Ryland Craze

Carefully and gently scrape with a sharp razor blade or xacto blade with the blade held perpendicular to the surface of the plank until the red paint is removed. Avoid scraping the plank as much as possible. Touch up the planking finish as needed when you're done.

Hi Rob and welcome to Model Ship World.  You have picked an excellent kit to start with.

Hi Rob and welcome to Model Ship World.  You have picked an excellent kit to start with.

Hi Pascual and welcome to Model Ship World.  The Palma Nova looks like a good kit for your first wooden ship model.  Before you know it, you will be building the Vanguard kits that you mentioned.

I dont know if you are aware but the Seaways "ships in scale" magazine had proposed a few years ago to have a building log published in their magazine of the Caldercraft Surprise kit. There was a request by Seaways to submit proposals on who would write the series of articles (this was over 10 years ago now) and I was lucky enough to be the successful choice. I was pretty stoked about it and we were all waiting for the kit to be released but as you all know, no kit was ever released so no building log was ever written and released.
 
The completed kit has made its appearance at a few model shows in Europe (from what I have seen on the internet) but either than that, its been radio silence. Too bad as I think they had a really neat kit that would have got a lot of peoples attention. 
 
Mike Draper

Here's cap rail glued on and partially sanded.  I can make it a little narrower, but not as much as on plans.  I didn't sand the frames thin enough.  I'll sand cap rail as narrow as I can, until it almost hits the frames on the inside.

I decided to paint the inside of frames dark red now, before putting on the cap rail

Here's the hull frames sanded.

Hey everyone my name is Rob and I did a lot of model cars as I was growing up. It's been 15 years since I picked up a model so I wanted to see how doing wooden models would be. I just post my first log after doing extensive research on good starting models to get my hands wet. So come and check out my HMS Beagle build and looking forward to getting to know you guys. 

I recently reviewed this kit over in the Reviews forum:  1:48 Double Capstan for HMS Winchelsea
I discussed it with Chuck, and he felt this forum would be the best place to put my build log.
 
First, a little background about why I am building this capstan even though I don't foresee  building Winchelsea.
 
Back in June of last year I posted an item about the capstan I built from scratch, for my Corel kit Resolution.
 

 
I thought it was pretty decent and as good or better than a lot of kit provided or third party parts.
( I had actually upsized the 1:72 kit from Master Korabel )
 
I'm glad Chuck looked in on my log, because he pointed out how kits rarely get the relative size ( thickness ) of the various parts;
whelps, chocks and etc. of a capstan correct, if even close.
 
It requires several thicknesses of wood, and therefore drives up the cost of the kit/part..
 
He showed me a picture of this model:
 

...And I decided at that point, that my model would never launch with the sub-par capstan that had been delivered by the contractor.
 
Fast forward six months and Chuck unveils the capstan mini-kit for the Winchelsea project.
 

 
I knew right away that Chuck had saved me the trouble of designing my own new capstan.
 
I waited a couple of weeks to order my kit/s so that the Winchelsea project participants would have first option to get their kits.
 

 
The packaging is typical of Syren mini kits, and the detailed instructions are available for download at Syren.
 

 
 
This is the Cherry version.  It will fit in with my Resolution.  I also ordered the Alaskan yellow cedar version for another project I have in mind.
 
The kit has 7 different thicknesses of wood as well as some black monofilament and black laser board pieces for detailing.
 
I recommend keeping the various parts in their sheets until called for in the instructions.  Many are similar and i know I would be scrambling to find the right part if I had removed them all early on.
 

 
The first step calls for building the central column of the lower capstan.
 
The instruction are very precise in describing which parts are needed for each step and which sheet to find them on.
Example: 
Glue one ¼” thick column section along with three 3/16” Column sections together after sliding all of them onto the 1/16” strip. These column sections look like five sided pieces.
The ¼” piece can be found on sheet A. The 3/16” pieces can be found on sheet B.
 
There are relatively few steps, covered in eight pages of instructions, but each step involves several pieces.
 

