bhermann

You don't say what scale you are working in. In general, kit-supplied rigging thread is not very suitable. I would look into making/getting a rope-walk to make your own rigging material. At smaller scales the very fly-tying yarn you use for your bottle-ships would be a good starting point. For other materials, there are a lot of suggestions here in the forum.
 
Coming back to your actual question: in real life, the standing rigging would not look like drawn with a ruler, but would be sagging under its own weight, forming some sort of shallow catena. This is not so easy to reproduce in a model, it can turn out looking like sloppy workmanship. In general, the standing rigging shouldn't be used to pull masts etc. into position. The masts have to aligned properly all along. Prototype practice of course is different and the standing rigging may have been used to 'trim' the masts. On a model changing temperature and humidity may throw your mast and rigging out of 'trim' or worse, can even break a mast, if set too tight. They are not strings on a guitar. So, I would set the rigging just tight enough to look neat, nothing more.

We sell plenty of internally strapped blocks at syren should you choose to go that route.   Syrenshipmodelcompany.com
 
Chuckj
 

There has been recently many methods shown to make strops around small blocks. When rigging the guns for my Le Cerf I needed a big number of small 3 mm double blocks. For making strops around these  I made this simple fixture, which fullfilled it`s task quite reasonably.
 
First a simple construction was made of a piece of scrap wood and 2 mm plywood.  Small pieces of 1 mm and 0,6 mm iron wire were glued into the bottom of the jig, and grooves were sawn with jeweler`s saw into the plywood walls:

 
 
Pieces of 0,15 mm thread were put into the first grooves, and blocks were positioned to the jig so that the 0,6 mm wire was put through one hole of the block:
 
 
Then small pieces of 0,6 mm rigging thread were placed into the second grooves:

 
 
And then it was rotated around the block and then around the 1 mm iron wire:

 
And now it remained only to make a small knot between the block and the 1 mm loop using the thinner thread, and attach small blops of diluted PVA glue into both ends of the block. After the glue had dried, ends of threads were cut as near as possible of the block.....

 
..... and blocks were ready......

 
......and used for rigging the guns:

 
 

On the top of the blocks I used scanned part from the plans to get the port and starboard shape.

So in order to get the right shape (hopefully) of the stern blocks,
I cut out the piece from the plywood sheet that held the false keel part and using it  for the shaping.

This way I will have some of the axis correct for final shaping.

So, there was only one winner of the daily quiz.......
and that was my Bluenose.
The bananas were the new waterway made out of 3/32" basswood plank.
The plank was necessary to get the right width.
Since I had a plank with the right thickness I made a single plank of 6/32", this to match the original Bluenose.
It was tricky to get it right but now they are down and glued into place. And it looks amazing. Hope this can be inspiring to others.
I will leave this to rest over the night.

 
 

Waterways out! And nothing damaged!

Bob, 
Thank you.
As for the installation of the great beams, it's mentioned to late in the instructions and in Hunts practicum almost forgotten this because he didn't use the laser cut parts.
He used leftovers to create his beams.
One more work day and then back to the yard and the the "lady".
 
I should had beveled the waterway before bending the pieces.
 

Some of today's effort: assembling some of the Syren Ship Model Company's internally iron stropped blocks.  
 
In the first picture you'll find, on the left, how the mini-kits arrive.  
 
In the center/top are blocks glued together using medium CA and toothpicks (per the online instructions).  
 
At the right are the sheave pin 'wire' and the incredibly fine strip stock used for the strops in the remaining bags.
 
In the center you'll see blocks snipped off the frames and also blocks which have had the sprue and laser burn sanded off.  I found using a no. 11 blade wasn't the best way to separate the blocks from the frame - it is easy for the sprue to snap off at part and remove a small chunk of the block. The shears shown worked quite well at separating the block without the damage to the block.
 
The second picture is a close up of the blocks.
 
I tried inserting the fine strip stock into the laser cut slots - they worked perfectly on the couple I tried.
 
I will have to wait a short while before I can tumble them to smooth the edges.
 
Elia

While I putter along with things here is an in-process picture of the masts and spars and their associated ironwork.  I still have some to do on the topmasts.  And there are a few fittings which I'll fret saw and file from thicker brass sheet.  I'll solder the soft or load bearing joints shortly.
 
Elia

So .... here are some initial 'casting my dories' images (taken with my cell phone).
 
The first two are my dory, puttied, sanded, and primed.
 
The next is of my mold box constructed of Lego blocks.
 
Following that is my mold box with clay, the blank, and vented tubes placed.
 
I purchased a starter kit from MicroMark - showing the mold two part materials.
 
Then there is slowly mixing up the silicone mold batter.
 
And lastly the mold filled.  
 
I have taken the blank out out of the mold and the first half looks pretty good - though I don't have a picture of it here...
 
