_SalD_

Really Amazing Glen, especially working tiny:-)

Cut 1mm lengths off toothpicks! 😬   Gives a sense of how tiny your boat really is. Great work as always.
 
It does look better with the deck lower down!

Who am I to argue with Pat.  A double tot of Bundy it is!!    
 
After my double tot (or was it a triple tot?), I made the mistake of scrutinizing my work and I did not like a couple of things.  First, the pola (deck) looked like it was sitting too high above the ka'ele's (hulls).  I know it's supposed to ride high enough to give plenty of clearance between it and the water, but it's a bit tall compared to the illustrations I've been using as a guide.   Second, I did not like the way I had squared off the Kūanuenue's (connecting ribs).  I thought they would look better with a smooth curve going from the edge of the pola to the ka'ele.    
 
So time to backtrack just a little.  In the pic below, the "before" Kūanuenue's are on the left and the "after" on the right.  We're only talking about 1mm of height shaved off, but I think it makes a difference and gives a better overall look to the boat (compare the 2nd pic below to the pic above Pat's post directly above).  I also went ahead and made a pair of mast steps.  Those are made out of macadamia nut wood. 


 
Next, I started thinking about the masts and sails, which also made me think about the rigging.  These boats did not have a lot of rigging, but the question I had looking at mine was where would the rigging be tied off (running rigging in particular)?  So I went back to my main illustration and found a small detail I had missed.  There are wooden protrusions which appear to be extensions of the wae's (the spreaders that look like seats).  The running rigging is attached to these.  
  
 
The next question was how to make and add these without messing anything else up.  The solution was toothpicks.  After staining, I cut slightly less than 1mm of the tip and then CA glued them on.  I think they ended up resembling an extension of the wae's poking thru the mo'o (gunwale).


 
This seemed like such a simple little boat when I started!!  😵😵😵
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Your Harriet Lane is really masterful.  I was glad to spot your build log before I started my kit.  I'm going to copper her bottom based on your example.  I'm going to build her armed as she was in late 1862 just before her capture at the Battle of Galveston, with a X inch Dahlgren on a pivot forward of the foremast and a 30lbr Parrott gun on her fore deck.  I look forward to watching your progress!

Part 2
 
Trying to follow all the Superdetails listed in the instructions I decided I would try making the heart blocks for the Inner fore topmast stay. Cutting out two circles from scrap wood and with a little drilling, sanding and filing (and cursing) I finally came up with two blocks I was happy with.

First block tied to the bowsprit.

Lashing the two blocks together.


Completed Inner fore topmast stay

Happy with the way it turned out.

Thank you rcmdrvr and thanks to everyone for all the likes.

Thank you rcmdrvr and thanks to everyone for all the likes.

Your work continues to impress!

'Seemed like the discs at the base of the masts would make better circular belaying pin racks than using wood, due to grain problems sometimes cropping up on small bits.  Of course, I could laminate veneers to get around this problem.  But what the builder used at the base of the masts project too far for what one might expect to see, and they are some sort of fiber or compound that has become age hardened.  The material looks like the stuff that used to go between flanges where a water pump was used on a hot water home heating system, and washers of the same stuff were used beneath metal washers to be sure the pressure was spread evenly over what could be a not fully flat or smooth surface.
 
  They also seemed to be stuck tight, but I figured with a little persuasion they might come off.
 

 
  A handy vise was used to support the washer (mostly) and a few judicious taps were to be applied.
 

 
  Sure enough, off popped the washer - which was marked, pricked and drilled for belaying pins ... shown below.
 

 
  Perhaps I'll turn a little ring for the base of the mast.  I'm really lucky the masts were able to be winkled loose - other wise I'd have to work around them (a pain) or perhaps cut them off and later splice new wood on (never quite as good as the original) - or use a brass collar between the bottom of the circular pin rail to the deck to conceal and strengthen the dry join - which would permit future disassembly.  Note to self:  rigging will secure the masts just fine, so do not glue any in place on future builds.
 
  The order of assembly is being thought over ... still no rush.  And I'm re-drawing my diagram of where all the anticipated lines will go - making such a plan will doubtless aid the process.  I'm favoring rigging from the 'inside out' as some have done, with ratlines being perhaps the last thing done.

Wow Glen, that is very nice work at any scale let alone at the eye-watering scale you are working with.  I think that deserves a double 'tot'.
 
cheers
 
Pat

Glad to have you on board for another ride into the great unknown, Grant!
 
A small update here (although not small in time spent, which was 3-4 hours of eye-crossing work).  I added a back rail and then lashing to all the places where the tiny stanchions contact the rail.  Almost made me want to go tie some ratlines.  Almost, but not quite!  😃 
 
The lashing is 136D 6/0W fly tying thread.

