bhermann

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 230 – Fore Topmast Crosstrees
 
The topmast crosstrees are fairly simple structures – except for the iron spreader assembly that mounts fairleads for the backstays of the masts above.  In the first picture, the members of the wooden structure are shown fitted together but not yet trimmed to size.
 

 
The four athwartship members are set into mortises in the fore-and-aft trestle trees.  The drawing (almost complete) shows the arrangement of the spreader irons.  In the next picture the wood structure has been assembled, drilled for the deadeye straps, and the arms tapered.
 

 
The next picture shows the assembly positioned on the topmast.
 

 
In the next picture, one of the spreader arms has been roughly shaped and the second has been drilled before shaping.
 

 
The spreader structure was made from .020" hard copper plate for stiffness.  It will be very fragile nonetheless.  The assembly will be bolted to the crosstrees through the two forward holes (that do not yet appear on the drawing).  Holes drilled in the unshaped piece on the outer arm will help precisely locate the fairlead cleats.  The next picture shows some shaping of the cleats.
 

 
Before filing the final shapes, the profile was cut out with a jeweler's saw.  In the next picture, a drawing scrap is being used to place the arms and cross piece for soldering.
 

 
After pinning, the paper was removed and the two joints soldered with minimal heat to limit the softening of the copper strips.  In the next picture the spreader assembly has been cleaned up and bolted to the crosstrees.
 

 
The bolts are copper wire pushed through the holes and riveted.  The next picture shows the crosstrees assembly placed on the hounds.
 

 
The last step was to add the eyebolts on the underside of the structure.
 

 
In this picture the assembly has been permanently attached to the topmast.  I am hopeful that the fragile spreader structure will gain some support after the stays are rigged through the fairlead cleats.Further work may now proceed on the detailing of the topmast head and fitting deadeyes the the assembly.
 
Ed

Oh I feel a drop off in productivity nearing...
 
these all just arrived...

Hi Micheal,
 
You have noticed another case of my taking pictures with discrepancies between the drawings and the work.  My apologies to all for these differences.  They occur when I elect not to print the latest revision for use in the shop - a very bad practice, but one I reluctantly sometimes adopt in the interest of saving 11 x 17 printer paper and ink.  Unlike the recipients of my final drawings, I am usually doing drawing revisions "just-in-time" for construction because before constructing something I usually go back and make sure my best current data is reflected on the drawings. In this case the dimensioned construction drawing for the spar had been updated and printed for use in making the spar correctly, but not the mast detail sheet which was still undergoing revision - mainly for upper mast details like rigging line numbers.  Snippets from the current detail drawing and spar construction are shown below.  You will note the difference from the first two drawings in the post above.  The square heeling has been shortened to correct size (2.5 X mast diameter) and the location of the fid hole updated based on the final drawing of the top.  The bottom of the hole is 1" + the depth of the trestle trees above the mast bottom.  These dimensions are shown on the spar construction drawings but not on the detail sheets.
 
Again sorry for this confusion.  I should be more careful or at least note when these differences occur.
 
Thanks, Micheal.  I like it when people look closely.
 
Ed  
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 229 – Fore Topmast 2
 
The first stages in making the fore topmast were described in Part 226.  There are just a few details to be added in this part.  The first picture shows the lower sheave ready to be installed.
 

 
All slots through the mast were cut with a 1/32" milling cutter, so in most cases some enlargement is required to accommodate other parts.  Slight enlargement of this sheave opening was done with the small diamond grit file in the picture to widen the slot to a scale 3".  The 2½" thick sheave with a diameter equal to the mast at its position was turned in brass on the lathe.  This sheave was used to raise the mast by means of a tackle hooked to the foremast cap.  The sheave is angled on the mast so the that rope will clear the close, square opening in the fore top.  The next picture shows the topmast fid.
 

 
The dimensions of this substantial piece of iron may be seen in the photo.  The slot for this piece was also widened with a small file.  The next picture shows the lower end of the topmast temporarily in position.
 

 
In practice the topmast would be raised up through the opening in the top and through the cap from below.  The mast would then be fitted with the futtock band and the crosstrees.  On the model the topmast will be slipped through the cap only, then fitted with the upper details including futtock shrouds.  Then the whole assembly will be set in place from above.  Because the futtock band will not fit through the cap, it was installed after the cap was slipped over the mast.  The method for fixing the band is shown in the next picture.
 

