gieb8688

Post 46
 
The rigging begins.
 
 
This starts with raising the large Fore dipping Lug sail which involves rigging the Tye and Halyard.
 
 
The given information is that the tyes were of wire; I did trial using 0.5mm braided wire but fore-saw problems with the attachment to the tackle block which requires to be done insitu on the model.
 

9338
Braided wire halyard


It is fairly straightforward to silver solder an eye for the attachment of the tye hook, but that option disappears when it comes to the upper halyard block, that is if I wish to avoid setting the model on fire.
 
So, Syren thread it is.
 
For the Fore and Mizen yard Tyes I am using Syren 0.30mm ø line.
 
 
Fore halyards 3” manilla - 0.45mm ø line.
Mizen Halyards 2¼” manilla - 0.30mm ø line.
 
The significant blocks on the otherwise simple rigging set-up are the Halyard tackles for the Fore and Mizen yards.
Two 15” wire stropped triple blocks on the Fore and two 11” triple blocks on the Mizen make up the tackles. The lower blocks are hooked.
For the makings I am using Syren Boxwood 1/4” and 3/16th” Blocks.
The strops are made from 0.5mm ø brass wire and are formed around a block before the joint is silver soldered.

9264(2)
The eye is firstly formed and a short section below soldered
together; the ends are then formed around the block using mini pliers and the bottom ends trimmed to meet.
 

9281(2)
I blacken the ‘iron’ with the block in place. I have determined from previous tests that this has no detrimental effect on the blocks and eliminates the risk of marking the block or blackening during the fitting process.
 

9344
Fitting the upper halyard block.

9355

9361
Fore Halyard tackle completed.

 

9360
Mizen Halyard tackle.


9357
The rigging will continue in the next post.

 
B.E.

13/12/20

Post 45


 
Registration numbers on sails


 
I have been pondering for a while the why and how to apply the Registration number to the sails.

 
The why is easy, it is required under the Sea Fisheries Acts 1843, 1868, and 1883.

 
The requirement is also mirrored in the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894.

 
The requirement is that on ‘Barked’ sails such as carried by Muirneag white lettering is to be used of a size 30% greater than that of the Registration numbers on the Bow.


 
In scale terms that is around 7mm in height.


 
I have gathered quite a collection of dry rub lettering over the years, by Letraset, Conte, and W.H Smith, in various sizes, but not 7mm and not in white.

It is always the way, dozens of screw sizes on hand except the one required for the job in hand.


 
I have trialled Letraset dry rub lettering on fine cotton material and I think it should give a reasonable effect. It will also take a degree of abuse before it starts to flake off, but best not to test it.

9314
I picked up from Erik’s (EKE) log that he used Woodland Scenics dry rub lettering and I managed to obtain some  from a UK supplier.
The position of the numbers on the sails is something else that may be open to interpretation, as I notice there are differences evidenced by photo’s old and new, and models and drawings.


 
Here’s the Law:

 
SEA FISHERIES ACT, 1883.
ARTICLE VI.

The same letter or letter and numbers shall also be painted on each side of the mainsail of the boat, immediately above the close reef, in black oil colour on white or tanned sails, and in white oil colour on black sails. Such letter (or letters) and number on the sails shall be one third larger in every way than those on the bows of the boat.

The letter or letters and numbers on the sails shall be one-third larger in every way than those painted on the bows of the boats.

By a subsequent Declaration of 1st February,1889, the paragraph was replaced by the following provision: –

The same letters and numbers shall also be painted in oil colour on each side of the mainsail of the boat, immediately above the close reef, and in such a manner so as to be plainly visible; they shall be painted, on white sails in black, on black sails in white, and on sails of an intermediate shade in black or in white as the superior competent authority shall deem the more effective.


 
…. and you think we are bedevilled by regulations in our modern times!

 
In terms of positioning there are examples of horizontal to the reefs, and degrees of downward slope.

The most pleasing position to my eye is around the half way point between peak and clew which in terms of Muirneag is 145mm. down from the peak.


9321(2)
I opted for the angled approach where the numbers followed the line of the sail panel seams.

A steel ruler is used to guide the application.

I was somewhat edgy about doing this for fear of spoiling the sail, and the application proved more than a little tricky. The letter ‘S’ ‘Y’ and the number ‘4’ proved particularly stubborn to release cleanly and each took several goes to apply and then not entirely satisfactorily.


9335
No matter how I secured them and burnished them bits did not take.

 

9332
In the end I accepted the situation and had to resort to painting over the deficiencies. This didn’t work out too badly with the shapes mostly there to follow, but it was a one shot exercise as any paint overspill would not be easy to remove.


9333(2)

9336(2)
A little more touching-in once the paint on both sides is set, and then I can raise the sails and begin the rigging.


 

 

 
B.E.


 
12/12/20

Thankyou Bob,

It helps to have a written confirmation of actual sizes, and in relation to the Zulu build there is a wealth of written detail in the Edgar March book.

