mojofilter

Hi Jens -
 
Are you referring to the white iron rod?  If so, I think that it is the lower topsail-yard crane.  What's it for?  Not sure.  Unlike the mainsail yard, which has a chain to take most of the weight of the yard,  the topsail yard doesn't have this.  Perhaps the crane supports the weight of the topsail yard(?)  The lower end looks to sit on the lower mast cheeks.  Although I don't see how the yard would be allowed to swing (not tilt) round to the stays.
 
- Tim

Wow! My surgery isn't that clean!!  Well, maybe, but that's clean!!

Ready for Planking
 
Been a little while since I posted, but I have been working a bit on the America.  I now, finally, have the waterways cut and installed, and also have painted the timberheads white, and I have done a few other things.  Here's a summary
- finished cutting waterways and bow and stern edge pieces
- cleaned up the bow filler block and added some 1/32nd bass wood sheet on the outside.
- on the inboard side of the bow filler, added some pieces, also 1/32nd bass wood, along with some fake hawse timbers, all primed and painted white
- sanded, shaved, and in some cases augmented timberheads in the seemingly never ending effort to get them to flow nicely from one to the next on the inboard side, outboard side, and top.  Even looking at these photos I still see a few little jogs and wiggles.
- went through several iterations of priming, sanding, and painting the timberheads white.
- glued in the waterways; used some glue/water/sawdust wood filler to try to fill in some of the gaps between the waterways and timberheads
- sanded the outer edge of the waterways.  I intentionally cut the notches a bit deep so that the waterways would stick out a bit, then sanded that edge down to match the frames, in an effort to avoid having any gap between the waterways and the inboard side of the planking.  I see in one of the pictures I have a little bit of repair work to do on the waterways near the bow.
 
With all of that, I am ready to start the hull planking. 
 
I know, I know, all you are really interested in are the pictures....here they are:

Paint on the inside?!?  The wood is beautiful! - especially like the contrast light/dark mahogany.  Interesting choice, mahogany is such an open grain/large pore wood, but it looks great!
- Tim

Nicely done Nenad!  

Nicely done Nenad!  

Nicely done Nenad!  

Hello to all
Happy New Year !!!
Captain's Gig, update
 

Great to see another America starting up.  I'll pull up a chair and watch.  She's a beautiful ship and hope you have fun with her.
 
- Tim

...and a Happy New Year!
 
Ed

And to you also, Ed! Thank you for your contributions to our knowledge this year.

Wow! My surgery isn't that clean!!  Well, maybe, but that's clean!!

Wow! My surgery isn't that clean!!  Well, maybe, but that's clean!!

Wow! My surgery isn't that clean!!  Well, maybe, but that's clean!!

Wow! My surgery isn't that clean!!  Well, maybe, but that's clean!!

Sometimes when I am about to start a new element I find myself getting frustrated with the state of the workshop. This happened on Sunday so I spent the day tidying up.

That done I was forced to make a start on the launch. I redrew the sections at twice scale to get them as well defined as possible. I then reduced them to scale size on the printer. The launch is about 7 inches long and 1.6 inches wide. I made a test section to have a little practice on the scroll saw - bottom left quadrant. The sections are just formers and will be removed once the hull is planked.

I then made the base board on the mill - the slots are .080" i.e. the thickness of the ply sections.

I found cutting the sections on the scroll saw quite challenging. It took a great deal of concentration to keep the cut on the line. This was predominantly because the cut line looked almost identical to the black drawn line I was following. As a result I struggled to see where along the line the blade actually was. Next time I will draw the line I am following in another colour - probably orange (dark enough to see, light enough not to blend with the black slot of the cut).
 
Taking the cut slow and steady produced acceptable results - the frames temporarily fitted in the next photo are as cut.

The frames were squared up and glued using the right angle edge of some "V" blocks. They were clamped while drying using rare earth bar magnets (3mm x 10mm x 40 mm).


With the 7 frames installed a keel was made and glued in the pre cut notches. The keel is much deeper than needed and will be cut back later. Balsa blocks were glued between the sections to add stiffnes during planking. 

I am thinking of single planking in mahogany of .125" x .040" section.
 
I have to admit that i'm not entirely sure what I am doing. Its all bit of an experiment. Oh Hummm!
 
I may not get another post done before Christmas as the house is already in entertain guests mode. So if I don't can I wish you all the compliments of the season.
 

Sailor, I do not know how YA's ails were actually furled, but for the model I have assumed they would be furled at the bunt.
 
