Heronguy

Very nice Don.  And a useful little tutorial for me.  I can hardly wait 'til my lathe arrives - but I guess I'll have to order it before that happens.  Too cold here for the next month or so to work out in the shed so there is no real hurry  to order one.  Good thing our Stefanos need lots of planking - that'll keep me busy until the warmer weather.  
 
Prairie winter storms - I don't miss them!

Nice progress Don.  I can see a challenge coming up for me based on what I see on your (ship's) stern.  Oh well I can least see how it could have worked out since yours looks great.  
 
 

Hello Mike.  I'm very interested in the Maristella kits and will watch your build with great interest.  I agree with you about occasionally putting one build aside.  In my limited experience leaving a problem for a while often makes the solution more obvious.  I suppose sometimes one also gets into more repetitive or tedious parts of a build and it is nice to get a way from it for a break - not my experience yet but I can imagine it.
 
In any event,  I've got my front row seat.

On with some rigging.  
 
I figured that stays should be pretty substantial so I rigged with some .035" rope.
 

 
but decided it looked way too heavy so I cut them off and redid them with some .025.
 
Much more to my liking.

`
It's a strategy Ive developed over time - fix one problem and create two others - kept me thinking!
 
Fixed up everything but the small damaged hull area - I was lucky this time.
 
 

Thanks Steve.  I keep circulating between various builds.  Makes each of them proceed at snail's pace.  I'm following along on your Pinnace.

John,
 
Very useful advice as always!  Thank you.  I'll do another dry run using your suggestions and then hopefully can make actual shrouds.  It will be nice to make forward progress not just sideways "progress". 

I am experimenting with a method for preparing the lower shrouds.  I like the appearance of the shouts being served both at the mast top and at the deadeye.  Using Syren Ship Company's Servo-o-matic it is easy to do the serving.  The experimental part, and the part I'm most concerned about if getting lengths correctly.
 
The experiment used some brown rigging line for the shroud and some black sewing thread for serving.

 
I measure the length I wanted for the shroud (actually 3 measurements - the length of the serving at the mast, the length of the serving at the deadeye, and the distance between the edges of those two servings - I call this the brown length).  
 
My 1st attempt was not spectacularly consistent as you can see.

 
For the 2nd try I refined my measurement methods and achieved better results.
 



 
I'm supposed to have 15 mm between upper and lower deadeyes - looks pretty good.
 
So what's the problem?  Each pair of shrouds is going to rest on the previous ones at the mast.  That will change the length of the brown length.  Furthermore each deadeye is at a slightly different distance from the mast top.  So is this method too cumbersome and error prone - each shroud pair has to be individually measured.  
 
I can't see any easy (i.e. Serv-o-matic friendly) way of doing the serving at the deadeye ends after the shroud pair is on the mast.  If I could for the serving once mounted the deadeye spacing could be adjusted more easily.
 
Any pointers to other ways of accomplishing this?  On my previous build I tried using the deadeye spacing jig and seizing the shroud at the correct spacing - but in that build I didn't serve the lines at all.
 

Thanks John.  I'll give it a try too!
 
 

My throw-away jig didn't work.

Don's 2-sided tape solved the problem.  Look for the simple solutions 1st.

 
Thanks Don!
 

Thanks for the suggestions Don.  I'm just trying various  ways to make the holes in the chainplates. Easily broke the 1/32" bit on a pin vice,  Tried tapping a brass nail held in needle nose pliers - no precision. Dremel drill press bit wandered.  Bench drill press - not too bad.  What I really need now is a convenient way to clamp  the chainplate to a piece of wood to hold it still while using the drill press. 
 
Are you suggesting using the end mill bit (broken) as a centre punch?  Same problem though - some easy way to clamp it to inflict the hammer blow.
 
Advice welcomed!  Meanwhile I'll order some end-mill bits

I'll look forward to breaking my 1st rigged mast - I know it will happen!

That's a cool site popeye.  Thanks for the link.  

Good idea Mike.  I could have done that except that the dowel provided in the kit was not long enough ( though easy enough to get a longer piece next time I get to town.)
 
I am using sandpaper and a hand held drill i.e. both hands busy.  

I have a question of technique. 
 
I have started to shape the spars and have an issue with the yards.   I need to taper both ends.  I've done one end by chucking the dowel in a drill and sanding it down.  Now I'd like to flip it around and taper the other end.
 
Problem - if I put it in the drill chuck the nicely tapered and will be marred (crushed).
 
Looking for techniques to accomplish tapering on that 2nd end. 
Thoughts:
1 - sand by hand instead of drill - this is the fallback solution but I'm a bit lazy and don't want to do all the hand sanding.
2 - wrap the end to be chucked to prevent crushing the nicely tapered 1st end - I tried this using tape - no good, and then by wrapping some brass sheet around the dowel - still crushed.
3 - try to find a collet that can fit in the drill chuck and can take the dowel and hold it firmly - the dowel is tapered to the collet doest grip it well.
4 - buy a lathe that allows the yard to be inserted so the appropriate collet is holding the middle of the yard where it isn't tapered - my preferred solution except that it is expensive and would introduce a longish delay.
5 - ask MSW gurus how else to approach the problem
 
I'm going to try #5 1st and failing that #1 for now and #4 eventually (got lots more yards to taper over the next few years!)
 
How about it - any suggestions?

Thanks for the heads up Jim.
 
I had to walk away from it a short while ago - frustrated!  I take from your comment that it isn’t going to get more fun!  Ah well.