For instance there is a reference to fishing nets being 60 yards long. This equates to 2160 inches x 25.4 = 54846mm ÷ 64 (scale of model) = 857mm

Of course in scale terms this would simply not fit on the model so some circumspection needs to be applied.

Other fittings such as oars are given as 18’ long with blades of 7’ x 5”

This would produce a scale version of 85.75mm

(18 x 12 x 25.4 ÷ 64)

Blades would be 33.3mm x 2mm and this looks right for scale.


6272
Scale built oars for the Fifie build.
 
In working out rigging sizes there is an additional step. Ropes are usually given in inches circumference where model lines are invariably given in mm or inches diameter.

There is reference to Fore Halyards being of 3” manilla This would scale to 0.38mm ø which is a good fit for the model.

3 ÷ 3.142 (Pi) = 0.955 (ø) x 25.4 = 24.25 (mm) ÷ 64 = 0.38mm (ø) scale line.

Scale lengths of line is a different matter. True scale lengths are rarely fitted on models, there simply isn’t room.

The Fore halyards are given as 60 fathoms (360ft) this would scale to 1715mm of length, a difficult fit on the model.


 
Hope this helps,


 
B.E.

Post 44
 
This post concerns a mixture of those little finishing off tasks that progress a build towards completion.
 
 
Parrels
 
For these I use slightly elongated tubular beads of 2mm ø and 1.75mm in length.

9189

9187(2)
Parrels attached, not a difficult job with the yards in place.
 
Tuckle chain.
 
This secures the tack of the Mizen Lug and is fastened around the mast foot. Those with a copy of the Edgar March book can see a photo of this detail on Muirneag in his book Sailing Drifters.
 
 

9180(2)
The ring and hook are silver soldered to the chain.
 

9193(2)
Testing the fit of the Tuckle chain.
 

9198
 
Thinking about nets
 
It is of some surprise to me to read that luggers the size of Muirneag carried around 70 nets, each about 600 square yards  which when strung together extended nearly 2 miles with a catching area of 33,000 square yards.
In our scale terms each net would be 860 mm in length.
 

9203
To represent the nets, I am using Tulle material in a fetching shade of peat brown.
 

9201
Excellent for scale and the only issue with Tulle is that it is quite a springy material so a touch of pva in the folds helps to hold it in shape.
 

9199
A glimpse of the floats, aka Baking Beads which do the job at the scale involved.
 
 
Navigation lights
 
I have got around to completing the light boards which now have the lanterns installed.
 

9214
On the advice of John (Jim lad) I did try to impart a blueish green tint to the Starboard lamp by  misting it with a rattle can spray of Ocean blue auto paint but it wasn’t really effective.
 
 
I couldn’t get the lightness and clarity I would have liked.
 

9210
These are too delicate to leave insitu and will be one of the last things to be fitted on the model.
 

9219(2)

9224(2)
I’m quite pleased the way things are going and I can now turn my attention to the rigging line and blocks.


 
B.E.

04/12/20

 
 
 
 
 

She's looking really great, BE!  Wonderful job on the sails and yards.
 
Have you thought about adding a sail number?  I've been thinking about that for my Zulu.
 

Post 43
 
Bringing sail and yard together
 
 
Completing the Mizen sail took less time altho’ I did have to repair the clew loop which became unravelled.
 
Once again, the Quadhands proved a very useful and flexible aid.
 

9140(2)
Use of these magnetised arms is not restricted to the provided base. Distances can be increased using any old piece of ferrous metal, in this case a steel rule.
 
 
With the sails completed it is time to test the fit on the model with a jury rig.
 

9152(2)

9153(2)

9156(2)

9162(2)

9157

9160
I can now attend to the parrels.
Once in place the yards can be removed as they will slip easily over the masthead.
 
 
B.E.
02/12/20
 
 
 

Post 42
 
Fettlin’ the sails
 
 
Reef points are a tiresome thing but add realism to a sail.
To fit them properly a double length line is passed thro’ a hole in the sail and knotted at the top each side.
 
 
The issue with this at scale is that getting them to hang naturally can be problematic without resorting to use of pva to hold them down on the sail.
This risks marking the previously dyed material.
 
 
My approach is to simply glue the points to the sail at the knot. This way the point lies flat, and the application of glue is better controlled.
 
 
Even So it is exceeding dull work, knot, trim, and glue, 88 times each side for the large fore lug sail, which has six rows of reef points.
 

9082
For gluing the sail is taped over the plan and a steel rule used to level the points across the sail.
 

9088

9093
Three days later and the Reef points are completed on the large Fore Lug sail.
 
 
I now turn my attention to the Luff cringles, which as everyone knows run down the leading edge of a sail. 😉
 
 
These are of an iron ‘D’ shape and there are eight of them on the Fore Lug.
 
 
For these I have used 2.5mm ø fine brass rings to which the ‘D’ shape is imparted and the joint silver soldered for security.
 

9095
To aid fixing these tiny fittings I used a smear of ca to hold them in position atop the bolt rope whilst a needle and thread is used to secure them to the sail.
 

