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_SalD_

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  1. Like
    _SalD_ got a reaction from bobandlucy in USCG Harriet Lane by _SalD_ - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:96   
    I decided to revisit the lower and topsail yards to make their center portion octagon-shaped.  For the octagon shape section I used some dimensional lumber from Midwest Products that I had purchased a while back.  I had to remove the jackstays and a couple of eyebolts to fit the battens. (sorry for getting my finger in the way)

    Battens glued and tied.  Once the glue was dried the battens were stained and the eyebolts were reinstalled.

    For the footropes and their stirrups I decided to use 30 gauge florist wire (blackened).

    The stirrups were made by wrapping the wire around the yards a couple of times and then forming a small eyelet at its end. 

    The footropes were then laced through the stirrups and the ends were wrapped around the yards.  I had to keep the jackstays off until all the stirrups and footropes were put on.

    Completed yards.

    This will be my last post in this build for a while because the wife and I will be heading back to Florida for the winter.  And since the ship is at a point that it can’t be easily transported it will have to wait until next spring to be finished. 😪
     
    I would like to thank all those who have been following along with my build, for all the kind words and for all the likes.
     
    Have a Happy New Year and see you in the spring.
  2. Like
    _SalD_ got a reaction from chuckthedragon in USCG Harriet Lane by _SalD_ - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:96   
    Main topmast stays:
    For the two main topmast stays instead of just tying the stays from one mast to the other I tried a ‘modified’ super detail as mentioned in the manual.  The stays were tied to the main mast, then reeved through blocks on the foremast and then brought down to the deck.  The modification came in the way I anchored the stays to the deck.  Instead of belaying these lines to the forward bitts I decided to secure them with deadeyes and lanyards.  To make it clearer thought I would show you the finished product and then explain how I did it.
     
    Stays tied off with deadeyes and lanyards abaft of the fore mast.

    Lower main topmast stay reeved through a block hooked to the eyebolt on the foremast cap.

    Upper main topmast stay reeved through block seized to the fore topmast.

     
    Now for the how-to.  Instead of trying to run the stays from the main topmast through the blocks and then down to the deck and try to lace the lanyards through the deadeyes, I did it in reverse.  First, one deadeye (2.5mm) was placed into an expanded eye of an eyebolt and set with some ca glue. Next, another deadeye (2.5mm) was seized around the end of the stay.  Using a third hand the two deadeyes were held a certain distance apart so the lanyard could be threaded through them and tied off.  The distance was arbitrary; I just used something that I thought looked good.

    My next challenge was to drill holes in the deck in order to insert the ends of the eyebolts into.  My solution was to use a 1/8” diameter dowel with a drill bit glued into a hole drilled in the center of the dowel.  I ended up tapering the end of the dowel a little bit to get it closer in to the pilot house.  This worked out okay you just need to be patience getting the bit in the correct location.

    After the holes were drilled the eyebolts were inserted by holding them with tweezers and then glued in with a drop of ca glue.  After waiting for the glue to dry the lines were then run up through the blocks and tied off to the main topmast.
     
    Completed standing rigging.

  3. Like
    _SalD_ got a reaction from bobandlucy in USCG Harriet Lane by _SalD_ - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:96   
    Jib Stay:
    For the jib stay I decided to try rigging this line something like what is shown in ‘The Young Sea Officer’s Sheet Anchor’ book on page 61.

    My first hurdle was how do I make and then attach the traveler to the jib boom now that the boom is already in place.  My solution was to bend some 28 ga. wire around a round nose pliers to the diameter of the jib leaving extra wire at the ends in order to work it around the boom.  The two long ends of the wire ring were spread part and wrapped around the jib and then reformed into its circular shape.  The excess wire was removed once the traveler was in place.


    The next challenge was to drill a hole through the jib boom to simulate the sheeve and to not snap the end of the jib off.  By supporting the underside of the boom and applying gentle pressure on the pin vise the hole was successfully drilled.

    Next I chose to use two single blocks for the running rigging for space considerations.  One block was seized to the end of the jib stay; the other was stropped to an eyebolt that was attached to the bowsprit cap.  The running rigging was reeved through these blocks bring the working end aft through the fairlead and tied to a cleat added to the bulwarks. The jib stay was then threaded through the hole in the jib boom, through the traveler and then tied off to the fore topmast.

