jpg, Dec 2010" /></p>
<h3>What Are The Beadmen For?</h3>
<p>The original Beadmen were made in quite limited number and deposited in public places for people to find and keep.</p>
<p>That's really about all of it. I just wanted to create some little random surprises, and see how people would react to them.</p>
<p>They were distributed across a wide range of locations, mostly in the UK, but a few also found their way to America, Australia, Canada and parts of Europe.</p>
<p>I created a simple website with a message board on it, so the people finding the Beadmen could post feedback (each Beadman carried a paper tag with the URL on it). The site is sadly now gone.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">The Return Of The Beadmen</h3>
<p><img alt="beadmen1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/beadmen1.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="beadmen1.jpg, Jan 2015" /></p>
<p>I've been meaning to bring the Beadmen into the Atomic Shrimp domain for quite a while. I'll still be making them and leaving them places for people to discover and keep, but now, they'll be little wooden ambassadors for this site.</p>
<h3>Found A Beadman?</h3>
<p>If you've found a Beadman, it would be great to hear from you - why not post a comment at the foot of this page?</p>Building A Boat - Page 12 - The Triumph Of The Snow Peaurn:md5:e2df516e5d18eef2ad9a33e5f310ff332010-08-15T08:50:00+00:002015-03-24T21:41:27+00:00MikeBoatProjectsSeashoreVideoWoodworking<p><img alt="boat12_3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/.boat12_3_t.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat12_3.jpg, Aug 2010" />We took a trip to picturesque Lulworth Cove with my little boat - the Snow Pea, complete with sailing rig - and spent a couple of very pleasant and serene hours sailing around the cove.</p> <p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat12_1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat12_1.jpg" style="line-height: 1.6em; float: left; margin: 0px 1em 1em 0px;" title="boat12_1.jpg, Aug 2010" /></p>
<p>Carting the boat down the hill from the car park was a bit interesting, as there were a lot of people about.</p>
<p>Whatever happened today - success or (as seemed more usual) failure - there would certainly be a lot of witnesses</p>
<p>As usual, assembly took about 20 minutes, but it's becoming pretty routine now. Lots of people were curious - some curious enough to come and ask questions.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Setting Sail</h3>
<p><img alt="boat12_2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat12_2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat12_2.jpg, Aug 2010" />Then we set off - paddling at first. Unfurling the sail was easy and once we were out of the shallows, I fitted the lee board.</p>
<p>We could have used a little more wind really - it was only peaking at about 10 mph and occasionally dropping to complete calm.</p>
<p>Still, even under this very gentle breeze, the Snow Pea makes headway - so we gently and slowly sailed out toward the mouth of the cove.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat12_3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat12_3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat12_3.jpg, Aug 2010" />The Snow Pea was dwarfed by all of the large cruisers, yachts and other boats moored in the cove, but we had great fun picking our way amongst them.</p>
<p>The Pea isn't efficiently-rigged enough to sail very close to the wind, but it's still pretty agile - we didn't run into any trouble or lose control even once.</p>
<p>We sailed to the far end of the cove and beached the boat - despite coming ashore onto some big rocks, the hull remained remarkably unscathed.</p>
<p>We had quite a few admiring and encouraging comments from folks aboard the bigger boats in the bay - which I found really quite heartwarming.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat12_4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat12_4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat12_4.jpg, Aug 2010" />We spent maybe two hours sailing around the cove, in and out between the big boats, out to the mouth and back again.</p>
<p>The sea looked really pretty flat outside the cove and it was tempting to think about taking the Pea out there where we could catch a proper breeze, but I think that would be a bit foolhardy - and could turn into another failure story, but one that I don't come home to write about.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Video</h3>
<p>Here's some video footage of the day (it's a bit glitchy in places, as it was shot on very high zoom and I had to digitally de-shake it in the edit).</p>
<div class="imagecentre"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-e_kO6oBNrI?fs=1&hl=en_GB" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="385" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-e_kO6oBNrI?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480"></embed></object></div>
<h3>Sailing The Snow Pea</h3>
<p>This was meant to be the last trip out for the Snow Pea, before I disposed of it to make room for another build, however, it turned out to be such a lot of fun, I can't help thinking I might hang on and get a bit more enjoyment out of it, before moving on.</p>
<h3>Why Is This A 'Triumph'?</h3>
<p>Well, take a look at what's happened on the previous 11 pages (click the 'boat' tag). It's a catalogue of trial, error and misadventure.</p>
<p>A huge amount of work went into building the Snow Pea, and for quite scant reward so far - most of the trips out on the water have been at best hard work, and at worst, disastrous and borderline dangerous.</p>
<p>This one, however, was pure pleasure. An unqualified success.</p>
<h3>What Next</h3>
<p>Well, that was a lot of fun - all pure joy and no tears this time - maybe I'm going to hang on to the Pea for a while now - if I can find somewhere a bit closer to home to sail it.</p>
<h3>Update September 2010</h3>
<p>I thought it might be nice to revisit my original goal for this project, which was to take the boat all the way down to the lower end of the Hamble, so on 18th Septmber, we set off from Botley Quay at a little after 9AM, just as the tide began to fall</p>
<p><img alt="boat12_5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat12_5.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat12_5.jpg, Sep 2010" />We took the sail rig with us, but it was such a calm day, we had little use for it.</p>
<p>We weren't in any kind of hurry, and just paddled gently down to Manor Farm by about 11AM enjoying the beautiful clear day, the calm river scenery and wildlife including kingfishers and egrets.</p>
<p>After a brief snack break tied up to Manor Farm pontoon, we set off again downriver.</p>
<p class="clearleft">Only a little way downstream the river changes character quite abruptly, being given over to enormous marinas where our little boat was again dwarfed by all of the huge yachts and boats moored and sailing there.</p>
<p>This really is not the domain of small, vulnerable boats like the Snow Pea (and I have to say, we were afforded nothing like the warm and courteous reception we previously experienced from the lovely boat owners at Lulworth) - and the further we went, the harder became the conditions. The wakes from some of the larger boats began to pose increasing risks, with the outrigger flexing and creaking quite severely.</p>
<p><img alt="boat12_6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat12_6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat12_6.jpg, Sep 2010" />So we were quite relieved when we made it to Hamble-le-Rice at about 12:30 and drew up on the public hard. I don't think there's any way we could have gone all the way to Warsash - it's too big and serious a river even at the point we stopped. Quite interesting, really to look back at the start of this project and realise how unrealistic my initial expectations really were.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat12_7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat12_7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat12_7.jpg, Sep 2010" />Fortunately, we didn't have to paddle all the way back to Botley.</p>
<p class="clearleft">Cartopping the Snow Pea is quite easy and I can just about manage it single handed.</p>Building A Boat - Page 11 - Adding A Sailing Rigurn:md5:66fb13fca77b1db73de41ca0a6811f472010-01-17T23:38:00+00:002016-11-10T07:33:12+00:00MikeBoatProjectsWoodworking<p>I'm going to try to build a sail rig for the Snow Pea.</p> <h3 class="clearleft">Materials</h3>
<p><img alt="boat11_1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_1.jpg, May 2010" />It was the availability of materials that in fact inspired the idea to adapt the Snow Pea for Sail - I picked up a two-part carbon fibre sailboard mast and some fantastic ripstop nylon fabric in a surplus store.</p>
<p>The mast is quite remarkable - unbelievably strong, yet weighs next to nothing, however, it's 4 metres long - too big for my little boat, but it's in two parts and just the top half will be about right.</p>
<p>The fabric is light, unbreakably strong and completely windproof, but too presents a challenge - it's all offcuts, so the sail will have to be assembled out of several pieces.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Making The Sail</h3>
<p><img alt="boat11_2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_2.jpg, May 2010" />The fabric is slippery and difficult to handle - beyond my capability to sew with any hope of a tidy result.</p>
<p>My wife, Jenny, kindly assisted with joining the offcuts, cutting out and making the sail, complete with proper double stitched seams.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Tasks</h3>
<p>As far as I can see, this project breaks down into five construction and/or fitting tasks:</p>
<ul>
<li>Sail</li>
<li>Boom and accessories</li>
<li>Mast mount</li>
<li>Keel/leeboard(s)</li>
<li>Cleats, lines and fittings</li>
</ul>
<h3>Objective</h3>
<p>Let's be clear here - the Snow Pea is a small and not particularly sleek craft - my best hopes from this sailing rig pretty much boil down to two criteria:</p>
<ul>
<li>Some sort of moderate wind-powered propulsion</li>
<li>The boat not to overturn</li>
</ul>
<p>With those in mind, a small sail of no more than, say, 2 square metres should be a good start. I don't hope to go fast with this, nor to use it in storm force conditions.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat11_3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_3.jpg, May 2010" />Laid out here against the mast, the sail is about 1.75 metres tall and the same wide - making it a total area of about 1.5 square metres - just right, I think.</p>
<p>This picture was taken when there was still a little work to do - the addition of a pocket into which the boom can be slipped.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat11_4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_4.jpg, May 2010" />The sail has pocket seams along each edge, through which I will thread a line that will be stretched taut to pull the sail into shape.</p>
<p>I'm not following any established method of construction or rigging here - just making it up as I go.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat11_5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_5.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_5.jpg, May 2010" />I could have used a piece of solid timber, but I chose to make the boom by the same box composite method I used for making the shaft for the smaller paddle (see <a href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2010/01/17/st/content/boat_5">page 5</a>)</p>
<p>This will be stronger, lighter and stiffer (yet more tolerant of flexing) than a solid timber section of the same size.</p>
<p>I used nearly every clamp in my collection for this. You really can't have too many clamps.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat11_6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_6.jpg, May 2010" />It's made by ripping inch-square battens in half, then gluing them into a square box section using polyurethane adhesive.</p>
<p>The glue foams and expands as it cures, so the central void ends up filled, adding to the integrity of the piece.</p>
<p>When it's fully cured, I'll plane the faces smooth and chamfer or round over the corners.</p>
<h2 class="clearleft">Keel Options</h2>
<p>A sailing boat won't really work without a keel or something like it - the sail is the bit that converts the force of the wind into motive power, but the keel is the bit that stops that power just pushing the boat sideways, when you want to move in a direction other than directly downwind.</p>
<h3>Just Use A Paddle</h3>
<p>Some canoe sailing kits are designed to work with nothing more than a paddle held against the side, to serve as a lee board, but I think that won't present enough area to the water here - and the boat will still have a tendency to slip sideways</p>
<h3>A Fixed Keel</h3>
<p>I could just make a keel and fix it directly onto the bottom of the hull - either permanently, or using bolts or some such, but this would make launching or navigating in shallow water difficult or impossible.</p>
<h3>A Daggerboard</h3>
<p>I could make a keel that is inserted through a slot in the bottom of the boat (like the outrigger has, but doesn't really need) - this could be dropped into place once the boat is in deep enough water.</p>
<p>However, it requires the construction of a watertight slot rising up inside the boat to at least as high as the water level (or it will just be an in-boat fountain, briefly). And in any case, there's just no way I'm cutting a blooming great hole in the bottom of the Pea. No way.</p>
<h3>Fixed Lee Boards</h3>
<p>Lee boards are quite common in small boats, especially those adapted to sailing after initial construction - they're attached to the side of the vessel and serve the function of a keel, without needing to go through the hull. Usually, there are two of them and the downwind one is lowered (hence the name 'lee' board), so the boat pushes against it.</p>
<p>I could probably get away with just one of them if I could find a way of fixing it so that it is rigid against the side when lowered - this would probably mean fixing something through the side of the boat - and probably into the central rib. Not out of the question, but not something I'll do on a whim either.</p>
<h3>A Hooked Lee Board</h3>
<p>Alternatively, I could make a lee board that hooks onto the gunwale - the pressure of the boat against it would hold it in place.</p>
<p>The big drawback here is the need to move it from one side to the other when tacking - not a big deal, but it's another job to do when the pressure is on. There would also need to be some system to prevent it being dropped completely over the side and lost, but that could just be a chain or a bit of string.</p>
<h3>Decisions, Decisions</h3>
<p>At the moment, a hooked lee board is looking favourite (at least, out of the ideas I've considered), as it doesn't require any permanent modifications made to the boat - this is a distinct advantage, in case the whole sailing idea turns out to be unworkable.</p>
<h3>Lee Board Plans</h3>
<p>I think I'm going to try a fixed single lee board - I was thinking this would have to fix onto just one gunwale, but this could be a problem when the boat is under sail and the board is subject to significant forces - it might damage the side of the hull - it's only 4mm plywood, after all.</p>
<p>The solution is to create a bracket that fixes to both gunwales - having a wooden bar spanning the middle of the boat will hardly be inconvenient at all, and it should be quite straightforward to fix the leeboard to the end of this at a right angle over the edge and down into the water.</p>
<h3>Mast Mount</h3>
<p><img alt="boat11_7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_7.jpg, May 2010" />I've cut a sort of butterfly-shaped piece of ply - this will bolt on top of the fore deck and the mast will drop through the large hole in it.</p>
<p>It has holes drilled to match the deck holes for attaching the outrigger pylon - the outrigger only ever uses two of these (which two depends on which side of the boat it's fitted). The mast mount will bolt tight to the deck using the other two holes.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat11_8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_8.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_8.jpg, May 2010" />I picked out a nice clear piece of spruce and cut chamfers on all four edges, just deep enough so that it would fit snugly into the bottom of my mast.</p>