 
The band is placed below the hounds, which flare out to seat the crosstrees, so it cannot be pre-made and slipped over.  The tab shown in the picture was crimped to hold the band and also to simulate the bolted, clamping flange that would have been used.  Obviously this piece could not be soldered.  The band will be fixed to its position when the four futtock shroud eyebolts are added through holes drilled in the band and into the mast.  The completed band and eyebolts are shown in the next picture.
 
The picture also shows the sheave for the upper topsail halyard tie installed, as well as the seat at the top of the hounds for the crosstrees.  Those crosstrees will be described in the next part.
 
Work on these mast parts has been interspersed with "rattling down" of the lower shrouds.  The last picture shows this work completed on the starboard side of the fore mast.
 

 
 
 
Ed

Per - I did something similar with my hatch and cabin tops.  The older versions of the kit (back in the Model Shipways days) came with walnut veneers strips as an option to finishing the hull.  Since I was painting the hull, I used the walnut in the same way you used the mahogany.  I agree it is a much nicer look than the burnt umber painting.  Overall you are doing a fine job on this grand old lady.
 
Concerning the practicums direction on painting - it does not match the plans in a number of areas.  The sides and tops of the rails are reversed black for white, as one example.  Also the finishing of the cabins and hatches may have some discrepancies - don't quote me on that one, it's been a few years.  I followed the paint scheme from the plans rather than the practicum - I think it produces  a more "normal" look than the practicum.
 
As I recall it was that difference in color schemes that made me start questioning some of the practicum details and considering other ways of doing things.
 
Bob

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 228 – Ratlines 2
 
While focusing mainly on the foretopmast after the bowsprit work, I have been taking "recreational" time outs to work on that favorite task of "rattling down".  I showed pictures in an earlier post of making up ratlines with their end eye splices and some of these lashed on to the shrouds.  The actual production work of installing ratlines has now begun.  It begins with the making and fitting of staves at intervals up the shrouds.  These are shown on the main mast in the first picture.
 

 
These staves are very prominent in one of the photos of the ship, spaced after every fourth shroud and extending over the full gang of six.  The ratlines span only the shrouds aft of the first.  The staves maintain spacing between shrouds.  On the model they help maintain this spacing and the straightness of the shrouds when tying off the ratlines.  The heights of the staves permit four ratlines spaced at 13" to be placed between them.  The next picture shows foremast staves partially lashed to the shrouds.
 

 
The sheer poles just above the deadeyes were served iron rods, 1" in diameter.  The staves were more likely wood, but since they would have been tarred, the model material does not really matter.  I made these of bamboo, drawn down to under 1½" diameter stained black with India ink.  As may be seen in the photos, the .020" bamboo rods are quite stiff and straight, much more rigid than wire.  The next picture shows a closer view of the stave/shroud lashings.
 

 
After tying, the lashing are wetted with diluted, darkened PVA glue.  The purpose of the glue is only to secure the knots and keep them from loosening.  PVA glue has the advantage of being easily softened with isopropanol if lashings need to be removed.  After the glue has completely dried, the loose ends were carefully cut off using a surgical scalpel.  The next picture shows ratlines lashed between the staves.
 

 
The 1½" ratlines are No. 80 crocheting cotton stained black with diluted India Ink.  The end splices on the left were pre-made, then lashed to the aft shroud.  Clove hitches were then tied on the next three shrouds.  Height spacing of the four ratlines between staves was then adjusted before applying any glue.  In the top tier in the picture the lashings on the right have been tied and glued with the ratlines pulled through and suspended temporarily as shown.  In the tier below each splice was made by passing the line through itself with a needle, pulled to the left, and glued.  The excess line was then cut off as shown in the lowest tier in the photo.  All this looks a lot better when the excess lashing ends are gone.
 
The last picture digresses a bit, but answered one of my nagging questions.  It shows the fore topmast positioned to be rigged through the top.
 
 
 
 
The topmast is longer than the height of the top, raising the question of whether it required a deck scuttle to be used to position it for raising.  I assumed not when framing the deck, so the positioning of the mast in this picture was a comforting relief to someone like me who worries about this stuff.  As will be seen shortly, the model mast will be installed from above after fitting to the top.
 
 
Ed

Just boring pictures, skylight in place and more planking.
Although the last plank is not glued into placed.

