rwiederrich

It may have been mentioned before...but what museum will be enjoying this fine model?
 
Or is it a family room mantle piece?
 
Rob

It may have been mentioned before...but what museum will be enjoying this fine model?
 
Or is it a family room mantle piece?
 
Rob

It may have been mentioned before...but what museum will be enjoying this fine model?
 
Or is it a family room mantle piece?
 
Rob

It may have been mentioned before...but what museum will be enjoying this fine model?
 
Or is it a family room mantle piece?
 
Rob

It may have been mentioned before...but what museum will be enjoying this fine model?
 
Or is it a family room mantle piece?
 
Rob

It may have been mentioned before...but what museum will be enjoying this fine model?
 
Or is it a family room mantle piece?
 
Rob

OK that's done it - I need a better (BIGGER) dictionary to find further superlatives - I have run out of ways to compliment your work ED
 
That is craftsmanship at its highest standard.
 
cheers
 
Pat

Man well executed safe/storage preparation for the future.
 
Will miss the log....
 
Rob

Ed...Only 450 to go.......   What a champ!
 
Not only is your model exceptional...your use of time management is as well.
 
I don't have the same hours in a day as you do apparently.....
 
Rob

Ed...Only 450 to go.......   What a champ!
 
Not only is your model exceptional...your use of time management is as well.
 
I don't have the same hours in a day as you do apparently.....
 
Rob

Fantastic work Ed..one question..what is that chain doing in the inside ceiling framing of the deckhouse....?
 
Rob

Ed...Only 450 to go.......   What a champ!
 
Not only is your model exceptional...your use of time management is as well.
 
I don't have the same hours in a day as you do apparently.....
 
Rob

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 283 – More on Ratlines
 
There have been some questions on splicing and lashing ratlines at this scale, so the process I use is outlined below in more detail than I usually put in these posts.
 
There are perhaps about 500 individual ratlines on the model.  For the past ten days or so, I have been working diligently to get caught up with these.  It is fairly easy, dull work but it can be a nightmare in the presence of other rigging - as I have learned while installing some on the fore mast after much of the surrounding rigging was in place.  Not a good idea.  At this stage I have settled on a process for this work that is described below.
 
The ratlines are 1½" rope, about .007" diameter at 1:72 scale.  I used No. 80 crocheting cotton for these, dyed with dilute India ink and de-fuzzed by passing twice through the flame of an alcohol burner.  The ends of each ratline have eye splices that are lashed to the outer shrouds, with clove hitches on the intermediate shrouds.  I used No. 100 mercerized cotton polyester thread for the lashings. 
 
One of the eye splices is put on each ratline at the workbench in batches of about 15 lines.  The first step is shown below.
 

 
A needle is passed through the ratline, then threaded and pulled through to form a loop.  This is then placed over a pin on the splicing fixture, pulled taut and touched with slightly dilute, darkened wood glue as shown in the next picture.
 

 
Both ends are held taut by pressing on two-faced carpet tape on the fixture.  When the glue has completely dried, the short end is cut off as shown below.
 

 
Small, sharp scissors seem to be best for this, cutting off the loose end and part of the hardened glue to simulate the shape of a splice.   Finished splices are shown in the next picture from an earlier post.
 

 
The spliced end is lashed to the outer shroud as shown in the next pictures.
 

 
The lashing is passed through the eye and around the shroud twice, then secured with an overhand knot.  When pulled tight the height may be adjusted by eye to set the correct uniform spacing.  Clove hitches are then used on the intermediate shrouds.
 
The next picture shows ratlines on the port lower mizzen shrouds.  The left lashing has been secured and the center clove hitch tied.  The remaining pictures show the method for forming and lashing the second eye splice.
 

 
In this picture the first of two passes of lashing thread is being looped over the ratline and around the right hand shroud.  An overhand knot is then tied, positioned and the ratline pulled through as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The ratline is then threaded on a needle that is passed through the ratline just inside the shroud as shown next.
 

 
The last picture shows the formed eye and the lashing being pulled tight.
 

