BANYAN

Those are some very neat seizings on the gun tackles Danny. I also very much like the colour of the rope in one of the photos; is that the actual colour of the rope made by Chuck and a few of the other photos justshowing them a little washed out? If so, that would be the most realistic rendering of manilla rope I have seen (sisal would have been to stiff for this application). cheers Pat

Hi Nirvana, as Brian says your's looks a good profiler. I also have made good use of one; it is metal but is a little "stiff" and takes a bit of mucking around pushing individual needles to get the best contour. Your's appears to have a tensioning knob on the ends? If it does, where did you get it please? cheers Pat

Ah, but John, that is mostly 'traditional' merchant Navy routine. In warships they would more than likely have had a hitch; the latter is still practised that way in the 'steel' Navy. if you look in the old (and new) Admiralty Manuals of Seamanship they show it only with the hitch/loop pulled through from the standing end and over the pin, cleat or staghorn etc. So it depends on the ship being modelled I think. cheers Pat

Slowly but surely John; all is looking good. cheers Pat

Great to see this lady back Russ; and ....to see you back also cheers Pat

Good to see you back at the build again Wayne - now, I just need to motivate myself also cheers Pat

Nice work Danny, those timber colours compliment each other very nicely Pat

Sinan, but first check the caliper is accurate first Mine were out and I have just invested in a "Certifed" digital readout Caliper. Per, the other trick is to check them for straightness. I believe the check is done by using one edge to draw a line then flip the ule vertically (same edge but running the other way) and draw another line over that and see if they are coincident - repeat for the other edge. I use a square or solid base to rest the ruler on but you need to be sure the bases (short edges) of the ruler are square also. There used to be a good write-up on MSW 1 ... another lost .... cheers Pat

Glad to see this build come to fruition John. I'll be taking great interest in this due to the restoration of the pearling lugger down here. Good luck with the build. cheers Pat

Hi folks, further to my last post, I am now wondering how many of us have taken the time to check if the measurement determined by the caliper is actually accurate (at purchase and then at intervals) - I certainly didn't I will now be checking my next purchase for a reasonable degree of accuracy, and ensure I check it reasonably regularly to ensure a consistent measurement accuracy as well as confidence in the caliper. For most uses in ship modelling, having a super-accurate readout is not that important, but a reasonable degree of 'consistent' accuracy from these tools is important I think? cheers Pat

Hi Jay, yep, I have the same understanding of zeroising (the readout) not the tool itself. However, as I said the unusual thing is that if I measure the same article/item, all three give a different result. I understand that if I zero the readout, the amount of movement is relative to the starting point (zero) and therefore all readings should be the same. The micrometer (which has been tested/calibrated and certified) I trust to be the most accurate. The readout given by the Imperial (fractional) digital readout calipers is not far off, but the cheaper (version/type most folk seem to be using) are out a bit. I have noticed that when the jaws are fully closed on the metric calipers and I 'zero' the readout, the etched vernier scale on the main slide (?) is out (not registering on the 0 line) and it is very close to the difference in accuracy of the measurement between the micrometer and the caliper also. This is the enigma - if the readout measures the relative movement to calculate the 'measurement', it should be accurate no matter what? Essentially, I believe that after a while the caliper readout of the measurement may become suspect, possibly wear on the internal parts? I am not sure how the distance reading is converted to the digital readout value, but I am beginning to think that the mechanical component of the sensor (or however it is done) may wear over time and that is why I am getting the slight error in measurement. This became evident after having to remeasure my micro-drills on several occasions as one caliper gave me one reading, and the other a different. A couple of hundreths (when rounded) makes a difference in determining whether to use the drill as say a 0.9 or 0.85mm drill. I double checked these sizings with a gauge plate (not the most accurate means) but the results using the micrometer were much better than using the metric calipers. I have reverted to using my micrometer until I get a better quality caliper (with digital readout) and I will be sure to check how accurate they are first this time cheers Pat

Hi, I have two sets, one metric the other Imperial (Fractions) and until recently I used them all the time until I became aware of a small problem I have yet to resolve. I was wondering why some of my measurements were very slightly out and finally recognised that the calipers were not truely zeroed (they differed from each other and from a "engineer" certified quality miocrometer). We are only talking a few hundredths here so it is not critical for many jobs; but I would love to know how to truely zero these? (I can reset the readout to zero, but the inscribed vernier scale is not zero when the jaws are fully closed (this is verified by the micrometer which indicates / measures a difference in size equivelant to the difference shown on that scale.) CraigB@ thanks for the reminder in your earlier post which alerted me to this possibility; I think I may have to invest in a better quality metric version; the Imperial measurement version is slightly out, but much better and I can live with it. cheers Pat

