Dr PR

I think they usually rested in hemispherical pockets in the boards. Gravity held them in place. Although they are often seen for show I suspect the cannonballs were normally stowed below decks to keep them dry and prevent rusting. They would be carried up to the racks on deck as the vessel prepared for action.

Allan, It was a tongue-in-cheek reference to times past when in my childhood many American companies "proudly" claimed their products were "Made in the U. S. A." - as opposed to inferior foreign made products. Of course now all products of American companies are made in China (although the marketing types don't proudly boast of this). But my mast hoops actually were made in the USA. Of course this method - or any other modelling method - will work anywhere there is someone capable of doing it.

I decided to take a little time and touch up the hoops. The narrow parts were about 0.020" thick so there was extra material to be removed from the thicker spots (radial). I used a small file to take off the high spots around the loops. I also filed material from the vertical parts to get more even 0.050" height. Then I applied two coats of the brown paint I used for the bulwarks and deck furniture. After this was dry I buffed the pieces with #0000 steel wool. So here are the 26 finished mast hoops. Carefully hand crafted individually produced (none of those mass produced parts) wooden mast hoops made in the USA!

George, Thanks. I considered using paper. I think it certainly is easier, and you really can't tell what material is being used, especially if you paint the hoops. And the paper hoops will not be brittle and prone to breaking as 3D printed hoops will be.

Bob, Great suggestions. Thanks! I can see how your method would produce more uniform hoops and the radial thickness should be more uniform. I remembered your post, and as I was shaving wood from the dowel I thought I would try to use it for the hoops. Next time I will try your method. For what it is worth, the aliphatic glue did not stick to the aluminum knife handle mandrel, but I didn't leave the hoops on the mandrel until the glue set up. I should add that I broke a few of the hoops with too aggressive sanding when I was reducing the vertical height. However, the laminated hoops are very tough considering they are only 0.020" (0.5 mm) thick (give or take a few thousandths). No need to worry about breaking them while rigging the sails!

Things slowed down enough that I found some time to work on the model. I made some mast hoops. I need 26 hoops total. There are 11 on both masts to attach the gaff sails, and two spares on each mast. I have looked at metal rings used in jewelry making but they were the wrong size. I thought about making metal rings, but real hoops appear to be rectangular in cross section. I used a technique that I saw on a post on the forum. Sorry I don't recall who came up with this idea, but I thought I would give it a try. Howard Chapelle's "The American Fishing Schooner" (W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 1973) shows how mast hoops were made in the Notebook section on page 555. The diameter of the hoops is about 125% of the mast diameter. He gives examples of the proportions of several hoops. Using the proportions from Chapelle and the diameters of the masts on the model I decided to make the hoops 0.420" (10.7 mm) inside diameter, 0.020" (0.5 mm) thick (radial) and 0.050" (1.25 mm) high (vertical). I started with some wood shavings that I got when I made the masts. I shaved a square dowel to get an octagonal shape, and saved the thin wood strips. They were about 0.005" (0.13 mm) to 0.007" (0.18 mm) thick. I needed a mandrel to wrap the shavings around so I looked for something that was 0.420 inches diameter. The handle of a large hobby knife was 0.4225 inches - close enough. I applied SIG Sig-bond aliphatic resin glue to the wood strips with a paint brush First the strip was wrapped one turn around the mandrel and then I started brushing on the glue as I continued wrapping the strip to form laminated layers (like the real hoops are made). I needed more than 0.020" thickness and found that something like a 0.030" thick lamination (4-5 turns) was a good thickness to work with. Note: I got best results when I started with an end of the strip that tapered to zero thickness - like you get at the end of the shaving stroke. You could also just use sandpaper to taper the end of the strip. This avoids having a "step" or void at the end of the strip on the inside of the hoop. The aliphatic resin may not have been the best choice. It doesn't set up quickly so the strips tried to unwind. I used small clamps to hold the ends in place until the glue set. This did distort the rings a bit, but that was easy to fix later. I had best results working with them after the glue had set over night. The resulting hoops were pretty crude looking. Next I sanded the hoops to about twice (0.1") the desired vertical height on coarse sandpaper. This cleaned up the ragged edges a bit. Then I slipped the hoops over the end of the mandrel and placed the mandrel flat on the sandpaper and rotated it to sand down the outside edges as shown in this next picture. I occasionally slipped the hoop off the mandrel and measured the thickness (radial) with a micrometer. I repeated this until the thickness was close to the desired thickness (0.020"). I removed the hoop from the mandrel and finished sanding the vertical height to about 0.050". The picture on the right shows three of the original laminations on top and three finished hoops on bottom. After two days work I had 27 usable mast hoops and 7 failures (most broke while I was sanding them). Look closely and you will see they aren't perfect. I didn't taper the starting ends on some so there is a thin place where the second layer overlaps it. The thickness isn't uniform around all of them - I may correct this later. But I think they will work. I will sort them into two groups with similar thicknesses and heights for the two masts so the differences won't be noticeable.

