6ohiocav

Hi Steve,
 
No wax. I have not seen a need to use it.  Syren's rope is really fine. I read that you should use bees wax on ratlines so that you could impute sags, but i opted not to. The pattern I used for the ratline knots created natural looking sags.
 
Should I use wax?

A balmy 5 degrees here and going below 0 tonight. But I work inside in my den so warm and toasty.

Mike and Pete,
 
No special tools. I use a set of bent end tweezers, small bent needle nose pliers, (for when I need to clamp down on something like a loose end that needs tightening), my portable vice  where I mount a small wooden block with two wire ends used to seat blocks for stropping on one end, and on the other end of the vice, a spring clamp ( I will shoot you a photo when I get back from the office. I call it my stropping and lashing station), and the Syren Serving Machine. I frequently use my hackle vice to keep lines tight when necessary, or when I need to lash deadeyes and bullseyes, as indicated in previous posts.
 
As for rope, all of it is from Chuck Passaro's Syren Company.  You can find a link on this website. All of the size references are to his products..  I also purchased all of the blocks, open and closed hearts, brass hooks and wooden cleats from him. I have been able to mill my own bullseyes.
 
I have probably doubled the cost of the kit with all of the aftermarket parts, but the quality is outstanding, makes the end product look much cleaner and sharp, and therefore in my opinion, worth the cost.
 
We are absolutely getting hammered with a winter storm this weekend in NE Ohio.  It is a good time to work in the shipyard.

MAIN MAST UPPER DEADEYES
Having now done this on the Foremast, I sort of fell into a technique that may be of some help to the family of Niagara builders out there.
 
The Niagara calls for four, upper shroud 3/32” deadeyes, port and starboard, to be seated in the top with a loop underneath to accept the futtock lines and hooks that are tied off to the main shrouds.
Here is how I did mine.
 
I use a .26 gauge wire for the stropping process.  It is the same wire I use for my eyebolts. I also use the same drill bit I use to do holes for the eyebolt.
 
The pictures tell the story.

Don,
 
Bravo.
 
Your ships wheel is simply exquisite.  Love the paint job and the detail on your deck furniture too.

1.Rope .008, .012, .018, .025, .035, and .045 in black and brown
 
2.5mm and 7mm closed hearts (I have not used any of the 5mm hearts yet)
 
3.3/32, 1/8 and 5/32 single and double blocks.
 
4. Brass hooks
 
5. 7mm wooden cleats
 
I can tell you that I have used a ton of .012 tan rigging. The plans call for nearly all running rigging and lanyards to be of .010 to .014 tan rope, so I have used .012 to do the trick. I strop all blocks with .012 black rope
 
I have also used a lot of the 1/8 blocks, double and single.

MAIN STAY AND MAIN PREVENTER STAY
Shifting my attention to the main mast, I began work on the lower shrouds and main and preventer stays. Of course, reviewing the plans reminded me that the main stay is attached to a closed heart that is lashed to the fore mast – and I SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT BEFORE I STEPPED THE FOREMAST. The preventer stay is seized to an eye bolt on the forward bit.
 
With the pin rails surrounding the foremast, and running rigging all over the place, lashing a closed heart to the foremast was a challenge.  Here is how I accomplished this.  AGAIN, this should have been done while working on the foremast.
 
1.      I started with a .045 rope that I served. I stropped it around the closed heart and created two eye splices, per the plans.
 
2.      I then took a long length of .035 unserved rope and seized the end to one of the eye splices with a standard whipping.
 
3.      Here is the tough part. I then positioned the heart around the mast, and ran the .035 rope through the other eyes splice. I choose a long enough strand of rope to allow me to pull the end out away from the ship to reach my spring clamp mounted in my vice.
 
4.      I then tied a standard whipping, keeping the knot loose.
 
5.      I took the rope out of the vice, and carefully, by alternating gentle pulls on both sides of the rope, eventually snugged the lashing up to the mast. Once done, I attached a small drop of CA on the knot, and very carefully cut off the tail.
 
The photos below show this process.
 
The preventer stay was much easier, but again, should have been installed before I stepped the foremast. The plan provides that the preventer stay is wound to a closed heart that is attached to an eyebolt secured in the forward bit. I again started with a served .045 rope. I ran it through a hand twisted eyebolt, then wrapped it around the heart. Because the rope is very thick, I decided that I did not want to lash it to “itself” – making a overlarge and cumbersome knot. I elected to cut the end, and fuse it with a lashing. 
 
