6ohiocav

NAMEPLATE
 
I put the nameplate together. I scanned the image from the original rebuild plans from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, manipulated it on my computer and added my name, scale and date. I sent it to a trophy shop who burned the stainless steel plate. I made the base from some tiger maple I had in my scrap pile.

APPLYING THE SHIP'S NAME AND RIGGING THE SHIP'S BOATS
 
I spent the last couple of days experimenting with "painting" the ships name on the stern and bow. Thought about decals and letter stencils but in the end, took the simple way out. Since the hull is painted flat black, I printed out the name in gold letters on a black field from my computer. I used Book Antique font. It turned out ok.
 
Then I rigged the ships boats to the davits. That was terribly tedious.... of course so is everything else I have done on this build.
 
Here are some photos.
 

BRACES
Moving along to completion. The last major rigging task is the braces, and boy was this more difficult than it needed to be. Sixteen blocks needed to be seized, most to the shrouds, some to the tops on both masts, and SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE BEFORE I DID ANY RIGGING.
**** WARNING**** TO ALL NIAGARA BUILDERS – SEIZE THE BRACES BLOCKS EARLY.
All of the blocks on the upper shrouds could have been attached while my masts were still on the bench. It would have been so easy!
Instead, I had to strop a set of 1/8 and 5/32 blocks with long lines, seize the lines to the block, snake the line through a mess of rigging to wrap around the shroud or bar on the tops, pull it through away from the model, tie a seizing, then pull the tail and with tweezers snake the block back through the rigging lines up against the shroud, then reach through to tighten the seizing lines, apply a spot of glue to freeze the knot, and if that is not hard enough (or stressful), then insert an x-acto knife and cut the ends off as close to the knot as possible, without cutting something else.
This took me the entire weekend. I kept smacking yards, back stays, and shrouds with my hands, my tweezers, my pliers, my knife, my kitchen sink…. You get the picture. Thankfully, everything except a couple of ratlines held up.  The 4 blocks seized under the lower top on the foremast were by far the hardest. There were at least 8 rigging lines and back stays to work around.
As soon as I get everything done on deck, and insert the hammock stanchions, I will rig the braces, (last thing) since that will completely encapsulate the space between the masts. 
Here are some photos. The knots are not up to par, but only in close up pictures. From afar, you can hardly see the blocks.

Hey Steve,
I had a chance to catch up on your build log. Great work! It brings back warm memories. 

Tom,
 
I finally had a chance to catch up on your build log. Great Progress indeed. Your spaghetti masts bring back fond memories. Good luck on the rigging. 

​Rope Coils
 
​I decided to clean up the deck of all of the loose tackle ropes and create rope coils.  I perused this forum for techniques and found a bunch of different approaches.  I pretty easily discarded the notion of rolling the existing lines on the deck. They will not stay rolled without a solution of water and glue, and the deck is not the place for that mess.  Besides, the intricate locations for the lines made it nearly impossible anyway.
 
I therefore decided to roll them off the ship.  I used a 50/50 solution of white glue and water.  I thoroughly submerged a 3 inch piece of rope, using inverted sharp point tweezers to grip the very end.  I rolled the rope on a glass plate.  I found that as long as the rope stayed in the small puddle of glue solution, it would stay down on the glass, and it would allow me to roll the rope and stay flat.
 
Extracting the tweezers without pulling the inside rope end out of the coil was a challenge. I accomplished it by using the back end of an x-acto knife and slipping it gently between the two ends of the tweezers and holding the coil down as I pulled the tweezers away.
 
I also learned that you CANNOT touch the coil until it is completely dry - and I mean 5 hours dry. The watered down solution takes forever to dry, and it is so sticky, any attempt to touch it before so simply ruins it. Patience, patience, patience.
 
By the way, I will say again that the Syren rope is an outstanding product. It rolled very well.  The kit supplied rope was too stiff and would not stay rolled, even when soaked with the glue/water. Of course, I ran out of rope again, and will be placing another order to replenish my shipyard stores.
 