 
The next step calls for putting the lower whelps on the center column. Each step has information about when and how char should be removed.
Naturally we want it removed from surfaces that will be visible after assembly. 
The lower column has five flat surfaces to receive the whelps, and there will be a small visible strip between each whelp.
I over-did the char removal a bit here and paid for it later.  The cherry has some dark streaks that can be a little confusing when removing char, so I would keep this in mind throughout a cherry build.   Also, the AYC may be a little less forgiving when it comes to sanding, so a little extra care may be required there.
 
 
 
 

 

 
Looking  ahead, I chose to drill the holes for the simulated bolts before assembly.
 

This is an image from the instructions.  It calls for gluing the whelps on to the column in preparation for adding the chocks.
 
 

 
I ran into some problems here, because I think I over-sanded the column, and did not get a tight, even spacing of the whelps.
So I added the chocks at this point to help me align things before the glue ( PVA) set, and did the best I could to even things up.
 
I had intended to drill the detail holes in the chocks before assembly, but my botched efforts got in the way..
 
You can see some gaps at this point, but I managed to recover somewhat, and I think you will see the final result with the lower
capstan doesn't look too bad.  I don't plan on using the lower part, so I am depending on it more for a learning process.
 
At this point, I want to elaborate on those grooves for the chocks in the whelps .
 

 
Looking back at the model I posted earlier. Note the chocks in the grooves.  You will find those grooves in some plan drawings
from the NMM.  Structurally, they make sense.  You won't find those grooves on any other kit model of a capstan. ( that I am aware of )
 

When Chuck chose to include those grooves in this kit he took laser part making to another level.
It created a lot of additional work in cutting the parts.  The grooves had to be etched precisely on both sides of the
sheet, unlike cutting, or engraving on one side.  The piece  would have to be flipped and placed with pixel level preciseness
to make this happen. 
Probably, once he had it all planned he created a jig that enabled him to more easily repeat the process, but getting there
would have taken many hours and lots of scrap..
 
When all is said and done, those grooves really contribute to a realistic and more precise  build.
 

 
I ended up with some ugly gaps, but I hope to show I overcame them to some extent later.  Just something for other builders to keep in mind.
 

 
 
Next is building the drum for the lower capstan.  Really an easy process of making a sandwich of three parts.
 
 
 

 

 
Char cleaned off and added to the assembly..
 

 
I won't go over the detail of putting the base together.  It is really straight forward.  The biggest challenge is getting the
words in the right order..  
 
 
 

 
A little polly to bring out the cherry, and here is my version of the lower capstan. 
 
I have continued working on the upper part, which i plan to use for my Resolution, and should have it completed shortly..
 
I hope to be able to show a little improvement with my lessons learned..

Rigging is done. Brutal, but fun. I was trying to get the sheet line through the middle eye on the boom (where I had broken it) and it broke again. I did an in-place repair, as I could not see starting over. I was able to CA glue it back together reasonably straight, but it is more visible than before. During this operation I spilt a good blob of CA onto the hull interior, and did not notice until it had dried, and anyway my hands were occupied. I don't know if I will attempt to correct. Sometimes it's best to walk away for a while. I think artful placement of the oars may obscure this (to all but myself), or maybe I can make something, a bucket or picnic basket or whatever, to set in front it. I also lost the brass eye to the break, but had some small eyebolts and put one in the remaining hole. A little out of scale, maybe. . .
 
The manual calls for passing the traveller line through holes in the stern transom knee. This is a typo, should have been stern quarter knee, but there were no holes. No big deal to drill them. There is a hole in the transom knee, but it is unused.
 
The boom hit the rub on the mast, but a little high- that's the end result of my not adding a stop to the mast step. I tried to improvise, but saw potential for damage, so the mast is resting on the floor.
 
I wired up the block for the traveller upside down, the hole for the rope should have been at the top.
 