9096
My recent acquisition proved very useful to hold the sail for this exercise.
 

9101
I used 0.1mm Morope line to secure the rings thro’ the Tabling (Hem) of the sail.
 

9103
Sail completed by the addition of the Leech cringles.
 
 
 
The same procedure will be repeated to complete the Mizen Lug.
 
 
 
 
B.E.
28/11/20
 

Thank you Rusty and Bob, and for the 'likes'
 
Post 41
 
 Sails
 
The sail set comprises, Fore, Mizen, and Jib.
 
I am using the nicely made but expensive kit provided addition, but even these can be enhanced by the addition of reef points. It is a tiresome exercise but certainly appropriate at this scale.
 
One other item I need to consider is whether to add cringles to the luff and leech of the lug sails.
 
Underhill indicates rope cringles around iron thimbles for the leech and iron ‘D’ type thimbles for the Luff.
 
My first job is to check that the sails fit the yards and add the details to the kit sail plan.
 

9019(2)
The sails are a good fit to the plan

9026(2)
The Reef points and cringles are marked on the plan.
 
Just the small matter of adding 268 14mm knotted lines to the sails. Wonderful.🙄
This will be done after the sails are dyed.
 
Colouring the sails
 
 
This is the description given in the Sailing Drifter book by Edgar J March.
 
 
Sails were ‘barked’ a rich, dark brown, almost black colour. They were seldom tanned the warm Red of the English drifters.
 
 
From my experience with the sails on my Fifie build I am aware that the sail stitching and bolt ropes do not take dye at all, leaving them stubbornly white, which is annoying against the rich brown sails.
 
 
The Dye blurb says add salt for cotton, rayon, or linen, and vinegar for nylon, silk, and wool. That is white vinegar, not the stuff you put on your fish and chips.
 
To replicate the colour, I am using Rit brand (cocoa brown) dye powder.
 
 
The recipe’ and procedure I used was as follows:-
 
 
Before I start I wash the sails gently and iron out the creases, well Mrs W does.
 
 
Into a plastic bowl I poured 4 pints of hot water.
 
 
4 teaspoons of dye powder (virtually the whole packet) were dissolved in a 1 pint jug of near boiling water from the kettle.
 
 
This was added to the bowl followed by a dessert spoon of salt, and two dessert spoons of white vinegar.
The mixture was well stirred, and the sails added.
 
 
I am mindful that the jibs were coloured but were only lightly dressed so it was immersed first for only a few minutes.
 
 
I stirred the lugs around for approx 20 minutes which gave me the depth of colour I thought was ok.
 
 
The sails were then rinsed in cool water until the water ran all but clear.
 
 
They were then hand washed in warm water with a mild detergent added, rinsed, and put to dry flat on an old towel.
 

9039(2)
Still wet, the colour difference of the Jib reflects the much lighter dressing applied to this sail.
 

9045(2)
The sails have dried a little lighter in shade, and there is also a little shrinkage in the lug sails, no doubt due to their longer immersion in hot water.

9044(2)
As with the Fifie sails the bolt ropes and seams have not taken the dye so I suspect they are of polyester. I tried samples of silk (Which took the dye) and polyester (Morope) which didn’t.
 
It looks like I will need to use a fine point waterproof marker to colour the bolt ropes and reduce the starkness of the white.
 
The seam stitches are more problematic as there is a high risk of overspill.
 
 
 
This concludes Part one of the sail saga.
 
 
 
 
 
B.E.
25/11/20
 
 

Post 40

Mast making.

There are only minor differences between the Underhill plan dimensions and the  kit dimensions, and I will be working with the kit dimensions, not least because the expensive  but very nice kit sails are presumably cut to suit the given dimensions.

I am using Walnut Square stock for both Fore and Mizen masts.


8851(2)
Allowing for extra length to fit in the lathe chuck and tail stock, the square sections are marked to the correct point above the partners and the taper was marked at the quarters on a card  to allow for a running check on progress.


8854(2)
I start the process by shaving the square stock into eights on a ‘V’ jig and scraping with a scalpel blade.


8858
The rounding and tapering are completed on the lathe using sanding papers and emery cloth.

Always worth wearing a face mask when doing this job, Walnut dust is nasty stuff.

Fairly straightforward and there are few fittings on the mast.


8950
1½ sheaves at the Fore Masthead, iron straps and a band with an eye to secure the Fore Burton stay.

The Mizen mast has a single sheave and a band with an eye for the Burton stay.

 

8875
Secured on the fore face of the squared Fore mast is a plate to take a wire strop to secure the hooks of the jib halyard when not in use.

 
The yards.

Only two to make, and here I am following the Underhill arrangement.

 
Fore Yard

This comprises a 38’ spar with an offset taper. At the slings the diameter is 12½” tapering to 4” on the long end and 5” at the short end.


8869
At scale this equates to 180mm length, 4.9mm ø at the slings, 1.6mm ø at the head, and 2mm at the fore.

Atop the centre part is an iron plate with an eye for the yard halyard hook. This portion of the yard is served both to secure the iron plate and for protection.

