Capt.Bob

From what I gather if the pin rails were going to be inaccessible due to material or availability, a new rail was fashioned in the shrouds.  This was very typical of wood haulers that loaded heavily on deck , obscuring the gunwale mounted pin rails.  I was not aware a listing ships submerged rail could be the cause....I've never seen evidence of that before.
In the image I posted it does appear a life line was utilized, though that is only speculation.   My point was, that alternate belaying points were used, if not enough pins were available.
 
Thanks for your input..it encourages discourse, and further investigation.
 
Rob

The issue of inadequate available belaying pins for all the running lines for sail control is a real issue and I found evidence of how it might have been tackled in part.  Brace lines were set up to belay the numerous clew and bunt lines required for sail control.
 
Not sure if you stated that you will add sails or simply yards to your YA...but for informational purposes I wanted to pass this image along.
 
Rob

Those shrouds look great set up Ed. I particularly like the colour and lay of the lanyards which look really good.
 
cheers
 
Pat

Hi Ed,

this is a beautiful sight.
In addition, your report is for me a textbook for modeling,
where I always find great suggestions.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 212 – Mizzen Stay
 
Before moving to the mizzen stay I had to replace the aft chain plate on the port side and make and dye some more 3½" lanyard rope.  This went rather quickly and the mizzen shrouds were completed as shown in the first picture.
 

 
The next picture shows the completed mizzen stay.
 

 
The stay is looped over the shrouds at the mizzen top, fed through the lubber's holes on each side and secured with three round seizings.  At the lower end it passes through a bullseye shackled to an eyebolt on the main mast and ends in a thimble secured by another three round seizings.  This is lashed to an eyebolt in the deck.
 
Again, because of the soldered shackle, the eyebolt/bullseye assembly had to be prefabricated.  It was slipped over the stay as shown in the next picture, allowing the lower seizings to be done off the model and avoiding having to pass the leathering through the bullseye.
 

 
The stay is roughly the same size as the shrouds, is served and leathered at the top, and served at the bottom.  The lower seizings have been put on and a temporary thread is attached to secure the bottom while the masthead collar is secured.   The next picture shows that collar.
 

 
 The next picture shows the lower end of the installed stay with the permanent lashing to the deck eyebolt.
 

 
The last step in completing the lower standing rigging was to put leathering on the mainstay legs astride the foremast.  I had forgotten to do this earlier.  The next picture shows this painted wrapping.
 

 
The last picture shows the model at the current state, with all the lower shrouds and stays installed.
 

 
The next step will be to tackle the bowsprit, but I may begin some ratline work to help me spread out that tedious task.  This will also allow me to make and fit the shroud fairleads.
 
 
Ed

Thank you all for the comments.  It is good to be back at work - even considering the broken chainplates.
 
Dirk, what's not to like about clippers - sleek, majestic, graceful ...
 
Carl, I tensioned the deadeyes by gently pulling one one leg at a tine - up in the inside and down on the outer legs.  The horizontal alignment of the deadeyes is set by the length of the shrouds when the deadeyes are turned in on the fixture.  Of course the tension needs to be relatively equal to keep the alignment.  I did the first tensioning before lashing on the sheer poles and the final tensioning after - alignment can be refined by tension.  There are two other issues.  One is twist.  This is eliminated by the sheer pole lashings.  The other is tilting of the deadeye in or out - off the vertical - this can be fixed by pulling on all three out lanyard legs at once.  this will cause the deadeye to incline in or out.  All these adjustments are very slight.
 
There is one other issue that I believe relates to the stiffness of the linen lanyards.  They do not stretch - at all.  So, it is very hard to get them taut enough to be perfectly straight.  Cotton would stretch a bit and look straighter.  I decided on linen for strength and sag resistance.  It can take a lot of tension - enough to require strong chainplate joints.  I may be overly concerned about cotton stretching, but the difference in stretch is pronounced.
 
Druxey, I have had to replace a few chainplates (maybe 5 of 60).  The silver-soldered joints below the deadeye are very small.  I believe the problem is overheated joints, causing brittleness, causing breakage from excessive working.  The small percentage of breaks seem to occur where deadeyes have been worked back and forth after installation - straightening, adjusting deaedeyes, etc.  Otherwise the joints are quite strong.  Fixing them is a pain, but I made the channel slots large enough to pass the lower eyes, so that helps.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 211 – Mizzen Shrouds
 
It has been over two months since the last post on Young America.  At that time I had forecast an interruption in the shop for other work of about two weeks.  So much for project scheduling.  At the end of April, the shop had to be cleared out for some dusty, full-sized woodwork – the restoration of an ornate, rotting garden arbor, construction of a large, paneled garden gate, and the resizing of an old, 3'10" wide bed to a standard single.  This work, plus a number of other things, kept me busy and kept the model safely stored in another room.  I got back to work about a week ago.
 
