Monday, November 9, 2009

LAYING STRIP AFTER STRIP,AFTER STRIP,AFTER STRIP.

In this posting:
1. Laying strip, after strip, after strip.
2. Bulges
3. Summer has arrived.
4. Hatch covers.
5. Time is running out.
6. Hours spent so far.


1. Laying strip, after strip, after strip.

Looking at last week's photographs, it is disappointing to see how little progress was made this week-end. The "stripping-up" of the kayak just seems like a never-ending process. However I have covered the worst of the curves that connect the sides and the bottom of the hull and progress should pick up now. But now a new phenomenon reared its ugly head.

2. Bulges.

As the strips of cedar approach the keel line, they are being bent more and more side-ways and this causes bulging between the stations. (The same effect can be seen if you "bend" a strip of paper side-ways on a flat surface). One solution to this problem would be to use stringers but I want to keep the weight down as much as possible. ("Stringer" = a strip of wood glued along the length of the hull on the inside). I then decided to employ cable ties to pull the strips back to an even curve.



I also stopped glueing the strips to the stations and the bulging problem dissapeared to a large extent. I wonder if this is the reason that why the experts don't really use permanent stations?

Cable ties were also used were clamps would just not work



I alway maintain that the person that invented cable ties should be considered for the Nobel Prizes of Peace, Chemistry, Science , Literature and what-ever other categories there are.

3 Summer has arrived.

Summer arrived with a vengence over the week-end and one would think that the affect of the heat on the setting time of the epoxy would speed up the progress. Quite the opposite. The quick-setting epoxy started to set almost immediatle after mixing and I had to stop applying the strips betwee 10 am and 3 pm on Saturday and Sunday. During this time I started to work on the hatch covers.


4. Hatch covers.

A chunck of Tamboti was cut off from the stock and ripped in strips. African Tamboti is extremely hard, fine grained and beautiful. (And very rare and expensive). It is my favourite wood for making trophies and renders a fantastic finish.


The strips of Tamboti will be book-matched.




5. Time is running out


I was hoping to complete the project so that we can take it to the Western Cape during the December break, but with with 5 week-ends left it seems unlikely considering that it needs to be decorated with veneer inlay, glassed etc.

6. Hours spend so far: 58











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