Ryland Craze

Avoid my mistakes, get a good start on your keel and bulkheads.   I installed mine poorly and spent a lot of time making parts fit.  Because of that I had to use a lot of putty to make corrections and am not happy with how lumpy my hull is.  
 
Get a good start!!!

Just my two cents here. I tried to improve production on Cheerful by ganging them (4 at atime). Not a good idea as the char and bevel make it difficult to get it done to satisfaction. Removing the char well and getting consistent diameters was the challenge.
 
Rusty you are back at it with a vengence. Wonderful work. Would like to have you featured in January or february if not in person with some of the photos that cover technique. lets talk.
 
Joe

Finished up the other ladder. Yes, some folks mentioned the ladders are a bit ‘thick’. What the hell.  😁 It’s better than my first ladder I made for the Sultana.  
 

 
Also pre trimmed and test fit the gudgeons. I made the decision to trim the gudgeons not to extend beyond the stern piece. Yes, it’s a deviation but not a big one. A lot of brigs (US brigs included) in this era did not wrap the gudgeons out beyond the stern piece. 
 
It also saved me from trying to bend around the ‘fat’ planking which I did not sand level with the stern piece. So…lesson learned. 
 

 

 

 
The fit looks good…and if I mount them as accurately after coppering, the rudder will both functional and removable. 👍🏽
 

 
Moving on….
 

Thank you for the compliment! While I'm not doing anything fancy by MSW standards, I'm hoping to do the basic work well. A weird side-effect of entering this hobby when I did, is Covid hit right after. I haven't had a chance to see that many models in person, so I'm working from a slightly idealized notion of how they look in the real world. Plus of the few I saw, were of the caliber of Chuck Passaro's work! Here, I tip the hat to the Ship Model Society of New Jersey for having members who are killer craftfolk.
Any tool can be a tool mis-used!! It is a nice tool and has a few features that weren't apparent at first glance. Thanks for the recommend!

Started on the main topmast staysail downhaul. I had previously seized the 3/32” single block to the main topmast stay. I created an eye on the end of the .012 tan downhaul line. So far so good, but, I could not run the line through the block. This is where it all fell apart, literally. In trying to run the line through the block, I snagged one the lines, and pulled down the fore top mast (the Fid broke). Another oh s__t moment. I was ready to put the ship in dry dock. Upon assessment, I was able to push the fore top mast up and secure it with CA. A disaster averted. But, Murphy’s Law crept up. Somehow, the fore topgallant mast/pole snapped above the cap. It snapped at the point where I had inserted a pin to hold the royal yard. I’m not sure if this was a ramification of the of fore top mast mishap.  In hindsight, it was a bad idea to insert the pin – it weakened the mast. Luckily, I was able to set the mast back into position and secure it with CA. It lists a little but, considering the consequences, I can live with that. I decided to take a little reprieve to regroup.
 
Well, after a short reprieve, I was able to rig the main topmast staysail downhaul (.012 tan) and main topmast staysail halliard (.008 tan). The downhaul was run through the Lubber’s hole and down to the port side rail abaft the main mast and belayed to pin “N.” I was able to snag the pins and belay the lines in the traditional under/over manner. Moving on, I seized 3/32” single blocks, two on the main top gallant stay and two on the main royal stay per the plan on Sheet 6 and set up the main topgallant staysail downhaul (.008 tan) and the main topgallant staysail halliard (.008 tan). These lines are belayed to shroud cleats above the main and fore tops. The cleats are not depicted on the plans, but their locations are noted on the Belaying Plan. It’s a little confusing, so study the Belaying Plan well before proceeding. The main topgallant staysail downhaul (.008 tan) is belayed to the aft-most shroud cleat (O) on the fore top port side. The main topgallant staysail hilliard (.008 tan) is belayed to the 2nd shroud cleat (P) on the main top port side. I assumed the 2nd shroud is the 2nd fore-most shroud. I found it very difficult to belay the lines, so I simply wrapped the lines around the cleats, applied CA, and snipped the lines. They’ll be covered later with rope coils.
 

 
Completed the remaining staysail rigging (.008 tan) per the instructions. The Belaying Plan clarifies where the various lines are belayed. I did have one minor do-over, I had earlier seized the 3/32” single block for the flying jib sail downhaul on the starboard side of the traveler ring rather the port side as explained in the instructions. The lesson here is, don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Again, I had a very difficult time belaying the downhaul lines to the pin rails at the bow. I was unable to do it in the conventional way. It looks really amateurish. Hopefully, the rope coils will hide this. If anyone has a good way to do this, I’m all ears. Oh, I did have another do-over. The fore royal stay became slack while rigging the flying jib halliard, so I had to re-do the lanyard at the bow. The staysail rigging was clearly not my shining moment, but I’m satisfied with how it turned out.  Now, on to constructing the yards. This will be the last post this year, so happy holidays to all! Photos follow.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

That's looking real nice without a doubt.
 
