davyboy

Hi Johann,

Your workmanship is impeccable. It doesn't really matter how long it takes until completion,it is the pleasure of the journey which counts. Not the time taken for it.

Regards,

Dave

Thank you for your input gentlemen.

Dave

Was the red paint on the bulwarks etc in English warships actually paint ? On more than one occasion I have read that red ochre was used being considerably cheaper and plentiful. The Admiralty were notorious for being parsimonious with money.

I'm aware that on contemporary models red paint was used,but in reality ?

Thanks,

Dave

Hi Sawdust Dave,

Sheer poles were a 19th century innovation I believe and only one was fitted just above the lower shroud deadeyes. The tops on this ship are of a design which didn't appear until the beginning of the 18th century and I'm pretty sure Spanish galleons didn't have spritsail topmasts. I would take anything shown on this ship with a very large pinch of salt,it's a tourist attraction. Please do remove them when you've finished rattling down. Your excellent model would be spoiled by leaving them on.

Dave

Hi achuck,they look just like a drawing compass but with both legs having points. Should be available in any shop which sells drawing materials etc.

Dave

Pete,

His other book 17th Century Rigging is also very good. Some model photo's,a pull out rigging plan of the St George 96 inside the back cover and the drawings (all on fold out pages) are a little larger than the sprits'l topmast book. There are several copies available on amazon,cheap.

Dave   

Interesting thread,

However,according to both Lees and Marquardt trusses were not fitted to English warships until around 1760. The Royal William 100 guns of 1692 was a rebuild of Prince 100 guns of 1670. Just my opinion but this model should not be fitted with trusses but parrels,

I believe the RH drawing is incorrect noting that the LH drawing shows only a parrel,no sign of a truss.

Dave

Hello Zoltan,

Sorry, but I have not ordered from this supplier yet as I already have a good stock of Pearwood and some European boxwood. But I'll  likely order from there in the future. I only posted the info for the benefit of any members who might have been interested.

Regards,

Dave

The Vasa 1628 and The Sovereign of the Seas 1637 both had catheads but they were fitted differently. Protruding forward from the beakhead bulkhead at an outboard angle they were positioned on the upper gundeck as far as I'm aware. No doubt other ships of that time had similar arrangements. Later of course they were moved up onto the forecastle,Goodwin says ca 1656.

This can be seen on the Vasa itself and on Paynes' engraving/etching of the Sovereign.

Dave 

Hello Tony,

The leading block allows the fall to be conveniently led inboard to allow  the crew plenty of hauling space to raise or lower the yard. A bit more awkward with the fall coming straight down to the cleat,in that case anyway it's likely a snatch block hooked into a deck ringbolt would have been used as a lead.

Hope this is of help.

Dave   

Daveyboy:   a point of reference The London Bridge now resides in Lake Havasu City, AZ USA.

 

 

Tom

Tom,put my duff gen down to a senior moment I've edited my post.

Dave

HMS Belfast. WW2 Light Cruiser 12x6 inch guns. Now a museum ship moored in the river Thames near Tower Bridge London.

Dave

NEVER use a steel scratch card to clean files,it buggers the teeth. As Brian says use a fine hard brass brush,a well cut down paint brush will also deal with wood dust in the teeth. I drilled holes in a piece of timber which keeps all my Swiss files separate from each other and to hand. They are too expensive to just leave lying around on the bench or in a drawer My other files are kept in compartmented wallets.

Dave

Hi MarcM,

I recommend you to fit the channels to the hull by using thin dowel or brass wire,I have done this (using 1mm brass wire) and used 30 minute epoxy throughout instead of glue. They will then not easily come off with a knock. In reality,the channels (made from several planks fayed,bolted or dowelled together) were bolted from the outer edge right through the hull. I would recommend fitting the knees after the channels are on,this allows you to sand them to get a nice fit between the hull and channel.

Regards,

Dave

Hi Anthony,

Sorry but I gave you the wrong title,my memory aint what it used to be   There have been a number of Korean films recently on one of the German TV channels I watch,guess I got the titles mixed up a bit. Your DVD Roaring Currents is the film I saw but I'm sure it didn't have that title. The Germans do seem to change the original titles (not a translation problem) of many films I have found. 

Your model is coming along beautifully,I will be following your build.

Dave

Hi  Anthony,

What an interesting project. Funnily enough I watched a Korean film on TV here recently which had a reproduction of one of these ships in sea battles with the Japanese navy. Wish i'd taken a bit more notice on the construction but I did observe how they were rowed. The oars had a bar fitted which allowed the oarsman to feather the oar when moving it forward to make the next stroke. As you can see from the plans the oars were hung vertically so couldn't be lifted out of the water like a western conventional oar. I don't know if you would be able to get a DVD copy of the film (made in 2003) possibly some good info in it. The German title was I think "Der fluch des dunkeln Sees",the curse of the dark seas in English.

Regards, 

Dave 

Oprion,

It's easy to remove. You can carefully spring the attachment apart with a screwdriver to allow you to move the pivot pin far enough to remove the blade cover from the splitter. It's only plastic and will bend easily without breaking. No need to dismantle the saw table. I did this on mine with no problem.

Dave 

Hi Craig,that looks very much like the Unimat 1 or may be a copy of it. Mainly made from plastic and aluminium,I know I bought one years ago,pretty useless bit of kit. Save your money for something better.

Dave 

Mike,personally I would buy a sheet rather than planks of twice the width which may be insufficient. Just my 2 cents worth.

Dave   

Hi Jack,these loops are called head cringles and would have been lashed to the spar to stretch the head of the sail out not put round it. Hope this is of help to you.

Dave 

Hi Greg,You should be able to obtain a file with a "safe edge",they only have teeth on the face and one edge. On the other hand why don't you carefully grind one edge smooth,easy enough to do and costs you nothing  An old fitters trick I was shown more years ago than I care to think of.

Regards,

Dave

Hi Mark,her hull looks beautiful a fitting tribute to your dedication. Looking forward to the continuation of your build,happy sanding  

Kind regards and a Happy New Year,

Dave

I received my copy of this book on the 16th December,a beautifully illustrated book but as I pointed out in the `what have you received today thread' there is a factual error on page 70. Admiral Sir Cloudisley Shovell did not die on the HMS Prince George but on his flagship the HMS Association. I did send an email to Seawatch Books pointing this error out, however so far have not had the courtesy of a reply.

I will however be purchasing the next volume if and when it is published.

Dave

Hi again gthursby,

It was I think standard practice to have metal bars fitted for glass protection both on skylights and low side windows. There are many old photos on the net which show these on working sail vessels. There are some pics of how to fit bars to skylights in Mike Motts' and Nenads' build logs here in the scratch build section,the Bristol Pilot Cutter and Cutty Sark respectively. Might be of some help   Also, many ships had thick round glass lights let into the deck to let some light in below.

As you live in Scotland it may be worthwhile to contact the Aberdeen Maritime Museum they may be able to give you some info.The Scottish Maid was built in Aberdeen by Archibald Hall and Russell which closed down 20 odd years ago. They may have plans or a model,I know that they have the builders model of The Thermopylae which was built by the same firm,I've seen it several times as I lived in Aberdeen for 28 years. I'm a long time expat Jock.

Hope this is of some help to you,

Dave   

ps, Just a thought but I have it in my mind that they may have got most of Hall Russels' plans after the firm closed down.

Hi gthursby,

I'm pretty sure that the brown areas inbetween parts 122 & 123 should be glazed,it shouldn't be difficult to cut these out and fit some glazing. Artesania Latina are NOT noted for accuracy in their kits by the way. 

Dave