Chuck

That is looking so good Len. Very nice job. Your paint work is very precise and that is evident in your pictures. The rigging is coming along nicely, you are certainly kicking it up a notch.

Thats exactly how I do it. Wonderful explanation. The one thing I might add is that the twisting can be put into the plank ahead of time as well. I usually dip the plank in some water for about 5 seconds. Then clamp the bow end of the plank to the table. Twist the plank carefully as to not change or remove the edge bending. Heat it up with a hair dryer on the hottest setting. This will lock in the twist. You can shape the plank so it will fit perfectly without any coaxing required to put it into place. Chuck Well done Augie.

Unfortunately we will not be able to give you access to the drawings. This is one of the stipulations of the original drafters and the admin agrees. There is really no need to redraw them as they are already drawn electronically and made available to model builders. I dont understand why you would simply copy them in CAD since they are already done. Sorry, but we can not allow. The only reason I can think of would be to have all parts available to laser cut or fabricate. Something the original project was not intended for. Plus there are no controls to ensure the parts are not sold or reused for other purposes. It would not be fair to the folks who worked for years researching and drafting the electronic plans we already have. Chuck Admin.

That looks very good. Well done. Chuck

If you are going to make a mold and cast the others. Why not buy just one each of the proper sizes. That wont be costly and you could castthe rest from those masters. Chuck

Who would of thought my twelve pounders would ever be used as swivel guns. They look very good and if your hand was not in that picture to show scale, you would think they were small and the to scale as if on a 1:48 scale model. Chuck

Looks good. But you you should absolutely taper that stem more where the figurehead will go. It should be a gradual taper so the sten thins down quite a bit where the figure sits. Chuck

Looking Good Augie... Of course those scrapers work!!! Sometimes the etching goes too long and the point is a little dull. But for soft woods it works a treat. I have to deepen the grooves for harder woods. You will notice many extra profiles on the sheet. You wont need then for the kit,...I just thought I would throw in several extras. They come in real handy. SHH!!! Dont tell EXPO

Yes the kit as I researched is intended for those 8 and up. At least according to the few places I saw it offered. Its only about $25. Chuck

That is OK but its a kids model for eight year olds. But I wouldnt prevent you from bilding it here at MSW. Chuck

Yes I was but I cant think of a logical place to put it.....can you send it to me in a PM. I imagine I will just keep it on hand as most will end up contacting me for it. I suppose I am logical keeper of that list. Chuck

Looks simply beautiful. Well done.

I never worked one up...but I am sure that someone here in this forum has a list. Its basically just whatever is on the materials list plus a sheet for the keel and stem and transom.... Chuck

Really look terrific...well done. Really hope you had fun with it.

Wonderful drawings....This will be a very interesting project. Chuck

Great looking project Ben. I will be following along with much interest and so far you are doing a fantastic job of it!!!

Looking very good. Wonderful work on the Syren so far. Chuck

They were attached the same way you did the other flags. The penants and flags that flew off the masts were in fact attached to un through sheaves in the ball trucks. These are the caps on the tops of each mast. They were belayed in the tops usually to a shroud cleat or to the rail in the top. Hope that helps. Chuck

That looks great. Yes the top frame pops up a bit. Your planking run looks real good. Proceed as shown in those photos. Chuck

Thanks for the kind words. I actually have thought about it...but its one of those ...where do I find the time.......things. I am sure I will get around to it at some point. Chuck

Looks fantastic....Dont forget to check out these photos of the pinnace in the NMM museum. This is the pinnace I based the kit on for teh most part. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/gallery/image/5287-london-517/ You will notice a few changes or omissions that I made to keep the kit more simplified. If you have any questions at all please let me know. Chuck

Tom The three bobbins should spin independently to twist the three strands first. Thats what the Byrnes ropewalk does. You cant make rope unless the three strands are twisted first and then afterwards you twist those three strands together in the opposite direction. Its the opposing tension that keeps rope from unraveling. Otherwise you are not making rope. You are just twisting three strings together and using glue or something to keep them from untwisting. With those machines its just all done at the same time. Without the initial twisting there is no way on the planet that the rope wouldnt unwind afterwards. I am sure those three bobbins are actually spinning independently to put the initial twist into each thread before they are laid up into rope. Its the only way you can make rope. As far as I know anyway. Chuck

Those machines do twist the initial strands separately as that is the way all rope is made. The key is to adjust the speeds so that initial twist are the correct amount in comparison with the turning of all three strands together in the opposite direction. I like the feel of the manual machines better because this can be adjusted to suit where as the machines make this difficult to feel and adjust. You have to finish a whole spool before you find out that the rope has the correct opposing tensions. To harden the rope I dont do anything elaborate. I just stretch about a 2 foot section of the rope at a time before I cut it free from the rope walk. I stretch it for just a fraction of second. Then I cut one end free and pull it lightly. I dont pull too hard or I will break my machine on the other end of the ropewalk. Just a quick light stretch. You will "feel" when its enough. In fact...if after cutting the rope free from one end of a manual machine it kinks up or it unravels....thats the sign that the tensions are not correct. If they are correct the line will not kink up or unravel at all. Its a pleasure to cut a length of rope free and see it just sit there without kinking or twisting. Thats when you know the opposing tensions are perfect.

My guess is that when you glued the pieces together the lower parts of the stem were not assembled at the correct angles. The scrph joints are tricky and the pieces should be assembled over the plan to get the proper curve in the stem. It also depend on how much of the laser char you sanded off. If not enough char was removed to get a nice tight fit...the creep could have made teh entire assembly slightly larger. All of these factors will compound to make the piece oversized...in addition, measure your plans scale bar to see that it is printed at the correct scale. You plan may also be too small. It could be tons of things actually...the laser parts could be off as well. Great start either way. Chuck

Thank you Druxey. I just made some .062 rope yesterday. So I just ran down to the shop to cut the ends off with a sharp fresh blade. You can see that there is no unraveling at all. This is a six strand rope. Initially my six strand rope did unravel and it took me months to adjust my twisting and ratios before i got it just right. I do fear that those who initially bought my larger rope may experience some unraveling, but once you get the tension correct and the hardening correct you wont have any issues. I have since stopped using an automated machine like the ones offered and have reverted back to using my hand held version. The rope is manually twisted and then hardened afterwards. None of my rope will unravel now that I have the ratios correct. After making thousands of feet of rope in just a few months I began to get a feel for the tension in the line. I believe that this "feel" can only be ascertained by making the rope by hand and getting accustomed to what the right "feel" of tension and spring I can sense while holding the end of my rope walk and the line. I also examine the lay of the rope and have a sense for what is correct now. I also do this when twisting the initial individual strands. Its a matter of feeling that it is correct. Last month I brought my rope walk into my club meeting and made a 21 foot length of .045 rope in about 10 minutes. It initially started out as three strands of thread that were 26 feet long. After twisting the individual strands...they were now just 20 feet long. Give or take. After twisting all three strands together the line was lightly waxed and then hardened. This stretched the rope to 21 feet long and as soon as I finished it up...I cut the rope in half with a sharp blade to show how the rope would not unravel... It is absolutely possible. Chuck