Laying them on the deck wasn't easy either. I placed a medium drop of medium CA on the deck, and carefully positioned the end rope of the tackle in such a place that made it look like it merged into the coil.  I then dropped the coil down on the end of the rope. Not always an easy task with all of the enclosed places.
 
What I reasonable thought would take an afternoon took most of three days. Here are some photos of the finished product.

Mike,
 
It looks like you are using single blocks on both ends.  I am using single and doubles. I seize the looped rigging rope to my single blocks when I strop the hook (see the photos on post 99). The photos just above are from the double blocks that don't get the rigging rope.
 
I start my rigging by attaching the single block to the gun, then run the rigging rope to the double block hooked to the bulwark, then back to the sheave hole in the single block, then back to the double, then loose to be coiled.
 
I ran out of rigging rope after making 50 looped strands.  I am waiting on a new supply from Syren.
 
With this process, I am getting 25 blocks done in just over an hour.  However, the most important advice I can give is that after I work my way through a set of 25 blocks, I take a break and strop my favorite cold one and rest my eyes and brain. I finally see some light at the end of the tunnel.
 
One consolation - the end products are really neat looking. Syren makes an incredibly great product, and since I understand that they are each made by hand, who am I to complain how hard they are to strop.

Stropping a 3mm block
 
I thought I would post a practicum on how I stropped the 3mm blocks with a 3mm hook.  Not because I am an experienced modeler - far from it - but because when you have to do something 180 times, you figure out some things. Everything I did, I learned from the masters on the site.  I combined some things and used techniques that worked for me.
 
A list first and some annotated photos.
 
1. I work on 25 at a time. I purchased my blocks from Syren, and the packs come in groups of 25.
 
2. Cut 25 strands of .008 black rope in about 3 inch lengths. Don't worry about how long they are because you will be reusing them. The longer the easier they will be to handle.
 
3. Place a drop of super thin CA on a plastic top and role one side of the rope (about 5mm) to freeze the end.  You are going to use this end to thread through the hook. Do all 25 at the same time.  It saves on your glue.
 
4. Place your block in a jig.  I use the ends of two small pins embedded in a block of hardwood.
 
5. Place a drop of medium CA on your plastic and role the tip (about 1mm) of the other end of your rope in the glue, making sure you don't pick up too much.
 
6.Apply the glued end in the groove of the block placing it half up the bottom end of the block. Tap it lightly with an exacto blade enough to seat it. It will only take a second or two for the glue to hold the end in place then let go and let it hang.
 
7. After a few more seconds, press a metal flat surface against the glued end to push it more into the groove.  I use the butt end of my exacto knife.
 
8. I then immediately pinch the rope against the bottom of the block.  If you don't, some of the glue may straighten out the rope and make it harder to wrap it around the block later on when it fully dries.
 
9. I then remove the block from the jig to let dry.  I do this 25 times.
 
10. I then reinsert the block with the rope tail hanging straight down back into the jig.
 
11. I pull the rope around the back and up the block holding it in my right hand and with the tweezers in my left, thread the frozen rope through a hook.
 
12. I then pull the rope tight positioning the hook to the top of the block with the tweezers.
 
13. I then lift up the rope slightly and apply a drop of medium CS with a push pin.
 
14. I pull the rope down into the groove while repositioning the hook in the proper position. I then squeeze the rope in the groove with the tweezers.
 
15. After at least 15 seconds of drying, I then firmly press the sharp edge of a new exacto knife blade (this has to be very sharp) against the union position on the block and pull the rope straight up against the knife and cut off the end.  If the blade is sharp enough, just raising the rope against the blade will cut it.
 
16. keep the cut ends.  You are going to reuse them for the next 25 and the next 25 and the... you get the picture.
 
16. Then do this another 179 more times.
 
Here are some photos.
 
 

Mike,
 
I agree that doing the platforms first ended up being a good idea. Since I did not have the right breeching rope, it came about out of necessity as opposed to a defined plan. Building from the ground up however is always a good idea. I just would have never thought of it in the case.
 