I can also see that the under sizing of the sail (see earlier post) left more mast exposed above the sail, but it's probably no more than 1/4 inch extra.
 

 
I just have to finish the oars, and coil the ropes and glue them to the floor. I'll make one more post at completion and call it good.
 
I can recommend this kit to other beginners, after they have completed the dory. I bought all the necessary tools and some of the optional ones, and used them all. The jeweler's broaches are a must-have, and they are beautiful little things in themselves. The techniques taught in the manual will serve well into the future. I learned so much, including terminology and some history. Based on my experience with this model, I ordered the Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack yesterday.
 
 

I've been planking away the past couple days and decided to change up my workflow a little bit.  Rather than focus on a strake at a time and having to change technique with each plank, I decided to focus on planking the bow of belt 1, then moving to the stern of belt 1.  The first 2 bow planks went in without problem, but then I really struggled with the third one.  After about 6 or 7 times back at the bending station  and then during the final test fitting I managed to break the plank across the bow filler.  Deep breaths and a fair bit of cursing later, I re-made the plank and realized I needed to tweak my process or I was just going to frustrate myself.  
 
The good thing about having a busted plank with the appropriate bend intact means I had a pretty close template to match the general curve for the first bend.
 
I repurposed my beat up chopper when I was test bending and it worked well enough that I decided to keep using it.  I start by spiling and bending the plank per Chucks videos. 
 
 
I then heat bend the plank on the bow filler while on the ship.  I now know exactly where I need to adjust the plank.  The only small snag is the plank no longer lays flat.   

 
Simply a matter of transferring the reference mark to the opposite side of the plank and clamping in front of the plank on the opposite side.

 
The first belt is complete on the starboard side.  I'll finish up the port side this weekend and then move to the stern.  I lightly sanded the first 3 planks between the bow filler and frame W as I did get a little clinker effect initially, but that has subsided once W flattens.

 
I know if left to my own devices and not edge bending the planks, I'd be super frustrated right now.  So far, so good though.

 
A week ago, I never would have thought planking the bow would be the (most) fun part.  

Hi Ron
 
I found out that the sides of the upper hull are too short by .100. Look at photos and measure it. I have raised my hull sides and deck up now. And have done other things like detailed the exhaust and intake trunk. Used Archers Decal rivets. Opened up the sides of the trunk and widened the preasure hull there. I see you have made up preasure hull sections. You can see all  y postings on Facebook Wolfpack pages. 

And now, after 5 years and seven months to the day since I first began planning the model . . . the final steps.
 
I've assembled the case with a background of the Harbour of Theodosios in Constantinople, where the Byzantine galleys were found from which I got so much information in building the model. The buildings in the background are part of the Boukoleon Palace complex, the Emperor's main residence.
 

 

 
 
 

 
And here are the remains of the very same buildings, in today's Istanbul.
 

 
I had a bit of trouble getting the frame to fit tightly and square - one of the screw-holes had to be re-drilled. And while I had the ship on the stand and inside the case, and everything glued in place, just about to screw everything together, a fly got inside! Had to pull the perspex off and get rid of the fly. Grrr! All ready to go, just getting things adjusted so I could start screwing together, and the fly got back inside!
 
Fortunately sanity prevailed, in the form of my lovely wife who said "You hold the case, I'll get rid of the fly." Just as well - I had visions of disaster at the last moment with me throwing the whole kit and kaboodle across the room.
 
But now, here it is in all its glory.
 

With only four more posts to go before the completed project photos, I am getting very close to the end of this journey. The next step was another one of those tedious challenges that I'm not very good at, the trail boards.
 
Although once again being offered help from Ron, I decided to attempt to make them on my own. Thanks Ron.
 
I started with the template that was included with the kit and drew out the name complete with potential embellishments. Then I cut a piece of wood in that shape.
 

 
 
It didn't fit very well. It could be because of changes I made to the shape of the cutwater but regardless, it wasn't a good fit. 
 

 
Adjustments were made and the fit checked until I was satisfied. Then they were painted a deep blue and I hand lettered the name with gel pen.
 
