Rich_engr

Sanded another 20 DB's & stropped 40.   

What I might do for some variety is after I complete this first batch of 6 carronades, I might move onto the deck & bulwark hardware and deck houses, then go back to guns. 

Dave,

Welcome to the Niagara club and MSW!!  Glad you started a build- she looks fantastic!  So 13 years and still going- sounds like my build (minus the kids, except I have dogs & cats to contend with).    Keep it coming and good luck with the build!!

-Rich

Ken, I'm skipping the butts and I'm leaving it as it is. I thought about doing the butts, but I decided to stick with the simpler tapered look. I may do both butt-shift and tapered planks for the deck of my next build.

Patrick, thanks for the compliments! Yeah, the guns are going to take a while, but I think I can handle it now (again, getting over that "intimidation" factor). I just gotta sit down and knock them out in batches/stages. I also need to try the Blacken-it for the gun hardware, deadeyes, and rings.

Again, post-picture post:  I think I'm making my seizings too long- maybe I only need 4-5 turns or so (don't know how many I have actually- should be counting those turns!!), especially since I'm trying to bring the size of stuff down to scale, like the blocks. 

More practice, and lots of stropping this week hopefully!   

(yes, I saw my deadeye on the carriage pulled out- I'll fix that.)

Here are some pics of my rope that I made for the tackle and the breech lines.  Each hank is about 6ft of homemade rope with the ropewalk. 

Sunday night update:

Not too much progress this weekend, other than sanding and staining a few DB's.  Reeved the tackle for 1 gun with the new, smaller blocks- here is one gun with the new blocks.

Thanks Patrick!  Yes, one certainly needs to get creative in this hobby.  I'm glad you like my deck- I was somewhat intimidated by it since I wanted to do it right, and I'm pleased with the results.

As for my deck-planking jig, I'll try to get some pics up later- that one took some practice at first, then really sped things up a lot!!

Here's some of my block-holding/sanding jig... and half of my serving jib (holding blocks that have been sanded down, drying with stain).

Ok...  here's the pictures of the stained deck (have not added the weathered oak yet- just the golden chestnut stain). 

Mainstay, it's referring to the fellowship we Niagara builders share- there's not a specific club/forum, only our build logs and shared experiences on this ship. If you are building the Niagara (or any ship), start a log and join the fun!!

Larry,

Thanks for the compliment! I develop my processes as I go so I can speed things up a little and (most importantly) have repeatable results/quality. For sanding the blocks, I just came up with a jig- just some planks that make a trough that's as wide as the blocks, then load 20 or so in there, gently place in vice, and sand a side down. Flip bocks over and repeat. It's a lot easier than trying to hold w/ tweezers or fingers and sand 1 block at a time. .

I promised some pics earlier, but the week has been busy. I'll work on getting some up tonight and show my deck and block sanding jig. . (Oh, and my deck plank tapering jig too!)

Patrick, 

That's a good point.  In order to keep things real and true to scale, I'll definitely have to check dimensions and the overall size of things.  I was almost about to trust the kit's judgment and assumed that all parts were true, but it appears it isn't so.  But that's part of the newbie learning curve, right?    One thing I know I'll have to play with a bit in terms of size are the various rigging lines- it's a good thing I feel somewhat comfortable now in making my own rope (mostly using the line supplied in the kit, with the addition of some very thin thread for seizings and whatnot).

I'm drooling Patrick!!!  She's gorgeous- what a foxy lady!! 

Can't wait til I'm almost there!!

Yep, I'm sanding down the DB's to bring them down to scale. After sanding I'll stain all blocks a dark brown for some uniformity of color.

So now the "dance" is sand, strop, turn, seize, and reeve! Good times modeling!

One thing I just noticed is that the DB's seem a bit too big for the scale- may try to shave them down a little.

Also, the lines need a little more "taming," since they're a little stiff and don't lay as flat as I'd like.

Here are some pics of the gun tackle I made up last night.

Now I've "upgraded" my seizing/block holding drill bit to a makeshift helping hands (actually 2 alligator clips from some test cables soldered onto some leftover chicken wire and clamped to the bench).     Gotta get creative since the Admiral is disapproving when I try to buy tools & supplies (plus it keeps the mind sharp).   

