Peter , Peter !

 Stop , Your killing me ! Oh My gosh . Magnificient work . In wood yet .When I do stuff like , Correction , did stuff like this it was in Various forms of plexi and styrene .

 I still work exclusively in styrene . Good on You , for working in wood . 

This is a massive job worthy of kudos, just for the scale of it. Add the craftsmanship being done ... it is pretty off the scale. Really nice work. I can't wait to see the final product.

Outstanding wor, just gets better and better.

The Buoy Tender is an outstanding idea.

Tanker - Builder

Peter , Peter !

 Stop , Your killing me ! Oh My gosh . Magnificient work . In wood yet .When I do stuff like , Correction , did stuff like this it was in Various forms of plexi and styrene .

 I still work exclusively in styrene . Good on You , for working in wood . 

 

Thanks, and good on you for working in plexi and styrene. Both of which I am foreign to.

Bakster

This is a massive job worthy of kudos, just for the scale of it. Add the craftsmanship being done ... it is pretty off the scale. Really nice work. I can't wait to see the final product.

Thanks for compliment.

I too am looking forward to seeing the final product. It will be a while yet (to the curator's frustration ).

CapnMac82

Outstanding wor, just gets better and better.

The Buoy Tender is an outstanding idea.

 

Here is the storey I hope to convey for having a buoy tender up the river, an uncommon sight:

An old unserviceable buoy has broken loose and drifted upstream. It was found aground near the Wardell bridge. The buoy tender arrived to pick up the u/s buoy and replace it with a new one somewhere down stream.

While researching into buoys, and buoy tenders, I was surprise how big some of those buoys are. Also discovered that buoy tender crews are specialised, much like the fire brigade.

Anyway, I needed a break from making boats. So I branched off to make an old u/s buoy.

Used a red Biro, piece of broken broom handle, and thick copper wire for this model.

So much for the u/s buoy.

Now, some these buoys are quite large, over 5 m (>16.4 feet). They obviously require a huge crane.

As usual, an ad hoc approach to its construction ought to suffice. Used scrap wood, nails, and black electrical wire.

Now :

 I have to comment .That is awesome . I would use a salvaged LEGO crane and a pill bottle base for the same thing .

 The reason for the pill bottle ? the Triangular gussets on the base ring where it attaches to the deck .

 The pill bottle , after sanding to that ring is hollow . So the service storage under it can have an open w/t door  . This adds more detail to an otherwise plain base area .

 Oh , a note here .The cable on the cranes like that , Here in the States travel on Top of the arms in guides and the reel is on the top at the back or next to the base .T.B.

Tanker - Builder

...The reason for the pill bottle ? the Triangular gussets on the base ring where it attaches to the deck .

 The pill bottle , after sanding to that ring is hollow . So the service storage under it can have an open w/t door  . This adds more detail to an otherwise plain base area .

 Oh , a note here .The cable on the cranes like that , Here in the States travel on Top of the arms in guides and the reel is on the top at the back or next to the base .T.B. 

Thanks for the tips.

Decided to forego the external winch and pretend that it is internal.

The black electrical wire is for hydraulic hoses. I added thick aluminium foil strips to immitate clamps (see below). Also inserted pinheads to immitate mounting bolts.

Oh gee I've been falling behind- great job there on the figures and the cars. Nice crane and what big beautiful buoys! 

Thank you Gamera and ejhammer (EJ).

__________________________________

Did some more work on the Buoy Tender, but soon came to a halt with certain indecisions. The best thing I can do in those circumstances is to do something else in the meantime. Usually I get decisive answers while doing something else. I'll get back to the boat later.

So, this is as far as I got with the boat.

Oh ;

 Yoy don't have to pretend .Some were built with internal Winches .Looks Damn Good ! .

Hmmm

 You should build bouys for sale ! Those are nothing but awesome ! T.B.

Hi ;

 I have a few comments about the Bouy Tender if you don't mind . I owned one I converted to a live -aboard House yacht .The bridge wings did NOT extend out past the hull .The deckhouse looks almost to large for the boat .

