Chuck

That look good. The bumps as you say are a result of having the lines not evenly tensioned. If you have one line looser than the others, that is the one that will bunch up on you as the others remain taught. AND...yes you are also correct in that if you move the headstock too quickly the lines will bunch up when they get twisted and sag. This is something you can manage with just a little practice. It becomes something you just get a feel for. I have made rope flawlessly in complete darkness during a blackout just based on knowing how the rope feels when its twisting. I use a simple triple knot on each hook. Again this is something that just gets easier with practice. I use a simple overhand knot first which remains loose, this allows me to adjust the tension in the line by feel as I pull on it. When I know it is the right amount of stretch, then I give it two more knots. Chuck

Nicely done for your first time on the rope walk. The rope looks great.

Nicely done!!!

Yes...That is all I am using. They will get darker after you apply some wipe on poly. I am running the pencil down only one edge of each seam. Chuck

That looks fantastic!! You are in groove again. I am so happy to see that.

That looks excellent!!! Really sharp and clean. I do hope you are enjoying this little project?

Looks pretty darn good to me. This is not an easy hull to plank. You have done a very very good job of it!!!

That is looking great Rusty!!! Also ...just to let you guys know, I gave Rusty some new rope that I am testing. Rusty is using rope that I made using a new custom brand of thread that I had made which is ultra smooth with ZERO fuzz and lumps. You can see how defined the lay of the rope looks. I am moving closer and closer to switching over to this new stuff. It wont unravel at all just like my current offering. Great work Rusty...😊

Yes I would fair a wee bit more. 😄

You can do it both ways.....but its easier to dye the rope afterwards. Look at videos where they show how folks dye yarn. They will tell you everything you need to know.

The rope is already lightly waxed. No need to add anymore. Try working the rope without sealing the ends....the rope should not unravel. It may fray if you play/tease it enough. But if you just cut with a sharp blade you shouldnt have any issues. Although applying CA to the end of a line so you can cut it into a sharp point does help get it through the small holes in blocks.

Its happening all over....They are pretty much stopping production all around for the smooth all-cotton Corrodonant threads. Most people are buying the acrylic and poly stuff now for crochet. Its a shame. Its too expensive to make and fewer and fewer people are enjoying that hobby now. The remaining companies who do sell it have a poor quality product as well. Lizbeths and Aunt Lidias are a fuzzy lumpy mess. Valadini is very fuzzy with limited sizes etc. The remaining stuff from DMC is too soft and loosely laid up. The most promising 100% cotton product I found was Aurifil. If you insist on an all natural product give this a try. Use the size 50 wt, 40wt, and 28 wt. Stay away from the 12wt thread. Its expensive and is too fuzzy. But the other smaller sizes are pretty good. Over the last few months I have bought and tried every commercial source because my current supplier has raised their prices by 40%. So the market at least in the US is getting tough. Import taxes have killed this cotton/linen non-synthetic product. Its mostly made in Europe. You can buy Anchor crochet thread in Europe however. It used to be very good. Dont know if they also stopped making some sizes. Its put out by DMC as well, but not available in the US. I have contracted with another custom MFG of threads, this time in Upsate NY. You tell them what you want and they make it. Core spun..Mercerized.....what percentage of cotton.....what percentage of poly ....what color pantone swatch to dye it, etc. Unfortunately you must order a ton of it as usual. They said their straight up cotton or linen will be fuzzy too!!! Samples proved this was the case. So I have ordered a cotton/poly test run in four sizes. So far the results are excellent. Here is an example of my first test with the stuff where I developed the recipes to make all the rope sizes I need to offer. No fuzz.....it feels more natural than pure POLY like Gutterman. It doesnt unravel at all. So I may switch to using this "Syren" Brand thread or at least offer both in the near future. I sent Rusty some to test on his Longboat project. We shall see. So for the time being I am sticking with my current supplier.

I could always cut you some the size you need. Just contact me via PM and we can figure out how large they need to be scaled up to. Its a minor detail that will save you plenty of time indeed and they do work pretty well. Chuck

Yes I believe that would be a step too far!!! Its mostly covered up and will also weaken the frames considerably in my opinion. I would guess they were nailed together.

That looks very good Ben. 😃

The fan doesnt matter.....its wider because now others can use it for projects that have more planks. Just use nine of the planks. I think you might be misunderstanding how the fan is used. Just cross them out with a pencil if its distracting.

Yes you have some issues there. There are some wavy planks with inconsistent widths along their run. Did you divide all the frames equally? It looks like there are some very unequal spots.....that will be very problematic if you didnt have pre cut planks.

But your model isnt of the Medway Longboat. But Yes, eventually I will make those stands. But right now I want to concentrate on catching up with my other inventory of blocks and rope. I also have to finish writing the instructions. Once thats done I will start making stands. You can flip the laser etched words so they are on the inside and cant be seen though..... Chuck

Sure thing!!!

IMPORTANT NOTE for rigging package: When I rigged the longboat I had more than enough brown rope with about half a package left over when completed. This rigging package also comes with one package each of .018 and .025 Light brown rope. When I completed the rigging I had a bit left over of both of these sizes as well but not that much. BUT....I realize that some of you use a lot more rope than is needed because it can sometimes be hard to judge accurate lengths for some. So if you are one of these individuals, dont worry about the dark brown rope.....BUT you should absolutely order an extra package of .018 light brown and .025 Light brown rope when you buy the rigging package. You will save on postage buying it up front at the same time. I mention this only because I will not be sending out additional packages of rope for free for anyone that runs out of the rope. I had plenty left over and one package of each should work just fine.....for most. Having said this.....Rigging packages are now in stock and ready for shipping. Click here

Nicely done Sam.....you did a wonderful job and made it your own!!! 😃

I absolutely will...yes

You guys should look at the mini pamphlet that David Antscherl wrote on making sails. Using silkspan there is no sewing. Although I would use individual panels at this scale. I dont think I am going to add the sails but I may make one just to show one method for making them.

In my opinion I think the jury is still out on whether that was standard practice. I have seen contemporary models built with the ports painted both ways. Its just a personal decision. One must remember that you would need to be 100% confident with your planking around the ports otherwise painting the edges would reveal every flaw. That is something not worth doing for such a minor detail where contemporary evidence suggests strongly both methods were employed. This is true even if it was just a modeling convention used by even contemporary builders. I believe a builder should use their own judgement on whether "kitchen sinking" their model is worth compromising the overall look and craftsmanship of their final work just for the sake of being able to say that it was correct....assuming there was no concrete evidence that this was standard practice. Its really no different than deciding whether holly should be used below the wales to stylistically represent a painted hull. In the end its just a stylistic choice based on how much you like that look vs. any other. Having said all this, the Contemporary model of the Winnie does have the plank edges painted red as well. But yes it does look sloppy. Also note the tabbed planking into the port..... This photo shows many interesting features you may or may not choose to model. For example the thicker shear plank in the waste which does extend all the way to the stern and up to the cap rail. This feature is historically correct yet you rarely if ever see folks planking there models this way. This is a feature I plan on actually showing on my new version of Winnie. Mike just paint it the way you prefer. 😊 Chuck

.025 light brown for grapnels. Rusty....perfectly executed. I should have the rigging packages on my site to order by Monday but hopefully sooner. Chuck