jud

What I might do is clamp a square guide to a board with medium sandpaper on it, then use the guide and sand one side of the dowel full length until there was a small flat on it. Then rotate the dowel so the flat is against the guide and sand a side perpendicular to the first flat just a little short of the desired depth, rotate and do it again until your first sanded side was brought down even with the rest. Now it should be close enough to fine tune by eye with the sand paper using the guide if needed..

jud

Little more than the weight of the rear of the gun on the screw, before, during and after firing. The initial beginning load on the screw will vary a bit at different elevations of the gun tube and roll of the ship. Don't forget that a recoil system is intended to spread the force of recoil over time and distance, the carrage with it's slide is a recoil system and the line running through the block and tackels is another part of that system. The breaching is a safety device to keep the gun in the area it is intended to be and seldom even has the slack taken out of it by the forces of recoil. The block and tackle at the side of a gun are used as dampers on the recoil as well as used to pull the gun back into battery and also used as an aiming device. The screw only controls the elevation of the vertical part of aiming the gun and supports the static weight of the gun. That screw being ridigly secured to the breach end of the gun by a threaded hole is free to move with the threads, the bottom end, unless provisions are made, just drags back and forth on whatever it is resting on  when the gun elevation is changed. Gun tube rotates and everything secured to it moves with it around the trunnion. This is a good discussion about a small but important part of those historical guns.

jud

Elevation screw movement.

ELEVATION SCREW.pdf

Probably had a substanttual core. Don't know how you handle such a rope, wet or dry. Where are the bits to take it, some of the larger bolards might handle it if you could get the line to and over it. An 18" diameter rope, for practial reasons, I would think would be limited to stationary use.

jud

Think that the screw has plenty of compression strength to withstand the forces of recoil; the force vector on the screw would be only a very small part of the whole. The weakness I have been wondering about is the bending moment, caused from the long screw on the breach holding that screw in alignment with great force. As the gun tube rotates around the trunion or pivot, that screw will move with it. That rotation of the gun would cause the bottom of the screw to move parallel to the tube. Something has to give or the design changed. The quick and easy way to relieve that bending moment would be to break contact between the bottom of the screw and its resting place on the slide. Could do that with lifting bars just as guns using wedges were, with the weight supported by the bars, spinning the screw into place would be quick and easy and when set the bars were removed, viola, no bending moment and only compression forces acting on that screw. Windy old Fart ain't I.

jud

Izzy; Have been wondering about the early elevation screws that are not hinged at the breach and base. Have came to the conclusion that the lower end slid in or on a well greased table or the gun was lifted with bars and the screw then turned into place to hold the tube at the desired elevation, no bending moment that way.

jud

As noted above, the wallpaper paste that my parents used was starchy, it was just wheat flower and water. Have you thought about some hair sprays, I don't nor my wife use the stuff but I think it does for hair what you want to do with your sails.

jud

Suspect there is more than a round bolt in the slot. Would expect to see a traveling "T" arrangement. That would do two things, one to hold the slide in alignment and the other to keep the upper and lower part of the recoil system attached in case of an upset.

jud 

Looks good for such a small figure and tiny details. Might round off the top of the ears, before you paint, might look more catty.

jud

Kurt, was wondering about the needed left hand taps and dies. Might be able to find someone using a jewelers lathe with a lead screw that could make a tap or two or three, when hardened use one to thread several tap blanks. Made from tool steel and hardened and tempered they should be durable, just make several while set up. Someone on this forum probably knows how or someone who has done it. Could be a fun little project of it self.

jud

The tube idea might be a good one. Think I would obtain a router bit the same size as the tube, route some groves in some mast stock, cut two grooved pieces off off of the grooved stock, rotate one 180 °. After roughing up the tube and using plenty of adhesive,'to prevent direct contact between the tube and wood', clamp the pieces together with the tube inside. When dry, shape to needed profile.

Or obtain some drill rod for all masts and spars, chuck in the lathe and turn it to size and shape, prime and paint. Should be strong enough to defeat your cat, especially if you rig her with wire.     

jud

Have a light box that has a clear glass top 27" X 37" using 4 florescent tubes, commercially made that I acquired years ago as surplus, think it was USACE. It was mostly used to bring out the lines and lettering on old blue line copies or sepia prints of old surveys so the data could be gone over with pencil and used. Also has been used for artsy things to large to hold up to a window for tracing. Your kids should have some fun with the box you made. Keeping mine around, I might be using it.

jud

American ships designed to take advantage of the muddy spring runoff saved a lot of money on planking.