    For a finishing touch I added the inhaul line to the port side of the traveler which also ran back through the fairlead and tied off to a cleat on the bulwarks.

    Finished jib stay

     
  4. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to modeller_masa in SB2C-4E Helldiver by modeller_masa - Academy - 1/72 - PLASTIC   
    Not green screen this time. Thanks you for watching~
  5. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to tlevine in NRG Rigging Project by tlevine - FINISHED   
    To prevent damage, the top rail was made last.  There are four balustrades that fit into the holes previously made in the top and a top rail.  The rail extended almost to the edges of the top and is 4” wide.  This was cut from 1/32” sheet wood and the edges were smoothed over.  The rail was placed on the top’s gunwale and the locations of the balustrade holes were transferred to it. 
    The balustrades are two feet long and 2 inches square.  The two ends of the balustrade are square and the center section is round.  You can see the transition marks for the top and bottom pins, and between the square and round sections drawn onto the wood.  I used an 11 blade, files and sandpaper to round the center section.  The transition from square to round was shaped with a half-round file.  The end pins are square.
      
     
    The balustrades were inserted into the rail after enlarging the drill holes.  Then they were glued into the holes in the top.  The rail is angled 90 degrees to the water line.  Once dry, the protruding pins were sanded flush with the rail. 

    As a final step, I applied mahogany veneer to the exposed frames.  All that was left was to clean things up.  Thank you for following along!

     
     
  6. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to tlevine in NRG Rigging Project by tlevine - FINISHED   
    The truss pendants are paired ropes that hold the yard against the mast.  These are made from twenty feet of 4” rope with a double block stropped on one end and a thimble on the other.  The end with the thimble is seized onto the yard. I spliced a thimble into one end of the line and seized the pendant onto the yard inside the quarter block, keeping the thimble on the aft side of the yard.  I rotated the yard 180 degrees to gain better access to the aft side of the yard.

    Once both pendants were attached to the yard, I ran the line from the starboard pendant through the top of the port pendant thimble; the process was repeated with the port pendant, passing it through the top of the starboard thimble.  The result is a crossing of the two lines on the aft side of the mast.
     
    Three-millimeter double blocks were stropped on the ends of the pendants for the pendant falls.  In the picture below, the outer lines are the jeer tyes and the longer inner ones are the pendants.

    The lower blocks for  the pendant and jeer falls attach to the eyebolts on the mast partners.  The strop for the blocks is spliced, with a loop seized at each end.  The lower loop is fitted with a hook and the falls will be attached to the upper loop.  It took a few tries to make hooks that looked realistic.  After they were made, I opened the loop and inserted it into one of the block loops.  The rope for the falls passes through the other loop and is spliced to itself to secure it.
     
    The jeer tye falls are 2” rope.  After securing it to the lower tye falls block loop, the line was passed back and forth through the upper and lower blocks and hooked to the block on the aft eyebolt, adjusting the length of rope as necessary to get a snug but not too tight line.  I wrapped the line a few times around the bits and taped the ends to the back of the last frame.  This allowed me to easily adjust the tension.
     
     
    The pendant tye falls were rove the same way.  The rope for the pendant falls is 1 3/4”.  The ends were taped to frame 1.  I tightened all the lines and let the model sit for a day to allow the rope to stretch from the tension.  The lines were adjusted and retapes them to the frames.  The jeer tye falls were finished off by making rope coils to go over the bit pin.  I made my coils by taking a piece of line and wrapping it around the jaws of a caliper.  The line was removed by closing the jaws.  A few turns of line were wrapped around the middle of the coil.
     
     

    Steel states that both the jeer tye and pendant falls tie off to bits.  I tied the jeer tye falls to the bits and the pendant falls to itself to prevent the lines from rubbing against each other and to show an alternate way to tie off a line.  The rope coils for the pendant falls were made on the model.  My rope coil is 3.5’ long and the wrap is 4’ up from the deck.  That completes the rigging.

     
  7. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to tlevine in NRG Rigging Project by tlevine - FINISHED   
    The jeer tye blocks are suspended from the mast head, pass through the opening in the center of the top and hang below the top.  A rope, the jeer tye, comes up from below the yard, runs through the jeer tye block, down to the jeer block , up to the other jeer tye block and back down towards the deck.  These pictures shows the location of the jeer tye blocks and the jeer tye forming the letter “M”.
     
