Rich_engr

Sam- thank you! I hope your gf finds something really awesome as well! (I should have changed jobs 2-3 years ago when I had the chance- lol!) The carriages and guns are about 90% installed and rigged- should have them done tonight or tomorrow. The rigging went a LOT faster than I thought it would (hardest part was hooking the blocks onto the eyebolts in the deck.) I also have the pinrails ready to go (belaying pins are drying from being blackened as I type this). Which reminds me- I need to get some pics and detail my process for making the chain plates, which I'll put in the Masting & Rigging forum as well as here.

Lol- no worries on the English (I speak Pittsburghese, Texan, and regular lol!). Regarding the beam locations, honestly, I would have no idea where they would specifically be located- you could try to look through some contemporary sources/drawings, or even some of the modelling books describe the spacing (6-12 inches I think, depending on country, time period). The plans used for the reconstruction might be available somewhere (National Archives, US Naval Academy Museum, or even the Niagara Historic Society in Erie, PA). Still, for staggering the planks, you can stick to the 12-30ft lengths like what's called out in the assembly book, and follow the 1:3:1 rule and stagger the butts (see Framing & Planking forum). Don't forget that the hull is painted, so these details (or slight errors) may not be as visible. On the deck, in retrospect I think I could have gone with adding the butts and staggering them (I used single strips to cover the whole length, tapered from end-to-end). As for MS cert, unfortunately I have zero interest/experience in programming or computers (other than using MS office, etc). Even configuring the wireless router at home for the printer and laptops- that's a headache and PITA in my book! (I'd rather wire up a ceiling fan, install a walkway, or do yard work in 100 degrees...) But I've been reading/learning radar and stuff on my own just to keep the brain cells moving. But still pressing ahead with the job search- really the balls are in the employers' courts (110 apps). I truly think the trick to all of this is finding out who is actively hiring, as opposed to just having 300+ open positions and not hiring (just collecting resumes)... So looking at options and widening the net to get some hits.

Joseph- of course I did! As for my process and jig, I'll get some pics and start a thread in the Masting & Rigging forum, since it was super easy, fast, and they were highly reproducible. It definitely took the "fear" out those really quick! (And it only took 3-4 hrs to come up with the jig and make all of them, so I'm fine with that!) But now that they're blackened (rather, my "off-rust" color), they'll go in a container so I don't lose them until I do the channels. Now it'll be back to final rigging of the guns.

Geoff- regarding the line to use, what brands/types would you recommend? I have a Michael's craft store here in town and have looked at their selection, but most seems too thick, fuzzy, or shiny.... right now I'm just using the nylon line that was came with my Niagara kit. Yes, the key with making one's own rope is to experiment and get a feel for how the rope turns out (no pun intended).

Here's proof of my bounty from the past two nights: chain plates!!! They were a LOT easier than I thought (just made a jig using some small drill bits stuck into a piece of wood so I could get the correct lengths each time). Now, just dunking them in the tank overnight. I only made the ones for the lower shrouds.

Thanks guys! The lines went a little easier than I thought, but although not quite what I was expecting, I think they turned out ok. Last night I decided to start making the chain plates- see if I could figure it out, and it's not too bad (made one complete set and all of the middle links). Today I'm going to try to dip some in the BI tank. But most of my focus is on the job hunt- 105 applications as of yesterday (I've sent out more apps in the past 2 weeks than I have in my entire life combined!). Hanging in there and hoping something pops up really soon, otherwise it's 3 retail jobs @ 100+hrs a week in order to pay the bills, which would mean no building for a long while (but I'll give it another 4-6 weeks before I go down the retail path)........ praying & praying!

I use mine to make my own ropes- works well if you practice a little. The two key things I found were that first you have to get equal tension on all 3 lines first (tighten/slacken them to make them all the same), then you have to unwind them enough with the gear head in order to give them the necessary resistance. What happens is that the final winding (with the plain round turning end) balances out the tension from the unwinding (from the gear head)- it's basically two forces cancelling each other out and need to be balanced so the rope doesn't unwind (or really coil back on itself and kink). But for starters, I'll make 6-8ft of rope at a time. I'll use the gear head and turn it about 30-40 turns (with the other end locked with the pin), then unlock and turn with an electric drill stuck into the head (turning 8 ft of rope by hand will take half a day). After my turns are complete, I'll drop a bit of CA on the ends to keep them from unravelling, then cut and remove the finished rope. It's pretty easy- just takes some practice and getting the feel of it- I'd recommend starting with about 2-3ft or so just to play with it first. (Also, if you want super tight turns, use a truck/bobbin that's cone-shaped to push the turns tight- I used a wine bottle cork and cut it into a cone, then stick that in one end of the rope and push it down the line as I turn). Hope this helps a little! There's some other posts on ropewalks that may be of help as well! Good luck!

