EdT

Perhaps you are right, Druxey.  I may be overly optimistic about this.  As with most of this work, my attittude is: With the right process, even I can do it.

Thank you all for your comments.
Ben, it is never good to generalize, but I believe that it was not common on American clippers to fill the gaps between frames below the floor heads as was done in 18C RN ships like Naiad.  Because the clippers used suction pumps that could reach to the inboard face of the garboard strake at the bottom outboard face of the frames, the spaces between frames along the keel could be drained.  This could not be done with the chain type pumps used earlier so there would always be stagnant water between frames.  On the clippers a roughly 3-4" limber channel was cut on the bottom of every frame near the keel to allow water to flow to the pump under the frames.  These were normally fitted with chains so the debris could be cleared out as necessary.  So-called "hogging chocks" were used on some ships between frames but these did not extend to the keel.  These were wedged between the frames to put the  hull structure into compression that would help resist hogging.  Evidently these were used all the way up the frame, but I cannot see how any but those at the bottom would be useful.  So, simple answer: no.
 
Druxey, interesting point.  You are quite right that the long sleek hull form would apparently reduce frame bevels.  Your observation perked my interest because I have been struck by how few cant frames were used on YA as opposed to Naiad.  YA has only six pair forward and the same number aft (19% of hull length).  Naiad had the equivalent of 11 and 9 pair fore and aft respectively (34% of hull length).  So, on YA the square frames  (full or half) were taken much closer to the ends of the hull.  On older ships much more of the hull curvature was taken up by cant frames - at least on Naiad, which I beleive is representative. 
 
Recognizing that ships differed, I looked at Naiad's most beveled frame, which turned out to be 24a, the last square frame aft.  The maximum bevel on that frame was just under 20 degrees.  On YA the most beveled frame is forward (surprisingly), frame Zf.  The maximum bevel angle on this frame  is just over 23 degrees.  So, in fact, the frame beveling on YA is comparable, at least, perhaps slightly more and due entirely to using fewer cant frames.
 
I really do not like the idea of beveling the frames by sanding the final hull shape.  I did some pre-beveling of frames on Naiad, but it had to be limited because after frame assembly there was a pattern on only one side.  With the assembly method used on YA, patterns remain on both sides and they are more accurately placed. This should permit beveling to be completed before frame erection - at least theoretically.  I have been working up to that slowly - gaining confifence in the method.  I have just started frames aft of 0 and I am beveling those right to the line.  We'll see how that works out. 
 
Thanks for raising this interesting point.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 27 – Forward Hull Sanding/Bolting
 
 
First, thanks everyone for the recent comments.  I hope all those who celebrate Thanksgiving Day had a good holiday.
 
The view from directly forward in the last post seemed popular so here is another from a slight angle.
 

 
All those unsightly wood spacers between frames are temporary and will be coming out at some point.
 
After this picture was taken the model was inverted for fairing and sanding.  There is not much to say about this, since it turned out to be less work than anticipated.  Below is a picture of part of the bottom after sanding.
 

 
Not much fairing was needed – nothing like the work I had to do on Naiad, where very little pre-beveling of frames was done.  On this model almost all of the beveling was done before the frames were set, so the sanding was mostly for cleanup and finishing.
 
The next picture shows an area slightly forward.
 

 
This picture shows some of the bolts – inserted after sanding – to secure the half frames to the keelson/deadwood.  These are copper wire, epoxied deep into the holes to give strength to the model joints.  These frames are end-grain glued to the keelson/deadwood, so the joints are not strong.  These bolts were iron so they will be blackened before the lower hull is finished.
 
I am considering installing the garboard strakes – at least – later on both sides.  On these ships the garboards had an important structural role.  They were quite thick (7”) and were edge bolted through the keel and face bolted to the frames.   This reinforced the attachment of the frames to the keel and will serve that purpose on the model as well.  You will recall that the frame floors are merely glued and pinned to the top of the keel – not notched to fit over a rising wood as in 18C ships – and some clippers.  This is not a strong joint.
 
While the model was inverted the remaining forward bolts were installed.  The bolts through the stem can be seen in the next picture.  These were long copper bolts.
 

 
Eventually, the forward side of the stem – actually the false stem – will be tapered down to about 4 or 6 inches in `breadth.
 
The last picture shows the iron bolts securing the hawse timbers to the stem/apron.  Like the cant frame bolts, these are black monofilament.  All these bolts were riveted flush.
 

 
The model has now been re-aligned on the shipway so the afterbody framing can begin.
 
 
Ed
 
 
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 26 – Forward Half Frames/Ribbands
 
To provide space for work on the forward cant frames, I deferred setting of the remaining half frames.  In the first picture that work is proceeding.
 

 
The next picture shows all of the forward frames installed.
 

 
The sleek forward hull shape is really visible at this stage.  The next picture shows a different perspective.
 

 
And another view.
 

 
At this stage the alignment and spacing of the frames are set by the softwood spacers between each frame about midway between the keel and topside.  More strength is needed for final fairing of the lower hull.  Also, as the above photo shows, there is some irregularity in the line of the toptimbers that needs to be corrected before final fairing.
 
I decided to fair the forward hull before proceeding to the aft frames.  To provide additional strength and align the frame tops I installed temporary “ribbands” on both sides at the height of the planksheer.  I found this a very useful device in constructing Naiad.
 
The next picture shows the starboard ribband being fitted.
 

 
These were made from single 3/16” strips of clear white pine.  One end was boiled to set the curvature and in the above picture is being clamped for drying.  In the next picture installation is proceeding.
 

 
The strips are secured to every frame by short pins through drilled holes.  These are bent over on the inside to pull every frame tightly into the fair line of the ribband.  I cut off the points of the pins before bending to avoid all the scratches I got from these while working inside Naiad.  The holes in the frames will later be used for sheer strake bolts.  The tops of the strips are set at the height of the bottom of the planksheer rail, so these can be used to trim off the tops of the aft upper futtocks.
 
The next picture was taken from above after the strips were installed.
 

 
The center marks on the cross-spales cannot be seen under the thread line.  This is a good thing.  In addition to this centering check, the outside of the ribband was also checked by squaring up from the base drawing.
 
In the next picture I cleared all the clutter from the shipway to focus on the lines of the very sharp forward entry.
 

 
At this stage the frames have only been given the bevel described earlier before they were set.  Some additional sanding to refine the fairness is needed.
 
The model can now be removed from the base and upended for sanding and also for installation of quite a few bolts, especially those holding the half-frames to the deadwood.  These joints are quite weak so the model bolts will have to provide strength.  I will cover this in the next post.
 
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
 
 
Ed

Frank, I neglected to respond to your comment on the string line.  This, combined with centermarks on the upper cross-spales may be the single most important tool in maintaining alignment in models built upright.  I had previously used thin wire wrapped taut between two pins, but found it always in the way and a pain to move and replace.  Thread held taut with a hanging weight is a simple and easy to apply solution that can be moved without bother when necessary.  These features help assure that it will be used.  Highly recommended. 
 
Ed

Thank you all for these kind words.
 
The lines are indeed sweet, Druxey, a fact that I can take little credit for.  The beauty of the full forward hull shape will become more apparent in the next post as the remaining forward frames are placed.
 
I really appreciate the comments on the bolt pattern.  This is one case where the bolts actually compliment some of the attractive structural lines.  The top row parallels the cutting down line and the lower row the bearding line.  This is structurally correct and aesthetic at the same time.  Unfortunately this is not always the case as many authentic bolt patterns appear quite random - and often, on models, sloppy.  I am sure there will be plenty of such cases on this model.  On Naiad I learned that while this effect of realism cannot be eliminated, with care it can be moderated.  There is always something to learn.
 
Thanks again.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 25 – Forward Cant Frames 2
 
 
American Clipper Note:  William Webb foresaw the end of the extreme clipper craze.  He came down to the dock to see Young America off on her first voyage in 1853 and remarked to the mate, “Take good care of her Mister, because after she’s gone there will be no more like her.” (Dunbaugh)  Webb turned his yard to the future.  Young America was his last extreme.  Within the next few years  there was a glut in clipper capacity and the premium freight rates they had enjoyed dropped off, ending demand for the type.  Some were slow to see the change, but Webb’s yard continued to prosper building medium clippers, steamships and even a huge ironclad, finished too late to enter the Civil War. 
 
This part will bring the forward cant framing to completion.
 
All of these frames were almost completely beveled before installation, as I became more comfortable with accuracy of the pin-indexed assembly.  With patterns left on both faces of the assembled frames, each could be cut back to the green lines on the forward face and the red lines on the aft face using disk and spindle sanders.  The sides were then shaved flat to those lines as shown below, using a carver's rasp. 
 

