bhermann

Alright!  Beginning the work on the various booms and gaffs that will get attached to either of the two masts.  Cut out the laser pieces for the three (3) sets of jaws and sanded to remove the char.  Cut 1/8" and 1/4" dowels to size per the plans for all of the gaffs and booms, and sanded each one to the appropriate tapers and (as I had seen others do in their build logs) labeled them to keep organized.
 

 
MAIN BOOM - Made slight mill cuts on the port and starboard sides where the jaws are to be mounted.  Make sure to use the correct-sized jaws for this main boom!  There are differences in the shapes/sizes/lengths of each set of jaws!  Match with the plans.  Using the Proxxon drill press, I initially drilled #65 holes in the jaw sides in the appropriate locations, matching both jaw sides.  Also, lined up the two holes for the little clapper piece to sit in between the jaws.  Then, after gluing to the boom/dowel, I hand-drilled a bit more for each hole to adequately accept 0.81mm brass rods for the fake bolts. Drilled small holes at the tips for the parrel beads that will eventually be added once this is actually rigged to the main mast.  Drilled #52 holes in the top of each jaw for the belaying pins and another #65 hole for the eye bolt.  All in all, looking good.  A great start to this main boom construction.
 
       
 
LAZY JACK LINES - Not sure I did this "perfectly", but simply took a small 0.35mm black rope, tied loops on both ends, and wrapped around the bottom of the boom, securing each side with staples made from 0.51mm brass rod so that the loops stick up above the staples.
 

 
Moving on down the length of the main boom, the next thing shown on the plans was a cleat on the port side.  I had seen others carve their own cleats on their build logs, but I decided to simply use the "pre-made" cleats (think I used a supply of them on my last build) that had been painted black.  It takes a #55 drill bit for the hole to secure.  We'll call that done.  Looks good and in scale.
 
BOOM TACKLE BAND - This was the first in a series of several soldering exercises I was going to need to do on this main boom.  I shaped two (2) 1/64" x 1/16" brass strips around the boom.  Soldered the top joint.  Drilled 1/32" holes in the bottom and ran 0.81mm brass rod through after building a link to attach.  Trimmed the rod and cleaned up.  Using the Proxxon drill press (again!), I drilled #65 holes in each side for eyepins (not shown in this picture but in the next one with the bullseye fairleads).
 
          
 
BULLSEYE FAIRLEADS - Looked at several options to accomplish this piece, and decided to simply present this by using eyebolts on the port and starboard sides and then wrap with 0.5mm black rope with a visible knot on the top side.
 

 
QUARTER LIFT BAND - For this band, I soldered 1/64" x 1/16" strips for one side of the boom and then shaped the strips around the boom for fit.  Soldered the other side and drilled holes for eyebolts on each side.  Secured the eyebolts simply with CA glue, as I was concerned about soldering on top of existing solder.  Hope this will hold ok.  
 
         
 
MAIN SHEET BAND - Built this band similar to the quarter lift band above.  Drilled two holes on each side.  Wrapped a 0.83mm brass rod around a 5/16" wooden dowel for shape and inserted from bottom into the two inside holes on each side.  Soldered in place and cleaned.  Eyelets were put in place in the outside holes.  Have to say, for as poor as my soldering skills were several months ago, I thought these came out pretty sharp. Think I may finally have the hang of this.  <shrug>
 
        
 

 
SHEAVES - Using my Proxxon drill press, I drilled four (4) 1mm #60 holes in the boom in the appropriate spots, then moved the boom over to the Proxxon MF70 mill with a 1mm bit to carve the sheaves.  Worked out pretty well.
 

 
CLEW BAND - Again, like many of the other bands on this main boom, this clew band was similar to the other bands done previously.  Wrapped two (2) 1/64" x 1/16" brass strips around the boom.  Soldered with a hinge on the bottom (0.82mm brass rod cut flush). Drilled holes in the top for a bolt to eventually hold the clew iron, but will not put that bolt in until the rigging stage.
 

 
TOP LIFT BAND - This band goes at the very end of the main boom, and was probably the easiest of the bands we needed to create for this boom.  Wrapped, soldered and secured this band.  Placed it in the drill press and drilled three holes (port, starboard and top) for eyebolts, as well as one more for an eyebolt just in front of the one on top.  Hope those two aren't too close together.
 

 
And that finishes the main boom!  Yay!  The other booms and gaffs should be a bit easier.  Appreciate the likes, comments and criticisms, as always.

More progress on the eight fishing dories, using swiss pear which is very nice to work with, planks are .018" thick easily bendable with fingers.
Had a clamp which I glued bits of wood to, so that sanding to shape was easier. 