One way of stopping bleed around masking like that is to first apply a little thinned varnish to the paint area after masking, so the varnish creates a seal the paint can't bleed through.

As all your previous builds, a real delight to follow although your last comment caught my uttermost attention :
"Four months into the build.."  : and the progress on the hull is more than obvious.
It is amazing how much the quality of (some) brands of kits have improved, thus allowing both speed and workmanship.
Most impressive.
 

Post Fifty-four
Completing the Great Cabin.
 
The cills are made using 0.8mm x 6mm Pearwood strip.

1832
The unused seat pattern (198) made a good template for cutting the cill to fit between the frames.

1838(2)
The slots were cut out on the scroll saw.

1835
Fitting was a case of slowly adjusting the slots to fit.

1841
The process went far more smoothly than I dared hope.

1846
The bulwarks have been given the w-o-p treatment and I’m still not sure whether to paint the panelling with an ivory tone.
Also wracked with indecision about the kit provided ‘parquet’ flooring or use of the alternative b/w chequer.

1845
This I can defer until I see how things look between the Qtr deck beams.
 
The Gallery doors present something of a problem, I removed these when I modified the Qtr Galleries, and the question is how or whether to refit them.
I don’t think Chuck fitted doors to the Quarter Galleries of Winchelsea.
 
The doors are engraved on one side only, are not square, and if to be displayed open need reversing to show the patterns.
If hinged on the left they open against the bench arrangement, and either way they open onto the spirketting and deck clamps.
Another feature that I can’t get my head around and I’ll leave them off for the present.
 
The port linings and inner bulwarks have been painted; careful masking of the port surrounds is required to avoid getting paint on the ‘bright’ outer planking.

1850(2)
Tedious business this, using a fine brush and not too thin a paint mix to decrease the risk of bleed.
I note that Chuck leaves the inside edges of the planking around the ports clear of paint, an arrangement I followed on my Cheerful build.
I do like this effect, but it is not one reflected on many contemporary models and I think I would struggle to replicate it on the 1:64 scale Sphinx.

1867

1861

1859

1857(2)
Four months into the build and I am now ready to set out the centre line deck fittings.
 
B.E.
21/12/21
 

The Sills
 
It’s taken me a long while to finish the sills. There is a lot of work involved, as other I'm sure Winchelsea builders know. For half a moment I was wishing for a nice gunport pattern to bend on, but then I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun.
 

 
 

 
My Veritas Chisels played a big role in the process, so happy I acquired these. Even happier I learned how to properly sharpen them with the Kell Sharpener (thanks again @DelF for both). Someone asked how small of a chisel it would hold, here it is with my 1/8 chisel. With the cut angle set by the distance from the roller (½ inch for 30 degrees) and my sandpaper sharpening tile setup I get them nice and sharp. I tuned them up in preparation for this task.
 

 

 
Invaluable in determining the many tricky angles involved is this inexpensive ,if a bit over-sized, angle finder. To precisely fit the sills the cross cut table on my Byrnes saw and the ability to both tilt the table and set the mitre guide of the Byrnes Sander proved equally invaluable.
 
As a side note I’ve had both Byrnes tools for over 10 years, I had the first problem ever, likely one I caused. I was unable to adjust the drum distance to and away from the table, it had locked in place. I called Jim Byrnes, he explained to me how to pull the sanding drum, file the spindle, and add the right grease. It took me less than an hour and I was back in business with the sander quieter than ever. The machining and precision of these tools is simply amazing along with the exceptional customer service that goes with them, they are worth every penny.
 
 
 

 

 
Rounding out the tools for this job are spacers I cut to fit the width and height of the ports, that plus a couple of bubble levels and off I went to build out 28 identical ports.
 

 
First were the sills and mantles both port and starboard, keeping both sides level and maintaining my line to conform with the sheer of the eventual deck. I stayed with the Titebond III, it really is stronger than the wood once cured. Per the monograph I included supports between bulkheads for extra strength, marked with a X so I didn’t obsess about their angles. Then on to the port sides and more angles to sort out. It’s a slow process process but one made more accurate and easier with these tools. I need all the help I can get.
 
Even with the right tools and a patient pace thank goodness for denatured alcohol. I’ve taken off various sills and sides only to reposition them for a millimeter or two difference. I could likely ignore and work past these small alignment errors, but while an omission now might never be noticed it might instead compound and multiply as the build progresses. I have to do what I can where I can to fix stuff, and I make enough mistakes to have stuff to fix.
 

