Moonbug

It has been a few days since I've posted, but that doesn't mean I haven't been hard at work int he shipyard.  I started the topmast journey so I could get the upper standing rigging underway. Not long before I went on my hiatus, I'd done the extra top masts that are mounted on the deck as practice - back in post #255.  The problem was, that had been such a time ago that I'd forgotten much. The good news - I kept decent notes.  I have also since then printed my Swan reference for the masts, yards, and spars.  The one on top is resized from 1:48 to 1:64.   One point of learning for me - as we all know, I've been following Dan Vadas' vulture - which has three t'gallant masts. However, other Pegasus builds and swan builds only have two t'gallant masts with the mizzen only having top mast.  My reference schematic from TFFM have three laid out.  It took me a while to find the addendum note in TFFM that explains the third t'gallant mast on Swan class ships didn't occur until the 1790's.  So my 1776 version will only have two.
 

 
Some minor adjustments were made to my "practice" masts and a fair amount of math was done then I hit the lathe.  For the Fore and Main top masts I decided to go with a larger diameter round mast and square off the bottom and shape rather than start with a square.  This is done for a couple of reasons - but mostly because I have a limited supply of lumber, and a VERY limited supply of the harder woods such as boxwood, etc.  So I am using the dowels that come with the kit - good quality, but definitely softer.
 
 
 
 As you can see above (and remembering my practice run), the top masts are broken down into several sections starting with an octagonal section, squaring off where the fids are located, moving into octagonal again, then rounding and tapering toward the top. Another octagonal section will house the upper crosstrees and trestles, then taper round again.  Making these sections is quite difficult in my opinion.  After trying various cutting and sanding techniques, I ended up using my new mini veritas chisels to create the octagonal sections.  Even so - because of the softness of the wood - I'm going to call these "octagonal-esque."  The silver lining as this will all be painted black and so my lack of precision will be obscured a bit.
 
 
 
All all of the top masts and t'gallant masts contain a number of sheaves.  As we know, sheeves and this scale are really, really difficult to pull off.  I can still manage to construct the lower sheaves for the top masts in the way that I did those on the hull and bulwarks, but all the smaller sheaves are simulated by drilling a couple holes and carving out a 'sheave like' notch.  For the 'real' sheaves, I drill out the holes and patiently adjust with my smallest pin file. The sheave itself is a cut off piece of round brass notched, sanded down, and slid into the slot.
 
 
 
The crosstrees and trestles are from the kit.  A smidge oversized, but definitely doable. Especially since, once again, this will all be painted black.  The mast caps all did need to be redone because the kit versions do not accommodate room for the eye bolts, etc.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The cheek blocks on the upper masts are so small that they definitely need to be made from boxwood, as nothing else I have will lend itself to this level of sanding and shaping. First, I took a 1 mm by 2mm strip of boxwood and put it on my Byrnes saw with a slightly thicker black adjusted all the way to do some milling. I cut a couple of notches in the strip, then sliced off 1.5 mm strips to create the cheek blocks. The sheaves are made from thicker pins / nails cut off at 2.5mm lengths. Holes are drilled in the sides of the cheeks and the sheaves are slid into the holes.  I did mount these sheaves a little lower in the cheek block slots instead of the center to make sure I have enough room to feed a line when it becomes necessary.
 
 
 

 
 
 

Although the t'gallant masts are a bit less complicated to craft in terms of shape, they are QUITE small in terms of diameter at this scale and very, very delicate. Once again, this is where I wish I had more boxwood with which to work.  I did however start out with square strips with these, as that technique is ultimately easier. 
 

 
  All of the fids are made from a brass strip shaped on my belt sander. I only drilled holes in the two larger fids, as the smaller ones are just too small to accommodate holes that no one is ever likely to see.
 

 
With all the masts (except the Jib boom) constructed, they are painted.  I am most likely going to change the paint scheme to match TFFM and have the most upper parts of the masts (including the caps) all black from the hounds on up.
 
 
 
 

Although the t'gallant masts are a bit less complicated to craft in terms of shape, they are QUITE small in terms of diameter at this scale and very, very delicate. Once again, this is where I wish I had more boxwood with which to work.  I did however start out with square strips with these, as that technique is ultimately easier. 
 