Nice detailed work.

jud

Thanks for the follow up Richard, I was wondering what you would discover. Can't help you with a torch, I use an acetylene torch for cutting and brazing with large tanks. Have a small brazing tip but not small enough for your job. I have seen those hobby size torches that use bottled gas, expensive but look like useful torches, probably need different size tips for them, but you could braze if needed or heat small pieces of steel for forging or bending.

jud

Glad to see this topic, missed the 2014 posts.

jud

You can get small compressors, made to run from the cigarette lighter in your car, that will pump up to 120 PSI or more, no air storage tank but they may pump enough air for your needs without a tank. Air pressure tanks are not expensive, you could fill one at the tire shop. With a tank with 120 PSI, a filter and regulator would be needed, again not expensive. My compressor is a 3 HP system but I use canned air on my computer.

jud

Like Andy, I prefer to stand.

jud

New rope walk, "planetary" 3.0 by Alexey Domanoff posted a few days ago, it has the capability for a center core. Using a minimum stretch core might make synthetic line easier to tension without stretch. Small stainless steel wire perhaps, little bulk with no stretch and would have a memory so forming lines to hang naturally might become eraser.? This rope walk can make up to 4 strand rope plus the core. This rope walk comes with the  additional capability's I wanted to see in commercial rope walks, that would have been built into any I might build for myself. Expect this to be a best seller. I have no affiliation with the maker.

jud

I have done some brazing using flux, brazing rod with my oxy-acetoline torch and have been wondering if brazing might be an option for modlers who use the small high heat torchs. Heck you can even weld steel and iron using a torch and wire, don't need flux, the flame will keep the surface from oxidizing if at the right heat.

jud

You must be holding the parts together somehow, perhaps you have a heat sink effect that prevents the copper from heating enough but will allow the brass to heat to the lower tempurture needed for it.

jud

Don't believe the Garboard Strake should be fastened to the keel, nor do I believe it should be inside or far into the Keel. Reason, the forces working on the planks and ribs are different than the forces working on the Keel. A perpendicular 90° bottomed rabbit, only deep enough to make the joint, will provide enough surface to seal with Oakum and tar, you want the rabbit only deep enough to make a flexible seal joint between the Planking and Keel, its not there for structural reasons. That joint needs to move, were it rigid there would be failure of the plank close to the joint. Attaching the Garboard Strake is just like attaching any other plank to the ribs. That attachment makes the rib and plank components into one unit that moves and flexes together as a unit. The Keel controls other forces, which vary because of wave action creating a live load, shifting along the Keel as the ship works and results in an up and down flexing of the Keel, any sideways motion should be controlled by above the Keel structures within limits.  Without that mix of motion, the joint could be a solid joint, kind of like the connection between the foundation and the structure of a house, but even that connection is intended to allow for some flexing.

jud

I would expect that the rabbit for any full size ship would be cut to a mininum depth into the Keel that provides the needs of the joint. A V cut into the keel with a 90° bottom angle would be one with equel sides and only deep enough for a good connection to be made. Would requile trimming the Garboard Strake to fit, which could be fitted as it is laid along the keel and ribs. I would not want any keel of mine to be cut any deeper than the mininum needed. The builders, building and planking those ships had skill levels that would not be tested by  fitting a garboard strake into such a rabbit.

jud

By making your last turns on the feed wheels in one direction will take up any slack on one side, it works with anything that is moved mechanically, without some slack, parts would not move as intended. Being consistant on how you take up that slack will increase precision.

jud.

Was a messenger line used? That way the riggers could run a lighter line, while working from whatever was holding them. When the messinger was rigged, the end of the crowsfoot line would be attached to the messinger using a splice to prevent a knot to hang up. Then laving the coil on deck. use the messinger to guide and control  it as it follows the messinger.  When in place adjust.as needed.  Messinger lines and jin poles allow things to be done with simple rigging and I bet they were used frequently in the days of sale.

jud

The crew would be lifting the levers for the windless and then letting the dogs hold the tension while the levers were moved, anyway that is what it looks like to me from photos, sketches and studying the windless on the Lady Washington. If the dogs were set for the levers to be pulled down, then the poor sailor pulling down and the dogs failed and the other lever was not ready, how far would he go over the bow. probably become a cook if recovered.