I am back to my Bluenose,
build logs will slow down due to personal and family causes, new will follow in this matter...
but tonight I got some time with my lady, and one of the deck houses was finally installed.

 
trying to create an old style photo
 

 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 227 – Fore Mast Cap
 
The fore mast cap, like the bowsprit cap, was fairly easy to make because both holes in both caps were 18" square or round and this converts to a very convenient ¼" cutting tool size at 1:72 scale.  The other 8 caps to be made are not so convenient.  A process for making those will be described later.
 
The wood cap shown below was first bored for the two holes, accurately spaced.  The aft hole was then squared with files. 
 

 
The picture shows the straightened copper strip that will be used for the band around the cap.  This is large and heavy because it must support the lower topsail yard Howes truss.  The cap itself is shown with a strip of masking tape around it perimeter.  This served as a gauge for the length of copper strip needed for the band.  The tape was transferred to the bench so the copper strip could be marked out as shown in the next picture.
 

In the next picture the band has been silver soldered to form the band and that has been fit over the cap.

In the picture, two bits of telescoping copper tube are shown.  These were combined and soldered to form a heavy boss that was then soldered to the forward end of the cap as shown below.

The tubing boss was filed flat on one side to fit against the band as shown.  The band joint may also be seen in this picture.
 
The lower caps are each fitted with an iron bar with eyes at the ends.  These support double blocks that take the lower yard topping lifts.  To make this piece, the concave aft face was first filed out and the holes for the eyes and the mounting bolts center-marked as shown below.

 
After drilling the holes, the bar was filed to its final shape and polished as shown in the next picture.

 
This also shows the blackened cap band.  The topping lift blocks will be shackled to the eyes in the bar.  Again, because the shackles are soldered assemblies, this must be done before fitting the bar to the wood cap.  In the next picture a shackle has been soldered at one end of the bar.
 

 
With the shackle made, the blocks were fitted.  It is much (very much) easier to strap and attach the blocks on the bench, so these were installed next.  In the next picture, the bar is being bolted to the cap.
 

 
One of the copper "bolts" is being inserted through the bar and into an undersized hole in the wood cap.  These were then cut off just above the bar and riveted flat to hold the bar.  Bolts through the forward end of the band were also added on either side of the boss to keep the band in place under the weight of the yard.  Five eyebolts are also installed in the cap at this stage – four on the underside and one aft through the band. The bolt heads and the blackening that was scuffed during this work was then touched up with a brushing of liver of sulfur solution.  The finished cap, still wet from the solution is shown below.
 

 
In the last picture the cap is temporarily fitted to the masthead with the topmast.
 

 
The top of the lower mast head tenon has been filed flush.  Before the topmast and the cap is permanently installed further work on the mast is needed – futtock band, crosstrees, futtock shrouds, etc. -.  All this must be done with the mast inserted through the cap.
 
I omitted the 1" lining between mast and cap in favor of a tight, unglued fit for the topmast and to avoid the complication of the very thin lining.
 
 
Ed

Thank you all for the comments and likes and for the continued interest in this project - now approaching its 4th year.  I seem to take mostly close-up pictures but here is one I took today of the full model in its dust case.  You will note construction not yet described in the posts.  Running a bit behind on the posts.
 

 
Below is a photo of the two fixtures I am using to hold larger spars.  The one with the cam levers is used to hold square straight of tapered pieces. The one above is used to pare off the corners to form octagons and to do final rounding.  It has various sizes of v-grooves along the top and dowel stops at one end of each groove.  They are very simple to make using scrap material.  The bases are 2x4 and 2x3 wood that can be held in my bench vise.  The working surfaces are 3/4" thick pine, supported at the ends, with screws in the center to curve the working surface so that curved spars like yards will lie flat.  Spacers are used to return the working surface to straight.  The cam shapes are thin plywood held by flat head screws.  The cam shapes and spacing require some trial and error to fit a range of sizes.
 

Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 226 – Fore Topmast 1
 
The fore topmast is only slightly less complex than the jibboom.  It has two sheaves, one below its cross-trees for the upper topsail halyard tie, and one near the base to aid in erecting the mast.  The base is square, the area below the hounds is octagonal and the minimum diameter of the spar is below the hounds so that the top of the hounds flare out to provide a seat for the cross-trees.
 
As with the jibboom, mortises for both sheaves and one at the base for the mast fid were milled into the still-squared, untapered "first trim."  In the jibboom post (Part 217), I mentioned using an edge-finer to center the mortises on the spar, rather than relying on pencil-marked center lines.  This method eliminates error inherent in visually using a marked line.  The edge finder that I used, set in the 3/8" Sherline mill holder, is shown in the first picture.

