Bill97
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Caldercraft
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Thanks Jose. I attached a page from a different manufacturer of the model ship’s instructions. It makes it clear, I think, how to do the sheets. Does it appear fairly accurate? If so, I can do this. In actual use would the block shown at the end of the sheets near the yard be attached to the corner of the sail and be hauled up by the corresponding clewline?
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Thanks gentlemen. I attached a page from a different manufacturer of the Victory kit. This is easy to understand and follow. Is it accurate if go without sails? In actual use on a ship would the block at the end of the sheet up near the yard and clew in this diagram be rigged to the corner of the corresponding sail?
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Thank you my friends for your recommendation. I am not at all familiar with the inks you are talking about. Would you be so kind as to tell me what to look for to purchase so I can practice? Also do these inks work well with acrylics? I have an entire spectrum of Vallejo acrylics, both brush and spray. Probably a couple hundred bottles and colors. Years ago I switched from oils to acrylics. I have pretty much just used black acrylic washes for any distressing I wanted to do. Here are a few pictures of my Man-O-War I did with acrylics.
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I am currently building the Heller HMS Victory. My build can be found here on MSW in the index under Bill97. I am using Longridge’s book as a major reference source. I have reached the point in my rigging where I will soon be adding all the sheets and clews. I am not going to display my Victory in full sail. I am either going to leave the sails off all together or maybe tightly furled. My question is how do I rig the sheets on the masts and yards if I will not be adding sails? I know that if I had full sails the sheets would reeve through a block at the corner of the sail, but what do I do with the sheet line if there is no sail. I have a building instruction from another manufacturer that shows how to rig the sheets with no sails but I am not sure if it is accurate. I can’t get my head around how that rigging plan would change if sails were added.
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Ok my great friends I need some nautical education. Reading through Longridge and other references I find I am stumped by “sheets”. As I am finishing up the ratlines I am planning a little ahead for where I go next. I will have the lifts, buntlines, and leachlines done, and I understand how to do all the braces so I am good with them. Sheets, and I guess clue lines, have me scratching my head. Especially if I stay with my plan of no sails or furled sails. When I read about sheets it seems as if the end the rope (sheet) is attached to the corner of the sail. When I look at the pictures and diagrams (plan #7 as an example) it appears that the sheets are rigged through the blocks at the end the yard and pulled by the crew to bring the sail out to the end of the yard when the sail was unfurled. The confusion for me is it appears the sheets are rigged to the yards and various belay points regardless if sails are furled, unfurled, are absent all together. The attached picture shows a block for the sheet attached to the corner of a sail.
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Dave without a doubt that is my most often “oh s—-“ moment. The main yard has received the most abuse on this model! Not sure why? Every time I do it I give myself a good counseling. Thankfully it does not often result in damage as it did yesterday, just gritting of my teeth. Unfortunately that has not seemed to improve my frequent clumsiness!
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OK so yesterday was one of those days when you ask yourself if you should just put down the tools, close the door to the ship yard, and go back to bed? I started the day trimming the excess ends of the ratlines I had tied the day before and applied a touch of white glue to each knot. In the process of trimming the excess ends I accidentally cut one of the mainmast backstays that runs close to the shrouds 😬. I did not want to tear into the mass of ropes tied at the mast to replace this backstay so I spliced a new section of thread into the cut end near an area where the splice knot would not be as visible. I then replaced the remainder of the line down to the channel. Whew! With that fixed I back in track to work on my goals for the day. Next through my clumsiness I reached for something, I don’t remember what, and caught the fore Royal stay with my hand. This pressure against the stay broke the fore topgallant mast right above the flying jib stay. (Note: I continue to have a problem with clumsiness as I reach and move my hands around this ship. An issue I have had while building all my ships. An issue I really wish I could cure). After a deep exhale of frustration I repaired the broken topgallant mast and moved on with my day. In the early days of my mast construction I did not replace this section of plastic mast with wood or metal because it is one piece and so thin. I will have to reconsider this when working on my SR. Once I repaired all my damage and took a deep relaxing breath I returned to my build. I completed the ratlines on the main topmast shrouds on the port side and started the starboard side. Today I hope to successfully trip the excess ends of the port side ratlines and finish the starboard side. With this complete I will have the ratlines, lifts, and buntlines done on the fore and main mast. Wish me luck for no more self inflicted damage.