<p>The chamfers are stopped, leaving the lower part of the timber square - this provides a lower limit for the mast to stop against and the square timber will be easier to fix to things.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat11_9.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_9.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_9.jpg, May 2010" />I made a new mini-rib and attached the mast post to it using bolts and metal brackets. I'm not delighted with the look of this, but it would have taken me too long to make a nice-looking wooden fitting.</p>
<p>I attached the rib to the hull with polyurethane glue, which has good gap-filling ability. I might back this up with some battens or beading fixed with epoxy.</p>
<p>The post hinges down under the fore deck when the mast is pulled out.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat11_10.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_10.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_10.jpg, May 2010" />I made a jam cleat out of scrap timber and attached it to the middle of the leeboard cross bar - this cleat will be for securing the line that comes off the swinging end of the boom (I expect it has a name, but I don't know the terminology). I made a similar cleat and attached it to the mast post.</p>
<p>I've given these two parts a coat of yacht varnish.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat11_11.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_11.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_11.jpg, May 2010" />I rounded off the edges of the boom with my router and cut a slot in one end - plus some holes.</p>
<p>The purpose of these will become apparent later</p>
<p>I've finished the boom with linseed oil, as I fear varnish might snag or stick to the sail material.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat11_12.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_12.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_12.jpg, May 2010" />I took some soft rope and made this braided collar.</p>
<p>This will tie onto the end of the boom and secure it to the mast, but still allowing it to swing.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat11_13.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_13.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_13.jpg, May 2010" />Finally, here is the lee board.</p>
<p>The lee board will bolt onto the cross bar very rigidly and will dip down into the water between the main hull and the outrigger.</p>
<p>There's nothing left to make now - just more varnishing and painting, then assembly and testing.</p>
<h3>Some Assembly Required</h3>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><img alt="boat11_14.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_14.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_14.jpg, May 2010" />28 May 2010 - everything is finished now, and I have a river trip planned for tomorrow (weather permitting). Time for a dry assembly run.</span></p>
<p>The lee board fits well and seems very sturdy. It protrudes down below the bottom level of the hull (as well it should) - this means I'll have to take it off for the dry assembly and will probably only be able to fit it once the boat is on the water.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Here It Is</h3>
<p><img alt="boat11_15.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_15.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_15.jpg, May 2010" />Here's the boat with sail, more or less fully assembled in the garden - it all looks great!</p>
<p>So... tomorrow (29 May 2010), we set sail!</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">...Or Not</h3>
<p>My plan to test the sail was rained off - but the forecast for tomorrow (30 May) is better, so I'm planning to set off from Botley Quay at about 14:30 with one of the kids on board, then stop at Manor Farm pontoon maybe around 15:40, switch children, then proceed on downriver to Hamble-Le-Rice, where there is a public slipway right near the car park. I reckon we'll end up there at maybe 16:30.</p>
<p>This could be an interesting trip, because once the Hamble goes south of the M27 Motorway bridge, it becomes the domain of the Big Boys - there is a sizeable marina. It's not off-limits to small craft, but we'll have to proceed with a bit of caution and respect for the larger boats</p>
<h3>30 March 2010 - Sailing Day</h3>
<p><img alt="boat11_16.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_16.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_16.jpg, May 2010" />We got down to Botley Quay at just after 14:00 and the tide was already slightly past peak. I arrived first, with the Snow Pea and all its accessories packed inside, on its hand trolley (made from a cut-down folding golf trolley I picked up in a charity shop for a few pounds).</p>
<p>Unpacking and assermbling the boat took about 25 minutes.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat11_17.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_17.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_17.jpg, May 2010" />The complete kit of parts to make the Snow Pea is growing somewhat out of control - I'll say more on this later....</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">The Trip</h3>
<p>The trip started off quite promisingly - four boats in our party including the Snow Pea, but paddling was hard work - the Pea is not exactly sleek and so does not cut through the water well - we fell a little way behind.</p>
<p>Just before Fairthorne Manor, where the river joins another fork that goes off to Curbridge, as the river widened and we came out of the shelter of the trees, we started to feel a little wind blowing and deployed the sail. This moment was magnificent, because it worked just perfectly - the light crosswind snapped the sail out at an angle of about 30 to 40 degrees off the axis of the boat and we surged forward through the water - faster than the Snow Pea has ever travelled before.</p>
<p>Then it all went a bit wrong. Just down from Fairthorne, the river turns almost due West and we found ourselves battling a wind that was turbulent and changing, but blowing predominantly in exactly the opposite direction of our intended travel. We tried tacking back and forth across it and made some small headway against it, but we were falling far behind the rest of the party and were getitng tired.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Sailing The Snow Pea</h3>
<p>Make no mistake, the sail itself is something of a success. On calm water with a moderate and steady wind, it's lovely being able to sail rapidly downwind and smartly across the wind (although a sudden gust did lift our outrigger clear out of the water once, which was a bit scary), but the Snow Pea under sail isn't really capable of sailing closer than about 70 degrees to the wind, which makes for very slow upwind travel.</p>
<h3>Crisis Point</h3>
<p>The other members of the party were well out of sight by this point, and we decided to take down the sail and paddle, but the Snow Pea's fairly high wind profile, combined with its slight lack of streamliing in the water made it almost impossible to gain any headway against the now rising wind.</p>
<p>Tired, we decided to try heading back upriver to Botley, reasoning that the wind would help us on our way, but perversely, it dropped when we had gone less than 100 yards. The tide, however, was now steadily on the fall and we could make no progress upriver against it. So we were pretty stuck.</p>
<h3>Mayday!</h3>
<p>A large motor boat called the Silver Mist was just upriver of us, apparently turning to go back down towards Bursledon - we called out in desperation and managed to beg a tow - initially behind the small motor dinghy that was escorting them, then later behind the Silver Mist.</p>
<p><img alt="boat11_18.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat11_18.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat11_18.jpg, May 2010" />Unfortunately, the speed and turbulence of the wake behind the motor boat was a little too much for the Snow Pea and one of the outrigger pylons broke - splitting along the grain.</p>
<p>It's pretty easy to see why this was the weak spot - although a larger penny washer under the wingnut securing this bolt might have prevented this breakage</p>
<p>It's quite easily repairable though - a bit of polyurethane glue and an overnight clamping and it will be stronger than before it broke.</p>
<p>The crew of the Silver Mist were kind enough to tow us to Manor Farm pontoon, where we rejoined our (worried) family and friends.</p>
<h1 class="clearleft">The Future For The Snow Pea</h1>
<p>All this malarkey was a bit much for me, really. I'm fed up with paddling at full belt only to still fall behind every other boat, and the novelty of assembling the Snow Pea out of an increasingly absurd and numerous collection of parts is starting to wear really thin. I want a proper boat that just works. It's not fun any more.</p>
<p>My mood wasn't helped by the fact that I fell all the way down the stairs on returning home the evening of the trip (no serious injury, except my pride) - so I held back from making a snap decision...</p>
<p>...However, it's time to wave the Pea goodbye and start over, paying very careful heed to some lessons learned. I'll dispose of the Snow Pea as gracefully as I can, in order to clear enough space in my workshop to start a new build - probably a dory canoe.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Lessons Learned</h3>
<p>As detailed above, although the sail kit was moderately successful, the boat itself is getting a bit impractical for any kind of reasonable use. I'm going to clear out and start over, but let's bring this project to a proper close by capturing some lessons learned.</p>
<h3>Don't Stray From The Plan</h3>
<p>I'm not experienced enough in boat design to be able to go it alone - but for some reason, I saw fit to hugely modify an established plan. Bad idea. Stick to the plans, or at least develop a design that makes sense in all important aspects - with stability near the top of the list.</p>
<h3>Less Is More</h3>
<p>Assembling a boat that at the waterside from a bizarre kit of parts gets old really fast - and more parts equals more points of failure - simpler is better, in lots of ways.</p>
<h3>Glue Lamination Is Great</h3>
<p>Laminating curved timbers out of thin veneers or laths is lots of fun and the result can be both beautiful and stronger than solid timber of the same section.</p>
<p>Also, the resulting curved components don't mind staying in a curved shape - so a gunwale/rub rail constructed this way won't be trying to spring off or crush the boat.</p>
<h3>Epoxy Stitch And Tape Is Easy</h3>
<p>Having learned by a few mistakes and clumsy bits on the first build, I should be able to get a much cleaner and more professional finish on my chines next time</p>
<h3>The Gloves</h3>
<p>Never attempt anything without the gloves. Gluing, painting, filling - all these things are better when you have a ready supply of disposable gloves. Taking off a pair of plastic gloves is several orders of magnitude easier than cleaning your hands. And nothing takes polyurethane glue off at all.</p>
<h3>Wheat Flour Filler</h3>
<p>Hannu was right - wheat flour really is a perfectly good substitute for wood flour as a thickener and filler for epoxy.</p>
<h3>Hammerite As Boat Paint</h3>
<p>This one needs investigation before I commit, but I think smooth hammerite might be the choice of paint for the outside of the next boat hull.</p>
<h3>Everything Takes Longer Than It Ought To</h3>
<p>Varnish and paint takes longer to cure than it says on the tin. Getting a good finish on wood means taking time to sand between coats, glue has to set up. One stage of the build will inevitably hold back the next. This is not a sport for the impatient.</p>
<h3>Even Failure Is Interesting</h3>
<p>Nothing is learned by *not* trying.</p>
<p><br style="clear:both;" />
</p>Building A Boat - Page 10 - The Return Of The Snow Peaurn:md5:1b3bc4c1453dff68c0c6d3078174c82a2009-09-06T22:43:00+00:002015-01-30T22:54:17+00:00MikeBoatProjectsWoodworking<p><b><img alt="boat104.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/.boat104_t.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat104.jpg, Sep 2009" />September 2009:</b> Owing to the conspiracy of a number of different factors in my life and circumstances, I'm ashamed to say that the Snow Pea languished in my garage not only for the winter of 2007, but for the whole year of 2008 and most of the summer of 2009.</p>
<p>However, this is about to be remedied...</p> <p class="clearleft">I've cleared out a lot of the clutter that was preventing me from even taking down the boat from its hanging position, and more importantly, I've done some work to try to correct what I think is the major remaining flaw - directional stability.</p>
<h3>The Problem</h3>
<p>It might just be down to lack of familiarity with handling, but I did find it just a little difficult to keep the boat tracking in a straight line - the reasons for this are, I think, twofold:</p>
<ul>
<li>A short hull, and with the upswept ends, an even shorter length in contact with the water</li>
<li>The outrigger - effectively increasing the width of the boat</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="clearleft">A Proposed Remedy</h3>
<p><img alt="boat101.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat101.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat101.jpg, Sep 2009" />I'm going to add a long rudder - it will be a steering rudder, but I anticipate using it primarily in non-steering mode - that is, just to keep tracking straight</p>
<p>The rudder post is made from a sandwich of thick waterproof ply tongues, affixed to a reclaimed maple centre</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat102.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat102.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat102.jpg, Sep 2009" />Strong vine eyes are driven into the maple to act as one half of the hinge mechanism</p>
<p>The counterpart vine eyes are driven into the stern post and the assembled mechanism is held together by a large bolt</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat103.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat103.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat103.jpg, Sep 2009" />It swings freely through almost 180 degrees. Later on, I will add some elastic cords to keep it centred unless otherwise deflected.</p>
<p>The rudder blade is a long piece of waterproof ply in a rounded triangular shape</p>
<p>It will be bolted in place between the two protruding tongues of the movable rudder post - swinging on a single bolt, the rudder will be able to flip up if it strikes an obstruction or when the boat is beached (as opposed to just breaking off otherwise)</p>
<p>The blade will be sprung into the downward position by elastic cord and pulled up by hand using a short rope handle</p>
<p>Steering will be effected either by a pair of lines attached to the rudder horns, or by a rigid pole attached to one of them</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">A Turning Point</h3>
<p>If you'll pardon the pun, the addition of this rudder marks a <i>turning point</i> for the Snow Pea...</p>
<h3>If It Works</h3>
<p>If it works, I will spend the winter equipping the boat with a small mast and sail (can't really do sailing without a rudder anyway) - as well as some sort of leeboard.</p>
<p>In the early summer of 2010, I'll transport everything to a suitable area of safe, calm inland water and see if I can teach myself to sail (I fancy I understand the basics, but recognise there's a difference between theory and practice)</p>
<h3>If It Doesn't Work</h3>
<p>If after the addition of a rudder, the Snow Pea is still too hard to handle, I will draw a line under it all - dispose of it and start again - building another, simpler boat from an established, stable design.</p>
<p><b>25th Sept 2009</b> - It's all done (pics to follow soon) everything is set for a test launch this weekend - I plan to be down at Botley Quay about 3pm on Saturday 26th to test out the new rudder modifications...</p>
<p><b><img alt="boat104.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat104.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat104.jpg, Sep 2009" />26th Sept 2009</b> - Here's a picture of the finished rudder assembly - in the end, we used it in this upper position all the time - it didn't need dropping any further and would only have snagged on weed or submerged branches</p>
<p>A long curved pole is attached to one of the rudder horns, curved (laminated from two pieces - the same as the outrigger pylon supports) - the curve allows the front seat passenger to steer - going around the person at the rear</p>
