allanyed

Thank you for sharing.  I am not one to argue with Portia's drawings, but  have not yet seen this arrangement on a contemporary drawing or model.  It is my understanding that the AOS series of books is not without fault (as is the case with all of us mortals)
Thanks again
Allan

I've attached another  sketch.  Note that there was usually no stop on the underside of the lintel, but only attached to the frames on the sides of the port and on the sill.   This was a quick sketch so if I made any mistakes, please feel free to jump in.
 
Allan

Thank you for sharing.  I am not one to argue with Portia's drawings, but  have not yet seen this arrangement on a contemporary drawing or model.  It is my understanding that the AOS series of books is not without fault (as is the case with all of us mortals)
Thanks again
Allan

Thank you for sharing.  I am not one to argue with Portia's drawings, but  have not yet seen this arrangement on a contemporary drawing or model.  It is my understanding that the AOS series of books is not without fault (as is the case with all of us mortals)
Thanks again
Allan

Arch
I did a quick search of contemporary models and I cannot find any gun ports with stops on the lintels.   The only definitive one I have found so far is in the forum here for contemporary model photos from museums that being the George, DCSO1822 and it shows no top stop.   This is only one model, so maybe  it is wrong or maybe some had them and some did not.  Could you post a photo or two of the contemporary models that you have seen that have these, I am really curious about this.   Seems there is always something to ponder.  
 
Thanks very much
 
Allan

I've attached another  sketch.  Note that there was usually no stop on the underside of the lintel, but only attached to the frames on the sides of the port and on the sill.   This was a quick sketch so if I made any mistakes, please feel free to jump in.
 
Allan

Thank you for sharing.  I am not one to argue with Portia's drawings, but  have not yet seen this arrangement on a contemporary drawing or model.  It is my understanding that the AOS series of books is not without fault (as is the case with all of us mortals)
Thanks again
Allan

I've attached another  sketch.  Note that there was usually no stop on the underside of the lintel, but only attached to the frames on the sides of the port and on the sill.   This was a quick sketch so if I made any mistakes, please feel free to jump in.
 
Allan

I've attached another  sketch.  Note that there was usually no stop on the underside of the lintel, but only attached to the frames on the sides of the port and on the sill.   This was a quick sketch so if I made any mistakes, please feel free to jump in.
 
Allan

I've attached another  sketch.  Note that there was usually no stop on the underside of the lintel, but only attached to the frames on the sides of the port and on the sill.   This was a quick sketch so if I made any mistakes, please feel free to jump in.
 
Allan

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 134 – Capstans 2
 
In the last post the top, mortised section of the drumhead was inverted and glued on the base turning to produce the square mortises shown in the first picture.
 

 
In this picture the piece has been turned to the final 34” diameter of the head. The top part was then turned carefully to fit the 32” i.d. of the top brass ring.  When a snug fit was produced at the end of the turning, that diameter was taken down to the seat of the ring – about 2” above the mortises.  The excess material was then parted off the top of the head as shown below.
 

 
Enough was left to produce the rounded up top of the head which was then turned.  The cutter was then set at the depth of the ring seat, backed off a measured amount, moved to the left to cut the lower ring seat, then dialed back down to that diameter.  The head was then parted off and the rings pressed on as shown below.
 

 
In this picture the rings have been cemented with thin CA glue and the top polished.  The next step was to make the 14” diameter spindles.
 

 
As shown above, a cherry turning square was fixed in a four-jaw self-centering chuck and held for turning with a dead center at the tailstock end.  In the next picture one of the two drumheads is being test fitted over its spindle.
 

 
The head was then glued to the spindle and the brass cap cemented into place.  In the next picture the flats for the 8 whelps are being filed on the spindle below the drumhead.
 

 
 
I had initially intended to mortise slots for these but the small size and the relative softness of the cherry left an undesirable result after milling, so I decided to simply file flats using the spaces between the head mortises as a guide.  The whelps were then made and glued on.  After the glue dried the whelps were secured with two epoxied bolts each. Lower disks were also made and fitted to each.   The two capstan assemblies at this point are shown below.
 

 
The whelps on the left capstan in the picture have been rounded concave and the wire bolts have been filed off flush.  The spindle on this capstan has also been cut to final length and a pin inserted in the bottom that will secure it at the step on the deck below.  This will be the main deck capstan.  The one on the right will be mounted on the forecastle.
 
In the next part the iron baseplates with their pawl stops and the underlying wood bases will be made.  Some details of the baseplate can be seen on the drawing in the above picture.
 
Ed

As always, a joy to watch your work, especially the detailing.   As said above, nice selection of wood, it makes the model quite rich looking.
Allan

In addition to Steel,  Lees Masting and Rigging  is also a consideration as he makes mention that all line sizes are appropriate for all rates for all time periods in the book which is a little before 1891 for Clara May.  With only a few exceptions such as ratlines and brails which are pointed out with given dimensions, the line sizes  are given as circumferences and are proportional based on the size of the appropriate mast stay and these were found in comparison to the lower stays which in turn are given in ratio size compared to the lower masts. While this may seem daunting it is easy to get the hang of it quickly.  I rarely rig, but when I have done so, I do all the calculations and write them down then write the scale size circumference then calculate the diameter.  That was  I have an idea on what line sizes Iwill need and how much of each.  Note that you will not be able to get exact scale circumferences/diameters as there are only so many line sizes that can be purchased, but will be close.
 