 
This tool leaves a very smooth surface requiring little or no sanding.  The work can be held by hand and/or with the aid of a vise.
 
The next picture shows the clamping of the second frame on the port side.
 
 
 
The clamping of these can be awkward, requiring long-reach clamps and gripping of angled surfaces.  A starboard side frame is being installed below.
 

 
In the next picture the last frame is being installed – with simpler clamping.  The position of each frame was checked with the square from the base drawing when glued in place.
 

 
Although the bevel angles of the joint faces were put on each pattern during lofting, there was still need for some refinement to get the proper installed angle.  Each mortise also required some trimming for a good final fit.
 
With all the frames installed, fair lines for the bolt holes were drawn and the simulated iron bolts installed.  In the next picture a black monofilament bolt is being cut off at the surface after gluing.
 

 
The excess CA glue was washed off with acetone and the bolts leveled off with a file.  The next picture shows the finished bolting on the port side.
 

 
The last two pictures show the finished bolting - six 1 1/8" iron blunts per pair driven flush..
 

 
The thread line seen in these pictures was used to center the half frame pairs.  It is hung by a weight off the center of the sternpost so it can be pushed out of the way or removed when required.
 

 
In the next part the remaining half-frames will be installed, completing the frame setting of the forward hull.
 
Work is progressing much more rapidly than I expected.  I think this is mainly due to the pin-indexed frame assembly and the improved beveling method.
 
 
Ed
 
 
 

Rob,

As I have said, there is clear documented evidence - for example 20 years of American Lloyds Registry listings - that YA was iron strapped - not at issue and not a guess. By the way, if you look at Table 12.1, p. 198, in Crothers, you will see that McKay used iron bracing as well.

My statement(s) about Webb using lighter structures is based on the many diagrams and tables in Crothers book as well as drawings and other sources that list timber sizes and layouts. Have a look. I do not believe that Webb was "fond" of less wood, but rather that he was confident in the sizes and designs he used and that confidence was justified by the performance and longevity of ships like YA - 30 years, 50 trips around Cape Horn - pretty good. I call this good engineering. I admire it and the courage it takes to pactice it. This attracted me to Webb. No criticism of McKay or any other builder is intended.

As to the question of whether sufficient information is available to build an authentic structural model of Young America, the answer is yes. If this were not the case, I would not be building this model.  I am usually pretty up front in the postings on sources and where any discretion has to be applied.

For the configuration and details of iron strapping, I would refer you to Crothers, p, 197. I will discuss the strapping on the model when we get to it.

I think we have beaten this subject to death on this log. Perhaps this would be a good topic in the Research section.  With your permission, lets move on.

Ed
 

Rob,
 
Forgive me if my comments on cross-bracing were confusing or unclear.  I do not believe I have ever disputed that wood cross-bracing was used on American clippers or that Donald McKay employed it in his designs.  In fact, when I was initially researching clippers in search of a subject,  I found it on the drawings for Lightning made by Bill Crothers based on McKay's extensive papers.  Also, Crothers book on American clippers, Figure 12.4, pp 210-211, also shows it, if you have the book.  The unamed ship in this drawing is in fact Lightning.  Crothers book and other sources make it fairly clear, I believe, that Webb and McKay took some different approaches in strengthening their hulls.  The differences and similarities between the two builders are of interest to me, of course, but I am mainly focused on Young America - a Webb ship.
 
Ed

Thank you for the comments and for all the "likes".
 
Bruce, the stern will be the most interesting construction in the framing. Going aft from the already installed midship frame, there are 29 full frames, then 13 pairs of half frames and finally 6 cant frames. The circular stern is the formed by four radial counter timbers on each side supported off the last cant frames - sometimes called the fashion pieces. The two frames at the center are parallel to the keel and bolted to the sides of the deadwood and sternpost. I decided to use this transomless stern, which was one alternative. Again no specific original design data is available, but I believe this type was common on ships of his size.
 
Elia, the iles and rifflers I use most often are Grobet - generally coarse cut #0 on wood. They are a top quality Swiss-made file and somewhat expensive, but I really only use a few. Below is a link to one source that has most of the line. Since I rarely throw a tool away, I have a ton of others in various sizes, but the ones you will see most often in the pictures are Grobet.
 
http://www.contenti.com/catalog.html
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 24 – Forward Cant Frames
 
 
American Clipper Note: American Clippers not only sailed fast, they were built fast.  Impatient customers demanded it.  A yard would normally launch two from the same slip in a year.  Many were built in close to three months time and one 200-footer, John Bertram, in 61 days.  There were a number of reasons for this productivity.  First there was increased division of labor and the creation of trades.  Gone was the all-around shipwright in favor of gangs for specific tasks.  Steam driven machinery was widely deployed.  McKay, and perhaps other large yards, used steam driven bevel-saws that could be adjusted to the angle of the frame bevel while running.  This alone cut frame fabrication time by a factor of six, using but three men.  Steam derricks were used to raise frames and other heavy timbers, vs. a common practice of everyone dropping what they were doing to lend a hand.  Making treenails was no longer a rainy day make-work job done manually with axes and spoke shaves.  Instead treenails were rapidly turned out in by steam driven lathes.
 
 Back in the model shop, the all-around shipwright plods along.
 
The first picture shows the most forward cant frames being assembled.  Exactly the same pin-indexed alignment method is being used.
 

 
After assembling these roughed out pieces, the frames are beveled and the patterns removed.  The sidings of the upper futtocks are then reduced and the bolts installed.
 
In the next picture this has been done and the starboard frame is being fitted up into the mortise cut for it earlier.
 

 
Some paring of the mortise sides and bottom was done to neatly fit the frame.  In the next picture, the clamping has been set up in preparation for gluing the frame in.
 

 
The clamps were then removed, glue was applied and the clamps replaced.  After drying, the clamps were removed, the frames faired and the six iron bolts into the deadwood installed, as shown in the next picture.
 

 
Stem supports had to be removed for much of this work – usually one side at a time.  In the next picture the port frame has been installed and is being faired with a flat riffler, followed by sanding.
 

 
No project is without rework.  I have normally been making toptimbers from smaller 9-inch stock so these very visible members will be consistently sized - unlike lower timber sidings that have been filed or machined back after pattern removal.  In the case of these first cant frames, this reduced siding at the top left a small gap at the adjoining hawse timbers that can be seen in the last two pictures.  This was an oversight when I lofted the frames.  Rather than delay the erection, I decided to install the frames, then replace the toptimbers - before the glue had set overnight.  The next picture shows the starboard toptimber being removed with the aid of a razor blade in the glue joint.
 

 
No glue was applied on the forward side of this piece, so it was easy to separate with light taps along the joint.  The next picture shows the piece being removed, essentially intact.
 

 
In this picture the port side toptimber has been removed and not yet replaced. 
In the last picture the new larger top timbers have been installed and the joints with the hawse timbers closed up. 
 

 
Installation of the forward half frames has been suspended until all of the cants are in place – to leave room for that work.
 
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 23 – Forward Half Frames
 
 
American Clipper Note: In the last part, the three types of frames were discussed.  To shed some further light on that subject, before moving to the half frame work, I have included some images pf patterns that illustrate the types and also the way the shape of Young America’s hull changed from midship to the bow.
 
The first image shows one of the midship patterns.
 

 
Young America had relatively flat floors for an extreme clipper compared to the early versions like Griffith’s Sea Witch, McKay’s Staghound or Webb’s own design for Challenge.  In all these ships the angle of the lower timbers to the turn of the bilge was much greater giving the midship a pronounced V shape.  By 1853, designers were learning that extreme deadrise did not contribute to speed to the degree previously thought.  Later extreme clippers had fuller bodies, like the one shown above.
 
Moving forward the next image shows frame a, the most forward of the half frames and the last one going forward to be set at right angles to the keel.
 
 
 
The most striking feature of this pattern is the extremely sharp v-shape of the hull at this point – a defining characteristic of all the extreme clippers. Notice that the frame is in two pieces separated by the keelson in the center.  These will be bolted to the sides of the keelson.   Also note that the bolt holes are becoming perilously close to the forward (green) outer profile at the top.  This is necessary on this highly beveled frame pair so the bolts can be driven through this forward frame of the pair and not break through the inside profile on the aft frame.  Some are actually over the line, but remember that the sidings on the upper segments are reduced so the bolt holes will actually be inside of the profile when the sidings are reduced.  The pattern is at the forward face of the wider floors.
 