 
  All of the fids are made from a brass strip shaped on my belt sander. I only drilled holes in the two larger fids, as the smaller ones are just too small to accommodate holes that no one is ever likely to see.
 

 
With all the masts (except the Jib boom) constructed, they are painted.  I am most likely going to change the paint scheme to match TFFM and have the most upper parts of the masts (including the caps) all black from the hounds on up.
 
 
 
 

The euphroes and crows feet ended up being way more finicky than I anticipated.  Yikes.  First of all, they're pretty darn small at the 1/64 scale.  The fore and main are supposed to be just over 6mm at scale with the mizzen at a little less than 5mm.  I quickly determined that I wasn't going to be able to do that and get the holes I needed drilled, so instead I went about creating the euphroes the other way around. Boxwood is a must for these parts as they are very small and delicate.  I drilled the smallest diameter holes I could get, as close as feasible, and let the overall length of the euphroes determine themselves. Six holes for the mizzen, 10 holes for the fore and main. The mizzen ended up at about 7mm, and the fore and main at about 10mm.
 
 
 

 
The edges were cut using my thinnest pin file to make room for the serving. An eye is served, then the euphroe wrapped, then a 3mm block, then another eye.  The block-end of the euphroes are seized to the stays for each mast. I started with the idea of serving it by feeding a line through the stay and wrapping it. This is how I did the mizzen.  But this ended up not being the best method.
 

 
The reason is because of how difficult it is to maintain the tension on the crows feet balanced with the euphroes.  If you tighten the crow's feet too much, it pulls on the stay until it is out of place. If you keep too much tension on the stay, when you loosen it, all the crows feet relax and are askew. I hung a clip off of the stay to keep it reasonably taught for the mizzen until I could rove all the crows through. Which, in itself, is not an easy task without snagging just about every fitting on the ship.
  
 
Finally getting a balance took several tries and much adjusting.  What I decided to do with the other masts, was to keep every seizing and knot loose until the crow's feet were roved through - then I could tighten the blocks and each component individually until tension was maintain and the stays were not distorted.  Once again, using a clip to loosely hang off the stay was helpful, but being able to adjust the block that is seized along the stay was most beneficial. 
 

 
Using this method - it didn't take quite as long to get a decent result on the main and foremasts. 
 
 
 

 

Great work Bob!  

Thanks Bob and Christian.   And you're absolutely correct of course Christian about walnut and most 'kit wood' - I keep a little container with all my bits of boxwood no matter how small. You never know when you're going to need a scrap for something. But I've found that the drill bits one uses are just as crucial. I've found my micro "MA Ford twisted" bits to be invaluable. A bit more expensive than most, but second to none in ability to make very very small and still very clean holes. 

The euphroes and crows feet ended up being way more finicky than I anticipated.  Yikes.  First of all, they're pretty darn small at the 1/64 scale.  The fore and main are supposed to be just over 6mm at scale with the mizzen at a little less than 5mm.  I quickly determined that I wasn't going to be able to do that and get the holes I needed drilled, so instead I went about creating the euphroes the other way around. Boxwood is a must for these parts as they are very small and delicate.  I drilled the smallest diameter holes I could get, as close as feasible, and let the overall length of the euphroes determine themselves. Six holes for the mizzen, 10 holes for the fore and main. The mizzen ended up at about 7mm, and the fore and main at about 10mm.
 
 
 

 
The edges were cut using my thinnest pin file to make room for the serving. An eye is served, then the euphroe wrapped, then a 3mm block, then another eye.  The block-end of the euphroes are seized to the stays for each mast. I started with the idea of serving it by feeding a line through the stay and wrapping it. This is how I did the mizzen.  But this ended up not being the best method.
 

 
The reason is because of how difficult it is to maintain the tension on the crows feet balanced with the euphroes.  If you tighten the crow's feet too much, it pulls on the stay until it is out of place. If you keep too much tension on the stay, when you loosen it, all the crows feet relax and are askew. I hung a clip off of the stay to keep it reasonably taught for the mizzen until I could rove all the crows through. Which, in itself, is not an easy task without snagging just about every fitting on the ship.
  
 
Finally getting a balance took several tries and much adjusting.  What I decided to do with the other masts, was to keep every seizing and knot loose until the crow's feet were roved through - then I could tighten the blocks and each component individually until tension was maintain and the stays were not distorted.  Once again, using a clip to loosely hang off the stay was helpful, but being able to adjust the block that is seized along the stay was most beneficial. 
 