Over the past week, work has been focused on the lower mizzen mast rigging.  The mizzen shrouds are 8¼" rope.  As with the other standing rigging, I spun this from linen thread – three doubled strands of relatively fine size.  I believe I mentioned earlier that I wanted to avoid getting into a rope making discussion here.  There is much to be said about this subject – from theory to practice to modeling - that I think I will leave to Volume III of the book.  However, I will mention one key aspect – measuring of threads and made rope.  Regardless of the rope making method used, measurements are needed and obtaining consistent, accurate results is difficult.  The method I use is shown in the first picture that shows some mizzen shroud rope diameter being measured.
 
 
 
While I am sure others have used this simple method, I find it to be very consistent and fairly accurate.  Ten turns are wrapped around a dowel, closely spaced.  The width of the turns is then measured as shown and divided by ten to get the rope diameter – in this case .036" – close to the diameter of the 8¼" circumference rope required at 1:72.  
 
Having made the right size rope for the shrouds, it was ink dyed and cut to lengths required for each pair.  These were then served, parceled at the masthead, and seized, as shown in the next picture.
 

 
In the picture the parceling has not yet been "tarred" and the excess seizing thread ends remain.  In the next picture, the ends have been clipped, black acrylic color has been applied to the parceling, and the first pair on the starboard side pushed down over the masthead.
 

 
With all four pairs mounted, thin wood fixtures were made to hold the upper deadeyes for seizing to the shrouds.  This was discussed in an earlier post.  In the next picture the deadeye spacing is being marked on the port fixture.
 

 
The next picture shows all eight deadeyes seized to their shrouds – still mounted on the fixtures.
 

 
Lanyards for these shrouds were 3½" rope – again linen, made from three strands of the finest size.  The next picture shows the deadeyes on the port side threaded up and being tensioned before wrapping and seizing the ends to the lower shrouds.
 

 
Deadeyes were threaded by alternating sides, then given an initial tensioning.  The picture above shows the final tightening after the sheer pole was lashed above the shroud throat seizings.  The two aft lanyards have been wrapped.
 
The last picture shows the lanyards wrapped and seized with their tail ends at the back of the shrouds.
 

 
I made five turns as a standard on the model and tried to make them neat.  In practice these were less aligned and wrapping continued until the rope was used up.
 
The starboard side remains unfinished.  Two reasons: in rotating a deadeye, a chain plate broke and had to be replaced; then I ran out of 3½" rope and will need to make more to finish the last deadeye.  I hope then to move on the mizzen stay.
 
 
Ed

Hi All,
Sorry Ed, but its too exciting to keep to myself.  Vol II is finally available at SeaWatch Books.
https://www.seawatchbooks.com/
Just ordered mine.

Thank you, Pete.  Keeping dust off photographic negatives is probably a much bigger challenge than the level of cleanliness needed for models, but dust is ever-present in any woodworking operation.  Hopefully you don't do sanding in your darkroom.  Some years ago, I installed central dust collection in the shop with connections to the dust producing tools and this was a major improvement, but complete control, especially when work like power sanding, routing, sawing, etc are done.  Hence the need for the dust case, which serves the purpose when the work is limited to modeling.  For the heavier work I have been doing lately, I move the model out of the shop.
 
As a side note, I am told that the new volume on Young America is in the bookbinding process and should be shipping around June 20.  Orders are now being taken on the Seawatchbook.coms website.  I expect to be back on the job in the next few days - making progress on the masting and rigging that will be the subject of Volume III.
 
Ed

Ed,
Thanks,  Ordered a life time supply, which really isn't that much.
 
After reading your section on paring the fetlocks down, I tried using the small Dremel router table.  Since the amount of material to be removed is so small, it is very difficult to control the depth of cut.  With the router table accurate cut depth is easy to establish and maintain.
A little paring to square off the ends and you're done.
 
Bob

Ed..it will be nice to see you back in the shipyard.  I want to share this painting by Carl G. Evers.  It is of Glory of the Seas being gained upon by Young America.
 
