If you came into the shop 2 weeks ago, and then again today, you'd know that something was different but you might have a hard time putting your finger on it. That's because most of the work we've been doing has been the detailed, small work that goes into getting everything to fit together nicely.
Take the ballast keel plug. Karl has been working on it outside because he's doing the final fairing and smoothing. This involves a lot of sanding and the application of Bondo, the auto body filler (pee yew!) The goal is to have a perfectly smooth plug for the foundry to use when casting the ballast.
With the ballast outside, it's easier to get a sense of how BIG this thing really is.
After all, it will weigh close to 6,000 lbs when it's cast. The pink coloring on the wood is Bondo. It' dries fast and sands like a dream. Karl sands for a bit, looks for low spots, and fills them with Bondo. Then he sands again, making sure that the low spot is now filled and blends smoothly with the rest of the ballast.
Once he's happy with the shape, he paints the ballast.
The paint masks the grain of the wood and makes it easier for the eye to follow the curve of the ballast. This allows him to see any subtle humps and hollows in the shape that previously might have been hidden by the distraction of glue lines and grain patterns.
He sands this again to get an even matte finish on the paint.
A little more marking, a little more filling, and the shape will be perfectly smooth and even.
Not the kind of thing that smacks you upside the head when you walk in the shop, you know?
More small but critical steps in the next entry!