The finder is precisely 0.375" inches in diameter.  The lower section of the finder is offset from the center but moves freely in the radial direction.  The pointed section at the bottom is not used in this instance. 
 
The first step was to align the fixed jaw of the milling vise parallel to the mill's X-axis.  This was done using a dial test indicator mounted in the spindle as described in an earlier post.  The edge finder was then installed in the spindle and used to precisely locate the face of the fixed jaw of the vise relative to the spindle centerline.  The next picture shows this being done.

In the picture, the finder has been lowered so the bottom part is able to rub against the vise jaw.  With the mill running, the jaw is brought slowly into contact with the lower section of the finder.  As the vise is moved inward, the lower section of the finder becomes more centered.  When the jaw has reached the precise diameter of the finder shaft, the bottom section "kicks out" to the left as shown above.  The finder is then removed and the vise moved further inward by one-half the finder's diameter, 0.1875".  The spindle is thus centered precisely over the fixed vise-jaw face.
 
In the next picture, a 1/32" bit has been fitted into a chuck on the spindle and the vise advanced by one half of the actual diameter of the spar blank, bringing it precisely over the centerline of the spar.

For this very light work, the bit is held in a drill chuck.  Due to the size of the spar and the short length of the milling bit, the mortises must be cut from both sides, further heightening the need for accurate centering.  The less critical lengths of the mortises are set visually by lines marked on the spar.  I cut all the mortises with the bit shown, then enlarge to the final width later using small files.
 
The next picture shows the spar with two of the mortises cut.

 Because the lower sheave is set 45 degrees from the fore and aft slots and is located on the full-diameter, untampered lower end, this milling was later done by the same method after the octagonal shape was formed on the spar.  The next picture shows the rough tapering of the square blank using a cabinet scraper.

The area below the hounds is being tapered from both directions to the minimum mast diameter as shown below using a flat file.

In the next picture the mast has been fully shaped. 

The bottom is left square with chamfered corners, the hounds are left octagonal and the masthead is left square.  The final diameter of the lower section was refined to its final size using the mast cap as a gauge.  The last picture shows the topmast temporarily mounted on the lower mast.

As with the bowsprit cap, the mast cap shown here was easy to make because the lower masthead tenon and the diameter of the lower end of the topmast are 18", converting to a convenient ¼" drill size at 1:72.  Precision in mast cap dimensions is important so that the masts will be properly aligned.  For all the remaining caps, where the hole sizes are less convenient, a different process will be described later. 
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 225 – Bowsprit Standing Rigging
 
Foot Ropes/Lifelines
 
Footropes from the bowsprit cap out to the end of the flying jibboom allowed crew to work along the jibbooms on tasks like furling and bending outer jibs.  Because of the inclination of the bowsprit these ropes were knotted along their length to prevent slipping.  There was a single stirrup supporting the center of the foot rope.  The first picture shows a prefabricated, 3½" footrope ready to be installed. 
 

 
The forward end of the rope is eye spliced, as are both ends of the short stirrup.  Both these eyes have lashing thread tied to the eye.  The lower end remains unspliced.  The eye at this end will be formed with the rope in place so the length can be set.
 
In the next picture the port footrope and its stirrup have been lashed to eyebolts along the spar and the attachment to the cap is being formed.
 

 
The weight of the surgical clamp suspended from the center holds the stirrup straight so the foot rope length can be set.  The lashing thread at the cap is passed through the eyebolt and tied to the rope where the eye splice will be made.  The loose rope end is threaded through itself at that point to form the eye which is then glued.  The alligator clip is clamping the eye splice while the glue dries.  The lashing at the cap will then be completed.  The next picture shows an eye splice lashed to an eyebolt.
 

 
The next picture shows an all-too-typical tangle of clamps and thread ends during the process.
 

 
In this picture, lifelines from the knightheads out to an eye in the top of the cap band may be seen.  These are secured like the footropes with spliced eyes and lashings.
 
The last two pictures show the completed standing rigging of the bowsprit.
 

 
More standing rigging lines will be added later, but these will be components of the foremast structural rigging.  There will also be various running rigging lines added later – mostly those associated with jibs and staysails.
 

 
All of this bowsprit rigging could have been done before the lower masts, since with the fore stay attached to the knightheads, it is independent of those structures.  However, the bowsprit should be rigged before the fore topmast, so its stay can be secured and tensioned with the bowsprit rigging in place.
 
