Erik W

Chuck,
 
Thank you so much!!  I'm glad to see you also posted this tutorial on your Speedwell log.  This needs a wider audience.  This step by step tutorial is exactly what I needed.  I had done my second breech rope yesterday, which turned out well, but I still was fumbling around with how to best hold/secure the breech rope and seizing thread while making the seizings.  So far my outcomes have been fine, but the process of fumbling through it has been super irritating.  So this will help a lot. 
 
Also, I did have the thought that because rigging is new to me, and unlike any other modeling skill I've mastered over the decades, I'm feeling that beginner frustration with how to best approach it.  At least my finished product looks good.  I just now need to develop the skill set to venture forth confidently.
 
Thanks again Chuck.  I really do appreciate it!
Erik

You are welcome…any time.

Yes ….I always add a bit extra.

Chuck,
 
When you came up with the rope list for the Cheerful, did you figure in extra rope, like you did extra wood with the wood list?
 
And I just made my 3rd breech rope following your method above.  Much less frustrating, and it took about 35 minutes total, compared to 1 1/2 hours for the last breech rope I made.  And no pulling out the seizings and starting over.
 
Erik

Chuck,
 
Thank you so much!!  I'm glad to see you also posted this tutorial on your Speedwell log.  This needs a wider audience.  This step by step tutorial is exactly what I needed.  I had done my second breech rope yesterday, which turned out well, but I still was fumbling around with how to best hold/secure the breech rope and seizing thread while making the seizings.  So far my outcomes have been fine, but the process of fumbling through it has been super irritating.  So this will help a lot. 
 
Also, I did have the thought that because rigging is new to me, and unlike any other modeling skill I've mastered over the decades, I'm feeling that beginner frustration with how to best approach it.  At least my finished product looks good.  I just now need to develop the skill set to venture forth confidently.
 
Thanks again Chuck.  I really do appreciate it!
Erik

Pop the champagne, I'm finished with the deck planking!  While a challenging and rewarding experience, I'm happy to be finished with planking.  Like everything else with this build, planking the deck didn't quite go as planned, even with the tick marks and planks drawn out beforehand.  And as you other perfectionists out there can sympathize with, there are a bunch of things that didn't turn out the way I would have liked.  That said, I'm happy with the results, and the quality of the deck planking is in line with the rest of the build.  Which is all I can really ask for as someone being new to this wooden ship building thing.
 
After thoroughly cleaning my hobby area of sawdust, which is also my home office, I'm happy to be moving on to less dusty parts of the build!  I plan on starting Chuck's mini-kit of the windlass this weekend.
 
Erik

Thanks Erik!

Mike, I appreciate your super clean planking.  It's always been an inspiration for me.
 
Good luck healing from the Mohs.  The worst is behind you.  I've had a few skin cancer surgeries, including Mohs.  It's never fun, but always a relief to have the problem removed.
 
Erik

Mike, I appreciate your super clean planking.  It's always been an inspiration for me.
 
Good luck healing from the Mohs.  The worst is behind you.  I've had a few skin cancer surgeries, including Mohs.  It's never fun, but always a relief to have the problem removed.
 
Erik

Lower platforms (aft)
I've been held up a bit in getting these completed due to some mohs surgery on my neck and face. Thankfully, the doctors got it all and it's healing quickly.
 
I did these platforms the same way as the fore platforms. The angles of the beams are a bit trickier, especially the ones further aft. As usual I used spacers between the carlings which were removed after the carlings were glued in. All of this will be covered by the platforms, but if they showed I would definitely mortise them.

Making the foremost aft platform proved to be an interesting project. This was done in sections moving from the center out. Tricky but lots of fun to make.

I ended up using Chuck's laser cut mast coat rather than doing it from scratch. Just wasn't in the mood for the inevitable re-dos.

Mike

Hi insertion square frame.

Thanks for the feedback guys!
 
Peter,  Thanks for the advice.  I rigged up a temporary tool with a alligator clip on a wood block.
 
Chuck,  If you have time, I'd appreciate any photos you can post of your method.
 
Todd,  My cap squares were made from strips of black construction paper with the hinge being represented by 24 gauge wire.  Low tech, but they actually look pretty good.
 
