Brucealanevans

I just finished the ratboards for the first level of the masts. Dozens of boards and hundreds of knots. A tedious job I had to break up to an hour or so a day, so took a long time. I also inexplicably installed the main shroud ratboards on one side with the "free" shroud aft rather than forward - of course I didn't notice until I was putting the LAST on one. After some bad words, I had a long job picking off the securely knotted and glued ratboards without ruining the shrouds which would have been VERY difficult to replace.
At any rate finally done. Looks OK but looking at the close up picture below a bit untidy. Still looking way up at perfection! Never pays to look too close.
Thanks for the likes and kind words.
After a few days break will start on the next level of masting. Back to another tedious job - serving the lines for shrouds.

Several days of work to produce the bits of the blubber tackle and mount/rig it all.
Anyone building this model is strongly advised to get high quality blocks for this bit, especially the two large double blocks that hold the hooks. It's front and center when you look at her, so it should look its best. I used Syren Shipyard block sets from Chuck - they look great!
Thanks for the "likes"
(I know the anchor chains and the blubber tackle lines shouldn't both be hooked up to the windlass at the same time, but I took the liberty for visual effect anyway!)

So I've been working on the shrouds for the lower level masts. Serving those lines was a real patience-practice, and after serving they were stiff and a bit of a pain to work with.
For the "full size" deadeyes for the fore and main mast shrouds, I made a couple simple jigs from a piece of scrap wood and four fine metal wire pieces to hold the two deadeyes the correct distance apart while I determined the length of the end without a deadeye attached. This worked pretty well. For the mizzen and its smaller deadeyes, I just eyeballed it with acceptable results.
I think next, as per John's advice on his website, I'll make and mount the various bits of cutting in tackle, before I continue with the standing rigging.
As always, my eyes always go immediately to what I could have done better!
Here's what it looks like now:

Several days of work to produce the bits of the blubber tackle and mount/rig it all.
Anyone building this model is strongly advised to get high quality blocks for this bit, especially the two large double blocks that hold the hooks. It's front and center when you look at her, so it should look its best. I used Syren Shipyard block sets from Chuck - they look great!
Thanks for the "likes"
(I know the anchor chains and the blubber tackle lines shouldn't both be hooked up to the windlass at the same time, but I took the liberty for visual effect anyway!)

I just finished the ratboards for the first level of the masts. Dozens of boards and hundreds of knots. A tedious job I had to break up to an hour or so a day, so took a long time. I also inexplicably installed the main shroud ratboards on one side with the "free" shroud aft rather than forward - of course I didn't notice until I was putting the LAST on one. After some bad words, I had a long job picking off the securely knotted and glued ratboards without ruining the shrouds which would have been VERY difficult to replace.
At any rate finally done. Looks OK but looking at the close up picture below a bit untidy. Still looking way up at perfection! Never pays to look too close.
Thanks for the likes and kind words.
After a few days break will start on the next level of masting. Back to another tedious job - serving the lines for shrouds.

I just finished the ratboards for the first level of the masts. Dozens of boards and hundreds of knots. A tedious job I had to break up to an hour or so a day, so took a long time. I also inexplicably installed the main shroud ratboards on one side with the "free" shroud aft rather than forward - of course I didn't notice until I was putting the LAST on one. After some bad words, I had a long job picking off the securely knotted and glued ratboards without ruining the shrouds which would have been VERY difficult to replace.
At any rate finally done. Looks OK but looking at the close up picture below a bit untidy. Still looking way up at perfection! Never pays to look too close.
Thanks for the likes and kind words.
After a few days break will start on the next level of masting. Back to another tedious job - serving the lines for shrouds.

I just finished the ratboards for the first level of the masts. Dozens of boards and hundreds of knots. A tedious job I had to break up to an hour or so a day, so took a long time. I also inexplicably installed the main shroud ratboards on one side with the "free" shroud aft rather than forward - of course I didn't notice until I was putting the LAST on one. After some bad words, I had a long job picking off the securely knotted and glued ratboards without ruining the shrouds which would have been VERY difficult to replace.
At any rate finally done. Looks OK but looking at the close up picture below a bit untidy. Still looking way up at perfection! Never pays to look too close.
Thanks for the likes and kind words.
After a few days break will start on the next level of masting. Back to another tedious job - serving the lines for shrouds.

Finished the Hull today - a real landmark.
Further work will have to wait.
Closing the shipyard due to numerous responsibilities which have been piling up. Need to wrap up several projects before retiring, and have to prepare for an take a subspecialty exam in Clinical Informatics in October.
Probably will open back up after I take the exam in October, beginning with deadeyes, chainplate, etc.
Here are summary pictures of where things are now.