Looong delay- last night was the first time on the ship in over 3 weeks... but I did manage to get the breech lines set up, and started working on the tackle for the tiller bar. So now to continue with the remaining gun tackle when I have time (job hunt's been slooooow, unfortunately).

Sam- I'm going with the guns out. I'm still pondering as to how I want to secure the rigging though (maybe tied off and tucked under the carriage, but probably no coils). I was thinking of lashing the free ends of the tackle over the top of the guns, but that's how they're secured when stowed (not out, as I am doing)... so probably a little experimentation there... Btw, the guns ARE mounted to their carriages, and the breech lines are installed (but not glued/shaped into their final resting position). I still have some tests to do with diluted PVA (Elmer's glue) added to the breech lines for the proper sag and relaxed state, since mine are very springy and aren't affected by gravity! lol~ Hrm... maybe a teaser pic would be appropriate~~~~~

Ok... haven't updated in a while... Unfortunately, I haven't been in the shop in over a week, due to fixing some flower beds and redoing the front walkway (prepping the house for sale when that day comes). So, instead of installing gun tackle, I've been digging, leveling, and installing flagstone, brick, and slate... in 95 degrees... but luckily it's about 80% done, so we plan on having this finished over the weekend (after our neighbor's surprise birthday party/cookout of course!). Maybe next week I'll get back to the build as a break from the job hunt.

David- I concur on not drilling for eyebolts, etc. until after painting. Luckily I didn't drill mine until after the bulwarks were painted and done- had no problem finding the holes and installing things. Larry- from my framing of the ports, I found that it was rather difficult to install the 1/32 strips on the vertical sides. Of course, from my earlier mistakes when sizing up the ports (my overly-eager file made them all oversized), I just used the strips as the frame, then verrrrrry lightly sanded those into the correct size. For the sweep ports, you will see that mine appear to be framed, when in fact I used the 1/32 strips on the outside, then gently sanded back to the proper size. (Again, proper size is what I deemed it to be- right or wrong, accurate or inaccurate- it was my call). But the main thing I strove for was to keep them parallel and perpendicular to the waterway (at least according to my eyes~). But you will obviously want to do this after planking the inner and outer bulwarks. I cannot remember if the frames themselves are supposed to "stick out" from the side planks, or if they're flush with the planks. But she's looking good- keep it up! Yeah, in hindsight I know that one can never spend too much time fairing- that's one of those areas that's an acquired art form and science garnered through constant experience!!! But we'll get 'em next time for sure!

Ok... got the fence fixed just before the severe thunderstorms hit. The radar showed we weren't just in the green, yellow, orange, or red, but the BLACK! Yes, our front yard and entire street are a flowing river! Luckily we're on top of a slight hill, so don't have to really worry about flooding. Good, because we need the rain!!! So I'll just hit the ship for a bit instead~~

