David Lester

Tom, your CWM is looking wonderful. That white edge is a nightmare to paint. My wife almost had me committed before I was finished. Yours isn't looking too bad, but I just could not get a decent job. In the end I painted some paper white, cut it into strips and glued it on. That worked really well and it was completely undetectable what I had done.
 
I agree with John - I think you've nailed the bulwarks colour. It's a hard colour to get just right.
David

Tom, your CWM is looking wonderful. That white edge is a nightmare to paint. My wife almost had me committed before I was finished. Yours isn't looking too bad, but I just could not get a decent job. In the end I painted some paper white, cut it into strips and glued it on. That worked really well and it was completely undetectable what I had done.
 
I agree with John - I think you've nailed the bulwarks colour. It's a hard colour to get just right.
David

Tom, your CWM is looking wonderful. That white edge is a nightmare to paint. My wife almost had me committed before I was finished. Yours isn't looking too bad, but I just could not get a decent job. In the end I painted some paper white, cut it into strips and glued it on. That worked really well and it was completely undetectable what I had done.
 
I agree with John - I think you've nailed the bulwarks colour. It's a hard colour to get just right.
David

Tom, your CWM is looking wonderful. That white edge is a nightmare to paint. My wife almost had me committed before I was finished. Yours isn't looking too bad, but I just could not get a decent job. In the end I painted some paper white, cut it into strips and glued it on. That worked really well and it was completely undetectable what I had done.
 
I agree with John - I think you've nailed the bulwarks colour. It's a hard colour to get just right.
David

Tom, your CWM is looking wonderful. That white edge is a nightmare to paint. My wife almost had me committed before I was finished. Yours isn't looking too bad, but I just could not get a decent job. In the end I painted some paper white, cut it into strips and glued it on. That worked really well and it was completely undetectable what I had done.
 
I agree with John - I think you've nailed the bulwarks colour. It's a hard colour to get just right.
David

That's quite interesting Allan. The shininess isn't actually an issue. It might look a bit shiny on the skein, but it doesn't look shiny on the model. I'm not advocating for its use, just raising the question as a point of interest. I tried it and thought it was fine, (by that I mean comparable to kit provided thread,) but I'm not likely to rush to use it again. I was just curious about anyone else's experience.
David

That's quite interesting Allan. The shininess isn't actually an issue. It might look a bit shiny on the skein, but it doesn't look shiny on the model. I'm not advocating for its use, just raising the question as a point of interest. I tried it and thought it was fine, (by that I mean comparable to kit provided thread,) but I'm not likely to rush to use it again. I was just curious about anyone else's experience.
David

That's quite interesting Allan. The shininess isn't actually an issue. It might look a bit shiny on the skein, but it doesn't look shiny on the model. I'm not advocating for its use, just raising the question as a point of interest. I tried it and thought it was fine, (by that I mean comparable to kit provided thread,) but I'm not likely to rush to use it again. I was just curious about anyone else's experience.
David

Good Morning,
Just a brief update this morning. I've attached all the yards -
 
Lower yards - jeers and trusses


For the trusses, I used these small cast bullseyes from Bluejacket. I'm a big fan of them and I like to keep a supply of them on hand. They come in several different sizes, but I really like the smallest ones - 1/16" inch - because they're easy to use and never look over scale.

They blacken easily and just need a small amount of cleanup. (Of course when all is said and done, you can't even see them on the trusses, but at least I know they're there.)
 
Parrels and ties on the topsail yards -
 

 
Ties on the topgallant yards -

There isn't really too much to explain about my methods. I just added each according to the plans. It was all pretty straightforward and free of problems.
 
I've started working on the boom and gaff. The completion of this build is actually within sight; then I will turn my attention to Agamemnon in earnest.
 
Thanks again for likes, comments etc. Very much appreciated. 
 
David
 
 
 
 

Hi guys, thanks for all the interest. I'm not talking about using it to make rope; I am talking about using it right off the spool. It's available in a wide range of sizes from size 100 which is very fine to about size 3 which is quite heavy.
Here are a couple of pictures of some size 10 which is just a tiny bit larger than my regular .5mm line, which I believe is from Amati.
To my eye, it looks quite a bit like rope, there's a distinct twist to it and it's only a little bit fuzzy. So, I'm not trying to advocate for it, just trying to determine if people feel it's a suitable rigging material or not.
 