 
Mizen Yard

The Mizen yard has the same set up

It comprises a 32’ spar with an offset taper. At the slings the diameter is 7” tapering to 3¾” on the long end and 4¾” at the short end.

At scale this equates to 152.4mm length, 3.0mm ø at the slings, 1.5mm ø at the head, and 2mm at the fore.


8942(2)
The yards before they are stained, and the serving is applied.

 

9015(2)
The yards are stained with Dark Jacobean Oak and served with 0.1mm line.


 
Bowsprit

The Underhill plans show an overall length of 49’ (233mm) which is a scale 16mm shorter than the kit length, not much in the overall scheme of things.


9004
At the inboard end there is a shoulder cut to butt against the saddle.

 

9002

9000
I left the ladderway open but decided to otherwise enclose the ‘skeegs/Skegs’ (Mast Housing) with boarding cannibalized from the fish hatch cover.


8987(2)
At the Bowsprit outer end, a half sheave is cut to take the jib outhaul. An iron band is fitted over the end, and a Cranse iron is yet to be fitted.

The kit does provide a brass etched cranse of sorts (PE12) but it is a simplified version.


I won’t actually fit the Bowsprit for a while yet, too much risk of catching the end whilst rotating the model.

It will in any case be secured without glue when the time comes.

 

9008
Wedges can be seen aft of the masts used to secure the angle of rake required.

The Mizen wedge has yet to be cut to length.


9010

8991
 
I think that will do for the sticks for a while, time to check out the Boys own book of sail enhancement. 😉


 
B.E.

24/11/20

 

Hello Blue Ensign,
 
years ago I've seen scale "silver darlings" made from caraway seed airbrushed with silver paint. From a distance they looked quite convincing.
Be sure to use the right caraway fruits; cumin fruits ar shorter and thicker!  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caraway  
 
b rgds
 
cotrecerf
 

Post 39
Completion of the hull
 
Three months of fairly consistent working and the hull and deck fittings are complete.
 
Time for a photo shoot before I clear the work bench and move onto the second stage of Mast making and rigging.
 

8849

8848

8845

8842

8840

8838(2)

8833(2)

8828(2)

8817

8811(2)
 
Modifying this excellent kit to reflect a specific boat has added immensely to the build enjoyment for me, and my thanks go out to Chris for providing the makings.
 
The high basic accuracy of the kit make it a good subject for modification, and had I decided to model the Zulu Fidelity (BF 1479) very little reconstruction work would have been required.
 
 
 
B.E.
18/11/20
 

Post 38
Bilge keel
 
To add or not to add, that is the question.
 
The Underhill plan doesn’t show them but both the George MacLeod model in the NMM, and the Gordon Williams model show this fitting.
 
There is also a photo of the Zulu Mary Jeanie 1898 in dry dock which also clearly has them.
The version on both the George MacLeod and Gordon Williams models looks like a flat board rather than a keel piece.

3488ab Gordon Williams model.
 
 My understanding is bilge keels were more of a shallow triangular profile pointing downwards and outwards below the round of the hull.
 
Purely on the off chance and with little expectation that the telephone number was still extant I called Gordon Williams who lives in Monmouth and whose splendid model of Muirneag resides in the museum in Stornoway.
To my surprise he responded and I had very interesting conversation about his model and his inclusion of Bilge keels, which were absent from the Underhill plans.
 
Gordon had personally examined the NMM model which informed his own build and he had taken the inclusion and style from the model in the NMM. This had been built in 1955 by George MacLeod who had taken the measurements directly from the vessel before it was broken up in 1947 and formed the basis of the Underhill plans.
 
Amongst other things, I did confirm the pronunciation of the name Muirneag – Moornach which he had got directly from those who know whilst visiting Stornoway.
 
At least I now know how to say my models’ name.
 

3587 The Zulu Research (originally Heather Bell) under restoration at the Fisheries Museum, Anstruther.
 
The aft end of a bilge keel can be seen that looks different to the form on the two models.
Research is the last surviving large Zulu. A boat of 80’ she was built in 1903 so is a contemporary of Muirneag, and she had a long career, fishing until 1968.
 
With such a long active service with many modifications over the years I don’t know if the bilge keel is original or a later addition.
 

8753(2)
Not having any direct plan to work from I estimated the position and length from a combination of photos and models, and I drew an approximation on the kit plan.

8752(2)
A 1mm thick Pearwood strip was fined down to dimensions that looked right to my eye; 140mm in length with a centre width of 2.5mm tapering to 1.75mm at the ends. A degree of lateral bend was imparted, and the outer edge was thinned to 0.75mm.
That is the easy bit, retro fitting the keels less so, and the more I looked at it the less I fancied it.
It will involve messing up the already painted hull, positioning is everything, and ca would have to be used to get a rapid grab.
However, having satisfied myself that Bilge keels were appropriate, there was no putting the Genie back in the bottle.

8792(2)
The first job is to mark the position of the keels; for this I used a strip of lining tape.