I'm semi-retired (50% for a few months) and got diverted to other (non-model) projects for a while, while I pondered what to do about the masts.
I'm putting furled sails on the Morgan, but the mizzen posed a problem because the jackstay runs along the mast, and I didn't think I'd be able to mount the sail once the mast was in place, to say nothing of the shrouds.
 
At any rate, I've added the sail which necessitated making the gaff boom for the hoops, and (temporarily) hoisting it up. The sail is meant to be retracted but not tightly furled. I'll still work on the sail a bit to get more natural folds.
So here's the current state.
Not sure if I'm going to start on the lower shrouds now or build the masts up first.

Several days of work to produce the bits of the blubber tackle and mount/rig it all.
Anyone building this model is strongly advised to get high quality blocks for this bit, especially the two large double blocks that hold the hooks. It's front and center when you look at her, so it should look its best. I used Syren Shipyard block sets from Chuck - they look great!
Thanks for the "likes"
(I know the anchor chains and the blubber tackle lines shouldn't both be hooked up to the windlass at the same time, but I took the liberty for visual effect anyway!)

So I've been working on the shrouds for the lower level masts. Serving those lines was a real patience-practice, and after serving they were stiff and a bit of a pain to work with.
For the "full size" deadeyes for the fore and main mast shrouds, I made a couple simple jigs from a piece of scrap wood and four fine metal wire pieces to hold the two deadeyes the correct distance apart while I determined the length of the end without a deadeye attached. This worked pretty well. For the mizzen and its smaller deadeyes, I just eyeballed it with acceptable results.
I think next, as per John's advice on his website, I'll make and mount the various bits of cutting in tackle, before I continue with the standing rigging.
As always, my eyes always go immediately to what I could have done better!
Here's what it looks like now:

I've reached a milestone, with the masts completed. I haven't glued the sections together but all the construction is done and the platforms/crosstrees attached.
I did remember to put the parrels on the fore and main topmast before fastening the crosstrees - thanks for the heads up on that John - I would have missed it too!
Scratched my head for quite a while about how to do the lookout rings and have them robust enough in the attachment to the very small diameter mast section to survive the coming months of construction.
I made rings of copper wire by wrapping around a mandrel and cutting at the overlap. I glued the opposing ends into a very small piece of wood - thin side to side and several mm high - drilled thru to accept the ends, and used accelerator on the CA glue.
Then I milled a slot into the mast side to side - John, the proxxon x-y table and drill press can do almost anything - and by fussing with sandpaper and file convinced the piece of wood to enter firmly into the slot, one on each side, with liberal dab of Tightbond inside. A bit of card on either side to give the appearance of a band. I used an enamel for metal on the copper rings. As long as what you are painting is either black or white and you don't mind waiting 24 hours for it to be really dry, it works much better than the water-soluble paints. Quite durable once its dry and no rubbing off.
I'm pleased with the appearance, and the attachment is very firm and should stand up to having lines attached.
 
Now it's time to contemplate the shrouds.

So I've been working on the shrouds for the lower level masts. Serving those lines was a real patience-practice, and after serving they were stiff and a bit of a pain to work with.
For the "full size" deadeyes for the fore and main mast shrouds, I made a couple simple jigs from a piece of scrap wood and four fine metal wire pieces to hold the two deadeyes the correct distance apart while I determined the length of the end without a deadeye attached. This worked pretty well. For the mizzen and its smaller deadeyes, I just eyeballed it with acceptable results.
I think next, as per John's advice on his website, I'll make and mount the various bits of cutting in tackle, before I continue with the standing rigging.
As always, my eyes always go immediately to what I could have done better!
Here's what it looks like now:

Several days of work to produce the bits of the blubber tackle and mount/rig it all.
Anyone building this model is strongly advised to get high quality blocks for this bit, especially the two large double blocks that hold the hooks. It's front and center when you look at her, so it should look its best. I used Syren Shipyard block sets from Chuck - they look great!
Thanks for the "likes"
(I know the anchor chains and the blubber tackle lines shouldn't both be hooked up to the windlass at the same time, but I took the liberty for visual effect anyway!)

Yep, John, I have my eye on your site.
Also, lusting after some of the tools, especially the small Proxxon sander. Will undoubtably be adding to the shipyard at some point soon, as well as a resisitance soldering unit.
All set up with a dedicated shipyard including a tool bench in the lower level, so it's easy to work some, then leave things in place when real life work intrudes until another interval of leisure appears. If I had to take everything down between work sessions I'd never make any progress.
Some time today, so I'll work on some finer finishing of the hull.

Ha!
I hate to think of building this without your blog.

Several days of work to produce the bits of the blubber tackle and mount/rig it all.
Anyone building this model is strongly advised to get high quality blocks for this bit, especially the two large double blocks that hold the hooks. It's front and center when you look at her, so it should look its best. I used Syren Shipyard block sets from Chuck - they look great!
Thanks for the "likes"
(I know the anchor chains and the blubber tackle lines shouldn't both be hooked up to the windlass at the same time, but I took the liberty for visual effect anyway!)

