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Overworked724

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Everything posted by Overworked724

  1. Overworked724
    Yep!!
  2. Overworked724
    Bit the bullet. Stepped the masts! No turning back! Set the blocks and bullseyes first. Then set up the mast coats and glued in the masts. Used carpenter’s glue and looked multiple directions as it set. Helpful to add the top masts to help eyeball the symmetry as the glue sets. As I noted earlier, the top masts are not set yet. Easy to remove them until I need to mount them. Moving on!!!!
  3. Overworked724
    Masts are ready to be stepped. God help me... Crazy part is, I’m over analyzing how to step the masts so that if....IF!...I need to remove them for repairs (or to make a correction for some error or accident), I can actually do it. I am trying to ensure that when I mount the masts, I can (in some fashion) get them back out. Damn it...
  4. Overworked724
    Hi Lou! I found two online graphic references. One was from a pdf of the Instruction for the Golden Hind. The other from a pictorial guide for the Syren, written by Chuck Passaro. Both give a pretty nice account of rigging the cathead to hang the anchor, and sling the flukes to a timber head. I love the look. The terminatingend of the line returning through the cathead is tied to the cleat on the base of the cathead. The other end is tied to the eyebolt on the side of the cathead. I simply couldn’t figure out from Chuck’s practicum how it would be rigged as he didn’t go into detail on this point. Moving on!!!
  5. Overworked724
    I’m a stickler for directions. Finally found a good reference to guide me in how to rig my catheads and hang my anchors!!!
  6. Overworked724
    A bit more progress. Anchors are done. Also fixed the mast caps and painted. I see from the front the masts are at the right rake, and that the trees and caps are parallel to each other. Minor bit askew due to a small misalignment when drilling my mast holes, but I’ll live with it. Lesson learned for next time. Have not yet stepped the masts or topmasts. Have a couple more blocks to tie, then will add the mast coats and step main and fore masts. I’m thinking of waiting to secure the shrouds before I step the topmasts...decisions, decisions!!! Moving on....😊
  7. Overworked724
    Lou is right...you made me rethink my own laziness!!! Have a beer on me!!!
  8. Overworked724
    So does the Admiral...and so do I frankly! Will stain them and call it a day on the mast coats.
  9. Overworked724
    Mast coats look great. Made me rethink my original metal ones. Looking good!
  10. Overworked724
    Ok. So that last pic in the post above bugged me...I tried the mast coamings on the mast and, although they looked good, seemed a bit off. The mast coamings which I made earlier using wire and then painted red, were done akin to Chuck’s method in his practicum. The pic below shows my initial coaming (unpainted) for the main mast. Now, the method I had developed earlier (and is pretty easy) to make my full wrap around boom rest, is easily applied in the same way here to make both coamings from wood. Step by step...here is the way I do it. One exacto with #11 blade, one flat razor, an emery board for sanding, 1/32” basswood sheet from Hobby Lobby....taaadaaa. After trimming to size and sanding, make sure to bevel the edges to round them off. Both coamings took me about 20 minutes. So...now I have 2 sets of mast coamings. Metal and wood. I tend to think the wood ones look more natural (ie. imperfect). The coamings were a side project. Working on my blocks/tackle in the background today. Fun!!! Movin’ on...
  11. Overworked724
    Ok. Thimbles. The foremast has an eye bolt on both port and starboard sides. These are for the main stay and main topmast stay. (Still learning jargon...but they are the lines coming from the double block which will be siezed at the top of the fore mast just beneath the mast cap) Chuck’s practicum shows him making a thimble out of a loop in the line which is tied to the eye bolt (a thimble is like a reinforced loop which protects the line from friction...the reinforced portion was made from metal or sometime bone). He mentioned that buying thimbles commercially for a model at this scale would make them look oversized. Rather than making them from line...which I now feel I could probably do...I tried using my drilled out dead eyes. (Ok...these are closed basically closed hearts) The pics below capture my step by step approach...without YouTube and other blogs, I’d be dead in the water!!! I’m honestly not certain if they are too big...but I thought I did a fair job making them from scratch. So...I’m keeping them on. They will be glue into the deck when I’m ready to step the masts. Moving on!