The breeching lines are all loose, and holding nicely. It is rather quite amazing that the tackles really work as they should, albeit in micro. A real tribute to the quality of the Syren blocks.  I am totally sold.  As soon as I decide what to do about the tails (coils or faux coils), and as soon as all of the guns are mounted, I will freeze the lines and the hooks. At least that is the plan.
 
Funny you should ask about the pins.  I ended up using simple straight pins that I blackened.  At first, I decided to cut them in half, and actually use them to secure the carriages,  To do that, I had to drill the holes deeper in the planksheer.  Since the cap rail interfered, they were at a slight angle. I scratched away the paint from the bottom of the gun port, placed a dab of medium CA on the bare wood and a bit of glue on the tip of the pin and a wee bit on the bottom of both wheels on the back of the carriage, and put it in place.  Getting the pin to seat however was difficult, and I did not have a lot of time. In the end, I had to push the pin with the back of a metal punch, using way too much pressure than I was comfortable with.
 
I then decided to cut the pins shorter, and even after that, to cut them to about 1mm below the carriage, so it simply sat in the pre-drilled hole in the planksheer. The CA was enough to secure the carriages, making the pins more decorative than functional.  Even though my deck is finished in poly, the CA on the wheels has secured them sufficiently to the deck, and there is no trace of any glue. Unless my ship takes a broadside, I feel confident that the carriages will remain secure.
 
In the end, moving way down the scale to 3mm blocks and .008 tackle rope and securing the quality parts from Syren was the right choice.  Following your suggestion, along with Brian's and others to downsize on the blocks and rope for the guns was a good one.  They look very authentic, to scale, and there is plenty of room between the blocks.  The kit supplied blocks are way too large, and completely out of scale. Of course that comes at a cost. My eyes have been strained to the limit spending hours working with these incredibly small blocks.  Stropping them and threading rope through the even smaller holes is a real chore.  And I still have about 50 more to do. 
 
In the end, I am very happy with the look.  So, worth the effort.  Thanks for all of the good advice.
 
 
 
I am just waiting for the breeching line to complete this task.

Carronade Rigging
 
I finally started rigging the guns. And as soon as I started, I ran into a problem. The kit calls for a .31 breech line, but does not supply it.  The closest is a .28 black and a .28 buff, at least according to the parts list.  When I looked at the rope provided, I can't really tell what is what. In any case, the largest buff rope looks too small to me.
 
So, I took a trip to the craft store and picked up a role of what I thought was a buff colored rope that appeared to be the proper diameter.  When I got it home, I tried it out.  I siezed a ring on one end, fished the other end through the rings and the back of the barrel, and siezed the other ring.  With rings tied on "off the ship", I twisted some .28 gage black wire around each ring and glued it into the previously drilled holes in the bulwarks.
 
I decided to have the barrels brought out "some." I then rigged the blocks.
 
As I look at the first gun, I am not sure I like the breech line.  It looks to "white." So, I decided to stop and it would appear that I will be ordering some more rope. I decide to glue down the carriages on the starboard side and rigged the blocks on those. I very much like the Syren 3mm blocks.  They look very authentic. What a difference from the square shaped ones in the kit.
 
Here are some photos. Opinions are welcome.

Long Gun Rigging
 
Before heading out for the weekend, I had the chance to construct and rig the two 9 pound long guns. Took all night.
 
My ship is now fully armed. Beware Commander Barclay!

Mike,
 
I just went back through my log, and as I thought, I posted a picture of a completed carronade with a quoin in post #17.  And I think I figured out my problem.  Sitting on a flat surface caused the trucks to raise the back of the gun. With the barrel level, that causes the quoin to fit snuggly.  However, that is not how the guns sit on the ship. The plank sheer where the front mounts raises the front of the carriage to offset the height of the trucks.  My carriages on the ship are about level. Heck, my deck is actually 1/16 higher already.  If I had simply laid planks on top of the bulkheads, this would actually be worse.
 
Is the planksheer to high? There is no way.  It too sits on top of the waterway and on top of the bulkheads. It can't be anywhere else.
 
