Keith Black

SkiBee/Lynn..........couldn't the rudder be cut short and sanded to fit as SkiBee did and then drill a smaller hole into the top of the rudder, glue in a pin matching the hole size with a piece of brass wire or a brass nail with the head cut off and then attach to the bottom of the hull after drilling a hole to accept the pin?

Steve, welcome to MSW. I look forward to seeing whatever Vanguard model you choose in a build log.

Melissa, welcome to MSW. I look forward to seeing your dory come to life in a build log. We have several female members and it's always a pleasure to welcome aboard a new female member. Women have innate abilities that make model building a natural, the most important being patience. It's a shame more women aren't drawn to the hobby. One of our members, Rob Wiederrich, builds his on scopes including grinding the mirrors. And yes, thank you for your service.

Ryland, thank you. It's 1. not 10 divided by 16.....*see Keith dope slap his forehead. Poor Lynn, I bet I had her scratching her head wondering what the heck Keith's smoking.

Gary, such a neat little world you've created. A world to draw the viewer in and become absorbed, making up stories in their mind about all the little bits and how each works.

I think (somebody back me up) the top of the rudder is shaped round with a piece of 3/16 dowel attached at the top to fit into the 3/16/ .1875 drilled hole. (Thank you, Ryland) Below are a couple of good vids.

It's been a very long time since my last post and shortly I'll share what I did over over the summer but first I need to attend to the important stuff..... Kevin, Eberhart, Mark, Tony, and Brian, thank you for your kind comments and thank you to all for the likes. I spent most of the summer learning the how and the why of rigging. Initially I was looking for a rigging plan that I could 'plug and play' but after countless downloaded rigging plans, no such plan sprang forth. In fact, three masted rigging plans (and ship models for that matter) for the time period between 1860 and 1890 are few. So, with Peterson's book, downloaded rigging plans and MSW build logs (thank God for MSW) I sat about trying to understand rigging that would be applicable to the Tennessee. Before the start of summer rigging totally confused me, I just couldn't make heads or tails of it. I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I'm not the dullest either. I think it was just a mental block I had to work through. After months of going over and over the rigging information I'd accumulated I can now say I understand rigging, a little. I'm no rigging guru by any means but I can now view a build and understand the why of the ship's rigging I'm viewing. It's a new world that has been opened to me and as I said before, thank God for MSW! In the beginning the one logical rigging plan I could use for the Tennessee was the Kearsarge suggested by Roger Pellett. In the beginning because I was so "new" to rigging I couldn't see the forest for the trees. But I've come full circle back to the Kearsarge rigging plan and even though the mizzen's are set up differently, I'll be able to use the Kersarge's rigging plan as a templet for the Tennessee. I've been viewing the H and H photos trying to make the necessary adjustments between the Kearsarge and what I'm seeing in the photos. My wife and I are fortunate to own a 27 inch iMac so I'm able to enlarge a photo to 14 x 26 inches without pixelation. I've been using the attached photo to account for all the lines. Some of the lines are very faint to the point of it being a guess and by golly. I printed six copies of the attached photo, one copy is for lifts, one for braces, one for back stays, one for the standing stays, one for gaffs, and one for the halliards and I'm now tracing the lines of each category but not all of the lines are clear and when I come to one that's not, I reference the Kearsarge rigging plan and fill in the blanks. I'm now confident I'll be able to successfully rig the Tennessee. It may not be 100% historically correct but hopefully the rigging will be functionally correct. In August I attached some blocks on the foremast and fore main yard. Now that I have a 'plan', some of those blocks need to be either moved or removed completely. I had/have no way of drilling the holes for the mast accurately when I made the mast. I drilled the hole angles as best as I could but I intentionally oversized them. In anticipation of rigging I shimmed the mast where they are correctly aligned side to side and with the correct rake. They are so tight in their holes that I had to smear vaseline on the shim faces. I wanted them tight where I didn't pull them askew when attaching the stays. I also got the spider bands done. Thank you for visiting and thank you for your continued support.

Bill, it seems the finest chain size they carry is 20 LPI part number 4385, they don't have part numbers 4383 or 4384.

Dang good thing they don't look like turkeys!

Another approach for a beginner with no ship building experience is restoring a model, not a plastic and not a decorative model. If you can't tell the difference between a decorative model and a kit or scratch built model, please look through MSW build logs till you can tell the difference. Restoring a model takes money (probably as much as buying a good kit) and time both in the doing and research. Spending time and money on a decorative model should be avoided as they have little to no value other than possibly historical. . This past year the prices for damaged models on eBay, Craigslist, and Marketplace have risen to crazy levels. At one time one could buy a good POB model with damaged mast, bowsprit, and rigging for $80.00 to $100.00. That same model today is selling for three times that amount. So is it worth it? IMHO, I don't think so, not at $300.00 but for $80.00 to $100.00, maybe for the right person.

Gary, we are looking through a wall correct? Couldn't the press be on the front edge across from the main workbench with the back to the viewer? I'm loath making the suggestion but golly I hate seeing any of your work being left out. You've made such a wonderfully detailed and totally believable scene that rivals the boat shop which I didn't think was possible.

If the lower yard for either the fore or mainmast had to be lowered for repair or replacement, wouldn't a great deal of purchase be required to lift the yard back up the mast into position?

That's quite literally a ton of books. Captain Beatty would have a field day.

MIR, welcome to MSW.

Marcus, see the below link. This is great wire for stropping blocks. The only problem is that it only comes in 24 and 28 GA. https://www.dickblick.com/products/ook-dark-annealed-specialty-wire/?clickTracking=true&wmcp=pla&wmcid=items&wmckw=33418-1024&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-4j26sbp8wIVJGpvBB2EXgJrEAQYAyABEgI9S_D_BwE

I wish ours were bare, we still have about 50% of the leaves left in the trees. We'll be racking and mulching till Thanksgiving if snow doesn't stop us first.

Ilhan, great to hear from you, beautiful work as always.

Pat, does this image help?

Roger, nice detail on the subassembly. The hull is really starting to come together. Did you lose some fruit trees out back this year?

Mark, don't know if you've seen the link below. I came across it last night doing research and thought it would interest you, http://navalwarcollegemuseum.blogspot.com/2014/04/artifact-spotlight-ship-model-of-uss.html

Eberhard, everything is so beautifully executed but the forecastle decking is especially stunning and all at 1:160.

Looks good, Lynn. You'll be painting the hull before you know it.

Adam, I admire your determination. Keep up the good fight, you'll get there.

Adam, welcome to MSW. Good to have you aboard and it's neat that you're discovered your passion for galleons.

Lynn, take your time, you'll get there and it'll be marvelous.