 
First planking done now have to work out shape for the second plank.
 

 
Until next time,
Regards
Richard
 
 

A minor update. Have completed filling and sanding the hull. Now ready to trim back the excess ABS and get on with the build (I think....).
 

 

Well, I got another phase of this Bluenose build accomplished, so thought I'd share what I did and where I have progressed to to-date.  Finishing up the work on the mast bands after completing the trestle trees on the upper part of the lower two masts.  Lots of soldering of small strips, rods and bolts.  For the mast bands above each of the trestle tree areas, I used a slightly-smaller-than 1/4" dowel held in a vise to initially shape the ten (10) needed bands for the tops of the lower masts.  I would wrap, measure and then cut the bands to (what I thought was) the appropriate circumference for the position on the mast.  I then would solder the individual brass strip, but was then finding that the newly-soldered bands were too tight to go back in the place I had just measured them for.  And this happened a few times.  Grrr... So, I had to give just a bit more "slack", for lack of better terms, when wrapping the strips, measuring, cutting and soldering so that each of the NEW bands then fit snuggly, but manageable.  As I had seen others do, I also typed out a little placement chart to keep all 10 of the bands organized while I was making them, soldering, etc.  Worked out well.
 
        
 
All of the bands need at least one hole in them, so used my new Proxxon drill with the precision vise to drill the necessary holes.  That worked out well, as I then placed the bands in their proper locations and, using a pin vise, drilled holes through the band holes into the masts for the eyebolt placement.
 

 
Next was working on the spring stay sail band on the foremast.  On other Bluenose build logs, I have seen others use either brass rods or brass strips to create and attach this spring stay bail band and the jib stay bail bands.  I thought using narrow brass strips (1/16" wide) would be easier to attach to the masts and mast bands, so I used strips (and I am running out of brass strip stock quickly!).  Anyways, the spring stay bail band went on well after shaping.
 
        
 
The cranes for each mast were made from 0.84mm eye pins soldered to 0.81mm brass rods. (In the zoomed-in picture below, they look a bit dirty, but were cleaned, of course, after soldering.)  Brass strips were cut for the back plates and the links on the back side.  Drilled holes using a #65 bit (.88mm) and placed the cranes in place on the two masts.  This all worked out pretty well.
 
        
 
For the mast caps on both the foremast and main mast, outer bands were shaped and soldered around the individual mast bands, and this all worked out pretty good, as well.  The pictures below were taken after they were soldered and fit on the masts, but before I did some cleanup and touchup on the soldered areas.
 
        
 
Finished out then, with the longer jib stay bail strips and long links on the fore mast.
 
        
 
        
 
Didn't take a great number of notes on the top masts, but it all came together well.  To recreate the mast tackle sheaves on both top masts, I first drilled two holes in each using the Proxxon drill and precision vise.  Then, using the Proxxon MF70 mill, I cut slits to shape what would appear to be a pulley inside.  Debating whether to do any more with these, but thought the mill did an excellent job of cutting those small grooves in the masts.
 
For the gilt ball on the top of the masts, I had purchased a small box of 30mm long brass ball head pins with a 1.9mm wide ball at the top.  I cut a couple of those and inserted them at the top of each mast.  I may take some sandpaper to these to dull them a bit, make them a bit less shiny, but otherwise much better to use these than to create something so small.  Speaking of small, I have NO idea how to make the truck for the flag halliards.  Tried cutting small small circles but everything was breaking.  I'll leave that for now until I get to that point in the rigging.
 
        
 
With that said, the masts (I think) are pretty much done.  Just for grins, I put everything together on the work stand, and  then on the ship itself, to see how it all looks.  Man, this ship is going to be big when done!
 
        
 
Now, I believe it's on to the booms and gaffs!  As I mentioned earlier, I have run through all of the 1/64" x 1/16" brass strips that I had in inventory.  Got some new brass strips, but they are not quite as thin as the 1/64" ones I had, so a bit harder to bend and shape.  Have another source I am querying, so we'll see if they come through, as it appears I have plenty more bands to create.
 
As always, appreciate the likes, comments and criticisms! 
 

Standing Rigging continued…

Shackles easy as 1 2 3…


Jib Stay completed…

Pullback Stay and Spring Stay completed…

Flying Backstays and Main Topmast Stay Completed…

 Standing Rigging Complete. Ready to start sewing Sails. 
 
Cheers 🍻 
 
 

I continued work on the hammock cranes, and also punched out a number of thimbles.  I'm happy to report that my success rate improved greatly, and I only lost one!!  These are now ready to blacken--

 
After blackening--

 
The thimbles are in groups of ten, plus four.  Fifty-four in all.  Hopefully enough, though I may need a few that are bigger.  I don't know.
 
