BenD

Living in Canada I've gotten used to using both systems. I built my ropewalks and do home repairs using imperial. All of the kits I've been building are in metric. Come to think of it all of my calipers and rulers have both on them, it's kind of like knowing two languages. Metric is very easy to use though. 

@Dave_E I'd say just use the one you are used too. 

Thank you @harlequin for the friendly review! I do try to make the best looking rope I can.

I am surprised at how fast the package got there, The UK isn't that far I guess.

I believe I have some knowledge to share on this. The test piece bellow is still stable and has no change in a appearance after many years. It was water based polyurethane, the dark spots were the same but with some brown paint added to the mix. However I ended up taking the coating off of my HMS Snake with 100% Isopropyl alcohol. I didn't like the look of it in the end. The first coats made the tiles look pink so I added a few layers with brown... I still did not like it.  

The tiles will be protected from moisture and other environmental grime as long as the varnish sticks to the metal.

Here is the French frigate Hermione with dark lanyards.  I have seen other photos of the Hermione where the shrouds and lanyards are even darker. 

This one is the U.S. Brig Niagara with dark lanyards. The standing rigging is black so I assume it is coal tar or painted?

6 hours ago, chris watton said:

Big clue for next (well, first) very large kit, armament is - 26 x 24 Pounder main battery, 18 x 42 Pounder carronades and 2 x Long 12 Pounder chase guns. This can only mean a super frigate!

HMS Indefatigable! 

1 hour ago, flying_dutchman2 said:

So what is the alternative to DMC? Anchor? Mara? 

Is there anyone who uses cotton and what are the brand names? 

I am interested in only 2 colors and they are black and dark tan (or something like it). 

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

For Cotton thread, Arifil is decent enough. I use it for my rope currently. I buy it from https://bytownethreads.com/. they can get any color or size.

Gutermann Mara thread is synthetic but I've been testing it and am really liking it. There is no fluff or fuzz and it's not shiny like most synthetics. You can buy quite a few sizes from https://www.wawak.com/. 

Just received my new Canon EOS M200 yesterday. Having a real camera is a game changer but it is much more complicated than a phone camera . I took this picture in manual mode with a bit of fiddling, clearly there is much more to learn. There are so many settings... I think I need a tripod too.

One side of ribs are formed, sanded, and glued in. I had to glue to bow to the building platform because it kept popping out of its spot. It's just a small dab of CA glue that can be chipped off later. 

They look neat! Did you 3D print them?

I had a package of threads arrive from Wawak. The Gutermann Mara shade card is not made with real swatches of thread so I decided to be thorough and buy a few and see what they really look like. I might get around testing some today but I need to refill some of my cotton rope sizes. 

I contacted Gutermann and they got me in contact with their warehouse in Ontario. They have every size and color available to them and the minimum order sizes are reasonable.

If everything goes well I should have Mara Ropes available around Dec/Jan. I may also add the thread to my website for those who like making their own rope.

The construction has been easy so far. I built the keel and sanded char off of places that would be exposed later.

25 minutes ago, Gregory said:

Please make note of any perceived problems or shortcomings..

Aye aye Captain.

I feel like the only problems that will occur will be from misinterpreting the instructions or from rushing. 

In the video bellow I saw one or two mistakes, he easily fixed them. When I found this video series I went "Guess I'm getting a Yawl"

Hello everyone,

I once again shoved my other builds aside for an easy to build kit. I bought the Falkonet Viking ship last fall and had a lot of fun building it. I cruised through that kit in about 3 weeks. I have a feeling this kit will be the same but will take a little longer. Sometimes I just want something straightforward to build.

Seeing that this is the first build log for this particular boat I will post the contents of the kit.

The Rope will be replaced of course, though it is some of the better kit stuff I've seen. The sail material is very fine cloth but there is hardly enough. I am looking into pre-maid sail options.

Over all I'm impressed and can't wait to dig in! 

16 hours ago, etsinko said:

I think the end result is not so bad:

The flag looks incredible compared to the kit one. You could sell that on your site. I would buy one for my Avos 100%. 

Hello All,

The cable laid rope should be online in a day or two. I'm still working on the background stuff on the site. They will be sold by the meter up to a maximum length of 5 meters. 

I recently purchased and new pair of calipers and remeasured all of my stock. I changed some of the sizes and added two. Everything should be much closer to the stated size now. 

I've added .5mm (0.019") right hand and .6mm (0.023") right hand to my collection.

Hello,

I thank everyone that has ordered rope from my site. I hope you all like it and can't wait to see it show up in some build logs. 

I've been busy working on making cable laid rope for the past few weeks. So far I've managed to make them range from 1.25mm - 2.1mm in diameter. Reaching 3mm is the goal eventually. According to my calculations, a 1/64 HMS Victory would need an anchor cable that large. 

The pictures below are of the 2.1mm cables. I hope to have them all available online by next week.

Chuck's blocks and rope are the best out there.  Master Korabel also makes decent blocks that are a little more budget friendly. They can be bought from Vanguard Models or Crafty sailor. Crafty sailor also has some really nice rope from Russia. 

Buying or building a ropewalk and making your own rope is the cheapest option in the long run. It's also pretty fun to make!

I also sell rope on Ropes of Scale. I'm still working on my product line so the options at the moment are limited. 

The deck is looking good Vane!

CA/crazy glue is the fastest method that I've used and had no problems. Some kits give copper tape that needs to have details added. 

1 hour ago, Jasseji said:

Walnut somehow doesnt want to cooperate

It never does.

I found that Chucks method works even for walnut.  This method helps immensely with bow planking. 

You bend the planks laterally then clamp them. Take a blow dryer to them for 2-3 minutes and they keep there shape.

Simply perfection. 

Welcome to the sponsors club!

More sources of wood is never a bad thing.

I'm with everyone else here, That deck is well done.  

This is going to be another masterpiece from you.  

The photo's look really good. What lighting are you using in your photos?  Soft box, LEDs, A bare bulb on a stick?  

48 minutes ago, Jasseji said:

My Log will propably not be as Tidy and she wont turn out as pretty as the others but even failures need to be documented.

Judging from your lady nelson you will be fine.  I looked at the Manual for Sphinx and it's 146 pages of really good instructions.  I feel like very few people will abandon this kit mid way through.