  12. Overworked724
    One thing I needed to contend with sooner or later was the trestle trees. Both were made from a solid piece of wood. The slot where the top masts go was actually a hole. Both top masts would slip through and it’s going to be a pain to set them like that...so decided to do something radical. I cut a cross section of dowel that was the same (actually slightly smaller) than the diameter of the hole in the trestle trees and roughly 1/2 the width of the cap. Then I glued in the section into each...sanded a bit. Now simply need to paint. The slot in the trestle trees will hold the top masts with no difficulty and I can simply slide the top masts through the mast caps and set them in the trees when ready. (Yeah...it’s not the way the ship was designed, but it will give a clean look and the illusion will hold) I’ve prepped my shrouds pairs and will mount the mast caps after I’ve completed installing the rigging/blocks for both masts. When I’m ready, I can easily insert both top masts without need of worry of alignment...and just use a touch of wood glue in the ‘slot’ in each mast cap. Moving on...
  13. Overworked724
    And....shrouds and footropes installed. Going to call this a win and move on!! 😁
  14. Overworked724
    Thanks, Lou. The toothpick plug and bobstay hole reset was a pretty close second. I have been thinking about this for about a year (No joke). I will consider this (and other) aspects in my next build. In truth, I would have had to redrill the hole about 1cm below the current position to allow unimpeded access to the collar. This would have put it below the waterline per the ship plans...and would be equally incorrect. So...by modifying the stem design to remove the front portion of the stem...which would have (in my opinion) blocked the front view of the figurehead (why block to view of a beautiful bosom?...yeah...I said it)...I ended up compromising where the bobstay would have to be positioned to have clear access to the collar. I checked the plans, and the bowsprit is angled correctly. So this was my fault by deviating from the plans...since I had to set the bobstay hole farther back (towards the bulkhead). My bad.
  15. Overworked724
    DAAAAAaaaamn!!! Nice!!!
  16. Overworked724
    This was Bobstay Day!!! Finally stopped analyzing and made progress. The bobstay is as complicated as I’d thought. That laniard between the hearts is just as confusing to me. The technique to tie this thing was a process unknown to me. So...I decided to stop looking for good modeling techniques to tie lanyards and just did it. Below was my process. Rather than focus on whether it was correct, I focused on clean work. Slow. Methodical. In truth, I think the result was a good one...and I’m sure others have some education to impart for improving my technique for future ships! First, I knew the bobstay hole in the stem was too high (or the figurehead too low). I needed to mount the figurehead to get a feel for how to manage the misalignment. So....I did. The position of the bobstay hole was going to impede clean reach to the corresponding bowsprit collar. Leaving me three options...redrill a new bobstay hole, rig the bobstay so the lines run under the figurehead, or rig it so the each side of the doubled bobstay runs along either side of the figurehead. I opted for the latter. The lines running along the ‘hips’ of the figurehead might not be historically accurate, but give the subtle illusion of the ship’s lines ‘holding’ or supporting the lady figurehead. Frankly, I think it’s a nice look. I started with tying the heart and siezing done off the model. I left a long length of line like Chuck did so I double up along the length after attaching to the bobstay hole. After winding the length through the bobstay hole, I used an alligator clip to hold it st the appropriate length. Chuck’s practicum really helps here!!! Notice that since I was running the sides of the bobstay along either side of the figurehead, I siezed far enough away to ensure I had some wiggle room to fit it around the figurehead. After I completed the last siezing, I ensured my last knot (siezing) was slipped close enough to allow the remnant ends of the bobstay line to be clipped off and result in a doubled bobstay with knots equally spaced along its length. Actually, it’s not as hard as I’d thought it would be! The tying board helped a lot. I then attached one end of the laniard to the collar heart. I used a simple slip not to simulated a bullseye. Then just cinched it up to the collar heart. From here I ran it back and forth under light tension about 7-8 times as Chuck mentioned. I simply tucked in the last wind after applying a tiny drop of CA glue on the line. Clip and snip...then sat back and looked at the effect. Laniard was even. The collars were fairly well aligned. The bobstay wrapped around the figurehead. Not a bad effect and some nice progress. Up next...shrouds...which are already prepped with hooks and hearts. Slow and steady!!! Damn the torpedoes!!!!
  17. Overworked724
    Made a simple tying jig. The alligator clip jaws bruise the line (especially after waxing). Made a simple workaround by cutting a little section of a 3x5” note card and trimming it to fit inside the jaws. TaDaaa!!! No more line bruising. Got it started on the bowsprit shrouds. Minor progress but it’s progress!!
