mikec

Absolutely brillliant. The rope looks perfect.

I have taken a break from the shipyard to build a plastic model aircraft to enter a local modelling competition. the transition from wood to plastic is quite hard. Plastic is not very forgiving, you have be sharp with painting and finishing. I think this small break will sharpen up my modelling skills.

great work!

I think "ratting" is the closest thing us guys get to knitting. :-)

hi Grant, just popped on for a looksee. Haven't looked at what you are up to for a while. all I can say is wow!

I am going to grab a beer (its my birthday) and have an indepth look at how you have achieved this magnificent build.

Hi Pat, magnificent job with the repair work and the "ratting" I am ratting too. will post pics soon.

cheers Mike

Looks awesome! I am about to rig the mizzen stay, was it set up with dead eye rather than a closed heart?

Hi Pat. I did mine as in option 3. I put my trust in AOTS. Now I am holding my breath.

Mizzen mast stepped and shrouds/futtock shrouds rigged. i used the composite hat elastic/ chucks rope method (smaller diameter)

hi Brian, re the mainstay collar, I achieved the tarred look by serving the dark black thread with  a tan coloured thread. i then "sealed" it with PVA glue, applied reasonably thickly. When this is dry I paint with matt black 33 paint from Humbrel. I then deliberately handle the assembly once dry, this rubs off some of the paint and allows some of the tan thread to show through, giving a realistic tarred look.

cheers Mike

More progress, I Hand served and hand wormed the main stay. Took many hours. I am really happy with the finished result. As you can see from the pic the stay looks like a very heavy rope, and not thread. 

I lashed the mainstay to collar on the bowsprit as per replica.

The mouse, and all the rigging at the top has turned out very realistic, I feel.

The jeer block lashings were quite a task too. I did the lashings off the mast on a jig made to slightly larger dimensions than the actual mast. I then slipped the finished lashings and completed jeer blocks(Chucks) on to the top. I used white glue(PVA) to form the lashings on the jig.

Also attached the fiddle blocks again using Chucks excellent kit.

Also ratted the main mast shrouds and stepped the mizzen mast, now rigging the shrouds, will post more pics soon.

Thanks heaps for the information guys . That is why I love this site. I will step the mast as per AOTS.

Hi Steve, like you I have had to fit the main stay collar insitu, What a mission! But the result was worth it. 

I will post pics soon. 

I havent yet stepped the mizzen mast. I am unsure as to wether I should follow AOTS with the higher mizzen or the traditional short mizzen.

What did the free mantle replica do? and what are you doing?

Great thanks heaps. I too am using Syren rope.it is very good.

Very very good. Whats size rope are you using for the collar and the stays please?

Thanks heaps steve. it was the double blocks that confused me. I couldn't see how it would work. Note to self: AOTS is not perfect.

Set up of jeer blocks-fore and main yards

Does anyone know how the rope that reeves between the two bocks (yard arm and masthead) is set up?

Is the standing part of the rope attached to the block or yard arm? I cant make out from the AOTs reference.

thanks for your help, MIke

Hi re the decks: Firstly I used a soft graphite pencil and ran it along the edges of each plank to simulate the caulking . Once the planking has been applied (I use pva white glue) and dry I sand the pdeck smooth. The graphite tends to grey and dirty the wood. I then seal with sanding sealer. I drilled every plank where the fixing points are and then using an artists palet knife, filled every hole with water based black wood filler. I wiped off the excess filler with a damp cloth . Wipe in the direction of the grain. This further dirtied up the planking, giving it a nice subtle grey hue
I then applied a coat of Matt varnish to finish.

Does anyone know if the Endeavour had slings? I can't find any reference for them in AOTS, so i am assuming no. but i thought i would check.

When did they start using them? The Victory has slings and jeer block set up. See pic from my model.

thanks guys. here are better pics...

Thanks for your kind words.
Don - What method are you using to tie your ratlines?

I am tying mine with clove hitches as per the real thing. I peg a card with a grid marked on with correct spacing inbehind the shrouds..

I attach this at the outer corners of the 1st and last shrouds. I divide the height of the shrouds into bands of 4 and tie only the ratlines within that band, adjustIing the tension between each shroud as I go. Once a band of ratlines is done I seal each knot with watered down white pva glue and also apply to the ratline, using my brush to shape a sag in each line between the shrouds.

When this is dry I do the next band. I usually work from port to starboard, by the time you have worked on oneside the other is dry and ready to continue. . I try and use 1 length of rope per band, looping to the next row above as I go. I trim off the loop woth nail sissors once dried.

By working in bands and allowing each section to dry, it keeps the shrouds lying correctly.

Hope this is of some use.

Cheers Mike

I have been working on the ratlines. Finished the lower foremast. I actually really enjoy doing this part, I find it relaxing and kind of therapeutic. I put on some nice music in the backgound, and then work away. Is sort of like knitting or weaving I imagine.

Apologies for the quality of pics. they were shot with flash. i will post better ones soon.

Absolutely brilliant work. I am doing the same.

and some more detail...

Thanks Slog, and everyone for your kind words. I finished the main shrouds and catherpins, futtock shrouds. Also reeved all the deadyes and tied off properly.

Hi Grant, I have been so busy with my own build and focusing on the other Endeavour builds, I have forgotten to check on the other builds I have been following. When I clicked on your build I was amazed to see the progress you have made. You are doing an amazing job. The attention to detail is fantastic.

You are becoming master craftsmen before our eyes.

That is great research work. thanks heaps. I will follow suit.