threebs

I am starting another plank on bulkhead project in conjuction with my Pennsylvania as something to do when I get bored or fustrated with the final rigging, ships boats and anchors on the Pennsylvania.  I reworked the bulkheads from their original configuration as the first looked like it would be too difficult to work on the cannon on each deck.  Also, a couple of pics of the controlled chaos I call my workshop!

Here are some photos of the yards, yard tackle, and stirrups.  At 1/72 scale I think this is about as small as I would like to attempt making the stirrups this way.  If you coat the assembly with super glue it makes a nice stiff stirrup that hangs from the yard nicely.  That is my self made serving machine the yard tackle is laying on.

I thought I should expand on the ratline situation.  I am not sure if there is a hard and fast rule as to their spacing.  The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships makes a note that they are 13 inches apart.  However several photos that I have of the USS Constitution that have Marines clinging to them show they run from the sole of the foot to just under the knee cap.  Of course the guy could be only five feet tall, but I do not think so.  That puts their spacing closer to 16 inches apart.  I cut all of the ratlines off of the starboard side.  I clove hictched to every shroud so that means I had to redo over one thousand knots!!  I was pretty bummed.  However the new spacing looks better visually and more like some of the other finished models I have seen.  The first photo is spacing every "13" inches, or about 4.5 mm, second photo is spacing 5.5mm.  Not much, but over all the whole asswmbly looks so much better.

I have all the yards done, all the tackle made for them, (photos later), and am starting to install the horsses on them.

I live  just outside Tucson, Arizona  USA.  This is my first scratch build.  I built a mantua 1/96 scale Victory about 25 years ago.  When I retired, I moved here from Fargo, North Dakota

So far this ship has really been a learning experience.  I am embarassed to say how many times I had to redo things.  The hull was the hardest by far.  I was manually reducing all the measurements form the 1/48th scale plans I got from the Smithsonian Institute.  I have started the USS Columbus, and had a print shop reduce her 1/48th plans down to 1/72.  that build on the hull is going WAY faster and error free so far.  For now, I build my models in the bulkhead format.  I am going to do the USS United States as a plank on frame though.  I have almost 200 photos of the ship, I will post them a few at a time, at least the better ones.  I  am currently working on the ratlines.  I hate this part.  I had the whole port side done, but was not happy with it, the lines were toclose together.  I am doing the Starboard side and I am much happier with the results.  Two things I will try to remember, make the Shrouds as taut as possible, and do them BEFORE the back stays, they get in the way of my hands.

I think I was amember of this forum a long time ago?  does anyone remember my ship model of the Uss Pennsylvania of 1837?  My Name is Greg I am 56 years old and the ship is about 90% finished now.