I drilled a hole in the bit, applied a drop of CA on the eyebolt and installed the completed assembly.
The photos better describe this process.

Don,
 
Bravo.
 
Your ships wheel is simply exquisite.  Love the paint job and the detail on your deck furniture too.

Don,
 
Bravo.
 
Your ships wheel is simply exquisite.  Love the paint job and the detail on your deck furniture too.

Hi Steve,
 
No wax. I have not seen a need to use it.  Syren's rope is really fine. I read that you should use bees wax on ratlines so that you could impute sags, but i opted not to. The pattern I used for the ratline knots created natural looking sags.
 
Should I use wax?

A balmy 5 degrees here and going below 0 tonight. But I work inside in my den so warm and toasty.

Mike and Pete,
 
No special tools. I use a set of bent end tweezers, small bent needle nose pliers, (for when I need to clamp down on something like a loose end that needs tightening), my portable vice  where I mount a small wooden block with two wire ends used to seat blocks for stropping on one end, and on the other end of the vice, a spring clamp ( I will shoot you a photo when I get back from the office. I call it my stropping and lashing station), and the Syren Serving Machine. I frequently use my hackle vice to keep lines tight when necessary, or when I need to lash deadeyes and bullseyes, as indicated in previous posts.
 
As for rope, all of it is from Chuck Passaro's Syren Company.  You can find a link on this website. All of the size references are to his products..  I also purchased all of the blocks, open and closed hearts, brass hooks and wooden cleats from him. I have been able to mill my own bullseyes.
 
I have probably doubled the cost of the kit with all of the aftermarket parts, but the quality is outstanding, makes the end product look much cleaner and sharp, and therefore in my opinion, worth the cost.
 
We are absolutely getting hammered with a winter storm this weekend in NE Ohio.  It is a good time to work in the shipyard.

MAIN MAST UPPER DEADEYES
Having now done this on the Foremast, I sort of fell into a technique that may be of some help to the family of Niagara builders out there.
 
The Niagara calls for four, upper shroud 3/32” deadeyes, port and starboard, to be seated in the top with a loop underneath to accept the futtock lines and hooks that are tied off to the main shrouds.
Here is how I did mine.
 
I use a .26 gauge wire for the stropping process.  It is the same wire I use for my eyebolts. I also use the same drill bit I use to do holes for the eyebolt.
 
The pictures tell the story.

Mike and Pete,
 
No special tools. I use a set of bent end tweezers, small bent needle nose pliers, (for when I need to clamp down on something like a loose end that needs tightening), my portable vice  where I mount a small wooden block with two wire ends used to seat blocks for stropping on one end, and on the other end of the vice, a spring clamp ( I will shoot you a photo when I get back from the office. I call it my stropping and lashing station), and the Syren Serving Machine. I frequently use my hackle vice to keep lines tight when necessary, or when I need to lash deadeyes and bullseyes, as indicated in previous posts.
 
As for rope, all of it is from Chuck Passaro's Syren Company.  You can find a link on this website. All of the size references are to his products..  I also purchased all of the blocks, open and closed hearts, brass hooks and wooden cleats from him. I have been able to mill my own bullseyes.
 
I have probably doubled the cost of the kit with all of the aftermarket parts, but the quality is outstanding, makes the end product look much cleaner and sharp, and therefore in my opinion, worth the cost.
 
We are absolutely getting hammered with a winter storm this weekend in NE Ohio.  It is a good time to work in the shipyard.

BELAYING FOREMAST STAYS AND RUNNING RIGGING
 
With the course yard in place, it was time to finally time to “tie up some loose ends” – actually, a lot of loose ends.
On the Foremast Back Stays, from top to bottom:
 
1.      Royal Back Stay – Seized to top of the mast and belayed to a tackle hooked to waterway eyebolt.
 
2.      Top Gallant Backstay – Seized to mast and belayed to deadeye on channel
 
3.      Topmast Backstays (2) – Seized to mast and belayed to deadeye on channel
 
On the Foremast Running Rigging, from top to bottom:
 
4.      Royal Halliard – belayed to the lower stave
 
5.      Royal Clew Line – tied off at end of the royal yard, left slack, and belayed to the lower stave
 
6.      Royal fixed lift – tied off at top of mast and end of royal yard.
 
7.      Royal Sheets – tied off on end of t’gallant yard, routed through block in shrouds, and belayed to pin rail on deck.
 