 
Using this method - it didn't take quite as long to get a decent result on the main and foremasts. 
 
 
 

 

Thanks Bob and Christian.   And you're absolutely correct of course Christian about walnut and most 'kit wood' - I keep a little container with all my bits of boxwood no matter how small. You never know when you're going to need a scrap for something. But I've found that the drill bits one uses are just as crucial. I've found my micro "MA Ford twisted" bits to be invaluable. A bit more expensive than most, but second to none in ability to make very very small and still very clean holes. 

The euphroes and crows feet ended up being way more finicky than I anticipated.  Yikes.  First of all, they're pretty darn small at the 1/64 scale.  The fore and main are supposed to be just over 6mm at scale with the mizzen at a little less than 5mm.  I quickly determined that I wasn't going to be able to do that and get the holes I needed drilled, so instead I went about creating the euphroes the other way around. Boxwood is a must for these parts as they are very small and delicate.  I drilled the smallest diameter holes I could get, as close as feasible, and let the overall length of the euphroes determine themselves. Six holes for the mizzen, 10 holes for the fore and main. The mizzen ended up at about 7mm, and the fore and main at about 10mm.
 
 
 

 
The edges were cut using my thinnest pin file to make room for the serving. An eye is served, then the euphroe wrapped, then a 3mm block, then another eye.  The block-end of the euphroes are seized to the stays for each mast. I started with the idea of serving it by feeding a line through the stay and wrapping it. This is how I did the mizzen.  But this ended up not being the best method.
 

 
The reason is because of how difficult it is to maintain the tension on the crows feet balanced with the euphroes.  If you tighten the crow's feet too much, it pulls on the stay until it is out of place. If you keep too much tension on the stay, when you loosen it, all the crows feet relax and are askew. I hung a clip off of the stay to keep it reasonably taught for the mizzen until I could rove all the crows through. Which, in itself, is not an easy task without snagging just about every fitting on the ship.
  
 
Finally getting a balance took several tries and much adjusting.  What I decided to do with the other masts, was to keep every seizing and knot loose until the crow's feet were roved through - then I could tighten the blocks and each component individually until tension was maintain and the stays were not distorted.  Once again, using a clip to loosely hang off the stay was helpful, but being able to adjust the block that is seized along the stay was most beneficial. 
 

 
Using this method - it didn't take quite as long to get a decent result on the main and foremasts. 
 
 
 

 

Perhaps, we're digressing a bit, but this specific topic is worth expanding and maybe other Pegasus fans might benefit from this.
Comparison between a 18 lbs gun  ( my La Vénus -project )and the  gun + carriage provided with the  HMS Pegasus Amati kit.
Although it is also worth mentioning that regarding this French ship, the eyebolt was fixed more in the rear of the carriage ( according to the Boudriot plan ), which creates even more space for the rigging.
 
SO : I've made my mind up. 
 
PS : I do not entend to use the Amati kit's falconets 
 
 

Wonderful work indeed, in my previuos build ( HMS Diana), regarding the euphroes, styrene came to the rescue.
As I have -at present- a limited stock of boxwood at my disposal, I'll give it a shot but styrene is Plan B.
Drilling those holes in wood especially walnut is just whishful thinking.

Amazing as always Bug , great job. So many lines oh my!!
Bob M.

Post One Hundred and Seventy-two
Sphinx and ‘Indy’
I thought members may be interested to see the comparison between Chris’s two premier kits, Sphinx and Indefatigable.
They sort of represent the alpha to omega of British frigates.
Sphinx, the bijou 9 pounder vessel, and ‘Indy’, the pocket battleship of her day, carrying 24 pounders supplemented with 42 pounder carronades.
I recall that when I built Sphinx I thought she was quite large, when ‘Indy’ arrived I thought I’m going to need a bigger bench!

04505

04506

04507

04508

04512

05413

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If a large statement model is required ‘Indy’ is a good choice, but if masted and fully rigged she will take up a lot of room.
Built Navy Board style she is still a heavy model and a glass case even with reduced height and width adds considerably to the weight.
Sphinx is certainly of a size more amenable to a domestic setting; a pretty little frigate that appeals to my deeper affection for the more decorative vessels of the 18thc. before austerity took over as the expensive Napoleonic wars ground on.
 
Indefatigable sort of spans this period, all black and yellow, no decorative topsides, but the stern gallery still looks good to my eye. She is modelled with an open Fo’csle before her bulwarks were built up, and she does have a magnificent Figure at her head.
 
I am more than happy to have both in my collection.
 
 
Thank you, Chris, for providing me with an engrossing thirteen months of work. It is a tribute to your designs, to be able to build a model of this quality and detail in such a short time.
 
Thanks are also due to James, for producing the prototype ‘Indy’ build which provided a very useful reference guide.
 
B.E.
02/05/2024

The euphroes and crows feet ended up being way more finicky than I anticipated.  Yikes.  First of all, they're pretty darn small at the 1/64 scale.  The fore and main are supposed to be just over 6mm at scale with the mizzen at a little less than 5mm.  I quickly determined that I wasn't going to be able to do that and get the holes I needed drilled, so instead I went about creating the euphroes the other way around. Boxwood is a must for these parts as they are very small and delicate.  I drilled the smallest diameter holes I could get, as close as feasible, and let the overall length of the euphroes determine themselves. Six holes for the mizzen, 10 holes for the fore and main. The mizzen ended up at about 7mm, and the fore and main at about 10mm.
 
 
 

 
The edges were cut using my thinnest pin file to make room for the serving. An eye is served, then the euphroe wrapped, then a 3mm block, then another eye.  The block-end of the euphroes are seized to the stays for each mast. I started with the idea of serving it by feeding a line through the stay and wrapping it. This is how I did the mizzen.  But this ended up not being the best method.
 

 
The reason is because of how difficult it is to maintain the tension on the crows feet balanced with the euphroes.  If you tighten the crow's feet too much, it pulls on the stay until it is out of place. If you keep too much tension on the stay, when you loosen it, all the crows feet relax and are askew. I hung a clip off of the stay to keep it reasonably taught for the mizzen until I could rove all the crows through. Which, in itself, is not an easy task without snagging just about every fitting on the ship.
  
 
Finally getting a balance took several tries and much adjusting.  What I decided to do with the other masts, was to keep every seizing and knot loose until the crow's feet were roved through - then I could tighten the blocks and each component individually until tension was maintain and the stays were not distorted.  Once again, using a clip to loosely hang off the stay was helpful, but being able to adjust the block that is seized along the stay was most beneficial. 
 

 
Using this method - it didn't take quite as long to get a decent result on the main and foremasts. 
 
 
 

 

The euphroes and crows feet ended up being way more finicky than I anticipated.  Yikes.  First of all, they're pretty darn small at the 1/64 scale.  The fore and main are supposed to be just over 6mm at scale with the mizzen at a little less than 5mm.  I quickly determined that I wasn't going to be able to do that and get the holes I needed drilled, so instead I went about creating the euphroes the other way around. Boxwood is a must for these parts as they are very small and delicate.  I drilled the smallest diameter holes I could get, as close as feasible, and let the overall length of the euphroes determine themselves. Six holes for the mizzen, 10 holes for the fore and main. The mizzen ended up at about 7mm, and the fore and main at about 10mm.
 
 
 

 
The edges were cut using my thinnest pin file to make room for the serving. An eye is served, then the euphroe wrapped, then a 3mm block, then another eye.  The block-end of the euphroes are seized to the stays for each mast. I started with the idea of serving it by feeding a line through the stay and wrapping it. This is how I did the mizzen.  But this ended up not being the best method.
 

 
The reason is because of how difficult it is to maintain the tension on the crows feet balanced with the euphroes.  If you tighten the crow's feet too much, it pulls on the stay until it is out of place. If you keep too much tension on the stay, when you loosen it, all the crows feet relax and are askew. I hung a clip off of the stay to keep it reasonably taught for the mizzen until I could rove all the crows through. Which, in itself, is not an easy task without snagging just about every fitting on the ship.
  
 
Finally getting a balance took several tries and much adjusting.  What I decided to do with the other masts, was to keep every seizing and knot loose until the crow's feet were roved through - then I could tighten the blocks and each component individually until tension was maintain and the stays were not distorted.  Once again, using a clip to loosely hang off the stay was helpful, but being able to adjust the block that is seized along the stay was most beneficial. 
 