As I discussed earlier, I was indecisive as to what the name should be. I wanted to name her after my wife Jan. She suggested naming her after my daughter Alexandra Marie. Clearly, one would have been MUCH easier but I ended up going with my wife's suggestion. That is why the number 94 is stenciled on the dredging license. There was no room left for the embellishments.
 

 
Unfortunately, even after a week, the gel pen was not completely dry and I smudged it with my thumb while gluing it to the hull. #$&%#$#@
I'll fix it someday when I have nothing better to do. Right now the frustration hasn't worn off and I'm not over that "OH NO" moment.
 
 

Work officially starts on this tomorrow, but I thought I'd do a quick test fit of the bulkheads, and the lower deck and orlop deck section.
 
The fit is absolutely perfect and everything nice and square.
 
This will give a rough idea of the genesis of this build before I crack on with the instructions images tomorrow. 
 

I am by far no expert on spiling,,,, In fact far from it..   Most of my attempts at spiling have a lot to be desired....   But I have learned this,,,,  if you plan to paint the hull, no matter how good or bad your spiling looks,,,, in the end both good spiling and bad spiling all look the same under paint.    The better your spiling the less sanding you will have to do, but in the end it all looks the same under paint.
 
Try to keep learning you spiling skills (as I am),  but also try not to worry about it as you go.   Not worth the worry.   Remember, sanding and paint are your friends and your ship will look great in the end.    Everyone will marvel at your completed ship and you will look back and wonder why you agonized so much over the spiling.
 

Chapter 16 – Bowsprit, Jibboom, and Flying Jibboom. The bowsprit was previously completed when I was working on Chapter 13 (see Page 2). The next step is the jibboom. The jibboom was made per the instructions using a 5/32” diameter dowel shaped as shown on the plans. This was a fairly easy task. The most difficult part is creating the octagonal shape at the inboard end of the jibboom. To simulate the iron band on the jibboom, I used a piece of 1/16” wide black pinstripe tape, secured it with CA, and painted it black.
 
The flying jibboom was made from a 1/8” diameter dowel as per the instruction except that I didn’t taper it. This was also an easy task. The tenon on the end of the flying jibboom is rounded to fit the hole drilled in the bowsprit cap. I added the iron band to the flying jibboom a la the jibboom. I aligned the jibboom and the flying jibboom to matchup the adjacent iron bands. The jibboom and flying jibboom were painted black basically as shown in the instruction photos and stained Golden Oak.
 

 
Next, I made the traveler rings for the jibboom and the flying jibboom from 28 gauge black wire. Each ring was wrapped with two turns of thin wire (gauge unknown). I applied CA to the seam where the 28 gauge wires meet. Note: Remember to slip the traveler ring onto the jibboom before the flying jibboom is glued in-place.
 

 
Installing the brass photo etched piece that is used to connect the jibboom iron band to the flying jibboom iron band is bit tricky.  I test fit the jibboom and flying jibboom and eyeballed the angle and locations where the photo etched piece pins will be attached. Using a needle, I punched a hole in each pinstripe band where holes will be drilled for the pins. I then drilled the holes. I inserted the photo etched connector and test fit the jibboom and flying jibboom again. I’m satisfied with the alignment. I plan to permanently assemble the jibboom and flying jibboom whence 3/32” blocks are attached to the cap and the closed heart collars are made.
 

 
I made the jack staff from 1/16” dowel. I cut the dowel long enough to fit in the chuck in my Dramel. I then tapered the dowel using a sanding block and file. The ball truck was made from piece of 1/8” dowel. A divot was made in the ball truck for attaching the tip of the jack staff. The jack staff below the bowsprit cap was painted black. Above the bow sprit cap the jack staff was stained Golden Oak. The jack staff will be permanently attached later.
 