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Marc I just picked up one of the references you recommended.
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Here is a quick ratline question. I understand from my source information that the ratlines on the lower shrouds end at the futtock stave and then continue up the futtock shrouds to the mast top. Ratlines are not put on the lower shrouds above the futtock stave behind the futtock shrouds. Is that correct? I am just curious if that is in fact correct how did the crew climb up to the hole in the top? I read where brave and bold crewmen would climb up the futtock shrouds and over the outer edge of the top. Almost hanging backwards from the futtock shrouds like a mountain climber. How did crewmen not so daring climb from the futtock stave to the hole in the top? 🤔
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John I envy the luxury you have living so close. With Kentucky being inland in the USA the closest ship I can visit is the USS Constitution in Boston, which I have done several times and thoroughly enjoyed. I built it back many days ago (blog here on MSW). I have learned so much since then I may do it over someday.
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Thanks Marc. I will look to get some of the sources you reference. Glad to hear he French and English ship architecture is more similar than different. After learning to rig the Victory I have a sense of what lines should be where to do what. Will be comforting to know more about the SR will be similar than drastically different. By by the way where are you moving? Leaving New York?
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Very impressive Marc. Great techniques for the painting I may practice and employ when I begin painting my SR. I primarily paint with Vallejo acrylics so I hope I can achieve something close to what you have done. I have a real curiosity about the Soleli Royal I wonder if you have an opinion about? I have learned so much nautical terminology and rigging design of British ships while building my Victory. Prior to building the Victory I simply followed the manufactures building/rigging instructions on my other builds without knowledge of what parts were, what there function was, or how all the rigging played its part in the function of the ship. Now that I have nearly completed the Victory I believe I am much more knowledgeable of the ship workings. My curiosity is if there was a difference in English and French ship engineering? I have learned all this very interesting science of an English built sailing ship and believe if I was to build another English ship of the same era the engineering would be the same, and that I could follow the same rigging sequence. However, I know the Soleli Royal was a French ship. Did the French and English follow the same rigging engineering, are the nautical terms and parts of the English and French ships the same, or is it very much different? Did the French ship builders have a completely different design or science in how they rigged their mast, yards, and sails? I ask this because I am curious now that I have gained all this new knowledge about the building of the English Victory, I wonder if once I start the SR if that will all out the window and I will need to learn new terminology and rigging design
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Back to my Victory. Finished the ratlines on the lower shrouds on the port side of the main mast. Now starting on the same shrouds on the starboard side. Will then move up to the futtock shroud ratlines and ultimately the upper ratlines. I have also gone back and done a thorough inspection of all my lines looking for any place I may have a line unnaturally crossing or rubbing against another line. I have found a few here and there. When I discover one I untie it and rerun it so there is no negative interaction with another line. Lines that I could see wearing if on the actual Victory. Another area I am going to pay very close attention to when I build my SR is the tying off of the lanyards that connect the shroud deadeyes. Mine are not uniform in height above the top deadeyes. I guess I wrapped the lanyard more times around the shroud in some cases and less in others. Especially obvious now that I am adding the ratlines. I think what I will do to make it not so obvious is touch up the light colored lanyard with a bit of black paint right above the first ratline. In close examination the shroud will appear thicker above the first ratline where the lanyard is wrapped up that high, but not as noticeable as varying height of light colored lanyard.
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No John I have not had the pleasure of seeing the original Victory in Portsmouth. Hopefully someday I will be able to, maybe after all the renovating is done several years from now! Were you able to find my Victory build? Am wondering if when you said “Not a patch on your Victory” if that meant you could not find the build blog. Once I dig into my SR I will let you know if I experience the same issues all you guys have reported. If so, I will know it is the same kit with just new clearer instructions.
