Capt.Bob

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 239 – Revisions - Spencer and Headsail Rigging
 
The running rigging described in the last two parts has been revised.  In the case of the spencer gaff the fall of the vang was obstructed by the outer boats on the skid beams.  To correct this, I added lead blocks to the forward topmast backstay and led the fall down to its pin through a fairlead on that stay.  The first picture shows the original configuration on the port side and the revision on the starboard side.
 

 
The revised rig retains the same eyebolt for the standing leg of the vang, which then passes through the block on the shortened pendant, then through the lead block and a fairlead, both on the forward topmast stay.  The fall then belays on the same pin as before.  The next picture shows the starboard lead block and fairlead.
 

 
The old rope coils and belaying were removed as shown in the next picture.
 

 
A cotton swab soaked in isopropanol was laid on the rope for a few minutes to soften the wood glue. The rope was then easily removed.
 
The other revision involved the halyards on the three headsails.  I initially considered three typical configurations for these – no blocks, a single block whip from the deck, and a single block at the head of the sail.  I installed the first, simplest method as described in Part 238.  Shortly after installing these, I thought more about this and was concerned about no mechanical advantage on these rather large sails.  In checking (belatedly) the 1870's photo of the ship in New York, the blocks at the lower ends of the stays are clearly visible.  So, that configuration has now been installed on all three stays.  The foot of the topmast stay is shown in the next picture after revision.

This may be compared with the first photo in Part 238.  The revised lower rigging of the outer jib halyard is shown in the next picture.
 

To avoid re-rigging the downhaulers, the lower blocks were strapped to the shackle in place – a most difficult task, especially with shaky hands. The shackle eye was tied first, then the splice at the base of the block.  The inner jib stay at the left of the picture has not yet been converted. 
 
The upper ends of the stays are shown in the next picture with the standing ends of the halyards tied to the stays.
 

The last picture shows all three halyards converted.
 

So, we are now back on track after a short detour.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 238 – Head Sails Running Rigging
 
Each of the three stays described in Part 235 carries a triangular headsail.  Each of these sails is rigged with three lines of running rigging – a halyard to raise the head of the sail along the stay, a downhaul to bring the head down, and a double sheet to restrain the clew of the sail on the windward side.  When bent to the stay, the tack at the lower end of the sail is tied off low on the stay.  Then as the luff of the sail along the stay is secured with rope "hanks" the halyard is hauled up to raise the sail along the stay.  Both the halyard and the downhaul are shackled to the sails head cringle.  On the "unsailed" model, the halyard and downhaul eye splices are secured to the shackle, which is "stopped" to the lower end of the stay with a short length of rope as shown in the first picture at the base of the topmast stay.
 

 
In the picture the smaller downhaul is led down and through a single block back to its belaying point on the forecastle.  The next picture shows the lower ends of the inner and outer jib stays rigged in this manner.
 

 
The downhauls and halyards for the topmast staysail and outer jib lead back on the starboard side and those for the inner jib are rigged on the port side.  The next picture shows the three halyards where they pass through blocks hooked under the topmast trestletrees.
 

 
The lines lead down through fairleads in the top to the fife rails below.  The next picture shows the block arrangement at the topmast head, a double block on the starboard side for the staysail and outer jib halyards and a single block on the port side for the inner jib halyard.
 

 
The next picture shows the staysail and outer jib halyards belayed on the fore mast fife rail.
 

 
As will be seen in the next picture, the rope coils on the rails are quite small because the halyards are fully overhauled along the stay when there are no sails.
 

 
The next picture shows the belayed inner jib halyard on the port side.
 

 
Conversely, most of the downhauls must be coiled at the belaying points so sufficient line will be available to run up to the head of the sails when they are hauled up to the tops of the stays, so the three large coils in the next picture contain sufficient line for that.
 

 
Finally, the sheets – a pair for each sail.  These are shackled to eyebolts on either side of the forecastle, run through bullet blocks at the ends of a double pendant shackled to the clue of each sail, and belay on cleats on the forecastle breast beam.  One side or the other is used, with the lee side slack.  On the unsailed model, I have omitted the pendants and intend to coil each sheet adjacent to its eyebolt as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The picture shows the starboard sheet for the topmast staysail secured to its eyebolt.  When passed through the pendant block on this side, this line would be belayed on the innermost cleat on the breast beam. Eyebolts for the other head sails are arranged to the left on the rail, astride the mooring cleat.
 
Ed
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 237 – Fore Spencer Gaff
 
The term "spencer" describes gaffs rigged on masts with square sails – except for the spanker gaff at the mizzen.  They were used to support fore and aft sails that were occasionally used, or sometimes to suspend pennants to keep them out of the other rigging.  The fore spencer gaff is shown in the first picture.
 

 
The gaff is a small, very simple spar attached to the mast with a gooseneck/eye fitting.  Stops for the standing lift are roughly centered on the spar as shown in the picture.  The upper end of the lift has an eye splice shackled to the eyebolt in the top.  A stop cut into the end of the spar will take a doubled "vang" pendant pair with a single block spliced into each end.  The long pendants may be seen in the next picture.
 

 
Each vang pendant is attached to a simple whip, with the standing end seized to an eyebolt on the main rail.  The fall is belayed nearby on the main pin rail.  In the picture the falls are temporarily clamped to center the gaff.  The next picture shows them belayed to the main pin rails port and starboard.
 

 
The limited required movement of the gaff requires a relatively short fall, so the coil of rope shown in the next picture is fairly small.
 

 
The masking tape shown over the open beams, does not do a lot for the photographs, but my sanity demands it.  I finally acquiesced to this after yet another part dropped into the hold and could not be retrieved.  While it is relatively easy to blow out small bits of thread, the main mast fid did not respond to this.
 
Finally, a test for clearance around the outboard boats is shown in the next picture. 
 

 
I need to think about this and decide if a lead block would be appropriate for this relatively small line, perhaps on one of the backstays.  I love rework.
 