 
I decided to make the dolphin striker next. This was fairly easy. It was fashioned from 1/16” x 1/16” strips. I drilled a hole at the top of the striker for inserting a pin to secure the striker to the bowsprit cap. With that done, I turned my attention to the blocks and collars. I made up six (6) 3/32” blocks with .008 black line. Lashed four blocks to the eyebolts on the bowsprit cap and two (2) on the end of the flying jib boom. At this point, I decided to check the holes in fairlead to be sure that the .012 and .018 black line stays would pass. I had to enlarge the holes. Thankfully, without damaging the fearlead - whew.
 


 
I started making the bowsprit collars and almost immediately broke one of the half-open hearts. I ended up breaking all of them and had to order some from Syren. I also ordered some closed hearts. The instructions say the closed hearts are 3/16”, so I ordered 5.5mm (7/32”) closed hearts. Thinking that the half-open hearts are also 3/16”, I order 5mm half-open hearts – this was a mistake. The 5mm half-open hearts are too small (see photo). I should have scaled the half-open heart shown on Sheet 5, which is about ¼”. I had to reorder 7mm (9/32”) half-open hearts – lesson learned.
 

 
In the meantime, I made the collars from .012 black line. The drawing shows a doubled line for the collars. I opted to make the closed hearts with a single line and the half-open hearts with doubled lines. Sheet 5 shows the half-open hearts straddling the jibboom but the photo on Page 79 of the instructions shows the open hearts being significantly above the jibboom. So, I guess there is a lot of leeway in the length of the collar for the forestay hearts. Most of the Syren build logs that I have perused have the half-open hearts above the jibboom to varying heights. I decided to make the open heart collars 1 7/8” long, eye to eye. To form the eyes at the end of the collar I filed down the end of a piece of dowel to a diameter that I thought was appropriate for the scale of the model. I looped the rigging line around the dowel and then seized the line with black thread (see photo). I added CA to the eye to stiffen it. I made the open heart collars 1 1/8” long. I used black thread to lash the collar at the hearts. The collars were attached to the bowsprit using black thread and a needle. The needle was passed through the eyes three times and the secured with a simple knot and some CA. The order of the collars, starting at the jibboom rest and working forward is as follows: forestay half-open heart collar, bobstay closed collar, bowsprit closed collar, bowsprit closed heart collar, forestay half-open heart collar, and bobstay closed heart collar (see sketch).
 

 

 
While waiting for my 7mm half-open hearts order to arrive, I made the splash guard. As the instructions say, the laser cut layers are quite fragile. Two of them broke in the process of gluing them together and one split at the midpoint line. In hindsight, I marked the notch on the bottom of the layers with a pencil before gluing them together and I think this may have contributed to the layer splitting at the midpoint. I was able to glue the pieces together and salvage the splash guard. Most of the split in the top layer was removed when the bottom of the guard was notched/filed. The remaining split was filled with CA. I notched the location of the fairleads slightly and then sanded and painted the splash guard black. The fairlead notches will be completed after the splash guard is glued into position. I made some eyebolts for the Horses from 28 gauge wire and attached them to the splash guard. I made the eyebolts about 9/16” apart to match the eyebolts on the side of bowsprit cap.
 

 

 
Still waiting for my 7mm half-open heart order, I decided to make the two bobstays. I measured the length of the bobstays on Sheet 5 from the hole in the stem to the top of the closed heart and doubled it. I allowed for the width of the stem and a little length at the bottom of the heart for seizing. I wrapped the .018 black line around the heart and applied a little CA with a toothpick to secure the line. I made the knots from .008 black line spaced 3/8” apart.  I applied a little CA to the knots before trimming them. The bobstays will be lashed to their corresponding closed hearts whence the bowsprit assembly is permanently secured. 
 

 
Next, I made the two bowsprit shrouds from .021 black line seized to a closed heart. I seized the end of the line to a hook made from 1/32” brass eyebolts. The bowsprit shrouds will be lashed to their corresponding closed hearts whence the bowsprit assembly is permanently secured. This is the reverse order of what’s described in the instructions.
 