On to the Silkspan.  After putting a second diluted coat on the piece, it was just as transparent as before when backlit--not so much when viewed normally.  So I painted a coat on undiluted--

 
It was pretty opaque, but there were now brushmarks that would be out of scale.  It was also uneven coverage. Most of it was smooth (though with some brushmarks), but some areas still showed the fibrous texture of the Silkspan.  All in all not a satisfactory result.   I also wasn't sure it had enough sheen to look like oiled or tarred cloth.   So I tried painting the back side with Tung Oil finish to see how that looked--

 
It really accentuated the texture.  Not at all to scale.  What was worse, the Tung Oil seeped through the thin areas on the "front" side, making that side kind of a mess--

 
Off the frame this is the back side--

 
And this the front--

 
When doubled over, similarly to how it will be seen on the model, the sheen of the painted (front) side may be okay.  Maybe less than actual oiled cloth (I'm not even sure!), but as is typical with scale models, gloss looks better if it's toned down--

 
So I will try another piece.   I'll build up the layers with diluted paint, until the fiber is filled in evenly without brush marks.  I'm also using a much larger brush.  I don't feel like I'm "scrubbing" into the material nearly as much.  After the second coat it was much more opaque than the first attempt, even though I don't think the paint was any thicker.  This is coat number three.  I'll need at least one more--

 
All for now,
Ron
 
 

Finished creating the rest of the sails!  I redid the jib sail because I stretched it too tight while sewing and had a bow in the long side.  Learned from this and allowed the sewing machine to just pull the material through.  The rest of the sails went pretty quickly once I had the routine down.
I have learned the hard way to really study the plans BEFORE starting to rig a sail.  I rigged the main topsail next and started by tying the sail to the mast hoops in the same fashion as the main sail.  I ran thread through the edge of the sail, evenly spaced for the 13 mast hoops, and then tied to each of the hoops starting from the top down.  Here is where the "study the plans" part comes in...  Did not catch that the was a clew line on this sail until after I had all of the mast hoops tied on.  I did not want to redo that, so I figured out how I was going to add the clew line and did that with the sail on the mast.
 
I looked at the build by Suburban Ship Modeler for reference, but the way he attached fairleads to the sail was just not working for me.  I did use the brass tubing as he had but I tied on by running thread through the cut piece of tubing and the sail and then tied one more time around the tubing to secure it.  I added a single, 1/8 block at the mid and bottom points and then threaded the line through.  Will be ding this off ship for the fore topsail.


With the clew line, there are four line that have to be rigged and the tied off at belaying pins.  Two to the starboard rail, one to the port rail and one to the port side of the fife rail.  I finished them all off with coils tied to the belaying pin.

Finished sail.  

Tim
 

Bow Sprit…

Guys and Back Ropes…

Foot Ropes…

Stirrups…

Job Stops…

Bow Sprit Rigged, now on to Jib Stays. 
 
Onwards 🍻

Dave, I think I want a light color for the hammock crane line, so actual rope seems to be my best option.  But I appreciate the suggestion.  And we do tend to be pack-rats.  "Never know when I might need this!" 
 
Dowmer, yes, Silkspan seems to be an option here, and you will see my attempt at it.
 
As I work on the hammock cranes, soldering the pins on and finishing them, I am also sidetracking into another project: making a bunch of metal thimbles for the rigging.  When I get to blackening the hammock cranes, I want to be efficient, and the thimbles are something else that needs to be blackened, that I will need soon; so I will show my progress on making those now.
 
Basically, I need to cut pieces of brass tubing, and flare them out.  Easier said than done.  They are tiny.  To cut the pieces, I first tried using a my Zona saw with the 1mm OD wire held in a groove of scrap wood.  Nope.  Then I tried the rotary tool with a cut-off wheel.  Nope.  The biggest problems were holding the wire firmly enough to get a clean cut, and not losing the tiny cut-off piece. 
 
I settled on a method where I drilled a 1mm hole through a piece of scrap wood, and pushed the tube through--
 
The tube was then pushed back flush with the edge, and sawed through--

 
Then, a pin (which just happened to be the perfect diameter) was inserted into the end of the tube--

 
And the tube with the cut piece pushed through--

 
The pin held the cut off piece securely--

 
That piece after being sawn is too long, but it was made that way because I was afraid of snapping off the bit of wood on the edge, if I had made it thinner.  So the next step was to drill another hole in some scrap wood of the right thickness (this part is described in David Antscherl's TFFM)--


 
And the piece then filed--

 
This worked sometimes, but what began to happen more often (as the hole got a little loose, or my filing not square), is that the piece ended up with skewed ends, as on this one--