Next: the fore topmast.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 224 – Bowsprit Standing Rigging 3
 
Jib Boom Guys
 
The jibboom and flying jibboom guys provided lateral support for the outer bowsprit.  They are 5 ½" rope at the forward ends and 54 links per fathom (lpf) chain where they pass through the whisker booms and back to where they belay to hearts on the outer rail.  I used the smallest (40 lpi) model chain available for this size chain.  The first picture shows the port jibboom guy secured and the starboard guy draped through its whisker boom cleat. 
 

 
Loose ends of both the line and the seizing yarn may be seen in the picture.  The rope sections are seized at both ends – to eyes on the boom and to the chains.  The next picture shows a seizing being tied at a boom eyebolt.
 
 
 
The rope is held taut with the alligator clip shown in the picture.  After tying each seizing a drop of darkened glue is placed on the knot.  When this has fully dried the excess seizing thread and the excess line are clipped off.  Another drop of diluted glue is applied to further seal the knot and the cut rope end.  At this stage the line is given an initial tension using the heart lanyards.  The next picture shows both jibboom guys essentially installed.
 

 
The next picture shows the 40 lpi chain at the whisker boom. 
 

 
This picture tells me that the whisker boom needs straightening.  These have occasionally run afoul of my hands and arms.  They are very vulnerable to this.  Perhaps the chains will help.
 
Flying Jibboom Guys
 
The flying jibboom guys are lighter, 3¾" rope and 74 lpf chain.  Chain of this size is made by twisting copper wire.  Some of this, with shackles soldered to the ends, is shown below.
 
 
 
 
This picture illustrates some variation in the simulated links per inch – very difficult to discern by the naked eye.  The next picture shows the outer guy on the starboard side and the hearts and lanyards on both guys on that side.
 

 
The eyebolts are anchored in toptimbers, spaced to keep the two sets of hearts from fouling each other.  Again, the lanyards are left unseized until final tensioning later.  The paper toweling in the picture was used to catch drips of the liver of sulfur solution used to touch up the blacking on the chains.  The next picture shows the chain sections of the guys on the port side.
 

 
The next picture is an ultra-close up of the two rope/chain seizings.
 

 
All the line used so far on the model is linen dyed with India Ink, except for some of the lashings that are cotton.  The seizing thread is black quilting cotton.
 
The foot ropes and lifelines that will complete this phase of the bowsprit rigging will be covered in the next part.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 223 – Bowsprit Standing Rigging 2
 
Martingale Backstays
 
The first picture shows the two prefabricated martingale backstays with hearts attached, secured to eyebolts on the lower end of the martingale.
 

 
These are of 40 lpi copper chain, simulating smaller 74 lpf chain as mentioned earlier and as used on the inner martingale stay in the last part.  They were pre-measured before attaching the eyebolts and heart shackles at the ends.  The temporary "backstay" tensioning thread is still in place.  The backstays will be secured to hearts anchored to eyebolts on the catheads.  The heart on the starboard cathead is shown below.
 

 
The next picture shows the lanyard on the port backstay threaded up and the stay being tensioned. 
 

 
The starboard stay has been installed and the two are being adjusted to provide tension on the inner and outer forward stays and to pull the martingale into a side-to-side vertical position.  The next picture shows the installed backstays with the temporary tensioning thread removed.
 
 
 
The next picture shows the hearts on the starboard side. 
 
 
 
The lanyards on both sides remain unsecured so that final tension adjustments may be made later when foremast stays are installed.  After those final adjustments, both the loose lanyard ends will be seized to their mates and clipped off.  The last picture shows a pair of these seizings on one of the bowsprit backstays before clipping off the excess seizing thread.
 

 
 
 
Ed
 

...Back to the barge.
 
I completed the sculpting for the two bow pieces.   Then I made a mold and some resin castings.  Resin castings will come with the kit.  In the photo below you can see two rows of resin castings.  The bottom row is the raw resin casting.  Rather than paint them as I typically do, trying to make them look like wood,  I thought I would try something new.
 
Rather than paint,  I used weathering powders.  I applied them directly to the resin castings with a brush.  The three colors are shown.  I continuously used differnt layers of the three colors and eventually it came out really well.  The color matches wonderfully  Its better than paint in my opinion as the powders dont build up and the detail remains crisp.   You cant really chip or scratch the paint ruining your piece.   Once done I sprayed with matte fixative.