Moving right along the next few steps were pretty straight forward.
Sheerpoles were glued in place.

Main stay was served and installed around the masthead.....

....down to eyebolts on the deck

Fore stay was served and installed.  The futtock shrouds were also installed on the fore mast and I chose to make the these shrouds with 28 gauge wire glued to the crosstrees and set in a hole drilled in the mast.  I'm not sure I would recommend doing this and just use thread as called for in the instructions because keeping the wire straight proved to be a challenge. 

Wire futtock shroud 

Overall state of the rigging to date.

 
 
 
 

Thanks druxey.  I ended up redoing the lashing between the hearts because the first time i did it I tightened the stay so much I put a rather drastic sag in the fore stay.  oops!

Part 2
 
Trying to follow all the Superdetails listed in the instructions I decided I would try making the heart blocks for the Inner fore topmast stay. Cutting out two circles from scrap wood and with a little drilling, sanding and filing (and cursing) I finally came up with two blocks I was happy with.

First block tied to the bowsprit.

Lashing the two blocks together.


Completed Inner fore topmast stay

Happy with the way it turned out.

I’ve been a little delinquent in my postings so this will be a two part post which will be somewhat longer than my usual posts so I apologize in advance. 
 
Once all the lower rigging was completed and the futtock shrouds were installed the topmasts were mounted.

The Topmast shrouds were installed the same way the lower shrouds were except for the way the deadeyes were held in place.  These deadeyes were pinned to a piece of card stock that I had used for the lower shroud ratlines.  The line spacing on the card stock just happened to be at the right distance for the deadeye spacing.  After pinning the deadeyes to the card stock it was clamped to the crosstrees. The shrouds were then seized around the deadeye.

I should also mention here that I chose to use a smaller diameter (2.5mm) deadeye for the upper shrouds than the 3.5 mm diameter deadeye that was provided with the kit.  I just liked the looks of the smaller deadeye for the upper shrouds.  The lanyards were then reeved through the deadeyes and rattled up.

Completed shrouds.

The ratlines for the fore topmast shrouds were tied the same way the lower ratlines were done.


The Fore topmast backstays were added next. The deadeyes were tied to the stays the same way the lower shrouds were done using the twisted wire spacing guide.  Lanyards were then reeved through the deadeyes and tightened.

 

Part 2
 
Trying to follow all the Superdetails listed in the instructions I decided I would try making the heart blocks for the Inner fore topmast stay. Cutting out two circles from scrap wood and with a little drilling, sanding and filing (and cursing) I finally came up with two blocks I was happy with.

First block tied to the bowsprit.

Lashing the two blocks together.


Completed Inner fore topmast stay

Happy with the way it turned out.

Thanks druxey.  I ended up redoing the lashing between the hearts because the first time i did it I tightened the stay so much I put a rather drastic sag in the fore stay.  oops!

Thanks druxey.  I ended up redoing the lashing between the hearts because the first time i did it I tightened the stay so much I put a rather drastic sag in the fore stay.  oops!

Part 2
 
Trying to follow all the Superdetails listed in the instructions I decided I would try making the heart blocks for the Inner fore topmast stay. Cutting out two circles from scrap wood and with a little drilling, sanding and filing (and cursing) I finally came up with two blocks I was happy with.

First block tied to the bowsprit.

Lashing the two blocks together.


Completed Inner fore topmast stay

Happy with the way it turned out.

I’ve been a little delinquent in my postings so this will be a two part post which will be somewhat longer than my usual posts so I apologize in advance. 
 
Once all the lower rigging was completed and the futtock shrouds were installed the topmasts were mounted.

The Topmast shrouds were installed the same way the lower shrouds were except for the way the deadeyes were held in place.  These deadeyes were pinned to a piece of card stock that I had used for the lower shroud ratlines.  The line spacing on the card stock just happened to be at the right distance for the deadeye spacing.  After pinning the deadeyes to the card stock it was clamped to the crosstrees. The shrouds were then seized around the deadeye.

I should also mention here that I chose to use a smaller diameter (2.5mm) deadeye for the upper shrouds than the 3.5 mm diameter deadeye that was provided with the kit.  I just liked the looks of the smaller deadeye for the upper shrouds.  The lanyards were then reeved through the deadeyes and rattled up.

Completed shrouds.

The ratlines for the fore topmast shrouds were tied the same way the lower ratlines were done.


The Fore topmast backstays were added next. The deadeyes were tied to the stays the same way the lower shrouds were done using the twisted wire spacing guide.  Lanyards were then reeved through the deadeyes and tightened.

