jbshan

I'm happy to answer! No need to use your real name at all, many of us do not. To your question, I don't think there is really ONE book since the subject expands in complexity the deeper you dig into it. The two best books though, in my opinion, are Seamenship in the Age of Sail by John Harland, and The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War by James Lees.
The first title may be the best for you since it goes into theory and practice a great deal. THe second covers the multitudes and dispositions of the lines themselves but does not touch on theory or use. Sadly both are expensive and I can't think of any cheaper books that even come close to covering the subject as well.

In this case, rabbit is spelled rabbet, in which the rabbeted edge is formed by a rebate.
Just so we're all clear on this.  :-)

Hi All,
 
I have just been idling along the past day or so messing about and drifting in and out of the ship yard to pick and poke at things.  Grant (gjdale) got me thinking about soldering again so had a play around with what I had and after a few tries I can (almost) reliably solder the 0.2mm brass wire using silver solder paste and the gas torch.
 
 
Moving on.  Since I just finished assembly 16 I will keep with the flow and do assembly 17…Have I mentioned just how vague card model plans and instructions are? I did? Good because no matter how much I searched the assembly diagrams I could not find hide nor hair of 17!  I know there must be because I remember freeing up a small square hatch when cutting out other parts.
 
A search of the parts sheets finally yielded the necessary parts, all 2 of them.  Assembly 17 builds into a small square tube with the aforementioned hatch on top and they are labelled 17L & 17P (left and right).  Okay I can understand not showing a simple folded tube with an end but at least tell me where they will reside.  There is no point doing these yet because until I stumble across their final location I won’t know the orientation of the hatch.
 
 
Oh well, assembly 18 here we come, at least they have a big diagram showing them to be stairwells and they even show that they have 2 configurations; 1 both going in the same direction and 2 going in opposite directions…and that’s it.  They don’t tell what configuration goes where.
 
I know that I previously cut out 3 pairs of holes in the deck when it came time to fix that down so there is that and I can just make out from another diagram that configuration 1 is the foremost holes in the deck so guess configuration 2 go to the other 2 holes, which makes sense as these are turned 90 degrees to the long axis.  Saying that, they will be near impossible to see once all the other assemblies go over the tops of them.
 

 
 
Here are the steps (pun intended) taken from left to right.
 
Firstly they were cut out to size and the bend lines transferred to the outside and scored quite heavily to get a sharp bend.  The part was held down face up and ruler pressed hard on the fold line and a razor blade slid under and folded up.  I started from one end and worked along so I could do all the bends with the wide ruler.
 
The open ends were edge glued and pressed together to close the box.  For some reason I don’t know myself I didn’t glue all the treads to one side before closing the box and then gluing the other ends of the treads once closed up.  I must have thought the next step would be easier…it was certainly longer!
 
The treads were placed in and glued one at a time starting from the top and working down.  Once I had a tread in place poking and pushing it with tweezers and needles I used a small paint brush to come up from the bottom and place a spot of glue to the underside of the tread.
 
Once the treads were in place it was just the combing to place round the top.  Not sure if my treads bulged the stairwells a bit or for some other reason but the combing strips were a bit short.  After cutting to width and trimming one end I thought I better check it against the box for size and luckily was able to leave one side of the combing over long to trim back once the circumference was glued up.  All other combings, were left overly long on both ends for ease.
 

 
 
Just a close up of the treads.  From the 6 individual stairwells a couple weren’t the best but as mentioned apart from the 2 on the foredeck most will be barely visible if at all.
 

 
 
The configuration 1 stairwells in place on the foredeck.  I will need to double check the diagram to make sure they are pointing in the correct direction.  Something which suggests these are slightly oversize can be seen by looking at the deck planking.
 
At the front of the combing can be seen a darker deck plank with white dots (for a frame for the weather canvas) well the darker plank with more dots should be down the sides of the combing also but I had to sand until the stairwells dropped in.  Also my careful cutting of the openings on the deck away back near the beginning of the log was unwarranted as I had to remove the centre bar also.  Not a big deal as I will just adjust the framework size so it still sits against the outside of the combing.  Overall pretty happy with them.
 

 
 
The other 2 pairs of stairwells in Configuration 2 shown next to one of the other locations.  The centre bar in the deck will be removed as per the previous photo.  The last location is actually between structure 15 and 16 which in real life would be awkward trying to cut across from one side of the deck to the other.  Both these other locations require framework for canvas covering as can be seen by all the white dots.
 

 
 
Lastly just included this photo to point out a couple of things I do/use.  Despite having a dedicated modelling room to myself it still hasn’t been furnished/setup so I am still working on the end of the kitchen table.  When I am working I bring out more and more tools and bits and pieces from the toolbox and eventually the cutting mat is covered with crap and I can’t find the right knife or tweezers or bit of brass for punching etc.
 
Well the other day after polishing off some chocolate biscuits I looked at the box and thought if I cut off the lid it would be perfect for laying the tools in when working keeping the mat clear.  So now I grab the knife etc from the box and place it back across the top ready for next use.  Unfortunately after a modelling session all the tools get cleared off back in to the toolbox.
 