 

OK, I'll fess up - as an experiment, I used it for all the rigging on my Niagara, using a few different sizes. I can't just remember them all off hand, but size 10 is about .5 mm and either size 20 or 30 is about .25mm etc. I thought it was easy to work with and I'm reasonably pleased with the result. I think it looks as good as the Amati line that I've used on most of my other models. On the other hand, I didn't feel it was particularly superior either. And I'm not trying to compare it to handmade rope, which is in a category all by itself.
 
I don't believe I'll rush back to it, but I was just curious if anyone else has experimented with it in this way. Now that I've added serving to my modest repertroire of skills, I am slowly working up the nerve to try my hand at making my own rope.
David
 

Here's a question I haven't seen raised. (Maybe I've just missed it, I'm not sure.) Is there any reason not to use plain old crochet cotton as rigging line? It comes in a wide variety of sizes, enough to match any rigging size needed and it comes in a wide variety of colours - many different naturals and dark brown and black. It seems to have a nice finish and it's quite inexpensive. Does anyone use it? Are there reasons why it shouldn't be used? I'm just curious.
Thanks,
David

A while ago I bought some cotton cordonnet thread by Lizbeth - for crocheting, tatting and knitting purposes. I bought two sizes, nr. 40 and nr. 80 - just to experiment a bit with twisting model ropes from it, since it appears that the French DMC no longer makes theirs excellent threads, as well as the German Anchor bid the dust too.
This thread already comes pre singed by a gas flame, so the fuzz is greatly reduced (for all those who for some reason are unable or unwilling to do it by themselves). It is made in China, but from an excellent Egyptian cotton, even, with long fibres, with no knots and unevenness.
First trials turned out surprisingly well. The ropes came nice and even, the residual fuzz was eliminated by running the ropes through bees wax and burning it away.
One other thing - pretty much all threads nowadays come as right hand twisted in factory, so, in order to obtain right hand twisted ropes from them, I had first to 'untwist' the factory twist and continue twisting threads on my ropewalk, to end up with right hand twisted ropes. But, that did not seem to be a problem...
Here are some pics.

Hi guys, thanks for all the interest. I'm not talking about using it to make rope; I am talking about using it right off the spool. It's available in a wide range of sizes from size 100 which is very fine to about size 3 which is quite heavy.
Here are a couple of pictures of some size 10 which is just a tiny bit larger than my regular .5mm line, which I believe is from Amati.
To my eye, it looks quite a bit like rope, there's a distinct twist to it and it's only a little bit fuzzy. So, I'm not trying to advocate for it, just trying to determine if people feel it's a suitable rigging material or not.
 

 

OK, I'll fess up - as an experiment, I used it for all the rigging on my Niagara, using a few different sizes. I can't just remember them all off hand, but size 10 is about .5 mm and either size 20 or 30 is about .25mm etc. I thought it was easy to work with and I'm reasonably pleased with the result. I think it looks as good as the Amati line that I've used on most of my other models. On the other hand, I didn't feel it was particularly superior either. And I'm not trying to compare it to handmade rope, which is in a category all by itself.
 
I don't believe I'll rush back to it, but I was just curious if anyone else has experimented with it in this way. Now that I've added serving to my modest repertroire of skills, I am slowly working up the nerve to try my hand at making my own rope.
David
 

Here's a question I haven't seen raised. (Maybe I've just missed it, I'm not sure.) Is there any reason not to use plain old crochet cotton as rigging line? It comes in a wide variety of sizes, enough to match any rigging size needed and it comes in a wide variety of colours - many different naturals and dark brown and black. It seems to have a nice finish and it's quite inexpensive. Does anyone use it? Are there reasons why it shouldn't be used? I'm just curious.
Thanks,
David

Hi guys, thanks for all the interest. I'm not talking about using it to make rope; I am talking about using it right off the spool. It's available in a wide range of sizes from size 100 which is very fine to about size 3 which is quite heavy.
Here are a couple of pictures of some size 10 which is just a tiny bit larger than my regular .5mm line, which I believe is from Amati.
To my eye, it looks quite a bit like rope, there's a distinct twist to it and it's only a little bit fuzzy. So, I'm not trying to advocate for it, just trying to determine if people feel it's a suitable rigging material or not.
 