<p>Pushing on the pole causes the rudder to flip to the right and pulling it does the opposite</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Directional Stability</h3>
<p><img alt="boat106.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat106.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat106.jpg, Sep 2009" />The rudder makes as significant an improvement in directional stability as the outrigger did to general stability - it's easy to track in a straight line and very responsive in turning</p>
<p>It's even possible to paddle on the side opposite the outrigger and set a slight bias on the rudder so as to still go in a straight line</p>
<p>Handling the boat on my own is now tricky, although I think this could be overcome by fixing the rudder control pole so I can lock it in any given position - I'd still be able to effect a turn by braking with the paddle</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">What Next?</h3>
<p>Well, there might be time for a proper trip down the river in the warm days of Autumn... we'll see...</p>
<p>My project for the winter will be the construction of a sailing rig and leeboard - I plan to make this as yet another bolt-on module</p>
<p>In fact, I'm starting to like the idea of bolt-on accessories for the Snow Pea- I also have in mind (longer term) a pedal-power option - either driving a paddle wheel or a screw propeller. I will use chain drives or some other method to direct the rotary power up and over the gunwale, so that there is no need to perforate the hull</p>Out Of A Nutshell - Coconut Shell Crafting Experimentsurn:md5:94e12a38c12b1cb6e1181ee32024edee2009-05-09T21:58:00+00:002015-03-24T21:04:18+00:00MikeBraidingCraftKnittingNutsWoodworking<p><span style="line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><img alt="nutshellthumb.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshellthumb.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshellthumb.jpg, May 2009" />I like coconut - I was opening one the other day and started wondering what I could make out of the tough, durable shells...</span></p> <p class="clearleft">i decided to try to make a French Knitting bobbin...</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><img alt="nutshell1.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell1.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell1.JPG, May 2009" />So I started by draining the water from an unopened coconut, then cutting out a circular hole in one end, using a holesaw in my drill press.</span></p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="nutshell2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell2.jpg, May 2009" />I cut a smaller hole in the opposite end</p>
<p>Then I marked a line around the equator of the shell - by holding a pencil at the right level, then rotating the nut against it on a flat surface.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><img alt="nutshell3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell3.jpg, May 2009" />I marked some drill centres at evenly spaced intervals on the pencil line.</span></p>
<p>I drilled them out using a 20mm spade bit - this worked surprisingly well - leaving the nut flesh inside the shell completely controls breakout - so the holes cut really cleanly.</p>
<p>The diameter of my coconut meant that I could fit seven 20mm holes with approximately 20mm of space between them - obviously a larger one might accommodate more.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="nutshell4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell4.jpg, May 2009" />The flesh was then quite easy to remove - and most of it wasn't wasted - I trimmed off the bits that had been in contact with a tool and washed the rest ready for eating.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="nutshell5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell5.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell5.jpg, May 2009" />I trimmed down the top and cut vertically down into the sides of each hole - to create seven fingers (at this point, it's just about possible to see it as a French knitting bobbin...</p>
<p>All that remained was to trim up the rough edges, sand off the fibrous outside, polish and try it out.</p>
<h1 class="clearleft">Fail!</h1>
<p><img alt="nutshell6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell6.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="nutshell6.jpg, May 2009" /></p>
<p>Unfortunately disaster struck at this point - one of the fingers snapped right off while I was filing away at the edges - I think there must have been some kind of flaw in the material of the shell there, because it broke under quite gentle pressure.</p>
<h3>What Went Wrong</h3>
<p>This was a fairly small coconut and the shell seems pretty thin - so that fact was against me from the start, but I haven't given up - I'm going to try again with a larger nut, and work from the 'eye' end, where the shell seems a bit thicker anyway... Watch this space for updates.</p>
<h3>Coconut Shell - As A Craft Material</h3>
<p><img alt="nutshell8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell8.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell8.jpg, May 2009" />Despite this initial setback, coconut shell does seem like it has potential as a crafting material - it's reasonably hard, seems more or less grainless and (judging by the piece I tested, below) it looks like it ought to polish up nicely once all the fuzz is sanded away.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="nutshell7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell7.jpg, May 2009" />If you've got any ideas about things I could make from coconut shell, please feel free to drop me a line.</p>
<p>As suspected in the previous page, coconut shell really is quite a nice material to work with - it's tough, but easy to shape - and takes well to sanding - the dust doesn't clog the abrasive paper, which means that it sands very quickly to a smooth surface.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Other Possibilities</h3>
<p>I'm thinking it might be possible - using custom-made drills - to cut a large number of slightly dished washer type pieces out of the shell, then stack, glue and clamp them all together, to make a solid rod of shell-stuff, which could perhaps then be turned to make chess pieces, knife handles or other small items.</p>
<p>More on that idea later, perhaps</p>
<p>Next experiment... is it possible to make anything that isn't constrained to the curved original shape of the coconut shell? Let's have a go...</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="nutshell3_1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell3_1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell3_1.jpg, May 2009" />So, using another bit of coconut shell, I marked out my cutting lines.</p>
<p>Can you tell what it is yet?</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="nutshell3_2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell3_2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell3_2.jpg, May 2009" />Look! - it's a spoon - except it's not a very <i>useful</i> one, because the handle curves upward instead of sticking out.</p>
<p>With many kinds of timber, it's possible to impart temporary pliability by steaming - coconut shell is a woody material, but is it sufficiently similar that it will yield to the same treatment?</p>
<p class="clearleft"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><img alt="nutshell3_3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell3_3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell3_3.jpg, May 2009" />I steamed the piece over vigorously boiling water for an hour.</span></p>
<p class="clearleft"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><img alt="nutshell3_4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell3_4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell3_4.jpg, May 2009" />I had clamps and battens standing by. I removed the piece swiftly from the steamer and placed the handle part between the battens, then clamped it up - and...</span></p>
<h1 class="clearleft">Fail!</h1>
<p><img alt="nutshell3_5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell3_5.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="nutshell3_5.jpg, May 2009" /></p>
<p>The steam did soften the shell material, and it did flatten a bit, but it was a crumbling sort of softness and the handle snapped in three places. No good.</p>
<p>Perhaps with hotter steam under pressure, it still might be possible, but I'm not sure - I think the similarity between wood and coconut shell might actually be quite superficial.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">One more try - but this time, with a slightly simpler object...</span></p>
<p><img alt="nutshell2_1.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell2_1.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell2_1.JPG, May 2009" />I started by sawing out one third of the shell - cutting along the natural shell joints.</p>
<p>It's quite easy for the thing to slip here, or for the saw to skip out and cut you - so extra care should be taken to clamp the nut (securely, but not so tight as to crack it) and to keep fingers out of the way.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><img alt="nutshell2_2.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell2_2.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell2_2.JPG, May 2009" />Next, I took some coarse abrasive paper and sanded off most of the bristles from the outside surface of the shell - not to finish it, just to provide a surface that could be marked with a pencil.</span></p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="nutshell2_3.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell2_3.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell2_3.JPG, May 2009" />Using an electric jigsaw (scrollsaw) with a fine blade, I cut nine equally-spaced notches along each long side, then squared off the ends and cut three notches in each end.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"><img alt="nutshell2_4.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell2_4.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell2_4.JPG, May 2009" />I cut a letterbox-shaped slot in the middle - by drilling two holes and connecting them with the electric saw</span></p>
<p>I sanded the shell to a smooth finish</p>
<h1 class="clearleft">Success</h1>
<p><img alt="nutshell2_5.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/n/nutshell2_5.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="nutshell2_5.JPG, May 2009" /></p>
<p>All went completely according to plan - I finished the sanded surface with coconut oil - by just rubbing a piece of the raw coconut flesh all over it, waiting for a while, then buffing with a soft cloth.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">OK, But What Is It?</h3>
<p>It's a braiding board - the bigger, more interesting sibling of the <a class="post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2008/05/12/How-To-Make-Braided-Friendship-Bracelets-Using-A-Braiding-Disc">braiding disc</a> - for more information on how to use a braiding board like this one, take a look <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2009/05/24/Using-A-Braiding-Board-Introduction">here</a></p>The Two-Hour Trebucheturn:md5:4646050771d83ff62d156603a488b4502008-09-03T14:04:00+00:002015-01-09T00:58:27+00:00MikeProjectsVideoWoodworking<p><img alt="trebuchetthumbtt7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/t/trebuchetthumbtt7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="trebuchetthumbtt7.jpg, Jan 2015" />The purpose of this project was to design and create a working model trebuchet - capable of launching tennis balls - and manufactured from scrap materials in as short a time as possible.</p>
<p>With that in mind, it's not going to be a beautiful, efficient or durable machine, but hopefully it will still work...</p> <h3 class="clearleft">Materials:</h3>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="trebuchet1bl7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/t/trebuchet1bl7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="trebuchet1bl7.jpg, Jan 2015" />Most of the construction will be done using a stack of inch-square batten that's been cluttering up my garage for too long.</p>
<p>I'm not sure what this stuff was originally used for - some of it contains big wire staples with remnants of card under them.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">The Build</h3>
<p><img alt="trebuchet2eo2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/t/trebuchet2eo2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="trebuchet2eo2.jpg, Jan 2015" />No time for drawn plans - I just jumped straight in and started cutting timber and screwing it together - starting with a matching pair of A-Frames, built on a one-metre base.</p>
<p>The uprights for the A Frame are 50cm long - and they're positioned pretty much by guesswork - care of course being taken to ensure that they are as near identical as possible.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="trebuchet3wa7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/t/trebuchet3wa7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="trebuchet3wa7.jpg, Jan 2015" />These I fixed together, about 30cm apart.</p>
<p>I also reinforced the apex of each A-frame with triangles of plywood.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="trebuchet4wg6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/t/trebuchet4wg6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="trebuchet4wg6.jpg, Jan 2015" />The counterweight consists of a heavy engineering brick, cradled in a timber skid.</p>
<p>The hinges and pivots will be made from six inch nails.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="trebuchet5yy0.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/t/trebuchet5yy0.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="trebuchet5yy0.jpg, Jan 2015" />The swing beam is one metre long - about one fifth of the way along its length, I built a reinforced pivot support by sandwiching three short pieces of batten onto each side (see inset diagram).</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="trebuchet6bu3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/t/trebuchet6bu3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="trebuchet6bu3.jpg, Jan 2015" />A few more holes to accommodate the nails used for the main bearing and the device was assembled.</p>
<p>I lashed the counterweight onto its cradle and added a couple of drilled timber spacers on the supporting bar - to keep it aligned in the centre of the device.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="trebuchet7ko2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/t/trebuchet7ko2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="trebuchet7ko2.jpg, Jan 2015" />The sling is made from a rectangle of fabric and some cotton string.</p>
<p>One end of the string is permanently tied near the end of the swing arm. The other is formed into a loop slipped loosely over a headless nail driven into the end of the arm.</p>
<p>In theory, the loop should slip off and release the payload somewhere along the sop of the arc of travel...</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">The Finished Article</h3>
<p>Last bit - a ply floor on which to place the payload and it's all done.</p>
<p>As I said, not beautiful - and probably not efficient or durable either, but here it is - a tennis ball trebuchet in under two hours...</p>
<p><img alt="trebuchet8cn3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/t/trebuchet8cn3.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="trebuchet8cn3.jpg, Jan 2015" /></p>
<p class="clearleft">NB: This is not the firing configuration - I just tied the release end of the string onto one of the timbers to show it with the beam in the horizontal position.</p>
<h3>But Does It Work?</h3>
<p>The proof of the pudding - in video format:</p>
<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="376" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qtMWgsllz0A" width="510"></iframe></p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Trebuchet Theory</h3>
<p>Trebuchets make use of mechanical advantage - that is; as a heavy weight descends on the short arm of a pivoting beam, the longer, lighter end of the beam swings upwards - and much faster than the weight, owing to its extended length.</p>
<p>But that's not all - a payload merely launched by the end of the ascending beam would not travel very far at all, but the movement is amplified by a slingshot mechanism attached to the very end - like the cracking of a whip, this magnifies the action so that the payload is swung in a large, fast arc and (ideally) released somewhere along the part of its travel where it is moving upwards and forwards very fast.</p>
