Hooks and blocks

[PierreJean]

Very ingenious.....thanks for sharing! It's certainly given me some ideas.

Pierre

[lambsbk]

Well Chuck I am up to hook # 118 (plus or minus a few lost ones) and my best time is about 2 minutes per hook. No where near the 1 per minute you mentioned when you get going with them. Your record remains without doubt undefeated. :)  

Edited October 28, 2013 by lambsbk

[miketherock]

I have done similar to Lambsbk but to secure the block to work with I use old broken drill bits knocked into hardwood of the same diameters required. I also use these same old drill bits for shaping my hooks as they give an accurate curve and perfect round to the hook eye. The bits also make it easier to insert/remove from the hooks and blocks.  I knew I would find a use for all my broken bits eventually.

 

I use brass wire for my hooks as it is softer than the drill bits, allowing for pulling on the wire to get a good form and to tighten the eyes.   

Edited October 18, 2013 by miketherock

[lambsbk]

I found the same use for them. That is exactly how I am forming the hook eye.

[miketherock]

Great minds think alike.     

[iaincwil]

Hi! Lambsbk the hook out back there looks perfic, making the ring smaller will be a trial but not impossible, always try to remember that the little turnback on the point of the hook is so you can put a whipping on the stop it jumping of whatever its hooked up to,

I will look in my naval handbook to see if there is a drawing and the correct name for it,

[popeye2sea]

The process of putting a seizing on a hook to keep it from coming free is call 'mousing the hook'

[sudomekh]

My 1:50 scale allowed me to do so blocks

[lambsbk]

Sudomekh: If I can ask, where did you get those tiny turnbuckle screws?

[Chuck]

I am not sure where he got his but you can them pretty small at a place that sells them for eyeglasses.  Just do a google search and you find some real tiny screws.  smaller even than are used typically for glasses.

[michael mott]

Dave, Your hooks and strops look very nice thanks for the series of pictures.

 

Sudomekh, thanks for showing your blocks and shackles, that tray of blocks looks like a ton of work.

 

I still have a hard time getting my mind around how tiny these are.

 

Michael

[jud]

popeye2aea, mousing the hook, another term forgotten, thanks for posting it. Have read someplace that the side tackles were left on the guns when firing, with the free end flaked out on deck so it could run with recoil, mousing the hook would have been needed to keep the hook on the ring. We moused the hooks on the boat falls of LCVP's, those hooks were a toggle design with a hole for a line at the end of the toggle. That setup allowed for the threading of the line through the hoisting ring at the end of the hoisting cables in the boat and pulling the hook in place rapidly.

jud

Edited November 26, 2013 by jud

[sudomekh]

Sudomekh: If I can ask, where did you get those tiny turnbuckle screws?

 

Yes! This work takes a long time ...... but I'm in no hurry

[sudomekh]

lambsbk! I used taps and chaser ... less than 1 мм  I have unfortunately

Edited November 27, 2013 by sudomekh

[lambsbk]

Amazing stuff! You are a micro-blacksmith. Beautifully made.

[archjofo]

Very interesting what I can learn all about the hook here.

[captain_hook]

Hello, 

 

This is an old topic but maybe anyone can help. I‘m looking for a way to simulate a strop surrounded block with a hook attached without gluing both ends of the rope together at the back of the block. I quoted a picture of what i mean.

On 8/5/2013 at 11:43 PM, Chuck said:

 

 

Is there a way to simulate a continuously strop - maybe gluing the rope together like a ring, put that around the block and cover that spot with seizing?

[BobG]

On 10/9/2019 at 4:28 AM, captain_hook said:

 

This is an old topic but maybe anyone can help. I‘m looking for a way to simulate a strop surrounded block with a hook attached without gluing both ends of the rope together at the back of the bloc

I'd like to know this also.