 
The knots are wetted with dilute glue to keep them from loosening. The ends are clipped off short to avoid entanglements with following work.  When the glue has dried these ends are clipped off as close to the knot as possible.
 
Ed

Every aspect of your build is impeccable.

Every aspect of your build is impeccable.

Thank the Lord for masking tape.......
 
Great job Ed..fantastic work.
 
Rob

Fantastic work Ed..one question..what is that chain doing in the inside ceiling framing of the deckhouse....?
 
Rob

Cat......I did another experiment for the Great Republic sails.
 
This is simply an experiment and there will be far more detail added...but the general idea of billow and reef edge stressing in the fabric is achieved.
I'll add reef point and bunt/leach lines when the sails are rigged.
 
My example is not weathered....I decided to keep the sails as clean and sharp since the ship is clean and sharp.
 
Rob

Cat......I did another experiment for the Great Republic sails.
 
This is simply an experiment and there will be far more detail added...but the general idea of billow and reef edge stressing in the fabric is achieved.
I'll add reef point and bunt/leach lines when the sails are rigged.
 
My example is not weathered....I decided to keep the sails as clean and sharp since the ship is clean and sharp.
 
Rob

Personally I think your metal work is superb and quite phenomenal.  With that said, my practice is to paint all my iron work...knowing some form of preservative was actually used on iron ships, and or on their iron accessories..(.ie Cutty Sark)...So I Paint...in much the same manner as was typical.  With this being said..it allows me to use what ever medium I choose to replicate the iron work...without the tedium of actually creating real miniature (Copper, brass) iron work.
 
Paint covers a multitude of sins.
 
Rob(love your work and enjoy every minute)

The iron windjammers were an entirely different animal...so were the Down Easters...which immediately followed the clippers.  The Glory of the Seas was Donald McKay's last Medium clipper and it was considered one of the first Down Easters. From what I gather the windjammers were slightly smaller then the Great Republic...however there are some examples that were  larger.  4~5 masted monsters. These were not built for speed but for cargo carrying capabilities to brave the Horn.
I have many books in my library on windjammers, I might just look that info up.
 
Thanks for posting and for your interest.
 
Rob

The iron windjammers were an entirely different animal...so were the Down Easters...which immediately followed the clippers.  The Glory of the Seas was Donald McKay's last Medium clipper and it was considered one of the first Down Easters. From what I gather the windjammers were slightly smaller then the Great Republic...however there are some examples that were  larger.  4~5 masted monsters. These were not built for speed but for cargo carrying capabilities to brave the Horn.
I have many books in my library on windjammers, I might just look that info up.
 
Thanks for posting and for your interest.
 
Rob

The iron windjammers were an entirely different animal...so were the Down Easters...which immediately followed the clippers.  The Glory of the Seas was Donald McKay's last Medium clipper and it was considered one of the first Down Easters. From what I gather the windjammers were slightly smaller then the Great Republic...however there are some examples that were  larger.  4~5 masted monsters. These were not built for speed but for cargo carrying capabilities to brave the Horn.
I have many books in my library on windjammers, I might just look that info up.
 
Thanks for posting and for your interest.
 
Rob

Thanks everyone for the fine comments and compliments.  I'm pleased, and now I have a nice tool to illustrate the size difference of many of the most famous Clippers that ever slid down the ways.  It is unfortunate that  more ships couldn't  have been added... there are so many more I would have liked to included.  But for such comparisons, most of the average, unknowledgeable would not notice their absence.
All in all, I think I've laid out in an evolutionary manner, the progression from early smaller clippers to what has become realized in the mind of the greatest(IMV) Clipper builder...Donald Mckay..the Leviathan...Great Republic.
 
Again...thank you gentlemen, and all who have enjoyed this adventure of mine, that has taken me years to realize and to bring to fruition.
 
Rob

Made some final mods to the clipper half hull plaque.  I added a short epilogue and description made from a maple tree I cut down in the yard.
Relocated the anchor as well.
 
Now were to hang it.....MMMMMM
 
Rob