    Cleats are located on either side of the masthead for the lashings that secure the jeer tye strop.  These were made the same way I made the yard cleats.   The sharp outer edges were rounded over and they were installed onto the side of the masthead between the battens and below the upper metal hoop.
     
    The jeer tye blocks have a double strop.  Steel states that all block strops greater than 4” are served.  These are 17” blocks and would have had 5” strops.  However, Antscherl, in TFFM, Vol 4, page 100, shows jeer tye blocks stropped with unserved line.  Without a clear direction to take, I chose to leave them unserved.  The block hangs below the top a distance equal to the length of the block. These blocks were stropped using the same process used for the other blocks except the two legs are the same length.  The block was secured with a throat seizing and loops were seized on both arms.
     
     
    The starboard jeer tye block was installed first.  Seven turns of lashing went through the jeer tye loops and the opposite cleat.  It was then wrapped around itself and secured on the aft side of the masthead.  The port jeer tye block was installed the same way and the lashing was adjusted so the two blocks hunt at the same level.
      
     
    The jeer tye (the line than runs through the three jeer blocks) has a double block for the jeer tye falls on each end.  According to Steel, the tye should be the length of the mast, 56 feet.  “Falls” describe a pully arrangement with a heavier line (i.e. the jeer tye) stropped to a block with lighter rope running between this block and another block attached to the deck.
     
    The easiest way I found to attach the blocks to the tye is to strop a block onto one end of the tye and then pass the tye through one of the jeer tye blocks, down to the jeer and back up through the other jeer tye block.  The line was threaded through all three jeer blocks until the  jeer tye block came up to the jeer block.  This gave me more room to attach the other tye block.  I passed the jeer tye back through the jeer blocks until the double blocks were level with each other. 

     
     
     
     
  8. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to tlevine in NRG Rigging Project by tlevine - FINISHED   
    Stirrups are lengths of tarred line attached to the yard with an eye-splice at one end.  The number and location vary based on the length of the yard.  On this model, the stirrups are located between the two buntline blocks and at the end of the stub yard.  The footropes (or horses) are also tarred and pass through the eye-splices in the stirrups.  They are fixed to the yard near the opposite clueline block and at the end of the yard.  The scale difference between the two ropes is slight enough that they were made from the same diameter line.  The stirrups wrap around the yard three times and extend three feet below the yard.  In practice, the free end of the stirrup would have been nailed to the back of the yard, but these were glued.  They hang behind the yard.  The picture shows the length of the stirrup relative to the yard.  To install the stirrups I marked their locations on the yard and removed the buntline blocks.  I made an eye splice on one end and wrapped the stirrup around the same diameter dowels three times.  The wraps were coated with dilute glue.  After they were dry I installed them and replaced the bunt blocks.

    The horses have an eye splice at one end just large enough to allow the line to pass through it, forming a loop.  The loop is tightened down around the yard just outside the opposite side cleat.  It then goes through the loops in the stirrups. 

    It can be difficult to get the horses to have a pleasing curve.  I shaped these by painting them with clear flat acrylic finish and letting it dry on plastic wrap.  The horses were left free at the end of the yard as they would have continued further along the yard.  The yard rigging is now finished. 

  9. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to tlevine in NRG Rigging Project by tlevine - FINISHED   
    Cleats are located outside both quarter blocks.  The length of the cleat is 125% the diameter of the yard.  The easiest way to make two identical cleats is to glue two pieces of the correct width wood together with PVA.  Shape them and then dissolve the bond in isopropanol.  The cleats were glued to the yard outside the quarter blocks. 
     
     
    There are three more blocks on each side of the yard: two buntline and one clueline.  These are  single blocks and are stropped just as was done with the quarter blocks except the strops are not served.  I used 3 mm single blocks for them.  Because these strops are not served, it was easier to make an eye-splice on each end to form the loops, just as was done for the futtock shrouds (minus the thimble).  As with the other blocks, the strop seizing is on the fore side of the yard.  The buntline blocks point skyward and the clueline blocks downward, as seen below.