 
Using this method - it didn't take quite as long to get a decent result on the main and foremasts. 
 
 
 

 

The euphroes and crows feet ended up being way more finicky than I anticipated.  Yikes.  First of all, they're pretty darn small at the 1/64 scale.  The fore and main are supposed to be just over 6mm at scale with the mizzen at a little less than 5mm.  I quickly determined that I wasn't going to be able to do that and get the holes I needed drilled, so instead I went about creating the euphroes the other way around. Boxwood is a must for these parts as they are very small and delicate.  I drilled the smallest diameter holes I could get, as close as feasible, and let the overall length of the euphroes determine themselves. Six holes for the mizzen, 10 holes for the fore and main. The mizzen ended up at about 7mm, and the fore and main at about 10mm.
 
 
 

 
The edges were cut using my thinnest pin file to make room for the serving. An eye is served, then the euphroe wrapped, then a 3mm block, then another eye.  The block-end of the euphroes are seized to the stays for each mast. I started with the idea of serving it by feeding a line through the stay and wrapping it. This is how I did the mizzen.  But this ended up not being the best method.
 

 
The reason is because of how difficult it is to maintain the tension on the crows feet balanced with the euphroes.  If you tighten the crow's feet too much, it pulls on the stay until it is out of place. If you keep too much tension on the stay, when you loosen it, all the crows feet relax and are askew. I hung a clip off of the stay to keep it reasonably taught for the mizzen until I could rove all the crows through. Which, in itself, is not an easy task without snagging just about every fitting on the ship.
  
 
Finally getting a balance took several tries and much adjusting.  What I decided to do with the other masts, was to keep every seizing and knot loose until the crow's feet were roved through - then I could tighten the blocks and each component individually until tension was maintain and the stays were not distorted.  Once again, using a clip to loosely hang off the stay was helpful, but being able to adjust the block that is seized along the stay was most beneficial. 
 

 
Using this method - it didn't take quite as long to get a decent result on the main and foremasts. 
 
 
 

 

The euphroes and crows feet ended up being way more finicky than I anticipated.  Yikes.  First of all, they're pretty darn small at the 1/64 scale.  The fore and main are supposed to be just over 6mm at scale with the mizzen at a little less than 5mm.  I quickly determined that I wasn't going to be able to do that and get the holes I needed drilled, so instead I went about creating the euphroes the other way around. Boxwood is a must for these parts as they are very small and delicate.  I drilled the smallest diameter holes I could get, as close as feasible, and let the overall length of the euphroes determine themselves. Six holes for the mizzen, 10 holes for the fore and main. The mizzen ended up at about 7mm, and the fore and main at about 10mm.
 
 
 

 
The edges were cut using my thinnest pin file to make room for the serving. An eye is served, then the euphroe wrapped, then a 3mm block, then another eye.  The block-end of the euphroes are seized to the stays for each mast. I started with the idea of serving it by feeding a line through the stay and wrapping it. This is how I did the mizzen.  But this ended up not being the best method.
 

 
The reason is because of how difficult it is to maintain the tension on the crows feet balanced with the euphroes.  If you tighten the crow's feet too much, it pulls on the stay until it is out of place. If you keep too much tension on the stay, when you loosen it, all the crows feet relax and are askew. I hung a clip off of the stay to keep it reasonably taught for the mizzen until I could rove all the crows through. Which, in itself, is not an easy task without snagging just about every fitting on the ship.
  
 
Finally getting a balance took several tries and much adjusting.  What I decided to do with the other masts, was to keep every seizing and knot loose until the crow's feet were roved through - then I could tighten the blocks and each component individually until tension was maintain and the stays were not distorted.  Once again, using a clip to loosely hang off the stay was helpful, but being able to adjust the block that is seized along the stay was most beneficial. 
 

 
Using this method - it didn't take quite as long to get a decent result on the main and foremasts. 
 
