DSiemens

A few updates.  I have the platforms on.  Upon further looks at the plans I should include a platform on the mizzen mast as well.  I also moved the main mast aft.  It didn't look right being so close to the forward mast so I repositioned it.  I then put a hatch cover over the hole for the original mast.  Except for the stern I'm ready for yard arms.  I still need to figure out what windows or designs to put on the back (transom?).  I think that's the right word.  
 

 

 

A few updates.  I have the platforms on.  Upon further looks at the plans I should include a platform on the mizzen mast as well.  I also moved the main mast aft.  It didn't look right being so close to the forward mast so I repositioned it.  I then put a hatch cover over the hole for the original mast.  Except for the stern I'm ready for yard arms.  I still need to figure out what windows or designs to put on the back (transom?).  I think that's the right word.  
 

 

 

A few updates.  I have the platforms on.  Upon further looks at the plans I should include a platform on the mizzen mast as well.  I also moved the main mast aft.  It didn't look right being so close to the forward mast so I repositioned it.  I then put a hatch cover over the hole for the original mast.  Except for the stern I'm ready for yard arms.  I still need to figure out what windows or designs to put on the back (transom?).  I think that's the right word.  
 

 

 

A few updates.  I have the platforms on.  Upon further looks at the plans I should include a platform on the mizzen mast as well.  I also moved the main mast aft.  It didn't look right being so close to the forward mast so I repositioned it.  I then put a hatch cover over the hole for the original mast.  Except for the stern I'm ready for yard arms.  I still need to figure out what windows or designs to put on the back (transom?).  I think that's the right word.  
 

 

 

A few updates.  I have the platforms on.  Upon further looks at the plans I should include a platform on the mizzen mast as well.  I also moved the main mast aft.  It didn't look right being so close to the forward mast so I repositioned it.  I then put a hatch cover over the hole for the original mast.  Except for the stern I'm ready for yard arms.  I still need to figure out what windows or designs to put on the back (transom?).  I think that's the right word.  
 

 

 

Firstoff, a HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone on MSW.  May health, wealth and good building be in store for all!
 
Thought I'd start the year with a small update.
 
The planking of the upper hull has been completed with the addition of the second layers for the main and channel wales.  In addition, the main wales have been painted........8 coats of diluted MS acrylic black.  It's got the slightest bit of sheen to it but I'll address that later:
 

 

 

 
Here's a close up.  The strake just above the black main wale is the 'black strake' which, for some reason, is not black.  It is thinner than the wale so it makes for a nice detail.  The wales and black strake have been tapered and contoured into one another so the edge is nice and neat.  Thanks to Bob (Rafine) for mentioning the fact that he paints the edges of the wales before putting them on.  That really simplifies the painting:
 

 
The next step will be treenailing the outer hull.  I'll be using the 'drill and fill' technique.  I need to get the right color on the filler and determine the pattern before proceeding.  Once that's done a second coat of stain will be applied to darken the upper hull....then more painting etc.  FUN STUFF 
 
OK, let's see your latest  !!!!!
 
 
 
 

Priceless.  Congrats on a job well done!  

Hi Daniel, When I started on this project everyone in my family started to take intrest and would come over to see the progress, It just became easy to give them a boat as a gift. I do get to keep Keel # 4 and my wife will have keel # 3 , So I will still have 2 in this house
 
Best Regards,
Pete

HEY!   It's a GREAT deadeye and chainplate!

Thanks Popeye and Wayne, details are still in the works.  Yesterday and today were real life chores.  I had to build a double hinged gate to close in our RV from view frome the street, so shipyard was closed.  After finishing, I have managed to get in a few minutes though.  So here is today's progress.....1 deadeye and chain plate....starboard foremast .....tomorrow is another day....

A half millimeter is as good as a mile as long as it clears. 

Thank you all for your comments and likes. 
 
The wheels were outside my experience in ship modelling but easier than expected and fun to make.  I'm glad I reduced the number and increased the size of the spokes from my initial drawing (24 spoke rear and 18 spoke front).
 
I almost forgot to verify that the rear wheel and axle assembly will pass through the bottle neck. I measured and calculated and measured again but hadn't physically tried it -- until now.
 

 
 

 

Thank you, Bob and Michael (and the lurkers who don't comment or even hit "like" from time to time  ), for your continued interest and support.
 
 

 
Where I am; moving ahead with spars, hull, carriage and wheels.
 
 

 
Photo montage of assembling an eighteen spoke wheel. Clockwise from upper left:  fixture and pattern, and the spoke cut-off station; calculating, cutting and fitting the first three spokes to the same length is important as it makes fitting the rest much easier; fitting some of the intermediate spokes allows the builder to visually check spoke spacing and make adjustments as work progresses; fitting more spokes in the spaces - half way done with this wheel; hurrah, one spoke left; two eighteen spoke rear wheels (1.060 in. / 27mm dia.) and two fourteen spoke front wheels (.860  in. / 22mm dia.) fabricated and ready for a little paint touch-up, further detailing and mounting on the axles.
 
 

 
Close-up of the two piece hull posed for a photo with axles and other carriage components. Strips of black construction paper were glued around the rims to replicate the shrink-fit iron tires. Carbon fiber pins (.020 in. / 0.5mm dia.) were glued into holes drilled through each wheel hub into the ends of the axle to reinforce the glued connection. The black strakes at the sheer line are glued in place; three more (on each side) to go. They seem to take more time to prepare than the wheels did.
 
