rafine

A busy last 10 days. I've made and mounted the flying jibboom, rigged the three topgallant and royal masts and the flying jibboom.

Rigging of the masts involved doing topgallant shrouds ( they have no ratlines  ), topgallant backstays, topgallant stays, royal backstays and stays for each mast. The stays led forward through thimbles (mizzen), blocks (main) or sheaves in the flying jibboom (fore). The main and mizzen end with thimbles and lanyards in the lower tops. The fore pass through sheaves in the dolphin striker and end with blocks and tackles hooked to the bow and tied off on the bow pintails. I also did the flying jibboom horses. For convenience,  I also added the jibboom and flying jibboom guys, a block for the spritsail halliard and thimbles for the spritsail topsail lifts at this time.These won't be completed until the yards are made and mounted.

This essentially completes the standing rigging. Now it's on to making and rigging the yards. This will begin with the spritsail and sprit topsail yards and proceed aft.

Bob

It looks great Grant. Just  right.

Bob

Mick, according to Lees, the breeching ropes are .95 of the bore of the gun.

Bob

Rich, you're doing a great job on the rigging and sails.

Bob

I love looking at your work Remco. Simply beautiful.

Bob

Thanks so much John. Greatly appreciated.

Bob

Thanks so much Thomas. The dowels are birch (as far as I know). I finish them with Golden Oak stain.

Bob

All the best with your surgery Steve, and get back to modeling soon.

Bob

It's coming along great Grant. I'm with Augie about the drill and fill treenails.

Bob

Thanks so much to all for the very nice comments and the "likes".

You've got it exactly right Augie. Much more time on my feet and less on my butt. 

Bob

Beautiful work Dave.

Bob

Some additional progress. I have made up and mounted the three topgallant/royal mast assemblies. They were done in the same manner as the topmasts, starting with a dowel, then filing square sections and gluing on strip wood to build up the portions that would be square and octagonal. On these masts that involved the lower end that had both square and 8 sided portions and the 8 sided hounds that separate the topgallant and royal masts. A short masthead of smaller dowel was then inserted in a drilled hole at the tops of the royals and a truck glued to the top of those. Simulated sheaves were then drilled and cut into the hounds and royal masts and pins added for the mounting of yards. Brass rod fids were the added and the mast assemblies were glued in place, together with their caps, which I had also made.

Now it's time to rig them.

Bob

Don't you just love tying those knots Nils?  You've done it beautifully, but wouldn't it have been easier before you mounted the yards and sails?

Bob

Beautifully done Augie.

Bob

Beautiful work on the windlass Bruce.

Bob

Thanks so much Sjors, Nils, Grant, Jim and the "likes". Much appreciated.

Bob

Thanks so much Tim, Thomas, Martin and the "likes". I appreciate the interest and kind words.

I can't pick a place for it Tim until I see just how big it will be in it's case.

Bob

Thanks so much Terry and Roadrunner for the overly generous comments and also the "likes". No museum I'm afraid, just my house.   

Bob

This will update both my progress and the state of the previously done rigging. Just as I was about to become suicidal over the possible need for major redoing of the rigging, the weather warmed up considerably and the heat went off ( hopefully for this year ). Although the lines didn't quite tighten up to where they had been, it has been sufficient to bring me back from the brink.

Now on to more pleasant matters. I've done the fore topmast rigging. This involved the burton pendants, shrouds and ratlines, backstays, stay and preventer stay and jib stay. In order to do the jib stay, I had to make and mount the jib boom. After mounting the jib boom, I added the heel lashing and then did the bowsprit horses and netting. The jib stay also required that cheek blocks be added to the masthead. Finally, I seized a lead block for the main topgallant stay to the masthead. Two things of some note: the stay and preventer stay pass through the sheaves in the bees and then set up with thimbles and lanyards hooked to the bows; the jib stay leads through the cheek block and then sets up with a tackle hooked to the fore channel.

I'm just beginning work on the topgallant/royal mast assemblies and the flying jib boom, and will then do their rigging.

Bob

The deck is really nicely done Brian. Don't focus on what you think could have been better.

Bob

Beautiful work Augie. The stove looks great in place.

Bob

It all looks wonderful Sjors. That "little stuff" you're doing is not only fun to do, but makes a major difference in the appearance of the ship.

Bob

Gimo, you are building the cross section beautifully and really quickly.

Bob

Looks great Thomas.

Bob

Thanks so much Tim, Mobbsie, Martin, Augie, Sjors and the "likes". The kind words are greatly appreciated.

With regard to the rigging line, I have no doubt that you're right about the humidity caused by the heat, but I think that the cotton content of this line has an effect as well. Linen and synthetic line that I've used in the past haven't reacted in this way, or at least not so noticeably. I just passed this on as a caution to future users. BTW, the line is attractive and easy to work with.

Bob