 
One possible ramification of making up the shrouds and bobstays without first lashing them is that the spacing between the lashed hearts may not be consistent. I expect this will be the case but, hopefully, it won’t be that noticeable.
 
My Syren order arrived, so I proceeded to make the forestay collars. I doubled up the collars. One collar has an eye at each end and the other doesn’t. I fit the collars to the half-open hearts and applied a little CA to hold the collars in-place while I seized the collars to the heart legs. I then seized the straight end collar to the eye end collar. The collars were attached to the bowsprit same as the closed heart collars.  Next task, assembling the bowsprit.
 

 
I had previously fit the bowsprit. It sits about 3/32” above the figurehead but I had to file the slot in the bow a little more to lower the bowsprit in order to fit the splash guard. Before gluing the bowsprit assembly together, I decided to take the advice of Jim Rogers build log and reeve the running rigging lines through the fairlead before lashing the bowsprit collars. I think this is good advice. I had a difficult enough time reeving the lines through the fearlead with the bowsprit off the ship let alone on the ship and with the collars lashed. To help me visualize the order of the lines through the fearlead, I made a sketch (see photo). I measured the length of the fore royal stay and fore top gallant stay by running the line along the corresponding line on the Sheet 5 and allowing some length to seize the respective lines around the fore royal pole and the fore top gallant mast and to set up the "bullseye" and lanyard at the bow. Time will tell whether this was actually a good idea. I set up the stiffened bullseye on the outer and inner martingale stays. I measured the length of the stays in the same manner as the fore royal and top gallant stays and made allowance for the outer and inner martingale stays to be seized to the jibboom and flying jibboom, respectively. Next up, permanently attaching the bowsprit. Stay tuned.
 

 

Small ratline update:
 
I finished installing all the ratlines on the portside, and neatened the lower foremast ones. I am really enjoying this stuff 😄 Tightening the clove hitches is somehow really satisfying!! And after making the first couple of the lines, it's become second nature and I can do them really quickly. That's how I managed one whole side in just two evenings. When gluing the outer ones I took my time to straighten them out and carefully snipped the end once it's dried
 
Here are some pics:
.

Bowsprit and Mast
 
With all the hull and deck furnishings made its time to mount them to the deck…except it isn’t. I decided I needed to make the bowsprit to ensure I put the bowsprit step in the right place and I shaped the main mast to ensure the mast coat and mast slot were correct and because I was on a roll turning square things round.
 

 
Thanks to my having to restart after my dropped hull (still makes me shudder almost a year later) I have two sets of plans.  This has come in handy, allowing me to do cut outs of various sections while keeping one set whole. In this case I cut the bowsprit and mast so I have them right by the work piece. I marked the square piece of cedar using the 7-10-7 rule and used the mill as a drill press to drill the three holes at the base - I later used a file to square the two forward holes that would be visible once mounted. I also drilled the hole for the sheave at the forward end, much easier to to that while its squared - and as advised by Chuck’s monograph.
 

 
Then to the jig I sorted of copied from Derek to convert the square into an octagon for both the mast (shown here) and the bowsprit using my quite handy finger plane, that once again proved perfect for the job. I’ve mentioned before I’ve never had any luck with planes, but this little jewel works perfectly in making long smooth strokes on the square edge. The key, for me anyway, is to expose very little of the cutting blade on the bottom so it only takes a little wood off per stroke. I’d rather do more strokes than go too deeply into the wood.
 

 
Then it’s off to the lathe for its first real use. I left enough stock on the end for the chuck to grab onto. I had been concerned (not sure why it was never an issue when I did it with a drill before getting the lathe) that there would be too much wobble not having both ends steady. It proved not to be a problem by using my right hand to steady the end while the left hand did the rounding. I used only various grits of sandpaper, 150, 220, 320 and 400 as I progressed, no tools needed. I took the measurements at incremental points along the stock (here the bowsprit, same thing for the mast) and stopped to check them frequently with digital calipers. I can’t put it back on, better to take it slow and enjoy the massive amount of sawdust it creates.
 