Also in the photo at top right is a sheet of glass.  I use this for gluing up components as it is smooth and very flat so with this as a base I can keep flat things flat also using it as a base and placing a square on it I can get exact 90 degree corners etc.  Glue doesn’t readily stick to it also so if a part has some overspill I can lift the part off the glass without it sticking and getting damaged and the glass cleans up very neatly.
 
I never cut on the glass except masking tape where I can stick a length of masking tape down to the glass and then using a ruler and knife trim whatever width of tape I need or to clean up a tape edge for masking.  The tape then peels easily off the glass for use.  Even if you don’t card model I suggest getting a sheet of glass as it is a great addition for modelling.
 

 
 
 
Geez it looks like I like the sound of my own typing!!!  That’s it for this swing.
 
 
Cheers
Slog

Thistle, correct in regards the change of attitude of the second plank, but also for the garboard.  The trick is to not let the fore end of the garboard get too high up the stem, as here there is less distance to cover with the given number of plank.  At the stern, sometimes the garboard gets very wide, or a stealer is let in.  Lining off prior to planking will help determine which may or may not be the case.

Mike, one way to sequence the plank is to start at both keel and sheer, so the final gap or hole to be filled is on the widest part of the hull and easier to get at.

Thistle, correct in regards the change of attitude of the second plank, but also for the garboard.  The trick is to not let the fore end of the garboard get too high up the stem, as here there is less distance to cover with the given number of plank.  At the stern, sometimes the garboard gets very wide, or a stealer is let in.  Lining off prior to planking will help determine which may or may not be the case.

Mike, one way to sequence the plank is to start at both keel and sheer, so the final gap or hole to be filled is on the widest part of the hull and easier to get at.

Wrap it in a wet paper towel and nuke for 30 seconds if your nuker is fairly good.  More if it's an old low power one like mine.  Test for timing and if needed refresh the water on the towel if it dries out.

Thistle, correct in regards the change of attitude of the second plank, but also for the garboard.  The trick is to not let the fore end of the garboard get too high up the stem, as here there is less distance to cover with the given number of plank.  At the stern, sometimes the garboard gets very wide, or a stealer is let in.  Lining off prior to planking will help determine which may or may not be the case.

Mike, one way to sequence the plank is to start at both keel and sheer, so the final gap or hole to be filled is on the widest part of the hull and easier to get at.

Thanks for all the nice comments guys and everyone for the likes.
 
 
Grant I have thought about soldering but don’t have a soldering iron at the moment.  I have had a play around previously with the soldering torch but remembering the wire is only 0.2mm in diameter it was difficult to heat it up without destroying it!  Too gentle approach to save the wire affected the silver solder paste as it didn’t really get up to temperature.
 
There was a couple of times where it just flashed the wire enough not to destroy it but enough to get the silver solder paste to flow but the window of opportunity is very small.  I also tried using rosin core solder but it didn’t like the torch at all.  The plan is to get a soldering iron and some solid solder and a flux paste/fluid and play around again.
 
The problem comes down to holding the wire in place as it is so small just touch it wrong with the tweezers and it ejects itself across the room.  For a different project making up a grill with 0.5mm wire which I can easily silver solder I tried taping down all the pieces but of course it burned off with the torch and I guess the fumes contaminated the joints as the silver solder failed to hold.  I will certainly try playing around when I get a soldering iron.
 
Incidentally I could have done the handrails by bending the 2 outer supports from the handrail and would only need to worry about the centre stub which doesn’t need to be a strong joint as the handrail and 2 outer stubs would be one piece and self-supporting.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing LOL
 
 
Okay next bit of progress is structure 16 and all the parts are shown below.  I haven’t gone into much detail as the construction is essentially the same as the previous structure 15 posted earlier.  It was a bit more complicated due to all the ins and outs and I am not as happy with how it turned out compared to assembly 15.
 
Several of the side skins were over length and needed to be trimmed considerably to fit; also I ended up cutting instead of folding some parts to make fitment easier.
 

 
 
Here is a photo of the completed structure; doors? check, portholes? check, windows? check.  The only different items on this structure are the addition of some handles on the end.  I did double check to make sure these are vertical and not the expected horizontal of step irons!
 

 
 
My first fabrication of step irons (or handles in this case). These are 0.2mm diameter wire which I annealed using the soldering torch as this brass just snaps if you try to do too tight of a bend otherwise.  I checked the distance between the pin pricked holes with the digital callipers and then went around measuring everything I could think of to match the width.  It turns out two 6” steel rules gripped together was perfect.
 
The rulers were pressed down on to the wire and the legs folded up and then given a squeeze with tweezers.  The over long legs were trimmed back a bit with nail clippers.  The legs were fed into the pin pricked holes and a 0.5mm drill bit was placed in the hoop and the step iron pressed home for a consistent distance.
 