Ed
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 236 – Fish Tackle
 
The fish tackle is a triple purchase tackle suspended by a hook from the pendant described in an earlier post.  A second, large hook is fastened to the lower block of the tackle.   The purpose of this gear is to lift the anchors to stow them on the forecastle or to move them to the catheads.  The required weight of anchor for a ship of Young America's tonnage would be about 5000 pounds, so even with the mechanical advantage of 6 of the triple tackle, several hundred pounds of force had to be applied to the lift – unless another tackle was added to the fall.  The first picture shows the large bottom hook and the 12" double lower block of the tackle.
 

 
I still have quite a few blocks left over from the 1:96 Victory model, so with some re-scaling I have not yet had to make any.  There will be plenty of that later.  The next picture shows the  lower block strapped to the hook and being secured to the tackle rope with two seizings.
 

 
The tackle fall is a 3½" rope spun to the ~1" (.016") diameter from 2 strands of No. 60 Crocheting cotton and dyed with non-fading natural walnut extract stain.  The small seizings are simply an overhand knot – pulled tight, wet with glue, and the ends sliced off later.  The next picture shows the other hook being strapped to the upper 12" triple block.
 

 
The block is held in a surgical clamp in a bench vise for this.  For this small strapping a single overhand knot simulates the eye seizing at the hook and another overhand knot serves for the splice of the strap under the block as shown in the next picture.
 

 
Dilute, darkened glue is applied to the splice to fix it. The excess thread is then sliced off.   In the next picture the tackle has been rigged.
 

 
The upper block is hooked to the pendant and the lower end is hooked over a leg the forestay.  The fall is belayed and draped for convenience over the forecastle rail – one possible configuration.  The next picture shows a closer view.
 

 
The coil of rope was made separately from a length of line that would be sufficient in using the tackle.  Every foot of lift would require hauling six feet of rope. The line was coiled around a dowel, wetted with diluted glue, shaped and allowed to partially dry before mounting.
 
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 235 – Fore Topmast Stays
 
There are three forward stays from the topmast head to the bowsprit – the topmast stay proper, the inner jib stay, and the outer jib stay.  The first is the primary structural stay, consisting of a doubled 9" rope looped over the over the shrouds and backstays at the topmast head, then down and under opposite sides of the bowsprit with the ends brought up and seized to the opposite leg.  The two lines are brought together to form a collar below the crosstrees and also at the bottom above the seizings.  The collar is served and leathered and the lower ends are served on both legs up to the seizings.  The first picture shows this stay placed over the masthead after the tissue leathering was glued to it.
 

 
The collar is clamped where it will be seized together and the glue on the leathering was left to dry in this shape.  I used straight PVA white glue for this so when dry the collar will still be flexible.  In the next picture, the two legs of the stay have been passed under the bowsprit, in position for seizing.
 

 
The next picture shows a closer view of the lower area.
 

The two legs do not cross under the bowsprit, so one short leg is seized above the stay and the other below. In the next picture, three seizings have been put on each side and the two legs have been seized together at the top of the served areas.
 

 
Excess seizing thread and stay rope have yet to be trimmed off.  Brushing the seizings and the stay where the ends will be clipped with darkened wood glue will seal the serving and the seizing knots so the excess can be trimmed off.
 
 In the next picture the inner and outer jib stays have been served, leathered and put over the masthead and are clamped where the collars will be seized.
 

 
The leather is simulated on the glued-on tissue strips using acrylic artist's color.  The lower ends of these two stays are shown in the next picture. 
 

 
These each pass through sheaves in the bowsprit, under upper cleats on the martingale and are shackled to eyebolts on the hull – the inner jib stay on the starboard side and the outer on the port side.  After seizing the upper collars, they were pulled taut through the hull shackles and seized.  These stays are served from above the sheaves to their ends at the side.  The inner jib stay attachment is shown in the next picture.
 
 
 The stay is seized to a shackle fabricated with its eyebolt before insertion into the hull. 
 
These last two pictures and the next were taken after installing the fish tackle and some of the jib/staysail running rigging, so some of this appears in the pictures.  Each of these three stays carries a head sail.  This work will be described in later posts.  The last picture shows the ship with all the forward topmast stays rigged.
 
 
 
 
Ed
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 234 – Fore Topmast Backstays
 
The four topmast backstays are the same size rope as the lower shrouds, 10½", so the deadeyes and lanyards are also the same sizes.  In the first picture, the forward backstay on the port side has its deadeye clamped for turning in.
 

The lanyards are longer for the backstays than for the shrouds, based on photos of the ship, probably to allow more length for tension adjustment of these longer lines.  The next picture shows this deadeye turned in with a throat seizing as described earlier.
 

The short leg has been turned up and clamped so the two additional round seizings may be added.  In the next picture the aft backstay deadeye height is being set to match the forward stay.
 

In the next picture the lanyards have been threaded and given an initial tension.  Final tensioning of all the topmast shrouds and backstays will await the installation of the forward topmast stays.
 

The last picture shows the model after rigging the topmast backstays.
 

The excess stay length on the starboard are not yet trimmed off.  In the next part the topmast forward stays will be described.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 233 – Fore Topmast Shrouds
 
In the first picture the three deadeyes for the starboard side have been mounted on a piece of thin clear plastic film and this has been secured to the lower deadeyes at the rim of the top.  The somewhat flexible film was used to match the curve of the rim, but this was not really necessary.  The fixture is mainly used to align the top deadeyes but is also helps in the "turning in."
 

 
The three deadeyes have been secured with seizings but the excess thread ends and the excess shroud ends still have to be trimmed off.  The next picture shows the three starboard shrouds secured with their 3" lanyards.
 

 
The lanyards still have to be tensioned and the excess ends wound around the shrouds, but this will wait until the forward topmast stays and the backstays are installed so that all can be tensioned together.  The next picture shows one of the deadeyes on the port side being turned in with the first seizing being tied.
 

