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usedtosail

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Everything posted by usedtosail

  1. usedtosail
    A beautiful build Glenn. I too will be referring to your build log when I start this kit later this year.
  2. usedtosail
    Kirill, they are shown on the plans that came with the kit. They are also mentioned in a book I am using called Rigging in the Age of the Sprit Sail 1600-1720. I like the look so I am going to keep them. Here is the fore sail tied to the fore yard, as promised to show the chain stitch I am using.
  3. usedtosail
    Good news on the tool front - I received a replacement cuticle cutter in record time so I was back in business quickly. I also ordered a second one as a back up. I finished up the lower shrouds and ratlines, then added the topmast shrouds and stays. It was a bit tricky threading the lanyards through the deadeyes in the crows nests. I am now finished with the standing rigging. As you can see I have started making the yards and sails, starting with the sprit yard and sail under the bow sprit. I am using the sails supplied in the kit, which are a bit heavy material so not to scale at all, but that is OK for this model, as there are lots of simplifications elsewhere too. I start by gluing a bolt rope around the edge of the sail before cutting the sail from the material. I make a loop in one corner with a seizing and fix that seizing, then add loops for the other corners but do not fix those seizings yet. I start gluing the bolt rope with acrylic matte medium starting at the fixed corner, and adjust the other loops and seizings as I get to those corners, using the matte medium to fix those seizings. Once the bolt rope is attached I cut along the outside of it with a sharp X-Acto blade. Here is the main sail with the bolt rope glued on. The main, fore and mizzen sails have reef points, so for those I use a needle to pull a piece of thread through the sail and tie and overhand knot on the back side of the sail. I then use some matte medium on both sides to "fix" the tops of the reef points so they hang down the sail. To trim them I place a metal ruler over them at the right length, then pull them up with tweezers and cut them off at the ruler with the cuticle cutter. Here is the fore sail with the reef points trimmed on one side. The next step will be to tie this sail to the fore yard. i first punch a series of holes inside the bolt rope along the head of the sail, then use a beading needle which does not have an eye to thread line around the yard through those holes, using a chain stitch. After the sail is attached to the yard, I'll add the various blocks to the yard for the running rigging. Here are all the stropped blocks needed for the yards.
  4. usedtosail
    As a matter of fact it does.
  5. usedtosail
    Well it did cut very well on the first try and very flush but somehow I managed to break off one of the jaws. I guess I pressed too hard. I will be returning this set to Amazon and will order a different brand.
  6. usedtosail
    Thank you Kirill. As for the shroud loops, they are placed as first the two starboard shrouds have a loop at the top that is looped around the mast head, then the first two port shrouds, etc. The fore mast only has five shrouds so the last shroud on each side is connected to each other with a cut splice that is looped around the mast head. I do believe this is the correct way to do odd number shrouds. I think what you are seeing is that I put the first shroud pair through a different hole in the crows nest than the other pairs, so they are shifted forward. I wasn't sure i could get all the shrouds through one hole. Here is my new favorite rigging tool, a cuticle cutter. I used it to cut the ends of the ratlines and it did a great job, making nice flush cuts.
  7. usedtosail
    Here are the starboard ratlines after tying and fixing the knots. I ordered some cuticle cutters which I will use to clip the excess line when they arrive. Port ratlines are coming along and I have started making the futtock shrouds.
  8. usedtosail
    Thanks for the likes. I have been making good progress on the standing rigging. I have all the shrouds and stays installed, as well as the crows feet, and have started adding the ratlines. Here is what she looked like as of this morning. I am happy with how even the deadeyes came out. Here is how I do ratlines. I make a template for each set of shrouds with the shroud lines and ratlines on a piece of manila folder material. I set the template behind the shrouds and sitting on the channel. I first tie all the ratlines for that set but leave the knots a bit loose. I then tighten every fifth ratline moving from the bottom to the top and fix those knots in place. I try really hard to not pull the shrouds when I do that but I am not always totally successful. I then do the same for the rest of the ratlines. I usually use a "luggage tag hitch" for the end knots but I find some come loose as I do other parts of the build, so I am experimenting on this build by using two overhand knots for the end knots. I think for my next build I will try Ed Tochi's method of making loops at each end and lashing them to the shrouds. In this picture all the knots are still loose.
  9. usedtosail
    Outstanding job as usual Dan. How you dealt with that decaying rigging is just amazing.
