Jump to content
New Publication - Ship Modeler's Handbook - Is back in stock again! Thank you for your patience. ×

rwiederrich

NRG Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    5,086

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by rwiederrich

  1. rwiederrich
    Wonderfully done...very well done. Rob
  2. rwiederrich
    Wonderful work. I appreciate the ruler for scale purposes. You know....after searching the entire thread...I can't find the scale you are building her in...what scale is she? Rob(slow to catch a clew)
  3. rwiederrich
    Yes....Pat, sometimes images we have are not clear enough and tend to lead us in directions that were not factual. I too have seen images that made backstays look as if they ended in double block-n-tackle purchases. When through more study of the actual practice on board...it was made clear that the downhauls and halyards associated with topsail yards and topgallant yards was more apt to be the rigging that was causing the confusion. From knowledge of ship rigging structures it only took simple deduction to definitively recognize what I was looking at. In your case, you can deduce, by contrasting your vessel with other known vessel types. Also, it is not a stretch to gather that only one winch was indeed available for each mast..seeing that she was limited in her spar numbers. Knowing that the winch retained its cable, and used a shackle to connect to the halyard....it can be further deduced that these particular winches were dedicated to topsail and topgallant sail yard hauling. Rob
  4. rwiederrich
    Thanks Pat You have any images of your Victoria? Love to see
  5. rwiederrich
    A few more pics...
  6. rwiederrich
    Similarly....the main topsail yard needed to have its halyards and purchases added as well in similar fashion...with one difference. I chose to represent the port main deck winch involved with the lift of the yard. All of this detail had to be added before the backstays were installed. It would have been a nightmare of the highest caliber, if these details had been overlooked and attempted to be added later.
  7. rwiederrich
    Prior to the addition of the backstays....I needed to finish adding the fore topsail halyard and the topgallant halyard and their purchases. With the addition of padeyes and blocks to accompany them.
  8. rwiederrich
    While I manufacture additions to the bowsprit/jib boom....I continued along with the addition of the backstays that will support the masts as new stays are added. (Like I said....it is a back and forth process between addition of stays and backstays.
  9. rwiederrich
    Today was a slow day for progress...lots of thought had to go into my next moves. It first began with removal of the bowsprit from the hull. Before I begin to add so much to the bowsprit and jib boom...I needed to add parts to it and many blocks and bull heads. so off she came. It would have make these additions go waaay easier. I know she looks weird without it but it is the best move forward.
  10. rwiederrich
    Steam.... I appreciate that very much...sometimes I feel as if I'm a shackey mess...on the verge of breaking everything....quite stressful actually. Rob
  11. rwiederrich
    I hope the images were adequate. My ramblings are not meant to be an indictment to those who use out of scale cloth sails...just my observations formed by 45 years of doing things against the current. Again..thanks to all who commented and for all the likes...... Rob
  12. rwiederrich
    One thing I might point out....I purposefully set the sails at a 20degree cant so that sails never fully overlap. I also placed name plates of the model on both sides of the display base so that I could turn the model for a starboard or port viewing. If the model is at a port viewing stance, then you can see fully the running rigging and inner sail rigging detail very easily on all masts. The back side of the sails has just as much detail as the front with all its buntlines and reef points. The opacity of the sails adds to the realistic impression. I tried to adequately overcome many of the supposed pitfalls accompanied with sail addition to models, like, *sails block rigging detail*, *sails diminish overall detail*, *Poor sails lessen the overall model*, and many similar distractive criticisms. I only hope more builders become ambitious and try paper sails on their own models and that they can work past the dogma that over sized, out of scale sails is all they have to work with...so they opt out. A sailing ship is beautified by her sails....they are what make her what she is. So model them too. Rob
  13. rwiederrich
    Bob...If I hadn't created these paper sails before on other models...and by that, gaining the necessary experience....I surely would have never put sails on this particular model using cloth. Large weave, heavy, un-naturally wrinkly sails that just hang lifeless on your model can be an extreme disappointing distraction. Much labor is even required to install such out of scale sails......labor that was needlessly expended IMHV. I agree with your assessment....I'm very pleased with the results... Since these sails are made of paper and not cloth, makes no difference. It is the final result not the material that draws the welcome compliments and admiration of the beholder, not to mention a far superior realistic sail that captures motion and action. It's definitely labor intensive...but also very forgiving. This is why I adopted *off ship* techniques. Add the sail details while the mast is off the ship so as much detail can be added without the general incumbrancers found while working on the model proper. I try to work smarter not harder, and as you well know clipper ships had an intensive rigging scheme. Ed on his Young America would be the first to agree....I'm trying to attain the same attention to rigging detail as he.....just in a much smaller scale. Thank you Bob for your extremely nice comments. Your encouragement means the world to me. Rob
  14. rwiederrich
    Thanks so much Kieth . I’m doing everything I know to make them as accurate as possible within the limits of this scale.
  15. rwiederrich
    I also began the first of the backstays lanyards.......and off we go.....
  16. rwiederrich
    Sure..here are some pics of the closest I have of the sails mounted. These little guys are about 1/16" diameter.
  17. rwiederrich
    I make each one singularly.....paint them..then add them to the panel lines of the sails. Rob
  18. rwiederrich
    I appreciate that....I've worked hard to make them as convincing as possible...both in detail as well as billow effect. Rob
  19. rwiederrich
    Thanks Pat....I appreciate that. The stays need to be threaded through the cringles prior to install and that can be problematic...that is why I pre-make the stays with hooks and eyes so I can re-attach them after the stay sail/jib sail is installed. I've got the process all figured out...it just takes a while to perform. Rob
  20. rwiederrich
    What a fine miniature collection Patrick...and with finished interiors to boot....man. What skill to create such tiny nautical wonders....well done. Rob
  21. rwiederrich
    Now I'm going to focus on rigging (alternately) the fore stays and fore backstays along with the final foremast remaining yard halyards. As I get higher up the masts the issue of bending and sagging of stays becomes the real problem. So much pre-thought has to go into the next phase of rigging. Stay sail and jibs sails will need their halyard and downhaul blocks rigged as well...and not too early or late..as to block myself in or out of a situation. Belaying the topgallant downhaul line to its lin aft on the rail between the rail and house was the thing of total frustration. Rob
  22. rwiederrich
    Worked a bit today on the topgallant stay sail. Here are some pics. Rob
  23. rwiederrich
    Thanks.....I'm wrestling with the details...and trying to keep things shipshape. I'm making stuff up as I go....construction details that is... Rob
  24. rwiederrich
    In many instances the sky sail wasn't even set and the yard in its lowered position could be gotten to more easily. Once the sail was bent, the boys on the deck hauled the yard skyward....raising the sail with it. I've seen where the access to these lofty yards was gained by ratlines incorporated into the last two backstays as they capped out. Sailors simply scurried over to them and continued up. Riiiight. IRON MEN...for sure. Rob
  25. rwiederrich
    Thanks everyone for the concern and encouragements. I spent some time this morning working on the top stay sail. I made it as close to realistic as possible in this scale. Here are some pics of the addition. Rob