<h3>Consistency</h3>
<p>But speed and power would be nothing without consistency of action - which should in practice translate into accuracy of fire. If the machine operates in the same way each time, the payload should be delivered to the same location.</p>Making A French Knitting Bobbinurn:md5:56c8dd3415e8d6dcfaf5768c686e03552008-08-23T21:43:00+00:002015-01-09T00:57:46+00:00MikeCraftKnittingProjectsRecyclingWoodworking<p><img alt="frenchknitting9.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/.frenchknitting9_t.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="frenchknitting9.jpg, Jan 2015" />French knitting has been around for centuries - here's how to make and use a French knitting kit</p> <p>The ancient origin of this craft is a fact attested to by the vast array of different names for the implements used - the bobbin used for French knitting, for example, is also known - amongst many other things - as a Nancy, or Nobby, or Busy Lizzie.</p>
<p>The origins of these crafts are also obscure and it may be that they arose multiple times independently.</p>
<h2>Making The Knitting Device</h2>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="frenchknitting1.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/frenchknitting1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="frenchknitting1.jpg, Jan 2015" />I started with a piece of reclaimed timber - some nice, but unidentified reddish hardwood originally part of a pallet carrying goods imported from Asia.</p>
<p>Using an electric planer, I smoothed off the two faces of the board - I didn't pay too much attention to the edges, as the item doesn't use them - being cut from th</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="frenchknitting2.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/frenchknitting2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="frenchknitting2.jpg, Jan 2015" />Next, I used a 60mm holesaw in my drill press to cut out a circular blank. This can be done with a handheld power drill, but it's tricky to keep the drill vertical - if you tilt it, the saw may bite or bind.</p>
<p>I found it best to cut halfway through, then flip the board over and cut through from the other face - cutting right through in a single operation tends to leave a ragged edge on the bottom of the blank - when the piece breaks free.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="frenchknitting3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/frenchknitting3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="frenchknitting3.jpg, Jan 2015" />I clamped the blank down firmly and drilled out the centre hole with a 20mm spade bit - again, drilling halfway from each side to minimise breakout.</p>
<p><b>The clamping is essential</b> - I tried doing this once just holding down the blank with my hand. The drill caught and spun the wooden disc, cutting and driving splinters into my thumb. Not a mistake to be repeated - learn from mine!</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="frenchknitting4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/frenchknitting4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="frenchknitting4.jpg, Jan 2015" />I drilled six countersunk holes at equal intervals around the disc.</p>
<p>The drill was set to stop short of the bottom (see inset) so that the hole wouldn't go all the way through - this isn't essential, but it makes the underside of the finished item neater.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="frenchknitting5.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/frenchknitting5.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="frenchknitting5.jpg, Jan 2015" />Next, I cut six pieces of 6mm dowel - I clamped a stop to my mitre saw box so that they would all be exactly the same length.</p>
<p>The dowel pieces are about 30mm long - 10mm of which will be buried in the base, leaving 20mm stubs protruding.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="frenchknitting6.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/frenchknitting6.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="frenchknitting6.jpg, Jan 2015" />I tapered the ends of the dowel pieces with a pencil sharpener.</p>
<p>the bottom end is tapered to make it enter the hole easier. The top end is tapered a bit more, so it doesn't snag on the yarn when in use.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="frenchknitting7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/frenchknitting7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="frenchknitting7.jpg, Jan 2015" />The boring bit. I hate sanding, but it's necessary. I used coarse glasspaper to take off all the rough edges and splinters, then finer wet &amp; dry paper to give a smooth uniform finish.</p>
<p>I won't be varnishing or waxing the finished item as this might make it sticky.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="frenchknitting8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/frenchknitting8.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="frenchknitting8.jpg, Jan 2015" />Assembly. I smeared a very small drop of PVA glue around the inside of each hole, then drove the dowel pegs in.</p>
<p>A bit more sanding (the tops of the pegs) and it's finished. The knitting needle is just a piece of bamboo BBQ skewer, sanded smooth and blunt, with a wooden bead glued on the end.</p>
<p><img alt="frenchknitting9.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/f/frenchknitting9.jpg" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="frenchknitting9.jpg, Jan 2015" /></p>
<h3 class="clearleft">French Knitting Using This Device</h3>
<p>This bobbin is a bit unconventional - they normally only have four pegs - but that doesn't matter. On the next page, I'll demonstrate how to use it.</p>Spin Art Machineurn:md5:a7e03be34f509c8fb5a6173817c05de62007-11-24T10:49:00+00:002015-03-04T00:16:09+00:00MikeCraftProjectsRecyclingWoodworking<p><img alt="spinart14.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/.spinart14_sq.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart14.jpg, Jan 2015" />In case you slept right through the 1970s (or weren't born then, perhaps), this is a machine that spins a piece of card, paper or canvas really fast, causing any paint applied to it (before spinning it, or while it is spinning) to splatter off in interesting and striking radial patterns. In this project, we're going to try to make one out of scavenged and upcycled parts.</p> <p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart15.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart15.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart15.jpg, Jan 2015" />I'm starting off with a smallish, but powerful electric motor that was harvested from a broken Epson inkjet printer. I'll also be using a 42V mains PSU that came out of the printer.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart16.jpg" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart16.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart16.jpg, Jan 2015" /> The first task is to build a suitable mount for the motor - I did this by cutting a hole through a piece of hardwood (maple, possbily) I reclaimed from an old pallet - unfortunately, my smallest holesaw is just a tiny bit bigger than the diameter of my motor, so I cut a couple of slots alongside the hole, then back into it, like this.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart17.jpg" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart17.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart17.jpg, Jan 2015" />Then I inserted the motor in the hole and drove a screw into each of the slots - forcing the free tongue of wood inwards a little, gripping the motor very tightly.</p>
<p class="clearleft">Well, things progressed quite fast with the build after that and unfortunately, my camera battery was flat, so I couldn't document it completely. I epoxy glued a ply disc to the motor spindle and mounted the whole assembly onto a square of plywood, like this.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart26.jpg" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart26.jpg" title="spinart26.jpg, Jan 2015" /></p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart18.jpg" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart18.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart18.jpg, Jan 2015" />Then I built it into a ply case and fitted the motor board as a false bottom. The space below the false bottom allowed me to fit the PSU and wiring.</p>
<p>It's a different PSU to the one I originally intended to use - that one kept cutting out - I think it probably couldn't handle the initial load of the motor, at least not with the ply disc attached - I expect it draws a bit of current when it's getting up to speed. This one is only 18V, but the motor is designed to run on anything between 12 and 42 Volts, so that's fine.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart19.jpg" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart19.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart19.jpg, Jan 2015" />The device is wired according to this diagram.</p>
<p>There's a reason for doing it this way - when it's switched on (as shown above), the motor power circuit is complete and the motor runs. When it's switched the other way, the motor terminals are connected together - not only does this disconnect the motor from the power source, but it also brakes it - the motor continues to spin fast because of the ply disc acting like a flywheel - this generates electricity (the motor becomes a dynamo), but the current generated flows in a direction so as to try to turn the motor in the opposite direction - thus slowing it down.</p>
<p>This effect is described by something called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenz's_law">Lenz's Law</a> - and it's the same reason a bicycle dynamo becomes harder work to run when you turn on the light and draw power from it.</p>
<p>Anyway, Physics lesson over... The inside of the spin art machine looks like this:</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart20.jpg" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart20.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart20.jpg, Jan 2015" /> Aha. You noticed the telltale splodges and splatters of paint there, didn't you?</p>
<p>I couldn't resist trying it out - I fixed a piece of card onto the turntable (using white-tak pushed into four depressions I drilled previously on the surface of the disc) and spun it up - It spins really fast - I'm not sure exactly how fast, but it could be something like 1000 RPM.</p>
<p>Paint went everywhere - most of it stayed inside the box, but there was a fine aerosolised mist that wafted out and coated everything.</p>
<p class="clearleft">The paint I used was non-drip emulsion from my stage scenery painting box - a bit thick for this purpose, so I used a number of techniques:</p>
<ul>
<li>Initially, dabbing splodges of paint onto the card, then running the machine; this resulted in a bold radial pattern</li>
<li>Dripping water onto the spinning card helped to spread things around a bit, but also made the most mess, as the water was blitzed almost to vapour by the spinning disc</li>
<li>Dragging a brush across the spinning card resulted in a nice swirly tight spiral</li>
</ul>
<p>The results? Not bad at all; Judge for yourself:</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart21.jpg" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart21.jpg" title="spinart21.jpg, Jan 2015" /></p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart22.jpg" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart22.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart22.jpg, Jan 2015" />I still need to make the machine presentable though, so I gave the outside a lick of paint.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart24.jpg" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart24.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart24.jpg, Jan 2015" /> When the paint dried, I went over all the edges with some black duct tape - and here it is - the finished (well, more or less) machine:</p>
<p>I'm probably not going to try to make it any more presentable than this - after a fairly short period of used, I think it's going to acquire a rich patina of paint blobs and mess anyway.</p>
<p>I might add a speed control at some point, as it spins very fast and this tends to favour the radial patterns and suppress the circular ones forming (unless a brush is used when the thing is in motion)</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">What about a really big one?</h3>
<p>Maybe you're thinking right now: "Hey, what about making a really big version of this?" - I know some of you are, because</p>
<ul>
<li>It occurred to me when I was making this one</li>
<li>Every now and again, people contact me to ask if I'll build them one</li>
</ul>
<p>Sadly, it won't work. In order for the paint to spread at the middle, the rate of rotation has to be high, but this imposes limits on the diameter of the canvas.</p>
<p>A canvas of 1 metre in diameter has a circumference of about 3.14 metres - spin this 1700 RPM and the edge will be travelling at about 89 metres per second - that's about 200mph - Touch the edge of that, and it's goodbye fingers.</p>
<p>If you made a really big one (lets say, 3m in diameter) and spun it up to 1700 RPM, the rim would be travelling at nearly 600mph - that's approaching the speed of sound. Needless to say, this would not be a safe machine to be around - and would certainly destroy itself quite dramatically and dangerously before it got anywhere near the speed necessary to be useful as a spin art machine.</p>
<p>Some things don't scale up well - this is one of them.</p>
<h2>Project costs</h2>
<p>This project cost a grand total of... wait for it... nothing:</p>
<ul>
<li>The timber is all from reclaimed pallets.</li>
<li>The plywood is also from pallet tops.</li>
<li>The motor came from a broken printer.</li>
<li>The PSU (the one I ended up using) came from a different broken printer.</li>
<li>The screws were given to me by a neighbour who was clearing out his van.</li>
<li>The paint is just a leftover bit in a tin from the garage.</li>
</ul>
<p>Duct Tape. Ah, well, there's a cost. £1 for a small roll of black duct tape. So it's not actually a zero budget project after all. Curses! Foiled again!</p>
<h2>In Action...</h2>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart3.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart3.jpg, Jan 2015" /> <img alt="spinart4.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart4.jpg, Jan 2015" /> <img alt="spinart7.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart7.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart7.jpg, Jan 2015" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart10.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart10.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart10.jpg, Jan 2015" /> <img alt="spinart11.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart11.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart11.jpg, Jan 2015" /> <img alt="spinart13.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart13.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart13.jpg, Jan 2015" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="spinart14.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart14.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart14.jpg, Jan 2015" /> <img alt="spinart8.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart8.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart8.jpg, Jan 2015" /> <img alt="spinart9.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/s/spinart9.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="spinart9.jpg, Jan 2015" /></p>
<h2 class="clearleft">Update November 2008 - Edible Spin Art</h2>
<p>I'm not really sure what I was thinking when this idea popped into my head - it's a fusion of food and fun - edible spin art.</p>
<h3>The Spin Art Machine</h3>
<p>There was some work to do before I could use the machine for edible materials - I vacuumed it out thoroughly, then lined it with paper and covered the turntable with a sheet of glossy card.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ediblespinart1.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/e/ediblespinart1.JPG" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="ediblespinart1.JPG, Nov 2008" /></p>
<p>The purpose of the lining is not to protect the food from the machine - all that mess is just dried paint - it's not going anywhere. The purpose is to protect the machine from the food - it's easier to use a disposable liner than to clean up whatever sticky, perishable mess might be created by this venture.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ediblespinart2.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/e/ediblespinart2.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ediblespinart2.JPG, Nov 2008" />So... what material is to be my canvas?</p>