Several days of work to produce the bits of the blubber tackle and mount/rig it all.
Anyone building this model is strongly advised to get high quality blocks for this bit, especially the two large double blocks that hold the hooks. It's front and center when you look at her, so it should look its best. I used Syren Shipyard block sets from Chuck - they look great!
Thanks for the "likes"
(I know the anchor chains and the blubber tackle lines shouldn't both be hooked up to the windlass at the same time, but I took the liberty for visual effect anyway!)

Several days of work to produce the bits of the blubber tackle and mount/rig it all.
Anyone building this model is strongly advised to get high quality blocks for this bit, especially the two large double blocks that hold the hooks. It's front and center when you look at her, so it should look its best. I used Syren Shipyard block sets from Chuck - they look great!
Thanks for the "likes"
(I know the anchor chains and the blubber tackle lines shouldn't both be hooked up to the windlass at the same time, but I took the liberty for visual effect anyway!)

So I've been working on the shrouds for the lower level masts. Serving those lines was a real patience-practice, and after serving they were stiff and a bit of a pain to work with.
For the "full size" deadeyes for the fore and main mast shrouds, I made a couple simple jigs from a piece of scrap wood and four fine metal wire pieces to hold the two deadeyes the correct distance apart while I determined the length of the end without a deadeye attached. This worked pretty well. For the mizzen and its smaller deadeyes, I just eyeballed it with acceptable results.
I think next, as per John's advice on his website, I'll make and mount the various bits of cutting in tackle, before I continue with the standing rigging.
As always, my eyes always go immediately to what I could have done better!
Here's what it looks like now:

I've reached a milestone, with the masts completed. I haven't glued the sections together but all the construction is done and the platforms/crosstrees attached.
I did remember to put the parrels on the fore and main topmast before fastening the crosstrees - thanks for the heads up on that John - I would have missed it too!
Scratched my head for quite a while about how to do the lookout rings and have them robust enough in the attachment to the very small diameter mast section to survive the coming months of construction.
I made rings of copper wire by wrapping around a mandrel and cutting at the overlap. I glued the opposing ends into a very small piece of wood - thin side to side and several mm high - drilled thru to accept the ends, and used accelerator on the CA glue.
Then I milled a slot into the mast side to side - John, the proxxon x-y table and drill press can do almost anything - and by fussing with sandpaper and file convinced the piece of wood to enter firmly into the slot, one on each side, with liberal dab of Tightbond inside. A bit of card on either side to give the appearance of a band. I used an enamel for metal on the copper rings. As long as what you are painting is either black or white and you don't mind waiting 24 hours for it to be really dry, it works much better than the water-soluble paints. Quite durable once its dry and no rubbing off.
I'm pleased with the appearance, and the attachment is very firm and should stand up to having lines attached.
 
Now it's time to contemplate the shrouds.

I'm semi-retired (50% for a few months) and got diverted to other (non-model) projects for a while, while I pondered what to do about the masts.
I'm putting furled sails on the Morgan, but the mizzen posed a problem because the jackstay runs along the mast, and I didn't think I'd be able to mount the sail once the mast was in place, to say nothing of the shrouds.
 
At any rate, I've added the sail which necessitated making the gaff boom for the hoops, and (temporarily) hoisting it up. The sail is meant to be retracted but not tightly furled. I'll still work on the sail a bit to get more natural folds.
So here's the current state.
Not sure if I'm going to start on the lower shrouds now or build the masts up first.

Several days of work to produce the bits of the blubber tackle and mount/rig it all.
Anyone building this model is strongly advised to get high quality blocks for this bit, especially the two large double blocks that hold the hooks. It's front and center when you look at her, so it should look its best. I used Syren Shipyard block sets from Chuck - they look great!
Thanks for the "likes"
(I know the anchor chains and the blubber tackle lines shouldn't both be hooked up to the windlass at the same time, but I took the liberty for visual effect anyway!)

Thanks.. Your experience has been a great boon.
Modelshipways ahould consider adding your site contents as a supplement instruction book!

So I've been working on the shrouds for the lower level masts. Serving those lines was a real patience-practice, and after serving they were stiff and a bit of a pain to work with.
For the "full size" deadeyes for the fore and main mast shrouds, I made a couple simple jigs from a piece of scrap wood and four fine metal wire pieces to hold the two deadeyes the correct distance apart while I determined the length of the end without a deadeye attached. This worked pretty well. For the mizzen and its smaller deadeyes, I just eyeballed it with acceptable results.
I think next, as per John's advice on his website, I'll make and mount the various bits of cutting in tackle, before I continue with the standing rigging.
As always, my eyes always go immediately to what I could have done better!
Here's what it looks like now: