First go at a pirogue

[zeb]

Thanks Matt heres another one,would i fit the gunwhales and spacers ,then fit thwarts to inwhales or fit the thwarts then run inwhales to them?Does that make sense?????Sorry about all these questions!!! cheers zeb

[Oldsparkey]

Thanks for the advice Chuck,Ididnt even mask it Cadged the wood flour from a local joinery firm ,it looked really light in colour until i mixed it!!!Would it be better to stain the ply with a dark wood dye now or use a dark varnish later. cheers zeb

YEP..... You fell into the old trap....... This is what I uesed and it should be the same........ NOT REALLY........

The concentration of the wood flour when mixed in with the epoxy is darker as you found out.

This is why they have the glass bubbles , they make it lighter , then if you wanted to , you can add some pigment to it to change the color or just use a different wood flour.

It is like the old time master painters , they mixed there color to how they liked it and then proceed. Different wood flours have different colors and one way to see what they will be like (close but not exact today ) is to take some and put a drop of water on it , it is called reconstituting it.

When you get the desired shade then remember it and mix that percentage with the epoxy and apply it. Adjust the shade before you add the hardener and remember that will dilute or lighten the color just a bit. Not enough for any one to tell , except for you.

NO NOT add the water mixed sample. Bad idea if you use it , really BAD , that is for your test only.

This is something I have never told anyone about doing. YEP, my fault it is just something I figured anyone would understand.

Forget the stain ....... The epoxy will stain the wood better for you and bring out all of the highlights of the natural wood. Test some on a scrap piece of wood and see what I am telling you. If you wnat to stain it then use only a water based stain..... NOT OIL or you will be building an new boat.

Chuck

[jem]

Thanks Matt heres another one,would i fit the gunwhales and spacers ,then fit thwarts to inwhales or fit the thwarts then run inwhales to them?Does that make sense?????Sorry about all these questions!!! cheers zeb

Install the gunwales first. You can install the thwarts flush with the gunwales are place them just under gunwales.

[hairymick]

Hey Zeb,

Go you good thing! Thats looking great mate.

Just a tip for when you are fitting the gunwhales.

Dry fit them first.

Measure the length of your strips of timber and mark the centre in pencil.

Find the centre of your boat and likewise mark it.

Align your centre marks and clamp up both sides of the boat on centre first.

Then, working alternatively from side to side, clamp the strips working out towards the ends on both sides of the boat at the same time,

This should ensure that both gunwhales are the same shape.

You can also dry fit your end mini-decks at this stage too

Oh yeah, Have you started planning your next boat yet?

[zeb]

Thanks again for your patience fellas !!!! Last question.... what the hell are gritz

[zeb]

Mick,thanks for your advice bro,I really appreciate all the tips you guys give so freely,I am really enjoying both aspects of this experience, cheers zeb

[jem]

Thanks again for your patience fellas !!!! Last question.... what the hell are gritz

oh no you had to ask.

[zeb]

Yes i have Mick,toss up between iroquois or merrimac thanks for not mentioning the ashes

[Kayak Jack]

Grits (gritz or gree-itz) are what we northerners use to keep the southerners in a state of somnolent bliss. Narcotics are too expensive, and they seem to like this stuff a lot.

Actually, they're ground corn. White grits, what most folks from the southeastern US, commonly known as the Old South, eat, are made from corn that has been bleached in lye. (Just that one word "lye" ought to tell you something, right there.) It is ground into a coarse meal, cooked up by boiling, and slurped.

Since alone it has either (A) no taste at all, or (B) flavor of a mixture of laundry paste and lime dust, most folks have other things with the gritz. Butter, salt, pepper, fish, gravy, and other similarly disgusting stuff.

Yellow corn meal is made by directly grinding the whole kernel of corn. It suffers none of the maladies of white gritz. It is a healthful food eaten by handsome, strong, intelligent people.

PS: Standby for a blather from a few demented souls on here. "Pay no attention to the old man behind the curtain." (You did see wizard of Oz over there, didn't you?)

[zeb]

Cheers thats made it all clear like my wifes love of tattie scones(shes scotish)SINGLE MALT IS UNIVERSAL Once wore a skirt for a wedding :