Building Beginners: Episode 6; Planking, Ballast, Sand & Seal
“The most challenging times bring us the most empowering lessons.” -Karen Salmansohn
Welcome back aboard, crew! Time to dust off your tools and put them back to use. Let’s dive back in!
In the last episode, I got the ship planked enough to float. Needless to say, that was a huge adrenaline shot of motivation to complete the planking.
Up until that point, the planking process seemed endless and fraught with frustrations and monotonous tasks. But now, the end seemed in sight and light now streamed down deep into the cargo holds of this project.
I continued adding planks, which now needed less customization since I had crested the major curves of the hull. The USS Constitution pieces I used in the bow slowly got covered over in planks, and the sides of the ship rose until the ship was finally covered.
In-between deck stringers is a leftover piece of White Oak from the USS Constitution used to help hold the stern bulkhead. Another piece is near the middle and will hold the mainmast.
This was another huge milestone for the project. But, as with many projects, it was just the end of phase 2.
So I sanded the hull…
And then did what everyone tells you never to do…
Put holes in the boat.
Not in the hull, of course. But I was on the verge of decking and it was my last chance to remove more weight from the top and keep more near the keel.
I guess you could say the issue of ballast was, once again, “weighing” heavily on my mind…
Before I could feel confident enough to move into Phase 3 decking, I wanted to make sure the hull wouldn’t get damaged in the process. So I purchased clear coat glue to strengthen the hull.
I used a bristle brush to apply the glue. In hindsight, I would have used a foam brush since the bristle brush left several bristles on the ship I had to remove.
Ponder Point:
Have you ever gotten to a stopping point in your project? Or maybe even finished completely?
If so, make sure to take a little bit of time to celebrate your success. Make it memorable and appropriate for what type of project you have. This honorable form of commemoration adds seriousness to what you are doing.
Too often we downplay what we are doing. Understandably, no one wants to brag or seem arrogant. But our projects, hobbies, etc. are far more important than we give them credit for.
We aren’t just building something; we are using the creativity given to us by God to add beauty to the world around us.
We aren’t just completing a project; we are using our God-given wisdom to navigate challenges and bring something that didn’t exist before into reality.
So belay those excuses and lay plank to frame! The time has come to begin something new!
Next in Episode 7: Swab the Deck…after you build it!