 
In the picture a clamp secures the shroud in the groove of the deadeye and another holds the short leg horizontal and tight.  A curved needle is being used to help make the throat seizing that was used just above each deadeye.  In this type of seizing the thread is wrapped over the crossing of the shroud, so the needle is passing through the opening above the deadeye under the front horizontal leg and behind the vertical leg.  This is then repeated and the last pass secured with a clove type finish.  The short end of the shroud is then brought up to vertical and secured to the shroud with two more round seizings on the parallel legs.  The next picture shows all six shrouds secured to the top.
 

 
Finally, a picture of the model with the topmast shrouds and backstays secured.
 
 
 
The fish tackle pendant is still temporarily tied off at its lower end.  The backstays will be described in the next part.
 
 
Ed

This model of a mast rig stepping a mast helps the mind grapple with the sheer will perpetuated by these men who did great construction feats with what they had, and they did wonders.... IMHV
 
Though not an exact replica of what happened this demonstrates the idea
 
Rob

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 232 – Fore Topmast Crosstrees 3
 
The first picture shows one of the fore topgallant futtock shrouds being lashed to the band below the fore topmast crosstrees. 
 

 
Although they are fitted to the topmast, these shrouds are part of the topgallant shrouds above – hence the somewhat confusing naming.  Each lashing is first tied to the eye, then passed through the eyebolt and eye three times, and then wrapped around itself in the center with a series of clove hitches.  The clove hitches are an effective way to do this on these small lashings – and easier than wrapping a lot of turns while trying to keep the lashing from rotating while still making the turns tight.  The difference is virtually undetectable on these small black lashings.  The next picture shows the four futtock shrouds lashed in place.
 

 
 
With these installed the topmast may be permanently fitted.  The next picture shows the lower end of the installed mast.
 

 
The mast fid is down on the iron plates and a filler piece has been fitted at the forward face to fix the bottom and keep the mast aligned.  Although not strictly necessary, the mast was glued at this point and at the cap.
 
The first piece of rigging to go over the mast is the fish tackle pendant.  This long pendant was used to suspend the triple purchase tackle that was used to lift and handle the anchors.  The pendant is therefore a heavy 8" rope.  It is served around the seized masthead collar.  The lower end has an eye splice with a thimble at its foot
 

 
 The large upper block of the tackle will be hooked through this thimble.  In the picture the pendant is temporarily held taught by some black thread.
 
After the fish tackle, the topmast shrouds are put over the masthead.  In the next picture the shrouds have been placed and held at the foretop with clamps.
 
 

As with the lower shrouds the forward shrouds are fully served.  Serving on the others extends around the mast to just below the futtock shrouds.  The two forward shrouds are a single line that loops over the mast and is seized below the bolsters.  The aft shrouds are single, with a single eye splice served down to the futtock shrouds.  All these collars and eyes are parceled down to the seizings.  The next picture shows a closer view of this.
 

 
Next to go over are the topmast backstays, a pair on each side.  The collars of these are also served and parceled down to the collar seizings.  They are clamped at the channels in the next picture.
 

 
These are large 10½" lines, a looped pair on each side.  The last picture shows the parceling of these before the parceling is "tarred" with black artist's acrylic paint.
 

 
They were removed for this painting after tying the seizings.  With all these lines secured at the top, the next step is to fix them to their deadeyes at the lower ends.
 
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 231 – Fore Topmast Crosstrees 2
 
After the last post, I explained the drawing revisions at the foot of the fore topmast, specifically the dimensioning of the square heeling.  The first picture shows this part of the mast positioned on the trestle trees of the fore top. 
 

 
The bottom of the topmast is about 1" lower than the lower faces of the 18" deep trestle trees when the fid is down on the top faces.  The height of the sheave is not a critical dimension, but must be above the square section so the hoisting line will pass inside the square opening when the mast is raised.  One of the eyebolts on the underside of the cap would have been used to support the lifting tackle.
 
In the next picture the crosstrees have been permanently attached to the mast and the four deadeyes for the topgallant shrouds have been fitted but not yet blackened.
 

 
These 8" deadeyes will secure the 5" shrouds above and the same-sized topgallant futtock shrouds below.  The naming of these futtock shrouds that are installed as part of the topmast is a constant source of confusion to me, but I think I have finally cemented it into my mind.  In the next picture the deadeye straps have been blackened and the masthead has been fitted with its trim.
 

 
The battens are very small and will be covered by the rigging collars.  The cleats on either side will support a bullseye for the main royal stay.  Before installing the topmast, the topgallant futtock shrouds were installed.  As with those under the top, these are hooked through the deadeye straps at the top and lashed to eyebolts in the futtock band at their feet.  I have attached some pictures showing the method I am using to form the eye splices in the served shrouds.  In the first picture a small hook has been formed and threaded with the served 5" line.
 

 
The serving at the end is kept from unraveling with a drop of CA.  I am trying to limit the use of CA to non-permanent applications like this - except for the attachment of metal parts, like eyebolts, to wood.  The line was then seized at the throat of the splice with fine cotton thread with a tight overhand knot.  In the next picture darkened wood glue has been applied in the area of the splice.
 

 
The glued area was first wetted to help the glue penetrate through the serving.  The glue joint was then clamped with the modified alligator clamp shown in the picture   The jaws of this clamp have been filled with epoxy sculpting material to form a round clamping hole shown between the jaws.  When the glue has dried the excess rope was cut from the joint with a sharp knife as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The cut is made to form the taper of the splice.  The purpose of the glue is only to hold the joint together to allow wrapping of serving down to the bottom of the splice.  The glued serving will hold the splice together.  The finished splice is shown in the next picture.
 

 
Finishing with a smoothly tapered splice at this scale can be a challenge, but after glue is applied to seal the added serving, some crimping may be done to eliminate bumps.  Removing the excess serving without leaving short stubs is also a challenge.  This is done after the glue dries.
 