David, Yes, I totally agree with you there! I haven't checked that far ahead in the plans yet, but that's sort of what I have "planned." I made a ton of rings for the guns and various other hardware/deck fittings, and I haven't touched the ones in the kit yet. But that is good to know- I'll check out the plans. Larry, Yes, the guns are a sizable project in and of themselves, due to the numerous parts required and amount of detail (which is up to one's preference and skill level of course), and the fact that there are 18 of the carronades and two long guns (which I haven't even started yet!). Wood, cast metal, eyebolts and rings, rope and blocks, and some paint... times twenty... (The rigging alone takes quite a bit of rope, and more so if you turn your own on a ropewalk- a few pages back I enumerated how much of the breech lines and gun tackle rope I needed to make, somewhere around 6-10 feet of breech line and about 60 feet of turned rope for the tackle lines!) But again, I stress the importance of the assembly line and doing things in batches/stages!!! This serves a few purposes: 1. Breaks the whole process down into manageable parts/sub-assemblies that don't take too long or are too difficult by themselves. 2. Since one step at a time is being done on all the guns (or any part of the build that has multiples), it ensures that the quality is the same and things turn out the same. 3. Repeating the same step in a row helps with practice and reinforces the hand-eye coordination and muscle memory and thus builds confidence. 4. It ensures that no detail or step was missed on one of the units/guns (like missing an eyebolt or something on one of them). Bonus: Once you've gone through all of the individual steps, you look at your desk and there's twenty completed guns lined up and sitting there, ready for installation!!! That's my take on it anyway, and it has definitely made this whole adventure less intimidating! And, just like in chess, I'm getting to the point where I can start seeing a few steps ahead, so I can plan for the future and really see the importance of what I do now and how it affects things later on! Anyway, enough "zen" for tonight- it's almost 2am (been up since 7am and a loooong busy day), and back to the job hunt tomorrow!

Sounds like a plan! (As an fyi, I used 100 of the 3mm rings for the guns alone: 5 per gun (one for each end of the breech line that mounts @ the bulwarks, one on each side of the upper carriage slide, and one on the deck behind the gun) x 20 = 100). In addition to the rings, I may have to either make my own eyebolts or buy some- oh well... that's much further down the road for me! Today after cleaning, taking care of 9 dogs for the neighbors, laundry, groceries, and hitting the gym, I may try to get a gun or two fully installed. As for IN/OUT, I think I have decided on OUT, since I'm not putting the side tackle on (just the train tackle on the lower carriage, which is fixed), and I'll just have to play with the slack in the breech lines to get them to sit properly. Pics maybe late this evening or tomorrow (after job hunt of course)!

Larry- don't worry. I was in the exact same boat (no pun)- my gaps in some were about as wide as yours, and I just trimmed/sanded a small piece of 1/16" plank to shim the gaps, then painted over them. It was frustrating too, and I didn't realize I had to fill them in until after planking as well. If you look closely, you'll see that my ship is shimmed, trimmed, and filled in sooo many places, but luckily the hull is painted so they're not that noticeable! Another thing I noticed when getting the guns placed, is that (in my case anyway) some of the carriage pins do not sit in the middle of the gun port (some are more forward or aft in their respective ports, so the guns don't sit exactly in the middle), and in retrospect I think this was because of my being a newbie at fairing and didn't quite get the ports all symmetrical with respect to the planksheer. Yeah, fairing is definitely more art than science (and requires a good eye)- inspect, visualize, and maybe even try to physically measure from all sorts of angles and view points... like a sculptor checking the curves on his marble statue~~ lol!

Ken, In looking at the price, it may be a LOT cheaper to make your own- a $5 spool of small craft wire can make thousands of rings. Also, you have more flexibility in making your own (different sizes of dowels/drill bits, and quantities, as well as finish/color- black, brass, copper, etc.,depending on the wire you use). Either way, they turn out basically the same. Even time-wise, it's probably faster (make a 100+ an hour, versus waiting for shipping, or a drive down to the hobby store and back)... Just my thoughts though... I, however, may need to buy more eyebolts (or figure out how to mass-produce my own)... hrm~~ But either way, make your own or buy them- you WILL need more for the rest of the ship! Good Luck!

No problem. 1. The diameter of the rings on the guns is about 3.2mm (1/8 inch)- similar to the large size ones in the kit (the smaller ones are about 2.4mm). 2. That is correct- open the ring up a little to pass through the eyebolt, then close (I used CA since my soldering skills aren't that great). Be careful not to get any glue on the eyebolts, since the ring needs to move freely when it's rigged. Hope this helps!!

Ken, I used some small black craft wire (0.016" or so) to make the rings (there are no where near enough as supplied in the kit). I basically used some old straightened metal chicken wire (#16 and #18 gauge I think) as a dowel, then just wrapped the craft wire tightly around the dowel several times. Then just use some nippers to cut the rings off- quick and easy (can make a few hundred an hour this way). Only thing is that the wire is painted copper, so they have a bit of a gloss finish to them. You can make rings of various sizes this way- just need a different size dowel or drill bit (anything of the required size, but I'd recommend staying away from wood since it'll grab the wire and the rings won't come off as easily). But the trick is to wrap them very tight, with no space in between each wrap- that way they'll all be uniform.