 In Marine Design we try to reduce rolling moment to manageable parameters .You are kind of stretching that . I hope you don't mind the critique . T.B. The rolling moment would be very brisk and when lifting a bouy , very Dangerous .

T.B.

Yes, you are quite right.

It's a learning progress. The boat hull was wrong from the start. All the other errors came from two sources, my ignorance about boats and ships, and creating ad hoc models which I tend to make larger than necessary. It's built into me, and difficult to change. Unless I follow some other person's plan.

I once built stable yards from mature Stringybark trees. All the neighbours thought I was going to hold rhinos instead of Shetland ponies. In fact, all I had in mind was that the yard lasts at least 40 years, so I didn't have to rebuild it later...as an old guy.

Anyway, I am keeping it the way it is; unless the museum folk wish it to be otherwise.

PeterPan

The boat hull was wrong from the start. All the other errors came from two sources, my ignorance about boats and ships,

Which is one of the cooler thing about our avocation--it can be very educational.  Sometimes externally, sometimes internally.  It's all part of the enjoyment as far as I'm concerned.

CapnMac82

...Which is one of the cooler thing about our avocation--it can be very educational.  Sometimes externally, sometimes internally.  It's all part of the enjoyment as far as I'm concerned.

Very true. Thank you CapnMac82

With much apprehension I made a start with the landfill. Decided to use condensed insulation foam. Discovered that it is easy to work with. The only tools required was tracing paper and card for templates, a knife for cutting shapes and wittling the surface areas, and a rasp file mainly for taking excess of the edges so the foam slides into its place.

After a while it was easy to get carried away. Almost forgetting to take photographs. The whole process is akin to scuplturing. It was lots of fun.

Used water-based wood putty over the foam. Then applied two coats of 50-50 PVA-water mix.

Oy Vay ! 

 You keep this up and I'll want to get back to Museum stuff . Stop , Stop , yer killin me ! 

 Peter , Where did you get your skills ? This whole project is nothing but incredible ! T.B. 

Tanker - Builder

...You keep this up and I'll want to get back to Museum stuff ...

Why don't you.

Here are my pros and cons of the idea:

As you know, I am just a volunteer that has taken on a job nobody dared to do. As a result, I am committed to its completion. I cannot walk away from it, or put it on hold for several months. Also, once completed, it's not mine. I have to go to the museum to look at it. BUT there is a lot of challenges, fun, and satisfaction in seeing it come together. I don't have to spend any money on it, the museum does. Last but not least, the museum visitors will see and operate a working lift-span bridge (I hope). They may get a bit of an educational value and some fun out of it.

To continue:

I got carried away and worked non-stop. Forgot to take photos near the end.

Peter ;

 I do have to agree with you . If I had all the Museum display American sternwheel riverboats  I built , that are in Museums I would have to have a building the size of my house .

 Some stuff I built for private clients ( Corporations ) has even wound up in Museums . The only way to see it now is to go to a museum !

Tanker - Builder

Peter ;

 I do have to agree with you . If I had all the Museum display American sternwheel riverboats  I built , that are in Museums I would have to have a building the size of my house .

 Some stuff I built for private clients ( Corporations ) has even wound up in Museums . The only way to see it now is to go to a museum !

 

WOW. So, basically you have been a modeller all your life.

Painted various shade of ground colours. Basically from the wet and muddy dark to the dry and bleached earth colours.

Made these small posts that the shire council have installed at both ends of the bridge.

Thats coming on great peter, some more amazing work. really like that crane.

Asfor this going to a museum, at least you know people will get to look at it rather than sitting on a shelf getting dusty.

Pretty Much !

 I would build nice Revell cars and sell them to the local car salesmen . I would get them for 49 cents or 89 cents and sell them for five dollars . That was about when I was about nine or ten .

 There was an M.G.- Austin-Healey dealer around the corner up the block . His guys would buy every Austin 3000 or M.G. TD that I built !

T.B. That's great to be able to be a professional model builder.