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Good morning.

Hello everyone! 
Again a long time since my last update, sorry about that and thanks to wemattson and Joe100 for their recent comments. 
But now, it’s finally update time! 
 
 
Main and mizzen yards
After stepping and rigging the main mast, I have been working on the main and mizzen yard. Since the process is incredibly time consuming and, after a while, boring, I decided to build them all in one shot, hoping to be a little bit faster. 
Here you can see the making process of some of the metal parts.
 

 

 
And here they are almost finished, with the lower topsail crane fashioned with brass as well.
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
Here the mizzen’s yards tapered and prepared for the metal fitting:
 

 
 
In this is image you can see the making process of the parrel yoke for topgallant, royal and sky yard:
 

 
 
And the way I used to secure them to the yards:
 

 
 
Then I started with the metal stripes on the yards, a very long process, only surpassed by the eyebolts making and fitting. 
In order to better understand my mental disease, here you have some numbers. 
For the main and mizzen yard I have fashioned and fitted:
216 eyebolts, mainly in two different sizes;
197 metal stripes 
22 pulleys
22 jackstays 
And the best of all this is that, once painted in black and fitted, many of the small details will not be so easy to spot… But I know they are there and I hope they will make a good impression! 
Now enough talking, some images (I hope not too many), of the finished yards:
 

 


 
 
Here the main yards:
 
















 
And here the mizzen yards:
 

 




 

 
I hope you like them! 
Next step will be the rigging of the mainstay sails. 
Here I still have some doubts about the sheets: for the jib there are two sheets, one for each side in order to allow the change in tack. For the main and mizzen stay sail there is only one sheet (at least according to Underhill). How can they manage the tacking process? You have to untie the sheet on the deck and pass it over the stays, which seems to me at least impractical if not impossible…
Any information about that is very welcome!
 
 

 

Thank you cisco.  Thank you, Johann--your model is extraordinary, and I can only aspire to the accuracy and detail that you are able to accomplish!
 
I have been working--very slowly.
 
First, I realized that I need to remove the carronades to make the breeching ropes.  Unfortunately, I had glued them to the deck!!  Fortune smiled though, and the upper part of the carriages were NOT glued to the lower bed (except for one), and I was able to remove the carronades--
 
 
Here they are, with breeching ropes partly done.  They need to have the correct knot and iron ring attached to each end of the rope.  The first five (including the one carronade that I had to forcibly remove from the deck) are done.  Beyond those are the rest which have the first end done, then the line threaded through the breeching ring, and the beginning loop of the second knot lightly glued to hold it for seizing--

 
This is my method for completing the breeching knot after the first seizing is done.  Using a short piece of line, and tweezers, form a simple overhand knot--
 

Get it oriented correctly--

Position it at the right spot and pull it tighter--

Finish up by giving it a good tug--

 
The loose ends are then wrapped a turn around, and glued with a dab of white glue.  After dry, the ends are snipped close.  It's a shortcut, I know, but looks fine.
 
Now the carronades can be reinstalled, and the eyelets glued into predrilled holes (done many years ago now!!) in the bulwarks--
 



 
Next, I will need to make about 30 more of these training tackles--

 
Closing with a couple photos of Oneida--


 
Ron
 
 
 

Painted today HMCS Blairmore J314  awaits as her charges leave St Johns at the start of their Atlantic crossing w/c 16" X11"  

@Gahm
@albert
Hello,
thank you for the nice compliments. 
Of course I would also like to thank you all for the many LIKES.
 
Continuation: Cleats for the topgallant lifts and royal lifts
In the meantime, the cleats have been grooved for the central lashing and are ready to be tied down.

After temporarily securing the cleat to the topmast shroud, I begin the top and bottom tying. Then I rotate the cleat to its final position aft and complete the process with the center lashing.

  
The last picture shows the two cleats of the starboard side topmast shrouds of the foremast. This is where the lifts of the topgallant yard and royal yard will be attached later.

 
To be continued ...

 

Continuation: Cleats for the topgallant lifts and royal lifts
Since tying the cleats to the shrouds did not turn out to be as problematic as originally feared, I went a step further to approximate the original method of execution.

Source: "Le gréement des navires anciens (1700-1850)", Gérard Piouffre
 
 
The following picture shows the result:

Accordingly, I will now attach the cleats for the lifts of the topgallant yards and royal yards to the topmast shrouds.
 
To be continued ...
 

