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tkay11

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Everything posted by tkay11

  1. tkay11
    Another question while I try to figure out the rigging for my yards. I'm trying to figure out how to rig the topsail yard tie. Steel says the following: "Tie reeves from aft, through the sheave hole in the mast-head, comes down, and clinches round the slings of the yard: the other end has a double block spliced, that connects by its fall to a single block hooked in the channel; the fall leads through a leading block on the gunwale, and belays to a cleat or timber-head." I'm ok as far as the single block hooked in the channel, but I can't work out the subsequent route of the fall. Thus I see it as: So could someone help me as to how the fall would go to the timberhead? The way I see it is that if it does go through another block on the gunwale, there would be no mechanical advantage at all. Of course I may be missing something obvious, so that's why I'm asking the professionals! Thanks Tony
  2. tkay11
    I agree with Druxey. But let's have a hypothetical to see if that helps any further. Suppose you were to dismantle everything, start all over again, correctly place the scarf, etc. Then, a few weeks down the line, oh no! You find yet another mistake of the same order that only you have noticed. AAAARGH! Would you then yet again dismantle the whole thing and start again? I don't think I have ever seen any build without a booboo somewhere. But indeed, yes, some people do go and start again -- but generally once lots of others comment on the difficulty, or when it makes future progress impossible. Then you have to think about how accurate it all is. Was that treenail 0.01mm out? Are the frames exactly spaced as the original? (Well, no, they're the wrong size to start with since they're at scale, and you then worry you can't get the grain to scale, and you haven't seen how the original plans were interpreted fully). Of course, only you can decide on your level of acceptance, and, as others have said, along with the great unlikelihood of anyone else ever noticing whilst standing in awe at the beauty of your craftmanship. Tony
  3. tkay11
    Thanks, Frank. I agree totally. My comment was just to point out that this has nothing to do either with being 'sissy' or with being 'a solid tough breed' -- whatever those might mean. Tony
  4. tkay11
    Wonderful! I've much enjoyed this one, and look forward to the next! Beautifully finished. The sails are especially pleasing and well crafted. Thanks very much Tony
  5. tkay11
    Cholera and the other illnesses causing death among the passengers, like TB and plague, caused death amongst all types of people. Well-fed officers were as prone to these problems as the privates in the various wars of the time. The major problem was not the starting health or fitness of the people but the extent of contamination. The major variables are exposure, duration of exposure, concentration of bacteria and frequency of exposure. Tony
  6. tkay11
    It's great to see the sail set. Well done, done well! Tony
  7. tkay11
    Lovely detailed explanations, Frank. Thanks a lot. Just to help those who might like this saw but are in Europe (so no VAT or customs), the holder can be bought for €7 from Ireland at: http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=77_112&products_id=312 The blades (4 types from superfine to coarse) are €3.70 each and the links for each of them are at the above address. The holder needs the Swann Morton ACM1 handle for another €4.95 (also linked at the above site). So the total cost with 4 blades without shipping would be €26.75. Tony
  8. tkay11
    Good advice, Daniel. I don't know if this has been mentioned in the discussions you refer to, but just in case some might not want to use CAD or Photoshop because of the expense, there are some free CAD programmes available (TurboCAD 12, Draftsight, SketchUp) as well as the free version of Photoshop CS2 which will scale pdf and jpg files very accurately. The reason for mentioning this is that I have found some scanners distort differently in the x and y axes, and these CAD and Photoshop programmes allow you to scale each axis to a different degree. Tony
  9. tkay11
    Thanks a lot, Niklas and Clare, although I must admit to some embarrassment when I compare what I have done with so many other builds. I score myself about 8 out of 10 for perseverance, learning, explanation and experimentation, but probably 2 out of 10 for finish. Comments such as yours reinforce the wonderful ethos of this forum where people critique and support one another for our mutual benefit and learning -- all in the understanding that we all are our own severest critics and all go through these same initial learning steps. It goes to keeping us all motivated and striving to do our best. As for learning how to build a ship model the right way, Clare -- that really made me smile after I have been following the probing intelligence you have been using on the Alert and your exquisite builds of Japanese boats. Thanks again Tony