In the next picture the hook has been blackened and temporarily fitted to its strap so the length to the eye at the other end may be measured as shown in the picture.
 

 
An eye is formed at the lower end by the same method but without the hook.  The lashing of these lower ends will be described in the next part.
 
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 230 – Fore Topmast Crosstrees
 
The topmast crosstrees are fairly simple structures – except for the iron spreader assembly that mounts fairleads for the backstays of the masts above.  In the first picture, the members of the wooden structure are shown fitted together but not yet trimmed to size.
 

 
The four athwartship members are set into mortises in the fore-and-aft trestle trees.  The drawing (almost complete) shows the arrangement of the spreader irons.  In the next picture the wood structure has been assembled, drilled for the deadeye straps, and the arms tapered.
 

 
The next picture shows the assembly positioned on the topmast.
 

 
In the next picture, one of the spreader arms has been roughly shaped and the second has been drilled before shaping.
 

 
The spreader structure was made from .020" hard copper plate for stiffness.  It will be very fragile nonetheless.  The assembly will be bolted to the crosstrees through the two forward holes (that do not yet appear on the drawing).  Holes drilled in the unshaped piece on the outer arm will help precisely locate the fairlead cleats.  The next picture shows some shaping of the cleats.
 

 
Before filing the final shapes, the profile was cut out with a jeweler's saw.  In the next picture, a drawing scrap is being used to place the arms and cross piece for soldering.
 

 
After pinning, the paper was removed and the two joints soldered with minimal heat to limit the softening of the copper strips.  In the next picture the spreader assembly has been cleaned up and bolted to the crosstrees.
 

 
The bolts are copper wire pushed through the holes and riveted.  The next picture shows the crosstrees assembly placed on the hounds.
 

 
The last step was to add the eyebolts on the underside of the structure.
 

 
In this picture the assembly has been permanently attached to the topmast.  I am hopeful that the fragile spreader structure will gain some support after the stays are rigged through the fairlead cleats.Further work may now proceed on the detailing of the topmast head and fitting deadeyes the the assembly.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 229 – Fore Topmast 2
 
The first stages in making the fore topmast were described in Part 226.  There are just a few details to be added in this part.  The first picture shows the lower sheave ready to be installed.
 

 
All slots through the mast were cut with a 1/32" milling cutter, so in most cases some enlargement is required to accommodate other parts.  Slight enlargement of this sheave opening was done with the small diamond grit file in the picture to widen the slot to a scale 3".  The 2½" thick sheave with a diameter equal to the mast at its position was turned in brass on the lathe.  This sheave was used to raise the mast by means of a tackle hooked to the foremast cap.  The sheave is angled on the mast so the that rope will clear the close, square opening in the fore top.  The next picture shows the topmast fid.
 

 
The dimensions of this substantial piece of iron may be seen in the photo.  The slot for this piece was also widened with a small file.  The next picture shows the lower end of the topmast temporarily in position.
 

 
In practice the topmast would be raised up through the opening in the top and through the cap from below.  The mast would then be fitted with the futtock band and the crosstrees.  On the model the topmast will be slipped through the cap only, then fitted with the upper details including futtock shrouds.  Then the whole assembly will be set in place from above.  Because the futtock band will not fit through the cap, it was installed after the cap was slipped over the mast.  The method for fixing the band is shown in the next picture.
 

 
The band is placed below the hounds, which flare out to seat the crosstrees, so it cannot be pre-made and slipped over.  The tab shown in the picture was crimped to hold the band and also to simulate the bolted, clamping flange that would have been used.  Obviously this piece could not be soldered.  The band will be fixed to its position when the four futtock shroud eyebolts are added through holes drilled in the band and into the mast.  The completed band and eyebolts are shown in the next picture.
 
The picture also shows the sheave for the upper topsail halyard tie installed, as well as the seat at the top of the hounds for the crosstrees.  Those crosstrees will be described in the next part.
 
Work on these mast parts has been interspersed with "rattling down" of the lower shrouds.  The last picture shows this work completed on the starboard side of the fore mast.
 

 
 
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 228 – Ratlines 2
 
While focusing mainly on the foretopmast after the bowsprit work, I have been taking "recreational" time outs to work on that favorite task of "rattling down".  I showed pictures in an earlier post of making up ratlines with their end eye splices and some of these lashed on to the shrouds.  The actual production work of installing ratlines has now begun.  It begins with the making and fitting of staves at intervals up the shrouds.  These are shown on the main mast in the first picture.
 

 
These staves are very prominent in one of the photos of the ship, spaced after every fourth shroud and extending over the full gang of six.  The ratlines span only the shrouds aft of the first.  The staves maintain spacing between shrouds.  On the model they help maintain this spacing and the straightness of the shrouds when tying off the ratlines.  The heights of the staves permit four ratlines spaced at 13" to be placed between them.  The next picture shows foremast staves partially lashed to the shrouds.
 

 
The sheer poles just above the deadeyes were served iron rods, 1" in diameter.  The staves were more likely wood, but since they would have been tarred, the model material does not really matter.  I made these of bamboo, drawn down to under 1½" diameter stained black with India ink.  As may be seen in the photos, the .020" bamboo rods are quite stiff and straight, much more rigid than wire.  The next picture shows a closer view of the stave/shroud lashings.
 

 
After tying, the lashing are wetted with diluted, darkened PVA glue.  The purpose of the glue is only to secure the knots and keep them from loosening.  PVA glue has the advantage of being easily softened with isopropanol if lashings need to be removed.  After the glue has completely dried, the loose ends were carefully cut off using a surgical scalpel.  The next picture shows ratlines lashed between the staves.
 