Because the back of my carriages are no longer raised, the quoins simply don't fit. I never saw this coming.  More redo work.

Oh, and by the way, no matter how hard I tried, I did damage the guns, sleds, bulwarks and deck. I will have a lot of touch up painting to do, especially now that I have seen my photos.  I am amazed what the photos reveal. The worst thing was that I knocked two barrels off of the base while torqueing the breech line eyebolts into the hull. I still have to fix the stern most port gun.
 
A couple of pointers.  Make sure that the holes in the bulwarks that are accepting to eyebolts are large enough - even oversized. I opened my holes. The eye bolts have to slip in easily.  It is to hard to force them, and when you do, be prepared to do some damage when your tweezers slip off.  Even though the holes were larger, the medium CA that I used for attaching worked fine. None of the eyebolts were pulled out when I was tugging on the tackle ropes.

Thanks for the input and encouragment Mike, Joel and Brian.
 
Mike,
 
I will be making faux coils - only need about 100.  I have not exactly decided how to do it.  I have seen some great techniques on this forum.  I will be experimenting with that later this week.  I have absolutely ditched the idea of coiling the rope tails on the ship. No room.
 
I have the barrels of the guns nearly flush with the outside of the bulwarks.  I have to assume the guns would be out further when fired, but I chose this position since it gave me the best look on the tackles. If I put them out further, the gun tackles would be so short, that the blocks would essentially touch each other. Note that the two forward gun sleds are pushed farther out due to the curvature of the hull.
 
The new problem I discovered is that all of my quoins that I produced are not high enough. I built them to size based on the plans. I am wondering if perhaps my deck sits too low.  A higher deck would elevate the back of the carriages and force the guns to point a bit downward and the quoins would fit. As I look at it now, there are going to have to be much larger.  I haven't decided whether to add a piece to the existing ones, or create new ones.
 
Mike, CA,
 
On my breaching line, I actually measured it to be correct.  Before I decided on the length, I pulled a sled all the way back on the carriage, and then stretched the line through the eyes to the bulwarks.  From memory, I think that was 3 inches. There is a lot of slack on the breeching lines.  Figuring that this was a heavy rope, I have tried to press it down to drag on the deck as best I can.  I used Syren rope.  Great product.  At this size, it won't hang on its own, but if you place it to where you want, it will stay there.

I put my nose to the grindstone and knocked out the rigging of my 18 carronades. What a challenge. The breech line was by far the most intricate. I had to seize a eye bolt on one end, then thread the line through the carriage and carronade and then seize the other end. I set up two vices to string the very short line, and did my best to wrap the seizing line. I actually got the hang of it after about 5 efforts. Then I had to install the eyebolts to the bulwark. I only broke of 2 guns off their bases. My thumbs are simply too big.
 
I still have to do the inhaul tackles, but thought I would wait until I install all of the other deck structures to make sure so that I can properly place the deck eyebolts. I have the blocks stropped and waiting. I also have to rig the two long guns. My eyes are shot, so that will have to wait.
 
Here are some photos.

Tom,
 
I finally had a chance to catch up on your build log. Great Progress indeed. Your spaghetti masts bring back fond memories. Good luck on the rigging. 

Steve,
Your Crown Timber cherry planking looks fantastic. Great choice of wood. I will be following along.

Tom,
 
I finally had a chance to catch up on your build log. Great Progress indeed. Your spaghetti masts bring back fond memories. Good luck on the rigging. 

Bilge Pump
 
This little project taxed all of my amateur skills. Carving, painting, metal work, and soldering. It took two evenings.
 
I started by milling some 1/8 inch square cherry bar stock to make the bits. I filed the chamfers with a micro half round file. Created the base, painted it gun stock red, and glued up the top.
 
Using the bar stock, I formed the rectangular metal band using the 1mm brass straps from the kit. I carefully soldered the ends together, filed and then blackened it.
 
