gjdale

Richard, If the handles are hard to turn, just check that the axes aren't locked (each axis should be able to be locked in place individually). It's an easy mistake to make - don't ask me how I know!

Nice work on the rail and pumps John.

I knew it would work out well. Terrific, in fact, Rusty!

Hi Mobbsie, Great job on the re-do of the mast platform blocks. They look great and I know you will be much happier with them. I still think this was the cause of your "block" (pun intended)! The burton pendants look very well done too. You'll race ahead from here my friend - looking forward to seeing completion photos next week.

Hi Pat, I use TurboCad for Mac, so things may be a bit different, but I had exactly this problem when I started out and sought advice directly from the guru - Wayne Kempson. The answer was to re-scale using Expand/Shrink within Transformation Tools. Your software may be slightly different but the principles should hold true. Here is Wayne's description to me of how to re-scale using three points: On your drawing set up the perpendiculars and the keel line (which should already be done anyway). Let's say the aft perpendicular (AP) is to the left, etc. Then draw a line parallel to the AP at a distance from the AP equal to the length you are looking for. This is the new forward perpendicular (FP). Now, extend the keel line to this new line. Now you have three points defined by the intersection of the keel line with the AP, the old FP, and the new FP. For your three points, the AP intersection is your anchor point, the intersection with the old FP is the source or start point, and the intersection with the new FP is the destination or end point. This should do it. The above is an exact quote from Wayne. I've since upgraded to a newer version of TC for Mac and do it slightly differently, but this method should still work. You could always PM Wayne direct (which is what I did). I hope this helps. Cheers,

Looking sharp there David!

That's looking lovely Albert - the sign of things to come, I think!

Excellent dissertation (if not "tutorial") Ed. Looks like it is well worth the extra time at the computer to save time and effort in the shipyard later.

TurboCad for Mac is very good. It's not free, but it's relatively inexpensive.

Great work Rob.

Neat idea Rusty - I'll be interested to see how it turns out. Though with your track record, I'm sure it will turn out superbly!

Thanks for that tip Danny - I'd already started collecting some of the sawdust from the Byrnes Saw with that in mind. I'll do the same with the sanders. And yes, I do already have the Byrnes Disc Sander as well - what a beaut little machine THAT one is too! And thanks Lawrence and Dragzz for dropping by.

Love your approach Ed. And some of we "lesser mortals" are watching your process with great interest in the hope of one day emulating it!

Funny you should mention that John................... Watch this space!

Thanks for all the kind comments folks, and for the "likes". Mikec - the small black machine is the Thickness Sander by Jim Byrnes. The larger machine is an Oscillating Spindle Sander. Re your second question, the answer is no, I do not intend on installing sails, but I have included the blocks anyway. I'm a bare yards kinda guy.

Joe, It's a model kit. Shouldn't take too long to make - the box says for ages 8+. Perhaps I should ask John (JimLad) to put me in touch with the nine-year-old who was so full of advice about his Stag model

Very clever Danny, and a beaut little tutorial as well!

Thanks again Wayne, Mobbise, Augie, Lawrence and Mick, and all the "likes". Today I added the horses (foot ropes) and the stunsl booms. The horses are spliced over the end of the yard, and then threaded through the stirrups before being spliced again just outside the sling cleats. In reality, the inner end has a thimble that is lashed around the yard. Inspired by Blue Ensign, I also "cheated" by using the splice on the inboard side. The last item to attach were the stunsl booms, which had been pre-made and simply required lashing at the inboard end. With that, I declare the Fore Lower Yard complete and ready to be attached to the ship. You may have noticed that I also had a birthday during the week. Well, all I can say is that I must have been a very, very good boy this year! :D I hope the mods will indulge me a slight diversion here. My darling wife obviously thinks I need to spend more time in the shipyard, and bought me this: I was also allowed to buy this for myself: And during our recent holiday, we saw a Leonardo da Vinci exhibition in Venice. Knowing my love of his drawings of machines, my son gave me this: Plenty to keep me busy once I eventually finish this project!

I found this link elsewhere on the forum and subsequently purchased a set. http://www.scaleplasticandrail.com/kaboom/index.php/all-other-subjects/all-things-tools/73-cutting-tools/118-50pc-microdrill-set-03-to-15mm Ordering is done direct to Allan Sidney. I have the email address somewhere - if anyone is interested just PM me and I'll dig it out.

This looks like a fascinating project Rob. Think I'm in for the ride.

Thanks again everyone for the kind comments and the likes. Progress is once again at a glacial pace as life seems to have a habit of getting in the way at the moment. Nevertheless, I did manage to progress a bit further with the yard preparation today. I made an interesting discovery in my wife's favourite sewing shop today - "self-threading" needles. And they work! I received some more of Chuck's excellent rigging thread in the post this week, so was able to start on the stirrups. I must admit to once again being inspired by the work of Blue Ensign on his outstanding Pegasus build. He is just far enough ahead of me in progress terms to be an excellent source of guidance and inspiration. So my method for the stirrups follows pretty closely to his. It starts with forming a "false splice" in one end of the thread. I'm using 0.30 mm black thread for my stirrups, which is pretty close to scale for the 4-inch circ. rope used at full scale. I've chosen to do my stirrups and horses in black, which may or may not be correct, but is consistent with my choices for hammock netting and ratline colours. The method of forming the "false splice" is borrowed from Gil Middleton, repeated by Blue Ensign, and now by me. A needle is used to thread the line back through itself: And then back through a second time: The completed "splice" looks like this: The splice is then placed over a 1mm diameter brass rod held in a Fly-tying vice (thanks Mobbsie for that idea ) : A dab of CA is applied to the splice and around the eye, which is then carefully removed from the brass rod: The stirrups are then attached to the yard, being wrapped three times around the yard, with the "fall" of the stirrup lying on the aft side of the yard, and outboard of the turns. A dab of CA is applied and once set, a small weight is applied to the fall of the stirrup and the entire stirrup painted with diluted PVA and left to dry overnight. Tomorrow I will add the horses. You can also see in the picture above and the next below, the Truss Pendants, which have been fitted with a brass thimble and seized to the yard. Note that the thimble lies down on the starboard side and up on the port side (as per Longridge pg 240). If I can finish the horses tomorrow, that will be the Fore Lower Yard complete. Only eight more yards to go! (then I will be able to say I've gone "the whole nine yards" )

Thanks for the advice on the thick CA Augie. I generally avoid using CA at all if I can, as I'm one of those affected by the fumes. I might try giving the thick stuff a go to see if it makes a difference (fume-wise).

Hi Malc, If you have a look in my Victory log, starting at post #188 on pg 13: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/163-hms-victory-by-grant-dale-mamoli-scale-190/page-13 You will see how I tackled a 1:90 scale scratch built launch. Hope this is of some help to you. Please PM me if you have any questions or want further advice. Cheers,

John, I once knew a Chief Bosun who must have been related to your electrician. To tell me something was broken, he'd simply say, "f...ing, f..er's, f...ing, f...ed".

That latest update shows very clearly your skill and craftsmanship Augie! She is looking just fantastic. And others have said, practice obviously makes perfect Well played Sir!