cdrusn89
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Everything posted by cdrusn89
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Tom - welcome aboard. I was beginning to think ship modelers were pretty scarce this side of Florida. They seems to have an active community on the other side (at least in and about Tampa) but I have not found anything on this side. Would be great to get together sometime. -
Thanks Jim - Note the toothpick stuck in the base of the main mast to get it to line up with the centerline. Should have been more careful forming the tab that fits into the hull.
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Tom, Burton pendants - they are shown in the plans (sheet 5, very top left hand corner) and in the period rigging book I have (Rigging Period Ship Models by Lennarth Petersson) but they appear to just hang there (along with the top mast shrouds although the book shows them at the top of the lower masts also). I can't see anywhere in the plans where something is attached to them. If they really just hang there I will probably not include them. There is sooooo much rigging here I am looking for way to simplify things. Any thoughts?
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I continued working the upper masts. It took six tries to get two acceptable royal/top gallant masts. They get pretty fragile if you thin them down per the plans (don't ask me how I know). I am sticking with using .032 wire for the extreme upper section. Once they are painted it will look okay (I hope - not really interested in try to make any more masts. I dry fit all the masts to see how they look all together and I am impressed with how tall they are. I am going to see the replica this summer - should be quite the sight. I also got a chance to use the molding cutters I got from Artesania Latina for Christmas. I used it to cut the quarter round needed for the bolsters on the mast platforms. I used 1/8" X 1/8" stock and the quarter round 3 X 3 (millimeters I assume) cutter. Came out pretty good but I am sure there is a technique to this that I have not yet mastered. More practice required before tackling anything more complex. Should be great for adding a little spice to deck furniture. Speaking of sights - I got to sail on the James Craig (1874 iron hulled, three masted barque) through Sydney harbour (as the Aussies spell it) and out into "The Great Southern Ocean (aka South Pacific) in early December. Quite a sight with four sails set on the fore mast, three on the main, spanker, two jibs and two staysails. An all volunteer effort with the paying passengers lending a hand where necessary to get the sails raised and set.
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Nice and warm here in Florida too - low 60s now, high of 80 tomorrow😎
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Working to get all the components completed before heading back to paint shop. Still have to fabricate the fore top gallant and spanker mast but could not resist trying a dry fit of the main mast components. I used a piece of .032 music wire for the very top of the main top gallant mast. Trying to taper the wood to 1/32" (and keep it centered) was more than my lathe-less workshop can manage. It will all be painted black anyway so aside from there being no taper to that very short section I doubt anyone will be the wiser.
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I built the below to provide an adjustable support for the laser. It comes with a mount that allows about 3" of adjustment with a clamp that fits anything less than about 1/2" in width. The aluminum angles are what the laser clamps to and then I can use the mounts adjustment to get the lines where I need them. I use the step ladder so I can get the laser as close as I can to where it is needed since the beam is a little less than an 1/8" wide at five feet.
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I was looking for a way to "ensure" accurate alignment of the masts and cross trees, at least in one dimension so I came up with this. I had always wanted a laser level for various interior home projects so HQ approved the purchase on that basis. What HQ doesn't know won't hurt them (or me hopefully). Anyway, here is the laser level in use to get the fore mast cross trees perpendicular to the mast. I think this will also come in handy when it is time to install the masts at least in the athwart ship direction. I cobbled together the mast holder as I did not have a satisfactory way to hold them - this makes it easy to adjust up and down and the laser ensures that it is vertical. I sort of have to depend on measuring to get the mast rack and hounds at the correct angle. That piece of board against to wall is going to be my new mounting board. The Amati vice has served its purpose.
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I redid one of the anchors and the other will be done shortly. The basics for both masts are now complete. Working the fore mast chocks, cross trees and trestle trees. Trying to keep everything aligned is considerably frustrating. Considering buying a laser level/cross level to help.