I then worked on the center rod, and the “U” shaped bracket.  I used .05mm brass rods. For the bracket, I flattened both ends of a 3/8 inch length, I carefully bent it with my round nose pliers.
 
Soldering the base of the bracket to the end of a .05mm rod was a real challenge.  I clamped down the rod on top of a granite tile, and attached the U bracket to a pieces of scrap wood that I could hold in my left hand against the end of the rod.  That freed my right hand to do the soldering.  Getting it to line up square was the real challenge. Believe it or not, I actually did it right the FIRST time.
 
Once done, I cut the small black plates for the wooden handle.  I then blackened the plates and the center rod and bracket.
 
I carved the bilge handle out of cherry.  I inserted two of the small brass eye bolts from the kit on the bottom of the handle and attached two sections of 24 gauge black wire for the drivers. I drilled holes on top of the bits to accept the driving wire.
 
Once all of the components were done, I assembled them all together with medium CA. 
 
Here are some photos of the process.

Companionway II
 
Well I finally finished the companionway and the captains quarter skylight. I trimmed out the windows in cherry stripwood, I built the hatch rails and hatch frame out of holly. I finished the hatch roof and door out of cherry strips.
 
This was a chore, and for those of you that have the Niagara plans, you will note a big mistake in the structures, Not a real big one, but since I made the same mistake twice, I had to reveal it.  I created the companionway with three windows per side, BUT, the plans only call for two windows per side. The salon skylight callsefor three windows, and I only put in two.
 
If you have followed this log, you will remember that I REBUILT these structures.  The first time, I made the same mistake, and when I decided to rebuild them, I figured I would fix this.  Well........ In my haste to get these things done (like trying to hurry doing a chore that took three days), I made the very same mistake again. Arghhhh. I have to keep reminding myself to look at the plans once and a while.
 
Here are some photos.  I had to see what they looked like on deck, so I simply put them in place.  
 
Up next, pin and fife rails.
 
 

Companionway
 
Finished the second skylight and began working on the companionway. Even though I have already built one of these, I worked most of the night just to get to this point. I still have to build the slide brackets and top, and then get it all to fit, then the door and the trim.
 
I truly believe I could build a full sized companionway in a shorter time. At least I could see what I am doing. This darn thing is small.
 
Interesting observation on the capstan Joel. You are spot on. With all of these deck structures, and the capstan wedged inbetween the salon skylight and the companionway, you can't. While the capstan bars appear to be mounted above the tops of the two structures, unless the men are prepared to step onto the roofs, it would be impossible. As I look at my build, I am not sure that my companion way will be low enough to clear the bars, making this even more of a problem.
 
I am sold. CASE CLOSED. The skylights and companionway are clearly a modern anomoly. Great point Joel.

​Skylights
 
​​Still working on deck structures.  Months ago, I built the three skylights.  I built them out of bass wood strips per the plans. This was a tedious project that took me days to accomplish. The plans call for the structures to be painted, and all one color, walls, frames and roof.  To be fair, the current ship's skylights are indeed painted a light brown - and all one color.
 
I have viewed posts on this site, and agree with the commenters that these skylights are probably a modern addition, and would not have been present on the 1813 version, at least in this form.  I would imagine however that there would have been some form of structure that would allow light in the hold and protection from rain.
 
Deciding to go with the structures as planned, I decide to forego the all one color.  I elected to line the roofs with cherry strip wood, that I would not paint. I masked off the roofs and sanded and primed the walls, and they sat in my make-shift paint booth waiting for me to find an acceptable beige paint. 
 
I looked at those skylights for weeks, and every time I did, I just did not think I could paint them to look good enough. So, I decided to scrap the existing structures and start over. I have learned that anytime I can avoid painting something, that is a preferable way to go. This time, I would build the walls out of of holly, and would mill some small cherry strip wood for the roofs, window sills and window covers.
 
As I learned the first time around, I cut out balsa blocks to the size of the skylights and used that as a support to build around.  It assured that the structures were square, and made the work with the small strips easier.  I cut 45 degree but joints on my mini miter box.  Getting the right size is a challenge, but once achieved, a block clamped to the fence allowed me to cut multiple even sized strips.
 