[Moxis]

Very interesting topic. Someone was asking where to get screws smaller than 1,0 millimetres. Here you can buy screws starting from M0,6:  https://knupfer.info/shop/index.php/deutsch/modellschrauben-messing/messing-hoher-kopf.html

[usedtosail]

The way I have added hooks to blocks like that is to put the strop around the block, put a seizing of only a few turns around the two ends, then put one of the ends through the hook and put another seizing where the first one was. I use very very thin line for the seizings so they don't look too big when they are done.

[mtaylor]

20 hours ago, Moxis said:

Very interesting topic. Someone was asking where to get screws smaller than 1,0 millimetres. Here you can buy screws starting from M0,6:  https://knupfer.info/shop/index.php/deutsch/modellschrauben-messing/messing-hoher-kopf.html

There's also:  https://model-motorcars.myshopify.com/collections/small-parts-hardware/bolts which is the company that bought out the old scale hardware web shop.

[vaddoc]

Maybe just use thin brass or copper wire, served with thread around the block to look like rope, but bare beyond and blackened. A couple of turns will secure the wire/rope to the block

[wefalck]

Have a look at archjofo's log on his CREOLE: https://modelshipworld.com/topic/1029-la-créole-1827-by-archjofo-scale-148-french-corvette/page/55/. I am too lazy to look for the right page, but when you start backwards, you should get to it pretty soon. He shows how it is properly done with an eye-splice and all the serving. In any case, the whole log is well-worth going through.

 

One can get taps and dies from watchmaking supply houses down to 0.3 mm diameter, but they come at a price. Watchmakers also used screw-plates, i.e. a steel plate with various cutting or forming dies for threads. They are largely obsolete, but still can be found.

Edited March 9, 2020 by wefalck

[dvm27]

Here's the page in archjofo's log https://modelshipworld.com/topic/1029-la-créole-1827-by-archjofo-scale-148-french-corvette/page/52/

It really is a treasure and someone should index it.

[vaddoc]

This is just amazing. Getting those eyes done on the brass straps is a herculean act on its own.

[BobG]

3 hours ago, dvm27 said:

Here's the page in archjofo's log https://modelshipworld.com/topic/1029-la-créole-1827-by-archjofo-scale-148-french-corvette/page/52/

It really is a treasure and someone should index it.

The level of detail and accuracy that Johann is able to achieve on a small scale is almost beyond belief to me. I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed as I have been fumbling my way through trying to learn some very basic rigging and making things like hooks, eyebolts and thimbles on a small scale. Now I know what the state-of-the-art is and it makes my humble attempts at rigging look like kid's play but I still reserve my right to whine about it!

[wefalck]

The keyword is patience. Don't rush, don't try to go for quick results. Work slowly and controlled, control the urge to finish something just to get it finished. You are not paid to produce as many parts as possible in the shortest time possible - instead you have all the time to produce the best result you can.

[BobG]

3 minutes ago, wefalck said:

The keyword is patience. Don't rush, don't try to go for quick results. Work slowly and controlled, control the urge to finish something just to get it finished.

This is the wise advice I keep hearing from experienced modelers. My patience wears thin after spending hours and hours trying to accomplish learn and execute a new task especially when the finish line is in sight. Sometimes I just need to get up and step back from working on my boat for a day or two and so I don't get too frustrated and start rushing things. 

 

I spent many years involved in rock climbing and mountaineering and the finish line, like the summit, has a strong pull for me. I'm pretty goal oriented and slowing down and enjoying the process can be taxing for me but, I will say, that I am finding the process of learning about ship modeling very gratifying...within some reasonable time limitation!

[wefalck]

The path is the goal !

[dvm27]

You just need to define your goals Bob. I'm a perfectionist so it may take a decade to finish a project. For me, as Wefalck states "the path is the goal". Others may care less about the overall quality and wish to build many more models in their lifetime. The problem comes when one is both a perfectionist and also wishes to build many models in their life. I'm afraid only a few modelers can pull that off!