8800(2)
To aid positioning and final gluing fine pins were inserted through the keels into corresponding holes in the hull.

8806(2)
Went somewhat better than I feared it would

8758
I took the opportunity with the hull needing attention to add the keel straps at the bow and stern. These are reinforcing straps where the stem and stern posts meet the keel.

8766
I used Syren card gudgeon straps at the stern and soft pewter strip at the bow which took a better curve.
 
Hopefully, this concludes the messing about with the hull stage.
 
B.E.
17/11/20
 
 
 
 

Post 37

Side light boards

Navigation lights were introduced during the 19thc initially for steam powered vessels but later extended to sail.

I can’t find any contemporary photos of Zulus at sea with navigation boards in place, perhaps they were unshipped when underway in daylight; the nature of the fishing business was that herring were fished at night with the return to port in the morning.

Still they are a valid addition to the model and present another interesting little modelling exercise.

I scaled down from the Underhill drawings to produce a mock-up made from thin card.


8709(2)
Once I was happy with the proportions, I made the items out of 0.6mm x 6mm Boxwood.


8712(2)
The dimensions are 18mm long, 4mm high (reducing to 3.5mm) and 4mm wide (reducing to 3mm)


8704(2)
The board is supported on stanchions 14mm apart slotted into sockets I had previously fixed to the aft side of the stringers.

For ease of construction the stanchion and support frame are made in two parts. Uprights using 0.9mm ø brass tubing fit thro’ the sockets into the deck.


8702
The board support arms (0.6mm ø brass wire) slot into eyebolts on the aft side of the board and are angled to throw the board parallel to the centre line.

The arms slot into the upright tubing.


8727(2)

8735(2)

8732(2)
I need to sort out the lights but I think I have now added all the inboard fittings indicated on the Underhill plans.

There is a decision to be made about bilge keels before I move onto mast making.


 
B.E.

14/11/20

 

Thanks for your supportive comments Guys, much appreciated.
Your right Tony, trying to produce something to add to a kit is one of the pleasures for me, and the more you do it the more adventurous you get. Having an appreciation of the ‘art of the possible’ is a valuable asset in ship modelling.
@ Martin – they say that necessity is the mother of invention, and I’m sure I’m not alone in our model making fraternity in looking at everyday items and thinking hmmn 🤔 that may prove useful at some point. 😀
The only issue is remembering what it was or where I put it. 🙄
 
 
Post 36
Mizen boom fitting
 
This involves positioning the Boom saddle and boom chocks to support the after-sail boom.
 In the kit instructions these are referred to as the boom support and boom bracket.
 
I remade these items to better reflect the Muirneag fittings.
 
A chain necklace secures the inboard end and an iron strap in the manner of a cap square at the outboard end.
 
In considering the position of these supports the Mizen boom needs to be test fitted as it passes very close to the horizontal ships wheel.
 
Fixing these parts proved quite tricky not least due to the stern overhang making supporting the hull difficult in this area with the rudder in place.
 
Pressure is required to form and fix the strap over the stern boom saddle but putting any pressure on that area of the deck causes the hull to shift.
 

8666(2)
I got around the problem by securing the horizontal bar of the keel clamp in the jaws of the vice which prevented any downward movement.
 
The kit dimensions for the boom are spot on compared to the Underhill plans, 4mm dowel is used tapering to 3mm at the outboard end.
 

8669(2)
Forming the ‘iron’ strap.
 

8688
Blackened and fitted.
The retaining pin for the strap can be seen on the outboard side.
 
If you think the wheel looks a little weather beaten, the finish has been battered because I decided to solder the stem to the underside of the wheel.
I had originally ca’d the wheel to the stem but it stubbornly refused to sit firmly no doubt because of the tiny area to take the glue.
 

8679(2)

8676(2)
The chain necklace can be seen at the inboard end.
As with the Bowsprit a shoulder was cut in inboard end of the boom to rest against the face of the chock.
 

8674(2)

8689(2)
 
Onwards…
 
 
B.E.
11/11/20

Cheers Guy's  glad you like it.
Post 35
Riding lamp completion
 
Before I cleaned up and blackened the lamp I wanted to make sure I could fit the lamp glass.
I did eventually settle on using a fine paintbrush cover, slightly opaque and of 3.5mm ø.
Several attempts later I managed to get a 1.5mm slice of the tube that fitted snugly in the lamp.
 

8615(2)

8620(2)
With the lamp ‘glass’ looking ok I could move onto the blackening.
 

8627(2)
The glass was removed, and the body cleaned using micro files, fine wire wool, and acid, before immersing in the blackening fluid.
 

8640(2)
Came out a lot better than I had dared hope, given the small size and delicate handling required during cleaning.

8637(3)

8634(2)
 

 
Time to get back to the main event.
 
 
B.E.
09/11/20

Post 34
Riding lamp
 
Having made the Riding light stanchions I was committed to at least having a go at the lamp.
 The basis of the lamp is small brass Billing Boats masthead lamp bought from CMB. At (6x4mm) it was the smallest I could find and is a good fit for scale.
 

