bartley

Yes indeed, shipman, this is true.  Liver of sulfur is a complex mixture of sulfides and polysulfides. Over time in air these decompose to in active sulfates.  Shelf life may be less than a year,  Strangely it works well on copper but not very well on brass which is 60% copper.
 
John

Yes, Kurt this "sharp rap" is somehow different.
 
Many years ago my son was sailing in a small boat constructed as a "klegicell sandwich" .  This is foam core with kevlar fiber on each side.  It was like rigid like a sheet of steel with respect to movement against the water but once coming around a mark, the boom of an another out of control sailor hit the side of his boat.  Punched a neat hole straight through.  So, very strong in one sense but very poor impact strength.
 
John

Dave,
 
My experience is that if it is bare wood there is usually some staining (depending on the timber and how long you leave it in contact). However, if the timber is painted there is no problem.  These bolt heads were blackened after installation.
 

 
John

Shipman,
 
A couple of extra tips:
A clean surface is the key.  You obviously know about pickling but don't overdo this step.  Pickling is etching the surface of your brass so 10 min at 60 C is usually enough.  Don't handle with your fingers now.  So, into your soda bath to neutralise the acid, rinse under the tap, drain and into the blackening reagent. Don't immerse your items into the bottle of reagent.  Put a small amount into another vessel which you can seal so you keep the original solution uncontaminated.  Neat Birchwood Casey reacts pretty fast (10 sec) so to give a bit more control I dilute this decanted solution 1:1 with water.  Then you can probably immerse your items for about 30 sec, into the soda bath, wash and allow to dry.  You will need to experiment with the time a bit - too short and blackening will be incomplete, too long and you will get "flakey" layers on top of the original.  These flakey layers rub off easily.  By the way the black stuff which rubs off is selenium which is toxic so wear gloves when you are cleaning up the surface.
 
John

Shipman,
 
A couple of extra tips:
A clean surface is the key.  You obviously know about pickling but don't overdo this step.  Pickling is etching the surface of your brass so 10 min at 60 C is usually enough.  Don't handle with your fingers now.  So, into your soda bath to neutralise the acid, rinse under the tap, drain and into the blackening reagent. Don't immerse your items into the bottle of reagent.  Put a small amount into another vessel which you can seal so you keep the original solution uncontaminated.  Neat Birchwood Casey reacts pretty fast (10 sec) so to give a bit more control I dilute this decanted solution 1:1 with water.  Then you can probably immerse your items for about 30 sec, into the soda bath, wash and allow to dry.  You will need to experiment with the time a bit - too short and blackening will be incomplete, too long and you will get "flakey" layers on top of the original.  These flakey layers rub off easily.  By the way the black stuff which rubs off is selenium which is toxic so wear gloves when you are cleaning up the surface.
 
John

Yes, Kurt this "sharp rap" is somehow different.
 
Many years ago my son was sailing in a small boat constructed as a "klegicell sandwich" .  This is foam core with kevlar fiber on each side.  It was like rigid like a sheet of steel with respect to movement against the water but once coming around a mark, the boom of an another out of control sailor hit the side of his boat.  Punched a neat hole straight through.  So, very strong in one sense but very poor impact strength.
 
John

Shipman,
 
A couple of extra tips:
A clean surface is the key.  You obviously know about pickling but don't overdo this step.  Pickling is etching the surface of your brass so 10 min at 60 C is usually enough.  Don't handle with your fingers now.  So, into your soda bath to neutralise the acid, rinse under the tap, drain and into the blackening reagent. Don't immerse your items into the bottle of reagent.  Put a small amount into another vessel which you can seal so you keep the original solution uncontaminated.  Neat Birchwood Casey reacts pretty fast (10 sec) so to give a bit more control I dilute this decanted solution 1:1 with water.  Then you can probably immerse your items for about 30 sec, into the soda bath, wash and allow to dry.  You will need to experiment with the time a bit - too short and blackening will be incomplete, too long and you will get "flakey" layers on top of the original.  These flakey layers rub off easily.  By the way the black stuff which rubs off is selenium which is toxic so wear gloves when you are cleaning up the surface.
 
John

Post 50: Constructing the Mainmast
 
All the deck features are now complete and it is time to start on making the main mast.
 

 
 

 
The mast itself was made from 13/32 square boxwood.   I decided that it would be easier to establish the square section at the head of the mast before rounding it.
 