<p>Toast, of course.</p>
<p>Fixing it down to the turntable was a bit of a challenge - with ordinary card for painting, it's held in place with Blu-Tack - that's not possible with toast, so I pinned it down with a dressmaking pin in each corner, gently tapped into the plywood turntable with the back of a spoon.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Paint?</h3>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ediblespinart3.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/e/ediblespinart3.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ediblespinart3.JPG, Nov 2008" />Butter (melted briefly in the microwave), Bramble jelly, yeast extract (this one is the store's own-brand version of Marmite).</p>
<p>Also (not pictured) chocolate spread and honey.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Spin It Up</h3>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ediblespinart5.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/e/ediblespinart5.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ediblespinart5.JPG, Nov 2008" />Toast simply isn't as durable as art board and my spin art machine has no motor speed control, so I had to limit the speed by switching on and off periodically.</p>
<p>I poured, spooned or dripped the edible painting materials onto the toast variously as it was stopped, spinning or slowing down.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ediblespinart4.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/e/ediblespinart4.JPG" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="ediblespinart4.JPG, Nov 2008" />Jam, butter and other toast toppings don't have the pigmentation or adhesion properties of poster paints - lots of the material simply splashed right off the toast - or left only faint marks where it did adhere.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Results</h3>
<p>Not bad, for a first effort.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="ediblespinart6.JPG" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/e/ediblespinart6.JPG" style="margin: 0 auto; display: block;" title="ediblespinart6.JPG, Nov 2008" /></p>
<p>The idea needs further development, however; the crumbly surface of the toast is not conducive to adhesion of edible paint arriving at high speeds, also the painting materials left much to be desired - they were not sufficiently bold in colour and were difficult to apply properly - being blobby, stringy or too thick.</p>
<p class="clearleft"> </p>Building A Boat - Page 9 - The Relaunch Of The Snow Peaurn:md5:2d30918472710ff26cc2af49a44541e12007-11-06T23:03:00+00:002015-01-30T23:28:18+00:00MikeBoatProjectsVideoWoodworking<p><img alt="boat909.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/.boat909_t.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat909.jpg, Jan 2015" />My little boat now has an outrigger for better stability - time for a relaunch and test paddle...</p> <p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat905.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat905.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat905.jpg, Jan 2015" />06 November 2007:</b> Well, here it is - I dry-assembled everything in the garage this evening - it all fits together fairly easily and when assembled, seems pretty rigid.</p>
<p>I'm a little bit concerned about the weight of the outrigger assembly, but some of that was just the leverage of trying to rock the boat on its trestles - the outrigger can't possibly be heavier than water... It <i>can't be...</i></p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat902.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat902.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat902.jpg, Jan 2015" />I couldn't leave the outrigger pontoon completely unadorned.</p>
<p>(Please feel free to contact me if you want to pay me enormous sums of cash to see your logo featured somewhere on the Snow Pea - admittedly, sponsorship is probably easier to attract to projects with a bit more successful a track record...)</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">The Plan</h3>
<p><img alt="boat901.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat901.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat901.jpg, Jan 2015" />Saturday 10th November Will have a good, high tide right in the middle of the day - this should make it easy to get the boat into the water.</p>
<p>No elaborate journey plans this time - this is just a test of stability, flotation and manoeuvrability - I plan to get everything down to Botley Quay for about 11AM - it only takes a few minutes to put together, after which I'll be trying to paddle the boat around a bit, as well as judging which height adjustment settings are correct for levellng with one adult(me) or with an additional person on board.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat906.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat906.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat906.jpg, Jan 2015" />Still having reservations about whether it will be possible to turn the boat away from the outrigger, but there's no scope for last minute changes now anyway, so I'm just going to run with what we have and see what happens.</p>
<p>When it's disassembled, everything packs down inside the boat for easy transportation - So I'm going to pretend I planned it that way.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat907.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat907.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat907.jpg, Jan 2015" />08 November 2007:</b> Still looking good for relaunch - the BBC 5 day forecast is promising a sunny day - as long as that rain forecast for Sunday doesn't slide into Saturday...</p>
<h2 class="clearleft">Weather forecast weirdness</h2>
<p>Monitoring the five-day forecast has made me wonder if there's actually any point to it at all - the forecast for Saturday has changed - as the week progressed - from sunny to cloudy, to showers and eventually back to cloudy with sunny spells - and the actual weather was sunny without a cloud in the sky. Hmmm... I wonder if it's actually based on any meteorological data at all - seems they could just make it up, for anything beyond the next 24 hours, anyway, as they can just change it when it gets closer.</p>
<h3>Edit (2009)</h3>
<p>My curiosity eventually got the better of me, over the accuracy of the five day weather forecast, so I decided to check it. You can see the results <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2009/06/14/Clouds-Of-Suspicion-An-Audit-Of-The-5-Day-Weather-Forecast">here</a>.</p>
<p><b>10 November 2007:</b> Launch Day</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat908.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat908.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat908.jpg, Jan 2015" /></p>
<p>At last! The Snow Pea hits the water, and stays the right way up!</p>
<p>It was a crisp sunny autumn morning, a bit breezy, but we got everything down to the river for 11AM. It took me about ten minutes to bolt everything together. I put the outrigger on the topmost setting and, with a bit of assistance, got it all into the water</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat909.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat909.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat909.jpg, Jan 2015" /></p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat910.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat910.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat910.jpg, Jan 2015" />Then I waded out into the icy water and climbed aboard. This time, stability wasn't even a hint of a problem. Interestingly, it turns out that the topmost setting of the outrigger is the only one that will work - as it was just right - leaning toward it a little when unladen, and pretty much level with me (or me + a child) on board.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat911.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat911.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat911.jpg, Jan 2015" />Balance simply isn't a problem - in fact I was able to shift from seated to kneeling position while afloat. I'm pretty sure I could even stand up in there, with just a little care (but I didn't try this)</p>
<p>My fear that the outrigger might drag the boat around in inescapable circles was not realised - it's quite possible to turn either way.</p>
<p>Going in a straight line is actually the challenge - some of this will come with practice though, but it's still a really short boat in the water and it seems easy to oversteer, then overcompensate. I might build a double kayak-style paddle to make it easier to react.</p>
<p>I think it might also be possible to steer by leaning - toward the outrigger should make it dig down and slow that side, but this only occurred to me on the way home.</p>
<p>Both of my kids took a turn in the boat with me - I think we need to master the co-ordination of paddle strokes, as that might have been what was spinning us about.</p>
<p>Still, despite the steering challenges, we managed to paddle it about in more or less a deliberate fashion - going against the current isn't at all easy though, so this will have to be carefully considered when we plan an actual trip (next year)</p>
<h2 class="clearleft">Every silver lining has a cloud</h2>
<p><img alt="boat912.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat912.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat912.jpg, Jan 2015" />There was just one tiny problem. The trolley I built to transport everything down to the river - it broke as we were loading up to go home; fortunately, some friends who were present loaded the outrigger, paddles, decks and all the other paraphernalia in their car for me, and I carried (it's called 'portage') the hull home on my shoulders.</p>
<p>That central rib came in handy for this as it just fits my shoulders - and I was able to carry it home on my back (it's about a mile or so) with little discomfort.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Video of the relaunch</h3>
<p>Here it is! - as you can see, the Snow Pea is now <i>ridiculously stable</i>.<br />
What a relief!</p>
<div class="imagecentre"><iframe width="510" height="383" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fo_0fA7ImBU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>(In case you're wondering, the docking on that log right at the end of the clip is completely intentional)</p>
<p>This is an edited selection of clips from the relaunch day. (you can see in this one that it's tricky to keep the boat tracking straight - I think I might need a rudder...)</p>
<div class="imagecentre"><iframe width="510" height="383" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T3nSO2NuYfc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<h2 class="clearleft">Packing away for the winter</h2>
<p>What I'll do now is to wipe the boat over and it to dry out completely in the garage, then rub down and paint/varnish a few of the scuffed spots on the hull, then pack all the parts inside the boat and hoist it up to the garage roof until spring.</p>
<h3>Conclusion: The slightly philosophical bit...</h3>
<h3>What was good about the project?</h3>
<p>It worked. It actually worked! In the end.</p>
<p>And I followed it all the way through - which isn't often the case with grand schemes that pop into my head.</p>
<h3>What was not so good about it?</h3>
<p>It's taken a lot of my time - much more than I originally thought - toward the end of the build, I could tell that my family's patience was wearing thin.</p>
<p>It's also made a fair bit of mess - I reckon I've made enough sawdust and shavings to fill the boat several times over, some of which inevitably gets trodden into the house - which hasn't been popular.</p>
<h3>What I've learned</h3>
<p>Chiefly, I've learned that <i>it can actually be done</i> - a complete novice to boatbuilding with average woodworking skills and modest resources, can actually (eventually) make a serviceable watercraft.</p>
<p>Practically, I've learned a couple of new and useful skills - working with glass/epoxy and glue lamination, for example.</p>
<p>I've also learned that you can't just fudge these things and hope for it to work properly first time. There are such things as <i>experts</i>, and they're worth listening to; there are such things as tried and tested designs, and they're worth following as a first step.</p>
<p>(Still, if I'd done all that, I wouldn't have ended up learning it)</p>
<h3>How much did it cost in the end?</h3>
<p>I don't know - I stopped keeping track at about &pound;140, but that was when nearly everything had been bought - I'd estimate the total materials cost coming to somewhere around the &pound;160 mark.</p>
<h3>Was it worth it?</h3>
<p>Definitely. It hasn't always felt like it, but I'm happy now - and I'm really looking forward to taking the Snow Pea out for a proper trip next spring/summer.</p>
<h3>What's the next project?</h3>
<p>I don't know. Probably a few mundane things like shelves and bookcases, but I also have a plan hatching in my mind... I want to build a machine that can paint pictures... more on this later...</p>
<h2>And so... to bed</h2>
<p>In the week following the relaunch, cleaned and inspected the hull (it's surprising how many nicks and scrapes a painted wooden boat sustains even on a little outing like this) - I rubbed down and touched up the paint and varnish where required, dried everything out, stowed all the bits inside the boat and hoisted it up to the ceiling in the garage - there to stay until the spring.</p>
<p>Huge thanks to everyone who was able to come and watch, and everyone who has supported me along the way.</p>Building A Boat - Page 8 - The Outriggerurn:md5:053cf1a955c5d8f38f48e262f5bece042007-08-18T20:18:00+00:002015-03-24T21:39:50+00:00MikeBoatProjectsWoodworking<p><img alt="boat822.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/.boat822_t.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat822.jpg, Jan 2015" />As detailed on previous pages - the launch was a bit of a farce - the boat is very unstable. Several different solutions were considered, but it looks like an outrigger is going to be the best all-round fix for this boat.</p> <p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat804.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat804.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat804.jpg, Jan 2015" />18 August 2007:</b> I had some plywood left from the initial build - enough to cut out a rectangle of maximum size 47 inches long by 24 wide, so I'm going to use the <a href="http://www.gsahv.pp.fi/oss/oss.htm" target="_blank">prism</a> design to maximise volume/displacement from this material. Here's my cutting diagram</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat805.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat805.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat805.jpg, Jan 2015" />And here are the cut sections (with a metre stick for scale)</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Photographs</h3>
<p>Photographs are going to be poor quality for a while, taken on my phone, as my proper camera got wet and died when we capsized at launch</p>
<p>I need to join the two smaller pieces to make one segment, then round off the shoulders and join the pieces together in pairs. I'll be using chine logs for the construction, for simplicity and speed, because the inside of the outrigger pontoon will not be visible - it will be capped with a flat ply top and filled with polyurethane foam. I'll probably glass tape the outside seams - there are only two of them.</p>
<p><b>19 August 2007:</b> I glued the two part-panels together along their edges - the next job is to trim the shoulders round, but I can't do that until it stops raining, as it's a dusty, outdoor job.</p>
<p><b>20 August 2007:</b> I clamped all the panels together then took off the sharp shoulders with the electric planer (then I turned half of them over and clamped together to plane again in case they weren't symmetrical, but it wasn't necessary, because they were.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat806.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat806.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat806.jpg, Jan 2015" />Then I glued two pairs of panels together end to end</p>