  10. usedtosail
    I checked the chains and they pretty well follow the shrouds. The aft ones could be more angled I suppose. I added the fore crows feet today and this is the first time I have put crows feet on a model. It was tricky getting the tensions right and they are probably a little loose but if I tighten them more it pulls the stay out of line so I am going to go with this. The line behind them is just the excess that I haven't trimmed off yet.
  11. usedtosail
    Thank you Kirill for your nice comments. I have used templates in the past for setting deadeyes but was not always happy with the results. The deadeyes in the photo above are just held with a single sliding seizing. I can then adjust the heights of the deadeyes later and fix the seizings in place when I am happy with the heights. I have used this method since I built the Constitution and I like it much better as I can adjust everything on the model. As for the chains I will have to check them as they do look of in the picture. Here I have added the real fore stay and fixed the deadeyes with a second seizing on the fore shrouds.
  12. usedtosail
    Great job Dave. And in only 20 months, wow. Mine took 5 years.
  13. usedtosail
    Thanks for the likes guys. I placed the lower masts with the mast coats and added the shrouds to the fore mast. I first seized deadeyes into the shrouds and set the initial heights but did not fix the seizings yet. I will add the lanyards then recheck the heights and fix the seizings then. I added a temporary fore stay to hold the mast at the correct angle, which for this ship is actually tilted forward. The quad hands are new for me and I really like them for holding lines that are on the ship for seizing. They are a lot easier to use than the usual helping hands with the two alligator clips.
  14. usedtosail
    Thank you Patrick and Popeye. I have been working on making rope for the rigging and also stropping blocks for the masts. I added the deadeyes for the topmast shrouds to the main crows nest. To strop them I used rope instead of wire, mainly because the holes in the crows nest were pretty small. I first seized a loop into a short length of line then dipped both ends into thin CA to stiffen them. I passed the ends through the holes one at a time and then tied an overhand knot using both ends. I put a deadeye in the loop and pulled the ends tight, then fixed the knot and trimmed the ends. Overall it worked very well. I'll either use small hooks or tie the futtock shrouds to these loops. I also made euphroes and threaded the crows feet through the holes in the crows nest but that won't be finished until the main stay is added.
  15. usedtosail
    Here is some of the progress from today. Dingy is now tied down to the deck with the oars. And I added the gammonings to the bow sprit with polyester rope that I made yesterday. I also made the knight heads for the fore deck and the euphroes for the crows feet, as well as a bunch more rope for the standing rigging.
  16. usedtosail
    The dingy is finally compete. I finished painting the hull today, so now I just need to lash it to the deck. I have also finished the oars for the dingy and the topmasts and flags poles. Here is the bow sprit with the collars for the main, fore, and fore topmast stays. Next will be adding the gammoning lines to hold it down. Since I took this picture I have actually replaced these collars with new ones made with new polyester rope (see below). I had made all the rope I need for the standing rigging, which was mostly made from nylon thread, but I recently bought some polyester thread that Chuck Passano suggested to use and I made some rope with it today. It came out so much better than the nylon rope that I decided to use it for all the rigging on this model. I have started making the rope I need for the standing rigging and will soon start on the running rigging. It's mud season up here in New Hampshire so I have lots of time on the shop these days, so I have been able to make a lot of progress.
  17. usedtosail
    Thanks Popeye. I almost made it to the vaccination before I got sick. Since then I have gotten both shots so I have a lot of immunity now. How about you, did you get the Fauci Ouchi yet? Thanks for the kind words on the crows nests. They are far from perfect but I am OK with that. Yes, the vacuum formed ships boat hull was supplied in the kit. Based on the scale it just looked too small to me, as did my first attempt on the dingy. The Cutter kit from Vanguard was fun to build, even though I did not use any of the interior parts because they were the wrong scale, but the hull seemed just right for a dingy at this scale. Here is what I have been working on. The dingy interior is just about done, with the floorboards and seat support installed and the interior stained. The seats are cut and are drying after staining in the alligator clips, along with the cradles that came in the mini kit. I also made oar locks from brass rod that I soldered and blackened. Here I have touched up the solder with some black paint. I made oars which will be painted white on the shafts but the blades are stained. Finally I have been cleaning up all the blocks supplied in the kit, first with a file to round them, then a block tumbler to soften all the edges. Here I have stained them all. I have also gone through the plans and developed a rigging plan, which is basically a list of all the standing rigging and running rigging lines in the order to add them, along with the line and block sizes needed. I find this makes it a lot easier to keep track of the rigging as it progresses.
  18. usedtosail
    She looks great. Nice job and have fun with the rigging. It was my favorite part.
