usedtosail

"Tow" is "short and coarse fibers of little value separated from the longer and more valuable fibers through hackling in the manufacture of rope. Tow is occasionally used in the manufacture of inferior qualities of rope." (International Maritime Dictionary, rene de Kerchove, 2nd Edition, Van Nostrand and Reinhold Co. 1961, Litton Educational Publishing]
 
"Tow" is also the short bits of fiber that break off of natural fiber rope, particularly hemp and sisal ("Manila") rope. On a large square-rigger, a lot of tow would find its way to the deck and collect in wet piles and muck things up. Hence the bosun's call, "Sweepers, man your brooms. Clean sweep down fore and aft." Another general meaning of "tow" is simply "worn out rope."
 
"Tow" was sometimes collected and saved for use in canvas pockets for padding of various sorts in rigging and so on, and for caulking material when mixed with tar to make oakum. Worn out or rotten line was often recycled into oakum as well. Quality oakum, however, was made not from lengths of worn-out line or "tow," but from new, long hemp strands. The highest quality new hemp line or oakum is made from the strong fibers from center of the stalks of the cannabis plant, which are whitish in color. (Oakum used by plumbers to caulk iron pipe joints is usually made from tarred jute or burlap.)
 
"Fibers and flyings" are what fill the air in a textile mill or rope walk and if you've ever been in a running textile mill, you will know that there is a huge cloud of fibers, little bits and pieces of broken fiber and dust, and "flyings" which are longer thin threads thrown off in the milling or spinning process, which must be continually cleaned up as they pose a large fire hazard. "Flyings" from the mills and ropewalks were used to make high quality oakum. 
 
Oakum is made by taking long fibers soaked in thick pine tar and simply twisting and rolling them into "ropes." The caulker has to prepare the oakum by unraveling lengths of the loosely twisted fiber from the loose ball (or "bale") of oakum and rolling the pine tar-soaked strands back and forth between the palm of his hand and the top of his thigh. (If you see a guy in the boatyard with his pants covered with tar on the front of his upper leg, he's a caulker! )
 
So, "The white ocham to be from flying & not from ground toes or decaid White ropes." means, "The white oakum specified here is to be made from mill flyings of the top-quality virgin white fiber of the plant and not from ground up tow or recycled rotten white hemp rope."
 
Quality oakum will result in a longer-lasting caulking job. Using old, weak fiber from worn out, rotten, or "decaid" rope will rot and decay in short order. The Admiralty wanted to use "the good stuff" because they didn't want to have to recaulk in short order because the stuff used was rotten to begin with.
 
Caulking mallet, caulking irons, and untarred "bale" of white hemp for making up oakum. See: Oakum - Wikipedia
 

No, the updated Speedy will be too different.
 
There is nothing wrong with the Speedy you have. I had to remove from stock and change it due to the copper PE. But at the same time, I decided to bring the kit up to the same standards as the latest in the range, with a 2mm thick keel and 1mm pear outers for the rabbet. Essentially, it will be a new kit, not really compatible with the old one, as it is only the main hull that is being changed. Fittings, etc stay the same.
 
ETA - It had already been updated incrementally over the past couple of years, replacing the photo etched gratings and yard cleats with laser cut pear, updating the cannon carriages and generally adding more detail to laser cut parts. 

I started planking the port side of the hull. I am using a full length plank for the wale so I bent one to fit and used the laser cut marks on the bulwark to align it. I used medium CA to glue it on, a small section at a time.
 

 
Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there.

I planked the whole counter and transom with the pear strips. I used vertical planks for the lowest section, but deviated from the instructions and used horizontal planks for the upper transom as well as the counter. Mostly this was an aesthetic issue for me but also it made this task a little easier. I used small files to clean up the excess plank lengths in the gun ports and rudder opening, and a Dremel with a sanding disk, files, and sanding block to sand the excess plank ends to be flush with the first planking. I also filed the back edge of the keel piece down to 1.5mm so the second planks with fit somewhat flush with the stern post.
 