 

 
It all that wasn’t enough fun, then it was time to cut away two bulkhead uprights to make room for the forward two ports. It was a little bit frightening in concept, but by going slow and having the port sides ready to go in advance it turned out to be fairly easy  (a little more fairing to do).
 

 
With almost three weeks spent on fairing and and cutting, aligning, and installing ports I’m finally ready to move on to the no less challenging task of installing the stern.
 
I won’t get much build time over the next two weeks with family around, so Merry Christmas to all.

Regardless of the value of Hunt's work, I believe as a beginner, one yearns for something that will cover everything completely. I still do, but the truth is nothing covers every nook and cranny. Mistakes will be made, some items may not be understood until much too late, some things will be overlooked and somethings will not be spot on. That is the nature of the beast. If you want perfect, build a couple dozen and pick the best. It will still have errors but only you will know where.

I also noticed for myself, what is perfect information today, is 'obvious' tomorrow and was over my head yesterday. That is the perfect instructions are a moving target assuming you improve even the slightest bit. 

I'm not commenting Hunt or similar, just the wide nature of this hobby makes it tough to hit all the needed skills easily. Conversely, it is that width that makes it interesting.  

Bob Hunt's "Hanna Practicum" gave me the foundation and confidence to start scratch building. After 30 years of building kits, possessing and reading many books, never took me beyond this. Thanks to Bob, I am building a scratch Swan class ( also with a practicum TFFM). I never would have tried without such a positive experience. Any quibbles or critiscms pale to insignificance. 

@RustyNail123 I'm sorry to hear about your experience with Bob Hunt. My experience was much better.
 
@CiscoH I used Bob Hunt's practicum to build the Armed Virgina Sloop as well. I found it helpful for a newbie like me and agree with you - practicums can help first-time modelers, at least with the general build sequence. But they aren't the final word.
 
When I bought Bob Hunt's Fair American kit, he threw in all of his practicums as a deal because I was the 100th buyer. I'm a relative newbie in modeling so I may have been over my head. So, my experience with this build was not as good as the first. There was very little about how to deal with common problems a builder would typically run into. The practicum itself had a few errors and errata, and many of the photos were out of sequence from the text of the build which confused me. In some cases, the photos were of a prototype, not what was provided in the kit.
 
The biggest errors I made were with the cant frames; I screwed up the frames where they met the keel. I just didn't understand what the text was telling me and there were no close-up pictures of this area of the model. That threw off the entire build. I wish the practicum had explained how to shape and measure them better.
 
I believe the issue with practicums in general is an implicit assumption that the modeler really has some experience with wood model making and knows how to correct problems as they crop up. Indeed, I find the build logs here in the forum more valuable, especially for us beginners.
 
I'm currently building the MS Rattlesnake kit and have used Hunt's Mamoli practicum as a reference for a few things. Now if I could actually find the time to work on it...

Looks good, Dan! I think you are closer to the marks than I was. You have the right attitude and I'm sure this will turn out great.  BTW, I am a believer in overnight drying of wet-bent planks. Patience pays off! 

Sheer Planks
 
These were not so difficult to bend, but it was tricky to align them with the curves scribed on the transoms, the little marks on the molds, and the scribed lines on the second planks. I was only able to get close and try and do about the same thing on both sides to keep it symmetrical. It is really a lot of fun though, watching as it gradually goes from transoms and molds on a board to taking shape as a boat!
 

 
 

Dave,
To make life easier, cannon that are out of sight need not be rigged, it is up to you.  Even contemporary models are often missing  rigging on cannon, and often the cannon are not even included. Two of many examples at Preble Hall follow.
Allan

 

 

It looks like Algo Rithm  has developed critical judgement of photos and is rejecting any it doesn’t like.😳
 
I found that Glenn, if I fiddled around with the photo in photo editing, it may eventually accept it.
 
I hope it doesn’t decide my logs are not worthy and summarily removes them😬
 
B.E.

Try uploading your photos in smaller batches and let us know how it goes.

And here's the finished sledge with the exception of the pull ropes on each end.  I've got to order some 1.5mm cordage for that.  Everything in my small stockpile of leftovers is either too fat or too thin for what I need.  
 
 

Continuing with the finer details of the sledge…The original looks like it has leather or rawhide wraps around each joint.  I cut up the palm of an old leather glove for my joint wraps.  The original has angled metal braces that support each cross slat as well as small metal pins that secure each support post to the runners.  I used the thinnest piano wire I’ve got for those.  The original also has 2 thin metal straps around each cross slat.  I used leftover photo-etched sprues and painted them a steel gray.  

I like your version of the friezes and quarter galleries better than the model of the Minerva.  Your design work and craftsmanship constantly amazes me.

Hey Everyone, hope that you are all well today.  Thank you very much for all of your likes.
 