Elia

I'm not dead yet!  I'm not making any progress on Bluenose at the moment, but she is still sitting next to me waiting for some attention.  In part I am doing my over-analyzing thing about how to do the sails, and freezing in place while that goes on.  I am also rekindling my life-long dream of doing astrophotography (if you think wooden ship modelling is a money sucker, try AP sometime) and am at a point there that requires a lot of energy to get better.
 
I still stop in to MSW on an almost daily basis and am keeping an eye on you all.  EdT's Young America continues to amaze, and I am enjoying watching Chuck build up Syren Ship Modelling, and many of the other activities here. When I get off the dime and decide to move forward with old Blue, I will start posting in the log again.
 
Bob

While responding to a PM, I visited the Nova Scotia archive web page to check on a couple of things... and found that it had moved.  It has been a great resource for me when working the little details, so I thought I'd put the new link in here:
 
https://novascotia.ca/archives/bluenose/
 
I know it has been a long time since I've done anything on this build, but life (and other hobbies) have been taking up much of my time over the last few years.  On the plus side, I am wrapping up three years as chair of the Board of Deacons at my church at the end of May, and am hoping that will give me some time to get this going again in earnest.  Of course there is always the granddaughter to spoil, astrophotography to work on, etc., etc., etc.
 
Thanks for your patience with me, and for sharing all your experiences in this hobby - MSW is s a great place to help keep the interest alive!
 
Bob

Thanks, Dimitris.  I do hope to get back to work on her in the new year!
 
Bob

Julian -
 
Thanks for the kind words.  I am glad that sharing my trials and processes is useful to others.  I will be happy to send along a copy of the spreadsheet and I have PMed you concerning that.
 
Thanks,
Bob

Thanks Steve for the kind words.  I am always happy to hear that the log is useful to people - that's one of the reasons I do it. I'll send you info about my unnumbered Swiss account for the royalty deposits
 
I have to agree there is something special about the schooners - they have a certain feel that is hard to put into words, but it takes my breath away to see them out on the water, or when I get the rare chance to actually sail on one.
 
Interesting, I grew up in Glastonbury too, back when it was a rural farming community/Hartford suburb mix.  Small world!
 
Bob

Jan-Willem
 
Here is a list of what I ordered from Chuck.  I was unable to dig up where I figured out my quantities - it may just have been a SWAG on my part.  I haven't started any rigging yet, so cannot claim any accuracy to what I ordered - we'll see what I run out of when I get around to the rigging.  I went with tan for the running rigging and black for the standing rigging, mostly because that is what I have put on models forever.
 
I hope the information is helpful to you.
 
Bob
 
 
 
008 (.20mm) Black Rigging Line - 20' per package - Linen/Cotton Blend
Quantity: 1

.012 (.30mm) Black Rigging Line - 20' per package - Linen/Cotton Blend
Quantity: 2

.018 (.45mm) Black Rigging Line - 20' per package - Linen/Cotton blend
Quantity: 2

.008 (.20mm) Tan Rigging Line - 20' per package - Cotton/Linen Blend
Quantity: 2

.012 (.30mm) Tan Rigging Line - 20' per package - Cotton/Linen Blend
Quantity: 2

.018 (.45mm) Tan Rigging Line - 20' per package - Cotton/Linen Blend
Quantity: 2

.025 (.63mm) Tan Rigging Line - 20' per package - Linen/Cotton Blend
Quantity: 1

 

Jan-Willem
 
Sorry but I have been away from the board for a few days and will be at less than full capacity for the next week or so. I recently placed an order with Chuck to replace the kit rope supplied by MS. I figured out what to order by going through the plans line by line and measuring length. I think I allowed for twice the measured length for each thickness and kept the information in a spreadsheet. When I am in a position to get my hands on the order data, I will send it along in a PM (I don't think spreadsheets are allowed as attachments to logs). I don't think I went as small as the .008, but there may have been another diameter in there as well.
 
The information I captured was for both standing and running rigging. You will have to decide color you want for the standing - I went with black assuming the standing rigging was mostly wire.
 
Bob

Jan-Willem
 
Actually, I did both to the chainplates.  I have tried blackening without much success at various point during the build.  The best I've done is a brownish coloring that doesn't completely rub off.  I find that doing the blackening first seems to make the paint adhere better when I apply it over the blackened brass.  I suspect that is because the blackening agent etches the surface of the object, sort of like what an etch primer would do.
 
Looking at the photo in the link, and at the others in that Marine Survey section of the archive, I think the top masts may have been unshipped when the photos were taken.  I was unable to clearly see a topmast shroud (which is what that smaller deadeye is for) in any of them.  I would have expected to see it somewhere in the photo you linked if the fore topmast was indeed up there.
 