    I have temporarily inserted the pin connecting the mast and yard.  The pin passes between the turns of the double strop of the jeer block.

  10. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to Jack12477 in US Constellation 1798 by Jack12477 - Artesania Latina - 1:85   
    Hmm ! Over a year now since my last post! I'm still here, model too, just got bored with it and decided to try some plastic kits as a change of pace.  As MacArthur said at Corregidor "I shall return!" 
  11. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to tlevine in NRG Rigging Project by tlevine - FINISHED   
    For anybody interested, the kit is now available through the NRG store.  https://thenrgstore.org/collections/plans-and-projects/products/masting-and-rigging-kit
     
    The jeers are the pulley system used to raise and lower the lower yard.  This ship has three jeer blocks, one attached to the lower yard and two others suspended by strops from the masthead.  These blocks are not included in the kit.  They are large enough that they are not difficult to make.  The jeer tye runs through the blocks.  The tye is a 6” rope with a scale diameter of 0.04”; the opening for the sheave is just large enough to allow the rope to run through it.
     
    Look at the block proportion drawing.  The sheave opening width is “1” on the drawing.  The length of the block is 8, the width is 4, and the breadth is 6.  The sheave opening length is 5.5 times the sheave opening width.  It is not centered in the block, as shown in the drawing.  The jeer blocks have a double strop, so the blocks will need two grooves on their sides instead of just one.

     
    To make the three blocks, I took a piece of boxwood a little larger than required and sanded the sides to the correct width and breadth.  Sanding instead of sawing prevented any burn marks on the wood.  The tops and bottoms of the three blocks, the sheave opening and the strop grooves were drawn onto the wood.  A  space was left between the blocks to make shaping the bottom of the blocks easier.  These blocks will have a false sheave and the sheave bolt is omitted because it is hidden by the strop.
     
    I started with the sheave opening.  A 0.045” opening corresponds to a #57 drill bit.  I drilled the holes for all three blocks at the same time.  I used a drill press but this could be done with a pin vise.  The key is to keep the drill bit exactly at 90 degrees to the wood strip.  If you do not have a drill press, I would suggest drilling shallow holes from each side and having them meet in the middle.  This is what happens if your angle is slightly off and you drill through from one side.

    A #11 blade was used to score the block along the pencil lines between the two holes and using a combination of files and #11 blade, the area between the score marks was shaped to simulate the sheave.  Two shallow cuts were made all around both ends of the blocks and halfway between them.  Using a V-shaped chisel, the strop grooves were cut.  The halfway cuts acted as a stop to prevent from cutting into the next block. 
     
    With a sanding stick, the upper part of the block was shaped on all four sides.  I removed most of the wood between the saw cuts and start shaping the bottom of the block.  Finally, the block was cut free from the strip and the lower edge was shaped. 
     
    The jeer block is located in the center of the yard.  The double strop for the jeer block is made from served 5” rope.  Just like the quarter blocks, the jeer block is not centered on the strop, but at the 1/3 mark.  The strop eyes are located on the fore side of the yard and secured with a seizing.

     
    I made a template for the strop from a scrap piece of rope following the instructions below.  It took a few trials to get the correct length.  Once I was satisfied, the strop splice was unglued and the total length required was measured.  The pictures look somewhat crude but consider that the entire strop is less than 1.5” long.  These pictures are enlarged so that you can see the process.  I served a piece of rope, leaving extra unserved rope and serving thread for the splice.  The two ends were untwisted to make the splice.  This was glued and, when dry, served over with the extra serving thread.  Eyes were formed at both ends of the strop.
     
    The block was positioned on the strop and seized so that one leg was twice as long as the other.  The splice is on the side of the block, where it will be less noticeable.

     
    The arms were wrapped around the yard and the two loops were seized together.  These pictures show both sides of the yard.  The seizing is on the fore side. 
     