<p>I'll do the other pair later - I'm using polyurethane glue, not epoxy, because the pontoon will be foam-filled and won't be subjected to the same kind of joint stresses that the boat will, with humans bumping around inside it.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat807.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat807.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat807.jpg, Jan 2015" />21 August 2007:</b> Chine logs are going to be a proper pain to plane to the correct angle, so I cut some 120-degree mini-ribs instead and started joining the panels together. I'll add a few more of these to pull it all into shape, plus a temporary strip of duct tape along the outside of the seams (which will also serve to contain and shape the polyurethane foam filling. Later, the duct tape will be removed and replaced with glass and epoxy.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat808.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat808.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat808.jpg, Jan 2015" />22 August 2007:</b> A bit more gluing and pulling into shape</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Where is the Snow Pea now?</h3>
<p><img alt="boat801.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat801.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat801.jpg, Jan 2015" />In order to work on the outrigger, I've hoisted the Snow Pea up to the ceiling</p>
<p><b>23 August 2007:</b> gluing with blocks and tacks was getting fiddly and messy, so I decided to stitch and glue the rest - I drilled holes at approximately 15cm intervals and stitched the panels together with cable ties. Then I taped the outside of the seams and poured a bead of polyurethane glue into the crack from the inside. I'm not using epoxy for this because I only have enough left for one mix and that will be used on the glass tapes on the outside.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat809.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat809.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat809.jpg, Jan 2015" />Polyurethane glue isn't as strong for tacking the seams as epoxy would be, but it doesn't need to be for the outrigger pontoon, as it won't have people clambering about inside it.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b>24 August 2007:</b> Removed the tape and smoothed off the outside of some of the seams - the polyurethane glue has foamed up a bit to fill and join the seam cracks.</p>
<p>It's holding OK, but I'm not going to remove the stitches until the last possible moment (right before glass taping or foam filling the interior - whichever comes first).</p>
<p>I'm going to have to buy a bit more ply for the top and the daggerboard - I thought I'd be able to use one of the reclaimed pieces you can just see in the background of the above photo, but they're not suitable - they're all voids and the facing veneers are paper-thin.</p>
<p><b>29 August 2007:</b> I've not had much of a chance to work on the outrigger - my mother-in-law is visiting and a lot of the stuff that was moved out of the garage into the spare room has now reappeared in the garage to make space for her, also, the spare room is right next to the garage, so I can't really be in there late at night, banging and sawing.</p>
<p>I did manage to cut out the top deck for the pontoon, and some other ply components - tomorrow, I'll assemble them.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat810.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat810.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat810.jpg, Jan 2015" />08 September 2007:</b> Haha! - you thought I'd given up, eh? (I wondered about this myself). Well, a little more progress has happened. I decided to add another strip of ply along the top of the pontoon, to increase the volume and provide more substance and buoyancy (it also makes it look a better match for the boat itself). I've also trimmed and assembled the top deck, so it looks like this.</p>
<h2 class="clearleft">Attaching the outrigger</h2>
<p>One of the design problems to be faced is the question of how high the outrigger will be placed relative to the boat - too high and the boat will lean toward the outrigger - worse still, if it's placed too low, the boat will lean away from it and this could induce a tip that lifts the the pontoon right out of the water enough to take on water over the opposite gunwale (the buoyancy/upthrust of the outrigger to be greater than the downforce from its weight), so the boat will be more stable against tipping in the direction of the outrigger than away from it.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat802.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat802.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat802.jpg, Jan 2015" />The solution, I think, is to cut a vertical slot through the pontoon (it's going to be filled with closed-cell foam, so that won't make it sink) - line the slot with a ply sleeve and drop a daggerboard keel through it - the outrigger pylons will be fixed to the top of the daggerboard (which will be exactly equal in height to the boat itself) and the pontoon will fix at variable heights to the dagger board - when there's more load, it can be slid up and attached higher.</p>
<p>The part of the daggerboard that protrudes below the water will help to keep the boat tracking straight.</p>
<p>The other obvious advantage is that adjustment will be possible for when the boat is sitting lower or higher in the water due to the load on board that day (i.e. more than one person, or some baggage)</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b>10 September 2007:</b> I cut out and began assembling the channel through which the daggerboard will fit. I also glued the last of the side seams.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat811.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat811.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat811.jpg, Jan 2015" />11 September 2007:</b> I cut the pieces of ply for the lining of the slot that will receive the daggerboard, then painted the inside faces and assembled it. I also cut a slot in the bottom of the pontoon hull (this felt SO wrong), into which the lining will be fixed.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b>13 September 2007:</b> I cut a slot in the deck and fitted the daggerboard slot in place - waiting for glue to set now...</p>
<p><b>14 September 2007:</b> turns out the slot I cut in the bottom of the pontoon was a bit wide - not sure what happened there, so I had to infill a bit with ply pieces on the inside - attached with the hot melt glue gun - the ployurethane foam filling will make them permanent and I was going to fill any gaps and imperfections on the outside with overpaintable acrylic sealant anyway.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat812.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat812.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat812.jpg, Jan 2015" />I fitted the top deck tonight - David helped me stick some little pieces of timber to the underside so as to make the joint fall square, and I lashed it all down with a load of Spanish windlasses (String loops twisted tight with sticks)</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b>15 September 2007:</b> That all went very nicely and the deck is now firmly affixed to the top.</p>
<p>I planed up a couple of pieces of unidentified reclaimed hardwood and glued them to the sides of the keel slot on the outside - they're also glued down to the top deck so as to hold the whole thing together.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat813.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat813.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat813.jpg, Jan 2015" />I cut some holes in the deck and filled the interior with expanding polyurethane foam - it took a fair bit more than I thought it would.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b>16 September 2007:</b> Funny thing really - I did a number of fairly trivial jobs today, but they add up to a significant leap forward towards the finish.</p>
<ul>
<li>trimmed off (flush) all the bits of cable ties showing outside</li>
<li>planed and sanded the outsides of the joints to make everything smooth</li>
<li>filled and radiused the joints with acrylic filler</li>
<li>glued ply circles over the holes through which the foam was added</li>
</ul>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat814.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat814.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat814.jpg, Jan 2015" />The result of all this is that I'm now almost ready to put the glass tape on the outside seams - just have to wait for the filler to cure fully.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b>20 September 2007:</b> I glass taped the bottom two seams the other night - I didn't have enough epoxy left to do the others, so they'll have to do as they are - they're glued with polyurethane glue and held together by the foam fill, plus the acrylic filler in the voids, so they should be OK...</p>
<p><img alt="boat815.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat815.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat815.jpg, Jan 2015" />Tonight, I gave it a coat of primer all over. Seems to be going on forever though - I still have to finish the keel, build the pylons for attaching the outrigger, and work out how to fix them to the main boat - it's starting to look horribly probable that this project might not see the water again this year.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat816.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat816.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat816.jpg, Jan 2015" />24 September 2007:</b> The second coat of gloss is on the underside of the pontoon now - I'm still having some problems with extended drying times on any bits that aren't just bare wood, but I'm going to forge ahead, because the bits on the main boat that were like this did cure hard after a week or more.</p>
<p>This paint is very saggy though - the advice on the tin is 'apply liberally', but I'm finding even an ordinary brushed coat still sags on non-horizontal surfaces - I have to flatten it out again with another brush after it's been there for an hour or two.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Attaching the outrigger to the boat</h3>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat803.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat803.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat803.jpg, Jan 2015" />The outrigger will be attached to the boat by two pylons - these need to be set quite well toward the ends of the boat so as not to interfere with the seating area, or get in the way of paddling - so I intend to make them curved to follow the line of the decks, them they will taper toward each other for attachment to the top of the keel. They'll be something like this.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat817.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat817.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat817.jpg, Jan 2015" />26 September 2007:</b> I painted the top side of the pontoon - it'll need at least one more coat though</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat818.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat818.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat818.jpg, Jan 2015" />I also trimmed and assembled the dagger board - I had intended to varnish this, but I stupidly left it leaning against the front of my workbench and it has acquired a load of paint drips - so it's going to be green.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b>30 September 2007:</b> I've finished assembling the keel and have drilled all the bolt holes in it (and the mounting holes on the pontoon).</p>
<p><img alt="boat819.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat819.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat819.jpg, Jan 2015" />I've also begun work on the pylons - these need to be curved at one end (see above right), so I ripped a 30mm square piece of spruce into four laminates, but only along part of its length - allowing me to bend it and glue back together in a permanently curved form.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat820.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat820.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat820.jpg, Jan 2015" />02 October 2007:</b> The glue laminated bends have come out well</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat821.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat821.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat821.jpg, Jan 2015" />There are still some little voids at the ends of the kerfs (they couldn't close up here), but I'll fill these in</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b>20 October 2007:</b> Status update.<br />
I had hoped that today would be the day the boat got wet again, but it just hasn't been possible - due to a combination of short daylight hours, bad weather, other commitments and general apathy, it's still not quite finished. I need to get the boat down off the ceiling, fit the pylons and do a bit of finish work.</p>
<p>But the weather has turned decidedly chilly and wintry here now, so I think it's almost certain that I'll have to put off the relaunch until the spring. I'll finish the remainder of the work over the next week or two, then pack everything up and wait for the daffodils. Disappointing, but there it is.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat822.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat822.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat822.jpg, Jan 2015" />27 October 2007:</b> Yay! the build is completely finished on the outrigger - just a bit of varnishing left to do - here it is, test-assembled (without the pontoon)</p>
<p>After it's varnished, it's just possible that if we get a nice warm weekend day and there's a high tide, that I'll trundle it down to the river and test it out, but it's more likely that it will end up being put away until spring now.</p>
<p>I was a bit taken aback by the size of the outrigger assembly, but I think that's just because I'm seeing it in a very confined space - the boat itself looks big again now it's indoors, but it certainly didn't when we took it out for the first attempt at a launch.</p>
<p>Hopefully it will just work with the outrigger now, but there are several potential modes of failure that are nagging my mind:</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Suppose the outrigger is too far out and causes sufficient drag to make it impossible to keep going straight?</h3>
<p>I'm not sure how likely this is - the boat itself is considerably larger than the outrigger pontoon, so as long as power can be applied halfway between boat and outrigger, the boat should drag more and it should still permit a turn away from that side.</p>
<h3>What if the pontoon and pylons are just too heavy and this overcomes the buoyancy it's supposed to provide?</h3>
<p>I don't think this should happen - the pontoon is heavier than I planned (mainly because of the foam infill, I think), but it's still far lighter than an equal volume of water, so it ought to float very well.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat823.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat823.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat823.jpg, Jan 2015" />31 October 2007:</b> A plan!<br />
If the weather is really nice and favourable on Saturday 10th November, I plan to test the Snow Pea (with outrigger) for stability, manoeuverability and flotation sometime late in the morning at Botley Quay - when the tide is high.</p>
<p>I'm not going to lay out a grandiose and elaborate voyage plan this time - that was pretty embarrassing last time (and anyway, the tides won't permit a long journey downstream with a daylight return now) - if all goes well, I'll paddle the boat upstream a little bit, then come back to the quay.</p>
<p class="clearleft">Well, that's everything done, time to move on to... <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2007/11/06/Building-A-Boat-Page-9-The-Relaunch-Of-The-Snow-Pea">the re-launch!</a></p>Building A Boat - Page 7 - The Launch And Maiden Voyage Of The Snow Peaurn:md5:fbaee58e54772bb42d867b60c1ccda602007-08-01T22:01:00+00:002015-03-24T21:39:06+00:00MikeBoatProjectsVideoWoodworking<p><img alt="boat703.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat703.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat703.jpg, Jan 2015" />The time has come to launch the Snow Pea! Well, almost.</p> <p class="clearleft">I'll be launching the Snow Pea on Saturday 11th August. Here's the plan:</p>
<ul>
<li>Launch at 1:00 PM at <a href="http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=451480&Y=112740&A=Y&Z=1" target="_blank">Botley Quay</a></li>