 
Below are the pictures showing the castings test fit on the model.  I notched out the molding to accept them.  You can also see the laser cut iron strap that runs on the forward face of the stem.  It goes all the way under to the keel stopping just ahead of the scarf joint.  There are holes pre-drilled along the top of the strip which were later filled with 22 gauge black wire.  I pre-drilled the holes using the laser cut holes as a guide with a #71 bit.  Then I stuck the wire into each hole with no glue.  After snipping off the excess,  they were filed down but allowed to stand proud.  This creates the nice decorative detail you see on these barges.  The strip was put on the stem in three sections.  The top and aft side of the stem first as they were short pieces, then the long strip down the front.  The seams are almost noticeable.  You can get a tight fit between pieces and the laser board sands well.  I think it simulates a piece of metal quite nicely.
 

 

 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 222 – Bowsprit Standing Rigging 1
 
Much of the bowsprit standing rigging is/was chain.  In the mid-19th century chain was used not so much for sheer strength but primarily for its durability in situations where physical abuse could be expected.  Later, iron or steel wire would displace chain and rope.  The bow of the ship was exposed to buffeting by the sea and objects that might be floating in it, as well potential damage in collisions with docks, etc., however slight, hence the amount of chain in its structural rigging.  Chain sheets and halyards that also suffered considerable wear will be discussed later.
 
Chain specifications have been hard to uncover in primary sources, so where Bill Crothers specified sizes on his drawings I have used those.  His sources for these (and other questions) were on my list to discuss with him but that last meeting never occurred.  However, knowing the intensity of his research, I am confident in his sizing.  For lines he omitted from his drawings, I plan to calculate  rope/chain equivalents from contemporary data in Luce, Seamanship, 1868.  Chain has been a puzzle
 
Bobstays continued
 
In the last part, fabrication of one of the chain bobstays was described.  In the first picture the two bobstays have been rigged.
 

 
The forward ends are secured to eyebolts in the bowsprit using wood hearts with lanyards.  These allowed tensioning of the stays.  The fine thread seen in the picture are ends of the seizings that secure the lanyards to their adjacent parts and will be clipped off.  A simpler, but less authentic, method of securing the ends was adopted later to eliminate the visible ends that are difficult to completely remove at this scale.
 
Bowsprit Shrouds
 
The next picture shows one of the bowsprit shroud fabrications before installation. 
 

 
The shrouds and bobstays are all chain of ~30 links per fathom (lpf), i.e. 30 links per inch at 1:72.  The connection to the heart is similar to that shown above and in the last part.  At the other end, an iron plate with an eyebolt is used.  This will bolt to the outer hull above the hawse holes as shown in the next picture.
 

 
This picture also shows one of the martingale backstays rigged to the cathead that will be discussed later.  The next picture shows the forward fastenings of the bobstays and shrouds.
 

 
 
Martingale Stays
 
The next picture shows the inner and outer martingale stays. 
 

 
The inner, unblackened, stay was chain of 54 llpf and is modeled using the smallest chain I could find.  At 40 links per inch it is somewhat heavier than specified, but representative.  The outer stay was lighter at 74 lpf.  This fine chain was simulated by twisting up two strands of 28 gauge copper wire under fairly low tension.  This method produces a very reasonable small-sized chain substitute.  Unfortunately, small chain is not very photogenic.  These two stays were sized with the martingale held vertical by the temporary thread "backstay" in the picture.  The next picture shows these two forward chain stays after blackening.
 

 
The martingale will be held vertical by two backstays that run back to hearts and lanyards on the cathead.  When added, these attachments will allow fine adjustments to the position of the martingale.  Next time.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 221 – Bow Ironwork
 
The final step in permanently securing the bowsprit was to install the iron-strap gammoning.  This passes over the top of the bowsprit just forward of the knightheads on either side, and bolts to the upper part of the stem assembly.  The first picture shows a bolt hole being drilled through the strap and into the wood.
 

 
With one side secured, the strap was tightened over the spar, hammered down to fit at the top, and bolted to the other side.  Because the figurehead moldings were fitted into the area between the hull and the stem, slots for the banding had to be sawed out.  The next picture shows the installed gammoning.
 

 
After blackening, the slot through the figure molding will need to be touched up with paint where it was sawed out.  The next picture shows the two anchor points for the inner and outer bobstays – also iron straps bolted to the stem and hull.
 