     

  12. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to tlevine in NRG Rigging Project by tlevine - FINISHED   
    The lower yard is specified on the plans as 41.5 feet long, with a centerline diameter of 9.2”.  Just like the mast, the yard is divided into quarters.  There are four quarters on either side of the centerline.  The two center quarters are octagonal and the yard tapers from 9.2” to 7.8” at the end of the second quarter.  Because this is a desktop model, I did not want the yard to extend beyond the side of the hull and made only the middle twenty-five feet.
    To make the yard, I started just like the mast, marking the dimensions on all four sides of the dowel.  Because this is such a short piece of wood, a template was not necessary.  The center octagonal section was made first.  Then I wrapped tape around the center quarters to protect them and tapered the outer part of the yards.  Finally, I rounded the tapered portions with sandpaper.  The drawing illustrates the dimensions.

     
    A pin was placed in the center point of the yard to secure it to the mast.  The yard sits at the level of the futtock stave so I drilled a corresponding hole in the mast.  You can see the mast hole location in the picture in the previous post, just above the uppermost woolding.
    Nine blocks were installed on the yard.  The jeer block is part of a pulley system to raise the yard.  Its configuration changed several times in the eighteenth century and varied with different sized ships.  This configuration is appropriate for a ship smaller than 28 guns in the last quarter of the 18th century.  Quarter blocks carry the topsail sheet falls.  Clew lines run from the corner of the lower sails (the clews) through the clew blocks.  The buntlines raise the foot of the sail for furling and run through the bunt blocks.   

     
    The quarter blocks were installed first.  The kit will include 5 mm blocks; mine were slightly larger to be the correct length of 5.2 mm.  These blocks are stropped with served line.  This is my technique.  Serve a piece of line that you think will be the right length; on my model this was 1.6”.  This is running rigging so the serving thread is natural color.  I used Gutterman sewing thread.  Leave a long tail of serving thread on either end.

    The first step was to make a loop at one end.  Untwist a short segment of rope next to the end of the serving on one side and cut the untwisted threads at a 45-degree angle to decrease the bulk.  Form a loop, with the untwisted threads laying alongside the served part of the rope.  With the tail of serving thread, wrap the untwisted threads and previously served line.  In actual practice, the untwisted line would be laced into unserved rope and then the service would continue along the loop, terminating at the throat of the loop.  Temporarily seize the block and measure how long the strop should be by wrapping it around the yard.  The loop ends do not meet; a seizing will run between the loops to secure it to the yard.  Make a kink in the rope to mark the spot.  Remove the block and make the second loop the same way.  Measure the length of the finished strop so you know how long to make the strop for the other side.
     
    Reinsert the block and secure it with a throat seizing.  The seizing is located on the fore side of the mast and the block hangs below the mast.  This picture incorrectly shows the legs the same length.  Finally, the strop was wrapped around the yard and the two loops were seized together.
     
     
  13. Like
    _SalD_ got a reaction from Ian_Grant in USCG Harriet Lane by _SalD_ - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:96   
    Hello all, just a little update.  I’m back up in Connecticut but the shipyard has been commissioned by my wife and daughter for wedding preparations.   My daughter will be getting married this coming September and the wife being frugal as always has voluntary me to make all the table center pieces.  Therefore the shipyard will be shut down for a bit longer. Not that I mind, looking forward to the wedding.
     
    Air brushed flowers

  14. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to RGL in The War Trophy by RGL - FINISHED - diorama with Fowler D6 steam tractor (DModels) and Krupp 21 cm Mörser (Takom) - PLASTIC   
    I think that’s my civilians done for now. I’ll obviously have to change some dirt tones later when I place them in a base 




  15. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to dafi in HMS Victory by dafi - Heller - PLASTIC - To Victory and beyond ...   
    The best parties always take place in the kitchen.

    First of all, of course, we need the kitchen worktop. Coincidentally, one of the prints I had made for the Revell Constitition fits like a glove, no wonder, almost the same scale and the design was based anyway on the design of the British 😉

    Anyway, the kitchen and hearth are only worth as much as the life that takes place there.



    The first three men assigned to kitchen duty were quickly pressed. Frederick Bush, the 24-year-old, hunky German is fetching firewood, Irishman Thomas Foley, at 47 one of the oldest crew members on board, will be working on a meat-like structure and Hans Yaul from Switzerland will be chasing the protein-rich maggots out of the cheese with his big knife.

    Number 4 was more of a challenge. It's always nice when the kits come with little men, but they're usually not the right kind of hands-on character. Here on the right is a sailor from the Constitution kit.