At least for this task there isn’t a huge difference in the lathe and the hand drill in doing the rounding. The big difference is the quick on/off to do checks and the placement and hold of the stock makes things easier than holding a drill. Some of the jigs I’ve seen for holding a drill are likely just as good, but the Proxxon DB250 is inexpensive and worth the price as I’m sure there is more I’ll do with it later. Another plus pointed out by Derek is the ability to push the wood thru the chuck which though not needed for masts and bowsprits will come in handy later for spars.
 

 

 
The mast is squared down at the top and includes an off center sheave - I did both before rounding the rest of the mast.
 

 
A quick check for fit. I sat the hull on its final stand temporarily to ensure when mounted there is a slight rise. It’s interesting how long the bowsprit is on a cutter relative to a square rigged ship.
 

 

 
A check of the mast to make sure with the coat I can get it both level and slightly slanted towards the stern. It’s a little off in the photo, it won’t be when I mount it later. This step turned out to be worth the time, I did have to make minor adjustments. These were easy to do now, not so easy if I’d waited after all the deck furniture, the winch in particular, had been mounted. I got to make a new mast coat, the first was too small, but that’s ok, making them is kind of fun. This one from boxwood got a few coats of WOP after I was sure of the fit.
 

 
Another trip to the mill to flatten the area for the mast cheeks, just a .25mm deep cut for now, I will shape in more once I have the cheeks in hand.
 

 
Following a couple of coats of WOP the bowsprit and mast are done for now. There is much more to do on the mast later (the photos are a bit out of sequence, I’d cut off the extra on the bottom of the mast before test fitting).
 

 
The bowsprit has an iron ring (black shrinkable wire wrap did the job) and four blocks. I added the ring and drilled the holes but will add the eyebolts and rings after the bowsprit is mounted. For me it’s easier to rig the blocks off the ship then glue them in (a practice I’ll follow throughout the rigging). The standard commercial eyebolts work in some circumstances on Cheerful, but not all - the bowsprit is one such place. The commercial versions were much too  ’skinny’ to look right so I made four from 24 gauge black annealed wire.
 
I suppose everyone comes up with their own way of making these. I tried finding some options on MSW but didn’t really find anything I liked so I came up with my own using various pliers, shapers, cutters, and vise. I experimented and decided 1mm was the right size so I reversed a 1mm bit in a pin vise. A tight turn, a couple of bends and two cuts and I had it.  It being (once again) my first time making these it took a little practice and rejects. But once I got on a roll, I made a bunch for all the eyebolts on the outer hull and cap rail as determined from the plans.
 

 
With eyebolts in hand I turned to the quad hands to rig the four blocks. I’m using fly fishing line to seize these and other blocks but will also use regular thread when I want the seizing to be more visible. Here I have the eyebolt (hidden from view on the right) in one loop and the block in the other. I use my standard loop and wrap method for all my seizings, it works for me. I’ve always had a third hand tool for this work, but the newly acquired quad hands is a big step up from those and well worth the expense. The flexible clip arms and having four to hold different things really makes the job easier. A completed block is shown on the far right, but the clip hides much of it.
 

 
Thanks mostly to Cheerful, the power tool corner of my workshop has become a bit crowded. It’s usually not this much of a mess, I was working on the mill and the lathe at the same time. My shop dust filter was working overtime to clear the room as was my dust mask. The dust buster and broom came out after this photo. The tool chest holds all the accessories required for the power tools and was a Christmas gift from my supportive wife.
 
Much of this post probably seems mundane, but it accounts for a lot of time. These small ultimately taken for granted steps are integral to the completed model. For now the bowsprit, mast, and rigged blocks go onto the shelf (I have a literal shelf in one of my cabinets with a soft cloth lining) until its time to mount them. The next step, and the last prelude to mounting everything, is rigging the cannons. That will be my next post. It’s a long process to do one, then 11 more after that one.
 