The full bodied Glory of the Seas being chased by the sleek extreme clipper Young America.  Called *Conquerors of Cape Horn*.....it depicts nicely the two clippers we love...in a race in open water.  What a thrill.
 
See ya in the yard soon.
 
Rob

Hi All,
Sorry Ed, but its too exciting to keep to myself.  Vol II is finally available at SeaWatch Books.
https://www.seawatchbooks.com/
Just ordered mine.

Hi All,
Sorry Ed, but its too exciting to keep to myself.  Vol II is finally available at SeaWatch Books.
https://www.seawatchbooks.com/
Just ordered mine.

Hi All,
Sorry Ed, but its too exciting to keep to myself.  Vol II is finally available at SeaWatch Books.
https://www.seawatchbooks.com/
Just ordered mine.

Hi All,
Sorry Ed, but its too exciting to keep to myself.  Vol II is finally available at SeaWatch Books.
https://www.seawatchbooks.com/
Just ordered mine.

Thank you all.  the comments are most appreciated.
 
Actually, Micheal. the complexity is a bit mind-boggling - at least for me - although I do like complexity and am often intrigued by it.  I hope to make the rigging fully complete with the only exceptions being studding or stay sail lines that would likely have been stored with the sails.  I have found myself adding studding sail blocks to the spar drawings, however.  The double topsails added a lot of lines and riggers seem to have been pressed to find belaying points.  I can't imagine what double topgallants would do.  I'm hoping I will be able to find my way through the forest to belay everything.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 210 - Mainstay
 
Once the main shrouds were installed the main stay was next.  Like the lower shrouds and the forestay, this was 10 ½" rope.  The first picture shows the main shrouds in place and tensioned, and the mainstay rigged so the served areas could be marked out.
 

 
The shackled bullseyes and eyebolts through the main deck beams were installed earlier.  In the next picture the stay has been served and leathered and is rigged to allow the glue on the leathering to dry in position before painting.
 

 
The stay is clamped where a collar seizing will be placed after the stay is secured at the fore ends.  In the next picture the first seizing at the lower port end has been tied.
 

 
The lower ends of the stay are served as well as the collar at the top.  In the next picture frapping turns to the first seizing on the port side are being made with the aid of a sewing needle.
 

 
The next picture shows the four seizings on each leg completed.
 
 
 
I was very pleased that the stay clears the chafing battens on the mast by about six inches and is just inside the sheet bitts, so I may not install the spreader that was used if needed to keep the stays outside the mast.  The smaller bullseyes inside and just aft of those for the main stay will anchor the main topmast stay and will hopefully fit as well as the first.
 
The last picture shows the completed main stay with the collar seizing applied below the top.
 

 
The sheer poles have yet to be installed on the main shrouds and the lanyards are still dangling loose.
 
 
Ed

I hadn't thought of that .

Rest easy, Druxey.  The leathering was made with tissue - like the parcelling - then painted.  Very easy to do.
 
Ed

That is a relief, Ed! I had visions of you tanning mouse hides....

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 209 Forestay
 
The forestay was a fairly simple job to install, but before getting into it, I should say a few words about my sequence.  I am sure there are many approaches to this, but my general plan is to work fore to aft, bottom up, so I will do the standing rigging on the lower masts, working aft, then either go on to the lower yards or topmasts – not decided yet.  Details on the lower shrouds like fairleads, staves and ratlines will be added later when convenient.
 
The first picture shows the installed forestay.
 

 
It is 10½" rope (like the lower shrouds), doubled around the masthead with a seized collar, secured with four seizings on each leg to bullseyes with iron straps shackled to eyebolts in the knightheads.  These were installed earlier.  The lower legs are seized together above the lower seizings.  The rope is served around the collar and at the lower ends and the upper part around the masthead is leathered.
 
The next picture shows the leathered collar bedded on the shrouds.
 

 
The next picture shows the extent of the upper serving and leathering and the upper seizing.
 

 
In the next picture the lower ends of the stay have been hauled up and clipped so the seizings can be put on.
 
 
 
The starboard seizing has been started in the picture.  The next picture shows the lower legs completed and the lower seizing installed to pull them together.
 

 
Finally, the completed stay from above.
 

 
There is quite a bit of work to do on the bowsprit, but because the forestay is secured at the knightheads, I can defer this until the fore topmast is being fitted.
 
Next, the main and mizzen lower mast rigging, but first I want to replace all those topmast backstay chains and channel deadeyes discussed in an earlier post.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 208 – Sheer Poles
 
Ok, lets get off the tar-baby.
 