 

 
Once this was done I first planed the edges to form a hexagon using the 710 7 rule and then turned the lower section on my home made lathe powered by  a hand drill as described earlier.
 

 
The next task was the curved cross pieces for the cross trees. I cut these using my Knew Concepts jewelers saw.
These saws are a joy to use.  The lever system ensures that the blade has the same tension every time and I find I can cut really close to the line
.
 
 

 
They were then sanded to shape  using sanding sticks and files
 

 
The slots in the linking pieces were cut on the mill and the unit put together.
 

 
The mast cap was simply made from 5/32 sheet with two round holes drilled at the appropriate distances and one of the squared with file to take the square tennon at the top of the mast.
 
The boom support ring and the mast hoops were fabricated on the mill using the rotating head as described earlier for the mast coat.
 

 

 
Cleats from Syren were sanded to shape and added below the boom ring
 

 
The cheeks were fabricated from 3/54 sheet and the metal bands simulated with black pin-striping tape
 

 
 
John
 
 
 

OK shipman,
 
Shelf life of the blackening agent should be indefinite if you keep the lid on.  Pickling solution:  make it up about 8:1 of the water to solid.   Note: add the solid (sodium hydrogen sulfate) to the water not the other way round.  The soda water: it doesn't really matter;  I add the bicarbonate to the water until there is a little left undissolved.  This is called a "saturated solution".
 
John

Dave,
 
I have dealt with this disposal issue here.  If you search my thread you should find it more on this.
 
As I have mentioned also here the Birchwood Casey product is a little different from the other brands in that it contains both Selenous acid and Molybdate so it reacts with both copper and zinc- both of which are in brass.  So it reacts a bit more quickly and probably forms a deeper black.  Also it will react with any alloy containing either of these metals
 
John

Although I did not end up using this, I did I believe produce a good simulation of the canvas covering by using tissue paper

Although I did not end up using this, I did I believe produce a good simulation of the canvas covering by using tissue paper

Although I did not end up using this, I did I believe produce a good simulation of the canvas covering by using tissue paper

Although I did not end up using this, I did I believe produce a good simulation of the canvas covering by using tissue paper

Actually, too long Tom.  Being a chemist I know a bit about the technical side of this.  The selenium in the blackening agent etches tiny pits in the brass and black selenium is deposited there.  If you continue another layer deposits on top of this and this rubs off easily.  There is a kind of happy medium between incomplete blackening and too much flakey stuff.  The exact time depends on how much you dilute the reagent.  Incidentally, watch out for this flakey stuff.  It is selenium and is toxic.  Wear gloves and wash you hands well afterwards if any gets on your fingers.
 
John

Post 49:  Rigging the Bowsprit
4 blocks need to be installed on the the ring-bolts at the end of the bowsprit:
 

 
The bobstay needs a block with a becket seized on one end.  My method is established from several posts on this site but I  include it here for completeness
 
I start by forming the becket.  I do this by wrapping the line around an appropriate sized drill, passing a needle through the line an pulling it tight

 
I seal this with a drop of CA and stiffen the becket with shellac.
 
Now I add the block and glue it to the line with PVA.  Then I begin the false splice by fraying the ends cutting them on the diagonal, adding a drop of PVA and rolling the splice between my fingers
 

 
Since this bobdstay is seved for its whole length I serve over the splice as well

 
In order to thicken the splice a little I wound some 0.3 mm line just over the splice itself.
 

 
The other end of the bobstay is spliced to the stem in a similar way and then the block is reeved to the lower 3/16double  block on the end of the bowsprit.
 

 
The bowsprit guys were made in a similar way but spliced onto thimbles.   a hook fabricated from 24 gauge wire was added to the outer   The whole assembly was attached as shown in the plans between the ring-bolt at the and of the bowsprit and the ring bolt in the bow of the hull
 

 
None of these was tightened at this stage.  I will wait until the rest of the bowsprit rigging is in place.
 
John
 

Post 49:  Rigging the Bowsprit
4 blocks need to be installed on the the ring-bolts at the end of the bowsprit:
 

 
The bobstay needs a block with a becket seized on one end.  My method is established from several posts on this site but I  include it here for completeness
 
I start by forming the becket.  I do this by wrapping the line around an appropriate sized drill, passing a needle through the line an pulling it tight

 
I seal this with a drop of CA and stiffen the becket with shellac.
 