About us

Modelshipworld - Advancing Ship Modeling through Research

SSL Secured

Your security is important for us so this Website is SSL-Secured

NRG Mailing Address

Nautical Research Guild
237 South Lincoln Street
Westmont IL, 60559-1917

Model Ship World ® and the MSW logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,929,264 & No. 6,929,274, registered Dec. 20, 2022)

Helpful Links

About the NRG

If you enjoy building ship models that are historically accurate as well as beautiful, then The Nautical Research Guild (NRG) is just right for you.

The Guild is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to “Advance Ship Modeling Through Research”. We provide support to our members in their efforts to raise the quality of their model ships.

The Nautical Research Guild has published our world-renowned quarterly magazine, The Nautical Research Journal, since 1955. The pages of the Journal are full of articles by accomplished ship modelers who show you how they create those exquisite details on their models, and by maritime historians who show you the correct details to build. The Journal is available in both print and digital editions. Go to the NRG web site (www.thenrg.org) to download a complimentary digital copy of the Journal. The NRG also publishes plan sets, books and compilations of back issues of the Journal and the former Ships in Scale and Model Ship Builder magazines.

Our Emblem ®

Modelshipworld - Advancing Ship Modeling through Research

Nautical Research Guild ® and the NRG logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,999,236 & No. 6,999,237, registered March 14, 2023)

×
×
  • Create New...