  18. Overworked724
    Welcome! Hope you find you way to one of the tri-club meetings. Great guys...lots of fun...great learning from the 'pros'. Best Pat
  19. Overworked724
    Time for some touch up paint in the bow section before fiddling with the shrouds, bobstay, and foot ropes! Also, I just realized I need to make a few more open hearts - which won't be a problem now that I've made quite a few and have some practice making them. I could use the ones I purchased from Syren, but where's the pride in that! My little Sultana is filled with errors, but she still looking quite handsome! More to follow...meeting cancelled for this evening, so I'll be working in the shipyard --- staring at the snow.
  20. Overworked724
    Going to call this attempt a win and move on! Gammoning turned out pretty good. Lesson for future is don’t make the gammon hole in the stem rounded! Moving on...
  21. Overworked724
    Now that the bowsprit is solidly mounted (checked again this morning), I can get the gammoning done this evening. Since this is the first time I’ve rigged a ship, I’m taking my time to practice my knots/etc. It pays off - since I have a better impression in my mind what I should expect when applying it to the model. Below was my my recent attempt tying the gammoning using some old line and toothpicks mounted in my vice. The initial siezing to make an eye, the waxing, tying the gammoning, the repeated half hitches, and finally burying the loose end...a lot going on in this one rigging step. Besides that, you want it to look decent!!! Practice makes perfect (or in my case...acceptable! ) Moving on...
  22. Overworked724
    Had some time this evening to practice some knots to lash blocks to spars. My initial attempts turned out decent. Finished rigging up the fore and main top masts. Just a single block on each end of each spar...but a good result for a newbie like me. Was going to try to attack the gammoning when I realized I missed something. The footropes which lead from either side of the bowsprit cap connect to an eyebolt at either side of the bow near the haus holes (anchor rope holes). Only problem is I forgot to drill the holes for those eyebolts! Amazing enough...the bowsprit wasn’t glued on as tightly as I’d expected, and I accidentally knocked it off! No damage but glad this happened because it could have popped off when I was tying the gammoning!! So...I had some extra room and drilled the foot rope eye bolt holes, then reattached the bowsprit...and it’s pretty solid now! Moving on!!!
  23. Overworked724
    In a pique of incredible courage...screaming “Damn the TORPEDOES!” (And scaring the Admiral in the process)...I decided to mount the bowsprit. Turned out pretty decent! I am deciding to deviate from the plans and not include the wooden boarder (toe stubber) where the bowsprit intersects the deck. I like the seamless way it looks as it merges with the deck planking. See you all all next weekend...busy workload the next week. Moving on...
  24. Overworked724
    Celebrated too soon. I was practicing my repeated half hitches (used in the bowsprit gammoning...was practicing on a toothpick to simulate my rigging bundle which forms between the sprit and the stem)...when I realized.... ...that I put my bloody JIB-Boom on sideways!!! Yep...I looked down as I was dry fitting the bowsprit and realized I’d botched the job...the shreaves at the tip of the boom were pointing sideways. But wood is forgiving...wood glue even more so. Luckily I used CA glue very modestly in setting up the wrapping around the boom and bowsprit. Was able to completely unwrap, unglue, reglue, and rewrap the boom with the right orientation. This time I ended up with both the leading and trailing end terminating on one side. sigh...Moving on...
  25. Overworked724
    Nothing like working in the shiproom during a Midwest snowstorm! Today I decided to fiddle with ball trucks and the closed heart collars. The plans call for blocks below the ball trucks (topmast caps). Chuck mentioned that to put a hole in them for the flag halliards would split the wood. I took a few swings at bat with a #37 drill bit in my little dremel and found I could drill them out. However, decided to put them in the top masts as he did...same process with no problem. Glued the little guys on top of the masts but made a little depression to hold some glue and align them in the mast tops. The ball trucks were made by cutting small cross sections from a dowel of appropriate size. Attaching the jib boom to the bowsprit took some thinking. No novice level references out there with step by step directions I could find...so others may find my pics helpful. As Chuck advises in the practicum, 0.018” thread used to attach the jib boom. Glued the jib boom to the wooden saddle first. Then used a tiny touch of CA glue applied to the rigging line to secure the thread on the bottom of the bowsprit on each successive wrap. ‘Hiding’ the terminating ends of the rigging was done using a threader as shown. Made sure the length of remaining rigging would be buried under the wrapping and not hang out the other side once I pulled it through. I have to say...it turned out looking pretty clean. I buried one hanging end on either side of the jib boom. Next was the closed heart collars. Two were made for the bowsprit using Chuck’s ‘easy’ way of tiring them off...CA glue touched to a simple slip knot. Pics are self explanatory. I made the closed loops off the bowsprit and slid them on once they were finished. Not a bad day’s work. Step by step. Moving on!!!

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