BANYAN

Not much more to do now Rob; looking good! cheers Pat

Ditto - flawless process. cheers Pat

Nice vessel to model James; with your skills it should develop into a very nice model. Monitoring with interest cheers Pat

Stunning work! Did you make those thimbles, clew hooks etc yourself? If you did, could you please show us how you did it? cheers Pat

Pathfinder, no worries, but as I mentioned, I am some ways of completing this research; and also, only the basic rig details will be applicable. You will need to refine my results for your own belaying plan especially. Do you have much in the way of imagery to help? Please PM me if you wish a little more detail of what I have done as it is far too large to post the details here and I wish to preserve copyright for some of it. For example, do you know if she used wire or natural cordage for her shrouds, stays etc.? cheers Pat

Welcome to the forum. Not sure you will find kits for those; may have to join us on the 'dark side' of scratch building. cheers Pat

Great review and guide Eberhard, that is very useful. I am seriously thinking of ditching the PE process for this wherever I can. cheers Pat

Hi Pathfinder (do you have a nick/preferred name please? ) I am in a similar situation as I am building a ship that was built in on the Thames River (1855) for the Colony of Victoria. There is not much published about the specific rigs of this time, especially about rigs in steam powered ships. If you need something as a guide right now, then there is a good book about the Confederate raider 'CSS Alabama - Anatomy of a Confederate Raider' by Andrew Bowcock; a ship which is contemporary to Kearsage, and the book includes a good belaying and rigging plan that was well researched by the author - yours may differ a little, HMCSS Victoria's does. It would probably be a good investment for your needs. After struggling quite a bit with the rigging, I decided to research and develop my own plan. I am in the process of trying to make sense of it at the moment, and here is what I know. Small and medium steam / sail vessels of this period were generally fitted with a modified form of a Barque rig. That is, three masts, usually with lower masts taller than in other rigs, and no square sails/yards on the Mizen. Robert Kipping and John Fincham were the two acknowledged authors (both Naval Shipwrights) of this period and while not naming the rig, discussed the various elements of the rigging under loose sub-headings of steam vessels. There are many common elements in the rigs of vessels powered by steam whether as the auxiliary or the primary means of propulsion, or, whether screw or paddle driven. The RN also tended to rig their larger ships of the period as 'ship rigged'. As this was a period of rapid evolution of all matters relating to shipbuilding, this rig differed over time and between builders/Captain's needs. For example, in one letter from the ship build superintendent reporting back to the Governor of the Colony, he states that while he would have preferred a rig more aligned with Service practices (he was an RN officer); he had allowed the designated Captain of the ship to modify the rig to align with Merchant ship practices of the day, specifically those he was more familiar with. This resulted in lighter sails, more automation etc. I have taken the liberty of calling this rig "Steamer Rig' with due acknowledgement to the two primary sources named above and I supplemented their data with information from Underhill, McCann, Macgregor, Campbell, Cruthers etc. I am not at a point where I have completely developed a rigging plan, yet alone a belaying plan, but I am getting there. If you are not in a desperate hurry, I am happy to provide some of the basic information once it is completed (probably quite a few months away yet). I say basic information, as Victoria's rigging will be a little different to Kearsage and you will need to modify it, and the belaying points etc to suit. The plan I am developing basically conforms to the general rigging practices for the "Steamer Rig' with some specific modifications as outlined in HMCSS Victoria's Contract and Rigging Warrant. For example, Victoria had steel wire rope standing rigging, many ships did not, so the belaying was different (Victoria used 'Rigmaiden' Lanyards), but the general rigging practice (i.e, number of shrouds, their leads, fittings etc) were common to the general Steamer Rig conventions. cheers Pat

Great to hear o0f your recovery Mark; even if gradual it is an improvement. cheers Pat

Thanks for the kind comment Steven; as you say, one tend's to favour their creations a little. Although a club build, as its build coordinator/custodian I take great pride in seeing her develop. cheers pat

Wonderful work; a joy to read your log and see the intricate detail of your work. That articulated cradle with drill is extroardinary. Did you make that yourself? regards Pat

Very nice results with the laser cut parts Eberhard; that gun looks great! As you say, a lot cheaper than PE so may need to investigate the process myself as it produces a wonderfully detailed result especially working with smaller scaled items. cheers Pat

Nice to see you coming back to the 'wet' side Mark. cheers Pat

Steven had his model on display at the Geelong Wooden Boat Festival held this past weekend; looks even better to the naked eye. He earned some very well deserved praise and kudos for his efforts from the public. cheers Pat

I go away for a couple of days and boy what a surprise - lovely detail as usual Keith. I am sure even the owner would be hard pressed to differentiate between the real thing and your model when looking at photos. A feast for the eyes. cheers Pat

Nice library Rob; a good cosy place to settle back for a good read or to take a pleasurable look at the models. Your new case fits into the aesthetics and ambiance of the room very nicely. cheers Pat

Hi, have you tried contacting the Royal Navy Records section (held in Kew I think), or even the various Royal Navy Museums. You never know what you might uncover. They have been very helpful with my various inquiries. cheers Pat

Hi Justin, I also had concerns. I only make up small batches at a time in a small glass jar and reuse it as much as possible. If stored in a darkened area (no direct exposure to sunlight), or in a dark glass jar (I prefer clear as you can monitor the chemical process when using it), you can store and reuse it for up to a year or so at a time depending on how much you use it. If the solution starts covering/blackening erratically, or takes much longer to be effective, it is time for change. One sign I look for is that the solution does not return to a relative clear state some time after use, then it is time to start looking at a new batch. The bluer it stays, the less effective I find it works (after use and letting it sit for a while). To dispose of it, I find an area in my garden where it will have minimal contact with tree/plant roots etc, pour the solution onto a thick bunched up wad of paper towels and then let the paper dry. The paper tends to filter the solution (not completely); once dry I throw the paper into the waste (general waste not recyclable). Still not completely removing the chemical residue from waste but better than pouring down the grey water drain? cheers Pat

More kudos on the thwarts, stinger and shield production line Steven. look forward to seeing this beauty again real soon. cheers Pat

Sounds like a nice way to display this beauty Rob, look forward to seeing the completed case. cheers Pat

Nice cosy library you have there Rob, pity you can't get it higher but has the advantage of better shoing the rigging and looking down on to the upper deck. cheers Pat

Haven't looked in for a while Keith as my PC was hacked and I have been rebuilding (the PC and not the model unfortunately ) - that boom turned out terrific. I will have to try your method as I tend to taper as I go on the lathe and as you pointed out, a steady rest is important for that technique. Your method would provide a better 'bed' for the rest being a series of flat steps. cheers Pat

Just back after a PC disaster Rob (got hacked0 - sorry to hear you had to change the planned display position for your model but you seemed to have resolved a good solution. cheers Pat

Ditto on the compliments Eberhard; just back with my new PC and catching up. Very nice workmanship as usual. cheers Pat

Back up and running with my new PC (after being hacked ) - looks great Steven, nice recovery on the lower bank of oars, and I agree, they look very realistic. cheers Pat