It will be good to have your observations.  I still stumble onto problems when confronted with them - haven’t developed enough experience and insight to foretell them!  I’ll get there though.
 
PdN has become popular.  Hurray!

Almost exactly a year ago I decided to build the little ship's boat that comes with the kit (I wasn't going to start for main ship's build but want'ed to play).  I got part way on that fiddly little boat but ran into some challenges.  
 
One for PdN builders to be aware of I documented in a PM to @Azzoun.  It has  to do with the spacing of the rib formers on the keel.  He posted it the info here.  
 
Although I pushed on with the boat build for a while I had great trouble getting decent results.  Partly it was a problem trying to bend the 1/16" square basswood but mostly it was my lack of experience and patience.  I put the little boat on the shelf.
 

 
Unfortunately (or not?) things don't always stay on shelves where you put them.  The little boat skeleton was broken in a fall so I put it further back on the shelf where is has stayed for months.  Thinking I would abandon it I saw that Model Expo sold the kits for these little boats as stand-alone projects.  Since my assembly instructions called it a 5-Incn Typical Ship's Boat  I order the 5" version from ME.
 
Here is a comparison of the 2 laser cut sheets for the original (top of photo - from my PdN kit), and the one just received (bottom one on photo)
 
here is a comparison of the 2 partially assembled

 
I think this is a clear demonstration of the expansion of the universe.  - the new 5" boat is much larger that the old one - what other explanation could there be!
 
Advice for little boat builders.  If you're building the one from your kit firstly measure the spacing of the rib formers on the keel before building the jig.  Secondly look carefully at rib former #1 (it's labelled) to make sure that it is smaller that the other 3 - mine isn't and it makes it impossible to plank the hull.  Thirdly if your rib former #1 is the correct size realize that using the building jig which makes the top of these formers (top when the boat is in floating orientation - bottom in construction orientation) level will leave a gap preventing you from attaching the rib to the keel without some shimming.

Fourthly, consider throwing out the basswood 1/16" square stock and using some wood that takes bends more easily (I'm using walnut). Fifthly, don't expect to get the lovely sheer line shown on the plans since the building jig makes the run from rib 2 to 4 level (probably not big issue).

 
I'm going to build the bigger one before I decide if the smaller one can be salvaged by some changes to rib former #1.  Otherwise it will be back to ME for the 4-1/4 inch boat which I believe is the size in the PdN kit
 
 
 
 
 

My first actual progress was the usual mundane work of preparing and assembling the keel former and the bulkheads. I found that it only required relatively minor adjustments by sanding to get a good fit. My principal concerns at this point were to get the deckline right by fitting and sanding as I added each bulkhead and, of course, to mount them square. I use two heavy steel squares to square the bulkheads and then add square strip wood bracing. I have no doubt that, whether as a result of poor parts or my own errors, there will be need for considerable fairing and some shimming to get an even outer surface for planking. Frankly, over the years, I've come to expect that. With the exception of Chuck's almost perfect keel former and bulkheads for Cheerful, that is the rule.
 
My next tasks will be to add additional bracing between the bulkheads, to box in the mast holes and to add the false deck.
 
Bob

Had my Sunday all to myself, some fiddling and trimming and now the main rail is in place.
Really pleased with the result.
All the parts fit to a majority, some filling was necessary. This auto-putty is a pleasure to work with.
But takes some extra paint cover to the connection areas.
 

Quite gorgeous Peter.  Great progress.  

Another update with Chapter 9 almost finished.
I haven't added the scuppers yet as the brass tube supplied in the kit was 1/8" in size and not 1/18" as listed in the parts list. Luckily I tried fitting one on a test piece and found the scale a bit 'odd', before going 'gung ho' drilling holes in the hull. I ordered a new tube on line.
I chemically blackened the eyebolts before fitting them. The cut-offs are used to 'pin' the main and fore channels to the hull as shown on the first photo. they are also used as the port hinge pins.
I have been a bit slack making progress photo's. I obviously am having too much fun.
Next on the list are the head rails and figurehead. I will be doing some serious carving practice on test bits first before touching the laser cut ones.
From when I bought the kit, I always feared the head rails would be the most challenging part. But then again, I wasn't even sure I would even get this far.
So, onwards we go 
Cheers,
Peter
 
 

I have a ropewalk on order and was looking for yarn for experimenting.  I have a supply of fine linen and cotton yarns from our home weaving studio.  The finest is labelled 28/2 which yields 7200 meters/kilo. I checked our sources for weaving yarns and discovered 90/2 (27,200 m/kg) , 60/2 (18,000 m/kg) and 35/2 (10,600 m/kg) lace linen in black and in natural.
 
These are sold in small spools of about 250 m for around $8.  One source is Vavastuga located in Massachusetts.
 
Once I receive the ropewalk and the lace yarn I will do a few experiments and post some results.
 

That looks nice and straight.  Good start.  The beauty of wood is that any breaks can easily be fixed with glue.  I had a good chuckle when you said you ripped one to the floor, the one with the least amount of wood.  It's like dropping a buttered piece of toast, it always lands butter side down.

Londonderry linen thread is a high quality linen thread with a smooth finish and also comes in sizes as small as 80/3 and a few colors in 100/3 and sold in small spools of 12-50m, each spool costs less than $3.  It's available online from Threadneedle Street, located in Issaquah WA.  Their website has numerous pages, this is the direct link to the page with the linen thread.  Scroll to bottom for colors to make rope.   https://www.threadneedlestreet.com/linthrd.htm
                                  
There's also have a pdf guide for rigging:  https://www.threadneedlestreet.com/LINEN RIGGING.pdf