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Marc I am probably breaking some commandment by peaking into SR builds while still working on my HMS Victory! However, I just can’t help myself. The work you are doing is absolutely beautiful! I can only hope to build my SR close to what you have done. I will most certainly read through your build many times before I begin and for sure save many of your photos for quick reference. I will imagine you addressed this in your blog so forgive me if I ask you to repeat. I am very impressed with your painting of the ship. I have to ask if you painted all the detail by hand, and if so, how in the world did you do it?
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John I am a new visitor to your SR build. I am currently building the Heller HMS Victory (14 months in process) with help and advice from Ian and Marc who have commented here. I have what I understand to be the new production of the Heller SR in my stash ready to begin after I finish my Victory. My Heller SR model came with the new instruction book in full color. I am curious if your kit came with the older paper instructions or the new instruction book? Which will then make me curious if Heller improved it’s part molds with the new production and corrected some of the flaws. I have your build along with Marc’s and two others saved for reading and reference once I start my SR build. I have taken note of the reference books recommended. Since the SR no longer exists and there does not seem to be much first hand reference to that ship, and of course no photos, it is good to have the artistic freedom to modify as you see fit without strict concerns for authenticity. The SR will be the first of my 6 ships I have built and displayed that the original or replica does not exist. I am very much looking forward to my SR build and will definitely be referring to your build when I do. Beautiful job.
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Which SR build is John Clements? I don’t see it in the index.
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Thanks gentlemen. I will look at the builds. I am already ordering stuff I need for my SR build (threads, gold leaf, etc). That was the majority of my birthday gift hints. Still a good ways to go on my Victory which I am enjoying very much.
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Back from the west coast and planning to do some work in the shipyard today. Hope all is going well for everyone. Will read over the blogs to see if I missed anything. Will post new updates on my build soon.
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Got some work completed since my last update. Finished all the ratlines on the foremast and now working on the lower ratlines on the main mast. Also putting some time into the lifts and buntlines on the mainmast yards. Once I finish an area and I am satisfied with it I add a touch of white glue to the knot and trim excess. Decided to remove the four fife rails abreast of the main mast. The belay pins molded into the Heller fife rail were just too short on the underside and fragile for me to snug a thread too. Using my little knife I carefully cut them away from the inside of the ship, careful to knot snag one if the many lines already present in that area. I then cut pieces of Evergreen to match the size of the fife rails, marked and drilled holes for the same number of belay pins as on the original pieces. I then cut and glued into each of the holes small lengths of the same wire I have been using to make all my eyebolts. After dried I cut all the wire ends even at a little more than 1/16”, painted the new fife rails black, and carefully glued them back in place. Now I have much stronger fife rails. Not sure you can see them in the photo. This is something I will definitely remember to do on my SR when I am early in construction. Celebrated my 70th birthday yesterday! That is a bunch! Going to be leaving the ship yard again for a few days. Heading to California for a visit with family and friends and the Pacific Ocean. Downloaded Master and Commander audio book on my iPad to listen to during my flights. Seen the movie several times but not read or listened to the book.
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As I am putting in my buntlines and leach lines I realize, I think, I need to have decided on my sail application first? If I understand the purpose of the lines, they are to attach to the bottom of the sail to help the crew furl and unfurl the sails from down on the deck. The assembly instructions have me tie a knot in the line that prevents it from passing through the block on the yard and the other end to it’s appropriate belay point. At the belay point I am tying them off and applying a touch of diluted white glue. If I was planning to add sails furled, unfurled, or somewhere in between, these lines should not stop at the block on the yard but instead continue on through the block to the foot of the sail? I am guessing in actual use on a ship the buntline is pulled snug to the block when there is no sail and the extra line is wrapped at the belay point? Then when a sail is in use the line is loosened from the belay point and the other end is pulled through the block and attached to the sail? If that is the case and I decided to add sails, regardless of furled or unfurled, I will need to redo these lines? I don’t have adequate line wrapped at the belay point. Another reason to leave sails off. 😊
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Like those ideas Ian. I do think I will try to change them to the larger thread when I start the sheets. Stay tuned.
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That is the thing Ian. Do you think it will be oblivious to others? Will the lines appear out of proportion if I leave them. Really what would you do?
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