 

 
Macro of Fore (to right) and Main masts, tops and topmasts. The tops were fabricated from .015 in. x .030 in. (0.4mm x 0.8mm) plywood strips.
 
 

Dave
 

Jib hanks
My hanks are approximately 6” high by 4” wide or half the size shown on the plans, which appear too large to me. Specifically, they are .094” (2.4 mm) high by .068” (1.7 mm) wide. I used 30 gage copper wire (.010”, .25 mm) and formed the hook ends around two #77 (.018”, .46 mm) drills spaced .130” (3.3 mm) apart. After trimming the hooks I bent the hank around the smallest end of round nose pliers (.048”, 1.22 mm). I shaped these as shackles rather than planar as shown on the plans. Perhaps proving I am no sailor, but right wrong or indifferent, they look better.
 
Stitching hanks to jibs.
Lacking any guidance, I use a running stitch to sew the hanks to the jib. This works well for me and will work if the hanks are planar. I cut a thread twice the length of the hem and harden the free end with thin CA. This makes it easy to thread through the hank hooks and needle. I have to remove the needle twice for each hank since the hooks are smaller than my needles.
 
Start by locking the stitch and running the needle inside the sail hem to the point of the first (or next) hank. In this photo you can see the needle exiting the hem at the left divider point.
 
 
Remove the needle and thread the hank from the inside out to make the hank lie properly at the stitch.

 
Rethread the needle and stitch through the hem from immediately below the hank, (I learned later that stitching below the hank helps keep it normal to the hem) so the hank will lie upright.

 
Thread the other hook, again from the inside out.

 
Pull the thread tight and check the position of the hank. Now is the time to make corrections. Thread the needle and start a stitch (again below the hank)to proceed to the next hank.
 
 
Completed jib hanks.

 
Dave B

Hello my friends,
 
All parts of masts are completed, shrouds and ratlines are completed too. I´m continuing with anoter parts of standing rigging - I hope to finish and start with yards till the end of this year.
 
I WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS
 
Jan
 

Thanks Ray 
 
I had some problems with my computer, but I´ve been still continuing - all of cannons are made, and almost all of them are placed except of upper decks. I didn´t use parts from the kit, because I wanted to produce solid cannons from paper - so I produced them by rolling from the soft paper - aroud the piece of wire of suitable diameter ( my wife is using this type for baking ) I used this way on all of my ships. I also have prepared gunport lids ( today I´ll glue them on te ship ). Some of another small parts are placed too.
The hull is almost completed ( except the balcony roofing - I´m still deciding, if to do it, or not ).
At the end of the week I will start with masts.
 
Jan
     

Thanks Ian,
 
several years ago, when I started wid shipbuilding again, I searched for solution, how to buid a solid cannons from paper ( I didn´t start with kit,  but I started as a scratchbuilder ). I think I found it, it works perfectly
 
Here are some photos of the ship with gunport lids   Momentary I´m a " masts producer "
 
Jan

The mizen lifts are rigged. The kit only shows a single lift that terminates at crowsfeet on the top of the lateen yard. I did some research and according to Anderson's book, English ships of war for the period that the SOS was built, had two lifts on those larger ships that had long and heavy lateen yards. The SOS certainly had the largest. I used 3mm deadeyes for the hub of the crowsfeet. A look at Doris's build log also shows double lifts.
 
Vince P.

The standing rigging is now complete except for the lower mizen shrouds. All of the running rigging for the mainmast and the forward running rigging for the mizen is complete as well. This part was the most complex of the rigging by far. Next up is the aft running rigging for the mizen and lateen yard. I must say that rigging is my favorite part of a build.
 
Vince P.

I rigged the mizen topgallant forestays after building them on the jig. It was a piece of cake to keep them straight and tight. I think they turned out OK. I still have to build and rig the topmast forestays which are of the same construction. I also had to rig the topmast and topgallant backstays now because in order to pull the forestays tight, there had to be a counter force to keep the masts straight and the rigging taught. The kit does not address the backstays correctly and it is necessary to build little platforms like chain wales to attach to the stern end of each side of the ship. 5mm deadeyes and laniards are rigged here to hold the backstays.
 
Vince P.

This is a ship I built from plans in "The Story of Sail"  by Verez Laszlo and Richard Woodman.  It's the first ship I ever build using plank on bulk head.  I used match sticks to plank it.  I'm not sure whether I will go through and recaption the photos yet.  In a way I'm liking these photo only build logs gives you a good over view of the build.  
 
 



















 

She's in!  Lines are tight and she's sailing beautifully.  This ship is by far my best work.  The bottle it's in has the best clarity I've seen in a bottle.  It's a tradition of mine to call the entering of the ship into the bottle her maiden voyage.  Old sailor superstition has it that the maiden voyage is a reflection of the life of the ship.  If that's the case the Mercury's got a good long life in front of her.  She shook off the snag's and problems and came together with ease.  She's been a pleasure to work on.  I'm just sad I have to ship her away for some one else to enjoy.  I still have to build a stand and put a turks head knot on the bottle but other then that she's good to go.  
 

 

 

 

 

You know your making progress when the masts are coming up and a boat too.  How many does she carry?  Great work as always John.  

That's really neat that your giving away most of these. I find building a ship for some one else adds an element of fun. Still hard to give them up though.

That's really neat that your giving away most of these. I find building a ship for some one else adds an element of fun. Still hard to give them up though.