 
The next step was setting the thimble on a hard surface, and punching it with a modified nail set punch--




 
This took some practice to get a good result.   The end of the tube on the punch would flare, but not the bottom.  Then I would turn it over, and the flared end would just flare more.  After a few failures, I seemed to have better success if I barely started the flare, and then turned it over before punching again.   I had a success rate of about 1 in 5.  Partly because of the problem mentioned earlier about the skewed ends.  If they were skewed, no dice, it would just skew more when punched.   Here is a successful one, and another attached to a hook--

 
So decided to skip the filing step.  Maybe it would have worked just fine if the pieces were closer to the right length to begin with.  In the end I just pulled back a little (by eye) on the tube, rather than having it flush--

 
This gave me square ends, and the right length (more or less).  I cut 20 or 30 of these this way, but haven't started punching them into thimbles yet.  Hopefully I'll do better than 1 in 5.
 
 
Now for some exploration into the Silkspan hammock covers.  This is my first experience with this material.
 
I made a frame out of old unused paint stirring sticks, and cut a piece of medium weight Silkspan--

 
This was then wet, and taped to the frame to dry--

 
Painter's tape is probably not the best choice, because it doesn't stick well when wet, but it seemed to work well enough.  I then used some acrylic paint, diluted just a bit with water, and painted it on--

 
After drying partway it looked opaque enough, but when I held it up to the light, it seemed pretty transparent--

 
I'm going to give it another coat, and see how it looks.
 
So, a number of things going on:  fine tuning the hammock cranes (which consists of rounding the cut off ends and general straightening), making thimbles, and experimenting with the Silkspan for the hammock covering--
 
 
All for now,
Ron
 

Turnbuckles…

I used 1/16” OD Aluminum tubing and copper wire to build dummy turnbuckles. There is no mention of turnbuckles in the instructions. I wanted to try to add this detail and tried to get them small enough to be of proper scale. 😆


Used needle file to cut both sides of tubing. 

Used Copper wire to fit through the tubing. 

Turnbuckle body is held in place with a touch of CA glue. 

 

Bobstays placed
 
 Cheers 🍻 

Another brief update:
 
I tried making some rope small enough, but with the thread I had on hand, it wasn't quite thin enough.   After thinking I might have to try enlarging the holes, I found (I think it came from Bluejacket) a spool of rope in my small stock that fit!   I will dye it just a shade darker--
   
You can't quite make out that the line is through the hole, so--

 
I also tested soldering the pins.  Since they won't be seen, I can overlap the brass, instead of butting it.   This is a much easier joint to solder.   I clearly missed centering the pin on this one (I maintain it moved while soldering!), but again, it won't show, and I'll drill each hole in the cap rail "custom" to match.  (Or maybe I won't use this one!)  I think I have now satisfied myself that these will work. 
 
While I continue the production of the hammock cranes, I am considering how to replicate the oiled cloth (which I guess it is) as shown on Glenn's model that covers the hammocks stowed within these cranes. 
 
All for now,
Ron
 
 

Jumbo Jib Stay…

For all stays I am using the kit supplied .021” cotton/ploy line (WP1210)

For the lashing I am using .18 monofilament line purchased from HiSModel.com. 


Lashed up the Stay (including downhaul block to the Jumbo Jib Stay Bail previously placed. 

Completed rigging the Jumbo Job Stay Bridle to attach the Stay to the Fore Mast. 

Jumbo Jib Stay completed. 
 
Next up is the Bow Sprit rigging, so I can  continue placement of the Forward Stays. 
 
Cheers 🍻 
 

Another small update on my Bluenose progress... this time working mostly on the upper portions of the lower masts, specifically the trestle tree area.  Before attaching anything to the top of the lower masts, though, as Bill reminded me in the post above, I needed to place the necessary mast hoops around the lower masts.  Whether I decide to do full sails, furled sails, or no sails at all, I think I will still want the mast hoops attached to rigging in some form, so... let's get that done first.  The mast hoops were provided in the kit but needed to be carefully cut out from the laser sheets.  Once I had them all cut out and cleaned up a bit with sandpaper, I wanted to stain them.  I used the same red mahogany stain that I used on the deck buildings.  I dipped them in a stain bath and then hung them to dry.  They came out much darker than I expected, but I still think the contrast between the cherry stained masts and the hoops look good, so we'll go with that.  Once they were completely dried and ok to stack on one another, I placed the larger ones on their respective masts, saving the smaller ones for the upper masts when the time comes.
 
        
 

 
Now to the trestle tree assemblies.  I first worked on the main mast band for the futtock shrouds, using a 1/16" x 1/64" brass strip.  I wrapped it around for size and then soldered. (I'm getting a little better at soldering!)  I then fit it onto the mast and drilled two holes in port and starboard sides for placement of U-shaped wires on both sides for the shrouds to ultimately tie to.
 

 
Using my recently-acquired Proxxon mill, I shaved/flattened some spots on both sides of each mast for the cheeks and made up all of the needed parts for the trestle tree configuration.  The spreaders were made from 3/32" square strips.  I put pencil marks on the appropriate sides of each strip to help identify which ends were not to be tapered for sanding, which helped keep things straight in my mind.  The trestle trees were made from 1/8" square strips.  I lined them up together and used some parallel pliers to grip them as a guide for where they needed to be filed down, and that seemed to work well.  For the bolsters, I sanded a long piece of 3/32" square stock down to 1/16" and rounded one corner.  I then cut them down to size to fit between the spreaders.  The slabs were cut from scrap sheets. 
 
        
 
I glued the cheeks and trestle trees in place on both masts, masked above and below the areas and painted white.  I decided to paint the spreaders off the mast and added the end clips (using the 1/16" wide brass strips) before gluing the spreaders to the trestle trees.  After the spreader trees were secure, I added the bolsters and slabs and painted the entire assembly sections white.
 

 
For the iron gates, I had a 1" x 6" x 0.3mm thick brass sheet and cut a 1/8" wide strip and trimmed two of them to fit securely around the two trestle trees.  1/16" brass rods were then soldered onto the strip ends and cut to size to simulate the pins on each end.  (Another chance to get better at soldering!)
 
        
 
Spreader rods were made using 0.020" brass rods and were attached to both masts' spreaders using CA glue.  The quarter lift bands were placed under the main mast trestle trees using the 1/16" brass strips.  Four eyebolts were attached to the top of both foremast spreaders, four eyebolts were attached on the sides of the foremast spreaders for the fairleads, and two eyebolts were attached to the sides of the shorter mainmast spreader for fairleads. (I hope I got everything where needed!)
 
        
 
All in all, I think the trestle tree assemblies came out well, considering.  Now it's on to more mast work... and more soldering!  Yippee! 
 
Appreciate the follows, likes and comments.  I continue to learn from many others! 

I had a question in "Discussion for a ships deck furniture, Guns, Boats and other fittings" regarding where do they take the dimension of 15'-0" fishing dory, and the answer was from the bottom.
So now I have started to scratch build eight of these as per the plans 3/16"=1'-0" this would be 2.8125" or 71.43mm long on the bottom, they do have plywood laser cut pieces to make the shape but I want to have overlapped planks showing.
 
Started by printing out the plans so that I could make a plug, but before that I made eight bottoms from three planks glued together.
 

On the drawing they only had three lines of outside of planking, I needed six, so made some more copies and proceeded to work out the other three. 
 

Taking a piece of wood I laid out the station, machined a 1/32" slot in five of the stations, cut out the five inside planking shapes, then proceeded to glue shapes into slots.
shaped the bottom planks then checked the bottom planking to jig, also made the stem/false stem together 
 
I found the stations not stable enough, I could have put a piece of 1/32 plywood in between but decided to fill with solid wood, carving the shape.
 

 

To help laying the planks I made the jig so that I could turn either way so I could lay the planks easier, and at the same time drilled holes in bottom so that it would nold to plug. 

I have cut the first planking for both sides, started to file them to the shape then proceed to glue the first planks bottom, stem and stern.
Took it out of the jig/plug and so far its working as I intended, have a few guys thinking what's next.

Will make all eight to this stage before making the next row of planking, here is number 2 ready for first planks.
 

Until next time,
Regards
Richard
 
 
 
 
 

Hi John,
You could ask Chris at VM and see if he will sell the fishing figures again?
Regarding the question on magnification I have a prescription glasses so that I can see clearly 6" away from my face  also I like light, last year I got a examination light for veterinarian clinic from a Canadian company which really helps and also have a good table light.
 

 

 
Regards
Richard
 

Skipping around some, I decided to tackle the hammock cranes.  Although they will probably make getting to the belaying rails more difficult, on the other hand, I think they will be more difficult to install after the shrouds are on.
 
I'm aiming for something like what is on the Niagara replica--

 
Only more like Glen Greico's model of the Brig Jefferson, without the wood rail at the top--

 
I'm going to make it a little easier on myself and do three ropes vs. four.
 