 
The 1½" ratlines are No. 80 crocheting cotton stained black with diluted India Ink.  The end splices on the left were pre-made, then lashed to the aft shroud.  Clove hitches were then tied on the next three shrouds.  Height spacing of the four ratlines between staves was then adjusted before applying any glue.  In the top tier in the picture the lashings on the right have been tied and glued with the ratlines pulled through and suspended temporarily as shown.  In the tier below each splice was made by passing the line through itself with a needle, pulled to the left, and glued.  The excess line was then cut off as shown in the lowest tier in the photo.  All this looks a lot better when the excess lashing ends are gone.
 
The last picture digresses a bit, but answered one of my nagging questions.  It shows the fore topmast positioned to be rigged through the top.
 
 
 
 
The topmast is longer than the height of the top, raising the question of whether it required a deck scuttle to be used to position it for raising.  I assumed not when framing the deck, so the positioning of the mast in this picture was a comforting relief to someone like me who worries about this stuff.  As will be seen shortly, the model mast will be installed from above after fitting to the top.
 
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 227 – Fore Mast Cap
 
The fore mast cap, like the bowsprit cap, was fairly easy to make because both holes in both caps were 18" square or round and this converts to a very convenient ¼" cutting tool size at 1:72 scale.  The other 8 caps to be made are not so convenient.  A process for making those will be described later.
 
The wood cap shown below was first bored for the two holes, accurately spaced.  The aft hole was then squared with files. 
 

 
The picture shows the straightened copper strip that will be used for the band around the cap.  This is large and heavy because it must support the lower topsail yard Howes truss.  The cap itself is shown with a strip of masking tape around it perimeter.  This served as a gauge for the length of copper strip needed for the band.  The tape was transferred to the bench so the copper strip could be marked out as shown in the next picture.
 

In the next picture the band has been silver soldered to form the band and that has been fit over the cap.

In the picture, two bits of telescoping copper tube are shown.  These were combined and soldered to form a heavy boss that was then soldered to the forward end of the cap as shown below.

The tubing boss was filed flat on one side to fit against the band as shown.  The band joint may also be seen in this picture.
 
The lower caps are each fitted with an iron bar with eyes at the ends.  These support double blocks that take the lower yard topping lifts.  To make this piece, the concave aft face was first filed out and the holes for the eyes and the mounting bolts center-marked as shown below.

 
After drilling the holes, the bar was filed to its final shape and polished as shown in the next picture.

 
This also shows the blackened cap band.  The topping lift blocks will be shackled to the eyes in the bar.  Again, because the shackles are soldered assemblies, this must be done before fitting the bar to the wood cap.  In the next picture a shackle has been soldered at one end of the bar.
 

 
With the shackle made, the blocks were fitted.  It is much (very much) easier to strap and attach the blocks on the bench, so these were installed next.  In the next picture, the bar is being bolted to the cap.
 

 
One of the copper "bolts" is being inserted through the bar and into an undersized hole in the wood cap.  These were then cut off just above the bar and riveted flat to hold the bar.  Bolts through the forward end of the band were also added on either side of the boss to keep the band in place under the weight of the yard.  Five eyebolts are also installed in the cap at this stage – four on the underside and one aft through the band. The bolt heads and the blackening that was scuffed during this work was then touched up with a brushing of liver of sulfur solution.  The finished cap, still wet from the solution is shown below.
 

 
In the last picture the cap is temporarily fitted to the masthead with the topmast.
 

 
The top of the lower mast head tenon has been filed flush.  Before the topmast and the cap is permanently installed further work on the mast is needed – futtock band, crosstrees, futtock shrouds, etc. -.  All this must be done with the mast inserted through the cap.
 
I omitted the 1" lining between mast and cap in favor of a tight, unglued fit for the topmast and to avoid the complication of the very thin lining.
 
 
Ed

Thanks for these comments and questions.
 
Alan,  below is a picture that I think shows what you want.
 

The grooves are simply v-grooves of a few different depths to accomodate different size of spar.  Dowel stubs are inserted at the end as stops.
 
Pat, this picture should help answer your question.  I apologize for the brief cryptic explanation of the curving of the bed, so I will expand a bit.  In the picture the center of the bed is being depressed by tightening one of the two screws placed on the center line of the bed for this purpose.  The picture shows one of the masts.  These masts have their maximum diameter at the partners and taper down in both directions in a curve.  Yards are similarly curved from the center to the ends.  Curving the bed of the fixture to roughly fit this curvature allows the spar to lay flat on it entire length so it does not rock when shaping.  This was the purpose of elevating the bed off the base that is held in the vise.  This curvature is not always needed, so to straighten the bed the screws are loosened.  However, after curving, the bed takes a set, so to return it to flat, a spacer is inserted under the center.  This spacer is the thickness of the end supports.  Note the screws at the end of the bed.  These hold down the ends when the spacer is forced in after loosening the screws.  
 
On the other fixture the cams are about 3" long with a 1 1/4" diameter at one end.  The screw is offset by about 1/4".  However, these are not perfect and I suggest some trial and error.  Also, the cams at their tightest point should just about touch.  Hope this helps.
 
Rob, I have seen caps on some models that were parallel to the tops, i.e. horizontal, but have my doubts that many tops were made this way.  This would require an angled mortise and tenon that would be difficult to make, would be much less strong, and would be more complicated to install.  Crothers shows caps in his book perpendicular to the mastheads, but but shows them two different ways (??) on his YA drawing made much earlier.  I have found other instances of Crothers updating his designs in the later book.  Builders schematic spar plans  sometimes show them horizontal.  A more authoritative reference is Fincham, 1843 Mastmaking.  This was a widely used source at the time and goes into extreme detail on how to make masts, etc.  Fincham was one of Crothers main sources for his book.  I have attached the relevant pages below.  You will see that the square hole is tapered just 3/4" bottom to top on the fore and side faces only (called strengthening down) with the aft face "is square or made perpendicular through to the underside."  You will find this on page 261 para 1.  P 263 describes fitting the masthead tenon.  I went with Fincham.
 