 
Allan

As always, a joy to watch your work, especially the detailing.   As said above, nice selection of wood, it makes the model quite rich looking.
Allan

As always, a joy to watch your work, especially the detailing.   As said above, nice selection of wood, it makes the model quite rich looking.
Allan

Randy,
If you have a Dremel with a chuck, you can make your own belaying pins.
​I tried it and it's not that hard.
Otherwise I would recommend the Bluejackets.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 128 – Windlass 1
 
For some time I have been anticipating (or perhaps dreading) making and fitting the windlass that was used to raise and secure Young America’s anchors.  Like many of the model’s details, the windlass is one that was typical of the time.  It is a fairly complex piece of equipment with a variety of mechanical parts.  Not everyone will be familiar with this device, so I will start with a picture and description of the assembled windlass and then work through its construction.
 

 
The assembly shown is still only pinned together temporarily.  The windlass axle was supported by the two stout “carrick bitts” on either side.  The large, central “samson post” supported the seesaw brake lever assembly and also the anti-backlash stop shown engaged on the central ratchet gear.  The anchor chain was wrapped around one of the wood spindles on either side of the central ratchet parts.  These spindles were fitted with iron cogs to engage the chain links. The spindles were turned from the forecastle deck by means of the seesaw brake.  This was connected to two ratchet mechanisms that engaged each of the two large ratchet gears – turning the gear on the up stroke and ratcheting back on the down stroke.  These ratchet mechanisms are not visible in the picture, but one is shown in the next picture.
 

 
I had considered the possibility of making this a working model – until I printed off the first copy of the scale1:72 drawing.  A working model could be made from the drawings but not at this scale by me.  I am sorry to say that this lovely little bracket mechanism is virtually invisible below the forecastle – a persistent dilemma for below-deck details.  The operating principle can be seen in the picture and drawing.   The connecting rod that passes vertically up through the deck pulls or pushes on a bracket that is fitted with bar that is pinned through the bracket, allowing it rotate out of the gear teeth on the down stroke, but engage on the up stroke.  The bracket rides in grooves on each side of the gear wheel.
 
Before dropping anchor, the required length of chain was hauled manually – the windlass worked in only one direction - up through the chain tubes, along the deck forward, across the top of one of the spindles, around the spindle, then laid on the main deck forward under the forecastle until relased
 
I decided to start construction with the two large (36”, 1/2” actual) ratchet gears.  The first step is shown below.
 

 
In this picture some ¾” brass bar is fixed in a self-centering 3-jaw chuck in the Unimat lathe.  It has been center-drilled for the 9” (1/8”) diameter shaft, faced off square on the end and turned to the 36” gear diameter – enough to make two gears.  The chuck and the piece were then removed without disturbing the centering to a rotating head on the milling machine as shown in the next picture
. 

 
After carefully centering and aligning the setup, the cutter was set to mill the 36 evenly spaced ratchet gear teeth.  The teeth have 90 degree points that are offset – angled to one side so the ratchet bar will engage tangentially.  To do this one side of the cutter was moved off-center based on a digital measurement on the CAD drawing then lowered by another measured amount.  Each of the 36 teeth was then cut by stepping around the piece in 10 degree increments. 
 
The central stop ratchet was cut by the same method – with different settings – at 20 degree increments to yield an 18 tooth gear – as shown below.
 

 
The next photo shows the mill setup for cutting the groove in one side of the first ratchet gear.
 

 
A 1/32” square end mil was used to cut the 2” depth in two passes.  After this the chuck was returned to the lathe for parting off of the gear as shown below. 
 

 
The piece was then returned to the mill to cut the groove in the second gear.
 
The parted off gears were then chucked on the mill to cut the grooves on the other side – in progress in the next picture.
 

 
Simple spacers were also made to fit between the gears.  All these parts are shown set up on a temporary axle in the last picture.
 

 
With the aid of precise dimensional adjustments from the CAD drawing, making these was less difficult than I expected.  I did reject the first two gears, for - of all things - mis-centered axle holes.  There is no doubt that accurate centering for all this work requires care.  It is made simpler by keeping the piece chucked as long as possible.  For this reason the Unimat chuck was also used in the Sherline mill without removing the parts – once the mill setup was aligned.
 
Making the spindles and brackets will be described next in Part 129.
 
 
Ed

Small and relatively tidy ships often turn out to be the subject of the most beautiful models.  You are proving that with your build.
 
Allan

Small and relatively tidy ships often turn out to be the subject of the most beautiful models.  You are proving that with your build.
 
Allan

Small and relatively tidy ships often turn out to be the subject of the most beautiful models.  You are proving that with your build.
 
Allan

Small and relatively tidy ships often turn out to be the subject of the most beautiful models.  You are proving that with your build.
 
Allan

Small and relatively tidy ships often turn out to be the subject of the most beautiful models.  You are proving that with your build.
 
Allan

Sorry for the very late reply, been moving the past few weeks.  Maybe I  have missed something here, but you do not need anything more than very thin hand files and an old hacksaw blade or stiff backed razor to make molding cutters.   Even better I have used thin cutting wheels with my lathe or my Dremel, Hold the metal piece in a vice and cut or file the reverse image of what the molding is look like.  If using a hack saw blade piece heat it to cherry red and let it cool and it will be soft enough to easily file.  No need to re-harden, but if you wish to do so, reheat to cherry red and quench in oil.
 
Allan

I agree with David B,  The straight edge on what looks like double sided tape is something for me to remember to try.   The photography as pointed out earlier is excellent.  Thanks for continuing to share.
 
Allan

Sorry for the very late reply, been moving the past few weeks.  Maybe I  have missed something here, but you do not need anything more than very thin hand files and an old hacksaw blade or stiff backed razor to make molding cutters.   Even better I have used thin cutting wheels with my lathe or my Dremel, Hold the metal piece in a vice and cut or file the reverse image of what the molding is look like.  If using a hack saw blade piece heat it to cherry red and let it cool and it will be soft enough to easily file.  No need to re-harden, but if you wish to do so, reheat to cherry red and quench in oil.
 
Allan