JanV

Concerning the sails I am also following the sizes according Frank's log. I have to check again Karl's log.
 
But in order to save time and make it realistic, during the first and only trip of the Vasa only 4 sails were set.
2 on the foremast, middle one on the main mast and the lowest one on the Mizzen mast (I am not so familair with the names of the sails in English)
 
this is based on information from the museum

Hi Sjors
 
enjoy the rigging, the most "exiting" part of our hobby

I think I'm on track now   
 
I have make the stay's and snakes.......
I'm really happy with the result.
 
Sjors
 
 
 
 

So we can expect a lot of Vasa builders in the near future. At least a lot of people starting this kit  
I know the booklets provided with other kits like the HMS Victory and these are provide with good instructions and a lot of historical information.

So we can expect a lot of Vasa builders in the near future. At least a lot of people starting this kit  
I know the booklets provided with other kits like the HMS Victory and these are provide with good instructions and a lot of historical information.

So we can expect a lot of Vasa builders in the near future. At least a lot of people starting this kit  
I know the booklets provided with other kits like the HMS Victory and these are provide with good instructions and a lot of historical information.

Worked on finishing various odd jobs on the back of the ship. I put the center "insignia" ornament in place. Tidied up the windows. Still working on the paint job of all the ornaments and wood. I completely repainted the green stained woods and shaded them using inks. I guess the border between what is a wooden model ship and a warhammer miniature is beginning to fade ;-)  In this fashion I could even re-paint the entire ship hehe.
 

 

Hey guys
 
I spent the afternoon putting all canon hatches on. I've got 2 more to do and a few ropes to finish them. 
I also put all canons carriages on the ship, with a very simple fitting. I know its not historically correct but I did not wan't to go through the pain of adding full tackle. The build is already hard enough for me as it is. I think the canons was absolutely the most boring job so far, glad its over. 
 
I will spend the coming weeks finishing various odd jobs around the hull, cleaning up some details, paint work and re-doing the anchors to be a bit more good looking. Then I think I am ready to start on the masts and rigging... drumroll!
 

 

 

Hi Mates,
 
Getting the second set of foremast chainplate deadeyes strung. Then looked at the 1/1 for a reference. Then also looked at the 1/10th. The upper deadeyes on each are at diff. heights. 
 
The 1/1 has them rising to just above the second upper railings/ The 1/10th stay well below. So where do I loop the shrouds?
 
Looked at other builds here, as well as the Vasa profile plan sheet. They all seem to indicate the lower positions for the upper deadeyes seem correct. I also checked Clayton’s his are lower as well.
 
So, if I decide to follow the 1/1 photo I would have to restring them all (ropes would be too short). Hmmmm. Should I write Fred H. and tell him that HE made a mistake ha ha ..... 
 
Cheers,
 
Michael

 
 
 

And at last it is finished now
See pics below for result. I hope you all like it.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Next project is unknown yet.

This Vasa can be seen on the Dutch event for historic shipmodels
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/12333-3e-edition-duizel-netherlands-expo-and-gathering/
 
so all followers in the Netherlands or Belgium are invited

This Vasa can be seen on the Dutch event for historic shipmodels
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/12333-3e-edition-duizel-netherlands-expo-and-gathering/
 
so all followers in the Netherlands or Belgium are invited

Mates,
 
Thanks for the likes. I hope to install the deadeyes and shrouds for the foremast by sometime next week.
 
JanV - so nice that you are back (sort of) with your Vasa as well (got an update). Thanks for your dropping by as well.
 
Michael

I do feel pretty good!  When I started the project 2+ years ago I wasn't sure if I had the skills to do it justice.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out - I feel like I improved my skills and enjoyed myself, and you can't beat that.
 
Some more small tweaks to the rigging.  The kit plans call for three cleats on the bowsprit, to which the sprit halliard, sprit top halliard, and fore topgallant stay attach.  Looking at the museum plans, as well as the 1:10 model, there are only two cleats, and the stay looks like it loops around the bowsprit.  That also tallies with one of my books, so I decided to remove the cleat and re-rig the stay.  
 

 
Then I went back and looked at way the museum plans and the 1:10 model route the sprit sheet.  It was slightly different from the way I did it, which if I remember right was based on the kit plans.  The kit plans routed the sheet to a sheave in the bulwarks a bit aft of the large sculpture through which the main tack is routed.  The museum plans and the 1:10 model route the sprit sheet to one of a pair of sheaves farther aft.  They carry the sheet forward to the same kevel bitt, it's just that the sheet's somewhat longer.  I liked that look better, so I redid it.  You can see the profusion of sheets and tacks in this picture - I still need to gently tweak the lines so they hang properly, but they look pretty good.
 

 
Then there was more messing with the main sheet.  The kit has a bunch of pinrails that are mounted to the bulwarks in various places, including just forward of the doors to the helmsman's cabin.  Apparently none of these pinrails are supposed to be there, so I removed them all.  In particular, the ones by the helmsman's cabin doors were more likely a kevel bitt around which the main sheet was belayed.  I'd run the sheet behind the main channels, to a kevel bitt farther forward.
 
So I fabricated a new pair of kevel bitts, installed them where the pinrail was, and moved the sheet back a bit, as you can see in the following photo.
 

 
I found I had a number of parrel beads left over after rigging all the yards, so I made up a parrel for the sprit topmast.  The kit just specifies a sling, but all the other sources agree there's a parrel there.  It looks like it should have ribs and two rows of trucks, but I couldn't see how to make that look good at scale, so I went with the same single row that the topgallants and mizzen topsail yard have.
 