 

OK, I'll fess up - as an experiment, I used it for all the rigging on my Niagara, using a few different sizes. I can't just remember them all off hand, but size 10 is about .5 mm and either size 20 or 30 is about .25mm etc. I thought it was easy to work with and I'm reasonably pleased with the result. I think it looks as good as the Amati line that I've used on most of my other models. On the other hand, I didn't feel it was particularly superior either. And I'm not trying to compare it to handmade rope, which is in a category all by itself.
 
I don't believe I'll rush back to it, but I was just curious if anyone else has experimented with it in this way. Now that I've added serving to my modest repertroire of skills, I am slowly working up the nerve to try my hand at making my own rope.
David
 

David, I don't see why it couldn't be used for rigging. It may need a bit of Bee's wax on it to knock down the frizz a bit. The question really is how it preforms over time and various changes in humidity. I also assume it could be sprayed with hair spray to protect it a bit. 
 
Jim

Good Morning,
Just a brief update this morning. I've attached all the yards -
 
Lower yards - jeers and trusses


For the trusses, I used these small cast bullseyes from Bluejacket. I'm a big fan of them and I like to keep a supply of them on hand. They come in several different sizes, but I really like the smallest ones - 1/16" inch - because they're easy to use and never look over scale.

They blacken easily and just need a small amount of cleanup. (Of course when all is said and done, you can't even see them on the trusses, but at least I know they're there.)
 
Parrels and ties on the topsail yards -
 

 
Ties on the topgallant yards -

There isn't really too much to explain about my methods. I just added each according to the plans. It was all pretty straightforward and free of problems.
 
I've started working on the boom and gaff. The completion of this build is actually within sight; then I will turn my attention to Agamemnon in earnest.
 
Thanks again for likes, comments etc. Very much appreciated. 
 
David
 
 
 
 

Hi guys, thanks for all the interest. I'm not talking about using it to make rope; I am talking about using it right off the spool. It's available in a wide range of sizes from size 100 which is very fine to about size 3 which is quite heavy.
Here are a couple of pictures of some size 10 which is just a tiny bit larger than my regular .5mm line, which I believe is from Amati.
To my eye, it looks quite a bit like rope, there's a distinct twist to it and it's only a little bit fuzzy. So, I'm not trying to advocate for it, just trying to determine if people feel it's a suitable rigging material or not.
 

 

OK, I'll fess up - as an experiment, I used it for all the rigging on my Niagara, using a few different sizes. I can't just remember them all off hand, but size 10 is about .5 mm and either size 20 or 30 is about .25mm etc. I thought it was easy to work with and I'm reasonably pleased with the result. I think it looks as good as the Amati line that I've used on most of my other models. On the other hand, I didn't feel it was particularly superior either. And I'm not trying to compare it to handmade rope, which is in a category all by itself.
 
I don't believe I'll rush back to it, but I was just curious if anyone else has experimented with it in this way. Now that I've added serving to my modest repertroire of skills, I am slowly working up the nerve to try my hand at making my own rope.
David
 

Hi guys, thanks for all the interest. I'm not talking about using it to make rope; I am talking about using it right off the spool. It's available in a wide range of sizes from size 100 which is very fine to about size 3 which is quite heavy.
Here are a couple of pictures of some size 10 which is just a tiny bit larger than my regular .5mm line, which I believe is from Amati.
To my eye, it looks quite a bit like rope, there's a distinct twist to it and it's only a little bit fuzzy. So, I'm not trying to advocate for it, just trying to determine if people feel it's a suitable rigging material or not.
 