Sheer poles were 1" diameter rods that were lashed across the shrouds just above the deadeyes and just below the futtock shrouds.  The purpose was to spread the shrouds evenly, to help keep them in a flat plane and to prevent twisting.  They apparently came into use around the end of the 18th century.  They were assisted by wood staves lashed at intervals between the sheer poles and groups of ratlines.  The staves will be installed much later, with the ratlines, but the sheer poles are needed now.
 
The first picture shows a small diameter brass rod being served for use as a sheer pole.
 

 
The next picture shows this served rod spread across and lashed to the fore lower starboard shrouds just above the deadeyes. 
 

 
The rod will later be cut to length after touching the ends with a drop of CA to seal the serving to the rod.  Except for the first shroud, the lanyards are kept down, out of the way.  After final tension adjustment, the lanyards were brought up through the space above the deadeye and wrapped four turns around the shrouds, as seen in the next picture.
 

 
The four turns is arbitrary.  The lanyards were normally wrapped around until used up and were generally much less tidy than I tried to make these.  In the next picture the lanyards are finished off.
 

 
One additional turn was taken and a clove hitch on knotted the back sides.  A length of remaining lanyard was then secured to the inside of the shrouds with a small rope lashing.
 
The small sheer pole under the futtock shrouds is shown in the last picture.
 

 
Only three of the six lashings have been tied in the picture.  Note that there is no connection between the shrouds and futtock shrouds that pass between them.  This is different from earlier man-of-war practice.  The forestay may be seen in the top upper right corner of the photo.  It is the next item to be installed once the sheer poles are finished on each side.
 
Ed
 

Lanyards and other "adjustment points" of that nature would definitely not be tarred with the coating Luce describes, mainly because it would prevent seeing any deterioration or damage on lines that wear most on the inside - like in the holes of the dead-eyes.
Pine tar protects the line, mainly from molds, and keeps it supple, while allowing any wear to be visible and dealt with before it becomes critical - but it would be tarred beyond what it received in it's manufacture, making it much darker than the rest of the running rigging.

Thanks for your comments, Jerry, and thanks for posting the diagram.  I am familiar with it.  I do have remaining questions about the use of tar.  Perhaps you could comment further on that.  My understanding is as follows:
 
Pine tar (aka Stockholm Tar, aka tar) is a viscous liquid obtained by decomposing pine wood under heat and pressure.  The term Stockholm Tar derives from the virtual monopoly held on this product by Sweden during the 17th, 18th, 19th(?) centuries.  I suspect American ships sourced this from our own lush pine forests.  The material is a fairly viscous, sticky dark brown, fluid, slightly soluble in water.
 
All rope used in ship rigging was tarred as part of the rope making process, by dragging the hemp yarns through a trough of tar at or near its boiling point.  It would be a lot less viscous at this temperature and would penetrate the hemp strands.  The description of the process appears in Luce, Seamanship, 1868 p49.  He states that the absorption was 25%, which I take to mean the amount of increase in the rope's weight.  At any rate, all rope had a fairly high content of tar, whether standing or running.
 
Later, Luce discusses protection of standing rigging (p. 58) as follows: "Standing rigging is protected from the weather by covering it with a coating of blacking made of tar, whiskey, lampblack, litharge, and salt water."  I found this interesting for a couple reasons.  First, because a small amount of carbon black goes a long way, so the addition of it in the form of lamp black would certainly make standing rigging black – as opposed to the deep brown of tar alone.  Second is the use of litharge (lead oxide) in the recipe.  He doesn't say how much, but the purpose of this would be a thickener, like the lead in lead-based paints.  After "painting" this on standing rigging, and after evaporation of the water and "whiskey" I would expect this to harden into a tough rubbery layer.
 
So, my conclusion, based on Luce, perhaps incorrect, is that there are differences in what we think of as "tarring" of rigging.  We are then left to decide on how to represent this on models.
 
So, am I off base in thinking that lanyards might receive a different treatment than say, shrouds or stays?  I'd be genuinely interested in any further light you, or others, could shed on this.
Thanks,
 
Ed
 

The set-up for "adjusting" lanyards is perfectly capable of overcoming whatever "tar" they might have put on them.  The odds are Stockholm Tar was used, but something was used, no passage making ship is going wandering about with bare lanyards.  Yes, the system shown is from a Navy manual where there's enough crew to send the mast through the bottom of the ship, but the system's the same outside the Navy as well.