 
At this point I am ready to start the second planking of the hull. I started marking off the hull for these planks which are 1 mm thinner than the first planking. I'll figure out the tapers at the bow and maybe the stern before I start. I also marked three bulkheads to use for a 3 butt shift as I will not be using full length planks for the second planking.

Well, it's finished unless I move into a bigger apartment.   Been an interesting journey as I've re-learned much that I lost and also also learned many new things like PE, painting, It is a great kit though I think I could do better since I won't have to relearn some things from scratch.  
 
For now, I'm headed back to Belle Poule after I take a few days to clean up the shop, pack up all the parts I didn't use and put them away.  Oh.. clear my head and raise a brandy in self toast.
 
Here's the pics.  Kindly ignore the dust as like I said...need to clean up the dust, etc.


 

I started planking the port side of the hull. I am using a full length plank for the wale so I bent one to fit and used the laser cut marks on the bulwark to align it. I used medium CA to glue it on, a small section at a time.
 

 
Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there.

I started planking the port side of the hull. I am using a full length plank for the wale so I bent one to fit and used the laser cut marks on the bulwark to align it. I used medium CA to glue it on, a small section at a time.
 

 
Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there.

Almost there....  hand ropes on the foredeck and hammock cranes added and "rigged" and roping around the quarterdeck ladderway. Stern lamps in place.  Basically fiddly bits and touch up.  Starting on the stand.
 

I planked the whole counter and transom with the pear strips. I used vertical planks for the lowest section, but deviated from the instructions and used horizontal planks for the upper transom as well as the counter. Mostly this was an aesthetic issue for me but also it made this task a little easier. I used small files to clean up the excess plank lengths in the gun ports and rudder opening, and a Dremel with a sanding disk, files, and sanding block to sand the excess plank ends to be flush with the first planking. I also filed the back edge of the keel piece down to 1.5mm so the second planks with fit somewhat flush with the stern post.
 

 
At this point I am ready to start the second planking of the hull. I started marking off the hull for these planks which are 1 mm thinner than the first planking. I'll figure out the tapers at the bow and maybe the stern before I start. I also marked three bulkheads to use for a 3 butt shift as I will not be using full length planks for the second planking.

I planked the whole counter and transom with the pear strips. I used vertical planks for the lowest section, but deviated from the instructions and used horizontal planks for the upper transom as well as the counter. Mostly this was an aesthetic issue for me but also it made this task a little easier. I used small files to clean up the excess plank lengths in the gun ports and rudder opening, and a Dremel with a sanding disk, files, and sanding block to sand the excess plank ends to be flush with the first planking. I also filed the back edge of the keel piece down to 1.5mm so the second planks with fit somewhat flush with the stern post.
 

 
At this point I am ready to start the second planking of the hull. I started marking off the hull for these planks which are 1 mm thinner than the first planking. I'll figure out the tapers at the bow and maybe the stern before I start. I also marked three bulkheads to use for a 3 butt shift as I will not be using full length planks for the second planking.

This morning I completed the manual and box label for the Trial Cutter. These and the 11 plan sets have been sent off to the printers, so I shall receive those in the next 10 days or so.
 
I am still waiting for the photo etched sheets, though, and as these are produced in Italy, I will not open the kit for sale until I have the PE here with me. I anticipate very early July.
 
In the meantime, the product page is live, and once I have the PE, the new kit be added to stock:
 
HM Trial Cutter – 1790 – VANGUARD MODELS

Thank you!
I quite like doing this one, more of a challenge than a standard hull.
 
Forgot to mention, the drop keels can be displayed down or housed in the hull.

I started the construction of the quarterdeck beams:





 

I have completed the first planking. I filled the low spots with diluted wood putty then sanded everything smooth, then did that two more times to fill any remaining low spots. I used a Dremel to cut and sand down the ends of the planks at the transom. I also filed down the nail heads but left them in place. I think it came out OK for a first planking but the second planking has to be a lot better.
 

 
I then used the second planking strips, which are pear, to start planking the transom. These strips need to be cut and sanded flush with the first planks before I can start adding the second planks over the first.
 