As to the location of the temporarily stopped bowlines, I have seen no documented prescription.  I have assumed these would be tied off at a location convenient for bending to the sail, near the bowline cringles on the sail as it would be made up on the deck prior to sending aloft.  These cringles would be left exposed, and if I understand the make-up of the sail for sending aloft, they would likely be toward the outer ends and not necessarily where they would be on the furled sail.  Other options are possible.   I am sure this detail was subject to some variation in practice.  Anyway, this was my rationale.  If there is more prescriptive documentation, I would welcome the input.
 
The sail would be made fast to the jackstay with robands after the head was stretched out on the yard.  The sail would have been hauled up by the buntlines, leechlines (and perhaps  the reef tackle?).  These pass over the forward side of the yard through blocks on the top of the yard, so the made up sail would come up to the yard inside of the stuns'l booms.  There is about a 1' gap between the yard and the booms.  However, it is my understanding that when bending or unbending the sail, the inboard ends of the booms were triced up at an angle to be clear of the process.  The inner boom irons were hinged to be able to release the inboard end for tricing up.  I assume that the smaller diameter at the end of the boom could rotate in the outer iron which is sized for the larger diameter at the center of the boom.   I am not including the tricing lines on the model.
 
If the question relates to interference of the head of the sail with the inner boom iron the answer is that the sail must have been passed under the iron.
 
Whew!  Good questions.  Don't know about the answers.
 
Ed

Thanks Dr. Per.
 
Just for fun, tried again, this time using the Castello Boxwood.  It was a bit easier to work though I think the pear could provide cleaner, sharper results.  From the top:
- first attempt, in swiss pear
- second attempt in castello boxwood
- cast metal part from kit.

Michael, I’m not sure I want to hit it with a bottle, It is a bit delicate. Better just drink the champagne instead.
 
I have just taken a few deck shots with the iPad camera. It is much better at keeping both the foreground and background in focus than my proper camera.



 
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 255 – Fore Yard Topping Lifts
 
Topping lifts supported the lower yards at the ends and allowed it to be "topped", that is lifted on one side, usually to clear dockside obstructions.  Each lift consisted of a pendant secured to the upper eye on the fore yard arm band.  This was connected to a luff tackle to the mast cap with the fall belayed on the foremast fife rail.  A luff tackle uses a single and double block combination to produce a mechanical advantage of 4.  The double block is secured to the foremast cap band.  The first picture shows the port side lift strung up.
 

 
Temporary thread lines to keep the yard roughly level for the rigging of the lifts lines may be seen in the picture.  The next picture shows the single tackle block that is spliced on the end of the pendant with an eye.
 

 
The standing end of the tackle has been seized to the eye on the block with smaller hemp line.  The pendant is 6" line, the lift is 3".  Excess seizing will, of course be removed.  The outer end of the pendant shown in the next picture is spliced to a shackle on the upper eye of the yard arm band.
 

 
Because the shackle is soldered, this eyebolt was installed in the band after soldering the shackle and splicing the pendant - before the yard was hung.  The upper end of the starboard tackle is shown in the next picture.  
 

 
The double blocks were shackled to the cap band earlier, before it was installed.  Both lifts have been strung up and given initial tension in the next picture.
 

 
The falls are belayed on the fife rail shown in the next picture.
 

 
Belaying points are being left unglued until all the running rigging on the yard is in place.  The model yard is not heavy enough to put strain on the sling chain and force it fully down.  This issue will be addressed in one of the next parts.  The last picture shows the lifts installed and the yard levelled.
 

 
Levelling was done by measuring up from the base board to the outer ends.  Next, the reef tackles.
 
Ed

I made the navigation lights and housings and mounted them on the shrouds


I then rigged the reefing lines on the fore and mainsails.



 

Thanks for the likes and the detailed picture Nenad!
The panels will be 12" X 40".  I am still a long way from there but I will use this technique on the upper bulwarks.
I will continue on with the metal work; masts with coats, bands, lugs, trees etc.
The brass bowsprit is finished except for the cheek sheaves for the fore topmast stays, which I intend to turn this morning.
 

Some more metal work.
Mainmast top

 

 
 
Bowsprit/Jib boom collar

 
Soldered

... with lugs

Experimenting with bulwark angle iron (er, brass)
 

 

Thanks for the likes and the detailed picture Nenad!
The panels will be 12" X 40".  I am still a long way from there but I will use this technique on the upper bulwarks.
I will continue on with the metal work; masts with coats, bands, lugs, trees etc.
The brass bowsprit is finished except for the cheek sheaves for the fore topmast stays, which I intend to turn this morning.