Thanks for stopping by, the comments and likes are very appreciated.

Post 54: the Main Boom
 
This was trickier than it looks as the outboard end tapers to a diameter of only 2.5 mm.
I first make the boom octagonal using the 7:10 :7 rule and then plane of the corners with my Veritas block plane.
 

 
Then  I turned the inboard end first down to a diameter of 5.3 mm.  On my home made lathe the central board is usually a moveable support but this time I clamped it in place at the widest point and then tapered to the outboard end.  I use decreasing grades of sand paper from 130 down to 400 but like any rotational method it does leave slight radial grooves so I finish of with  400 and 600 grade paper in the longitudinal direction
 
 

 
The bearings on this device are roller blade bearings and I have a number with wooden inserts to reduce the diameter:
 

 
These ensure that the mast (or boom) in this case fits firmly so that there is no scoring since it is the bearing which rotates.  Here is the completed boom after turning to the shape indicated in the plans:
 

 
The next task is flatten the inboard end to take the crutches which connect the boom to the mast. I used the mill for this with the head set to an angle of 2 degrees :
 

 
Next the boom crutches themselves.  I used my Knew Concepts Jeweler's saw for this, and then  finally shaped with files and sand paper.
 

 
On the subject of Jeweler’s saws:  I originally owned one like this
 
 

 
I  had a problem finding the correct tension and kept breaking blades. This was probably down to my poor technique and perhaps I should have persisted.  However,  recently I have acquired a Knew Concepts saw and for me this is a much superior tool.  The lever system ensures the blade is always at the correct tension.  It is beautifully balanced so I can cut really close to the line and I have not broken a blade in nearly 12 months.

I would recommend these to anybody about to purchase a jewelers saw. They are not cheap but like most things quality cost money.
 
Some would use a scroll saw for this task.  I did own one of these but it was a cheap model – I paid A$80.  I was disappointed. Even though I bolted it to the bench over a rubber pad it still exhibited lots of vibration.  The foot designed to hold the work down constantly came loose and for thin timber, say 1/16 inch, I could not install fine enough blades to meet the “three teeth rule” so there was lots of tearing.  So, in the end I sold it and made more space in my workshop..  I have written about this elsewhere on this site.   My local woodwork shop does weekend workshops and demonstration and I have trialed out there a parallel arm scroll saw.  These are a very different story.  Virtually vibration free and they will take finer blades so quite fine work is possible .   A fine tool.  They do however cost about A$1000 and are out of the question for me.  A nice tool though.
 
I digress! So, here is the boom with crutches installed
 

And finally with the blocks added and ready for installation

 
John

Actually one of the interesting things about the Winnie contemporary model is the columns.  All of the columns are square but fancy.  Same is true for the uprights on the main rails at the break of the waste.  We will be adding them but they wont be round....no lathe needed.  Maybe the guy who built this didnt have a lathe either....LOL
 
I love the way this looks actually....see the main rail below.

and here is a look at the square uprights on the breast rail for Amazon.   This is a better image and how we will make these.   Also note the columns holding up the deck beams....you dont see very thick round columns here either.  Which is what you usually see in kits and more modern models.   These are very slender by comparison.
 

 
Chuck
 

Someone mentioned deck beams earlier.  I managed to get all of them sanded of char.  I will need them as I move forward and thought it best to do them now while building cannon.   Some knees will need to be in position to finish the cannon so these are good to have....but it really does change the appearance and gives you a great idea of how she will look.   I will number them and remove them until needed.
 
 



 
 
 
 

Not "MAY"......I have discontinued rope.  But yes I intend to rig one cannon in order to show what blocks are needed and what size rope.  Then I will remove it all for my model.   But first I have 16 more guns to build and then I have to add all those eyebolts and split rings to the bulwarks.  Good times.

No I am not going to add any rope at all which was customary for most if not all contemporary hull models.   But I will rig one just to show how I did it in case you guys want to rig them.
 
Chuck