So it's stropping the blocks, turning rope, seizing, then reeving.  Strop, turn, seize, and reeve...  and repeat.  Sounds like some sort of box-step dance instructions!!

Thanks! Last night I made up the tackle for 1 carronade in about 2hrs- wasn't too difficult making the seizings and reeving the blocks. So one gun is about 80% done, 19 to go (prob take about 3 weeks, which isn't too bad). I think I need some clamping jig/helping hands to hold the work, since I only had the block stuck onto a small drillbit and worked around that.

Patrick,

Making the ropes is fun and I think it will add to the realism and that personal touch. And it's pretty easy- I just stuck a drill in the end of the ropewalk and it cranks out 6ft of nice, even rope in about 2 minutes. . I just hope I don't go overboard with detail, since this is my 1st kit and I want done "right.". Next build (probably in 2-3 years at my rate) will be better.

Larry, et. al,

This is a very interesting thread.  For one, I am probably newer to wooden ship building than most here, so I count everyone as a valuable resource.    Second, this topic of CA/glue allergies or reactions is a first I've heard of, and I wonder how prevalent it is amongst us hobbyists.  This is definitely something that one should consider when taking up a hobby or using an unfamiliar material/chemical (makes me more paranoid about using my Blacken-It, therefore precautions will most certainly be taken).  (Also, I wonder if there are wood or material reactions for people as well, since a lot of woods come from foreign locations....)

As for me, I usually use CA glue for the majority of my build (good/bad??), but I need to try some alternatives so I have more tools at my disposal and have more flexibility.

I like the idea of the forked sewing needle- I'm getting tired of picking dry glue from my fingers!!

Ok.  Weekend update:  made the pinrails for the bulwarks, made about 15ft of rope for the gun tackle (sticking a drill on the end of the ropewalk definitely speeds up having to turn 6ft+ of rope at a time!), and stained the deck (in between errands,  cleaning the house, and playing with the dogs).  I'll try to get some pics of the deck, etc. up tomorrow, as well as work on the gun tackle. 

Was a good, relaxing, yet productive weekend all-around! 

Ahh...  Friday evening...  I just cut & marked the pinrails, now waiting for my pizza. 

Tomorrow is staining time, after my haircut. 

I just use the good ol' Plankbender from ME.   Soak my planks in regular tap water for about 10-15mins or so while the iron is heating up, then get right to bending them.  After bending I'll gently use the iron to drive the rest of the water out- planks hold the exact shape I need.  Never had swelling, shrinking, or springing out of shape.  I LOVE that thing!    That was probably one of my most useful tools "in the old days." 

Sam,

Thanks for the awesome tips!!!  I'll have to try that when I get to some of the other fittings and maybe mast sections (and future builds once I finish this one first!).  But I did stop by Wallyworld today and saw a stain by Minwax called Weathered Oak- looks really grey, and does add a touch of that weathered look.  The original stain I was going to try, the Golden Pecan, had too much yellow.  More coats of that got too brown.  I got the weathered oak and applied it to a sample deck piece (on top of the conditioner), and it looks just about right.  It's not too light, or dark/brown, and definitely no yellow (there's enough yellow & browns in my deck planks, which are somewhat hard to see in my aweful photos).  I will probably go ahead and do the stain this weekend (conditioner then weathered oak), so I'll keep my fingers crossed that the whole thing turns out ok!!! 

I like the idea of experimenting with dyes for that really customized look- will have to try that someday.  That definitely opens up the possibilities to fine-tune one's model and the look and feel of it all.

Again, thanks for the info and following along- all help and suggestions are always welcome here!!!!! 

-Rich

Alright....  here's a good indication as to how much of a novice I am (still).  How on earth does one seize the lines, as in gun tackle, shrouds, etc.  I saw someone's tutorial on here before, but it was lost in the crash unfortunately. 

I tried to seize one end of the gun tackle on my Niagara (seize onto the single block's strop, then reeve through the double, then single,then back thru double).  I tried a simple overhand knot (I know- no knots on ships!) to hold & start it, then just wrapped the line around the tackle (probably 1.5 times the length of the block), then did some sort of hitch knot at the top.  (Btw, I still need to learn my knots- was not a boy scout.)

Pictures that clearly show this would be great if any are available!!!

Thanks!

-Rich