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gjdale
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Everything posted by gjdale
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Druxey makes a good point. I forgot to mention that before tying each ratline row, I ran the thread through a damp sponge for exactly that reason (a trick embroiderers use).
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Dan, I think that picture is from Danny Vadas' log of his Supply build. It certainly shows clearly how the outer clove hitches should be tied with both "tails" pointing inwards. Getting the right tension is a matter of trial and error, and lots of practice! I found that after loosely tying the hitch, I was able to hold the shroud with a pair of tweezers and then pull the hitch tight. Sometimes I found it necessary to pull the first half of the clove hitch reasonably tight first, and then do the latter part. I find this difficult to describe on words, but it is much easier in practice. Aim to get just enough tension to take out the slack in the ratline, without pulling the shrouds together. As for colour, that will come down to personal choice. We had a quite a discussion about this prior to the "crash". David Antscherl, in TFFM vol 4, says they should be the same colour as your shrouds. The current official Victory site says the ratlines are "lightly tarred", but that doesn't necessarily mean they would be black, as some tars are more of a "natural" colour. Gil Middleton did his Victory ratlines in a "natural" colour, but says on reflection he wished he'd done them black as he finds the contrast with the black shrouds somewhat distracting. It was this comment that clinched it for me in deciding to go with black. As I said, it comes down to your choice.
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Great work Gil, and great explanations as well. Will be a real bonus of help for me as I come along hot on your heels! -
Wow, dinner AND a show!!! I feel my education is now complete - thanks Mark!
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Hi Keith, Thanks for your very kind words about my build. Let me try and answer your questions: Ratlines are something that you definitely get faster at as you "gain experience". The topmast ratlines are easier in that there are fewer shrouds and hence fewer clove hitches to be tied, but the counter to this is that you are inevitably sitting with your arms in a very awkward position that makes the upper arms and shoulders tire quickly. For the lower shrouds, I think it was taking me about 20 minutes to do one complete row (across eleven shrouds) and for the top masts about 10 minutes for a row across six shrouds. There are about 30 rows for each set. I'm not even going to try to do the math on that to work out overall time, but for me it was spread across several weeks. I seem to recall that it took me an entire (full) day to finish one complete set of lower mast shrouds, but I managed two sets for the top masts in one day. (Rough approximation, nine full days of work - not much really, since it's taken 16 years to get to this point ) I would have to say that while this is tedious job, it is certainly not a difficult one. And if practice makes perfect, there's plenty of opportunity to achieve perfection. As for not seeing a sag anywhere - that must just be some clever photography on my part - there are a few if you look closely. One thing I would advise though. Be careful with your selection of material for the ratlines - it really needs to be close to the scale size in diameter. For me, it was a happy coincidence that some of my wife's quilting thread was just the right diameter and it was an easy material to work with, having a bit of "body" to it. Best wishes for your Swift build.
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Wonderfully executed Remco (as always)!
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Thanks for the extra eye candy Bob - she really is a beauty!
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Great news on the first interview Anja - no surprises there though! I'm sure your second interview will go just as well.
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Thanks Mobbsie, Don't worry about the number of plates or ratlines to be fitted - just approach it as a task that will take a little time, but with some focus it will be done before you know it. Mine took a little longer because I'm still working full time, so only get to play in the shipyard on weekends - once the honey-do list is complete!
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Very nice work so far Patrick. Looking forward to seeing the coppering!
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Thanks Gil, I'm partial to a wee dram myself! I'm looking forward to a little more variety for a while as work on the yards commences.
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Thanks Patrick and David for your kind words. And you too Voldemort!
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Beautifully done Bob! Can't wait to see the rest of the pictures.
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Perhaps I should have acknowledged that "my" method comes from David Antscherl's TFFM Vol 4.
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Dan, Another tip for your ratlines. In order to maintain fairly even tension and avoid creating an hour glass shape in your shrouds, tie every fourth ratline first, then go back and do each one half between the first lot, then finish the remainder. I found that using a highlighter pen to colour code the template worked a treat (not shown in the photo on my log - I only worked it out a bit later).
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Dan, I've just finished my ratlines. Here's a link to my log. If you scroll about half way down the first page you'll see the card template in use. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/163-hms-victory-by-grant-dale-mamoli-scale-190/?hl=%20victory%20%20grant%20%20dale
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Thanks Danny, Bookmarked for future reference!
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Thanks Danny, A great collection and good explanation.
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Thanks Ben, I'll keep the pictures coming in case Voldemort drops by!
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Ah, one can't argue with Admiralty directives now can one!
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Good choice Mark - it looks great (and tiny!)
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That's because Mark keeps coming back for a refill
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Nice to see the deck planking going in Mark. I can't remember, how do you plan to display her - partially "exposed" or fully planked?
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Thanks David, Sjors, Mark and Bob for your kind words. It's a relief to be able to go back to making something other than tiny knots!
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