The keel bulb is shown on the Jif65 plan, in both plan and side view. The weight is also given and mine came out a tiny bit overweight, so I simply drilled a couple of holes through and glued hardwood dowels in, so weight now is spot on.
I made 2 side view pieces in 1mm plywood and 1 plan view, cutting it lengthwise. Then stuck 1 half plan view upright to the centre of the side view piece of plywood. then filled in each side with soft balsa and shaped, to form 2 plugs. I varnished each plug before moulding.
Coated the plugs with Vaseline and pushed them into the plaster. Just before the plaster went fully hard, pulled out the plugs from the mould. I then coated the inside of the mould with Vaseline before pouring the lead.
Hope this is clear?
I had never made a keel before, so not sure if this is the correct method, but it worked for me! I was warned to make absolutely sure the plaster was dry before moulding, or else the lead can spit, which could be dangerous. The keel surface needed a bit of cleaning with a file, and the fin slot filed out. The lead was melted in an old saucepan, outside on a camping gas cooker. Best not melt lead indoors, as the fumes can be somewhat toxic
Victor (g7tmu)