realworkingsailor

Andy, the more I see of your rigging the more it makes me hope I can somehow come close to your results!

Andy, the bowsprit rigging looks superb and the rigid staves are a clever way to solve the "Rats Nest" to use your term at the confluence of the assorted lines shrouds etc.
 
Michael

Futtock staves.... here's what I've come up with:
 
I started off with some 0.020" Brass wire, because the 1mm kit supplied wither is too thick to be used if you're going to serve them, as they should be. Even the 0.020" wire looks a little thick (by my "calibrated eye"), but it will do. Serving is easy in this case, just tie off the end and start wrapping. When I had enough wire wrapped, I dipped the whole thing in acrylic matte medium, and let it dry. I did this a couple of times more. This won't secure the thread to the wire, but it will secure it to itself, and will hold long enough, that when the time comes to cut the stave to length, there's enough time to get a drop of glue on the end without having the whole thing come unwound. Having flush cutting nippers helps, and is pretty much a necessity. I don't recommend regular wire cutters becuase in order to restore the flat end, you'd need to pass a file over it, and that's just too risky.
 
After all that it's simply a matter of scuring the staves to the shrouds. I just used a simple clove hitch on an angle across the stave and shroud, I would also alternate the angle: / or \, to keep the thing from twisting too much. Tie off three or four to start (spaced a couple shrouds apart). That will be enough to hold the thing in position. Let the glue securing the knots dry, cut the leftover ends and tie a few more. Continue until finished. Finally I did a final trim to length, and after the glue dried, added a small dab of black paint on the end of the wire.
 
 
Mobbsie, unfortunately my rest time at home is going to be very limited, I will have to go back to work next week. Just one of those things, I'm affraid. The good news is, I'm hoping to stay until December so I'll get Christmas at home, and hopefully my holiday will extend to next spring fitout. Fingers crossed.
 
Andy
 

Thanks Michael
 
There's plenty of opportunities to make furballs out of rigging a ship, I figure anything I can do to try to keep things in order has to pay off at some point.
 
Welcom aboard, Jack. The friezes are photo etched brass that came with the kit, the trick is trying to make them look painted on... judging by your comments, I guess I did alright... thank you..
 
Small update time. The weather today has turned...well... fall-ish.   Good day to stay indoors and poke at model ships... In that light, I went after the boomkins and their associated rigging. By and large, fairly straight forward, the biggest challenge is maintaining some semblance of symetry. The fore-tack blocks mark my first use of Chuck's excellent aftermarket blocks. I'll need to order a few more before I get finished rigging. Besides, you can never have enough extras laying about
 
Oh yeah... another GFP...
 
Andy

Thanks Michael
 
There's plenty of opportunities to make furballs out of rigging a ship, I figure anything I can do to try to keep things in order has to pay off at some point.
 
Welcom aboard, Jack. The friezes are photo etched brass that came with the kit, the trick is trying to make them look painted on... judging by your comments, I guess I did alright... thank you..
 
Small update time. The weather today has turned...well... fall-ish.   Good day to stay indoors and poke at model ships... In that light, I went after the boomkins and their associated rigging. By and large, fairly straight forward, the biggest challenge is maintaining some semblance of symetry. The fore-tack blocks mark my first use of Chuck's excellent aftermarket blocks. I'll need to order a few more before I get finished rigging. Besides, you can never have enough extras laying about
 
Oh yeah... another GFP...
 
Andy

Thanks Michael
 
There's plenty of opportunities to make furballs out of rigging a ship, I figure anything I can do to try to keep things in order has to pay off at some point.
 
Welcom aboard, Jack. The friezes are photo etched brass that came with the kit, the trick is trying to make them look painted on... judging by your comments, I guess I did alright... thank you..
 
Small update time. The weather today has turned...well... fall-ish.   Good day to stay indoors and poke at model ships... In that light, I went after the boomkins and their associated rigging. By and large, fairly straight forward, the biggest challenge is maintaining some semblance of symetry. The fore-tack blocks mark my first use of Chuck's excellent aftermarket blocks. I'll need to order a few more before I get finished rigging. Besides, you can never have enough extras laying about
 
Oh yeah... another GFP...
 
Andy

She's starting to look a bit like a sailing warship, Andy!
 
John

Thanks Michael
 
There's plenty of opportunities to make furballs out of rigging a ship, I figure anything I can do to try to keep things in order has to pay off at some point.
 
Welcom aboard, Jack. The friezes are photo etched brass that came with the kit, the trick is trying to make them look painted on... judging by your comments, I guess I did alright... thank you..
 
Small update time. The weather today has turned...well... fall-ish.   Good day to stay indoors and poke at model ships... In that light, I went after the boomkins and their associated rigging. By and large, fairly straight forward, the biggest challenge is maintaining some semblance of symetry. The fore-tack blocks mark my first use of Chuck's excellent aftermarket blocks. I'll need to order a few more before I get finished rigging. Besides, you can never have enough extras laying about
 
Oh yeah... another GFP...
 
Andy

Thanks Michael
 
There's plenty of opportunities to make furballs out of rigging a ship, I figure anything I can do to try to keep things in order has to pay off at some point.
 
Welcom aboard, Jack. The friezes are photo etched brass that came with the kit, the trick is trying to make them look painted on... judging by your comments, I guess I did alright... thank you..
 
Small update time. The weather today has turned...well... fall-ish.   Good day to stay indoors and poke at model ships... In that light, I went after the boomkins and their associated rigging. By and large, fairly straight forward, the biggest challenge is maintaining some semblance of symetry. The fore-tack blocks mark my first use of Chuck's excellent aftermarket blocks. I'll need to order a few more before I get finished rigging. Besides, you can never have enough extras laying about
 
Oh yeah... another GFP...
 