8565
To convert it to the riding light I first had to mill thro’ the back of the part to give a 360 degree light.
The strap and top handle were then added using brass strip silver soldered to the sides. I use a high melt point (690 degrees) paste to allow for adding further items.
 

8580(2)

8586
Holes are drilled in the straps to take the retaining eyebolts.
 

8596(2)
The eyebolts of necessity are very fine. I used Caldercraft etched versions of 0.25mm thickness with a 0.7mm ø hole.
The danger in soldering these in place is that the flame may melt the eyebolt before the solder flash. A test piece was made before committing to the lamp.
A lower temperature paste of 671 degrees was used for the eyebolts.
 
 
I scratched my head for a while as to how to produce the shaped oil container at the base of the lamp.

8575
The answer came in the form of a small brass countersunk screw head.
 

8607(2)
The completed lamp in its unfettled state fitted into its bracket.
 

8612
… and as would be used onboard, final height yet to be determined.
 

8610(2)
The final hurdle is how to represent the clear glass cover of the lamp.
My first thought was a section of one of those clear plastic covers that protect fine paintbrushes.
Ideally a clear cover would be inserted thro’ the hole in the bottom of the casing, but when it came to soldering the base on, the obvious would occur.
I have one or two ideas about creating the ‘glass’, but the subject bears more thinking about before I commit.
 
 
It has been interesting making this little ‘extra’ if only as an exercise in silver soldering tiny parts.
Still the finishing to do but I’ve rather enjoyed the process thus far.
 
 
B.E.
09/11/20
 
 

Thank you Thomas, here's a few more. 😉
 
Post 33

I can’t quite decide what to do next on the build so I decided to play around with some optional fittings, namely the riding lights.

I suspect that these lights were only used during fishing when the boat was drifting, mast and sails lowered.


8549
The aft riding light slots into brackets on the aft side of the mast crutch.


8538(2)

8542
Not too difficult to construct with brass tubing, wire, and a spot of silver soldering.

 

8562
Will be trimmed to size once I have sorted out the lamp.


 
The forward light sits in a similar forked stanchion that fits in a socket set against the forward coaming of the fish hatch.


8550

8559

8558(2)
That is the easy bit, what to do about the lamps is the tricky part.

At scale these hurricane style lamps are a mere 6mm high x 3.5mm wide. 🤔


 
B.E.

06/11/20

 

Thank you Glenn, Erik, and John.
@ Glenn - The losses suffered by those small fishing communities make for sobering reading.
In one notable storm in October 1881 189 men were lost, 129 from one community leaving 263 children fatherless. No social security in those days.
The possibility is real that many of the boats lost were rendered unmanageable owing to crews being weakened  through  men washed overboard.  Losses overboard were an ever present danger.
 
@ Erik - I think I'll leave the stem plate unpainted, I do like the look of blackened metal.
 
@ John -  Coming from an old salt like you, that's good to know. 😀
 
Post 32
Bobstay sheave
 
Situated on the starboard side of the stem is a sheave to carry the Bobstay.
 The kit provides a simplified etched piece (PE11) referred to as a stem cleat.
 I replaced it with a scratched version based on the Underhill drawings.

8487(2)

8493(2)
 Silver soldered together from thin brass strip and micro tubing.
 

8504

8501

8507
Competed and chemically blackened.
 

8512(2)
In checking over the inboard fittings I realised I had forgotten to make the Mizen halyard sheaves so two of these were made in the same fashion as the Bobstay sheave.
Rope stopper
 
The Underhill plan shows these lines spliced around the stringers both port & starboard ahead of the Fore and Mizen halyard sheaves.
 

8532
In use they are bent to the falls of purchase with a rolling or stopper hitch and take the strain while the running end of the fall is taken off the capstan and belayed to the cleat.

8515
In the absence of any other information I have used Syren 0.63mm ø line. which looked about right to my eye.
 

8529
Not an anchor chain but the Bowsprit necklace chain that will be trimmed to length once the Bowsprit is fitted.
 

8535
All the Foredeck fittings are now in place.


 
B.E.

04/11/20

Post 31

Fore thwart, and Bowsprit fitting.


 
The kit provides a laser cut Pearwood bracket that slots into the thwart to hold the Bowsprit heel.


 
There are differences between the kit, Underhill plans, and the set up on other models and plans, that I need to resolve.


 
I first need to check the comparative differences in the size of the spar.


 
The kit has a 52’ length, Underhill 49.0’

The inboard ø 10” outboard 7.5” (kit) 12” and 7” (Underhill)


 
These differences are of little consequence in the scheme of things.


 
The Underhill plans and the models by Gordon Williams, Jan van den Heuvel, and the George Macleod model in the NMM

show the Bowsprit heel cut to produce a shoulder which sits against the thwart.


 
This is not universally the case as  the plan of Fidelity shows a fully rounded bowsprit passing thro’ the bracket.