 
 

 

The euphroes and crows feet ended up being way more finicky than I anticipated.  Yikes.  First of all, they're pretty darn small at the 1/64 scale.  The fore and main are supposed to be just over 6mm at scale with the mizzen at a little less than 5mm.  I quickly determined that I wasn't going to be able to do that and get the holes I needed drilled, so instead I went about creating the euphroes the other way around. Boxwood is a must for these parts as they are very small and delicate.  I drilled the smallest diameter holes I could get, as close as feasible, and let the overall length of the euphroes determine themselves. Six holes for the mizzen, 10 holes for the fore and main. The mizzen ended up at about 7mm, and the fore and main at about 10mm.
 
 
 

 
The edges were cut using my thinnest pin file to make room for the serving. An eye is served, then the euphroe wrapped, then a 3mm block, then another eye.  The block-end of the euphroes are seized to the stays for each mast. I started with the idea of serving it by feeding a line through the stay and wrapping it. This is how I did the mizzen.  But this ended up not being the best method.
 

 
The reason is because of how difficult it is to maintain the tension on the crows feet balanced with the euphroes.  If you tighten the crow's feet too much, it pulls on the stay until it is out of place. If you keep too much tension on the stay, when you loosen it, all the crows feet relax and are askew. I hung a clip off of the stay to keep it reasonably taught for the mizzen until I could rove all the crows through. Which, in itself, is not an easy task without snagging just about every fitting on the ship.
  
 
Finally getting a balance took several tries and much adjusting.  What I decided to do with the other masts, was to keep every seizing and knot loose until the crow's feet were roved through - then I could tighten the blocks and each component individually until tension was maintain and the stays were not distorted.  Once again, using a clip to loosely hang off the stay was helpful, but being able to adjust the block that is seized along the stay was most beneficial. 
 

 
Using this method - it didn't take quite as long to get a decent result on the main and foremasts. 
 
 
 

 

It's always a pretty big step when you knock off the lower ratlines. Just a couple of additional notes - the first six lines on the top and bottom of both the main and fore shrouds skip the foremost and aftmost shrouds. Otherwise the process is the same as the mizzen - skipping every few lines to prevent the shrouds from squeezing together or skewing.  I used a long ruler to make sure  my graph paper was positioned properly to the match the lines of the ship and the other ratlines. 
 
 
 
  I also wanted to note here that it is quite important (especially at this scale) to let the diluted PVA dry completely before you try and trim the edges otherwise the knots will unravel and you'll have to redo some lines. After the end knots dry, I use a brand new blade on my scalpel, hold the end of the rope as tightly as I can with my smallest tweezers, then gently cut the rope as close to the knot as possible with a slow back and forth sawing motion using only the weight of the scalpel. Trying to "slice" the rope does not work here and results in pulling and fraying.
 

 
This is also one of those places where it really does make a difference when you use higher quality lines - another benefit of making my own.  The polyester fibers do have a tendency to slip a tiny bit, so going through and adjusting the clove hitches across each ratline is paramount to maintaining some semblance of evenness throughout the rigging. I have some a bit more slack than others, but overall I'm pleased with the end result. As we all know - this is one of those times when patience really does pay off.
 
  
 
 
 
For those who are curious - a total of 784 clove hitches including the ratlines across the futtock shrouds. 
 

It's always a pretty big step when you knock off the lower ratlines. Just a couple of additional notes - the first six lines on the top and bottom of both the main and fore shrouds skip the foremost and aftmost shrouds. Otherwise the process is the same as the mizzen - skipping every few lines to prevent the shrouds from squeezing together or skewing.  I used a long ruler to make sure  my graph paper was positioned properly to the match the lines of the ship and the other ratlines. 
 
 
 
  I also wanted to note here that it is quite important (especially at this scale) to let the diluted PVA dry completely before you try and trim the edges otherwise the knots will unravel and you'll have to redo some lines. After the end knots dry, I use a brand new blade on my scalpel, hold the end of the rope as tightly as I can with my smallest tweezers, then gently cut the rope as close to the knot as possible with a slow back and forth sawing motion using only the weight of the scalpel. Trying to "slice" the rope does not work here and results in pulling and fraying.
 

 
This is also one of those places where it really does make a difference when you use higher quality lines - another benefit of making my own.  The polyester fibers do have a tendency to slip a tiny bit, so going through and adjusting the clove hitches across each ratline is paramount to maintaining some semblance of evenness throughout the rigging. I have some a bit more slack than others, but overall I'm pleased with the end result. As we all know - this is one of those times when patience really does pay off.
 