Here are some attempts at figuring out the size, and exactly how to make them--

 
The first three are some 20 gauge square brass wire, bent, and pounded a little flatter.  The first two are too big, and the third, which I tested drilling holes on, is actually a bit too small, though too thick.  I was able, though, to figure out how to make a tight radius in the bends.  The third is 22 gauge square wire, annealed, pounded just a bit flatter, and with some smaller test holes drilled.  It's close to the right size, both overall dimensions and gauge of the wire, and I think this method will work, though it leaves no room for error on the hole spacing.  I drilled one hole too far off center, and I also broke a drill bit.  I'll have to be more careful, or I will be buying more bits to finish them.
 
I figured out how many hammock cranes I will need (17 per side) and cut thirty-eight (four extra) pieces of brass--

 
These were annealed (heated to red hot) with a soldering torch.   I also routed a groove in a piece of scrap wood as a guide to make sure they are bent to a consistent shape, and as well to hold the piece for drilling the holes (which hopefully will help with the bit breakage)--

 
The ends of the wire that extend beyond the block will be trimmed off--

 
I put a piece of tape at the spot that was the right width for bending the wire--

 
And the bends were given a light tap to make the radius tighter--

 
Then after some straightening and checking the squareness of the shape, the wire was pounded just a little flatter, mostly just to give me a few thousandths of an inch more width to try and center the drill on--

 
 
The holes will be drilled next.  Hopefully that will be successful and I won't have to abandon this method.   After the holes are drilled I'll solder a short pin to the bottom of each one to epoxy them onto the rail.  At that point I may also adjust the angle of the legs to follow the bulwark angle--

 
All for now,
Ron
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The plans call out a sheathing area on the deck just in front of the cabin. This is where the drums are located. In pictures the sheathing looks to be low quality boards and a bit beat up. I chose to use some thin walnut strips that were the approximate size to what is in the photos. Because this is an area that uses cheap lumber, I only lightly sanded the boards and left them natural color with a clear flat applied to seal the wood. The boards were cut with a cutoff saw to the same length. To ensure they were straight a couple scrap pieces were taped to the deck to keep them aligned during gluing.

Next the cabinets with the integral skid. This started out as a solid block cut to the dimension of the part. The height was larger than the finished size to allow the three holes to be drilled in the block for the drums. This was done using successive sizes of end mills as twist drills were too aggressive in the soft wood and tended to tear it. The final size was done with an adjustable reamer to allow precise fit for the drums. The holes were just a but undersized at this point. That will be important later. I experimented with cutting grooves in the top of the block to find the best method of simulating the cabinet door. I attempted to make hinges from .001" brass foil. This did not work consistently. Bait cutting boards were made at this time.

The mill was used to cut the block down to the cabinet size opening the top.

The final grooves to simulate the door were made with a razor saw and Exato knife.

This is where the undersizing of the holes comes into play. The drums snap into the cabinet block. Because the holes are slightly small a bend is produced in the bottom of the block. The adjustable reamer is used to widen the holes just enough that the bend conforms to the curve of the deck. This saves trying to sand the curve into the block. Flat brass wire was used to make the hold-down straps. Blackened with Casey's Brass Black.

Hinges this small were difficult to make with the brass. Hinges were made from paper of the same thickness as the brass. An actual hing of 1/16 to 1/8 inch thickness would be ~.064". Which scales to .001". Paper is much easier to cut with an Exacto knife. After drawing the hinges to scale on the paper, the reverse side was painted flat black. The hinges were cut out with the paint already applied.
 
The block and drums were shellacked, sanded, filled with wood putty, sanded and painted. The drums and hold-downs were fitted to the cabinet. The grooves for the doors were carefully cleaned and flat black applied inside the groove by putting paint on the Exacto knife and drawing it along the groove. The bait cutting boards were added and painted as well as the hinges glued on.

 
 

There is an interesting feature on the deck in original photos of Bluenose. There are six large drums in two rows of three sitting on sheathing with equipment storage cabinets. These are not shown on the Model Shipways plans. They add a lot of detail though. Presumably they are for salt or brine storage. Has anyone found these in other reference material? Fortunately, there is a figure standing nearby in one of the photos and the cabin is nearby. This allowed a guesstimate of their size.

Some more details in another photo:

These have hoops like barrels but appear more like drums in not having much taper. They are held in place by iron bands attached to skids that are integral with the cabinets. There are large hinged doors in the top of the cabinets. Each of the six drums has a small hatch on the top. One picture has what looks like a bung showing. The others are obscured by equipment. In the background is a steel drum tied to the cabin.
 
After measurements of the model and plans and using the figure in the picture as a guide, I arrived at the following dimensions(in mm):

I found some ready-made barrels that looked nice. I was able to mask them and get a nice wooden barrel look.

However I was not satisfied. The barrels had much more taper than the drums and were too large to fit the scale reasonably. So I bit-the-bullet and started on the process of making my own.
 