<li>If all goes well, Set off downriver at around 1:30 PM</li>
<li>Stop at the pontoon jetty in <a href="http://www.hants.gov.uk/countryside/manorfarm/park/index.html" target="_blank">Manor Farm Country Park</a> (when we get there; I estimate this might be as early as 2:00 PM, or maybe about half past</li>
<li>If arriving early at Manor Farm, I'll potter around until 2:30PM</li>
<li>-Set off downriver to Warsash spit - arriving, I dunno... 3:30 PM?</li>
<li>Stay at <a href="http://www.multimap.com/maps/#t=l&map=50.8454,-1.30759|18|32&loc=GB:50.84684:-1.28587:14|warsash|Warsash,%20Fareham,%20SO31%209" target="_blank">Warsash Spit</a> for an early picnic tea (bring your own) until about 5:30 PM, then head back up river on the rising tide, hopefully to arrive back at Botley Quay before 7:00 PM</li>
</ul>
<p>In the event of foul weather, particularly if it is raining or threatening to rain, the maiden voyage downriver will be postponed to another near future date, although the launch itself may still happen if the conditions are moderate.</p>
<p>< class="clearleft"h3>Warsash Spit</p>
<p><img alt="boat701.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat701.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat701.jpg, Jan 2015" />This is the (intended) destination - landfall is possible on the very tip of the spit, even at low tide.</p>
<p>The spit is accessible on foot by just heading south along the shore from <a href="http://streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=448930&Y=106158&A=Y&Z=1" target="_blank">Warsash Marina</a> (where there is a car park), or by parking <a href="http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=449892&Y=104700&A=Y&Z=1" target="_blank">here</a>, finding one of the footpaths through to the beach and heading northwest up the shore, but that's quite a long walk.</p>
<p>Also, there are numerous footpaths leading from Newtown Road, westwards to the shore, from where it is a short walk south to Warsash spit.</p>
<p>In the event that the Snow Pea sinks at launch, or is impossible to manoeuvre easily, explodes, is stolen by aliens, or if some other technical problem should arise, obviously that will force the cancellation of the maiden voyage until the problem is resolved.</p>
<h2 class="clearleft">Summary of the launch maiden voyage</h2>
<p><img alt="boat702.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat702.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat702.jpg, Jan 2015" />I strapped the boat to its trolley and wheeled it down to the river - the tide was at the approximate height I had predicted would be required, everything went pretty smoothly there.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Video</h3>
<div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YJ2pwOntc3k" width="510"></iframe></div>
<p>Quite a few friends and relatives had turned out for the momentous occasion and the weather was warm, sunny and with a distinct lack of strong winds.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat703.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat703.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat703.jpg, Jan 2015" />I donned safety gear and put the boat in the water, holding onto a rope secured to ne of the cleats, I pushed it out into the water and it floated upright perfectly.</p>
<div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TrIbXMFxNE4" width="510"></iframe></div>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat704.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat704.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat704.jpg, Jan 2015" />The next thing was to sit in the boat and have someone else push me out and pull me back, but that's where things went a bit adrift - I was very wobbly, so I asked for my paddle and I went on a short, unsteady circuit of the river below the slipway - this went fairly well, but I was conscious of the instability.</p>
<div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TXUIFTQ5Fm0" width="510"></iframe></div>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat705.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat705.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat705.jpg, Jan 2015" />Next my son came on board, sitting in front of me and we went on another circuit of the area - this was more difficult and we returned to shore with him asking to get out.</p>
<div class="imagecentre"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="383" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2s9AtN0M0XM" width="510"></iframe></div>
<p>Thinking it might just be a question of weight placement, I slid forward and got him to climb in behind me, but this was a disaster and we capsized in only a foot or two of water. -Unfortunately, I don't have any video footage of that part!</p>
<p>After that, I removed the decks and seat cushions and took a couple more circuits around the river section - the boat is easy to move, but has a tendency to turn under power - a double kayak paddle might have been easier to use, as I found myself switching hands a lot - the boat isn't long enough to use a J-stroke or stern rudder (although some of this could have been that the balance problems didn't permit me to try it properly).</p>
<p>But it was abundantly clear that there was no safe way even to make the first leg of the voyage down to Manor Farm - the river down there is very wide and is used by motor boats, so I think I'd have come a cropper long before reaching the pontoon jetty.</p>
<h1 class="clearleft">Oops</h1>
<p>Well... it was.. interesting. Flotation and water-tightness is not a problem. Stability is a big issue - the Snow Pea is incredibly tippy - it appears partly because of the rounded bottom and partly because of the upsweep of the ends - there's almost too much buoyancy for a boat this shape, resulting in a very small footprint actually submerged.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat706.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat706.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat706.jpg, Jan 2015" /></p>
<p>After a wobbly start, my balance did improve, but any rocking that started just didn't damp out. I thought a little more weight might have helped, so I invited my son on board - we wobbled a bit, then the boat tipped us out and filled up completely with water.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat707.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat707.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat707.jpg, Jan 2015" />Removing the deck boards and sitting directly on the bottom of the hull made things a bit better, but it was still quite unstable and I think a wake from another boat would have capsized us if we'd tried to go down river.</p>
<p>So that's that. Not sure what to do next. Maybe ballast, maybe an outrigger, maybe a bonfire.</p>
<h2 class="clearleft">Analysis</h2>
<p><img alt="boat708.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat708.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat708.jpg, Jan 2015" />OK, here's why I think it went wrong - the underside of the hull is more or less round in profile - that means it can roll in the water without impedance (so it rolls like a ball in a socket) and without displacing any more water</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat709.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat709.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat709.jpg, Jan 2015" />-so there's nothing much to stop it from moving to a tipped state from an upright one, whereas with a dory hull, n<span style="line-height: 1.6em;">ot only do the sharp chines 'catch' the on the water and impede rotation, but also, the hull displaces more water on the tipped side, resulting in upthrust right where it is needed in order to right the boat.</span></p>
<p>Oh, hindisght is just great, aint it?</p>
<h1 class="clearleft">So, what can be done?</h1>
<p>A variety of options are available, here are a few that spring to mind:</p>
<h3>Give up, do something completely different:</h3>
<p>I could just give up, chalk it up to experience, dispose of the boat or use it as a garden ornament, take up some other time consuming folly.</p>
<p>But... I think I've invested too much - both in terms of effort and emotion in the idea to give up completely</p>
<h3>Scrap this boat, build another:</h3>
<p>As above, but start again on building a different boat using a tried and tested set of plans (no disrespect intended to Hannu - it's my own modifications of his plans that have - literally - scuppered me here).</p>
<p><b>But...</b> I'm not sure I'd have the stamina to see it through after what's happened here.</p>
<h3>Add ballast:</h3>
<p>Several people have suggested this.</p>
<p>A couple of heavy sandbags in the void below the internal decks would make the boat sit lower in the water - this would mean that more than just the central, hemicyclindrical portion of the boat would be interacting with the water and it would place the centre of mass lower - perhaps below the waterline.</p>
<p><b>But...</b> Ballast is a nuisance to lug about and it might not be altogether desirable to deliberately shove the boat lower - it might affect manoeuverability, or make forward motion more cumbersome. It also might just not be possible to gain enough effect this way.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Also, ballast becomes a potential danger in the event of the boat taking on water - the idea with small boats is to make them inherently floaty, </span><i style="line-height: 1.6em;">not sinky.</i></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.2em;">Modify the hull:</span></p>
<p>The hull could be modified - it's probably possible to cut out the bottom two panels and replace them with a single flat panel, ending up wth a flat bottomed boat that might behave more like a dory.</p>
<p><b>But...</b> It's a big job - it would necessitate stripping back all the paint and varnish around those seams, cutting a new section of ply, attempting to modify the boat's ribs in situ, more stitching and gluing - lots more work - probably not much less work than starting again from scratch. Maybe actually more work.</p>
<h3>Add an outrigger</h3>
<p>Build a streamlined, buoyant pod, construct some pylons to attach it to the gunwale - effectively converting the boat into an asymmetric catamaran.</p>
<p>No buts... I can't see any reason why this wouldn't work, And it actually seems like quite a straightforward idea.</p>
<p>I'm on holiday for a week soon, so I'll be thinking about this, and any other options that might arise. If nothing better comes along, I'll be setting to work on an outrigger. Should be possible to have this complete before the summer is out.</p>
<h3>After the dust has settled...</h3>
<p>OK, it's a week on from the launch now and I'm still pretty convinced that an outrigger is the best way forward. I did have a couple of new suggestions by email and elsewhere...:</p>
<h3>Add a keel:</h3>
<p>Early on in the design/build, I talked about adding a small keel (called a skeg) - this would certainly help in getting the boat to track in a straight line - something of a problem with such a short craft, even shorter in the water - it would also help to damp out the rolling, but it would still be possible for a slow roll to occur - particularly if a crosswind is encountered.</p>
<p>I might still add some fins or a skeg if required though, but not primarily to solve the stability problems</p>
<h3>Add a ballast keel:</h3>
<p>Adding a keel loaded with significant weight would help with stability, but ballast could be a problem (see above) and I don't really like the idea of making the boat deeper and heavier anyway.</p>
<h3>Build out the hull to a dory profile:</h3>
<p><img alt="boat710.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat710.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat710.jpg, Jan 2015" />This one is quite a cunning idea - add sections of solid foam to the lower panels of the boat, to build out the outer hull into a flat-bottomed dory shape, then glass and resin over them to make them durable.<br />
Something like this:</p>
<p class="clearleft"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">It's a brilliant idea, but I don't think I can implement it here - primarily because it adds buoyancy below the current waterline - this means the boat will ride higher up in the water and although the flat bottom will provide good initial stability, the top-heaviness might mean that sudden tipping is a possibility if the centre of mass moves outside the safe zones.</span></p>
<p>I'm also reluctant to do anything at this stage that would so radically alter the appearance of the boat's shape (even though that shape is in fact a problem).</p>
<p>So... onward, to commence construction of the <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2007/08/18/Building-A-Boat-Page-8-The-Outrigger">outrigger...</a></p>
<p>Everybody present at the launch took the interesting failure in fairly good spirits and I remain determined not to let it get me down - I feel fairly confident that the next time the boat goes in the water - with an outrigger - it will be to the sound of cheers and possibly the pop of a Champagne cork.</p>
<h2>The Worst Thing</h2>
<p>The worst thing about it all is that in the flurry of confusion caused by the unanticipated instability, my bag was loaded on board, containing my mobile phone -which I had carefully wrapped in plastic bags, so it's OK - and my digital camera - which I hadn't anticipated taking at all, it was only in my bag because I put it there to carry to the launch, intending to give it to my wife.</p>
<p>Even after careful drying, the camera is quite dead. That's a nuisance not only because of the expense, but because I need a camera to document the remainder of the project. Oh well.</p>Building A Boat - Page 6urn:md5:c7af95d79dcbcec39e3a04a1fbfcebe92007-07-19T21:14:00+00:002015-03-24T21:38:15+00:00MikeBoatProjectsWoodworking<p><img alt="boat617.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/.boat617_t.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat617.jpg, Jan 2015" />More progress on building my little boat. On this page, it gets a color, and a name...</p> <p class="clearleft"><b>19 July 2007:</b> A few more odds and ends today. I ran the router over the undersides of the deck planks, so now there are no sharp corners on them at all (I didn't do this earlier because I wasn't sure whether they would be glued or screwed to their supporting battens).</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat606.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat606.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat606.jpg, Jan 2015" />I cut out the breasthooks</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat607.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat607.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat607.jpg, Jan 2015" />And I drilled and countersank (countersunk? Countersinked?) all of the deck planks, plus their supporting battens (which I cut from reclaimed beech)</p>
<div class="wikinote notewarning">
<p class="note-title"><strong>Working With Linseed Oil (And Drying Oils In General)</strong></p>
<p>Linseed oil (the finish I'll be using on the inner deck) is what's known as a 'drying oil' - this means it doesn't just soak into the timber, it cures, turning into a waxy solid that protects the wood surface.</p>
<p>But 'drying' is perhaps not quite the right term - because what it actually does is to oxidise - it reacts with air - this is a chemical reaction, as opposed to just an evaporative process, and it's a chemical reaction that produces heat (it's exothermic).</p>
<p>This can actually be dangerous - if rags are used to apply it and these are left screwed up in a ball afterwards, the fabric provides lots of surface area (and thus exposure to oxygen), but traps heat in the screwed-up ball - this heat causes the remaining oil to oxidise even faster and this effect can run away to the extent that the rag ball can spontaneously ignite.</p>
<p>Rags used for applying linseed oil should therefore be deliberately burned, or should be dried flat outdoors before disposal.</p>
</div>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat601.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat601.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat601.jpg, Jan 2015" />The really great thing about oiling timber is that you don't need to worry too much about keeping it from touching things, or gathering dust and nibs - because it's not a thick sticky coating, it soaks in and the items being oiled can just be stacked up.</p>