  
 
 
 
For those who are curious - a total of 784 clove hitches including the ratlines across the futtock shrouds. 
 

Love the perspective shot -  not a small ship!

It's always a pretty big step when you knock off the lower ratlines. Just a couple of additional notes - the first six lines on the top and bottom of both the main and fore shrouds skip the foremost and aftmost shrouds. Otherwise the process is the same as the mizzen - skipping every few lines to prevent the shrouds from squeezing together or skewing.  I used a long ruler to make sure  my graph paper was positioned properly to the match the lines of the ship and the other ratlines. 
 
 
 
  I also wanted to note here that it is quite important (especially at this scale) to let the diluted PVA dry completely before you try and trim the edges otherwise the knots will unravel and you'll have to redo some lines. After the end knots dry, I use a brand new blade on my scalpel, hold the end of the rope as tightly as I can with my smallest tweezers, then gently cut the rope as close to the knot as possible with a slow back and forth sawing motion using only the weight of the scalpel. Trying to "slice" the rope does not work here and results in pulling and fraying.
 

 
This is also one of those places where it really does make a difference when you use higher quality lines - another benefit of making my own.  The polyester fibers do have a tendency to slip a tiny bit, so going through and adjusting the clove hitches across each ratline is paramount to maintaining some semblance of evenness throughout the rigging. I have some a bit more slack than others, but overall I'm pleased with the end result. As we all know - this is one of those times when patience really does pay off.
 
  
 
 
 
For those who are curious - a total of 784 clove hitches including the ratlines across the futtock shrouds. 
 

It's always a pretty big step when you knock off the lower ratlines. Just a couple of additional notes - the first six lines on the top and bottom of both the main and fore shrouds skip the foremost and aftmost shrouds. Otherwise the process is the same as the mizzen - skipping every few lines to prevent the shrouds from squeezing together or skewing.  I used a long ruler to make sure  my graph paper was positioned properly to the match the lines of the ship and the other ratlines. 
 
 
 
  I also wanted to note here that it is quite important (especially at this scale) to let the diluted PVA dry completely before you try and trim the edges otherwise the knots will unravel and you'll have to redo some lines. After the end knots dry, I use a brand new blade on my scalpel, hold the end of the rope as tightly as I can with my smallest tweezers, then gently cut the rope as close to the knot as possible with a slow back and forth sawing motion using only the weight of the scalpel. Trying to "slice" the rope does not work here and results in pulling and fraying.
 

 
This is also one of those places where it really does make a difference when you use higher quality lines - another benefit of making my own.  The polyester fibers do have a tendency to slip a tiny bit, so going through and adjusting the clove hitches across each ratline is paramount to maintaining some semblance of evenness throughout the rigging. I have some a bit more slack than others, but overall I'm pleased with the end result. As we all know - this is one of those times when patience really does pay off.
 
  
 
 
 
For those who are curious - a total of 784 clove hitches including the ratlines across the futtock shrouds. 
 

It's always a pretty big step when you knock off the lower ratlines. Just a couple of additional notes - the first six lines on the top and bottom of both the main and fore shrouds skip the foremost and aftmost shrouds. Otherwise the process is the same as the mizzen - skipping every few lines to prevent the shrouds from squeezing together or skewing.  I used a long ruler to make sure  my graph paper was positioned properly to the match the lines of the ship and the other ratlines. 
 
 
 
  I also wanted to note here that it is quite important (especially at this scale) to let the diluted PVA dry completely before you try and trim the edges otherwise the knots will unravel and you'll have to redo some lines. After the end knots dry, I use a brand new blade on my scalpel, hold the end of the rope as tightly as I can with my smallest tweezers, then gently cut the rope as close to the knot as possible with a slow back and forth sawing motion using only the weight of the scalpel. Trying to "slice" the rope does not work here and results in pulling and fraying.
 

 
This is also one of those places where it really does make a difference when you use higher quality lines - another benefit of making my own.  The polyester fibers do have a tendency to slip a tiny bit, so going through and adjusting the clove hitches across each ratline is paramount to maintaining some semblance of evenness throughout the rigging. I have some a bit more slack than others, but overall I'm pleased with the end result. As we all know - this is one of those times when patience really does pay off.
 
  
 
 
 
For those who are curious - a total of 784 clove hitches including the ratlines across the futtock shrouds.