  10. tkay11
    Great progress. There are lots of really great hints on most aspects of model making at the late Hubert Sicard's site called Ship Modelling for Dummies, which you can find at http://www.shipmodeling.ca/aaplandusite.html The site has a great number of videos as well as detailed hints and tips, mostly using jigs you can make yourself at extremely low cost. It costs USD40 for a lifetime's access, but is really worth it. I thought of this site since tapering masts using a drill is one of his specialities. Tony
  11. tkay11
    The DS115 saw Mark refers to is now the DS 230/E. For those in Europe, you can buy it from SAT Berlin for €99.98, or £81.70. See http://www.satberlin.de/en/PROXXON-machines/Table-top-tools/PROXXON-Scroll-saw-DS-230/E-NO-27088. Tony
  12. tkay11
    As you say, it'll be painted over, so no need to worry. Just another learning experience. And don't worry too much about the rabbet as it's not so hard to line the planks up -- as you say. Lots of modellers use filler if they don't line up. Again, as it'll be painted there should be no worry. You might want to consider putting filler blocks between the bulkheads, especially at stem and stern. That would make the process of planking and fairing much easier. I used balsa, but next time I'll use something firmer such as pine or basswood/linden/lime. Tony
  13. tkay11
    Wonderful to see another Rochefort started. I too have the plans but won't be starting till I've finished my cutter. I'm looking forward to following your log -- no doubt it'll save me from making a lot of mistakes! You've made a great start. Tony
  14. tkay11
    I am travelling at the moment and on very dodgy connections, so cannot access my usual resources, but I remember a lengthy discussion about this on MSW1. At that time mention was made of the practice off frapping the ropes round the gun tackles, except on the occasions in the Navy when inspections were carried out. On those occasions the ropes were laid in coils on the deck. I don't think anyone has mentioned this idea on this thread so far, so thought I'd bring it up. It's what I decided to do (in a very clumsy way) on my Sherbourne model. Tony
  15. tkay11
    Agreed. Very nice indeed. Sails maketh the ship. Tony
  16. tkay11
    Thanks, Frankie. Sounds good. I'm at the airport now, so I'll look at this in more detail once I've arrived tomorrow and if I have a good connection. Tony
  17. tkay11
    Thanks, John. That's quite reasonable, and the description was clear about terminating the sheet by frapping and hitching. I'm presume that would make adjustments to the blocks faster as well as not leaving more ends crossing the deck. Steel isn't here to argue and in the absence of reprimands about historical truth, so I think I'll go with the simple and straightforward solution with the two blocks as you suggest. Tony
  18. tkay11
    Thanks, John. A lovely illustration. That's exactly how I would have done it if the description by Steel were just to the two blocks, and I agree it is the most likely and obvious solution. What threw me was the description by Steel of the to'ing and fro'ing "alternately, between the strap of the block and the seizing or dead-eye; then through the thimble at the clue" I really couldn't make head or tail of that. I also love your description -- it really gives life to the whole concept! Tony
  19. tkay11
    After the tremendous help I received regarding the nature of the horse for the foresail, I find I have a further quandary. How to attach the foresail to the rail. I find the description given by Steel to be very confusing. He says: "Sheets reeve through a block made fast to the horse with a thimble, or, in some sloops, a dead-eye iron bound, and through a block at the clue, and so on, alternately, between the strap of the block and the seizing or dead-eye; then through the thimble at the clue, till the whole sheet is expended; then frapped together and hitched." I really cannot envisage this. It seems to say that the sheet is bound to the clue, then directly to a block at the horse, then to a block also attached to the clue, then to the seizing or dead-eye, then to the strap of the block at the clue then (after going back and forth 'between the strap of the block and the seizing or dead-eye') through the thimble at the clue and, when the rope is spent, frapped and hitched to the layers of rope so formed. I can't find a picture showing this, apart from a very indistinct picture from Cole's build of the Alert. I'd therefore be very grateful if someone could explain how the foresail is attached to the horse rail in this manner, especially if they could provide a drawing, illustration or picture. Just in case people reply after tomorrow afternoon, I'll be on a three-week trip starting mid-day Thursday 10th, and so may be unable to reply until I can find suitable wi-fi connections wherever I'll be staying. Thanks in advance Tony