I found two images that are posted elsewhere in the forum in discussions about gun carriages. This picture shows the two rings. The forward ring is for the training tackle (9), and the aft ring is for the outhaul tackle (7). I didn't record the source, but perhaps someone will recognize it. This drawing also shows the two rings and labels them "gun tackle loops). Again, I do not have a reference. Both drawings are for the "English" style carriage with the breech rope around the cascobel/button or through a ring on the rear of the cannon.

Nice work!

Very nice work!

I recall seeing a bottle of Radium salts emulsion that you were supposed to drink for upset stomach - about 1915. But Radium taken orally causes stomach cancer. Before the Food and Drug Administration was established a lot of useless and dangerous "medicines" were sold. I remember when the FDA stopped the sale of Carter's Little Liver Pills. Research showed they did nothing for the liver. My favorite was "Qzarko." I remember it from my childhood. It was a black foul smelling liquid that was an instant cure for athlete's foot, ringworm and other skin fungal infections. It was a mixture of coal tar in rubbing alcohol that was bottled in my home town. I always imagined some guy stirring it with a 2x4 in a 50 gallon drum in his basement. Coal tar is a very effective antimicrobial agent, but, unfortunately, it causes cancer.

Valeriy, How do you get the holes for the prop shaft in the propeller struts to align with the openings in the hull?

Bob, While the board feet in the log might not be worth $100,000, by the time they go through the selection process, then get a long log like that into the shop and do the processing into a mast the total cost might well be that high.

Bob, Your "big prime Doug fir" in the photo in post #19 appears to be only about 3 feet diameter. When I moved to Oregon in the 1970s loggers scoffed at such "toothpicks" - they weren't worth bothering with. A really BIG Douglas fir was about 15-17 feet diameter. Each piece was hauled out of the forest on a single railroad car. We used to see a single tree going down the road on three log trucks. One carried the huge base. The next carried the large second piece an perhaps the top. And the third truck carried two to four pieces from just below the top. But now they have cut most of the big trees, and what few are left are locked up in wilderness areas. Now we see trucks loaded with dozens of sticks less than a foot diameter. They are chipped to make "oriented strand board," a fancy term for garbage. A 120 foot long 3 foot diameter log has about 10,000 board feet. Douglas fir is currently selling at about $700-$800 per thousand board feet (milled). So an ordinary log that size would sell for less than $7000 to $8000. However, there is a premium paid for long poles (they are really difficult to get out of the forest on typical sharp curved logging roads). And really clear logs from trees with no lower limbs (knots) bring a high price for making plywood veneer (I worked many years automating plywood lathes). A $100,000 tree would be VERY special!