I have provided pictures of the process.  The built skylight at the top was the first version out of bass wood with a coat of white primer. The end product of the new design out of holly and cherry was much more acceptable.

This is probably a good time to share something with my fellow ship builders. After I finished planking the hull, and sanded and painted it, I could not get over the new feel of the ship.  For months I had been handling this wooden frame with multiple sharp edges and such.  And now, a smooth shaped surface designed to cut through the water to beat any windward challenge.  I could not get over the feel and the weight of the ship. Holding onto it created a completely new sensation.
 
Forgive me if this sounds a bit corny but I also had to overcome the strong urge to float that baby in the bath tub, but my son disavowed me of that crazy idea.

Going back in time again, I thought I would post some photos of the hull and discuss the painting process. I learned long ago in my styrene plastic model days, that any great build can be ruined very quickly by an average paint job. My wood working experience has taught me much about stains, dyes and finishes, but paint can be a bit nerve racking.
 
I decided to paint my hull flat black. No green. My decision was based mostly on asthetics, and because the large model of the Niagara at the Presque Isle Museum has a black hull, and it looks great. I have seen some research on this topic posted on the forum, and I have to agree that the original Niagara Hull was not painted green. I of course realize that this kit is not of the original Niagara, but the replica ship recreated by the State of Pennsylvania in the 1980's. Yet, I cannot even find a photo of the current Niagara with a green painted hull.  It looks copper colored to me, and when I actually toured the ship years ago, I never even thought to look at the hull paint, even if I could have seen it below the water.
 
So, Master Modeler (MM) flat black was the choice. That brand was chosen for two reasons. First, it is a good quality modeler paint and readily available. More importantly, it fit my plan. I have an Iwata Eclipse air brush.  It is a great product.  I recommend it. However, spraying large surfaces with a fine airbrush can be a bit tedious. What I have done is to use commercial spray cans for rough coats and then the airbrush for the final finish coat. I was able to purchase a small can of MM flat black and a small MM bottle that allowed me to accomplish this. 
 
I did not take any photos of the hull during the prep work. I carefully masked off the painted bulwarks, inside and out. I then sanded the planking and borrowing a great idea from XKEN from his Niagara build, used an automotive glazing putty to fill in the seams. It goes on smooth, dries quick, and is easy to sand away (in fact, almost too easy, so be careful). I followed that with a finish sanding and a coat of MM Gray primer from a can. The primer will reveal any defects, so a little more glazing here and there, and then another coat of primer. After the surface was acceptable, which for me, required quite a bit of sanding to reveal the plank edges, I was ready for the paint.
 
I used two coats of flat black from the MM can for the initial coats, being very careful not to over spray the surface (commercial spray cans emit large amounts of paint). I used 600 grit sand paper for light sandings in between, and then went to the airbrush for the final coat.  I used the MM paint from the bottle, with about a 50/50 paint to thinner mixture for that last finish coat.  Despite my fears, the hull turned out really good.
 
Here are some photos of the final product. 
 
 

And that finally brings me to 2016. When i picked up this project again, after being dormant for years, and realized my build log was gone in the crash, I figured I would simply plug away and gave up the idea of starting the log all over again.  Therefore, as I get closer to the present, the next few posts will cover alot of work but with only a few pictures.
 
First up, the overwhelming project of planking the hull. It ended up being the typical, think about the daunting hurdle for weeks, read everything I could get my hands on, nervously glue on the first strake, then get totally consumed with finishing. In the end, after I laid the last strake (which I did take a picture of for posterity), I sat back and had one of those "did I actually do this" moments.
 
Since the hull is painted (allowing all of the gaps to be filled and sanded), and single planked, I opted to simply lay the strakes in the recommended bands from the kit plans.  I did not taper many strakes, and heavily relied on steelers when necessary. It was a good exercise. When the time comes for a future build requiring a double planked hull where the paint and filler crutches are unavailable to cover up the work, I should be ready.