 
And the finished rigging!  It's much easier to see all the complexity without the sails, although the model looks less realistic.  I don't think I could have done a good job with the sails anyway.
 

 
I'm going to spend a tedious chunk of time making rope coils now, so no postings for a bit.
 

Thank you all for the positive feedback.  This build has been a great experience - lots of new stuff to learn.
 
Here are the lifts for the mizzen topsail.  The kit plans are odd here - the lines seem to start at the end of the yard, then travel inward to pendant blocks and down to the deck.  All the other sources route the lifts like the other yard lifts - from a ring bolt at the mast cap, then out to a block on the end of the yard, back in to the pendant, and down.  So I ignored the kit plans.  
 

 
The clewlines are run exactly like the other topsail clewlines - from the yard, down to a clew block at the end of the crossjack yard, back up to another block and is then belayed at the caprail.  The sheet has a stop knot in one end, and runs through the clew block, inward to a pendant block at the mizzen top trestles, and is then also belayed at the caprail.
 

 
The museum plans show the lifts belayed at the mizzen top, but the 1:10 model and Clayton's model show the lifts belayed at the caprails.  I took the lines down to the caprail, mostly for some consistency with the other topsail yards.  The only difference is that the fore and main mast have bitt rails where you can belay the lines, and there isn't one for the mizzen.  Here's a photo of the clewline, lift, and sheet lines and where they are belayed.  Depending on how you locate the lift pendants under the mast cap, you might have to run the line in front of the crossjack yard; if you install sails, that may cause you some problems.
 

 

 
Here's an interesting overhead view of the mizzen topmast cap and the profusion of pendants sprouting from it.  One for the mizzen yard lift, two for the topsail lifts, and two leader blocks for the main topgallant braces.
 

 
And an overhead view of the mizzen topsail rigging.
 

 
And finally the mizzen running rigging all in place.
 

 
Now I have to go back and make some minor changes to various parts of the running rigging that I don't like.  Then it looks like the only remaining tasks are rope coils and belaying pins, anchors, and flags.  I've already ordered a plexiglass box for the model, but I need to find a nice wood base for it.  The case is huge - almost four feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide, and almost 3 feet high, so finding a place to display it is going to be challenging.
 
 
 

Mark, some further thoughts below. I have been an avid follower of your beautiful work. 
 
Frank, also some thoughts below -I was thinking of your superb work with sails
 
Thanks Mates for your encouraging words.
 
-------------------------------------------
 
Ouch – here I go again; only looking at “what I want to see”
 
Turns out that the just installed four shrouds (not mast stays as I called them) L will have the correct hooks and blocks at the chainplates for attaching the tackles…..
 
BUT the just installed lines with double blocks should have been attached to fiddle blocks NOT double blocks - grrrrr. Mark I also feel your pain !
 
Now what should I do? Still thinking. Hmmmm.
 
My rigging may become the “Titanic” part of this build in any case. That said, I have for all intents-and-purposes nixed my “dreams” of adding sails. Skills are just not there. (I did buy the sail material) funny
 
OK done venting. Ha ha - After following those of you who have added sails to your beautiful Vasa CHEERS !  “I’m just not there”  
 
PS: Now if ONLY Vasa II got published, I might learn enough to “wing it” with sails, and certainly proper rigging.
 
PS 2: I SO appreciate all of your super nice comments, and I do feel comfortable as I have mentioned before with these posted bits of the build and, I do enjoy trying to create “ideas” for details that I have not yet seen visiting other builds.
 
I also plan, for example, to attempt building the main mast out of several main pieces a seen in Landtröm's book and from the museum mainmast plan sheet. I will try to give it the right perspective.
 
Michael

 
 

due to private reasons is my build now in almost dead-slow.
we are at this moment trying to sell our house and for this reason my workshop is cleaned-up now and the Vasa protected under plastic
 
I started with the preparation of the yards for all the masts
 

 

 
made also a temporary sketch with all blocks summarized for each yard
plan is to finish all yards completly so they can be mounted directly to the masts.

Ok,
 
No klompen but ....( drums ) I have make 3 stay's today.  
Especially for Sam !!!!
Be happy Sam and don't yel anymore now !!!!!!!!!!!
 
Sjors

due to private reasons is my build now in almost dead-slow.
we are at this moment trying to sell our house and for this reason my workshop is cleaned-up now and the Vasa protected under plastic
 
I started with the preparation of the yards for all the masts
 

 

 
made also a temporary sketch with all blocks summarized for each yard
plan is to finish all yards completly so they can be mounted directly to the masts.

due to private reasons is my build now in almost dead-slow.
we are at this moment trying to sell our house and for this reason my workshop is cleaned-up now and the Vasa protected under plastic
 
I started with the preparation of the yards for all the masts
 

 

 
made also a temporary sketch with all blocks summarized for each yard
plan is to finish all yards completly so they can be mounted directly to the masts.

due to private reasons is my build now in almost dead-slow.
we are at this moment trying to sell our house and for this reason my workshop is cleaned-up now and the Vasa protected under plastic
 
I started with the preparation of the yards for all the masts
 

 

 
made also a temporary sketch with all blocks summarized for each yard
plan is to finish all yards completly so they can be mounted directly to the masts.

Sorry to hear Sjors, but a good decision. You as builder will always see such errors, but lucky you noticed this now and not in a later stage.

Sorry to hear Sjors, but a good decision. You as builder will always see such errors, but lucky you noticed this now and not in a later stage.

Sorry to hear Sjors, but a good decision. You as builder will always see such errors, but lucky you noticed this now and not in a later stage.

Sorry to hear Sjors, but a good decision. You as builder will always see such errors, but lucky you noticed this now and not in a later stage.