Rob, I will provide an overview of making the yards and the truss in a future post and will fully describe the process, including the "made" lower fore and main yards in the book, Volume III.
 
By the way, I have been encouraged by my publisher to mention that Volume II is available and selling well.  Comments from those who have received it have been very encouraging and gratifying.  Special thanks to all those happy customers.
 
Thanks for the questions, guys.
 
Ed
Fincham mastmaking 1843 mast caps.pdf

Thank you all for the comments and likes and for the continued interest in this project - now approaching its 4th year.  I seem to take mostly close-up pictures but here is one I took today of the full model in its dust case.  You will note construction not yet described in the posts.  Running a bit behind on the posts.
 

 
Below is a photo of the two fixtures I am using to hold larger spars.  The one with the cam levers is used to hold square straight of tapered pieces. The one above is used to pare off the corners to form octagons and to do final rounding.  It has various sizes of v-grooves along the top and dowel stops at one end of each groove.  They are very simple to make using scrap material.  The bases are 2x4 and 2x3 wood that can be held in my bench vise.  The working surfaces are 3/4" thick pine, supported at the ends, with screws in the center to curve the working surface so that curved spars like yards will lie flat.  Spacers are used to return the working surface to straight.  The cam shapes are thin plywood held by flat head screws.  The cam shapes and spacing require some trial and error to fit a range of sizes.
 

Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 226 – Fore Topmast 1
 
The fore topmast is only slightly less complex than the jibboom.  It has two sheaves, one below its cross-trees for the upper topsail halyard tie, and one near the base to aid in erecting the mast.  The base is square, the area below the hounds is octagonal and the minimum diameter of the spar is below the hounds so that the top of the hounds flare out to provide a seat for the cross-trees.
 
As with the jibboom, mortises for both sheaves and one at the base for the mast fid were milled into the still-squared, untapered "first trim."  In the jibboom post (Part 217), I mentioned using an edge-finer to center the mortises on the spar, rather than relying on pencil-marked center lines.  This method eliminates error inherent in visually using a marked line.  The edge finder that I used, set in the 3/8" Sherline mill holder, is shown in the first picture.

The finder is precisely 0.375" inches in diameter.  The lower section of the finder is offset from the center but moves freely in the radial direction.  The pointed section at the bottom is not used in this instance. 
 
The first step was to align the fixed jaw of the milling vise parallel to the mill's X-axis.  This was done using a dial test indicator mounted in the spindle as described in an earlier post.  The edge finder was then installed in the spindle and used to precisely locate the face of the fixed jaw of the vise relative to the spindle centerline.  The next picture shows this being done.

In the picture, the finder has been lowered so the bottom part is able to rub against the vise jaw.  With the mill running, the jaw is brought slowly into contact with the lower section of the finder.  As the vise is moved inward, the lower section of the finder becomes more centered.  When the jaw has reached the precise diameter of the finder shaft, the bottom section "kicks out" to the left as shown above.  The finder is then removed and the vise moved further inward by one-half the finder's diameter, 0.1875".  The spindle is thus centered precisely over the fixed vise-jaw face.
 
In the next picture, a 1/32" bit has been fitted into a chuck on the spindle and the vise advanced by one half of the actual diameter of the spar blank, bringing it precisely over the centerline of the spar.

For this very light work, the bit is held in a drill chuck.  Due to the size of the spar and the short length of the milling bit, the mortises must be cut from both sides, further heightening the need for accurate centering.  The less critical lengths of the mortises are set visually by lines marked on the spar.  I cut all the mortises with the bit shown, then enlarge to the final width later using small files.
 
The next picture shows the spar with two of the mortises cut.

 Because the lower sheave is set 45 degrees from the fore and aft slots and is located on the full-diameter, untampered lower end, this milling was later done by the same method after the octagonal shape was formed on the spar.  The next picture shows the rough tapering of the square blank using a cabinet scraper.

The area below the hounds is being tapered from both directions to the minimum mast diameter as shown below using a flat file.

In the next picture the mast has been fully shaped. 

The bottom is left square with chamfered corners, the hounds are left octagonal and the masthead is left square.  The final diameter of the lower section was refined to its final size using the mast cap as a gauge.  The last picture shows the topmast temporarily mounted on the lower mast.

As with the bowsprit cap, the mast cap shown here was easy to make because the lower masthead tenon and the diameter of the lower end of the topmast are 18", converting to a convenient ¼" drill size at 1:72.  Precision in mast cap dimensions is important so that the masts will be properly aligned.  For all the remaining caps, where the hole sizes are less convenient, a different process will be described later. 
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 225 – Bowsprit Standing Rigging
 
Foot Ropes/Lifelines
 
Footropes from the bowsprit cap out to the end of the flying jibboom allowed crew to work along the jibbooms on tasks like furling and bending outer jibs.  Because of the inclination of the bowsprit these ropes were knotted along their length to prevent slipping.  There was a single stirrup supporting the center of the foot rope.  The first picture shows a prefabricated, 3½" footrope ready to be installed. 
 

 
The forward end of the rope is eye spliced, as are both ends of the short stirrup.  Both these eyes have lashing thread tied to the eye.  The lower end remains unspliced.  The eye at this end will be formed with the rope in place so the length can be set.
 
In the next picture the port footrope and its stirrup have been lashed to eyebolts along the spar and the attachment to the cap is being formed.
 

 
The weight of the surgical clamp suspended from the center holds the stirrup straight so the foot rope length can be set.  The lashing thread at the cap is passed through the eyebolt and tied to the rope where the eye splice will be made.  The loose rope end is threaded through itself at that point to form the eye which is then glued.  The alligator clip is clamping the eye splice while the glue dries.  The lashing at the cap will then be completed.  The next picture shows an eye splice lashed to an eyebolt.
 

 
The next picture shows an all-too-typical tangle of clamps and thread ends during the process.
 