After experimenting I determined the best way to make the drums was to use my lathe and cut down a wooden rod. This also meant I could make all six drums in one pass. I turned the rod down to the drum hoop size and then cut a little deeper to get to the actual drum diameter. I used a razor saw to cut a thin groove between pairs to simulate two drums. Then cut a deeper-wider grove where the pairs separate.

The drum pairs were then chucked in the lathe and the end lip cut. This was a bit of a problem as I had to hold the drum by one of the pair firmly enough to cut on the lathe. The chuck would mark the drum that was being held. My(imperfect) solution was to use padding and tape around the drum in the chuck. They turned out pretty nice though.

The drums were shellacked and sanded smooth. A wood strip of suitable size was sanded to a curve on one side that matched the curve of the drum. This was cut into the hatches for the drums. After gluing the hatches, a small hole was drilled on the ends on the opposite side from the hatch and a small brad inserted to simulate a bung.

 
 
 
 
 

Thanks Håkan and bigcreekdad!
 
I was sure my main top wouldn't have enough room on the aft side to have the trymast come up through it the way it is supposed to do.  I was pleasantly surprised that there was enough room, just barely.  I filed a hole in the middle of the aft end for the trymast.  (I also spy a deadeye that didn't get completely blackened).  The top looks pretty dusty!--

 
The seat for the trymast is just about done.  I may do some further shaping.  Here it is pinned temporarily to the main mast--

 
And fitting the top in place--


 
There is supposed to be a fid through the trymast into the trestle trees, and possibly a spacer block between the trymast and the mast just under the trestle trees.  I'm not sure I'm going to elect to show those.
 


 
All for now,
Ron  
 
 
 

Spent about an hour working on the aft house that is beside the catwalk.  I set a mock-up catwalk as well ….running aft to the poop deck.  I also began to modify the wheelhouse.
I have stern Timbers to install and floor beams for the decking still to install.  
 
Rob

Time for another update!  It's been a bit of slow-going.  One of the reasons for delays was for a quick trip to Iowa.  For those of you who are in the USA and are sports fans, you have no doubt heard a lot recently about Caitlin Clark with the Iowa Women's basketball team breaking the all-time NCAA scoring record recently.  My 91 year-old mother-in-law is a big basketball fan and a fan of Caitlin and her recent success.  A few months ago, I bought tickets to a game in February in order to take her and some other family.  Well, that just turned out to be the game in Iowa City when Caitlin Clark broke the record! So exciting to be there and to have my MIL witness the achievement in person!
 

 
OK, now on to my Bluenose update...  Began work on the masts.  First task was to cut and shape the masts from the dowels provided in the kit.  As others have probably done with their masts, even though I'm beginning with details on the lower masts, I shaped and tapered both the lower and top masts to start.  That was pretty straight-forward.  Also made a pretty crude stand for the masts to sit in while I work on them and the rigging that will take place prior to putting everything on the actual Bluenose deck.
 

 
Next task was to work on the boom rest for the main mast and the pin saddle for the fore mast.  Taking a 5/8" and 1/2" diameter dowel, I drilled 5/16" holes down the center of each several inches.  Then, using my little DrillMaster 2" cut-off saw, I cut narrow "discs".  The 1/2" discs were used as the center pieces for both the pin saddle and boom rest, so that 1/16 x 1/64" brass strips could be wrapped and secured around the center disc.  It actually worked pretty well!  I also cut two additional discs to eventually place at the base of each mast.
 
        
 

 
After assembling both pieces, I painted them and then drilled holes in the appropriate spots for the belay pins on the piece that will be on the fore mast.  Using some stock 3/32" x 1/8 " strips, I made the chocks that go on both pieces.  A chafing piece was placed above the boom crutch on the main mast using a very narrow 0.05mm brass sheet that easily wrapped around the mast.  
 
        
 

 
The next thing to complete was the gooseneck on the fore mast.  I carefully folded two 1/64" brass rods in half and, using my new Proxxon drill press, drilled a hole in each to place a .51mm brass rod thru the holes.  Another opportunity to work on my horrible soldering skills!  🤣 Actually, did pretty well!
 
Then, I opened and wrapped them around each mast, and marked & drilled holes on the other side for pins.  So far, so good!
 
         
 

 
 
Needed to now create the shackle piece that attaches to the gooseneck and is used to connect to the fore boom.  This requires a NEW tool, right?!?  I've been interested in getting a mill machine and have seen good reports on the little Proxxon MF70 mill machine, so... why not?!?  It actually worked out really well (in my humble opinion) for a first-time use.  Following genericDave's Bluenose build and his suggestion, I loaded the MF70 with a 1/32" thick brass strip (0.81mm x 6.35mm) and cut the brass strip to shape.  Cool! 
 