Glenn, Yes!  I had actually seen the helping hand you used in your post on the breech rope.  As I get closer to the main rigging phase, I'll definitely keep those in mind.
 
Thanks all,
Erik

It's been a nerve wracking week . . . I started rigging the carronades, haha.  This represents a milestone on this build for me.  It's my first rigging done on the Cheerful.  Rigging is the element of this hobby I have the least experience with, and really don't feel like I know what I'm doing, so I'm actually quite nervous as I tackle this part of the build.  Taking a page from Mike's (Stuntflyer) Cheerful build log, I made a 3/32" (.010") spacer to put between the bulwarks and the front gun carriage wheels in order to get the spacing uniform as I attach them to the deck.  Chuck's monograph, and build log posts, were spot on for making the breech rope.  I manged to get the first one, pictured below, made on the first try.  My seizings need a bit of work, but these early attempts are fine.  The more I do, the better they'll get.  Since the gun tackles will be positioned directly above them I'm not too worried about them being less than perfect.
 
I'd like some advice from you folks with rigging experience.  What, if anything, are you using to hold the rope when you seize the ends of it?  I don't have anything currently to hold on to the main rope, so what you see below was done while simply holding it in my hands.  This was quite awkward, not ideal, and I could tell I was at least one holding point short of what what I needed.
 
Thanks,
Erik

It's been a nerve wracking week . . . I started rigging the carronades, haha.  This represents a milestone on this build for me.  It's my first rigging done on the Cheerful.  Rigging is the element of this hobby I have the least experience with, and really don't feel like I know what I'm doing, so I'm actually quite nervous as I tackle this part of the build.  Taking a page from Mike's (Stuntflyer) Cheerful build log, I made a 3/32" (.010") spacer to put between the bulwarks and the front gun carriage wheels in order to get the spacing uniform as I attach them to the deck.  Chuck's monograph, and build log posts, were spot on for making the breech rope.  I manged to get the first one, pictured below, made on the first try.  My seizings need a bit of work, but these early attempts are fine.  The more I do, the better they'll get.  Since the gun tackles will be positioned directly above them I'm not too worried about them being less than perfect.
 
I'd like some advice from you folks with rigging experience.  What, if anything, are you using to hold the rope when you seize the ends of it?  I don't have anything currently to hold on to the main rope, so what you see below was done while simply holding it in my hands.  This was quite awkward, not ideal, and I could tell I was at least one holding point short of what what I needed.
 
Thanks,
Erik

It's been a nerve wracking week . . . I started rigging the carronades, haha.  This represents a milestone on this build for me.  It's my first rigging done on the Cheerful.  Rigging is the element of this hobby I have the least experience with, and really don't feel like I know what I'm doing, so I'm actually quite nervous as I tackle this part of the build.  Taking a page from Mike's (Stuntflyer) Cheerful build log, I made a 3/32" (.010") spacer to put between the bulwarks and the front gun carriage wheels in order to get the spacing uniform as I attach them to the deck.  Chuck's monograph, and build log posts, were spot on for making the breech rope.  I manged to get the first one, pictured below, made on the first try.  My seizings need a bit of work, but these early attempts are fine.  The more I do, the better they'll get.  Since the gun tackles will be positioned directly above them I'm not too worried about them being less than perfect.
 
I'd like some advice from you folks with rigging experience.  What, if anything, are you using to hold the rope when you seize the ends of it?  I don't have anything currently to hold on to the main rope, so what you see below was done while simply holding it in my hands.  This was quite awkward, not ideal, and I could tell I was at least one holding point short of what what I needed.
 
Thanks,
Erik

Thanks for the feedback guys!
 
Peter,  Thanks for the advice.  I rigged up a temporary tool with a alligator clip on a wood block.
 
Chuck,  If you have time, I'd appreciate any photos you can post of your method.
 
Todd,  My cap squares were made from strips of black construction paper with the hinge being represented by 24 gauge wire.  Low tech, but they actually look pretty good.
 
Glenn, Yes!  I had actually seen the helping hand you used in your post on the breech rope.  As I get closer to the main rigging phase, I'll definitely keep those in mind.
 