Now I add the block and glue it to the line with PVA.  Then I begin the false splice by fraying the ends cutting them on the diagonal, adding a drop of PVA and rolling the splice between my fingers
 

 
Since this bobdstay is seved for its whole length I serve over the splice as well

 
In order to thicken the splice a little I wound some 0.3 mm line just over the splice itself.
 

 
The other end of the bobstay is spliced to the stem in a similar way and then the block is reeved to the lower 3/16double  block on the end of the bowsprit.
 

 
The bowsprit guys were made in a similar way but spliced onto thimbles.   a hook fabricated from 24 gauge wire was added to the outer   The whole assembly was attached as shown in the plans between the ring-bolt at the and of the bowsprit and the ring bolt in the bow of the hull
 

 
None of these was tightened at this stage.  I will wait until the rest of the bowsprit rigging is in place.
 
John
 

All credit to Glenn.  His Cheerful build is magnificent.  Great workmanship!  but we must credit Chuck Passarro for the invention of this weathering method. 
 
From chapter nine of his cheerful monograph:-
 
"I also weathered the black backstay plates ever so slightly. This was just a matter of brushing on some weathering powder and buffing it off. I prefer to make all of the metal elements have a different texture and look than the black painted areas of the hull such as the wales. Its very subtle and can be overdone very easily. So if you want to give this a try it’s a lot of fun and you might just like how it looks too.
My weathering powders come from Micro-Mark and there are several colors to choose from. I decided to use Rusty Brown. I will use this for all of the metal work on the Cheerful. The photo on the next page shows the powder being added to a carronade later in the project. Grimy black is another color I sometimes use but in this case I decided to go with just the rusty brown. After the parts have been painted black, just apply a generous amount to the piece with a soft brush….apply it all over. Then buff it off with another soft clean brush. Repeat this process to suit your preferred level of color and appearance."
 
John

There are really only two versions of Artistic Wire to consider: "black" and "bare copper".  The black is quite glossy and in my opinion does not look like rope.  Bare copper can be blackened with one of the selenium products like Jax Black.  The plated versions are coated and could not be blackened this way.  Alternatively, you could use Chuck Passaro's  method where he paints the item black and then uses weathering powder to make it look more like metal.
 
Incidentally, this wire is not stranded.  It is essentially copper wire with an enamel coating (except for "bare copper" of course which has no coating.
 
John

Post 50: Constructing the Mainmast
 
All the deck features are now complete and it is time to start on making the main mast.
 

 
 

 
The mast itself was made from 13/32 square boxwood.   I decided that it would be easier to establish the square section at the head of the mast before rounding it.
 

 

 
Once this was done I first planed the edges to form a hexagon using the 710 7 rule and then turned the lower section on my home made lathe powered by  a hand drill as described earlier.
 

 
The next task was the curved cross pieces for the cross trees. I cut these using my Knew Concepts jewelers saw.
These saws are a joy to use.  The lever system ensures that the blade has the same tension every time and I find I can cut really close to the line
.
 
 

 
They were then sanded to shape  using sanding sticks and files
 

 
The slots in the linking pieces were cut on the mill and the unit put together.
 

 
The mast cap was simply made from 5/32 sheet with two round holes drilled at the appropriate distances and one of the squared with file to take the square tennon at the top of the mast.
 
The boom support ring and the mast hoops were fabricated on the mill using the rotating head as described earlier for the mast coat.
 

 

 
Cleats from Syren were sanded to shape and added below the boom ring
 

 
The cheeks were fabricated from 3/54 sheet and the metal bands simulated with black pin-striping tape
 

 
 
John
 
 
 

All credit to Glenn.  His Cheerful build is magnificent.  Great workmanship!  but we must credit Chuck Passarro for the invention of this weathering method. 
 
From chapter nine of his cheerful monograph:-
 
"I also weathered the black backstay plates ever so slightly. This was just a matter of brushing on some weathering powder and buffing it off. I prefer to make all of the metal elements have a different texture and look than the black painted areas of the hull such as the wales. Its very subtle and can be overdone very easily. So if you want to give this a try it’s a lot of fun and you might just like how it looks too.
My weathering powders come from Micro-Mark and there are several colors to choose from. I decided to use Rusty Brown. I will use this for all of the metal work on the Cheerful. The photo on the next page shows the powder being added to a carronade later in the project. Grimy black is another color I sometimes use but in this case I decided to go with just the rusty brown. After the parts have been painted black, just apply a generous amount to the piece with a soft brush….apply it all over. Then buff it off with another soft clean brush. Repeat this process to suit your preferred level of color and appearance."
 