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Got the yards and boom/gaff and bowsprit out of the paint booth with only one missing eyebolt on a top gallant yard. I also remembered the dolphin striker so I fabbed that (remembering to drill the holes BEFORE tapering) and got that attached and painted as well. Trying to decide how to proceed with the bowsprit. Am thinking of building a jig to hold the bowsprit as it will be on the ship and add the jib booms and sprintsail yard and as much of the rigging as possible before I attach it to the hull. I think the jib booms would make to inviting a target for a shirt sleeve to have it on the hull any longer than absolutely necessary. Worked on the fore and main masts, fabricating from the 3/8" X 3/8" yellow cedar. Not as hard as I thought. Getting the center portion round was pretty easy, keeping the top part square while taking off as much as 5/32" on each side was not so easy. The main is done and I cut the tab so I could do a test fit on the hull and found that I had mounted the main fife rail too close to the mast and the spanker mast will not fit. It's what In get for installing the fife rail before the mast - won't make that mistake again. Destroyed the existing fife rail getting it up from the deck so I am back in deck furniture mode for awhile.
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Finished up the details on the yards and Spanker boom/gaff (except for trimming up some of the line "stoppers"). Now to the paint booth for these and on to fabricating the masts. The black you see on some of them was artists charcoal which i rubbed on the section that was to be 8-sided to make it easier to see how much wood was taken off. I learned on the first one that gauging when you have filed/sanded enough was not that easy. They will all be painted black so I was not worried about getting all the smudges removed. Also drilling holes for the eyebolts on the Top Gallant yards proved more difficult than I had thought. I should have drilled the holes before I tapered the dowel not after. I had to build a jig to hold the tapered dowel steady under the drill press and still I did not get all the holes exactly as I wanted them. I got the needed wood from Syren yesterday so now to figure out how to make the octagon and round and square and tapered masts.
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Steve, Thanks, I will flip the stock turned over. It is not attached to the shaft at the moment. Might have to redo part of the serving on the ring. I am not sure what processed me to do that - must have seen a picture somewhere. It turned out to be more work than I thought. Might just go back to the plain ring. I spent the day sanding dowels into yards and the gaff and boom for the Spanker. The only thing I managed to complete is the main course yard - here it is ready for paint.
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With the bowsprit complete (except for paint) I focused today on getting the rest of the bowsprit pieces finished. In keeping with my desire to have all, of the "bright" wood Alaskan Cedar I fashioned the jib and flying jib booms from square section material as described (more or less) in the kit instructions, leaving those portions 8-sided that were called out in the plans, although they had to be reduced in cross section to match to taper of the spars. I also used a piece of polystyrene tubing to make the flying jib boom iron - two slices glued together with CA. The tubing was 7/32 but had to be reamed out with a #32 drill bit to fit over the jib boom. I was on a roll so I built the sprint sail yard as well but since this is painted I used the kit provided dowel as the starting point. I also decided some time ago to substitute Corel anchors (part A39) for the kit provided ones. I substituted cedar for the provided stock material and used laserboard for the iron straps. I think this one looks better than the kit one.
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Except for the two cleats which will go on after the bowsprit is in place (which I have facilitated by drilling locating holes in the bowsprit and corresponding pins in the wooden cleats this hopefully will not be too big a struggle assuming I remember to put the cleats on AFTER inserting the bowsprit though the hull and BEFORE securing it - time will tell) I believe In have all of the fittings required installed. I made the jib boom saddle out of a piece of polystyrene tube cut lengthwise with a scrap of 1/16 x 1/16 wood on either side (hence it is white). I simulated the bobstay wye iron with black laser board (aka thick paper) and an eyebolt. Next is paint and working the jib and flying jib booms. I am going to try to make them out of square section yellow cedar to try and keep all the "bright" wood in yellow cedar. I have not previously tried to make something square round but I seemed to manage on the bowsprit. We will see how that goes.
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After two false starts (one the starting piece was too short, (where did that short piece of 3/8 X 3/8 come from?) and one where I made the entire piece 8-sided before noticing that the part that goes through the hull remains square) I decided to cut out the top and side views of the bowsprit and glue them on the correct piece of 3/8 X 3/8 kit stock (it will all be painted black so no reason to use something else). I used the disk sander to adjust the profile on the bottom and both sides and then marked and sanded to 8-sided those portions fore and aft of the hull insertion point. Then I rounded the section (except the top) aft of the bees and forward of the hull insertion. Using the disk sander to get closer to the final shape was the right moved. I did all 8-sided one by hand all the way from 3/8 X 3/8 square. Tapering an 8-sided piece of wood (but not the top) too more time and effort than I had imagined. Here are the before and afters - I still have a few pieces to add to the bowsprit but you get the idea.