Finally, the most forward cant frame, f, is shown below.
 

 
This pattern shows the extremely narrow section just aft of the hawse timbers.  This frame, when assembled with is aft partner, will fit into the forward score of the five cut out in the last part.
 
So, with that background the installation of the forward frames may be less confusing.
 
The first picture shows assembly of the two sides of the first half frame pair.
 

 
The vertical strip between the frames was used to size the separation at the keelson for an easy fit.  Next is a picture of a later frame with two horizontal temporary cross-spales to allow the frame to be installed like a full frame.  This is much easier than dealing with two separated frames.
 

 
Unfortunately the first frame was a bit loose on the keelson, so the bottom cross-spale was removed and replaced with two pieces, each glued only on one opposite side.  This allowed the joint at the bottom to be closed up with a clamp as shown below.
 

 
The next [picture shows a close up of the other side during assembly.
 

 
Note that the bottom of the frame is aligned with the top of the keel rabbet.  The lower cross-spale resting on the keelson was installed to set this height.  When the glue had set at the keelson, the usual spacers were installed above to maintain spacing and adjust the centering – as shown in the last picture.
 

 
In the next part, the most forward cant frames will be set.
 
 
Ed

Thank you, Phil!

Thank you, Phil!

Thank you, Phil!

HMS Victory
1:96 Scratchbuild Project
Part 19 – Wrapping Up
 
 
At this point just about everything I had on my list has been covered. In this last part I will cover a couple incidentals involved in wrapping the project up.
 
Excess Rope
 
 
If one looks at the lengths of rope specified in Steele’s, or even just thinks about how much rope would be left over when a line was completely hauled in, it becomes evident that there must have been an amazing amount of rope lying about the deck, especially when no sails were set and buntlines, leechlines, slab lines, bowlines, clue lines, and others were with drawn back to some stowage point ready to be let out when sails were set. I decided very early on, that I could in no way model all this clutter without obscuring a lot of the model, but I did want to model some. The following pictures illustrate how some of this was done.
 

 
Among the first excess lines to be dealt with were the fore yard jeer falls. With the yard hauled up to its normal position, from which, I believe, it was hardly ever moved, a long length of large rope remains. Seldom used, it is unlikely it would be kept too readily available. I decided to coil it up and stash it behind the mast out of the way. The main yard jeer falls are belayed on the upper gun deck out of site, so were not an issue.
 
 

 
Many lines belay on the forecastle rail where they are tied off to the timberheads there. Only some of these excess rope coils were modeled.
 
Coils were made by wrapping line around a tapered dowel, tying it off, removing it from the dowel and soaking it with flat acrylic emulsion. This left a flat finish and stiffened the rope so it stayed in place when draped over a timberhead. Coils secured around their middles were wrapped around bent wires inserted into the point grooves in a pair of screw adjustable dividers. Then when the right length was wrapped up, several turns were taken around the middle, finished off with a clove hitch and this, too, got soaked with emulsion. The dividers were then closed enough to remove the coil. These then got draped on timberheads, kevels or even tied up on a shroud if the rope was belayed there. If these coils are draped while the emulsion is still wet, they can be shaped realistically. This shape will be retained when they dry.
 
Here are some more of these on the timberheads at the fore end of the waist.
 

 
The next two pictures show lines that have been “flemished,” that is, wound into a neat circular pattern on the flat of the deck. I reserved this treatment for large lines that I expect were frequently used and therefore needed to be readily available. In the first picture below those astride the mizzenmast are the falls of the davit lifts, and those further aft are the mizzen topsail sheets.
 

 
The flemished lines in the next picture are the fore top sail sheets.
 
 

 
These arrangements were made as follows: First a small piece of paper was laid on a piece of soft Homosote board. Homosote is a compressed pulp sheet product that takes and holds pins well. A pin was then pushed through the rope near its end and pushed through the paper into the board. Titebond glue was thinly spread on the paper around the pin and a couple turns of rope taken around and pressed down on the tacky glue. At this stage the paper itself could be rotated on the pin with more rope being fed and pressed down until the desired diameter was reached. The rope was then brushed lightly with some water to bring the glue up into the rope, the pin carefully removed, a piece of waxed paper put on top, and the whole affair weighted until dry. When dry, the paper was trimmed back under the outer coil of rope with scissors. The paper was then glued down to the deck and the end of the rope tucked up to appear to emerge from its belaying point.
 
Flags
 
 
The very last item to be dealt with, aside from the case, was the question of flags. The decision on which flags to fly could result in a number anywhere from zero to probably 25 or 30, if signal flags were flown. I had diagrams for all the historic, “England expects … “ signal flags, and I had gathered data on which pennants, ensigns and other flags were likely flown at Trafalgar. In the end I settled on only the large white ensign. I find at times even this can be a distraction from what is meant to be shown on the model, but it can be easily removed, so there it is. Its quite large, 20 by 40 feet, as can be seen below.
 

 
The ensign was made from some very old fine weave drafting linen, from which the resinous wax was removed by boiling. A larger piece than required was then pressed with a steam iron and taped down flat on a board. The ensign pattern was laid out with a sharp pencil and the white, blue and red colors painted on both sides with acrylic designers guache. This was thinned only very slightly to avoid running and painted on in two coats on each side. The ensign was then trimmed to size, pressed again and draped to appear standing in still air.
 
So, this story began with a picture of Victory approaching and it ends with a view from astern.
 

 
I have enjoyed describing my experiences with the construction of this model, which spanned a period of over thirty years. Many were surprised to see it finished – and I was one of them. Looking back while writing all this has made me appreciate the time spent even more. I hope this series has been helpful in some way to those who have followed it and especially those who have stayed with it to this point.
 
As I said at the start, I did not plan to cover every step in the construction of this model. However, if there is some point of interest that was not covered please let me know and I will try to cover it.
 
Thank you for spending time with this and especially for all your comments, suggestions and generous compliments.
 
I expect soon to be posting a new series on my current modeling project, a fully framed 1:60 model of HMS Naiad, 38, 1797.
 
 
Ed Tosti

Thank you, Phil!

HMS Victory
1:96 Scratchbuild Project
Part 19 – Wrapping Up
 
 
At this point just about everything I had on my list has been covered. In this last part I will cover a couple incidentals involved in wrapping the project up.
 
Excess Rope
 
 
If one looks at the lengths of rope specified in Steele’s, or even just thinks about how much rope would be left over when a line was completely hauled in, it becomes evident that there must have been an amazing amount of rope lying about the deck, especially when no sails were set and buntlines, leechlines, slab lines, bowlines, clue lines, and others were with drawn back to some stowage point ready to be let out when sails were set. I decided very early on, that I could in no way model all this clutter without obscuring a lot of the model, but I did want to model some. The following pictures illustrate how some of this was done.
 

 
Among the first excess lines to be dealt with were the fore yard jeer falls. With the yard hauled up to its normal position, from which, I believe, it was hardly ever moved, a long length of large rope remains. Seldom used, it is unlikely it would be kept too readily available. I decided to coil it up and stash it behind the mast out of the way. The main yard jeer falls are belayed on the upper gun deck out of site, so were not an issue.
 
 

 
Many lines belay on the forecastle rail where they are tied off to the timberheads there. Only some of these excess rope coils were modeled.
 
Coils were made by wrapping line around a tapered dowel, tying it off, removing it from the dowel and soaking it with flat acrylic emulsion. This left a flat finish and stiffened the rope so it stayed in place when draped over a timberhead. Coils secured around their middles were wrapped around bent wires inserted into the point grooves in a pair of screw adjustable dividers. Then when the right length was wrapped up, several turns were taken around the middle, finished off with a clove hitch and this, too, got soaked with emulsion. The dividers were then closed enough to remove the coil. These then got draped on timberheads, kevels or even tied up on a shroud if the rope was belayed there. If these coils are draped while the emulsion is still wet, they can be shaped realistically. This shape will be retained when they dry.
 
Here are some more of these on the timberheads at the fore end of the waist.
 

 
The next two pictures show lines that have been “flemished,” that is, wound into a neat circular pattern on the flat of the deck. I reserved this treatment for large lines that I expect were frequently used and therefore needed to be readily available. In the first picture below those astride the mizzenmast are the falls of the davit lifts, and those further aft are the mizzen topsail sheets.
 

 
The flemished lines in the next picture are the fore top sail sheets.
 