  20. tkay11
    Just to add to the advice of others, I have used PVA for the vast majority of the build. CA is really not advised in general, but there have been many times when it has come in very useful. Thus for making very quick jigs with wood, and stiffening the ends of ropes before threading it really is useful to have a bottle of CA handy. Also, and please don't tell anyone on this forum, I have, yes I have, used CA a bit when stropping blocks. But I've sworn to give up the habit -- 'onest, guv! (It's only 'cos I's a learner, after all). Finally fast-drying epoxy has been truly indispensable for a number of tricky jobs that require a fairly quick but very strong bond -- e.g. fastenings such as eyebolts into wood by brass eyebolts or other metal fastenings. So it's worth having a set of tubes of that handy. Then you'll very probably come across times when you curse the fact that you've stuck something together only to find it was a mistake or you need to go back. Isopropanol is great for PVA and you can buy 250ml off eBay for very low prices. Then for CA acetone is very handy -- especially if you have some stuck to your fingers (also very cheap on eBay). Finally, I use methylated spirit for cleaning off epoxy. Of course, when using PVA I nearly always have a damp sponge cloth or toilet roll nearby to wipe away immediate smears or to clean fingers. Considering the application of glue, I have mostly used matchsticks sharpened to a fine point to put dabs on small surfaces, and cheap paintbrushes to put diluted PVA on rigging. Some use syringes for PVA but I haven't found the need so far. Tony
  21. tkay11
    Thanks, Kester. Now I'll have to make my mind up. It's like having too many goodies on the table. Tony
  22. tkay11
    Nice thoughts, Frankie. Thanks! Tony
  23. tkay11
    Oh dear. Shame on me. I forgot to look at Gregor's Sherbourne. He has the horse very neatly laid out at http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/2288-hmc-sherbourne-by-gregor-–-caldercraft-–-scale-164-1763/?p=186350. I had totally forgotten. He also has the same reference to Roger Cole's build of the Alert. Sorry, Gregor! And that was only two years ago. Memory clearly failing. Tony
  24. tkay11
    That's perfect, Chuck. Thanks a lot! Those plans are absolutely perfect for me. I should have thought of looking at plans. I'm really glad I didn't go with the short version I had initially thought of. Interestingly, after further research, I came across the following photo on http://www.shipmodel.com/models/diligence-full-hull-nav-: Then I found Roger Cole's build of the Alert with the following picture: Both of these show rails similar to the ones in the plans you linked me to. As to my statement that I'd see the rail across bulwarks, I really can't remember where that was so I presume I remembered incorrectly. Tony
  25. tkay11
    I want to place a horse rail for the sheet of the foresail on the Sherbourne (English Revenue Cutter 1763). I have seen pictures of rails that run right across the deck along the top of the bulwarks, but it seems from a look at Steel's and Marquardt's books that the horse would lie quite close to the deck just in front of the mast. Unfortunately none of the models of cutters I have seen in the museums have such a horse, even though all the sources refer to one. Goodwin's AOTS book on the Alert doesn't show one either, although there is a tantalising reference in one drawing of the rigging which shows the sheet tackle disappearing from sight on to the deck with the caption 'secured to horse'. In fact the only one I recall seeing on a model is Kester's (Stockholm Tar) build of the Sherbourne. There he placed the rail across the fore gratings but I recall he was uncertain himself at the time of how exactly he should place it. My question is how wide across the deck should the horse rail go? My initial thought was to make it the same width as the one for the mainsail at the taffrail, but when I placed it on the deck it looked a little short at just under 4 ft (45 inches) full size on a deck whose width is nearly 19 ft. The other thing, of course is the height. I've thought 15 inches would be ok, but again am more than willing to hear from the experts. Any advice or wisdom will be gratefully received as usual. Tony

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