Moonbug

Echo-ing everyone else, beautiful work Mark. Nicely done!
 
- Bug

Echo-ing everyone else, beautiful work Mark. Nicely done!
 
- Bug

A bit of an update.  First off, here's hull "right-side up".... I'm liking the way she looks.
 

 
I removed some of the build board material around the transom area to give me some working room. If you'll go back to previous pictures, the transom is actually glued to the build board.   When I removed the board, I found some problems with the transom.  Not a show stopper or a big problem.   Some fairing/sanding and maybe removal/replacement of some of the small framing will fix it nicely.  Once fixed, I can continue on with the planking and build up of the transom.
 

 
I also finally took a good look at the interior.  I held off sanding and fairing it because I knew my planking clamps were going to cause <ahem> issues, shall we say.   Now is also the time to fair it out and fix any problems.  I'm not seeing any serious problems, just a lot of sanding and fairing.  So this area, along with the transom is being attended to.  I also wanted to get this out of the way at this point as when I install the galleries, stern windows, etc. removing the sanding dust would be a real problem if I waited to sand until they were done.  Another reason is, I don't want to damage anything with the handling needed during sanding. 
 

 
I have to admit I'm pretty damn happy right now.  The problems are not as bad as I thought they'd be and overall, looking pretty good.

Thanks Denis!

Thanks Denis!

Thanks Sam,
 
For you also all the good stuff for 2016.
 
And an update again.
I don't put the blocks and deadeyes on it yet.
I want to do that when all the masts are ready.
 
Sjors
 
( Maybe better if I also post pictures.....)
 
 
 

what a great looking ship!   the rigging looks fabulous!   you really did a super job.......congratz to her finish  

Thanks so much Sjors! I really appreciate it!
 
   I do like her where she is as well.  We're thinking about moving her into the living room next to the San Juan. I'll post another photo and compare the two spots. :-)  
 
    Next for now is this guy:  A stagecoach I promised to build for the Admiral.  
 

 
    Then, my next build is most likely the Pegasus.  :-)  I want to do a British vessel and my youngest daughter loves horses.  
 
 
- Sean

Thanks very much gents!
 
    Indeed marktime.   A tragedy in many ways.
 
   In the meantime - here's her temporary home in my office until after the new year, when the Admiral will allow her to be moved a place of more prominence.  
 
  
 

 
- Bug

And a few more.  I'll gather them and add to the completed gallery in a bit.
 
- Bug
 







 

Here are some shots of the finished ship.
 

Well folks... looks like she's done.  Here she is - the completed Santa Maria.  I'll edit and post more of the finished photos, then eventually her final port of call - I have to wait for the Admiral to clear off the Christmas decorations after the new year before the Santa Maria can rest in her final spot.
 
Thanks for all the likes and comments!
 

So, as I continue with many of the finishing details, I've been fretting how I'm going to handle the flags.  As the sails are furled, I need to give the impression that the flags are hanging somewhat naturally.  They also need to have some of the aging that the rest of the ship represents. 
  After scouring my local fabric store, and trying a variety of different silks and satins - I ended up going back to the "flags" that are supplied in the AL kit.  
   First, I soaked the flags in the same 'Scenic glue' that I was using for the rope coils.
  

 
   Then I hung the flags from my shelf, and shaped them with a variety of clips and gravity. To give them the shape I wanted that would imply hanging naturally.
 
 
 
    I then mounted each of the flags. The main and fore mast flags using blocks, and the mizzen using a mounting as illustrated in Pastor's book. I then aged them using some black and brown dusting.
 
   
 
 Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the outcome.

Thanks marktime and Frank!  I appreciate the comments.  
 
   Marktime - I remember those photos, I can't for the life of me find them again.  Although that '92 replica was pretty far off in terms of accuracy (I think it was even a caravel instead of a nao), it had some great details to look at, for sure.  
  I got that same vibe you're speaking of when I visited the El Galleon in St. Augustine, Florida last year.
 
  
 
  That said - I'm attributing the more chaotic look to my rope coils as a result of the crew dipping into the rum a little heavier than normal just as they pulled into port for a very long anticipated shore leave...  

I'm at the stage where I'm working on details at this point, of course.  So, along with coiling endless amounts of rope, I needed to create a pulley for the Crow's nest sheaves.   I started with a square 5x5 piece of scrap and cut off about 3mm of it.  I rounded the edges then drilled out the center.
 
   
   
    Then, I decided instead of cutting my own sheave to slide in, i could sand down the sides of a scrap deadeye instead.  The tiny pins are scrap leftovers, and the other metal piece is a leftover scrap piece that AL loves to use for attaching shrouds.  I don't use them, so I have a bunch of them lying around.  That will eventually become the 'hook'.
 
     
 
  Finally, I assembled it all together and darkened the metal and wood.  I then attached it to the ship and coiled the rope.
 

Here's a better picture of the styrofoam glue.
 

Good morning,
 
      Not a lot of photos to show just yet, but I've delved into the tedious job of coiling and tying off rope.  I started out by building a jig, and going with that particular method - but it's only useful in a couple of places where the coils are essentially sitting on their own, or hanging off a cleat or rail.  
 
 
 
     For most of the rope, that's attached to the end of a rigging line, I'm actually coiling by hand for each spot, so that it wraps around the end of the rigging properly and looks more natural.
 