 

 
These arrangements were made as follows: First a small piece of paper was laid on a piece of soft Homosote board. Homosote is a compressed pulp sheet product that takes and holds pins well. A pin was then pushed through the rope near its end and pushed through the paper into the board. Titebond glue was thinly spread on the paper around the pin and a couple turns of rope taken around and pressed down on the tacky glue. At this stage the paper itself could be rotated on the pin with more rope being fed and pressed down until the desired diameter was reached. The rope was then brushed lightly with some water to bring the glue up into the rope, the pin carefully removed, a piece of waxed paper put on top, and the whole affair weighted until dry. When dry, the paper was trimmed back under the outer coil of rope with scissors. The paper was then glued down to the deck and the end of the rope tucked up to appear to emerge from its belaying point.
 
Flags
 
 
The very last item to be dealt with, aside from the case, was the question of flags. The decision on which flags to fly could result in a number anywhere from zero to probably 25 or 30, if signal flags were flown. I had diagrams for all the historic, “England expects … “ signal flags, and I had gathered data on which pennants, ensigns and other flags were likely flown at Trafalgar. In the end I settled on only the large white ensign. I find at times even this can be a distraction from what is meant to be shown on the model, but it can be easily removed, so there it is. Its quite large, 20 by 40 feet, as can be seen below.
 

 
The ensign was made from some very old fine weave drafting linen, from which the resinous wax was removed by boiling. A larger piece than required was then pressed with a steam iron and taped down flat on a board. The ensign pattern was laid out with a sharp pencil and the white, blue and red colors painted on both sides with acrylic designers guache. This was thinned only very slightly to avoid running and painted on in two coats on each side. The ensign was then trimmed to size, pressed again and draped to appear standing in still air.
 
So, this story began with a picture of Victory approaching and it ends with a view from astern.
 

 
I have enjoyed describing my experiences with the construction of this model, which spanned a period of over thirty years. Many were surprised to see it finished – and I was one of them. Looking back while writing all this has made me appreciate the time spent even more. I hope this series has been helpful in some way to those who have followed it and especially those who have stayed with it to this point.
 
As I said at the start, I did not plan to cover every step in the construction of this model. However, if there is some point of interest that was not covered please let me know and I will try to cover it.
 
Thank you for spending time with this and especially for all your comments, suggestions and generous compliments.
 
I expect soon to be posting a new series on my current modeling project, a fully framed 1:60 model of HMS Naiad, 38, 1797.
 
 
Ed Tosti

HMS Victory
1:96 Scratchbuild Project
Part 18 – Eye Splices and Strops
 
 
Cyanoacrylate Glue
 
CA glue is one of my least favorite substances to work with. Its difficult to remove from skin, it runs where it is not wanted, its difficult to apply in measured doses, excess can be impossible to remove, it sometimes adheres where desired, but always adheres where not desired. However, I do not believe Victory’s complex rigging, at this scale, could have been modeled very well without it.
 
I once spilled quite a bit of a bottle of this stuff on my workbench. Believe me; that will never happen again. Below is a picture of the simple holder that I always use when using this glue.
 
 

 
I do not use the applicator tip on the bottle because dosage can’t be controlled with it and it immediately plugs anyway. I use a homemade brass wire applicator like the one next to the bottle above. A close up picture of the end of this is shown below.
 
 

 
To make this, a piece of .030 inch brass rod is slit down one end with a fine blade on a jeweler’s saw, the end is then de-burred and shaped as shown above. The idea is to get it to work like an old style drafting pen, holding a limited amount of liquid. A bit of trial and error is necessary to get the amount it holds right, but it is capable of delivering a very small amount of CA, which is what is needed for rigging at this scale. The applicator is just dipped into the open CA bottle. Two or three of these are needed because they quickly get gummed up. When that happens, I drop them into a tall closed jar of acetone and take out a clean one ready for use. Keeping the jar tightly closed is important. Acetone is hazardous to health and flammable, and the vapors in the closed jar help dissolve the glue above the liquid level.
 
I used the thin grade of CA on all the rigging work. All you really want to do with this is get the rope fibers to stick to one another in a knot or a simplified mimic of a splice. CA was never depended upon by itself.
 
 
Eye Splices
 
There are relatively very few actual knots in Victory’s rigging. Almost everything is fastened together with spices of some sort, usually eye splices. These were then fastened with seizings or lashings. So, there were very many eye splices to be made.
 
For the very largest lines like the main and forestays, actual splices were made for the model, but that was impractical for anything smaller. So the following process, or some variant of it was used for virtually all the splices.
 
In the first picture below, the rope is untwisted enough to insert a needle, with an eye large enough to take the rope, through the strands. For small, unmade rope, the needle is merely pushed through the center of the thread fibers.
 
 

 
The short end of the rope is then threaded on to the needle (which can be pulled mostly through to save rope), and the rope is pulled through itself as shown below.
 
 

 
In the next picture the loop has been placed over a piece of stiff wire the size of the desired opening in the eye splice. The short end has then been pulled up tight and the long end has been twisted to tighten up the rope.
 

 
The short end is then lapped over the long leg and the splice touched with a small drop of CA as shown below.
 
 

 
Before the CA has had a chance to completely cure, remove the splice from the wire and clamp it in pliers to give the splice some shape as shown below.
 
 

 
The next picture shows the final result after the short leg has been clipped off with scissors. I use small sharp embroidery scissors for this clipping. They, too, need to be cleaned in acetone from time to time to remove CA.
 
 

 
Eye splices from large sizes down to the smallest, 1½ inch (.007 diam.) rope were made this way and have withstood rigging tension without any failures.
 
Stropping Blocks
 
There are very many different types of block strops on the model – too many to cover here. Many required some innovative application of the techniques discussed below. Some of the larger blocks, like the jeer blocks, were done completely differently and much more authentically.
 
The following process, or some near variation was used for the great majority of blocks.
 
First an eye splice is made in the rope as described above. For very small lines I just tied double overhand knots to make the loop around the wire post and wet that with CA. In the picture below, an eye has been put in the rope by the method above. Because the stropping process requires at least three hands, the surgical clamp shown below is an essential tool.
 

 
With the block held between the fingers by the surfaces with the sheave holes, the rope is pulled tight so the splice is down on the top of the block. The rope is then pinched together just below the block with the fingers. The strop is then clamped to the sides of the block with the surgical clamp as shown below.
 
 

 
In the next picture the clamp is laid down so the bottom of the block is up. An overhand knot, simulating a splice can then be tied across the bottom. This is then pulled tight and touched with CA.
 

 
In the picture below the finished block has had the excess rope clipped off and is shown attached to another line with a seized overhand knot, one of the many different ways used, depending on the line.
 
 

 
Another method, used on larger blocks is shown below.
 
 

 
Instead of the simulated splice, a seizing is put around the rope to form the eye. The eye is then put over the wire as before and the overhand knot in the thread shown above is pulled tight and pushed right up to the wire.
 
 

 
A second overhand knot is then added. Perhaps we should call it “an underhand knot,” because it is tied from below to avoid a knot-like appearance. This can be followed by another overhand knot on the top, and so on, depending on the size of the block and how large a seizing is appropriate. A small drop of CA is then applied to the seizing. If the drop of CA is too large in this step, the rope won’t bend around the top of the block. The bottom splice is then applied with an overhand knot on the bottom as shown below.
 

 
I think we’re getting close to the end, but not quite yet. The next part should wrap it up.
 
Ed Tosti

HMS Victory1:96 Scratchbuild Project
Part 17 – Stays
 
 
The stays were principle structural elements of rigging that pulled forward on masts, and the bowsprit to prevent their falling backwards. Offsetting the pull of the stays was the counteracting stress from the shrouds and backstays, and all of these lines kept the masts erect. The picture below shows the fore stay and its smaller backup, the fore preventer stay after installation on the lower foremast. They are tied together with bridging so that strength of either one is not completely lost if it is severed.
 
 

 
Both these stays are secured around the bowsprit, which itself is being pulled down by its own stays anchored in the knee of the head, and also by the double banks of gammoning just visible under the marines walk platform.
 
Stays were put over the masthead after the shrouds and were looped over them at the back as shown in the next picture. These loops were formed with a large eye splice that was stopped below the masthead by a large bump in the stay called a mouse. I described how these were made on the model in the section on serving. All these upper parts of the stay were served.
 

 
At the lower end of the stays are collars, also served, lashed together to from loops into which are seized very large hearts, some open ended, some closed. Between these hearts, one on the stay and one on the collar, a lanyard is wrapped in several turns. This was used to put tension on the stay much in the way deadeyes were used to tension shrouds.
 
A close up of these details is shown below, of both the fore and fore preventer stays, as well as the bowsprit bobstays. Cleats can be seen on the bowsprit to keep the stay collars from sliding backwards.
 