8.      Top Gallant Tye – wound around t’gallant yard and seized to a tackle attached to lower top.
 
9.      Top Gallant Lift – Tied to end of t’gallant yard and routed through block in shroud and belayed to lower stave.
 
 
10.  Top Gallant Clew – Tied to end of t’gallant yard, left slack, routed through block on yard (held with a knot) and belayed to pin rail on deck.
 
11.  Top Sail Lift – Tied to end of top sail yard and routed through block in shroud and belayed to tackle on lower top.
 
12.  Top Sail Clew Lines – I seized the blocks with the clew lines to the top sail yard, but have not figured out what to
do with them.  Per the plans, they run to blocks lashed to the course yard and back up to the seized block on the top sail yard.
 
On the Bowsprit, all routed through holes in the chock rail and belayed to pins in the forward pin rail
 
13.  Jib Stay Halliard
 
14.  Outer Jib Stay Halliard
 
15.  Inner Jib Stay Halliard
 
16.  Fore Stay Halliard
 
17.  Spritsail Yard Lift
 
18.  Top Gallant Stay Leads
 
 
 
Still to do (or figure out)
 
1.      Top Sail Sheets,
 
2.      Course Sheets.
 
3.      Course Clew lines.
 
I am not sure this is correct.  It is the best I could do in my interpretation of the plans. I have not completely decided to do with the buntlines, reefs, and leechlines – except to eliminate them. By adding the clew lines and sheets, I have at least added some of the running rigging for sails that will not be added to the ship
.
Here is a series of photos that show you where I am at presently.  The steps in this post took a solid 5 days to complete.

BOWSPRIT SHROUDS
 
Just a quick update as I go through the plans and pick up some things that I misses at the bow. I installed the bowsprit shrouds.  I used a .025 black rope with a blackened black hook seized to one end and hooked to an eyebolt on the side of the hull.  The other end was lashed to a bullseye. I had to make up another batch of cherry bullseyes on my mini lathe (see previous post). I seized a .012 tan lanyard to the bullseye and wound it to the bullseyes lashed to the bowsprit.
 
Another tedious endeavor.  The Bowsprit/jib is a very complicated place with ropes and lines going in every direction.  The good news is that I believe I have completed all of the rigging up front and as far as I can tell, no line is rubbing up against its neighbor.

MAIN MAST UPPER DEADEYES
Having now done this on the Foremast, I sort of fell into a technique that may be of some help to the family of Niagara builders out there.
 
The Niagara calls for four, upper shroud 3/32” deadeyes, port and starboard, to be seated in the top with a loop underneath to accept the futtock lines and hooks that are tied off to the main shrouds.
Here is how I did mine.
 
I use a .26 gauge wire for the stropping process.  It is the same wire I use for my eyebolts. I also use the same drill bit I use to do holes for the eyebolt.
 
The pictures tell the story.

MAIN MAST UPPER DEADEYES
Having now done this on the Foremast, I sort of fell into a technique that may be of some help to the family of Niagara builders out there.
 
The Niagara calls for four, upper shroud 3/32” deadeyes, port and starboard, to be seated in the top with a loop underneath to accept the futtock lines and hooks that are tied off to the main shrouds.
Here is how I did mine.
 
I use a .26 gauge wire for the stropping process.  It is the same wire I use for my eyebolts. I also use the same drill bit I use to do holes for the eyebolt.
 
The pictures tell the story.

Hi Mike,
 
I definitely would choose the same order of things, with the modifications I noted in the log. I have turned my attention to the main mast, and will be repeating the procedure steps, with refinement.
 
I hear you on the photo.  However, I am finding all kinds of hidden faults when I view my photos.  I already know that I am going to have to do some touch painting, but have resigned myself to patiently wait until the very end.
 
Scott,
 
I have to honestly say that I was intimidated by this part of the build, and have now come full circle. I very much enjoy rigging this great ship. My knowledge of how a 19th Century sailing ship worked has greatly increased. I have also improved my knot tying skills (which is not hard since I had none when I started). The real challenge has been navigating through the plans and instruction book. I hope that my experience and the many mistakes I made will help fellow Niagara builders overcome any misgivings with this part of the build. Once you get started, the beauty of each line that you install will carry you forward.

BOWSPRIT SHROUDS
 
Just a quick update as I go through the plans and pick up some things that I misses at the bow. I installed the bowsprit shrouds.  I used a .025 black rope with a blackened black hook seized to one end and hooked to an eyebolt on the side of the hull.  The other end was lashed to a bullseye. I had to make up another batch of cherry bullseyes on my mini lathe (see previous post). I seized a .012 tan lanyard to the bullseye and wound it to the bullseyes lashed to the bowsprit.
 