 
In considering the set-up of the Bowsprit, the position and shape of the saddle  needs to be considered. This is set up on the port side bow and as the spar crosses the saddle at an angle, final shaping can only be done insitu.


 
I have replaced the provided bracket with a version that allows for an iron securing strap to be  put in place.


8452
The arrangement is very similar to the cap squares used on 18thc guns to secure the trunnions to the carriage.

 

8480
The Fore tack deck hooks are also in place.


8466

8469
A temporary bowsprit has been made to act as a template to shape the saddle and form the iron.

 

8474

8476

8471(2)
 Quite sticky out the Bowsprit, but it could be displayed taken inboard.


 
 
At this point I have also attached the Bow plate. This is provided in the kit as a nicely formed etched part.

This was chemically blackened and buffed.

The manual suggests that this part be glued to the stem and that short pins be inserted in shallow holes to represent the retaining nails.


 
I didn’t find this necessary and simply pinned the bow plate to the stem using blackened pins only. (shortened pins for the top two)


 
I was conscious of the fact that any stray ca getting on the Bow plate would spoil the look.


 
The top of the plate did need a spot of ca to hold it secure to the stem top before the bolt is inserted.


8482
Attached to the sides of the stem can be seen the ‘Horns’ to take the Fore tack, this is a common feature on both Fifie’s and Zulu’s.

 

8454(2)
At some point I will need to decide whether to paint the lower part of the plate in the colours of the lower hull, as I did with the Fifie.

 

8464
Still some tidying up to do on the deck and I need to decide whether to add the irons along the keel and a bilge keel.


 
B.E.

02/11/20

 
 

Thank you Thomas and Erik, much appreciated.
 
Post 30

Competing the rudder

This entails adding the straps to the gudgeons and pintles.

I am using Chuck’s fibre versions rather than the brass etched kit parts.


8387(2)
Once these are added small spots of pva are added to represent the bolt heads.

As all the straps are painted over this gives a reasonable representation.

The final part is to add the rudder chains.

The kit provides a flat brass etched tiller arm fitting which fits into a slot in the rudder head.

I replaced this with a spectacle plate made from brass strip and small eyebolts.


8389(2)

8390(2)
Spectacle plate in the raw.

Rings are added to the rudder chains which will attach to the spectacle plate.


8399(2)
The straps for the gudgeons are next fixed, short ones only, running the width of the stern post.


8403
Fixing the chains is a fiddly business as there is very little slack, several rings disappeared into the ether during the process.


8408(2)

8404(2)

8411(2)
The completed rudder

 
B.E.

31/10/20

 

Thanks for looking in Moab and for your kind comment, and ditto Grant and John, much appreciated.


 
Thank you Jason and Bob.
I’m no expert on Silver soldering but using the paste in a syringe is a great help.

Basic silver soldering is quite easy, things like making strops and joining rings are quickly picked up.

The main things to consider are:

 Having the metals clean.

 Working out how you are going to secure the parts during the process.

Ensuring a close connection, Silver solder has no gap filling qualities.

As soon as the silver flashes, the job is done, remove part and dip.

If you want to join more than one part to another, you will need different melt point pastes, so that the first isn’t melted when the second is attached.

The piece I was most pleased with was adding two small rings at right angles to a stanchion for the guard rails on my Pegasus build.

Cheers,
 
B.E.

Post 29
Steam Capstan
 
The primary fitting on the Poop is the steam capstan, an eye catching feature which also is supplied with the Fifie kit.
 
Assembly is quite straightforward, built on a central spindle which represents the steam pipe running up the centre of the capstan.
 
For the colour scheme I have used Humbrol enamel (120 Light Green.)
I did chemically blacken the brass etch which provides a good  primer for the paint.
 
The steam capstan was introduced in 1884 by a company called Elliott and Garrood, a development that the crews of fishing boats must have been eternally grateful for when it came to raising that huge fore lug sail.
 

8296(3)
There is however a difference to the gearbox detail on the Underhill plans, compared to the kit, confirmed by photo’s of Muirneag.
 
Nothing to be lost by having a go to replicate the detail, if all else fails I can revert to the kit part.
 
Working at 1:64 scale presents more of a challenge and the most difficult task is fabricating the gear wheel guard.
 
 
Here once again 0.20mm brass fret came into use.
The pattern was cut out and a piece of narrow strip was silver soldered around the edge.
 

8299(2)
The Blu tack holds the parts in position for soldering.


8304(2)
This turned out far better than I thought it might and resulted in a strong bond.


8352(2)

8358(2)
The gearbox casing is chemically blackened.



8328
The large gear wheel was made from the brass etched end of a depth charge.

 

8376
 

8383(2)

8368

8342
This completes the Poop deck fittings for the present.


 
B.E.