Continuation: Cleats for topgallant lifts and royal lifts 
Mostly it comes differently than one thinks! 
So in this case. While I had thought that binding the filigree cleats to the topmast shrouds would be very difficult, my first attempt showed that it would be relatively easy.
Before I started with the shrouds for this model, I first built a corresponding jig for experimental purposes. This served later among other things also with decisions for attaching the ratlines. And now it served to test how best to attach the cleats to the shrouds.
The trick, if you can call it that at all, is to tie the cleats comfortably to the shrouds from the front, and then simply turn them backwards to the desired position. 

 To be continued ...
 

Cleats for the topgallant lifts and royal lifts 
I almost forgot!
Wasn't there something else with the shrouds? There are a few details I'd better mention now.

The description of the monograph for La Créole itself does not clearly state how the lifts for the topgallant yards and royal yards are to be attached. As far as I could tell from the description, the lifts were attached somewhere in the area of the top. On the original photos of the Paris model of the La Créole, you can clearly see two cleats on each of the topmast shrouds. Until now, I could not clearly identify the ropes used there. However, after some research, my suspicions were confirmed. These are the lifts for the topgallant yards and royal yards.
 

Source: Monograph by J. Boudriot, detail of original model
 
The next step was to clarify the shape and size of these cleats, a total of 3 x 4 pieces, which I derived from the original photograph and drew.
 I made the cleats from service tree. The following pictures show different stages of the production. 



     
      
The last picture shows the result.

 
Attaching these cleats to the topmast shrouds will probably be another small challenge to master.
 

Paddle tugs 'Cracker' and 'Grappler' early 20th century 
w/c postcards 6" X 4"

Grand Fleet

 

Part of the Grand Fleet heading out to the North Sea for a practice shoot
w/c 16" X5"

Good morning.

I finally had the time to continue with the fore stay, bob stay, and bowsprit shroud collars. To make life easier I added some extensions to my Syren serving machine (Img_1). I also used the open and closed heart kits from Syren. They show more details than the parts provided in the initial ship model kit (Img_3), and being assembled of three different wood layers the danger of accidentally breaking them is minimal.  The ropes for the collars were all served with a 100 wt silk thread. For the round seizings I used a 100wt silk thread of a slightly different color. Images 2 – 7 show the process and the final result. Img_8 presents the bowsprit assembly in its current state.
 
Thomas
 

Img_1
 

Img_2
 

Img_3
 

Img_4
 

Img_5
 

Img_6
 

Img_7
 

Img_8
 
 

Completition: Ratlines for the topmast shrouds - Enfléchures 
It has been quite a while since I started attaching the ratlines for my French corvette at the lower shrouds. 
Today I was able to tie the last ratline knots at the starboard side of the topmast shrouds and with the last binding the chapter -ratlines- was finished.
   
 
 

 
   
Before I start to make the yards, I still have some rest work to do for the standing rigging, e.g.
- Fixing the topgallant shrouds
- Catharpins for the topmast and topgallant shrouds
- Fore topmast- and fore topgallant stay
 
To be continued ...

 

Good morning.

Hello Brothers... Continuing on with my exploration of Rub N Buff as a Bare Metal Finish for model airplanes....
Today, I'm doing the official start of my second attempt...
 
The North American F-86 Sabre
 
The F-86 Sabre was a revolutionary aircraft when it first entered the scene in 1947; the first American production fighter with a swept wing. It met with success in battle too, ending the Russian MiG-15’s dominance during the Korean War in the early 1950s. The type saw widespread use in nearly every Western-aligned nation, with factories set up outside the United States in Italy, Japan, Australia and Canada. The production run, with numerous different variants, eventually developed into a transonic aircraft, ("F" models) and reached almost ten thousand airframes, making it the most produced, Western-designed jet fighter in history. The type lived on long after its days as a front-line fighter were over, serving ultimately as a remotely-controlled live target drone for pilots to hone their skills in the use of air-to-air missiles. A healthy number of Sabres have made it into civilian hands, with a number flying on the air show circuit, and several more under restoration to fly...
 
I am going to present a specific aircraft, Captain Joseph McConnell's mount 'Beautious Butch' I hope you all enjoy the journey....
 