This week I decided to do what I think is the last rough job before doing all of the detail work.  The pin rail at the stem had to be removed to give the bowsprit the proper clearance.  Just kept running a wet toothpick along the joint while attacking it with a #11 blade.  It put up a little fight but nothing was destroyed.  
 
 

 
 
Made the bowsprit using a mini block plane and lots of sand paper.  The next few hours were spent measuring and filing and sanding the hole.
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
Finally the bowsprit was able to be positioned correctly and I could lay out the position of the bowsprit step.  Now just waiting for paint to dry on the bowsprit and step before finishing.  Last week I forgot to say that the waterways and scuppers were completed along with one of the pinrails.  I picked up some brass belaying pins from The Crafty Sailor.  These Technell parts are more nicely proportioned than most.
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 If I don't see you before next week have a great Christmas.
 
Paul

Today I was able to add the second planks next to the garboard planks and started preparing the sheer planks. I bent one and it is drying out on the molds overnight. 
 

 
 

Post Fifty-three
 
The Great Cabin flat pack assembly continues.
 
I faffed around with the octagonal style cover but couldn’t get it to sit right with my eye.
With the kit set-up the Rudder head position throws the cover too far backwards when the forward edge at least should meet the deck edge. To achieve this the cover would have to be too broad and not fit between the stern frames as required.
This also has implications for subsequently fitting the rudder and seating the rudder head within the cover.
 
Back to basics I considered the purpose of the fittings; to give a reasonably realistic impression as viewed obliquely and from above thro’ the Quarterdeck beams.
With that in mind I have opted to follow Chuck’s lead.
 
A rectangular cover masks the actual line of the rudder head and provides a clean line to set the benches against.
 
The cover is fashioned from some Pear sheet, and decorated with some ebony strip, and a depiction of a Greek sphinx.

Very keen on Greek mythology were the Georgians, altho’ the Sphinx is a far less attractive subject than the rather elegant Pegasus.
 
Both winged creatures, but I wouldn’t fancy meeting this Woman/lion/Raptor combo, who delighted in tearing humans limb from limb if they couldn’t answer her bloody questions.
 
Still one young likely lad who went by the name of Oedipus did indeed answer her riddle correctly, and in a fit of pique, Sphinx threw herself from a cliff and smashed on the rocks below
.
Fortunately, a fate not shared by the ship named for her.
 
Still I digress.

1816
Trial fit of the cover, I basically followed Chuck’s method, without the luxury of laser cut parts.

1826
The benches are fitted each side of the cover. Fairly straightforward using Pear strips of 6mm and 10mm widths.

1829
I use scale figures to set the fittings at the right height. I find that such figures do aid the setting up of these things.

1830
The distance between the bench tops and stern Window cills is around a scale 4½ feet, which seems a little high to me, the Captain would have to stand on the bench top to see out of the stern windows.
 
The cills and the Gallery doors are yet to be fitted, then the area can be cleaned up.
 
B.E.
19/12/21

I've got most of the stem, stern and keel done now. This was pretty challenging since there were a lot of parts involved. One thing I need to get better at is sanding the edges of the parts cleanly. I seem to end up with a crowned edge or an edge with more off one side than the other. I'm going to have to come up with a way to make sure I get a nice clean edge, especially on surfacers that are glued together. I ended up having to fill a few gaps. I'm sanding manually so that's part of the problem. The laser cut parts have quite a bit of laser burn which is also ridged so its tough.
 
Anyway here are some pics of my current progress.
 
This is the upper part of the stem not glued yet. Its hard to tell from the picture but these are all built up from 3 layers. This is to accommodate the option to split the hull. I'm not building that option so will have these seams visible.
 

 
Some parts of the stem assembled
 

 
And done. The part you see sitting there is positioned approximately where its to be glued but I'm not 100% sure exactly of the position, so its not glued yet. There are steps that go here also for the forward frames but again not sure of the exact position so I haven't glued them on. Something I'm going to have to figure out. Something tells me the position of these parts is critical. You can also see there is a lot of color variation in the parts.
 

 
The parts of the stem after removal from the sheet. These are CNC cut (all but one part) and there's some cleanup to do.
 

 
After cleanup
 

 
The overall
 

 
 

I took your advice Allan and glued 14" strips together and then ran them through the surface sander. I had some 1mm by 5mm by 14" AYC left from planking. I have a scrape piece of 2cm granite from a kitchen remodel that I use for a flat surface. It also has another helpful property glue doesn't adhere. I simple scrape with a straight razor and it clean.
Glued the strips together on the granite and used weights to keep it flat from warping and after letting it dry overnight sanded it down to .026 thick.

also had granite samples left over from picking the granite to use in the new kitchen

 
Now I have enough to remake the companionway. Can't thank you enough Allan.
Many Regards
Will