allanyed

Cheers Mark, I realize this is a reposting from the other string but hope it is OK to repeat an earlier response. I do not believe galleys of the 16th century such as the San Marcos ever had belaying pins. It seems you are at the mercy of an error by the kit manufacturer but it can be pointed out that on some contemporary models of the 17th century and 18th century, they do show more than one line secured to timberheads at times. Whether this is an indication of actual practice on board ship in those days I do not know. Allan

Tom, Thanks for sharing all the photos. I just looked through them again and all of a sudden I noticed the age range of the group. Maybe it is that the younger modelers are still working and could not get the time to attend, maybe not. I have no answer, but I do wonder how we can get more "youngsters" involved so the art does not die with the next couple generations. In this age of electronics, internet and fast results desired in the things they do, this may be a difficult thing. Maybe those here that are more in tune with social media can think of ways to get some interest from the "kids" out there. We have thousands of potential mentors here, just need more students. Allan

Michael, My apologies if this was given before, but what is the clamp that you are using in the photos? Looks like a handy tool. If possible, please post a photo of the tool itself. Thank you very much. Allan

Hi Mark, I have seen this on timberheads on the forecastle on some contemporary models such as the one pictured below. Regarding the San Marcos, I have doubts that there would be belaying pins on ships in the 16th century. Maybe the moderators can move your question to the rigging section and others more knowledgeable will respond with accurate information to help you. Allan

I am sure you will do well in making them. I do think though that there will be at least two, perhaps three different sizes considering bowers, sheet and perhaps kedge anchors. Allan

Nacioffi Which anchors do you need? I believe there are four anchors on Victory at this time in various sizes but Lavery states that 1st rates carried five until an order of 1779 stipulated they carry only four. They are not that difficult to make so you will likely get better scale accuracy making your own once you have the proper dimensions of each. They can be made with cast metal and wood stocks or all from wood with the "iron" portions painted black. I have no information on the weights of Victory's anchors but anchors were normally sized in proportion to the tonnage of the vessel. There are drawings of anchors of various sizes the RMG collections that you can find on-line as well as dimension details in spread sheet form in Brian Lavery's Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War. Allan

Alan, Thank you for sharing the drawings. What is the purpose of the traversing plate? I do not recall ever seeing this before. Thanks again Allan

Dave, Once the surface is sanded perfectly smooth, draw the line and paint the first color, the lighter shade first. This first color should actually go past the line. Then redraw the line if necessary and a lay down a tape along the line. Next, put on a coat by spray, or by hand, a clear varnish, clear nail polish, or similar along the tape edge to seal it. Once this clear coat is dry, it will prevent t bleeding and wicking under the tape when you paint on the second color. Paint at an angle but away from the edge of the tape so you are not forcing paint into the seam. Again, be sure the surface is absolutely free of bumps and dings so there is no open gap between the tape and wood before sealing and then painting. If there is to be a thin (1/8", 1/4" or similar) white or other color stripe between the two main colors, automobile pin striping tape works very well. Once in place, clear coats over the finished hull will protect the tape. I used the pin striping on the model of the schooner Columbia and it shows no sign of ill effects after ten years aboard a cruise ship. Allan

I have this book and reference it quite often. In addition to quite a few drawings it has scantlings of quite a few boats and charts of what boats were found on various size vessels at various times. It is well worth owning!! Allan

CofF Finding sails that are of scale thickness in woven cloth is difficult. Silkspan is a great substitute in general but high thread count bed sheets or pillow cases (800 or more TPI) look good and if they are to be furled, you can cut them short so they are not too bulky when furled. Allan

A smooth surface prep as mentioned above is key. If you are painting a long line such as a water line or some such, and go with the masking tape method, coat the tape edge with a clear varnish or similar coating to seal the edge so there is less chance of the paint wicking under the tape and leaving tiny points or runs. Once the paint varnish is dry, apply the paint and once it is completely dry, the tape will come off leaving a sharp line. Same treatment works well with hand made stencils if they are being used for lettering. Use high quality brushes for the fine work!! Allan

If you befriend your barber/hair stylist, get an old pair of their hair cutting scissors and have professionally sharpened. He/she will have such a contact. They are extremely good at snipping the ends without a trace of a tail and will last for years. Better is to get a new pair but top quality scissors will be well over $100. In the end, as with most things, you get what you pay for. Allan

Hi Mark, That is what this site is all about, helping, getting help, teaching, learning and overall having fun! Allan

Hi Mark, Can you send a picture? When you mention wheel chocks it made me think of the quoins which are used to change the elevation of the cannon aiming point by pushing them in or out under the inboard end of the barrel (not the trucks) See below. Spile could just be a bad translation --looking up spile I found the following: a small wooden peg or spigot for stopping a cask. 2 a large, heavy timber driven into the ground to support a superstructure. . Is this what they are showng? Allan

Add up the cost of the wood cut in sheets and strips (strips are not so important as there are so many spiled and/or tapered strakes on the hull and decks) and compare it to the cost of rough cut board stock, a small format band saw or a simple table saw, and thickness sander. It may be equal to buying pre-cut sheets and strips for a good size model. Plus you would then have tools that can be used for years so the cost is amortized over a lot of models and time. With these tools and board stock you can use any of the woods mentioned including Castello or European box at a much more reasonable price. Castello and box as well as poplar (when you can find clear white stock) is dear, but better priced with board stock than sheets and strips. I have the privilege of owning a planer as well, which I highly recommend, but lived without it for a long time. Yes, there is a lot of sawdust to be made when cutting your own, but it is the same for the company selling you the finished sheets and strips. You are paying for that sawdust regardless of who makes it, them or you. Just my two cents worth. Allan

