P5se Camelback's 2010 Summer Structure Challenge GERN Plant

[P5se Camelback]

The deadline looms! And so we soldier on …

Memories of the shingling exercise of Sumpter250 Pete on his Challenge Boathouse have been haunting my dreams of late, disturbing my sleep! O.K., I made that up, it’s the Yeungling Porter that I consume while working on my structure that has been waking me up at 4:15 in the morning, but it sounded good!

The roof ridge needs to be closed off to the weather and that will mean individual shingles, cut and applied by hand! Campbell does not produce shingles for this purpose … I checked. So the neatly folded Kraft paper bags stored in the pantry (for when I need a paper bag) were reviewed for a color match, or at least something that came close in color and weight to the Campbell shingle roll..



A suitable width was then measured off and several strips of material were sliced from the Kraft paper bag.



The next step was to cut proper lengths of shingles (isn’t that right, Pete?)



I cut shingles until my eyes hurt, piling them up on a small 5”x5” glass sheet …


… and then moved on to tuck pointing.

I believe it was the Good DoctorWayne who once mentioned on this forum something about using spackle to portray the mortar between the bricks and having always used some funky latex paint proceedure with marginally acceptable results, I decided to give it a shot. The steps in this photo progression show my tuck pointing method.

… start by dampening the walls, spreading a thin sheet of water on the surface with a damp disposable foam brush, then smear a small amount of vinyl spackle on the wall …




The excess spackle is removed with a damp foam disposable brush dragged repeatedly over the surface until just “the right amount” of spackle remains …



… if you remove too much, repeat the process from step number one.


… like I realized I would have to do here.

… and now, I must return to soldiering on …

I’m beginning to get freaked out by how much is left to be done! What a foolish dreamer I was to think I had any kind of likelihood of completing the entire GERN facility within the Challenge timeframe! That is proof-positive that I had been gone from the hobby for twenty years and was clueless as to the amount of time it takes to do things, especially if you actually have a for-real life going on in the background!