         
 
I then cut and wrapped the shackle piece around a 0.82mm brass rod that I had shaped to fit into the gooseneck bands.  I secured the entire gooseneck piece on the fore mast.  The shackle piece may be a little oversized and out of scale, but once everything else is installed around it on the completed ship, any differences should appear negligible.
 
        
 
        
 
Time now to work on things higher up on the masts!  Moving along, slowly but surely.  My retirement travels should be done until May, so I should be able to put some decent time in the shipyard.  We shall see how I do.
 
Quick question and recommendation request for those of you who have read this entire post to this point (thanks for hanging in there!).  I still have not decided entirely on whether to put the sails on this Bluenose, to place furled sails, or to not put any sails on and just do all the rigging.  I am guessing, though, that if I do not do any sails, I should still put the mast hoops on the masts, and they would simply be stacked at the base of each mast, accordingly?  Would I do anything differently?  I've glanced briefly for now at the rigging plans, but have not specifically determined how my plan would affect mast hoop placement.  Any expert advice is greatly appreciated.  For now, though, I'll work on the hoops and then on to the trestle trees! 
 
Thanks for peeking in! 

Put her back in the ocean……. And now working on the bulwarks around the stern. 
 
Set up a rotating table too.  
 
Rob

On to the sails!  I started with the main sail, since I have the main boom rigged and can't really go any further without the sail.  I started by tracing the main sail from the plans.  I added "wings" (don't know the technical term) arrant the edges of the sail which will be folded over to create the hem around the perimeter of the sail and drew in the reefing strips and the seems that were on the plans.

I pinned the tracing to the sail fabric and cut it out with a cutting wheel.  Next I folded and ironed the wings and pinned the hem for sewing.  
I did not get any pictures of the sewing process.  I used a zigzag stitch for the hem.  Next I ran straight stitches along the length of the sail for the panel lines and then used a high zigzag in two lines across the sail for the reefing strips.  I finished up by tying the reefing rope on both sides of the sail along the reefing strip.  It's been a long time since taking Home Ec. in high school, but it sure did come in handy on this project.

Once the silk was complete I lashed it tot he user gaff and the main beam and the finished up the rigging.  
 
One down, 7 more to go!!
 
Tim
 
 

I thought I would share my method for making deadeyes.
 
I made a bunch a long time ago for the main and fore shrouds, and half what I needed for the topmast and topgallant backstays.  They were about 5mm and 4mm respectively.   I made them using a method described in Underhill's book, and it worked out fine.  The little jig is very fiddly to make.  The method is shown from post #184-198 in this log. 
 
However I now need 32 topmast shroud deadeyes at 3.5mm, and 12 more of the backstay deadeyes at 4mm.   Partly because of the smaller size, and partly because I have better tools now, I wanted to try something that might be more precise.
 
This first batch is the 3.5mm set.   I turned a squared piece of pear down to 3.5mm, and then scored it on the lathe with grooves for the futtock plates, and cut-very slight cut off grooves to help with parting them off with a saw.   While the dowel was still on the lathe, one by one, I smoothed and rounded the outer edge, then cut it off.  I didn't take pictures but here is the result--

 
You can see they have one smooth side, one rough side, and a groove.  (Noticeable on one of the deadeyes standing on edge.) 
 
Next I drilled a hole in a piece of scrap wood just under 2mm thick (the thickness the finished deadeye needs to be), filed the hole to to 3.5mm diameter, and glued it to another piece of scrap wood.  This has a smaller hole drilled through it centered on the larger hole--

 
A deadeye fits very snuggly in the hole, the rough side slightly proud--

 
The rough edge is filed off flush with the surface of the wood--

 
I filed the one shown below just a bit more with a smaller file after taking the photo--

 
I then marked by eye the spots for the holes to be drilled--

 
And drilled them on a mill.   I wasn't great at locating the drill precisely at the marks, so I tried drilling a couple by hand.  I could get the drill in the mark very easily that way, but at that small size, my accuracy (keeping the pin vise vertical) wasn't good enough. 

 
 After some practice with the mill, I could locate the drill above the punched markings more quickly and pretty accurately--

 
The deadeye is then pushed out from behind--

 
And the flattened surface is rounded off with a file--

 
Here are two finished--

 
It took me about 5 before they started looking good.  The first few had problems with my marking of the holes with the right spacing, as well as the stated problem with hand drilling them.   I started with one spare, so I'll ponder whether the first are okay to use, or if I have to turn a few more blanks.
 
All for now,
Ron