 

OK, I'll fess up - as an experiment, I used it for all the rigging on my Niagara, using a few different sizes. I can't just remember them all off hand, but size 10 is about .5 mm and either size 20 or 30 is about .25mm etc. I thought it was easy to work with and I'm reasonably pleased with the result. I think it looks as good as the Amati line that I've used on most of my other models. On the other hand, I didn't feel it was particularly superior either. And I'm not trying to compare it to handmade rope, which is in a category all by itself.
 
I don't believe I'll rush back to it, but I was just curious if anyone else has experimented with it in this way. Now that I've added serving to my modest repertroire of skills, I am slowly working up the nerve to try my hand at making my own rope.
David
 

Hi All
I have quite good results using Floo Gloo from Veniards, it's used in the tying of flies in the fishing world.  I was struggling on the dead eyes that sit in the channels on the Mary Rose and having tried nail varnish, shellac, watered down PVA etc the Floo Gloo seems to have  solved my problems.
 
Mark
 
 
 

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I don't feel so bad now. I now feel empowered to continue to use CA without beating myself up over it as if its use was some sort of character flaw. I'll strive to apply the glue as carefully and sparingly as I can.
 
James - I've already started to touch up the seizings with flat black, not because of the glue, but because I've started using light coloured thread for the seizings on black line. The contrast makes it easier to get a nice even wrap.
Allan - thank for the video link; that's a great explanation.
Thanks again
David

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I don't feel so bad now. I now feel empowered to continue to use CA without beating myself up over it as if its use was some sort of character flaw. I'll strive to apply the glue as carefully and sparingly as I can.
 
James - I've already started to touch up the seizings with flat black, not because of the glue, but because I've started using light coloured thread for the seizings on black line. The contrast makes it easier to get a nice even wrap.
Allan - thank for the video link; that's a great explanation.
Thanks again
David

The discussion of the best glue for ratlines in another thread has me thinking about my seizings. The consensus seems to be that anything other than CA glue is the way to go, but for some reason I cannot seem to get anything other than CA to actually secure my seizings. I've tried PVA, watered down PVA, podge, shellac and varnish. In every case, the seizing will always fail. After I've let the glue dry, I snip the ends of the seizing line and everything will be fine, but as soon as I snip the ends of the actual line being seized close to the seizing, it will always slip through. This is especially true if, for example, I am seizing a block to an eyebolt or hook. Just a little bit of pressure and the line around the block will slip out of the seizing and release the block. It seems that the glue is holding the seizing, but not the actual line and the seizing itself is not enough to hold the line in place. As a result, I always end up resorting to CA, trying to use as little as possible. It holds well, but goes hard and looks a bit rough. I would love to avoid CA, but I have never had success with other glues.
 
Does anyone have any ideas of what the trick is or what I might be doing wrong?

The discussion of the best glue for ratlines in another thread has me thinking about my seizings. The consensus seems to be that anything other than CA glue is the way to go, but for some reason I cannot seem to get anything other than CA to actually secure my seizings. I've tried PVA, watered down PVA, podge, shellac and varnish. In every case, the seizing will always fail. After I've let the glue dry, I snip the ends of the seizing line and everything will be fine, but as soon as I snip the ends of the actual line being seized close to the seizing, it will always slip through. This is especially true if, for example, I am seizing a block to an eyebolt or hook. Just a little bit of pressure and the line around the block will slip out of the seizing and release the block. It seems that the glue is holding the seizing, but not the actual line and the seizing itself is not enough to hold the line in place. As a result, I always end up resorting to CA, trying to use as little as possible. It holds well, but goes hard and looks a bit rough. I would love to avoid CA, but I have never had success with other glues.
 
Does anyone have any ideas of what the trick is or what I might be doing wrong?

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I don't feel so bad now. I now feel empowered to continue to use CA without beating myself up over it as if its use was some sort of character flaw. I'll strive to apply the glue as carefully and sparingly as I can.
 
James - I've already started to touch up the seizings with flat black, not because of the glue, but because I've started using light coloured thread for the seizings on black line. The contrast makes it easier to get a nice even wrap.
Allan - thank for the video link; that's a great explanation.
Thanks again
David