Welcome aboard to the Niagara Club!! You'll find we're a unique bunch, and we're always there to help and support each other! This has been the best way to learn this art. Great start with the framing- looks like you'll be coming up to speed in no time! Keep up the good work and post pictures. -Rich

Looks fantastic there! Awesome job on the stern planking!! Your gun port framing is perfect! You're definitely on the right track- keep going with it!!!

Ok... quickie: over the past hour I was able to lower the height of the guns by roughly 1/16" by sanding down the bottom of the trunnions. Now, instead of the barrels being slammed into the stringer at the top, they're sitting a bit lower- roughly in the top 3rd portion of the ports. Still deciding on IN or OUT??!!?????

David, Thanks for the info!! Yeah, I kind of thought about sanding down the carriages a little, but then I figured I can trim down the trunnions quite a bit (they seem too tall, like the barrels are stacked on top of a pyramid). Plus, I already installed the lower carriages! oops~~ So filing/sanding the trunnions is going to be my approach- we'll see how it turns out. As for the breech lengths, that is true that I can get some additional (but not much) slack if I pull them down and coat them with glue. Also, I noticed the issue with the the side tackle blocks getting too crowded when the guns are run out- this is due to: 1- size of the blocks themselves, 2- length of seizings, and 3- length/size of hooks. Right now (other than redoing all of the tackle) I can decrease the size of the hooks (see a few pages back for my stropping technique). Luckily this problem doesn't surface on the train tackle (attached to the lower carriage). Hrmm... may have to play some more and see what looks best- guns in or out... I like the look of them run out (adds depth to the ship when viewing the side, etc.), but I also want a "clean" deck (enough detail to add realism but not crowded and clunky)... [A weird and awkward compromise would be to have one side run out and the other in, but let's not go there....] Maybe as I ponder this, I can start working on the deck structures...

The guns were intimidating at first, but once I stepped back and broke down the assembly into manageable parts, it wasn't too bad. I'll get some pics of a complete gun before I install them on deck, so you can see that the majority of the work is done off the ship. And I usually do things in batches too- like paint all of the carriages and parts, install the eyebolts & rings, and breech plates, etc... it goes rather quickly and easily once you get into a rhythm. I'll show you what I mean if/when I decide to redo the breech lines and make them a bit longer.

Exactly! Originally, when I finished the bulwark planking, I installed the cap rail, but then removed it due to irregularities in height/fairing. Also, I read on MSW 1.0 that it's easier to install the small fittings on the deck and bulwarks before adding the cap rail, so this worked out to my advantage. I also have to agree with Brian, in that it may be easier to make the bowsprit and install it first (along with all of the other bulwark & deck fittings) prior to adding the cap rail. As I have been continuously discovering, is that it is MUCH easier to do as much rigging, assembly, painting, and fabrication as possible OFF the ship than once installed. (I think in terms of completed sub-assemblies, ready to just plop into place! lol) She's definitely coming along great there Larry!!!!!!

Ken, Right now the top slides are all over the place due to the springiness of the breech lines (when I try to push them into firing position, they spring back inboard). But what I want to do is have the guns run out for firing, with the right amount of slack in the breech lines. In order to get the correct length for slack, the plans say to pull the guns inboard for loading, and measure the necessary length of breech line for that. I'm just not sure as to how far inboard the guns are pulled (farther inboard = longer line = more slack when in firing position). I'm not sure if the rear edge of the upper slide is even with the rear edge of the lower carriage (which is how I set my line lengths), or if it pulls back even further than that... Also, when I have the guns run out for firing, I'm trying to set them so that the front edge of the upper slide is almost on top of the little alignment pin that the carriage mounts to. Another thing I noticed is that my guns seem a little too high- they're almost touching the top of the gun ports. I'll try filing down the bottom side of the gun support block (cast piece that the barrel sits on). I know my gun port heights are correct- checked against the plans, measured and re-measured. So a little more fiddling, adjusting, and experimenting with breech lines until I take the plunge and install the suckers...