 

The Ekeing and Cathead supporter:
 
The Ekeing is a detail as presented in the kit that consists of a simplified approach consisting of cat head supporter and ubiquitous white metal moldings.  I was determined to make this as prototypical as I could as shown on the plans.  Studying numerous contemporary models, this is a detail that seems to vary quite a lot, and I'm unsure whether this varied significantly from ship to ship, or whether the model builders took their own simplified approaches.   The following photos of Minerva helped a lot in visualizing this complex shape consistent with the original plans (photos are my own taken at the Rogers Collection).
This was a very humbling experience and definitely one of the more challenging pieces to make, requiring many hours of fiddling and sanding.  In short (!) , the Eking and cathead supporter needs to meet the following criteria:
 
Narrow from 3mm to approx 2mm at the middle rail to butt into it cleanly Follow the curve of the hull Extend the graceful curve of the middle rail up to the cathead when viewed from the side Be positioned such that the cathead sits snuggly against the top of the main rail, and is perpendicular to the hull Follow a smooth curve outboard from the cathead to the lower rail, the ekeing curving forward almost immediately below the cathead Pass just upward of the outboard hawse hole, but cross the inner....(differing from Minerva above)  
I had a couple of abortive attempts which while failures, were very helpful in helping me understand the approach described in TFFM Vol 2.   The best piece of advice here is focus on one curved face at a time.  A cardboard template was made to approximate the profile (this was initially estimated using the spare metal molding strips which work well for this).   (Note:  In the photos below, the various rails have been cut out to allow placement of the final rail.  (When the template was made this had not been done which made this a little more challenging and subject to approximation)

The profile of the hull at the bow was taken using a profile gauge and transferred to block of balsa.  The ekeing template was transferred to some 5mm pear sheet and cut out leaving quite a bit of excess.   The hull profile was then introduced onto the inward face.  The shaped balsa block helped a lot in this exercise to allow frequent validation.

Once the inner profile had been finalised, the card template could be used to fine tune the shape.  This has to be transferred onto the curved surface that will sit against the hull, and it important to remember that the profile on the outboard face will be different because the shape will follow perpendicular to the interior face (i.e. the hull).  Some excess was still left here to allow additional fine tuning.

The top of the profile was then thickened using some more 5mm pear, and the cathead supporters roughly shaped and glued into place.  The cathead supporters were attached perpendicular to interior face, not the exterior face.  This rough structure can then be further fine tuned, again using the template on the inner surface and ensuring that the top and bottom face are perpendicular to this along its length.  Following the advice in TFFM, The sternmost face was worked first, and once finalized, the inside curve was worked using the outside as a guide.  Once these had been completed, the outboard curve following the underside of the cathead supporter was introduced.
 
The lower version shown below still required a lot of fine tuning on the model.

Once happy with the shape, the position on the model could be determined, and the decorative rails cut to allow the ekeing to sit flush against the hull.  This was definitely a little nerve wracking and will require a little touch up when all is said and done.  (The outer surface profiling was not introduced until after this work had all been done and position finalised - these still require some finishing as these photos embarrassingly highlight...)  The end of the ekeing also needed to have the shape of the hawse hole introduced onto its lower edge to open that up.To allow the position to be determined, the catheads also needed to be madeup.  The "cathead" decorations on the end was made from polymeric clay and followed the very nice original example originally on Trincomalee and other contemporary models - they look a little more acceptable at a distance!  Not much else to comment on other than the dimensions and decoration were estimated from the original plans and inspired by contemporary models.  These will get further attention in due course.  The upper rail is still just pinned in place and will require the top to be shaped prior to final installation.

Overall, I'm very pleased with how this came together, the various lines seem to flow quite nicely when viewed from the side which was a goal entering into this. The plansheer, ekeing, catheads and upper rail are all still dry-fit at this stage....but think I can move forward with more confidence.
 

I have completed the first planking. I filled the low spots with diluted wood putty then sanded everything smooth, then did that two more times to fill any remaining low spots. I used a Dremel to cut and sand down the ends of the planks at the transom. I also filed down the nail heads but left them in place. I think it came out OK for a first planking but the second planking has to be a lot better.
 