Thanks all,
Erik

It's been a nerve wracking week . . . I started rigging the carronades, haha.  This represents a milestone on this build for me.  It's my first rigging done on the Cheerful.  Rigging is the element of this hobby I have the least experience with, and really don't feel like I know what I'm doing, so I'm actually quite nervous as I tackle this part of the build.  Taking a page from Mike's (Stuntflyer) Cheerful build log, I made a 3/32" (.010") spacer to put between the bulwarks and the front gun carriage wheels in order to get the spacing uniform as I attach them to the deck.  Chuck's monograph, and build log posts, were spot on for making the breech rope.  I manged to get the first one, pictured below, made on the first try.  My seizings need a bit of work, but these early attempts are fine.  The more I do, the better they'll get.  Since the gun tackles will be positioned directly above them I'm not too worried about them being less than perfect.
 
I'd like some advice from you folks with rigging experience.  What, if anything, are you using to hold the rope when you seize the ends of it?  I don't have anything currently to hold on to the main rope, so what you see below was done while simply holding it in my hands.  This was quite awkward, not ideal, and I could tell I was at least one holding point short of what what I needed.
 
Thanks,
Erik

It's been a nerve wracking week . . . I started rigging the carronades, haha.  This represents a milestone on this build for me.  It's my first rigging done on the Cheerful.  Rigging is the element of this hobby I have the least experience with, and really don't feel like I know what I'm doing, so I'm actually quite nervous as I tackle this part of the build.  Taking a page from Mike's (Stuntflyer) Cheerful build log, I made a 3/32" (.010") spacer to put between the bulwarks and the front gun carriage wheels in order to get the spacing uniform as I attach them to the deck.  Chuck's monograph, and build log posts, were spot on for making the breech rope.  I manged to get the first one, pictured below, made on the first try.  My seizings need a bit of work, but these early attempts are fine.  The more I do, the better they'll get.  Since the gun tackles will be positioned directly above them I'm not too worried about them being less than perfect.
 
I'd like some advice from you folks with rigging experience.  What, if anything, are you using to hold the rope when you seize the ends of it?  I don't have anything currently to hold on to the main rope, so what you see below was done while simply holding it in my hands.  This was quite awkward, not ideal, and I could tell I was at least one holding point short of what what I needed.
 
Thanks,
Erik

Hello everyone!
 
I was able to complete the fairing today.
 
Here are all the tools (except for the painters tape) I used to fair the hull.

 
Firstly,  I need to stress how important it is to protect the stem and keel pieces.  I'm glad I put on 2-3 layers of painters tape.  It really saved those pieces from all the sanding.
 
This is after I faired the hull.  Notice the tape on the stem.
 

 
Now after removing the tape, the stem looks just fine.

 
Sometimes, I would find bulges like this.

 
It might be hard to see,  but that middle bulkhead is bulging out a little bit.
 
The bow was the most time consuming.  Using a strake becomes mandatory to make sure you faired enough.  It takes more fairing that one would think!
 
Here is what my Cheeful looks like after fairing.
 

 

 
As you can see, I also was marking the gun ports.  After placing the tape (which is easy to move around)  I would place a batten on it to make sure I can match the tape shape with the wooden strip.
 
Next up is putting on the gunports!
 
Lastly,  I 3D printed a storage container to hold the milled strips of wood.  This was the first time I made something like this,  but it really helps to clear off my table!
 

 
I can add labels to each section so I know what sizes are in which spot.
 
Thanks for reading!
 
Jeff
 

Hi Eric, outstanding build of Cheerful. I’ve used wire holders when rigging guns etc. I got the tip from Robert29 in his excellent build of Victory. You find his tip at the foot of page 7 when he was rigging his guns. They were easy to find and cheap on Amazon. Maybe a board with appropriately spaced holes to fix the pins would help with the tackle seizings and give you a spare hand to tie knots etc.

It's been a nerve wracking week . . . I started rigging the carronades, haha.  This represents a milestone on this build for me.  It's my first rigging done on the Cheerful.  Rigging is the element of this hobby I have the least experience with, and really don't feel like I know what I'm doing, so I'm actually quite nervous as I tackle this part of the build.  Taking a page from Mike's (Stuntflyer) Cheerful build log, I made a 3/32" (.010") spacer to put between the bulwarks and the front gun carriage wheels in order to get the spacing uniform as I attach them to the deck.  Chuck's monograph, and build log posts, were spot on for making the breech rope.  I manged to get the first one, pictured below, made on the first try.  My seizings need a bit of work, but these early attempts are fine.  The more I do, the better they'll get.  Since the gun tackles will be positioned directly above them I'm not too worried about them being less than perfect.
 