Perhaps they were belaying points to accept hooks on the mast tackle?

pocojo, As Allan said, Howard Chapelle's "The American Fishing Schooners 1825-1935" (W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 1973) is the best reference for schooners like Bluenose. It has 370 pages of illustrated notes describing in detail the small features of these vessels. There are also several Bluenose builds on the forum where you can see the problems and solutions others have found. If you are looking for general terminology and other information about schooner rigs I have posted some information here: https://modelshipworld.com/topic/25679-topsail-schooner-sail-plans-and-rigging/?do=findComment&comment=750865

I am surprised that Netfabb has those file name errors. When I first used it (many years ago) it was not from AutoDesk. I can believe AutoDesk hasn't bothered to fix the file name errors - just milk it for all the cash it can bring in with minimal expense to maintain. I suspect it is the parentheses in the file names that causes the problem in Windows. I have used hyphens in file names many times. Microsoft's 3D Builder is easier to use, but it doesn't offer as many options (or need as many menus, pop-up windows, etc.) However, the user interface is pretty strange, unlike any other program I have seen on any operating system. It takes some getting used to. After 3D Builder repairs the file I just save it under the same STL file name to eliminate the unrepaired version. I rescale files in the slicer program (Chitubox). **** The only problem I have found that 3D Builder cannot repair is zero thickness surfaces within openings that should penetrate the part. This is a problem with the DesignCAD program I use - it thinks the interior of the holes does not exist. I eventually discovered it is due to the way DesignCAD defines surfaces with openings in them. It creates a plane with a hole in it by wrapping the outer edge in and around the hole and back as shown below. This surface has only one "outer" edge (the visible line), and apparently that isn't legal in STL files. So 3D Builder just makes a rectangular plane that fills in the hole. The solution is just to not do this in your files. You need two or more separate planes wrapping around the hole - with no one plane wrapping around more than half the hole. It's all part of the joy of 3D printing!

Valeriy, It certainly looks like you have lost none of your skills! Nice work!

I use Microsoft's 3D Builder (free) to check STL files for errors. In most cases where my STL files have problems it fixes them.

Per, I am glad you found my build interesting. It has been a learning experience for me. And I am also glad to know that I am not the only one who takes decades to finish a build!

I find a coarse flat file to be the best tool to use for reducing the top section above the hounds (where the crosstrees fit) of a larger diameter mast. Then for the very top tenon that fits into the cap I use a hobby knife and small fine toothed files. I take measurements often to avoid removing too much wood. As for making masts from square stock, I had heard others say this was the way to go. I had always chucked dowels into a drill and used sandpaper to slowly grind the piece into shape. But on my last build I decided to start with a square piece and cut it down to size. First I cut the square piece down to the desired taper of the mast. Then I used a small plane to shave off bits of the corners to create the octagonal shape. Then I shaved off the corners of the octagon to get 16 sides. Then I chucked it into a drill and used sandpaper for the final shaping. This was MUCH faster and easier than trying to reduce the round dowel! MUCH!! Now I understand why all of the experienced modellers use this technique. It worked the first time and was a lot of fun. I have posted pictures and a description of the process here: https://modelshipworld.com/topic/19611-albatros-by-dr-pr-mantua-scale-148-revenue-cutter-kitbash-about-1815/?do=findComment&comment=908539 Also note that I kept the mast square under the hounds for the cheeks to fit onto. You can't do this if you start with a round dowel. Then I shaped the top, including cutting it octagonal just for show.

Here are some photos of the Syren 5/16" (8mm) assembled blocks with internal straps. I decided it would be better to assemble the straps in the blocks before staining. I assembled some with extensions for attaching hooks or shackles and some without, all determined by the rigging plan for my model. If you look closely you might see that I didn't follow Chucks instructions exactly. For all of the blocks I extended the metal straps across the entire height of the blocks. I am not sure how tightly the aliphatic resin glue will adhere to the metal straps, so I made the straps as long as possible, extending from top to bottom of the blocks. This meant that the holes for the "axles" of the sheaves are blocked by the straps. Chuck includes about twice the length of strap material as needed for the blocks, so if you screw up you can try again. He also supplied a wire (pin) that can be installed through the axle hole in the block and then filed smooth with the surface of the block. But if you run the straps the full length of the block as I did the wire will not fit through the block. Instead I mixed up a batch of JB Weld epoxy and put some of this in the axle holes. The JB Weld is dark grey like the wire, so the holes are filed with something that looks like the metal pin. A you can see these are really nice blocks - even if I didn't get perfect alignment of the extension for the shackles. The hardest part of this was drilling the 0.020" holes in the 0.03125" straps. I had about a 75% success rate - it's a good thing Chuck supplies extra strap material! Now they are ready for staining. If it ever quits raining here (we are well into April and it is still snowing and sleeting) I will get outside and stain the blocks.