 
I then used the second planking strips, which are pear, to start planking the transom. These strips need to be cut and sanded flush with the first planks before I can start adding the second planks over the first.
 

 

I have completed the first planking. I filled the low spots with diluted wood putty then sanded everything smooth, then did that two more times to fill any remaining low spots. I used a Dremel to cut and sand down the ends of the planks at the transom. I also filed down the nail heads but left them in place. I think it came out OK for a first planking but the second planking has to be a lot better.
 

 
I then used the second planking strips, which are pear, to start planking the transom. These strips need to be cut and sanded flush with the first planks before I can start adding the second planks over the first.
 

 

I have completed the first planking. I filled the low spots with diluted wood putty then sanded everything smooth, then did that two more times to fill any remaining low spots. I used a Dremel to cut and sand down the ends of the planks at the transom. I also filed down the nail heads but left them in place. I think it came out OK for a first planking but the second planking has to be a lot better.
 

 
I then used the second planking strips, which are pear, to start planking the transom. These strips need to be cut and sanded flush with the first planks before I can start adding the second planks over the first.
 

 

Thanks Thukydides.
 
I planked part of the way up from the garboard strakes until I had a gap of about three planks left.
 

 
At this point I was again having to bend the planks a lot, so I decide I would add a drop plank in this gap. I added one more full length plank then the drop plank. You can see one on the bench in the next image. It still has a good bend through most of the length but fit pretty well.
 

 
And here it is being installed.
 

 
I have since cut the planks to fill the remaining gap on each side and am in the process of gluing them in place. I have also started filling in the low spots on all the planks with wood putty and will start sanding the hull when that is completed. Not the prettiest planking job but OK for the first layer. This will all be covered with the second layer, which will be pear. The pear strips are not as wide as these planks so I am not sure if they will be easier to bend and fit. I hope they will be but we shall find out soon enough.

Chapter 5 is Complete
 
After 3 months that included assorted other distractions I’ve completed chapter 5, only seven more to go.
Nothing new to report but thought I’d add a few photos summarizing this long bold chapter of work. One of my distractions is a new camera, photography being my other hobby. I just got it so thought I’d give it a try instead of my usual iPhone work, still figuring it out. Nothing fancy with the lighting other than moving my work lights around and messing with shading and white balance for different affects - not work I'd put on my website, but fun.


First up is the rudder. It is now safely tucked back into my finished work cabinet until I permanently attach it near the end of the build, otherwise I’m sure I’d find a way to knock it off.


The captain’s cabin benches and rudder house followed. As I noted earlier, accurate or not I added my own personal touch to the cabin floor with cherry and boxwood.


Then the ship’s ladder’s, which naturally are a bit hard to photograph. These are designed so nicely and laser cut in boxwood, a step up from my scratch built ladders on Cheerful.

To avoid the port lids for a while longer in addition to shaping and adding cleats to the bulwarks I also made all and added all the eyebolts and rings for the 28 ports. You get pretty good at bending and cutting wire once you do it for a while.  I’ve learned to enjoy making these, just crank the music up and zone out with the pliers and flush cutters.


The ports took me a while, partially because while only ten are needed, I made … well, more than ten. There’s a lot that goes into making these little not-squares. In the end I’d like to say they were fun to make, as I said, I’d like to say…


The cheeks and hair brackets are another of the many things I’ve had to opportunity to do more than once, I’m probably a broken record on this. Someday I’ll do something right the first time and totally surprise myself. They are a pretty cool feature of the ship and really stand out from anything else I’ve done. From these macro photos I can see a few things to go back to try improving. I did learn here that there is no end to the opportunity to over-optimize.

The hawse holes - ok there is one thing I got right the first time, not much chance for a re-do on those so yay me. The bolsters are also something that nicely stands out. There is some sanding, ok a lot of sanding, involved to turn a flat square rectangle into a curved not flat bolster.