John

Post 50: Constructing the Mainmast
 
All the deck features are now complete and it is time to start on making the main mast.
 

 
 

 
The mast itself was made from 13/32 square boxwood.   I decided that it would be easier to establish the square section at the head of the mast before rounding it.
 

 

 
Once this was done I first planed the edges to form a hexagon using the 710 7 rule and then turned the lower section on my home made lathe powered by  a hand drill as described earlier.
 

 
The next task was the curved cross pieces for the cross trees. I cut these using my Knew Concepts jewelers saw.
These saws are a joy to use.  The lever system ensures that the blade has the same tension every time and I find I can cut really close to the line
.
 
 

 
They were then sanded to shape  using sanding sticks and files
 

 
The slots in the linking pieces were cut on the mill and the unit put together.
 

 
The mast cap was simply made from 5/32 sheet with two round holes drilled at the appropriate distances and one of the squared with file to take the square tennon at the top of the mast.
 
The boom support ring and the mast hoops were fabricated on the mill using the rotating head as described earlier for the mast coat.
 

 

 
Cleats from Syren were sanded to shape and added below the boom ring
 

 
The cheeks were fabricated from 3/54 sheet and the metal bands simulated with black pin-striping tape
 

 
 
John
 
 
 

Post 50: Constructing the Mainmast
 
All the deck features are now complete and it is time to start on making the main mast.
 

 
 

 
The mast itself was made from 13/32 square boxwood.   I decided that it would be easier to establish the square section at the head of the mast before rounding it.
 

 

 
Once this was done I first planed the edges to form a hexagon using the 710 7 rule and then turned the lower section on my home made lathe powered by  a hand drill as described earlier.
 

 
The next task was the curved cross pieces for the cross trees. I cut these using my Knew Concepts jewelers saw.
These saws are a joy to use.  The lever system ensures that the blade has the same tension every time and I find I can cut really close to the line
.
 
 

 
They were then sanded to shape  using sanding sticks and files
 

 
The slots in the linking pieces were cut on the mill and the unit put together.
 

 
The mast cap was simply made from 5/32 sheet with two round holes drilled at the appropriate distances and one of the squared with file to take the square tennon at the top of the mast.
 
The boom support ring and the mast hoops were fabricated on the mill using the rotating head as described earlier for the mast coat.
 

 

 
Cleats from Syren were sanded to shape and added below the boom ring
 

 
The cheeks were fabricated from 3/54 sheet and the metal bands simulated with black pin-striping tape
 

 
 
John
 
 
 

Post 50: Constructing the Mainmast
 
All the deck features are now complete and it is time to start on making the main mast.
 

 
 

 
The mast itself was made from 13/32 square boxwood.   I decided that it would be easier to establish the square section at the head of the mast before rounding it.
 

 

 
Once this was done I first planed the edges to form a hexagon using the 710 7 rule and then turned the lower section on my home made lathe powered by  a hand drill as described earlier.
 

 
The next task was the curved cross pieces for the cross trees. I cut these using my Knew Concepts jewelers saw.
These saws are a joy to use.  The lever system ensures that the blade has the same tension every time and I find I can cut really close to the line
.
 
 

 
They were then sanded to shape  using sanding sticks and files
 

 
The slots in the linking pieces were cut on the mill and the unit put together.
 

 
The mast cap was simply made from 5/32 sheet with two round holes drilled at the appropriate distances and one of the squared with file to take the square tennon at the top of the mast.
 
The boom support ring and the mast hoops were fabricated on the mill using the rotating head as described earlier for the mast coat.
 

 

 
Cleats from Syren were sanded to shape and added below the boom ring
 

 
The cheeks were fabricated from 3/54 sheet and the metal bands simulated with black pin-striping tape
 

 
 
John
 
 
 

Yes, there is no adjustment on these.  Our x and y are perfect - easily adjusted but not sloppy.  However, the z one is tight as you describe.  Maybe a bit of dust which might blow out with compressed air or very small touch of lubricant.
 
Good work by the way -  certainly surpasses mine.
 
John