    Any sailor would immediately fall over on land with his legs in a row like this, so I first changed the leg position to a stable three-point position and also tilted the head slightly for the dynamics. After all, he should be fuelling the stove. However, the test position then showed a completely incorrect and far too static posture for this.

    So he bent his back and brought his second arm into a working position. Now he finally looks like somebody doing a job.



    Number 4 is alive 🙂

    I then used one of my misprints to prepare the wood filling. The grill at the front of the Brodie Stove has 3 sections, so apparently you can fire it in 3 sections depending on what capacity you need. This is also the log length that dear Frederick has in his arms at the moment.



    Afterwards, the lower decks are secured against falling objects with cotton wool pads ...



    ... and the grill is carfully loaded with firewood. We now know that our dear Lord of the Fire is 28-year-old James Caton from Brazil, with the logs that Frederik has placed in front of him and two bags of coals next to him for a nice, even heat.



    And here you can already see why I had to shorten the height of the Brodie Stove compared to the original drawings: of course it has to pass under the deck beam and the two lids at the top should still be accessible. That's why there is a gap of exactly one deck beam width between the chimney and the lids at the top. How these two boilers could be effectively operated and cleaned with this limited access is still beyond my understanding.

    Just like the automatic turning mechanism of the grill spit at the front. I know of English country houses that have a similar system, but there are usually much larger fires at work. The mechanics of the drive chain and the corresponding bearing of the spit are also not yet technically comprehensible to me in detail, even if they are based on identical plans in the NMM.

    Furthermore, you have to bear in mind that the whole stove in Portsmouth is only a replica based on the plan just mentioned. I think back then, the stove size and installation situation were customised for each ship. Whether this is all correct in the replica is therefore not known. And fortunately, the difference in height is no longer noticeable once installed in the model.

    And while we're on the subject of size and deck height, Frederick, with his height of 1.9 metres, which was unusual for the time but not uncommon, also has a problem here ...



    ... that standing is just about possible, but the next deck beam is already lurking for his head.



    So he was clever enough to adopt a slightly more stooped posture to wriggle himself past the firewood, the coal bags and the water barrels.

    In the small cooking chamber you can already see that with two people it's going to be a tight squeeze, especially if there's someone else working on the stove. I have deliberately avoided decorating the worktop like the breakfast buffet in Portsmouth, as everyone brings what they need for cooking from their mess and has to leave a clean worktop afterwards. After all, this is the only cooking area for 800+ crew members.

    And that's the end of the small picture in the picture, just a few more impressions 🙂











    Prost Mahlzeit,

    XXXDAn
  16. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to druxey in USCG Harriet Lane by _SalD_ - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:96   
    Well, that's an interesting change of pace! Thanks for the update.
  17. Like
    _SalD_ got a reaction from Jack12477 in USCG Harriet Lane by _SalD_ - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:96   
    Hello all, just a little update.  I’m back up in Connecticut but the shipyard has been commissioned by my wife and daughter for wedding preparations.   My daughter will be getting married this coming September and the wife being frugal as always has voluntary me to make all the table center pieces.  Therefore the shipyard will be shut down for a bit longer. Not that I mind, looking forward to the wedding.
     
    Air brushed flowers

  18. Like
    _SalD_ got a reaction from GrandpaPhil in USCG Harriet Lane by _SalD_ - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:96   
    Hello all, just a little update.  I’m back up in Connecticut but the shipyard has been commissioned by my wife and daughter for wedding preparations.   My daughter will be getting married this coming September and the wife being frugal as always has voluntary me to make all the table center pieces.  Therefore the shipyard will be shut down for a bit longer. Not that I mind, looking forward to the wedding.
     
    Air brushed flowers

  19. Like
    _SalD_ got a reaction from druxey in USCG Harriet Lane by _SalD_ - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:96   
    Hello all, just a little update.  I’m back up in Connecticut but the shipyard has been commissioned by my wife and daughter for wedding preparations.   My daughter will be getting married this coming September and the wife being frugal as always has voluntary me to make all the table center pieces.  Therefore the shipyard will be shut down for a bit longer. Not that I mind, looking forward to the wedding.
     