I'd like some advice from you folks with rigging experience.  What, if anything, are you using to hold the rope when you seize the ends of it?  I don't have anything currently to hold on to the main rope, so what you see below was done while simply holding it in my hands.  This was quite awkward, not ideal, and I could tell I was at least one holding point short of what what I needed.
 
Thanks,
Erik

It's been a nerve wracking week . . . I started rigging the carronades, haha.  This represents a milestone on this build for me.  It's my first rigging done on the Cheerful.  Rigging is the element of this hobby I have the least experience with, and really don't feel like I know what I'm doing, so I'm actually quite nervous as I tackle this part of the build.  Taking a page from Mike's (Stuntflyer) Cheerful build log, I made a 3/32" (.010") spacer to put between the bulwarks and the front gun carriage wheels in order to get the spacing uniform as I attach them to the deck.  Chuck's monograph, and build log posts, were spot on for making the breech rope.  I manged to get the first one, pictured below, made on the first try.  My seizings need a bit of work, but these early attempts are fine.  The more I do, the better they'll get.  Since the gun tackles will be positioned directly above them I'm not too worried about them being less than perfect.
 
I'd like some advice from you folks with rigging experience.  What, if anything, are you using to hold the rope when you seize the ends of it?  I don't have anything currently to hold on to the main rope, so what you see below was done while simply holding it in my hands.  This was quite awkward, not ideal, and I could tell I was at least one holding point short of what what I needed.
 
Thanks,
Erik

The carronades and cannons are now finished and ready to be rigged.  I applied a black primer/paint coat over the self etching primer.  And then dusted them with a dark rust weathering powder (hard to see in these photos).  In the last photo they are just temporarily set into place.
 
Erik
 

It's been a nerve wracking week . . . I started rigging the carronades, haha.  This represents a milestone on this build for me.  It's my first rigging done on the Cheerful.  Rigging is the element of this hobby I have the least experience with, and really don't feel like I know what I'm doing, so I'm actually quite nervous as I tackle this part of the build.  Taking a page from Mike's (Stuntflyer) Cheerful build log, I made a 3/32" (.010") spacer to put between the bulwarks and the front gun carriage wheels in order to get the spacing uniform as I attach them to the deck.  Chuck's monograph, and build log posts, were spot on for making the breech rope.  I manged to get the first one, pictured below, made on the first try.  My seizings need a bit of work, but these early attempts are fine.  The more I do, the better they'll get.  Since the gun tackles will be positioned directly above them I'm not too worried about them being less than perfect.
 
I'd like some advice from you folks with rigging experience.  What, if anything, are you using to hold the rope when you seize the ends of it?  I don't have anything currently to hold on to the main rope, so what you see below was done while simply holding it in my hands.  This was quite awkward, not ideal, and I could tell I was at least one holding point short of what what I needed.
 
Thanks,
Erik

It's been a nerve wracking week . . . I started rigging the carronades, haha.  This represents a milestone on this build for me.  It's my first rigging done on the Cheerful.  Rigging is the element of this hobby I have the least experience with, and really don't feel like I know what I'm doing, so I'm actually quite nervous as I tackle this part of the build.  Taking a page from Mike's (Stuntflyer) Cheerful build log, I made a 3/32" (.010") spacer to put between the bulwarks and the front gun carriage wheels in order to get the spacing uniform as I attach them to the deck.  Chuck's monograph, and build log posts, were spot on for making the breech rope.  I manged to get the first one, pictured below, made on the first try.  My seizings need a bit of work, but these early attempts are fine.  The more I do, the better they'll get.  Since the gun tackles will be positioned directly above them I'm not too worried about them being less than perfect.
 
I'd like some advice from you folks with rigging experience.  What, if anything, are you using to hold the rope when you seize the ends of it?  I don't have anything currently to hold on to the main rope, so what you see below was done while simply holding it in my hands.  This was quite awkward, not ideal, and I could tell I was at least one holding point short of what what I needed.
 
Thanks,
Erik