  19. usedtosail
    Not so fast Louie. I still have to add the interior details to the dingy, starting with the ribs. Second coat of oak stain on the masts and crows nests. I did finish making all the rope I need for the standing rigging (I think) including the lines for the deadeye lashings and bow sprit gammoning.
  20. usedtosail
    The dingy is coming along. I finished planking and here is how it looked before sanding and before the plank ends were trimmed at the bow. Not great but I could work with it. The next thing I did was to cut the transom off and finish the planks at the previous bulkhead. This gave it more of a dingy shape. I also added wood filler to the outside of the hull and sanded it back to get a smooth hull. I then removed the bulkheads as described in the instructions which went much better than I expected. After a little re-gluing of planks here is how it looks now. I next have to sand the inside of the hull and start adding the flooring and seats. The flooring covers those bits of MDF that are still in there. While waiting for planks to dry I finished building the lower masts, crows nests and cross trees. I gave them a coat of oak stain today. I have also been making the rope I need for the standing rigging which is mostly shrouds and stays. The kit rope is not very good so I am pretty much making all my own rope for the rigging.
  21. usedtosail
    More planking on the dingy, now from the keel up. The thin pear strips are really nice to work with as they bend easily after soaking in hot water for 1 minute. Another nice feature in this mini kit is that there are openings in the bulkheads that allow me to use those thin clamps to hold the planks flat to the bulkheads while I curve the ends of the plank. I filed flats in the main mast and glued the cheeks on. I had first used the cheeks as a guide to glue the crosstrees to the underside of the crows nest, then used the crows nest to get the cheeks in the right position. I assembled the fore crows nest but the middle ring was very wavy, so I soaked the whole thing in alcohol to separate the pieces, then reglued them, this time using a piece of wood as a gauge to set the height of the middle ring as I glued it to the supports. It came out much better. I have roughly shaped the fore mast but the top portion needs to be thinned down a little more before the crows nest and mast cap will fit. Once that is done I can add the crosstrees to the fore crows nest and the cheeks to the fore mast.
  22. usedtosail
    Planking the dingy continues, as well as assembling the main crows nest. I am using the smallest office clips as clamps and so far they are working well. On the crows nest I have added the new supports to the middle ring and glued them to the bottom ring. The top ring in the picture has also been glued onto the tops of the supports this morning. I put a weight on the top to hold it down while the glue dried.
  23. usedtosail
    I faired the bulkheads for the dingy and glued a top plank to them. These are pear wood planks that are laser cut and very easy to work with. I soaked it in hot water for a minute and it was very flexible. When it dried I started doing the same with the plank on the other side, but in the process I broke off the stem. I was able to glue it back on with CA and it seems to be holding well, so I was able to bend and clamp the other plank to dry. I started gluing the main crows nest pieces together but every time I tried to glue one of the support pieces in place it delaminated. So I made new supports from a strip of basswood. I cut them roughly to shape them glued them together into a block that I could shape and trim to the same size. When finished I soaked them in alcohol to separate them. I also started assembling the bowsprit. I sanded the dowel in the lathe then glued on oversize cleats that I will file down when they dry. I used a round file to shape the underside of the knee that fits on the tip of the bowsprit and glued it on. Now I need to make new supports for the fore crows nest.
  24. usedtosail
    Well another change of plans (Plan C?). I ordered my next kit, the Vanguard Duchess of Kingston, and while I was on the Vanguard site I ordered the 18' Cutter kit, which at this scale is about 12', which with some modification should make a great dingy. The layered version I was working on seemed too narrow to me. So here is what the kit looks like. I started by removing the base and the bulkheads from the MDF and the keel and transoms from the small laser cut sheet. I placed the bulkheads in the base and glued the keel onto them, which fit nicely after joggling the bulkheads to get everything in position. I then placed thinned wood glue in the joints and set it aside to dry. (BTW I fixed that third bulkhead from the back that was not all the way into the keel after I took the picture). I have also started working on the two crow's nests but so far I have only started to remove the pieces from the laser cut sheets. A few of them delaminated some so I had to glue the pieces back together, which is annoying. I'll show progress there as I put them together.
  25. usedtosail
    Whoops I forgot to take a picture of the boat hull stack before sanding. Sorry. Here is the hull after a few hours of sanding. I mostly used the Dremel with the small sanding drum and the two burrs shown. I also used a small flat file to shape the inner transom area and the pieces of sandpaper to finish up inside and out. It is not done yet but it is getting there.

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