No two planks are the same. The width of the "nib" is 1/2 (or 1/3 on some vessels) the plank width from one side to the center of the plank, and is the same on all planks. But the angle back to the other side of the plank is determined by the angle of the margin board. So every plank has to be fit in situ. On my current build I planked from the center outward. I cut the nib to 1/2 the plank width. First I marked the center of the end of the plank with a pencil. Then I slid the plank along the already laid inboard plank up to where the end of the new plank came to where the inboard plank met the margin board. With the new plank in this position I marked the margin board along the end of the new plank, out to the center of the plank. Then I marked the position on the new plank where the outboard edge crossed the margin board. I also marked this position on the margin board. Then I trimmed the new plank back from the center of the end to where it crossed the edge of the margin board. Then the plank positioned over the margin board and the outline was drawn on the margin board. Next I cut the nib into the margin board. Now the plank fits into the cutout in the margin board. This was a lot easier than I had imagined it would be, and the nibs came out symmetrical port to starboard! I have posted photos of the process here: https://modelshipworld.com/topic/19611-albatros-by-dr-pr-mantua-scale-148-revenue-cutter-kitbash-about-1815/?do=findComment&comment=605072

Allenyed is right that the way lines were belayed changed over time. For earlier smaller vessels the lines were often belayed to cleats or cavels (kevels) on the bulwarks, or just tied off to railings. Sometimes lines were tied off to cleats fastened to shrouds. There was a lot of variation over time. Also, keep in mind that some things were not permanently attached. Runner or lead blocks were often attached to a handy point to allow a line to be redirected to wherever the crew had room to work, and often the attachment point depended upon the tack or wind direction. Some stays had a tackle at deck level that was unhooked and moved to different positions depending upon the tack and where booms or yards were angled. The one thing I have learned from studying sailing ship rigging is that there were no absolute rules. If it could be done it probably was on one ship or another.

I decided to make a tumbler to finish the blocks. I had 39 blocks that needed the edges rounded. It would take several minutes to do each one by hand, or at least an hour and a half to two hours. My fingers would be very sore and the hands would surely start cramping before they were finished. It took less time than that to make a simple tumbler. I glued some 80 grit sandpaper into the interior sides an old peanut butter jar. Nothing special about this sandpaper - I just had some on hand. But the coarse grit is important. A 0.375" (9.5 mm) wooden dowel served as the shaft. A strip of the same sandpaper was folded double and glued to the dowel. I also fastened the sandpaper to the dowel with small brass nails. A few staples held the sandpaper together and pulled it tighter around the dowel. I drilled holes in the bottle cap and the bottom of the jar for the dowel to rotate in. Then the blocks were put into the jar, the lid screwed on, and the thing was chucked into a 3/8" hand drill. I ran the drill at medium speed and checked the progress every few minutes until the blocks were rounded to my satisfaction. It took about 8 minutes to process the smaller 9/32" double blocks and about 12 minutes for the larger 5/16" single and double internally strapped blocks. Neither the drill nor the jar heated noticeably during the operation. After tumbling I finished them with 220 grit and then 600 grit sandpaper to remove any surface marks left by the saw/planer on the original sheets of wood. I think the results speak for themselves. The tumbler produced more consistent results than hand shaping would have done.

After assembling four dozen of these things - without rounding the edges yet - I think I will build a tumbler for all the rest. My fingers are really sore from holding these little things while I was filing and sanding! As I said, some of the glue squeezed from between the sheaves and the other layers and flowed into the channels for the metal straps. After the glue dried some of the channels were blocked. I used a 0.025" (0.6 mm) drill bit to open the channels, followed by a section of a very small jeweler's saw blade in a pin vise to square up the channel. It wasn't much trouble, but was a bit of extra work.