 
    I am primarily using two types of glue. The Scenic glue that I mentioned before dries very clear and clean. As I said - it's NOT very tacky, so the coils need to be in place and how you want them laid out, then the glue is applied with a Q-tip, or sometimes small brush.  The glue behind it - sorry it's kinda blurry - is actually a styrofoam glue that I came across at my local hobby store.  It's VERY tacky - much like a rubber cement - so it's a bit messy, and quite honestly a pain in the butt.  HOWEVER, it's also very effective if you brush it on the back of a coil because it allows you to immediately shape the coil and place it where you want it. It holds very nicely, but then takes several minutes to dry giving you plenty of flexibility to make changes.
 

 
    Once again, I'm growing more enamored with the somewhat haphazard way the rope coils are looking.

Hey Joe,  thanks for the response.  I can't argue with logic - so that was my task this weekend.  I unfurled the sail, and took another look. Now, if I was going to go with unfurled, I'd also want to detach and re-sew the sail along with bonnets. I also considered whether or not I'd want to add one of the symbolic crosses on the sail as well.
 
    Turns out - I didn't really have to go to far to realize that I really liked the sails both ways.  So, I did what any normal, red blooded man would do - I asked the Admiral.  She liked the sail furled, and since I already have a couple around the house with sails down, she convinced me to go with the "just pulled into the bay" look.  :-)  
 
    The good news is - the entire exercise gave me the opportunity to re-furl the sail and little differently.  This time, I wrapped the sail a bit differently, and the sheets and clews are a little further out on the yard. I am much happier with this look, and I think it's ultimately more accurate.
 

Been working on finishing the rigging with deck accouterments, etc.  As I mentioned in the past, I'm such a huge fan of the kinda of 'underway' look of working rigging and "messy coils" that I decided that was going to be my style for this build.  Sure - doesn't say much toward the tidiness and efficiency of the crew.  But - I'm going to go with the idea that since Captain Christopher had such disdain for the big slow Santa Maria, that all the slackers ended up on that deck.  :-)  
 
Anyway, here's a sneak peak at my look:
 

Good morning,
 
      Pushing through the running rigging - on to the main mast. A bit more complicated parrel on this guy of course.  Like the others, it's bound in the front of the mast with two looped ropes running through one another and secured. This apparently gave the rig the opportunity to loosen and tighten - which I suspect is needed to get over the rope wraps around the main mast itself. 
 
     
 
Hoisted with two lines attached to the yard, then up through the crow's nest and through the two sheaves.  The line that secures the parrel is dropped down and secured at the base of the mast with a coil of rope.  This initial coil of rope is a bit haphazard - but gave me an inspiration for what will be most of the rope coils of the ship.  As it's an aged "working" ship, I'm going to go with "messy coils" instead of the clean and uniform look of the coils on the San Juan. Hopefully this will give it an underway look and not appear disorganized.
 
     
 
As with the other sails and yards, I fully rigged the main sail before furling it.  I followed closely the Pastor diagrams, and this was super fun.  It did however - for the first time - make me second guess my choice of furling the sails for a few moments. So I included a few photos of the sail down before it was finally furled.
 
        
 
You'll notice in the one shot a bottle of white "Scenic" glue.  I used this a lot when I did train sets, etc. It's a diluted white glue that - as it turns out - works wonderfully for coiled ropes, and other types of rigging.  It's not thick, and provides what is ultimately a very delicate adhesion. However, it dries very clear and does not appear to discolor the rigging after it dries.
 
    
 
Finally, somewhat regretfully, I furled the sails.  You'll also notice in the last photo that I have the rear deck raised. I'm going to figure out a small rigging system to be able to raise and lower that as needed.  Obviously not something that was on the original vessel.  *laff*
 
        

Good afternoon Don,
 
    On the holes in them masts / sheaves: It's clear in several areas that the tops of the fore and mizzen masts are sheaves - either added on top or built into the mast. It wasn't as clear for the topsail, but I assumed so for consistency, as well as the fact that it likely made it much easier to hoist the yard.  
 
    Great question.  It's definitely not easier, and can be a bit tedious, particularly when you're rigging single blocks together to form a pulley.  I do it because one of the references that I've referred to is the 15th Century Mataro Model  discovered in a church in Spain. Even though it's just a model - it's a pretty accurate  model from that time frame, so it's been the inspiration for aspects of the Santa Maria and other ships of the time - based on the fundamental lack of information of the time. 
At any rate - in Xavier Pastor's book, he references several Mataro aspects and how his perspective may or may not differ.
 
 While Pastor goes with traditional blocks, I've chosen the Mataro version here:
 

 
Thanks! 
 
- Bug

Good morning,
 
    Wrapped up the rigging on the topsail.  Pretty basic stuff here.  I drilled a hole in the topsail mast, then took a 2mm dowel, filed out grooves, and cut off a piece as a pulley / sheave.  My parrel is much more basic than the other masts of course. Then the yard is hoisted through the sheave.
 
         
 
 The rest is your basic yard / sail rigging.
 
  

Copyright in the States does allow for "fair use".  The other thing is, Bug didn't put the image up at 100%.  So, this may or may not fall under that.  I'm asking a moderator/admin to take a look.

Fantastic Nils!
 
  I am almost positive the Pegasus is going to be my next build - following a brief hiatus to build the Artesania Latina Stage Coach.
 

 
  And I guarantee your build will be close on tap for reference!
 
- Bug

Hehe, good question Jan,
 
I'm not entirely familiar with the print world, but I am very familiar with broadcast copyright laws. Most of them - in particular with regard to damages - revolve around misuse of material for a profit or denying the original owner profit. So, I think for the most part we're ok here since its use is almost entirely informational. ;-)
 
-Bug