And a belated from me also John, I have been a tad distracted lately and hadn't caught up. This little beauty is up there with your previous builds mate. a right little lady of the sea! cheers pat

Very nice work work work on those sails even if you are not completely happy with them. They look quite good and amazing to think it is paper. A nice collection of small rigging tools also; the micro crochet needle is a surprise. Where did you find that? (don't tell me watchmakers use it ) cheers Pat

Rowan failing that, there is a shop over there called DCC Concepts. He carries Carrs Brass Black (well used to anyway). No affiliation etc...... cheers Pat

Hi again folks, this is more a push than a new question. Another area of research for the Club's build I am trying to clarify is around the Contract specification for a "Lang's emergency tiller". The only information I have found is by the Editor of the Nautical Magazine, Original Papers, January 1836, page 272, makes comment on the Lang ‘Emergency Tiller’ as follows: We understand that Mr. Lang has proposed a plan, which has been adopted, for a tiller, in case of the original one being carried away. A temporary iron tiller is supplied, being fitted to ship in the after part of the rudder above the water, and to be worked by guys leading up to each quarter. To the point: 1. Is anyone aware of an emergency tiller (physical) drawing of this tiller designed by Lang? 2. Has anyone seen an emergency tiller arrangement like this? My current disposition is for a simple iron rod with two eyes, one either side of the arm on the after end which is fitted to the trailing edge of the rudder above the waterline bu means of a slit cut into the end which can be bolted to the rudder as required. However, have bolt holes, even if filled with the bolts until the tiller is fitted, would allow seepage and possible rot in the wood? I have seen no drawings with device fitted permanently. Many thanks Pat

Hi Greg, as long it is only us that are slack and not the rigging Tidy, and very nice work mate and those blocks look supurb. Did you use the supplied heart blocks? I don't like the ones in the AL kit and looking for a source for better ones. Do the Polish guys supply these also? cheers Pat

Hi Wayne, many thanks mate; you obviously use better search strings than me. I did find the magazine but could not find a drawing - much more to learn this end Many thanks again. cheers Pat

Hi folks, continuing to research for our club build of HMCSS Victoria (1855), we have unearthed the following in the Contract. She was not fitted with deadeyes, but rather Lanyard Plates as invented by Leut. James Rigmaiden. The patent was (I think) in 1849, and a model of the arrangement was displayed at the Paris Show in 1850/51. Some wording we have found states that the invention allowed ships to fire their canon closer to the shrouds with this design. I have found several online (pdf) books that chronicle or summarise the Paris Show stating that the model was on display (item 291) but have been unable to unearth any useful information. I have also looked in Goodwin, Lees and Steel with no joy. I have also trawled through the NMM's collections with no joy. As the names suggests I believe these would have been metal plates that replaced the deadeyes but retained a lanyard, but probably in a much more compact design - alternatively, they may even have been an early form of rigging screw/turnbuckle? The Victoria was fitted with some very leading/cutting edge technology for that time as a one-off build and plenty of (Gold Rush) money lavished on her. Has anyone heard of these, or even better (please make my day) provider info and/or illustration of the arrangement? Any help, advice or pointers would be much appreciated.

Add me to the queue John, she looks a grand little lady of the sea. Now IO suggest you park those tweezers somewhere they will do not further damage cheers Pat

That is very neat work Weflack, especially when considering the scale you are working at. That will be one very 'nice' realistic looking model. regards pat

Greg she is looking great; the ratline process will end soon - I am just starting the rigging and have this chore to look forward to Your boats look good; what plan did you use for the Gig and skiff (or yawl)? I have finished the longboat and cutter but two (possibly three to go) cheers Pat

Hi Greg, mate keep an eye out around Floriad time, the ACT Model Shipwrights Club put on one of the best shows in the country! This year's is supposed to be bigger as they are trying to tie it in with the RAN 100yr celebrations. I'll see if I can track down a contact/link for you. cheers Pat

Hi Greg, about half way down this post. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/3509-melbourne-tall-ship-festival-2013/?p=98369 There are only a couple of close-ups. cheers Pat

Hi Mike, try this post by St George. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/3102-oar-lengths/?p=85602 - is this what you needed? Follow the link he provides in his first post. cheers Pat