Another tedious endeavor.  The Bowsprit/jib is a very complicated place with ropes and lines going in every direction.  The good news is that I believe I have completed all of the rigging up front and as far as I can tell, no line is rubbing up against its neighbor.

Joel,
 
Well said my friend.
 
I have made a number of such changes in routing. Currently, my royal sheets and clews pass through the fairlead on the lower shrouds, through the ratlines, and belay to the pin rail. None of the lines are permanently secured. I pass them through the holes in the pin rail, and secure them by wedging a pin in the hole.  It allows me to undo them, which I have had to do a number of times to eliminate chafing. So far, so good
 
The mighty essence of this ship is beginning to take the stage, and I must say, it is great to behold.
 
I am just about ready to break out the main mast. It is still in pieces and looks totally naked compared to its sister. The thought of doing this herculean task all over again is pretty overwhelming.

BELAYING FOREMAST STAYS AND RUNNING RIGGING
 
With the course yard in place, it was time to finally time to “tie up some loose ends” – actually, a lot of loose ends.
On the Foremast Back Stays, from top to bottom:
 
1.      Royal Back Stay – Seized to top of the mast and belayed to a tackle hooked to waterway eyebolt.
 
2.      Top Gallant Backstay – Seized to mast and belayed to deadeye on channel
 
3.      Topmast Backstays (2) – Seized to mast and belayed to deadeye on channel
 
On the Foremast Running Rigging, from top to bottom:
 
4.      Royal Halliard – belayed to the lower stave
 
5.      Royal Clew Line – tied off at end of the royal yard, left slack, and belayed to the lower stave
 
6.      Royal fixed lift – tied off at top of mast and end of royal yard.
 
7.      Royal Sheets – tied off on end of t’gallant yard, routed through block in shrouds, and belayed to pin rail on deck.
 
8.      Top Gallant Tye – wound around t’gallant yard and seized to a tackle attached to lower top.
 
9.      Top Gallant Lift – Tied to end of t’gallant yard and routed through block in shroud and belayed to lower stave.
 
 
10.  Top Gallant Clew – Tied to end of t’gallant yard, left slack, routed through block on yard (held with a knot) and belayed to pin rail on deck.
 
11.  Top Sail Lift – Tied to end of top sail yard and routed through block in shroud and belayed to tackle on lower top.
 
12.  Top Sail Clew Lines – I seized the blocks with the clew lines to the top sail yard, but have not figured out what to
do with them.  Per the plans, they run to blocks lashed to the course yard and back up to the seized block on the top sail yard.
 
On the Bowsprit, all routed through holes in the chock rail and belayed to pins in the forward pin rail
 
13.  Jib Stay Halliard
 
14.  Outer Jib Stay Halliard
 
15.  Inner Jib Stay Halliard
 
16.  Fore Stay Halliard
 
17.  Spritsail Yard Lift
 
18.  Top Gallant Stay Leads
 
 
 
Still to do (or figure out)
 
1.      Top Sail Sheets,
 
2.      Course Sheets.
 
3.      Course Clew lines.
 
I am not sure this is correct.  It is the best I could do in my interpretation of the plans. I have not completely decided to do with the buntlines, reefs, and leechlines – except to eliminate them. By adding the clew lines and sheets, I have at least added some of the running rigging for sails that will not be added to the ship
.
Here is a series of photos that show you where I am at presently.  The steps in this post took a solid 5 days to complete.

FUTTOCK SHROUDS
For all of the planning, I forgot to install the futtock shrouds before raising the course yard. It was therefore a bit more taxing with the yard always in the way.
 
I used .025 black rope. I seized a blackened brass hook on the end, attached that to the bottom of the deadeye and wound the other end around the stave and lashed it to the shroud. This is not easy. I placed a small drop of CA on the shroud, and held the futtock line in place until it set.  That allowed me to then apply two lashings.
 
Once done, I dressed them up with ratlines.
 
​Once I install the catharpin, another daunting task, it should pull all of the shrouds together and tighten up the lines. It is quite amazing how everything "ties together." Rigging this model has proven the engineering prowess of the 19th century shipwright

I believe the Constitution build referred to is this one, starting at post 469. Exquisite work indeed.
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/11935-uss-constitution-by-xken-model-shipways-scale-1768/page-24

I believe the Constitution build referred to is this one, starting at post 469. Exquisite work indeed.
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/11935-uss-constitution-by-xken-model-shipways-scale-1768/page-24