 

 
The order of installing all this rigging on the model was, first the bowsprit gammoning – two banks of 11 turns each. This was followed by the bowsprit stays, the lower foremast shrouds, and finally, the lower fore stay and its preventer. This same order was observed in the final tensioning of these lines. After all the tensioning, the bridging was installed.
 
The next picture shows a closeup of the collar of the mainstay.
 
 

 
This collar has an eye splice in one end and is served all over. The other end is passed through the grating of the marines walk, through a hole in the port knighthead, underneath the bowsprit, back up through the starboard knighthead and a second hole in the grating, and finally through the eye splice. It is then secured back on itself with lashing. A large heart is then lashed into the collar to take the lanyards connecting it to the mainstay. In the above picture a temporary line is used to as a main stay stand-in to help set this up properly.
 
The following picture shows the final configuration for the mainstay and its preventer.
 

 
The mainstay is the largest line in the ship, except for the anchor hawsers. In addition to being served at its upper end, it was also wormed over its full length, before serving. This worming can be seen in the upper left corner of the above picture. By the time this stay had been fully tensioned up on the model, there was not much room left between the hearts. Before the model crew puts more tension on the stay, they’re going to have to re-seize the lower end of the stay to its heart, a bit further back. I like this picture because it contrasts some of the largest lines in the ship with some of the very smallest.
 
This next picture shows the main topmast stays, which are looped around the topmast shrouds in much the same way as the lower stays. These are of course, smaller.
 

 
These topmast stays, as well as the lower mizzen mast stays, run through blocks on the next forward lower masts, or in the case of the fore topmast, through blocks on the bowsprit. The picture below shows this general arrangement. In this case, how the lower mizzen mast stays are routed through large locks strapped to the lower main mast, then down to the deck.
 

 
It can also be seen here that the main and preventer topmast and lower mizzen mast stays are not parallel or bridged. After passing through their respective blocks, they are lashed to eyebolts in the deck, just behind, in this case, the main mast. The connections for the main topmast stays are shown below, between the bitts and the main mast.
 
 

 
I mentioned earlier that my overall order of rigging was first forward to aft, then bottom to top, then standing before running. This meant that all running rigging in this picture was installed before the topmast stays were lashed down. Lashing these stays was the only work that was made significantly more difficult because of the rigging order used. Each lashing took about an hour of work with tweezers, long needles, surgical clamps and a lot of patience. In return for this inconvenience I got unobstructed access behind each mast for all its other rigging, which I believe saved a lot more time overall.
 
In the next part, I will discuss two of the most common rope configurations on the model –eye splices and block strops – and how they were made.
 
 
Ed Tosti

HMS Victory
1:96 Scratchbuild Project
Part 16 – Shrouds and Ratlines 
 
 

Shrouds
 
The shrouds for the Victory model were made from multiple strands of linen, twisted up on the ropemaking machine as described earlier, except for the topgallant mast shrouds, which were too small.  A heavy black mercerized cotton polyester thread was used for these.   All the shrouds are laid up left handed and are four strand if the size could be obtained that way.  If not, three strand rope, though not historic, was used. 
 
The lower and topmast shrouds are all served over some of their length.  The first shroud in each set was served over its whole length, because of the rubbing it took from the yard and other rigging.  All these shrouds were served where they wrapped around the masthead.  The following picture shows the served portion of shrouds just below the foretop.
 

 
 
The next picture shows the served shrouds where they are wrapped around the masthead above the top.
 

 
Once served, the shrouds go over the masthead in a specific sequence.  Shrouds are generally paired in twos and after draping around the masthead are lashed together with a seizing.  Some of these lashings can be seen in the above picture.  For appearance sake, care has been taken to place these pairs neatly on top of one another and have them oriented so they do not twist over each other as they descend to there proper deadeye.
 
Once all the shrouds were lashed into their positions at the top, the next task was to secure deadeyes to their bottom ends.  These needed to be secured at the right length or the deadeyes would not be aligned when the shrouds were pulled tight by their lanyards.  The following sketch, shows how this was accomplished on the model.
 

 
 
This picture is a composite showing a number of separate steps to attach the shrouds to their deadeyes.  First a thin piece of rectangular hardwood about 1/32” thick was cut to be used as a jig for lashing up the shrouds.  This was placed on the channel just behind the bottom row of deadeyes, which were installed earlier.  Spots were marked at the bottom of this on either side of a few of the deadeyes. The wood was removed and small holes, to take thin copper wire were drilled on these marks.  The wood was then returned to the channel and the wire twisted around some of the bottom deadeye chains as shown.   A horizontal line was then drawn on the wood at the desired line for the top row of deadeyes.  Each shroud was then pulled down to its bottom deadeye and a line drawn at the location where it passed over the horizontal line.  The wood was again removed and two holes were drilled at roughly the spacing of deadeye holes on the horizontal line either side of each shroud line.  Thin wire was then used to secure each top deadeye to the wood as shown above.  The wood was then returned to the channel and secured as before.
 
Having done this, each shroud could be connected to its proper deadeye, assured that it would take its final place along a neat horizontal row with its mates.
 
To secure each shroud it was pulled with moderate tension around the deadeye and clamped back on itself higher up.  The short leg of the seized shroud should always be to the right when viewed from the outside. Once tensioned and clamped each shroud was seized with three lashings as shown and the excess clipped off.  The shrouds remained attached to the wood after it was removed from the channel to avoid mixing up the shrouds.   Starting at the front they were then removed one at a time, first one side then the other, for installation of the lanyards and initial tensioning.  All lower and topmast shrouds were installed in this way.
 

 
The above picture shows the finished fore channel.  The various stays that were installed between the lower shrouds were rigged up individually, not part of the above process.
 
Rigging of the lanyards was straightforward.  A knot was put in one end of a lanyard rope, to which some beeswax thinned in turpentine had been applied and rubbed off.  The other end was wetted with CA and clipped at an angle with scissors to give it a sharp end.  This was then threaded from the back through the top left deadeye hole, down through the left front hole on the lower, then from the back through the middle hole in the upper, and so on until all the holes were filled and the lanyard had emerged from the lower right hole at the back.  This loose end was then pulled up to put some initial tension on the shroud.  This process was then repeated, side to side, front to back, until all the lanyards were installed. 
 
Final tension was applied when the forward stays for the mast were installed and tensioned.  Each shroud was then tensioned in turn and the end of the lanyard secured in what was a somewhat sloppy, if historical way – as follows.  The loose end of lanyard was brought through the small opening between the top deadeye and the first seizing on the shroud.  It was then wrapped several times around the shroud and secured to the shroud above these turns with its own seizing.  It was very hard to get all these loose ends to look relatively uniform.
 
Here is another picture.
 

 
 
Once the lower shrouds were installed, futtock staves made from blackened stiff wire were lashed to each shroud some distance below the top.  A number of horizontal catharpins were then lashed to a shroud on either side at this stave.  It was important to get uniform initial tension on these catharpins because they are part of the system of lines, which secures the topmast shrouds.  If they are too tight the lower shrouds will be pulled inward. If they are too loose tension on the topmast shrouds transferred through the futtock shrouds will pull the lower shrouds outward.  The following picture shows how these lines interact with each other. [/size]
 

 
 
Here, the lower, futtock and topmast shrouds are all installed, including their ratlines.  The horizontal futtock stave across the shrouds on one side and the catharpins lashed across between them can be seen.  It can also be seen that the topmast shrouds transfer their tension through their lower deadeye chains (which are not secured to the top platform), down through the futtock shrouds to the catharpins.  Also, the forward lower mast stay is putting forward tension on the lower shrouds.  All this required a bit of care in tensioning.
 

 Ratlines
 
The ratlines are relatively easy to install but it is a repetitive and somewhat tiresome task, especially higher up where arm fatigue can set in.  The ratlines are much smaller rope than the shrouds.   They are set 13 inches apart.  On the prototype they were lashed through eye splices at both ends to the outer shrouds and tied with a clove hitch to each shroud in between.  On the model all the shroud connections were done with clove hitches.  The process is shown below.
 

 
First, a card with lines 13 inches apart was mounted directly behind the shrouds as a guide.  Then thread was tied to the leftmost shroud with a clove hitch and touched with a small drop of CA.  The thread was passed over the front of the next shroud, the end pushed behind the shroud, pulled out from the left of the shroud under itself, pushed behind above itself and then pulled out through its loop with tweezers.  I’m sorry if this is complete gibberish, but after a few knots this process became quite mechanical, and so many knots were done that I can recall the exact process easily after three years. 
 