 
In this picture, lifelines from the knightheads out to an eye in the top of the cap band may be seen.  These are secured like the footropes with spliced eyes and lashings.
 
The last two pictures show the completed standing rigging of the bowsprit.
 

 
More standing rigging lines will be added later, but these will be components of the foremast structural rigging.  There will also be various running rigging lines added later – mostly those associated with jibs and staysails.
 

 
All of this bowsprit rigging could have been done before the lower masts, since with the fore stay attached to the knightheads, it is independent of those structures.  However, the bowsprit should be rigged before the fore topmast, so its stay can be secured and tensioned with the bowsprit rigging in place.
 
Next: the fore topmast.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 224 – Bowsprit Standing Rigging 3
 
Jib Boom Guys
 
The jibboom and flying jibboom guys provided lateral support for the outer bowsprit.  They are 5 ½" rope at the forward ends and 54 links per fathom (lpf) chain where they pass through the whisker booms and back to where they belay to hearts on the outer rail.  I used the smallest (40 lpi) model chain available for this size chain.  The first picture shows the port jibboom guy secured and the starboard guy draped through its whisker boom cleat. 
 

 
Loose ends of both the line and the seizing yarn may be seen in the picture.  The rope sections are seized at both ends – to eyes on the boom and to the chains.  The next picture shows a seizing being tied at a boom eyebolt.
 
 
 
The rope is held taut with the alligator clip shown in the picture.  After tying each seizing a drop of darkened glue is placed on the knot.  When this has fully dried the excess seizing thread and the excess line are clipped off.  Another drop of diluted glue is applied to further seal the knot and the cut rope end.  At this stage the line is given an initial tension using the heart lanyards.  The next picture shows both jibboom guys essentially installed.
 

 
The next picture shows the 40 lpi chain at the whisker boom. 
 

 
This picture tells me that the whisker boom needs straightening.  These have occasionally run afoul of my hands and arms.  They are very vulnerable to this.  Perhaps the chains will help.
 
Flying Jibboom Guys
 
The flying jibboom guys are lighter, 3¾" rope and 74 lpf chain.  Chain of this size is made by twisting copper wire.  Some of this, with shackles soldered to the ends, is shown below.
 
 
 
 
This picture illustrates some variation in the simulated links per inch – very difficult to discern by the naked eye.  The next picture shows the outer guy on the starboard side and the hearts and lanyards on both guys on that side.
 

 
The eyebolts are anchored in toptimbers, spaced to keep the two sets of hearts from fouling each other.  Again, the lanyards are left unseized until final tensioning later.  The paper toweling in the picture was used to catch drips of the liver of sulfur solution used to touch up the blacking on the chains.  The next picture shows the chain sections of the guys on the port side.
 

 
The next picture is an ultra-close up of the two rope/chain seizings.
 

 
All the line used so far on the model is linen dyed with India Ink, except for some of the lashings that are cotton.  The seizing thread is black quilting cotton.
 
The foot ropes and lifelines that will complete this phase of the bowsprit rigging will be covered in the next part.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 223 – Bowsprit Standing Rigging 2
 
Martingale Backstays
 
The first picture shows the two prefabricated martingale backstays with hearts attached, secured to eyebolts on the lower end of the martingale.
 

 
These are of 40 lpi copper chain, simulating smaller 74 lpf chain as mentioned earlier and as used on the inner martingale stay in the last part.  They were pre-measured before attaching the eyebolts and heart shackles at the ends.  The temporary "backstay" tensioning thread is still in place.  The backstays will be secured to hearts anchored to eyebolts on the catheads.  The heart on the starboard cathead is shown below.
 

 
The next picture shows the lanyard on the port backstay threaded up and the stay being tensioned. 
 

 
The starboard stay has been installed and the two are being adjusted to provide tension on the inner and outer forward stays and to pull the martingale into a side-to-side vertical position.  The next picture shows the installed backstays with the temporary tensioning thread removed.
 
 
 
The next picture shows the hearts on the starboard side. 
 
 
 
The lanyards on both sides remain unsecured so that final tension adjustments may be made later when foremast stays are installed.  After those final adjustments, both the loose lanyard ends will be seized to their mates and clipped off.  The last picture shows a pair of these seizings on one of the bowsprit backstays before clipping off the excess seizing thread.
 

 
 
 
Ed
 

Thanks for all the likes and comments.
 
Pat, the twisted wire is as good a solution as I could come up with.  There will quite a lot of small chain on the model - all the sheets and halyards for example - so something had to be done.  By eye it looks quite good - maybe its my eyes.  Photos depend on the distance.  Ultra-close, it looks like what it is.  The trick in making it is to get the turns to approximate the links/inch uniformly.  Too much tension and the small (28-32 gauge) wire will break - too little and the distribution gets non-uniform.  Seems to work for copper and brass.  Brass is stronger but then there is the blackening.
 
Ed

Hi Greg,
 
I seldom use solvents any more to clean brass or copper before blackening,  With copper and LOS, buffing seems to be sufficient, especially important over  areas heated by soldering.  Completely buffing chain is not so easy, but multiple brushings with LOS seems to work.  Oxide from soldering heat, even with pickling after soldering, seems to be the main problem on copper with LOS - needs to be buffed off if possible.  Rubbing or brushing with the solution helps - but you are right LOS is pretty easy to use.  I still treat brass with the blue selenium solution by dipping small, pickled and/or buffed parts.  For larger parts I brush or use a cotton swab full strength followed by rinse.  I do not always rinse LOS.  Unlike the selenium salts, it neutralizes.
 
Nothing is foolproof with blackening.  I keep looking for better means.  WinOx on brass works a lot like LOS.   I got some Jax pewter recently and that has possibilities.  Still the black art.
 