    Air brushed flowers

  20. Like
    _SalD_ got a reaction from trippwj in USCG Harriet Lane by _SalD_ - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:96   
    Hello all, just a little update.  I’m back up in Connecticut but the shipyard has been commissioned by my wife and daughter for wedding preparations.   My daughter will be getting married this coming September and the wife being frugal as always has voluntary me to make all the table center pieces.  Therefore the shipyard will be shut down for a bit longer. Not that I mind, looking forward to the wedding.
     
    Air brushed flowers

  21. Like
    _SalD_ got a reaction from Canute in USCG Harriet Lane by _SalD_ - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:96   
    Hello all, just a little update.  I’m back up in Connecticut but the shipyard has been commissioned by my wife and daughter for wedding preparations.   My daughter will be getting married this coming September and the wife being frugal as always has voluntary me to make all the table center pieces.  Therefore the shipyard will be shut down for a bit longer. Not that I mind, looking forward to the wedding.
     
    Air brushed flowers

  22. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to tlevine in NRG Rigging Project by tlevine - FINISHED   
    The futtock shrouds are attached to the futtock stave below and the futtock plate above.  An eye with a thimble is spliced into the upper end of the futtock shroud.  A double hook connects the shroud and the futtock plate. 
    To make the stropped thimble, I took some line and unfurl the end.   Using a blunt needle, I made an opening in the line approximately the circumference of the thimble away from where the unfurling stopped and fed the unfurled end through the opening.  Once the line has been passed through the opening, the opening will naturally retwist itself.  A piece of  brass tube (the thimble) was inserted into the eye and the splice was glued.  The thimble was blackened after it was stropped because handling would have caused the patina to rub off. 

    The brass tube is slightly wider than the diameter of the rope.  To keep the thimble from falling out of the splice, I placed it on an anvil and tapped each open end with a center punch.  This added a slight lip to the thimble. The double S-hooks are 1/8” long and were made from 24 g wire, using round-nose pliers.  The picture shows them attached to the futtock plates.

    The futtock shroud was attached to the futtock stave by wrapping around the stave and securing it to the lower shroud with two round seizings.  In the drawing, the futtock shroud is shown in red and the lower shroud in blue.  After they were installed four rows of ratlines were added.

      
  23. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to tlevine in NRG Rigging Project by tlevine - FINISHED   
    There are several holes in the top, which are marked in the picture below.  On the curved rim are eleven holes for the crow’s feet:  two between each slat and one through it.  There are three rectangular openings on each side rim for the futtock plates.  The four marks on the aft rim are for the railing stanchions.  Finally, there are four openings on either side of the center opening for the buntline and leechline blocks. 

    Futtock plates are the metal straps that surround the lower topmast deadeyes.  The topmast shrouds are two-thirds the size of the lower mast shouds.  The deadeyes are 3” thick and 6” in diameter.  The futtock plate is one-third the thickness of the deadeye and three times its diameter long.  At 1:48 scale, that would be .02” x 0.375”.  They were made from 22 gauge wire.
     
    The sequence of construction can be seen in the photo.  First, heat-soften the metal and wrap a piece around the deadeye.  Remove the deadeye and solder the ends of the two legs together.  Reinsert the deadeye to confirm the location of the throat and mark it with a Sharpie.  Determine the correct length for the plate by measuring 0.375” down from the throat and mark this measurement as well.  Remove the deadeye and  solder the legs together closer to the throat.  File the legs flat and cut the legs to the correct length.  Round off the end and drill a hole for a hook to insert into.  Pickle the plate and insert the deadeye.  Hammer or squeeze the legs of the futtock plate together for a snug fit and blacken. 

    The holes in the top were enlarged and the plates were temporarily inserted.

    Before the futtock shrouds can be installed, eight blocks must be stropped and installed on the undersurface of the top.  All my blocks are made of boxwood.  Blocks are not commercially available for all sizes.  For example, the quarter and truss pendant blocks should be 6.5 mm but the closest available block is only 5mm.  A good reason to learn how to make your own blocks!  The kit comes complete with all of the necessary blocks except the jeer blocks, which the modeler will learn how to make. 
     
    Determining the dimensions of blocks is not difficult; all you need to know is the size of the line that passes through it.  The width of the sheave opening is 116% the diameter of the line.  For simplicity, call that  “1”.  The relative dimensions are as seen in the drawing below.  The only difference between a single and a double or triple block is/are the spacers between the sheaves The size of the strop grooves on the sides of the block varied; the relative size of the strop decreased as the size of the block  increased.
      