Once the knot was loosely formed, the end was pulled to straighten out the ratline between the last shrouds, then gripped at this point tightly with the tweezers and the knot pulled tight.  This last step is shown below.
 

 
After tying off to the last shroud, tension was examined and, if necessary, adjusted by loosening and resetting each knot, before applying a final drop of CA to the last knot.  With practice few adjustments were needed.
 
One last task to be done on the fore lower shrouds was to install the tiny boxwood shroud cleats, which were used to belay a number of lines.  Space for belaying points was scarce in the on the forecastle and there were many lines to be belayed in this area, hence the use of shroud cleats.  These were carved individually and lashed to the shrouds with fine thread.  They are shown below.
 

 
 
The rigging experience will continue in the next part.
 
 
Ed Tosti
 
 

HMS Victory
1:96 Scratchbuild Project
Part 15a – Making Shape Scrapers
 
 
Since putting up the Victory log I’ve had a few requests for more information about the scrapers used to make moldings and block profiles, specifically about how to make them, so in response I am inserting this post into the series. If this does not answer all questions, let me know.
 
 
Using Shape Scrapers
 
Generally, I have made these as needed, without too much forethought, getting the shapes perfected by trial and error. They are easy to make and produce surprisingly good results.
 
There are a few different ways to use these, depending on what is being shaped. The pictures below illustrate some examples. In all cases multiple light cuts should be used.
 
 

 
In this picture a wide strip is being shaped for a molding. When the shaping is complete, the molding will be ripped off on the circular saw. This method assures that the molding will be of uniform thickness if more material is removed at one end or the other. Also, some moldings will not be thick enough to work with the cutter. Its best to keep the stock at almost right angles to the cutter vertically and at a right angle horizontally. More tilt over the cutting edge can be helpful at the start, but by the end of the cutting the wood should be at right angles to get the true shape from the cutter.
 
 
 

 
For shapes where the strip needs to be cut to size first, for example on blocks where all four sides need shaping, the cutter would be used this way – but hopefully more at a vertical right angle to the work. For this application the pattern should not be cut too deep in the plate, but it’s always a good idea to have enough depth to provide entry of the stock before the pattern is reached. The sides should also confine the wood so it cannot get off the track of the pattern. For blocks, the rounded vertical shape of the block can be cut into the scraper, which can be cut deep enough to reach the center of the block body. Uniformly rounded blocks can be made easily this way.
 

 
Here’s another picture where the right angle rule could use a little more application. If the pieces are short and can be accommodated in a vise, this approach works well. Here the sheave groove for a single block is being cut. Note the rounded sides on the cutter.
 

 
Simple grooves of very small size can be cut with scrapers where saw blades or files are too big. Using the clamping device in this picture as a fence allows one cutter to be used for several different groove locations by varying the distance from the cutter. The clamp is made from two pieces of 1/8” carbon steel, rounded off on their edges which a file, then drilled and tapped to take a tightening screw.
 

 
This is pretty much the collection used on Victory.
 
After scraping, avoid using sandpaper on the shapes. It will obscure the detail. A buffing with very fine steel wool or fine grade non-metallic 3M abrasive pads, will polish up the shape nicely.
 
 
 
 
Making the Cutters
 
My cutters are made from scrap pieces of 16 gauge stainless steel, only because I happened to have some. Most cutters have limited use, so they could be made from plain carbon steel or even hard brass plate.
 
If you are going to use hardened steel plate, say, for example a carbon steel saw blade, then that will need to be stress relieved to make it soft enough to cut with a saw or file. To stress relieve hardened steel, heat the piece with a torch until it is “cherry” red, then allow it to air cool. It can then be worked with files and saws. Hardened steel can be worked as is with abrasive wheels in a motor tool, but this might limit the profiles that can be made. I would recommend avoiding this by finding a piece of roughly, 16 gauge (1/16” or 2mm) plain carbon steel scrap.
 
For moldings, where the final shape can be sliced off after shaping, I would start by cutting a square slot the width of the molding, then lightly rounding the side edges of this, so the wood will slide within the sides without scraping. The pattern can then be cut on the bottom face of the slot.
 
The pattern should have crisp edges where it will be scraping away the wood. When cutting the pattern, cut at a right angle to the plate. An angled knife edge is not needed, just a sharp unrounded corner.
The pictures below show a cutter being shaped using just a jeweler’s saw. Very fine patterns can be cut with this tool tilting the blade to one side or the other. For fine detail this is the tool of choice.
 

 
Use the jeweler’s saw to cut on the pull stroke. Blades in many sizes down to the very finest are inexpensive and easily replaced when they break. Get them from a jeweler’s supplier – or even Amazon.com. A jeweler’s saw frame can be had for $20, or so, and is a good investment – for this and many other modeling tasks.
 
Where the shape requires smooth curves the pattern can be dressed up with very small files. Just be careful not to round off the cutting edges. Small files in various shapes are available from suppliers of modeler’s tools. Sharp edged files for sharpening Japanese style saws are very good for narrow slots. I usually try to avoid using files on both metal and wood because they can leave metallic smudge on the wood. Separating these uses is not always easy. I still prefer the jeweler’s saw for most of the work.
 
The best way to know if you’ve got the right shape is by trial and error. Careful marking out with a scriber is a good way to start, but I have found that sooner or later testing the width or the pattern with a piece of the wood stock will need to be done.
 

 
Ed Tosti

HMS Victory
1:96 Scratchbuild Project
Part 15 – Deadeyes and Blocks
 
 
Deadeyes
 

 
Deadeyes were used to restrain and to put tension on various standing rigging lines. The larger deadeyes in the above picture, on the fore channel, are anchoring lower shrouds and the smaller ones are securing topmast backstays. With three holes each, a pair of deadeyes takes the strain on the shroud over six lengths of lanyard. Discounting friction, this means that pulling on the lanyard with a force of 100 pounds, puts 600 pounds of tension in the shroud. Lower shrouds were tensioned by a block and tackle attached to the burton pendants, suspended from the masthead. The tension on the shrouds thus got the benefit of the additional leverage from that tackle as well.
 
Deadeyes are simple devices, round blocks of wood grooved around their circumference. This groove was sized to take, for example a shroud on the top deadeye, and an iron ring – a deadeye chain link – on the bottom one. Each deadeye also has three lanyard holes. These three were slightly off vertical center and the holes had their edges relieved to reduce friction and wear on the lanyard by providing a rounded surface. On the model, these last two features were omitted.
 
Model deadeyes were made from boxwood. First, dowels were turned to the deadeye diameter in the lathe. After cutting grooves with a rounded tool, they were parted off using a shaped parting tool that would give them their rounded edges. They were then set up in a three jaw chuck mounted on an indexing head so that holes could be drilled precisely 120 degrees apart in the deadeye face. A picture of this process is shown below.
 

 
In this step the deadeye is setup off center of the drill by the radius of the hole location. The first hole is drilled. Then the indexing head is rotated by a number of clicks equaling 120 degrees and the next hole drilled. This is repeated and the deadeye removed from the chuck. The indexing head makes this process easy because it can be used for all deadeye sizes. Deadeyes down to 7 inch diameter, a bit more than 1/16 inch, were drilled this way – albeit with some failures at this small size. This approach resulted in very uniform deadeye holes, which is an advantage because on the ship they are all lined up next to each other for comparison.
 
Obviously a rotary index head could also be used. In the absence of either of these rather expensive tools, a jig could be made for each size with alignment holes for the drilling. Longridge describes such a device.
 
Once drilled, the deadeyes were touched up with sandpaper then dropped into a jar containing black acrylic ink. After removal from the jar they were allowed to dry thoroughly, then immersed in diluted tung oil for 24 hours. When removed they were rubbed dry, their holes cleared of any oil, and allowed to dry for a couple days. They were then treated with beeswax diluted in turpentine to make the lanyards slide more easily.
 
Dead eye chains were made from elongated loops of brass wire, silver soldered together, shaped to fit their deadeyes and then assembled into chains of the right length. These assemblies were then attached to chain plates nailed through predrilled holes the middle wale with blackened brass nails to represent bolts. Chains vary in length, getting longer toward the aft end of the channel due to the increasing rake of the shrouds. If the middle links in these three link chains are made by wrapping wire around a strip of wood, then cutting off and soldering as described in an earlier part, tapering the wood strip will yield loops of uniformly increasing size. From the resulting collection of loops, correct lengths can be selected.
 
Deadeyes in the tops were done the same way, but their chain loops were fastened to the futtock shrouds by small hooks formed from brass wire.
 