<p>I applied the oil to the deck timbers with a paintbrush, left it to soak in for half an hour, then wiped off the excess with a rag. It gives a honey-coloured sheen to the pine and a rich deep lustre to the beech. My family think linseed oil smells 'fishy', which is interesting, because it contains omega fatty acids, just like oily fish.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat602.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat602.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat602.jpg, Jan 2015" />Lacing the deck boards onto their battens took a couple of attempts to work out the best tying plan, but I worked it out in the end - it's a bit like a machine stitch - a loop of cord goes down through the hole and the batten, then another piece of cord is passed through it underneath.</p>
<p>A little scrap of hardwood with a couple of holes in it was added to the knot for each section - this can be turned as a Spanish windlass, tightening the cord.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat608.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat608.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat608.jpg, Jan 2015" />20 July 2007:</b> Great progress today. I rounded off the edges of the breasthooks - on the top, they're rounded on all edges, on the bottom, they're not rounded at the sides where they will be in contact with the gunwale</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Finishing Off The Cleats</h3>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat603.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat603.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat603.jpg, Jan 2015" />The cleats were assembled with polyurethane glue - I threaded both parts on nails to keep the holes in register, then pulled out the nails after applying the clamps (or they'd have been stuck in place by the expanding glue)</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat609.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat609.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat609.jpg, Jan 2015" />I rounded off the cleats - they're only small bits of wood though - too small to clamp down and still be able to use the router on - so I screwed them to the workbench temporarily(inset). This is what they'll look like (still rough and unfinished at the moment)</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat604.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat604.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat604.jpg, Jan 2015" />Then they were screwed into place on the breasthooks (with more glue as well - both on the timber faces and on the screw thread to lock it) - the screws are about 5 inches long and extend right down into the bow and stern posts, so the cleats should be secure enough to support the whole weight of the boat if necessary.</p>
<h2 class="clearleft">Router Terminology Oddness</h2>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat605.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat605.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat605.jpg, Jan 2015" />Throughout these pages, I've been talking about using a 'quadrant bit in my router - turns out I'm pretty much the only human on the planet who calls it that (I must have just made up the term, I suppose). Its proper name is a Rounding Over Cutter - it produces a - yes - rounded over edge.</p>
<p>When used at full depth, the profile of the curve that it produces is a quarter of a circle (a quadrant).</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat610.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat610.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat610.jpg, Jan 2015" />I fitted the blade on the second paddle and - it's good to get this one out of the way - I glassed the three bottom seams externally.</p>
<p>I had a very small amount of epoxy left at the end of the glass taping job, so I masked off the end of my paddle and slapped it on there - hopefully this should make it a bit more durable if it comes into contact with stones or other objects.</p>
<p class="clearleft">So it's been quite a satisfyingly progressive evening. The glass tape seams might need a filler coat if the weave seems too conspicuous, after that, there are only a few little bits of fitting to do, then a bit of sanding, then painting and varnishing. It is getting closer to completion now, really.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat611.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat611.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat611.jpg, Jan 2015" />21 July 2007:</b> I laced up the decks onto their battens (see above right) and glued on the breasthooks</p>
<p>Last night's glass taping set well on the bottom seams and it was sufficiently smooth that it might not need an infill coat. There's just a little bit of filling and fixing now, then the sanding and painting.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b>22 July 2007:</b> Not much chance to work on it today - just sanded down the second paddle and one of the cleats, and filled a little void under one of the breasthooks.</p>
<p><b>23 July 2007:</b> I realise this photo doesn't look all that different from many of the others, but it does in fact mark a milestone - the completion of the outer hull - all of the taped seams have been brushed over with a thin layer of epoxy loaded with colloidal silica (essentially very pure, incredibly fine sand) - this makes it harder wearing. All of the untaped seams were smoothed to a small radius and also brushed over with the same mixture, which has sealed any little bits of plywood edge that might have been exposed and has flowed into small voids and imperfections in the seam fill (there were surprisingly few blemishes to this though).</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat612.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat612.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat612.jpg, Jan 2015" />So apart from a quick de-nib, the hull is ready for priming. However, I need to sand the gunwales and breasthooks and varnish these and the inside of the boat first - my reasoning being that it will be easier to remove stray drops of paint or primer from varnished wood than plain, so the varnish must go on first.</p>
<p>There was again a little epoxy left over, so I applied this to the end of the smaller paddle blade.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat613.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat613.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat613.jpg, Jan 2015" />24 July 2007:</b> The beginning of the end - or perhaps I should say: the <i>start of the finish</i> - I rubbed down the rough spots on the gunwale, vacuumed out all the dust carefully (twice - with a half hour interval in between - in case the first vacuuming kicked up more dust), then applied the first coat of varnish to the gunwale, breasthooks and cleats and to the entire inside of the hull - this picture just doesn't do it justice - the ply has now turned a uniformly beautiful rich red-brown colour and there is no difference between the wood that was 'wet' by the epoxy and that which is covered with varnish. It's a total transformation!</p>
<p>I also varnished the paddle handles and shafts - the blades will be painted to match the outside of the hull.</p>
<h2 class="clearleft">De-nibbing</h2>
<p>Ever wonder how furniture makers get such a smooth glossy coat of varnish on their finished articles?</p>
<p>There are actually lots of reasons for this - multiple thin coats, professional quality high-solids varnishes and tack cloths, but one of the key factors is de-nibbing between coats.</p>
<p>Ideally, finished wood should be varnished in a completely dust-free environment, but this isn't always possible and even in near-ideal conditions, there are always a few motes drifting about. When dust and fluff settles on drying varnish, it creates a 'nib' - a little raised point - it isn't just composed of the debris itself, but also a little spike of varnish, drawn up to a point by surface tension.</p>
<p>A quick rub over with very fine sandpaper, followed by a wipe down, ideally with a tack cloth, before a subsequent coat means that uniformly flat coats can be built up and the result will be a much smoother final finish. It's really surprising how much of a difference a little thing like this can make.</p>
<h2 class="clearleft">Tack Cloths</h2>
<p>I mentioned tack cloths above - these are lint-free cloths that are treated with something to make them sticky and are great for removing specks of dust and debris after de-nibbing, or before the first coat.</p>
<p>People tend to have their own recipes for making tack cloths (or I think you can probably buy them already made, but it's really just a case of getting a lint-free dusting cloth, soaking it lightly in varnish (oil based) diluted with white spirit, allowing to only partially dry, then keeping in a sealed container until needed.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat614.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat614.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat614.jpg, Jan 2015" />25 July 2007:</b> I can't do anything today the varnish seems to have soaked into the plywood quite thoroughly, but it's still tacky - maybe it went on a bit thick because of the absorbency of the wood, or maybe it's just the cold damp weather that's making it take a long time to dry. I want to de-nib (see above right for definition) at least some areas before applying a second coat and this is only possible when the first coat has set hard.</p>
<p><b>26 July 2007:</b> I've applied the second coat of varnish - this one went on much more easily than the first, but I think at least one more will be necessary to completely seal everything.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b>27 July 2007:</b> I wasn't able to do anything at all today - the varnish is taking forever to dry completely - I think this might be for two reasons; firstly, the weather here has been very wet and cold for nearly the whole summer - it might be that the humidity is stopping the solvent from evaporating away (even though it's an oil-based paint).</p>
<p>Also, I noticed the varnish near the gunwale was drying faster than in the bottom of the boat - I'm not sure whether the solvent, when evaporated, is heavier than air, but if it is, it could be pooling in the boat - I turned it on its side and that seemed to help a bit.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat615.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat615.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat615.jpg, Jan 2015" />28 July 2007:</b> The varnish is still tacky on the inside (that's 48 hours and still not dry - the tin says 6 to 8). The gunwale is dry though, so I was able to turn the boat over and apply the primer coat to the outside of the hull.</p>
<p>It's dark grey primer because the top coats will be a dark green colour and might look pasty if it's applied over a white primer. I also primed the paddle blades.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b>30 July 2007:</b> Bit of a setback. Yikes.</p>
<p>The varnish just wasn't drying at all on some of the internal seams and was still wet and sticky after 5 days. The primer was still soft and tacky on the outer seams after 2 days. Something was wrong.</p>
<p>Turns out it's something I should have known about and circumvented. When epoxy resin cures, it forms a skin of something called <i>amine blush</i> - a sort of waxy/soapy substance that prevents the proper adhesion of paint/varnish, and interferes with the drying process.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat616.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat616.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat616.jpg, Jan 2015" />Nothing else for it but to strip the varnish and paint off the seams with a rag and white spirit:</p>
<p>So it looks like it's been distressed or artificially patinated now.</p>
<p class="clearleft">Looks worse than it is though - all that I need to do now is wash off the amine blush with some hot soapy water (I'll probably give the seams a bit of a wet sand with some waterproof abrasive paper while I'm at it), then wait for it to dry thoroughly and replace the primer.</p>
<p>Ho hum. This is the sort of lesson I'd rather have learned from somebody else's mistake - and should have - turns out amine blush isn't a secret or anything.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b><img alt="boat617.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat617.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat617.jpg, Jan 2015" />31 July 2007:</b> Now that's more like it! - the primer I applied over the sanded and washed seams dried and adhered very well overnight, so this evening, I applied the first coat of gloss finish - this it the colour it will be when it's finished. I also put the first coat of gloss on the paddle blades to match.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><b>01 August 2007:</b> I applied a second coat of gloss to the hull and the paddle blades - not much point putting a picture here as it would look the same - it looks different close up - much smoother and shinier - but not in a photo.</p>
<p><b>02 August 2007:</b> The second coat of gloss has dried nice and smooth, but I'm going to leave it a while because it still feels slightly soft and pliable - gloss paint doesn't cure rock hard straight away. I don't want to scrape the finish by turning it over until the paint has toughened up a bit.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat618.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat618.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat618.jpg, Jan 2015" />So all I did tonight was to paint the end posts - using a half tin of black Hammerite that I had lying about. It's supposed to be for painting rusty metal, but I tested it on a piece of bare ply and on another bit onto which I had brushed some epoxy during the seam glassing - it adhered amazingly well to both surfaces (even though I did nothing to prepare the epoxy for painting) and cured quickly to a very tough hard finish. It doesn't require any primer or undercoat - for my next boat (oh yes, there will be another), I'm going to use it on the whole of the outside.</p>
<h3 class="clearleft">Varnish problems - resolved</h3>
<p>Turns out that amine blush isn't the only reason the varnish wasn't curing - I think the varnish might well be a bad batch, or just a terrible product - It wasn't cheap stuff though - it was Wickes (yes, name and shame) Master Exterior varnish. The reason I suspect the varnish, rather than the process, is that it also hasn't dried properly on the shafts of the paddles - I tried rubbing it with abrasive to de-nib and it just balled up into rubbery pieces - and this is more than a week after application. So, Wickes - your varnish sucks. Sorry, but it does.</p>
<p>Fortunately, I discovered half a tin of B & Q yacht varnish in the garage - there was a skin on the top when I opened the tin, but the varnish underneath seemed OK. I stirred it up and tested it on a small area and it just works fine - it even dries properly on the glass taped seams - even the ones that were left a bit sticky after I cleaned off the crappy Wickes varnish.</p>
<p>Apologies for the poor quality photo - my family have gone away for a few days, taking the camera. Any notion that they have run away to escape the paint fumes and my mad obsession with boats is just a silly rumour and you should ignore it.</p>
<p><b>04 August 2007:</b> Very nearly finished now. I've cleaned up a lot of the sticky residual varnish and have applied a couple of test patches of varnish of a different type. I think the first lot may have been a dud batch, because the outside of the tin is still sticky - although maybe it just doesn't like drying on nonporous surfaces.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat619.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat619.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat619.jpg, Jan 2015" />Anyway... the boat is now turned right side up and hung from ropes attached to the ceiling (so that the paint on the underside - which is still slightly soft - won't be damaged by the supports.</p>
<p class="clearleft"><img alt="boat620.jpg" class="media" src="https://atomicshrimp.com/public/b/boat620.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1em 0;" title="boat620.jpg, Jan 2015" />Also... I've chosen a name:</p>
<p class="clearleft">Construction is all but complete now, so I won't be reporting any more on that. The next page is... YES! - it's (going to be) <a class="ref-post" href="https://atomicshrimp.com/post/2007/08/01/Building-A-Boat-Page-7-The-Launch-And-Maiden-Voyage-Of-The-Snow-Pea">The Launch and Maiden Voyage of The Snow Pea.</a></p>