Ed 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 222 – Bowsprit Standing Rigging 1
 
Much of the bowsprit standing rigging is/was chain.  In the mid-19th century chain was used not so much for sheer strength but primarily for its durability in situations where physical abuse could be expected.  Later, iron or steel wire would displace chain and rope.  The bow of the ship was exposed to buffeting by the sea and objects that might be floating in it, as well potential damage in collisions with docks, etc., however slight, hence the amount of chain in its structural rigging.  Chain sheets and halyards that also suffered considerable wear will be discussed later.
 
Chain specifications have been hard to uncover in primary sources, so where Bill Crothers specified sizes on his drawings I have used those.  His sources for these (and other questions) were on my list to discuss with him but that last meeting never occurred.  However, knowing the intensity of his research, I am confident in his sizing.  For lines he omitted from his drawings, I plan to calculate  rope/chain equivalents from contemporary data in Luce, Seamanship, 1868.  Chain has been a puzzle
 
Bobstays continued
 
In the last part, fabrication of one of the chain bobstays was described.  In the first picture the two bobstays have been rigged.
 

 
The forward ends are secured to eyebolts in the bowsprit using wood hearts with lanyards.  These allowed tensioning of the stays.  The fine thread seen in the picture are ends of the seizings that secure the lanyards to their adjacent parts and will be clipped off.  A simpler, but less authentic, method of securing the ends was adopted later to eliminate the visible ends that are difficult to completely remove at this scale.
 
Bowsprit Shrouds
 
The next picture shows one of the bowsprit shroud fabrications before installation. 
 

 
The shrouds and bobstays are all chain of ~30 links per fathom (lpf), i.e. 30 links per inch at 1:72.  The connection to the heart is similar to that shown above and in the last part.  At the other end, an iron plate with an eyebolt is used.  This will bolt to the outer hull above the hawse holes as shown in the next picture.
 

 
This picture also shows one of the martingale backstays rigged to the cathead that will be discussed later.  The next picture shows the forward fastenings of the bobstays and shrouds.
 

 
 
Martingale Stays
 
The next picture shows the inner and outer martingale stays. 
 

 
The inner, unblackened, stay was chain of 54 llpf and is modeled using the smallest chain I could find.  At 40 links per inch it is somewhat heavier than specified, but representative.  The outer stay was lighter at 74 lpf.  This fine chain was simulated by twisting up two strands of 28 gauge copper wire under fairly low tension.  This method produces a very reasonable small-sized chain substitute.  Unfortunately, small chain is not very photogenic.  These two stays were sized with the martingale held vertical by the temporary thread "backstay" in the picture.  The next picture shows these two forward chain stays after blackening.
 

 
The martingale will be held vertical by two backstays that run back to hearts and lanyards on the cathead.  When added, these attachments will allow fine adjustments to the position of the martingale.  Next time.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 221 – Bow Ironwork
 
The final step in permanently securing the bowsprit was to install the iron-strap gammoning.  This passes over the top of the bowsprit just forward of the knightheads on either side, and bolts to the upper part of the stem assembly.  The first picture shows a bolt hole being drilled through the strap and into the wood.
 

 
With one side secured, the strap was tightened over the spar, hammered down to fit at the top, and bolted to the other side.  Because the figurehead moldings were fitted into the area between the hull and the stem, slots for the banding had to be sawed out.  The next picture shows the installed gammoning.
 

 
After blackening, the slot through the figure molding will need to be touched up with paint where it was sawed out.  The next picture shows the two anchor points for the inner and outer bobstays – also iron straps bolted to the stem and hull.
 

 
Because these are angled at the forward end, the copper strips for these were cut out before bending as shown in the next picture.
 

 
This shape was then bent to fit over the stem, shaped to the hull with the apex up, drilled and bolted.  Holes for eyebolts were then spotted and drilled through the forward face and into the stem.
 
Bobstays
 
The next picture shows one of the bobstays before blackening.
 

 
The eyebolt was twisted up with the chain attached as shown below.
 

 
The strap for the 12" wooden heart was fabricated as shown below just prior to soldering.
 

 
The strap was first formed around a heart with a shackle to connect to the chain – much like the deadeye straps made earlier.  The chain was threaded on to the straight bolt piece before soldering.
 
The chain lengths for these was measured with the eyebolt end temporarily placed in the stem and the chain cut off to allow space for rigging the two hearts just behind the cap.  More on this in the next part.
 
The chain is about 30 links per inch, which corresponds to 30 links per fathom at 1:72.  This is the largest size chain used on the bowsprit standing rigging.  More will be said on chain sizing and modeling in the next part.
 
Ed

Thanks, everyone for the comments and likes - very much appreciated.  As to the questions....
 
Frank, I used a minimum of marks to shape the cleats.  First, with the plate inserted, the outline of the spar was scribed, then the ends of cleats. The shape was then rough-cut by eye with the jeweler's saw and filed to final shape.  
 
Rob, the jibboom/flying jibboom geometry is based on proportions from Crothers and the spar list for the ship.  Crothers describes his primary source references.  The positioning of this spar follows from the proportions, with the forward end of the untapered section coinciding roughly with the cap.  The drawing seen in some of the photos differs from the final construction at the heel of the spar because I altered the design to move the stool (or chock) forward, out from under the sheave, and changed the hold-down strap shown on the preliminary drawing to a hinged bale and moved that closer to the stool.  This kind of alteration typically occurs when I go back and double check sources at the time of construction.  Whenever this occurs, I update the drawings to reflect the as-built,  but in the interest of saving printer paper I do not print every revision.  I am sure you have noticed corrective comments in red on some of the drawings in the photos.
 
Concerning the level of detail on the drawings, I try to specify this adequately to permit the model to be constructed.  This does not imply that every detail is authentic to Young America.  There are many unknowns.  Some details are known, but many reflect typical practice as defined by primary sources where possible and secondary sources where necessary.  Sometimes judgement has to be applied.
 
Thank you for the photo, Pat.  I believe there were many variations for this heel fastening.  The two existing photos of YA seem to show two different arrangements - at least to my eye.
 
Ed