 
Blocks
 
Victory’s collection of blocks varies from 26” triple jeer blocks down to single 5” blocks for ensign halyards, with almost every size in between. The rigging schedule discussed earlier was valuable in making sure the correct blocks were selected for each line and for totaling up the numbers required. The following table was helpful in making these blocks proportionally and dimensionally correct. Its just a spreadsheet with a lot of measurement conversions based on information from Lee’s, The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625-1860, in which he lists proportions of common blocks based on rope circumference.
 

 
This table just multiplies out all those proportions and reduces them to scale dimensions, which can be used to size the model block. So, if for example the rigging schedule calls for a fifteen inch, double block, the entry with the nearest shell length (in red) is 14.87 inches. At the bottom this gives block dimensions of .155 inch length, .109inch breadth, .097 inch width, a sheave hole diameter of .019 inch and a hole spacing of .035 inch. Blocks of this size would then be made to roughly these dimensions. Although it may seem so, this table is not about precise sizes, only about reasonably correct proportions.
 
There are of course, some “uncommon” blocks. Clue line blocks have broad upper shoulders to protect against chafing by the sails; topsail sheet blocks have a shoulder at the bottom to prevent fouling of the lift against the yard; lower single blocks on topsail yard tyes are long but of narrow width; to name a few.
 
Although it is possible to put sheaves in the larger blocks at this scale, I decided not to do this, since the sheaves would be mostly hidden by rope. So, all blocks are merely drilled to simulate sheaves.
 
To make the blocks, strips of boxwood were ripped to the width and breadth dimensions. Grooves for the sheave holes and for the groove on the sides to hold the strap were scored down the strip with formed scraper cutters. A picture of one of these cutters with some blocks and a finished strip is shone below.
 

 
The picture below shows some leftover unused strips at different stages.
 

 
In this picture the top strip has been scored on all four sides. The next one down has had spacing holes drilled along the side face. These are spaced using the calibrated wheel on the milling machine cross feed. The purpose of these holes is to accurately define the length of the block and to provide a small groove at the top and bottom to help seat the strap. The strip is then rotated in the machine and the top and bottom rope holes are drilled in the grooves at the correct spacing, again using the cross feed wheel calibrations. The fourth strip shows some of these holes on a strip that has also had some additional work. The last strip shows some of the first shaping. This is done with files as shown below.
 
 

 
First, small v-grooves are cut around the circumference of the strip with a triangular file at the location of the side holes to define the top and bottom of the block. The rounded shape is then filed on each block, which is then parted off with a fine saw and given some final sanding to remove burrs and polish the block. No further finish was applied to these. After this, the blocks were strung up on wire and placed in labeled cardstock holders as shown below.
 

 
Here are a few pictures showing some of the different blocks on the model.
 

 
This picture shows blocks at the end of a lower yard. The large topsail sheet block has the shoulder described earlier. It is in a strap with a loop at the bottom to go over the yard end and has a smaller block for the yard lift seized in the same strap. The brace block has not yet been rigged. It is connected through two loops so it rotate freely. Most of the blocks were attached before the yards were installed.

 
Several pairs of blocks are strapped over the bolster at the top of the lower masts. The yard lifts are connected to an eye in the strap of a block, run out the yardarm then come back up through the block and run down to the deck. Another similar pair guides rigging from above through “lubbers hole” in the maintop down to the deck. A lot of smaller rigging for the upper yards is rigged through blocks in the top. The larger unrigged block strapped to the masthead will soon take the main topmast stay.
 

 
The largest blocks on the ship are the jeer blocks for raising and lowering the fore and main lower yards. They are 26” long, a double and a triple. The upper jeer blocks are suspended by double straps, which are secured to the masthead by several turns of lashing. The lower ones have double straps looped around the yard inside the sling cleats. All these large straps are served. At the bottom of the yard, just outside the sling cleats is a clue line block with shouldered sides described earlier. A dozen small blocks are suspended under the top to guide buntlines, leechlines and spritsail braces from forward to the aft side of the mast and down to the bitts forward of the waist.
 
The next part will continue the discussion of rigging.
 
 
Ed Tosti

HMS Victory
1:96 Scratchbuild Project
Part 14 – Serving Rope
Posted to MSW 8/29/10
 
 
Some of the very first lines to be rigged required serving. Creating served lines on the model is simplified from what was done in real practice. Standing rigging that was subject to wear from rubbing or required additional protection was wormed, parceled and served. Worming refers to wrapping a rope of smaller size into the grooves in the main strands of the rope. The only lines on the Victory model that were wormed were the anchor hawsers and the mainstay. Others were too small for this. The next step, parceling, involved wrapping the wormed rope with tarred flannel – like tape. None of this was done on the model. Finally, the wormed and parceled rope was served. This involved wrapping it tightly around its circumference with small sized yarn. Many lines on the victory model were served – stays, lower and topmast shrouds, stay collars and all but the smallest that were specified for the treatment in the rigging schedule. None but the largest block beckets were served.
 
The Serving Machine
 
Some sort of device is needed to facilitate the serving process. Below is a picture of the machine I made for this. The basic principle of this machine is that a rope stretched and clamped between the two lower shafts, would be rotated in the same direction and at the same rate from both ends to avoid twisting the rope. Fine thread could then be closely and uniformly wrapped around the rope from a spool as the rope was turned.
 
 

 
This is a closer view of the internals of the head end of the machine. A crank turns the shaft with the larger gear. This shaft is connected by a thick wire jackshaft to a large gear of the same diameter at the other end. These two gears rotating at the same speed drive smaller gears at each end on shafts to which rope is clamped. One turn of the crank gives, I think, three turns to the rope. Rope is held at the end of the shaft by jaws formed at the ends. The jaws are made tight on the rope by a threaded collar with a screw, which is slid forward. The screw is then tightened to hold the rope on the shaft centerline. At the other end, after clamping, the rope is pulled tight by sliding the shaft at that end backwards. With the right tightness on the gear set screw this can be done without having to tighten the set screw every time. Only enough tension is needed to keep the rope reasonably taut.
 

 
The serving yarn used was very fine cotton thread. The spool was given its own shaft so it can unwind as needed.
 

 
The Process
 
First, the portion of a line to be served was marked out with a white chalk pencil. Often this was done by putting the line in place on the ship to get this right. Small sewing needles are passed through the rope between the strands at each ends of the area to be served. The rope is then clamped into the machine, which was clamped in a vise. This is shown below in the following demonstration.
 

 
The end of the thread from the spool is then passed through the needle at the right hand end. It is then pulled through the rope and the needle is set aside.
 

 
After being passed through the rope the thread is passed through the eye of the second needle and that needle is pulled through to a point where the thread is close, but not yet into the rope. The purpose of this is to keep the thread alongside the rope for the first part of the serving process. This is shown below.
 

 
The next picture shows serving in process. The crank is turned so the thread gets laid over the top of the rope where it can be seen better. This helps assure that the turns are tight up against each other.
 

 
After about ten or fifteen turns, the crank is stopped and the thread that runs along the rope to the other end is clipped off with small scissors as shown below. That end of the thread is now securely fixed under the first turns, leaving a nice neat beginning to the served portion.
 
 

 
The serving then continues right up to the second needle at which time the thread is cut off as shown below, while maintaining a hold on the thread.
 

 
The loose end is then passed through the eye of this needle and pulled through. It is then clipped off. The fully served line is shown below before being removed from the machine. I usually wait for the line to be installed before clipping this right up close. At that point the line is taut and in position, so it’s safe to put a tiny drop of CA on this end before that final clipping off.
 

 
Eye splices were served by marking out just the loop of the eye itself. The needles were set at these points as above and the area between them was served exactly as above. Then the line was removed from the machine and the eye splice made. I will describe how this was done later. A needle was placed at the end of the area to be served below the eye. The eye itself was then clamped in the machine and the thread was tied to the bottom of the eye loop. The line was served up to the needle and finished off the same way.
 
Where needed on stays, a mouse was formed in the serving machine in a much simpler way than the original. Thread was fastened at the mouse location and a bump was built up in the shape of a mouse by winding the thread over itself and touching it with a small drop of CA a couple times as it built up in diameter and shape. It was finished off with a clove hitch to secure the end of the thread.
 
In the next part, I will describe how blocks and deadeyes were made.
 