You may want to check Longridge's Anatomy of Nelson's ships as he shows quite detailed of the shrouds. I am traveling with no access to my books so cannot speak of Victory's time period, but for earlier periods, the order of dressing as given by Lees is Pendant of the tackles, shrouds, swifter (this is the aft most unpaired shroud with deadeyes) and stay. He also describes use of an eye as mentioned by Wefalck, but again, it may not be contemporary to Victory. The swifter did not receive ratlines in earlier periods but I don't know if that is the case for Victory. Allan

Ciao Daniel Just checked in on your build and am enjoying your postings. I wish I had see it from the beginning and could have met with you in person as I travel to Treviglio twice a year for work. Alas, I am semi-retiring in January but MAYBE will be there for a few days in March and would love to see your work in person. Beautiful workmanship!!!! Allan

The support piece is ingenious and looks to be a nice project in itself. Cudos!! Allan

Thanks Mark. I was aware of a vertical score being made on the ends of the beams which I have done in the past, but not the horizontal and vertical intersecting borings. And you are correct, unless I was going to make beams from saplings, I will forego the practice of making sure the root end of the beam is alternating port and starboard. :>) Allan

Photo record for sure Druxey. I am a LONG way from that point. In recently receiving the contemporary information from a contract for sister ships to Lichfield as mentioned above, I have had to edit many of the drawings, including every frame, and edit the scantlings folios as well. It remains a labor of love so I have found no hardship in doing any of it. To the contrary, is has been great practice as well as an enjoyable voyage so far.

Yoshka Very nice work. Did you mean 1886 versus 1986? 😁 I am looking forward to seeing more of your metal work on the log. Allan

I am sure you will do well VTH. If you are just doing the rings, use the lowest melt point choice that you purchase Depending on the diameter of the wire, it is not unheard of to melt the brass ring itself (I speak from experience here.) I wear magnifiers for both protection and so I can see the instant the solder liquifies and runs along the wire itself, which it will do. I little trick is to put the solder on the joint itself and maybe a little off to one side of the ring. Heat the opposite side of the joint and the solder will run to the hottest spot where you are applying the heat. Allan

If you are in the US, one great supplier that I have used for silver solder paste is Contenti as they offer it in different melt points in syringes so it is easy to dispense tiny amounts for tiny joints. The benefit of multiple melt point solders is important if soldering more than just two pieces such as a ring in a ring. You can start with higher temperature paste then work down when adding other pieces if a project does require several parts. This prevents the initial solder joints from melting when the second and third pieces are added. https://contenti.com/jewelry-soldering-supplies/solder They have a complete line of materials from pickeling materials such as Sparex to the solder itself. Remember that the contact points must be completely clean and must be touching. Even a tiny gap will prevent the joint from being made as the solder is not meant for filling space at all. Once the joint is made, clean it thoroughly and then blacken or even paint it if called for. All comes down to practice, practice, practice in the end. Allan

Wood as well as fabric can be harmed by UV light. I found the following regarding fabric that you may find interesting. For a resolution to the problem, filters on the glass or just don't put a model in a window that gets direct sunlight. I know this is easy to say, but not so easy to do for most of us. Allan Summary -- As ultraviolet light is known to be detrimental to organic objects, the light entering galleries containing organic objects is filtered in many museums. Conservators have, however, noted that some textiles on permanent display have weakened significantly over time, a phenomenon that has usually been attributed to the deleterious effects of light. Th is study aimed to investigate the eff ect of light from which ultraviolet radiation had been fi ltered on the mechanical strength of cellulose-based textiles. Modern undyed cotton, linen and jute textiles were irradiated for 30 Mlux.hours in two different lightboxes: the fi rst lightbox was fi tted with a lamp that mimicked daylight and had a relatively high ultraviolet radiation content, whereas the second lightbox was fitted with the same fluorescent lamps as used in the galleries at the British Museum and from which all the ultraviolet radiation was filtered. Th e mechanical strength of the jute and linen samples aged in the lightbox with a high ultraviolet content decreased significantly, which was attributed to the high lignin content in jute and to the possible presence of photo-sensitizers in linen. Th e mechanical strength of the cotton sample was not affected by exposure to ultraviolet radiation. In contrast, none of the samples aged in the lightbox that used light free of ultraviolet radiation showed any signs of mechanical weakening. Th ere was a significant change in colour following light exposure for all the samples, although the change was higher when ultraviolet radiation was included. In particular, the jute samples yellowed, which can be attributed to their higher lignin content compared to cotton and linen. Th ese experiments suggest that visible light does not affect the mechanical strength of modern undyed cellulose-based textiles, although it is responsible for changes in colour. Until the 1980s, light-sensitive objects in museums were oft endisplayed in daylight without ultraviolet filtration on windows and skylights. It is possible that the mechanical weakening of textiles reported by conservators is a result of the exposure to ultraviolet light in the past. Alternatively, in the case of historical fabrics, this could be linked to a treatment applied to the fabric, such as the use of mordants or dyes.

Thanks Druxey, but a shame they would never be seen. These would certainly strengthen the tie of the beam to the clamp. I am sure it will take a little bit of extra time, but great practice using my chisels. Allan