 
 
Here is the cheapo water colours I used to paint the iron work.  It goes on so much easier to the tiny wires than brush painting Tamiya paint and dries to a more complementary black also.  You can also use this type of paints for edge colouring but at the moment the PITT pens are easier and more convenient for me.
 

 
Final shot of it in its spot.  I have also temporally placed the 3rd of the 3 skylights, which were made previously.
 

 
I only have 3 more days before I fly out again so will continue working on the sub-assemblies.
 
Cheers
Slog

Thistle, correct in regards the change of attitude of the second plank, but also for the garboard.  The trick is to not let the fore end of the garboard get too high up the stem, as here there is less distance to cover with the given number of plank.  At the stern, sometimes the garboard gets very wide, or a stealer is let in.  Lining off prior to planking will help determine which may or may not be the case.

Mike, one way to sequence the plank is to start at both keel and sheer, so the final gap or hole to be filled is on the widest part of the hull and easier to get at.

Yes, Jud.  The stuns'ls were bent to their own little yard with which they were hoisted as a bundle into position to be spread by assorted tackle.  No doubt they were stowed below somewhere when not needed.
Lever and Harland have some good illustrations showing the process.

Looking through my library, the sails had their own little yard to which they were set, and which assembly was hoisted to the booms/yards that were kept retracted on the yards.  The booms were got out into position, then the sails/jack yards were hoisted into position and set above and below.  The lower yards pivoted out from the channels and were guyed into position.  There is a lot of loose gear floating around until everything is in position and belayed, but these weren't set except in fairly benign conditions.
There were of course probably many variations.

Mike, one way to sequence the plank is to start at both keel and sheer, so the final gap or hole to be filled is on the widest part of the hull and easier to get at.

Thistle, correct in regards the change of attitude of the second plank, but also for the garboard.  The trick is to not let the fore end of the garboard get too high up the stem, as here there is less distance to cover with the given number of plank.  At the stern, sometimes the garboard gets very wide, or a stealer is let in.  Lining off prior to planking will help determine which may or may not be the case.

And don't forget the little tenon at the bottom of the spanker mast. And don't forget the rings on the spanker mast.

May I wade into this discussion and ask something that might be of common interest to the originator of this sub-segment?
 
I am also of the opinion that after the wales install one might be inclined to work the Garboard next and continue as recommended since the Garboard is compartively hard to install as the last element. Now if I listen to the experts (not being sarcastic) it is  recommended that the Garboard should not follow the "turn of the bow or stern" as this will cause problems in those areas later on. So here is where the question starts to emerge. Given the restraint that the Garboard is not a "lengthy" plank it will only partially infill the keel area. The next plank, the Broad strake will appraoch the "in fill" need but must begin to follow the turnof the bilge and will not remain parallel to the keel as advised (in some documented practices). It will still be fairly perpendicular amid ship but turn almost 90 degrees to it's outermost edge by the time it reaches the stern thereby the paralellism is sacrificed. Am I reading too much into the practice?

MAIN MAST UPPER SHROUDS, STAYS, COURSE LIFTS AND SPANKER MAST
 
I tied the upper shrouds and stays for the main mast.  I also created the course lift blocks that slip over the mast cap. I did this BEFORE I attached the cap – much easier to create this on the vice and slip over the cap.
 
I also worked on the spanker mast.  This is a dowel supplied by the kit.  I stained it with cherry stain and had to straighten it (best I could). I attached the bracket to the mast, and created the deck cradle.  I also had to insert a square piece of cherry in the top to attach it to.  Make sure that you leave a little of the mast exposed above the tops to accept the Spanker Gaff Cradle assembly, made with two blocks that hang over the end.
 
Here are the photos.

The plans Darrell is working from show the first shroud and a runner pendant as the first 2 put over, one port, one starboard, on the lower masts.
 
Lever shows a pendant and shroud combined also, as the first two, fig. 168, on the lower mast, and pendants on the topmast, fig. 190

Yes, Jud.  The stuns'ls were bent to their own little yard with which they were hoisted as a bundle into position to be spread by assorted tackle.  No doubt they were stowed below somewhere when not needed.
Lever and Harland have some good illustrations showing the process.

Looking through my library, the sails had their own little yard to which they were set, and which assembly was hoisted to the booms/yards that were kept retracted on the yards.  The booms were got out into position, then the sails/jack yards were hoisted into position and set above and below.  The lower yards pivoted out from the channels and were guyed into position.  There is a lot of loose gear floating around until everything is in position and belayed, but these weren't set except in fairly benign conditions.
There were of course probably many variations.

Yes, Jud.  The stuns'ls were bent to their own little yard with which they were hoisted as a bundle into position to be spread by assorted tackle.  No doubt they were stowed below somewhere when not needed.
Lever and Harland have some good illustrations showing the process.

Yes, Jud.  The stuns'ls were bent to their own little yard with which they were hoisted as a bundle into position to be spread by assorted tackle.  No doubt they were stowed below somewhere when not needed.
Lever and Harland have some good illustrations showing the process.