 
Because these are angled at the forward end, the copper strips for these were cut out before bending as shown in the next picture.
 

 
This shape was then bent to fit over the stem, shaped to the hull with the apex up, drilled and bolted.  Holes for eyebolts were then spotted and drilled through the forward face and into the stem.
 
Bobstays
 
The next picture shows one of the bobstays before blackening.
 

 
The eyebolt was twisted up with the chain attached as shown below.
 

 
The strap for the 12" wooden heart was fabricated as shown below just prior to soldering.
 

 
The strap was first formed around a heart with a shackle to connect to the chain – much like the deadeye straps made earlier.  The chain was threaded on to the straight bolt piece before soldering.
 
The chain lengths for these was measured with the eyebolt end temporarily placed in the stem and the chain cut off to allow space for rigging the two hearts just behind the cap.  More on this in the next part.
 
The chain is about 30 links per inch, which corresponds to 30 links per fathom at 1:72.  This is the largest size chain used on the bowsprit standing rigging.  More will be said on chain sizing and modeling in the next part.
 
Ed

The skylight under construction. 

When you visit a topic and want to find the last post that you read, well now you can.
 
As from today, recurrent visits to topics that you have previously read, will be punctuated with a separating line which shows the last post that was there on your last visit. So....you just need to read from that point onwards!
 

As a side note on my non-linear, iterative research, drafting, constructing sequence and the resultant use of drawings that are not necessarily final, you may note that in the pictures of the last post that the martingale has been drilled for an eyebolt above the cleat slot and that the drawing shows such an eyebolt.  There is no such eyebolt.  The one shown is a renegade CAD object that somehow got dropped at this location and was never deleted.  A rare occurrence for sure, but part of the baggage of the process.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 220 – Martingale
 
The Martingale, or dolphin striker, was a 17' long, 10" diameter spar that served as a compression member in the truss that included the bowsprit and its stays that attached to points on the hull.  The stiffness provided by this assembly was critical to the support of the foremast from which various stays descended to anchor points or sheaves on the bowsprit.  The "second trim" of the martingale is shown in the first picture on its drawing.
 
 
 
The spar at this stage is a tapered square and not yet cut to length.  Above the center is a slot that will receive a single plate that will be formed into the double iron cleats on either side.  This slot was milled after overall sizing but before any tapering, for reasons described earlier.  The next picture shows trimming the spar to an octagonal shape.
 

 
On this relatively small diameter spar, this trim was done by eye, without scribing guide lines.  The next picture shows the rounded spar with reinforcing bands fitted over the ends.
 

 
These bands were made from copper tube, saving the fitting and soldering used on larger bands.  To fit the diameters on the spar, rings cut from the tube were enlarged as needed using a center-punch as a mandrel as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The rings are sized for a tight, immovable fit on the spar.  The next picture shows a brass plate inserted through the slot in the spar for fitting and so that the outline of the spar could be scribed on the plate.
 

 
The shapes of the cleats were then cut outside of the scribed lines with a jeweler's saw.  The next picture shows an early fit check.
 

 
The next picture shows the finished, blackened plate ready for final fitting into the spar.
 

 
The plate was glued into the spar with CA.  The next picture shows the finished spar except for its top hook.
 
 
 
The larger ring at the bottom was drilled at this stage to accept four eyebolts that will secure two forward stays that anchor on the outer bowsprit and two backstays that anchor on the hull.  These stays, like most standing rigging on the bowsprit, are chain of different sizes.  The last picture shows the martingale hooked to is eyebolt behind the cap.
 

 
The picture also shows iron (copper) banding for the gammoning being fitted over the lower bowsprit and under the figure boards.  A length of chain is shown secured to the forward end of the jibboom during tests of different connection methods.  This is not the final chain.  More on the chain rigging later.
 
 
Ed

Well, I got the hatch made.
In Bob Hunts practicum it's mention that the top is to be umber colored, but since I had mahogany laying around. 
I used that material instead, turned out nice in my opinion. 

So the hatch is being constructed,  the framing support are spot on for hatch and planking. Here is the hatch just put (not glued) in place.
Hopefully my planking will be as good so I won't have any gaps around the structures.

More framing in place, getting time to start working the superstructure.
This as they are needed prior decking.

Got a baby smooth hull, I am really happy.
Since I have the waterways fully exposed, I decided to give them a first layer of buff/light grey.