Adding a little triangular extension to a deadeye sounds like a reasonable approach - and it would save you the pain of having to drill three small holes at just the right orientation in a small piece of wood!  I'll be curious to see what you come up with.
 
Bob

Jan-Willem
 
First, thanks for calling me out on the direction of the upper deadeyes, they do indeed point up.  About deadeye size, take a look at this photo:
 
http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/bluenose/archives.asp?ID=88&Language=
 
If you zoom all the way in and look at the left side, starting from aft there are three large-size deadeyes, then a smaller one partial hidden by a rope coil, then a fourth large deadeye at the edge of the photo.  The numbers are consistent with the MS kit, although the kit shows two large, the small, then two more large.  That's the way I did it, and I don't think it is going to change now   The setup of deadeyes is the same at the fore and main masts.  4 large for the mast shrouds and one small for the topmast shroud.  I took a caliper to the deadeyes and the sizes you calculated are accurate - so much for trusting the parts list!
 
About the blocks, I think they are a generic item MS supplies for all periods of ships, and the grooves are there for the rope stropping that was done in days of yore.  Bluenose strops are metal and I believe they are laid flush into the blocks.  I installed the first few on deck without thinking about it too much, other than that the stropping was invisible in photos so I just drilled a small hole and glued my hand-made hooks into it.  On later blocks I have spent some time filing the shoulders down a bit so the don't look so "blocky".  I haven't done anything with the groove on what is already installed and probably won't on the rest, either.
 
Thanks,
Bob

Jan-Willem
 
I am using kit-supplied blocks and deadeyes on this build.  The lower deadeyes on the channel are round and there are 20 1/8" and 6 3/32" round deadeyes supplied.  This includes 4 extra of the large size and 2 extra of the small.  The upper deadeyes for each of these pairs isn't round at all, but more triangular in shape, with the point facing down.  They come on the laser cut part sheets.  The rigging plans don't have any deadeyes at the topmast at all.  There is a lanyard that runs between an eyebolt on the cross-tree and an eye spliced in the end of the topmast shroud.
 
I wish I had installed the chainplates before painting.  I also noticed a bit too late that the chainplates are actually let into the hull planking to the point where they are almost flush.  There may be some photos in the log of the L A Dunton that I took at Mystic Seaport a couple of years back that show very similar details on that ship.  (Or they may have been in my more extensive log on MSW1.)  If you want to attempt that detail, I wish you well.  I was afraid I would cut all the way through the planking if I tried it on my build.
 
The kit supplied blocks are:
5 3/32" single 
35 1/8" single
15 5/32" single
12 3/16" single
20 1/4" single
35 1/8" double
15 5/32" double
6 3/16" double
6 1/4" double
6 9/32" triple
 
The MS kit is 1:64 scale so the smallest single block scales to 6" and the largest to 18".  The larger sizes are used to control the booms and gaffs, so are used in rigging the main sheets and the throat and peak halliards.  The smaller sizes are used to rig the various jibs, topsails, and fisherman sails.  If you are not going to set up sails on your model you will not need as many of these.
 
BTW, I'll leave it to you to do the imperial to metric conversion for the various blocks and deadeyes .  If I had it to do over again, I would probably replace the kit blocks with Chucks product.  I have bought some of his rigging rope and like the look and feel of it.  I can't say how well it works just yet, as I haven't had the chance to take it out for a trial yet.  The bowsprit rigging was done a long time ago using the kit-supplied line.
 
If you have specific questions please let me know.  I am no expert on rigging, but I've been looking at these drawings for a few years so havesome familiarity with it.
 
Thanks,
Bob

Hi Per, good to see you starting on this grand lady.  I will be following along with interest.  You have already done some things I wish I had thought of way back when.  The support for the waterway between the stanchions, for instance.  I recall fearing those guys wold just drop into the hull when I was installing them.   I also recall rejecting the Hunt practicum for the installation of the great beam.
 
Waiting patiently for your next step.  She is coming along nicely so far!
 
Bob

Maybe so - I did my painting a few years ago and haven't gone looking for any since then.  Who knows what happened to Model Masters since then.  I'll keep my bottles sealed as tight as I can - I'd hate to have to match colors at this stage of the build!
 
Bob

Model Masters makes a primer in white... that's what I used.
 
Bob

Very nice detail Dave.  I handled the mast sheaves in a similar way with pretty much the same result.  While studying the plan, I decided they were used to lift the topmasts into place.  Whether that is true or not, I can't say.  As you say, they are not used anywhere in the plans.
 
A question on the fids - I installed them above the trestle tree and I think the plan shows that as well.  I assumed their purpose was to keep the topmast from dropping through the hole, not to keep them locked in, as yours appear to function.  Again my assumption was that the standing rigging would keep the topmast from lifting out of the hole.
 
Bob