F-86F-1-NA sn. 51-2910 is the last Sabre which jet-ace Captain Joseph McConnell flew from Suwon Air Base during the Korean War with the 39th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, 5th Air Force... While stationed there he is credited with shooting down sixteen MiG-15 jet fighters during the conflict, while damaging an additional five others... Captain McConnell is America’s highest-scoring jet ace, but interestingly, he started out as a navigator on B-24 Liberator bombers during WWII, flying on sixty combat missions. He stayed in the military following the war though, and pursued his dream of becoming a fighter pilot; earning his wings at Williams AFB, Arizona in February, 1948. He joined the Korean conflict, quite late, arriving for service in September, 1952. his first aircraft was F-86E-10-NA, sn. 51-2753... 

McConnell had the last two of his fighters painted with the name, 'Beautious Butch' on the cockpit left side in honor of his wife Pearl, whose nickname was “Butch”... All of his victories came between January and May, 1953, in aircraft named for his wife, with the first eight being scored in his second assigned Sabre, F-86F-15-NA, sn. 51-12971...

On April 14th, McConnell was attacked by a MiG-15 piloted by Soviet ace Semyon Fedorets, McConnell's F-86 was severely damaged but McConnell was able to reverse the fight and shoot down Fedorets. (watching Fedorets eject from his destroyed Mig-15) Too damaged to land, (barely flying), fortunately, he was able to reach the Yellow Sea and managed to eject from his stricken fighter, and a rescue helicopter plucked him from the water and brought him home. (both Fedorets and McConnell were credited with victories for the action)

He was back flying in combat the following day though, and shot down another MiG-15. 
The third Sabre which McConnell flew in combat was F-86F-1-NA, sn. 51-2910.

He shot down his final three MiG’s on May 18th, 1953... He and his wingman took on a flight of 30 MiG 15's by themselves... His fellow pilots were listening to the combat radio calls on the base radio when he loudly proclaimed to his worried wingman "Don't Worry, we have them all to ourselves!" (he shot down two of them, his wingman got one) Then went up again later in the day and shot down a third... (his 16th)
 
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for this action...
 
McConnell was immediately ordered home to the USA, (Gen. Barcus, head of Far East Air Force, didn't want to risk his top ace to any further combat, and is reported to have said, "I want that man on his way back home to the U.S.A. before you hear the period at the end of this sentence.") His F-86 was quickly repainted to remove the Russian Mig symbols he was using for victory markers in exchange for N Korean/Chinese red stars and a very famous, obviously staged, photo was taken of him and his crew chief for publication, they even re-spelled his aircraft's nickname to how the public affairs section thought it should be spelled... (shooting Russian MiG's down over Red China was still a military secret at the time)

A few days later his aircraft was photographed on the ramp at Suwon clean of any personal markings...

On arrival home, he served with the Sabre-equipped 445th FS at George AFB in California.  Shortly afterwards, he was assigned as a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base to evaluate the then new F-86H variant. While conducting a test flight in the 5th production example, F-86H-1-NA, sn.52-1981, on August 25th, 1954, the aircraft experienced a horizontal control surface failure at low altitude and crashed. McConnell tried to ride it out and land the plane, (dead-stick landings were a specialty of his in Korea) but a gust of wind off the desert floor lifted a wing as he was settling to the ground, too close to recover... He ejected from the aircraft, but it was too late, He was found next to his seat, his unopened parachute separated and came to rest a half mile away....
 
His 16 aerial victories made him the leading American Ace of the Korean War.  He remains the highest-scoring American jet ace in history.
 
This is going to be my attempt to render a decent model of his last combat aircraft....
 
Lets take a walk.....
 
EG

I was wondering how I would do the scroll around the hawse pipe, I tried to carve the scroll but the kit supplied wood is no good for this so thought about  painting it but trying to make both the same 🤔
So came up with making the scroll from .018" brass rod, using a pattern from LB Jensons book, in the book it does say ( these were drawn free hand cutting in with a chisel and painting with gold leaf) and also says scrolls done in summer seemed to have more knobs than those done in winter, being in flower, so to speak.
 
This is the start of the two scrolls as you can see there were some very small parts to solder together.
 

 

 
One completed and then I filed it down
 

 

 
These are the tools I used.
 

 
Now got to finish the second one and then paint yellow same as cove.
 
Thanks again to all who comment and for all the likes do apricate.
 