And finally more sanding to shape the two pieces of the bow knee into one. Even though it eventually won’t be seen under the forecastle deck, it doesn’t take away my obsession to make it look as good as I can.
 
Chapter 5 was everything I’d want and enjoy. A significant challenge and lots of variety from the rudder to the knee. Good Times!
Now I have lots of cannon to make and mix that up with building the stove and capstan. The journey continues.

Thanks Thukydides.
 
I planked part of the way up from the garboard strakes until I had a gap of about three planks left.
 

 
At this point I was again having to bend the planks a lot, so I decide I would add a drop plank in this gap. I added one more full length plank then the drop plank. You can see one on the bench in the next image. It still has a good bend through most of the length but fit pretty well.
 

 
And here it is being installed.
 

 
I have since cut the planks to fill the remaining gap on each side and am in the process of gluing them in place. I have also started filling in the low spots on all the planks with wood putty and will start sanding the hull when that is completed. Not the prettiest planking job but OK for the first layer. This will all be covered with the second layer, which will be pear. The pear strips are not as wide as these planks so I am not sure if they will be easier to bend and fit. I hope they will be but we shall find out soon enough.

This will be my second Vanguard kit. I have wanted to build this ship model ever since it was released. I will be building it for our new first grandson, Thomas Joseph. His nursery is a nautical theme so the completed model will go in there when he is older. I have to include a picture of the little guy. The sailer suit was actually his father's, our son, from when he was a baby.
 

 
Ok enough of that. I have unboxed the kit and started cutting out the bulkheads and keel. Pictures of the actual model coming soon.

Yeah, Jay no room for a gun there.
 
Still working on the hammocks and cranes. I have the port fore side cranes filled with hammocks and netting. I just need to finish trimming off the netting above the rope. I used white glue to glue the hammocks and netting to the rail, and the netting to the line. This worked really well. I'll have pictures when I get the netting trimmed. I have to make a new batch of hammocks from Sculpey as I used mostly all that made for this one set of cranes.
 
Speaking of pictures, I hope you don't mind me taking a detour on the build log to show you probably the most amazing sunset I have ever seen. I took these at our condo on Newfound Lake in New Hampshire last week.
 

 

 
And here is me, my daughter, and my lovely wife, so you can put a face to the name.
 

 
And this just cracked me up when I saw this guy and his dog paddeling by. It was very serene.
 

 
Enjoy.

Thanks Thukydides.
 
I planked part of the way up from the garboard strakes until I had a gap of about three planks left.
 

 
At this point I was again having to bend the planks a lot, so I decide I would add a drop plank in this gap. I added one more full length plank then the drop plank. You can see one on the bench in the next image. It still has a good bend through most of the length but fit pretty well.
 

 
And here it is being installed.
 

 
I have since cut the planks to fill the remaining gap on each side and am in the process of gluing them in place. I have also started filling in the low spots on all the planks with wood putty and will start sanding the hull when that is completed. Not the prettiest planking job but OK for the first layer. This will all be covered with the second layer, which will be pear. The pear strips are not as wide as these planks so I am not sure if they will be easier to bend and fit. I hope they will be but we shall find out soon enough.

Grecian is now available and in stock.
 
All Grecian printed materials arrived yesterday, and my large photo etch shipment arrived Tuesday (Sphinx, Duchess, Fifie, Zulu, Grecian and new Speedy production PE sheets)
 
Yesterday I finished all 'woodwork' for the Trial Cutter, leaving only the rigging to do to complete this model. before starting the masts and rig, I always draw the full mast and rig plans, so I can work from them. I think this one should be ready in around 8 weeks. The only power tools I have used during the construction of the Trial Cutter is a small sanding mouse for sanding the first and second planking. The rest has been simple hand tools, David Plane for masts and spars, pin vice for hand drilling (only around 16 holes are required to be drilled, mostly for masts and yards, the rest being pre cut), needle files and my trusty Stanley Knife.
 
After this, I will sort out the refreshed Speedy designs, and get the new Speedy kit back into stock. Once done, this leaves me free to concentrate on my 15th medium/large kit.