     
    There are four leech line and four bunt line double blocks mounted under the top.  The bunt line blocks are closer to the center opening and the leech line blocks are closer to the rim.  The difference in the size of the blocks is small, so the kit will use the same size blocks for both.  They are secured to the top with a strop and peg.  To make the strop, I took a piece of 1” rope and untwisted both ends.  I cut across each untwisted end diagonally to decrease the thickness of the splice, wrapped the two ends together and glued the splice.  A simple knot was placed over the splice.  The block was inserted into the strop and secured with a throat seizing, hiding the splice.
     
    The openings in the top were enlarged with a #11 blade, working from both sides of the top.  A thread was passed through the strop loop and both ends of the thread were inserted through the under surface of the top, pulling the strop through the top.  Wood pegs were used to hold the strops in place.  The futtock plates were inserted through the openings in the rim.


  24. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to FreekS in HrMs O-13 by FreekS - 1:50 - RADIO - 1931-1940 - Last Dutch Sub “on eternal patrol”   
    The diveplanes, rudder and propshafts have been finished - meaning they are functional and firmly attached, but removable for further sanding and coating. 
    one very big risk is that I lack a flexible connection between motor and shafts - the prop - shaft - gearbox - motor turns easily but I’ll have to see if vibrations don’t cause problems.
    I’ve assembled the main control components, they slide onto 4 M3 wires to form the “techrack”. This assembly slides nicely into the PVC pipes that keep the water out. The home made bajonet needs some more thought - having only two bolts to connect the two halves of the boat means it rotates a bit too easily.
    ive now started on the sail - which will be built of 1mm boxwood on a frame - has some acute curves through. 
  25. Like
    _SalD_ reacted to tlevine in NRG Rigging Project by tlevine - FINISHED   
    I made the top by laminating two layers of 1/32” basswood sheeting, each at 90 degrees to each other.  The kit will have a plywood template to trace the shape onto the basswood.  This gave the correct thickness and added strength.  On a real ship, the top was made up from tongue and grooved wood slats.  I drew the edges of the slats onto the top with a #11 blade. 

    The top’s rim was made next.  I used template to trace the curved section onto sheet basswood.  The rim overlaps the edge of the top so draw another line onto the basswood 3.5” outwards from the first line.  I made a second template by outlining the top and drew another line 3.5” inwards from the edge of the template on the curved edge and both sides.  The template was trimmed at the inner line (see arrow below) and positioned on the basswood sheet 7” inwards from the first line.  This gave me the shape of the curved part of the rim.
      
    The rim was glued onto the top and weighted down until dry. 

    The front edge of the rim is raised.  I used a 3 mm chisel to remove one-third of the thickness of the rim.  If you do not have a chisel, you could use a sanding stick to shape the rim.  The inner edge of the rim was feathered so that only one-third the thickness was left where it met the top.

    The side pieces also they extend 3.5” beyond the edge of the top and their thickness tapers to one third the thickness on its inside edge.  Because this piece is straight and with the grain, the tapering was done before it was glued to the top.  When you turn the top upside down, you can see the overhanging edges fore and both sides.
      
    The top has multiple slats extending from the edge to the center opening.  The number depends on the size of the top.  I have penciled in the locations of the slats for this top (see two pictures down).  The slats that abut the curved portion of the rim have an unusual shape.  They are cut away to allow them to rest on top of the rim and tapered to a point as they approach the center opening.  Since they are all slightly different in shape, they were made individually.  The slat does not extend over the raised edge.  In the next picture I have incorrectly cut the side edges with a 45 degree bevel.  It should be a straight cut.  

    The side slats pass through openings cut into the rim, and taper towards the center opening.  I laminated six pieces of wood together and shaped them into a triangle.  The height of the slat is flush with the rim.  The slats were unglued, openings were cut into the rim and they were installed. 

    The aft slats are also triangular and extend to the edge of the top.  Lastly, a gunwale was glued on top of the aft slats and the side rim.  Take a look at this much later picture to see the relationships between the gunwale, side rim and aft slats. 


     
     
     
     
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