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Shipyard has reopened. Working on anchors and the bowsprit but iPhone camera is acting up so no pictures until I figure out the problem. I'll bet Apple tech support is swamped with folks with new phones for Christmas.
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Thanks, got it, but I am going to have to make that upper hole round so the jib boom will pass through. I don't see anything in the plans to indicate that the jib boom is other than round or octagonal cross-section.
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Tom, Have you found the bowsprit cap? The parts list says it is on the sheet pictured below but those are the mast caps for the top mast sections and I can't find the bowsprit cap anywhere else on the laser cut sheets.
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Tom, Not sure what happened above but you probably need the spanker boom topping lift to hold the boom end unless you are going to add a boom rest support. With the boom sheet pulling the boom down you will need something to counteract that. I am restarting work on my Niagara after a 6 week hiatus while on a vacation (and working down the "please do" list). I am a little behind you - have the hull, guns and deck furniture pretty much complete but have not done anything on the bowsprit, masts or yards yet.
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Tom.
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Based on the discussion on this site I decided to put eyebolts for the in-haul tackle on the centerline so they could serve the guns on both sides. I did three of them. Clearly these would not be rigged until needed as they would be very much in way for any kind of sail handling evolution. I am considering just putting in the eyebolts and hang the tackle over the gun, or in the fore and main pin rails. I am closing up the shipyard until January to take some time off for the holidays (HQ has a very, very long "to do" list). I think I am at a good place to stop with the hull essentially complete. So I cleaned up the mess and stray pieces of wood, wire, line etc. and will cover the hull to keep the dust collection to a minimum. I will be thinking of how to tackle the masts, yards and bowsprit but taking no action until next year. Happy Thanksgiving. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to all those following the build. I really appreciate the "Likes" and comments, assistance.
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This time I really do have all the hatches installed. I noticed after the last post that the two small hatches (galley and lazaret) were missing. I had to do a bit of paint touch-up on them and forgot when I was taking the pictures. So here is the deck (including the boarding ladders (although they are hard to see) and ALL the hatches this time.
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Thanks Jim 😉 Worked to get the deck furniture mounted (except the galley smokestack - too inviting a target for subsequent damage; will install later). Also built the fore pin rack and boarding ladders. Pin rack is installed, boarding ladders are being painted. As I mentioned way back when, I did not build the Captains skylight or salon skylight because of the interference with operating the capstan. So, the grates fore and aft of the capstan are the salon and Captain's skylights (gratings) while the companionway has been moved aft to where the Captain's skylight is on the plans. Will install the boarding ladders and touch up the paint and then it is "mast and yard time".
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The Guns are DONE! (Except for the in-haul tackle which I have made up but will not install the eyebolts until the deck furniture etc. is installed.) Based on discussion on this forum I probably will only have an in-haul tackle and eyebolt for each pair of guns. I have some clean up and a few small items yet to fabricate (ladders and sea steps come to mind immediately but I am sure there are others) and I have to get the deck furniture installed so I can get started on the masts, yards and bowsprit.
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Got the port side cannons mounted, tackles installed, rope coils down and tackle ends connected to the coils. It took much longer than I had estimated. It takes a good deal of concentration and dexterity to get those small hooks onto the even smaller eyebolts. I am glad I mounted the eyebolts while installing the bulwarks. I am not sure I would have had the dexterity to mount them at this point. I noticed more than a few places where the paint on the carronades has been chipped off but think I will wait a bit more before trying to touch them up. I fear there will be more opportunities for this kind of damage. I got the yellow lettering from Woodland Scenics and got the name on the stern. I may have to try and redo the "N" - bottom part of left leg is missing. I think I will leave the bow lettering until after the armament is finished. Those are going to be pretty small letters following the plans. May have to think about how to meet the intent if not the letter of the plans. On to the starboard side!
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