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.

I bought a surplus steel desk and a solid core door from a hospital being razed, about 4' X 7'. used a heavy piano hinge the full length of the desk and attached the door. Used it for a drafting table for years with it proped up on the back, sometimes the desk was lifted on concrete blocks. It has gone through several size adjustments and is now 5' long and 3' wide and lying flat on the desktop. Yes it is heavy but there is a lot of storage in the desk and the hindge does come off when I move the thing, sometimes the feet needed to come off of the desk to get it in and out of a small room. It was cost efective, stromg and long lasting and with some effort it can be moved almost anywhere. With the legs removed and the dest stood up on it's end, it goes around tight corners well. Offer this as someting to consider. jud

Impressive. Don't worry about the missing crew, they are aboard. When the report of a Mermaid siteing was passed,. they all went forward for a look.. jud

Might try a reostat for speed control, just don't overheat by running to slow under a heavy load. jud

Like was noted, 'poor quality sketch'. What I find intreaging is how the tiller was rigged in Tadeusz's photos. Rudder post forward with the tiller leading aft. The long hub with the drums aft was another unusual method of rigging. Rigging the stearing gear that way would save deck space when the rudder post daylights on the main deck where this one does. jud

I Suspect that anchor lines were never allowed to run over the Gypsies Heads or bits for that matter. Perhaps after using the Lead the cable was flaked out on deck and a stopper placed on the cable to stop the uncontrolled run after the anchor was bottomed, releasing the stopper would allow for controlled letting out of cable until the proper scope was out and then the cable was re-stoppered by stoppers attached to bits. Chains do run around the Wildcats when the anchor is let go but the brake always has control of how fast the chain runs out, without that brake, the weight of the chain rushing overboard would keep it running until all was overboard, chain and all. I have knocked the keeper loose on pelican hooks, releasing the anchor held by them aboard the Ammen. On the other end of the sprectom I have thrown the anchor with about 20 feet of chain attached to braided rope over the side of the Cape Race, 34’ troller I rode from Bellingham to Alaska,fished and rode her back that fall. That anchoring system that summer was the jud system. I have not found any satisfactory procedures recorded anywhere about letting go the anchor on the Sailing ships using Catheads, can see holding the anchor away from the side and out of the water from the cathead, but the hook shown holding the anchor bothers me, it needs a quick release of some kind, even a lashed line that was cut would work, without a quick reliease, a lot of time would be needed to free the anchor from the carhead and let it hang from the cable. Enough from me.

Bearings ?

You need to drop everything and build yourself a, 2, 3 or more drawer, flat file. You can build it with a removable table type top and use that top as a table or whatever, the removable top is so you can stack another set of drawers on top of the existing drawers and then replace the top on the addition if the need arises. Or you could contine with what seems to have worked well for you. Don't comment much on your build log but I do watch and learn from it. You are doing a very good job, didn't think you would get this far after seeing how you planked her, boy was I wrong. jud

Your use of the lath and mill as a shaper is new to me, can't complain about not having a shaper. Like to spend some time with you, in your shop, asking dumb questions. jud

Don't forget the Half Hitch, I still use it often for many different things, you can double them or tie it for a quick release by looping the tuck. Handy knot. The constrictor knot is one I have not used, have about 4 feet of 1/4" cotton rope on my desk and practicing tying it. jud

Nice work. Like the way you made your lathe work as a shaper, well worth placing in the memory banks, sometime a mill is not the proper tool. Enjoying as well as learn from your machine work. jud

Thanks for the link. A simple repair that works, saves money and what you learn, may be useful elsewear. jud

Aluminum pistons is the norm for most real life engines. It's the "O" ring that surprized me, was expecting some Iron Compression rings and an oil seal. I remember the rubber seals for bag type guns I worked on, wondered why they didn't burn out. Seems that if the seal is good, rubber works fine, it's when a leak develops trouble begins with hot gas rushing through the leak destroying the rubber seal, expect the "O" ring works the same. jud

As a followup on my above post, 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r6be7jWbPE' shows one launch from the deck of the Helena and some long range shots of her. jud

Firing that gun, without warning those down range and thinking about their probable reaction reminds me of a fisherman who was not where he was susposed to be. Rigulas missiles used 2 jato bottles at launch as well as having the jet engine running at full power. The fisherman had been hearing that for 5 minunts or more and was used to it. The jatos go off with a blast and a roar with lots of smoke and he did not expect that. Then because those missiles were remotly controled by a sheperting fighter with a wingman as cover, those jets arivied at moment of launch and take control from the launching ship. There is a lot going on, lots of noise and smoke. The noise was gone by the time the smoke cleared and we could see the fisherman, he was at the stern of his boat pulling on the starter rope like mad, got her going and left. Happened at the Missile Range off of the Califorina coast aboard the USS Helena CA 75, 1960 or 61. I was watching from Mount 36, it was a grandstand seat. Anyway the probable reaction of those down range if not warned when seeing that, bale of hay charge go off, whould have been somewhat like what that fishermans was feeling at launch. Bale of hay,is the turm fo firring a propelling charge without the projectal, not a blank. jud

Have a shop vac with two seperate filters that I use to clean the pellet stove ash, no ash in the house. Before I found out about the second filter I used a hose from the vac outlet to the outdoors. jud

Nice photos, Thanks. Have a Merry Christmas. jud

Sacrificial anodes are what those zink hull mounted blocks are called. Zink is some good stuff but its fumes when heated are toxic. When welding or torch cutting galvinized anything, keep your nose out of the yellow smoke, milk is an antidote, helps you get over your headache quicker. jud

It that much of a problem then secure the model well, build a solid backstop in front of the bow and obtain some small turnbuckles or make something from a bolt and nut that can be adjusted to hold the planks in place. Often when a squease won't work, a push will. Need to be some protection for the plank to avoid marking. Should'nt take much time to rig something and give it a try. jud

I would take that hull to someone with a milling machine, you will endup with a uniform cavity. Could be importent when you start adding your own details. Or, secure that hull on a movable saw table and slice it into rib paterns or bulkheads to trace. jud

Were I designing the instillation of the chain pumps, 'not really pumps at all, just water lifting devices using dippers to carry the water'. I would place a pump head or multiple pump heads on each deck that I wanted bilge water to discharge, each separate pump independently running to the bilge with no breaks or openings. On a man of war, seldom would there be a shortage of men to power the pumps and provide enough men for rotation on those pumps. Want water on one deck with a pump head, man that pump, have a lot of water to move, then man all the pump heads regardless of deck and open the scuppers. Not having any knowledge of how it was set up, the object still would be to lift water from one place to another using simple and easily repairable methods. Wonder if any method so far noted are 100% accurate. jud

Didn't I see a photo of a metal boat and short writeup on this forum about 8 months ago? jud

I prefer number 1 with some refinement of the star. Steady hand work. doing well. jud

Long Splice?

Nice job. jud