Regards
Richard 

Greetings All,
 
I have another alternative for making paper sails. The photos are pretty much self explanatory. I used X9, 16 lb. printer paper, and thinned white glue. Basically, a whole lot of equally spaced small nails/pins were sunk into a piece of wood, down both sides of the top. A sheet of clear acetate was taped down between the pins, a piece of paper taped on top of that. Then fly tying thread was strung between pins. Thinned white glue was then applied to the paper and threads with a paint brush, a second piece of paper placed on top, and a second acetate sheet on top of that. A second board was placed on top of it all, and clamped down with multiple C clamps. Left to dry for 24 hours, then disassembled and the threads cut. One thing to note is that when applying the glue the thread stretched a bit, and some portions of the resulting sail would not have glued tightly.
 
What I did was to make multiple sheets of sails, and pick out the areas that were the right size and the entire area was glued properly to use for my model. I tried various thread colors, but found that they were too prominent if not using white thread. I did not try different papers, might be worth checking out the method using something other than printer paper. For the some of the jib sails I cut two pieces and used thin paper to glue them together.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Anchor's A Weigh!
John Fox III
 

@albert
@mbp521
Hello,
thanks for your nice comments, and all the others for the many LIKES.
 
Continuation: Ratlines for the fore topmast shrouds - Enfléchures 
In the meantime, I have started working on the port side ratlines (ø 0.25 mm) of the fore topmast shrouds. These are already about three quarters made, as can be seen in the following pictures.

 

      
On the last picture I show again how the simplified splice for binding the ratlines to the outer shrouds is made step by step. For lifting and inserting the end of the rope twice between the strands, I use an appropriately prepared cannula, as already reported and shown.

 
The end of the chapter -ratlines- is within reach.
To be continued ...
 

Quick, get a Shovel
I hear it's good for. my Tomatoes!
The Royal Navy in Ceylon in WW2. Maintaining Avengers based on photos at RNAS Puttalam and RNAS Katukurunda
w/c 16" X 11"

The Old Days
Victorian Dockyard 
Acrylic on Mountboard 21" X 10"

Off the coast Hour and a half 'postcard' size w/c 6"X4"

Good morning.

Leith Roads

The metal fife rails that came with the kit shown below didn’t look much better than the kit supplied anchor so I decided to see if I could do better job with wood.

 
    They also differed both, from the detail drawings on the plans and the ones shown in Chucks’ practicum shown here.

 

 
 
 
    You can see that the cross bar between the posts and the side half cleat are higher than the fife rail on Chucks’, as opposed to them being even on my kit and the details. The posts are taller than mine, and the spindles are much thicker. The belaying pins included with the kit were much too short to project below the rail which would not allow the belayed lines to be tied off.
    The first step was to rip a 3/32” X 3/32” maple strip about 6” long for the post material. I marked one face for the cuts and using my Micro Miter Box with the ultra-fine toothed double-edge razor blade once again, I cut it into six sticks about 1” long. In this case, the final length was 7/16”, leaving 9/16” left over to hang onto during the machining.
    Since this was another process of making each piece an exact duplicate of the others, I utilized the adjustable stop for every cut. The stop was not reset until that particular cut was repeated on every piece. The first cuts were made 3/64” deep and 7/64” down from the top of the post on two adjacent sides. The next two cuts were duplicated 1/16” below the first cuts.
    Clamping each post in my machinist vise, I carved out a 3/64” deep notch between those two adjacent sides with a fine file between the first two cuts for holding the fife rail. Returning to the Miter Box, a very shallow cut was made on all four sides of the stick 21/64” down from the top of the post to mark the overall height of the post above the deck. 7/64” below that cut, the post was finally cut loose from the stick.
    Now each post was clamped in my vise with the 7/64” bottom left exposed. Once again I filed a round peg with files and sanding sticks for insertion into the deck. Here is one of the resulting fife rail posts.

 
    Then I also needed to make two throat halliard half cleats to be attached to the posts. There is one on the starboard side of the main fife rail and one on the port side of the fore fife rail. I decided to carve these from wood, since cutting one of the kits’ metal ones in half would still be over-sized. These cleats are a prime example of fabricating extremely tiny parts, (1/16” wide X 5/64” high X 5/32” long) so I will provide some photos of the process here.
To start with, I sacrificed these hardwood clothes pins for the material as shown below.

 

 
    The long skinny portion was clamped in my vice, leaving the short fat end exposed. Using sanding sticks and files, the top and bottom were shaped.

 
    Once the top and bottom of the cleat were shaped, the sides of the cleat were thinned down and tapered to the final profile.

 
    Now that the main portion of the cleat was finished I released it from the handle with that razor toothed hand saw and repeated the process for the other cleat.

    
    The cleats will be painted iron black and glued to the appropriate fife rail post.