Andy

Very nice work,really enjoyed your log....just wandering how the friezes were done? transfer or painted by hand,if by hand i take my hat off to you sir!                 
                            Jack

Robbyn, properly it was a length of served rope. But for the purposes of model building, something a bit more rigid like wire or bamboo works better. With all the counteracting lines at that point (shrouds, futtock shrouds and catharpins) threatening to turn the top of the shrouds into a rat's nest, you need something to keep everything separate and aligned.
 
Andy

Bl**** He** I hope so....
 
 
 
But then again, I think Popeye's the only one whose's log has not yet been...um.... shall we say "flushed" down the..... uh.... hrm........

What dark sordid path did this build just wander down?!
 
I'll admit, I may have given it a shove... But whoa
 
 
(I like Brooks' films too )

When a ship is sinking, does it really matter which end goes first? She's going down....get the ******* off!

A few more photos for everyone. (and yes a couple of GFPs..... I can't help it..... honest! )
 
As I said last night, bowsprit shrouds are done. Although it doesn't really look it in the photos, they are, in fact, equal length. I've sort of reached a natural stopping point this time, nothing really half done. About the only thing I'll do is brush on some matte medium to protect the rigging I've done in the last 2 weeks.
 
Andy

Futtock staves.... here's what I've come up with:
 
I started off with some 0.020" Brass wire, because the 1mm kit supplied wither is too thick to be used if you're going to serve them, as they should be. Even the 0.020" wire looks a little thick (by my "calibrated eye"), but it will do. Serving is easy in this case, just tie off the end and start wrapping. When I had enough wire wrapped, I dipped the whole thing in acrylic matte medium, and let it dry. I did this a couple of times more. This won't secure the thread to the wire, but it will secure it to itself, and will hold long enough, that when the time comes to cut the stave to length, there's enough time to get a drop of glue on the end without having the whole thing come unwound. Having flush cutting nippers helps, and is pretty much a necessity. I don't recommend regular wire cutters becuase in order to restore the flat end, you'd need to pass a file over it, and that's just too risky.
 
After all that it's simply a matter of scuring the staves to the shrouds. I just used a simple clove hitch on an angle across the stave and shroud, I would also alternate the angle: / or \, to keep the thing from twisting too much. Tie off three or four to start (spaced a couple shrouds apart). That will be enough to hold the thing in position. Let the glue securing the knots dry, cut the leftover ends and tie a few more. Continue until finished. Finally I did a final trim to length, and after the glue dried, added a small dab of black paint on the end of the wire.
 
 
Mobbsie, unfortunately my rest time at home is going to be very limited, I will have to go back to work next week. Just one of those things, I'm affraid. The good news is, I'm hoping to stay until December so I'll get Christmas at home, and hopefully my holiday will extend to next spring fitout. Fingers crossed.
 
Andy
 

Alright, photos as promised!
 
Finished the last pair of shrouds this morning. Next step is to look at the outer bobstay collar and both forestay collars.

So I'm still waiting for my ship to come in.... litterally.... Well... last update had her arriving in the canal early-ish tomorrow morning...
 
In the mean time, I've not been idle. Trying to get as much done as possible before I go. Installed the main preventer stay and started working on the foremast shrouds. I think the foremost shroud counts as the longest served piece made yet. The cut splice wasn't nearly as hard as I first imagined, it just took a little figuring out. The overlap opening is 30mm in case anyone is wondering.
 
Anyway, some photos out in the sun again, seems you folks like this sort of thing...
 
Andy

First off... the ship will be delayed... so I have a 24 hour stay of execution....
 
And now for my update....
 
Finished the main lower shrouds. all that's left is to cinch up the lanyards and make them fast. Managed the main stay as well. Odd little bit that main stay collar. Made it to the lenght specified in TFFM IV but it seems a tad long. Well... I'm not going to worry about it too much. It's in...and I'm not changing it.
 
Another odd thing about TFFM IV... how the top ends of the shrouds are to pass around the masts.... I read the text and it describes doing it in the way I have done.... yet looking at the photos in the book.... it's backwards from that....
 
So anyway... I know what I have to do in the future.. I do expect to be back home in September, good modelling weather... so I'm looking forward to getting the lower mast rigging done and banging away at some ratlines... (yeah... I'm crazy.. but I do like rigging....my own ships....   )
 
Andy
 
 

The quarter deck open rails have now been completed, and also, the top rail across the top of the stern has also been added, and some more of the the side decoration strips have been added, just a bit of paint touching up is required.
 
Completed open quarter deck rails

 

 

 

 
Stern  rail
 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Robbyn, properly it was a length of served rope. But for the purposes of model building, something a bit more rigid like wire or bamboo works better. With all the counteracting lines at that point (shrouds, futtock shrouds and catharpins) threatening to turn the top of the shrouds into a rat's nest, you need something to keep everything separate and aligned.
 
Andy

that looks real sweet Andy..........I have to do some for the Gothenborg!   I have plenty of brass rod......which would probably be thin enough to work with.   I was wondering how to do this........you've made it look simple

The futtock staves look very nice and neat, Andy - if I had seen this before starting mine on the Blandford, I'd have mimicked this technique - I might still do on the Main and foremasts if it doesn't look too contrasty with what I have on the mizzen. Have fun!
hamilton

One word, Andy, sweeeet!

Nice Andy. I did a similar thing with my futtock staves but used bamboo instead of wire. The wire will certainly be stronger at that thickness, so I'll add this to my play book too!
 
Safe travels and best of luck with the leave plans.