 

Part 2
 
Trying to follow all the Superdetails listed in the instructions I decided I would try making the heart blocks for the Inner fore topmast stay. Cutting out two circles from scrap wood and with a little drilling, sanding and filing (and cursing) I finally came up with two blocks I was happy with.

First block tied to the bowsprit.

Lashing the two blocks together.


Completed Inner fore topmast stay

Happy with the way it turned out.

Well done, Sal!

Part 2
 
Trying to follow all the Superdetails listed in the instructions I decided I would try making the heart blocks for the Inner fore topmast stay. Cutting out two circles from scrap wood and with a little drilling, sanding and filing (and cursing) I finally came up with two blocks I was happy with.

First block tied to the bowsprit.

Lashing the two blocks together.


Completed Inner fore topmast stay

Happy with the way it turned out.

So the cabin was cleaned up, things re-glued and touched up with some acrylic paint.  Then it was CA'd in place and firmly fixed - the idea being to pre-drill for the brass stanchions.  Shown below are examples of a stanchion, a tiny eye (intended for jack rail installation) and a brass belaying pin of some age.  The pin is close to scale - representing about 2' ... perhaps a typical belaying pin is around 18".  The brass has a natural patina and will eventually be brown in color.
 
  Again, smaller scales will be henceforth 'right out' - although some are able to manipulate super tiny things ... they built Swiss watches, didn't they?
 

 
  After drilling stanchion holes, it occurred to me that the cabin on the original has 'grab bars' on the sides ...  dang, its going to be hard to install them with the cabin already fixed to the deck.  Once again, I didn't quite think everything through .. so step one was to mark the attachment points (such as they will be on this model) with mechanical pencil.  I started to measure the places, but ended up doing it 'by eye'.  Then bent pliers were used to push a straight pin (but bent, due to the odd angle) into the wooden cabin for the brass eyes.
 
 

 
  Next came hand drilling with a pin drill, also bending the fine drill (but not enough to break it) a bit to deepen the starter hole.  This is painstaking, so rather than had all the stanchion holes (shown later) by hand, I used a rotary tool.  Still, one has to be careful not to snap a drill.
  
 
  A small dab of old Gel CA was put on a pair of attachment points.  The advantage of using 'old' gel CA is that it takes longer to set-up, thus allowing time to fiddle and drop stuff, reposition, try again ... the picture is 'upside down' because I'm working that way with the hull in my lap.  Like what was said in Pirates of the Caribbean, "Down is up."

 
 
  Now getting the second eye on was a pain.  When the rail is to be placed on a corner, the eyes can be installed first, then the rail slid in and cut to length.  Here the panels on the cabin sides (as built and re-glued in place) limit sideways rail movement.  I suppose I could have left the eyes 'proud' of the panels, slid the wire in, cut, the push everything down.  But I didn't think of that at the time.
 
  Fiddling these small bits in a tight place produced a fair share of 'dang its' and gol-darn sumb-witches ... to be expected.  What Ben Franklin said about getting a Constitution through Congress (comparing it to bringing a child into the world) might be applied to model ship building ... "half improvise and half compromise".
 
  Next more old CA was applied - in this case (with one hand holding the camera and the other trying to keep the glue bottle steady) there is too much on the joint - so he excess had to be wiped away with a bit of absorbent material.

 
  Now a dental tool applies a bit of accelerator (the tool was dipped into a small amount of it in a nearby cup).  and BAM everything locked-up nicely.  I suppose new gel CA would not have as much working time ... so just let a bottle set on the shelf for a year (like I did) and its still quite useable by this technique.

 
 
  Now a right-side up view of how things are coming along.  The next consideration is the ladders to go from the weather deck to the forecastle (same astern).  The model being restored has flimsy rubber ladders that are not at all satisfactory.  I'm going to have to build my own using material from a parts kit on hand.  I'll have to figure out how railings will be done.  Once the first ladder is figured out, the other three will be done in the same way.  There is also some re-thinking of where all the lines will have to be routed and belayed ... that will be done much later on.

 
 
 
 

First Major Re-Do:
 
While reading ahead in the instruction booklet on installing the ‘jib stay’ and ‘outer fore topmast stay’ I realized that I installed the starboard side martingale stays in the wrong place.  I installed both the port side and starboard side stays at the same location on the jib boom (outer end).  You can see this in my post #86, picture #6.  I thought about just changing out the starboard side stay but since all the bow sprit rigging was done with the rope that came with the kit (brown) and all the rest of the rigging done after that (shrouds, main stay & fore stay) was done with non-kit rope (black) I decided to change out all the bow sprit rigging to black rope.
 
Cutting all the lines

All the lines were redone as before with black rope and now in their correct position.