26/10/20

 

Post 24
 
 
Fitting out the Poop
 
I am now into my favourite part of a build, fiddling with the fittings.
The Poop deck has a wealth of detail, the positions of which I now need to fix.
The kit contains all the right features but not necessarily in the right layout for Muirneag.(apologies to Morecambe and Wise)
The Mizen mast is square at the partners which were scratched to suit, and the other fittings positions were tweaked to reflect the layout on the Underhill plans.
The kit warp hatch rollers seem to be rather stylised and are represented by etched housings sitting above the level of the coamings covering most of the hatch space.
I was able to utilise the provided coaming which is about right for scale, but I had to enlarge the hatchway slightly to accommodate carlings below the coamings to allow for the rollers to be set lower within the hatchway.

8181
False carlings were glued beneath the hatch coamings which were drilled to take short lengths of 0.5mm brass wire passed thro’ 1mm brass tubing from side to side to secure the rollers.

8177
Completed Warp Hatch in place.
 

8174
Also in this photo the makings for slightly beefed up mast partners, the now defunct kit part can be seen on the Poop deck aft of the mast.
 

8215
The mast partners were remade using spare 3mm Pearwood from the kit fret.
 

8217
All the spare wood around the laser cut parts comes in handy for scratching alternative parts.
With the Warp hatch and partners glued into place, the position of the crutch can be determined.
 

8225
The crutch which supported the lowered Fore mast is nicely pre-made in Pearwood and on Muirneag sits immediately to the starboard side of the Mizen, rather than just aft of the partners as indicated on the kit.
The Underhill plan indicates a height of 8’ 2” = to 38.9mm at scale. The kit part is pretty much spot on for this.

8226
I used a section of square brass tubing to provide a socket to take the Crutch.

8229
These Swann- Morton micro chisels prove invaluable in cutting small holes.
The Boiler flue is provided in the form of Aluminium tubing and a circular etched brass base plate.

8224(2)
I have modified this to accord with the Underhill plans where the flue base is a concrete square set in a wooden frame.
The smaller stove flue was modified to fit a cowl over the top.
 
Blackening Aluminium doesn’t seem to work as well as on brass, and I do have a jar of Aluminium specific blackener.

8287
May need to re-visit the finish on the flues, but a part of me quite likes the weather beaten look.
 
 

8283
The partly completed capstan in place, I have been looking at photo’s of the capstan on Muirneag, and I feel the urge to have a tweak with the gearbox……
 
 
B.E.
25/10/20
 

Post 23
Detailing the internal stern area.


 
On the real boat a 1” thick iron strip ran from the stem along the keel and up the stern post where it was riveted to the head of the sternpost.

 
This was fitted as protection when grounding.

 
The kit provides a nicely etched Bow plate which replicates the stem iron but is not carried around the keel or sternpost.

 
The flange on top of the stern post would be visible so I replicated one.
8136
I used the 0.20mm brass fret from around the decoration etch of my Pegasus kit to make the plate. This was then chemically blackened.


8142(2)
The stern area nearing completion.

A coat of wip has been applied to the stern woodwork.

The iron stern plate has been pinned into position

Along the Starboard doubler at the stern are three iron plates which take sockets for items I’ve yet to understand the purpose of.

8155(2)
The kit provided Coal bunker hatch is inset into the deck.
A nice little item this, once blackened it looks the part.


8170
The smaller and plainer pump deck plate can be seen forward on the starboard side just aft of the mast partners.

 

8146(2)
At the bow there are two knees to be fixed.


8161(2)
Usually I seal the deck with a flat water-based varnish but I have decided to leave it unsealed.
The Boxwood planking will darken with age which is my intention.


8163(2)
Yet another fill, sand, and repaint job needed to improve the rail finish but hull completion is not far away.


 
B.E.

22/10/20

Thank you John 👍
 
Post 22

Fitting the Rudder.

Chris has designed a simplified rudder attachment system which circumvents what can be a fiddly exercise.

This has tenons on the rudder that slot into mortises on the stern post and hold the rudder in the correct position. The straps are then added to rudder and stern post to give the impression of a hung rudder.


 
The alternative is to hang the rudder using pintles and gudgeons which is more authentic but a little more involved.

To aid the modification Chuck (Syren ship models) sells a neat little rudder kit for his range of models which includes the Gudgeons and straps.


 


These are ideal for a whole range of different model types and scales.  

7991
The gudgeons are fitted to the stern post.

It is important that the gudgeons are placed at the bottom of the mortises in the stern post for correct alignment.


 
Once the glue has hard set the gudgeons will be shaped to suit.

 

7993
I use a length of wire to align the holes for the pintles.

 

8003
The rudder could do with a touch of fettling being tapered down slightly from top to bottom and from inboard to the outboard edge.

 
The tenons on the rudder are removed and will be used to fill the now redundant mortices on the stern post.



7997
Pins have been inserted into the rudder to represent the pintles.

 

7999
With the rudder hung I can now attend to the painting and make the necessary adjustment to the white watercut line at the stern post.



8116(2)
I’ll return to this later to add the straps to the pintles and gudgeons.

 

8128(2)
She looks so much better with the rudder in place.



8130(2)
I’m beginning to like this hull shape more and more

 
 
Back to detailing the internal stern area.


 

 
B.E.

20/10/20