 
 
Ed Tosti

HMS Victory
1:96 Scratchbuild Project
Part 13 – Ropemaking
Posted to MSW 8/28/10
 
There is a lot of rope needed to rig Victory, even without the rigging for the staysails, jibs, and studding sails, which as mentioned earlier were not modeled because without sails this is not practical. The rope ranges in size from the 27” circumference (9” diameter) anchor hawsers, down to 1” for flag halyards. All rope size is designated by circumference and I will refer to sizes on the model this way, using full scale measure. The picture below illustrates some of this diversity of sizes and types.
 
 

 
The largest line in the picture is the forestay, which is in a loop around the dense stack of shrouds above the foretop. This rope is 18 ½” in circumference. It has a bump in it called a “mouse”, which stops an eye splice. The stay is “served,” that is, wrapped with yarn, in this case very fine thread, from below the mouse around the masthead down to and including the eye splice. The smallest lines are the ratlines which are 1 ½” in circumference and tied around each of the shrouds with a clove hitch. The shrouds are 11” left handed, four strand cables, in pairs looped over the masthead. They are served from the masthead down below the height of the main yard. The first shroud on each lower mast is served over its full length. The sheets, which took the stress from the lower corners of the sails were among the largest lines in the running rigging. The end of the fore topsail sheets were 8” hemp. In this picture they rise up from blocks at the end of the yard where, in the absence of sails they are connected by a seized overhand knot through a loop of rope to the twin eyes of the clue line blocks, waiting for some miniature foretopman to untie them and make them fast to the corner of the foretopsail. . The standing rigging is black and the running rigging is hemp colored. The variety and complexity of all this adds a lot of interest to the model – and the modelmaking.
 
The Ropemaking Machine
 
 
Ropes down to 4 1/2” were made on a ropemaking machine, or model ropewalk, from small size linen thread. Sizes below 4 ½” were of mercerized cotton polyester thread. I will say more about this sizing and thread selection later, but first I will focus on the ropemaking machine itself. Longridge does a good job describing the ropemaking process and the machine needed and I have seen several good articles on this as well. I will describe what I did. Below is a picture of the heart of this machine.
 

 
You can see from this that I was robbing my kids’ toy chest in making this. First, the bed of the machine is a 2X4 about 10 feet long into which two slots were routed lengthwise to take two 1/8’ wide rails. At each end of this there is a sturdy pylon with adjustable eyebolts that stretch a strong steel wire taut about a foot above the bed. The rails carry the Lego cart, which holds one end of the rope strands in a spinning hook. This cart moves forward toward the headpiece as the rope is being twisted up. The “high wire” supports a rolling device that holds a slotted mandrel to keep the strands separate and feed them into the forming rope. The string trailing behind the cart drops over the other end of the 2X4 and has small weights attached. These weights put tension on the strands to keep the strands from tangling together. They also resist forward movement of the cart to give proper tension in the rope as it is made.
 
The headpiece component, shown closer below, consists of a central large gear with four planetary gears each with an extended shaft fitted with a stiff steel wire hook.
 
 

 
The central shaft has a hand crank and is fitted with a timing belt sheave for connection to a motor drive. This drive (not shown) is made from an old sewing machine motor with an adjustable speed foot pedal. It can be attached differently to yield right or left hand rope by reversing the direction of rotation. Either three or four strands can be tied to the planetary gear shafts to make three or four strand rope.
 
To make this machine, two aluminum plates were marked out and drilled accurately in a drill press to take the five shaft bearings at the right centers for the five gears. The gears are delrin on brass shafts and the bearings are brass sleeve thrust bearings. The two plates are spaced with shimmed wood blocks and bolted securely. The center gear is larger, I think 3:1, so, one turn of the crank gives three turns to the driven shafts. This assembly is securely bolted to the end of the 2X4. The last key component, and in some ways the most critical to getting good results is shown below.
 
 

 
On the cart are two hooks, one for large and one for small rope. These need to be as free turning as possible. This helps get the twisting up started and keeps it going at a uniform rate. For very small work friction can be a problem. The small hook, made from a round-headed pin, is used for most of the rope. To the right is the mandrel, a smooth piece of wood shaped to a bullet point with four evenly spaced grooves around its circumference. These grooves come to a point allowing the strands to converge freely together when being twisted. I used the four-slotted mandrel to make all rope. An interchangeable three slotted version was made and is better for three stranded rope, but I seldom took the time to change them out.
 
 
Making Rope
 
Even with all this apparatus, I found that making small ropes is still an art form as opposed to a scientific repeatable process, especially in the small sizes. I will outline the steps and highlight the critical factors involved in getting successful results, but this is very much a trial and error, learn as you go process.
 
First, a strand of linen thread is tied to the hook on one of the four shafts on the headpiece. I will discuss thread selection and size later. The cart is moved about seven or eight feet back and the other end of the thread is tied to the hook on the cart. The cart is then pulled back to put enough tension on the strand to make it straight and held in place with spring clamps placed in front of the front wheels. If four strand rope were being made I would loop the strand through the hook and take it back and tie it off to another on of the four shafts. Then a second strand is tied to one of the four shafts and taken through the hook and back to the headpiece where it is tied to another hook, trying to make the tension in all the strands as even as possible. Equal strand tension is the critical factor in this step.
 
Next the three (or four) strands are distributed into the grooves of the mandrel, which is brought up to within an inch or so of the hook on the cart. It is important in this step that the height of the mandrel is the same as the hook.
 
The crank is then turned by hand, or more normally, by the motor to start twisting the strands. Depending on the direction of turning, the linen strands may at first unwind before starting to twist up. Note that the clamps are still holding the cart. As the strands begin to twist and tension builds, the rear wheels of the cart will begin to lift. At this point the motor is stopped and the clamps removed. The tension on the weighted string at the back of the cart now becomes the critical factor. If weighted correctly, when the motor restarts the strands will continue to twist and the cart will soon begin moving toward the headpiece. Rope will begin forming between the cart hook and the mandrel, which will move toward the headpiece at a faster rate than the cart.
 
When the mandrel reaches the headpiece, it is swung aside. The rope will now be about four to five feet long. feet long – 65 to 80 fathoms in real length. The rope end is held between two fingers and the strands are clipped off the hooks. A knot is then made in the rope end and the rope is tied to one of the four hooks. The hook on the cart is then stopped from rotating with a clamp and the motor is run again. This process tightens up the rope.
 
The motor is then stopped and the rope is grasped at the cart end and pulled taut to help lock the rope fibers. It is then disengaged from the cart and pulled harder to tighten it further. It will stretch, but if it breaks you’ve pulled too hard. The rope is now made and stretched and can be removed from the machine. It will not unwind. It is now ready for the final step, coloring.
 
Standing rigging was black and running rigging hemp colored. Right after the rope was made, it was dyed in one of these colors, stretched to wring it out, and hung up to dry. When dry it was stretched again, re-dyed and dried again if needed, and wound onto a labeled bobbin. Rope was dyed black with a diluted acrylic liquid artists color. Hemp coloring was mixed from acrylic designers guache then diluted. Acrylic artists colors are made from finely ground pigments, so unlike dye, they will not fade. With the diluted mixtures there is no noticeable stiffness in the rope from the acrylic polymer. Both colors were diluted enough so that the rope would show some contrast, with the crevices being darker. Black is not black black. Same with the hemp. Where thread alone was used, colors were selected to be close to the linen dyed hemp. The black thread is black black.
 
 
 
Rope Sizes
 
 
I used primarily two sizes of linen to make all the rope. Other materials could be used and I made some nice rope with other materials – cotton, polyester, etc. I was concerned about stretching, but after a couple years there has been none on the made rope or even on the plain thread that was used for smaller sizes. Based on this I would consider using other materials if doing this again, mainly because linen thread, even the higher quality type I used, has imperfections – bumps – which sometimes show up in rope. Below is a picture of some of the leftover linen rope.
 

 
In this picture, on the end of one of the bobbins, you can see information about the rope on that spool – number of strands of which thread, right or left hand, and size. Here is a close up of some of the hemp rope.
 

 
With only two sizes of thread, there were limits to the sizes of rope that could be made. The variables were, number of strands, size of thread, number of threads in a strand. The smallest made rope was 4 1/2” and was made from only two strands of the finest thread (1684). To set the sizes, rope was made by all the different combinations available, then each was measured with a micrometer and each size needed was assigned the nearest combination. The card below shows the assignments for the smaller sizes.
 

 
This card was used throughout the rigging process to select the best size match for each rigging line. Below 4 ½” there are merely thread types, with their diameters. The larger sizes show the number of strands of which linen thread. The above sizes make up the bulk of the rope needed. Sizes above 9” were were listed on another sheet and made to size with more or bigger thread.
 
In the next part I will discuss serving and the serving machine.
 
Ed Tosti