Wintergreen

I'm gradually working my way through the final bits of rigging. I could go on for quite a while adding bits of detail. I'm finding the decision on when to stop difficult!
 I spent some time adjusting the mainsail sheets until I became satisfied with them. I then went on to rig the main topmast running back stays. In the following photo the sheets and the starboard backstay are complete.
A while later the port backstay was also complete,

I then moved on to finishing the boat and step davits. The davits and blocks had been made earlier.

The step davits have single blocks while the boat davits have doubles.

 

Things have been progressing quite well over the past week or two - mainly due to the accumulated pile of rough cut frames I had ready to start assembling.  Progress will slow dramatically now though, as I have to start building more frames.
 
John
 

Good luck with the turning!
 
As always, sharp tools are a must
If I may, a couple of tips on the way...
I used my lathe for the spars on Regina, and since those tapered from centre out I finished one end at a time. To treat the spar gently I used a rubber hose when I clamped it in the chuck.
Be careful with the sandpaper, I still have marks going in cross grain on the boom since I was a bit eager with the coarser grits...
 
But...you say you have a bag of blanks..so a couple of try and you'll figure it out

Hammarby-backen?
 
Well, excellent dingy and oars Alfons! And your paint job is flawless. So nice to look at.

*just snuckin in for a free seat at the front, shhh, don't mind me, I'll only watch while you carry on*

*just snuckin in for a free seat at the front, shhh, don't mind me, I'll only watch while you carry on*

*just snuckin in for a free seat at the front, shhh, don't mind me, I'll only watch while you carry on*

It's been a long, long time between drinks, but at last there's something to show on the Meteor.
 
We were away in England for a couple of months taking care of Pam's aging mother and then various life events have prevented much progress on the model, but at least some frames are now roughed out and I've actually erected the first few frames.  The chocks between the frames are pretty rough, but they will be completely hidden on the finished model, so I haven't tried to make them absolutely accurate.
 
My framing jig is of my usual 'Heath-Robinson' variety - I don't like spending more time than is necessary in building jigs - but it works - which is really all you can ask from a jig!
 
Below are a few photos with three frames erected.
 
John
 
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 259 – Lower Course Buntlines and Leech Lines
 
Buntlines and leech lines were used to bring in the lower and outer edges of square sails when furling.  In the case of the lower sails, the courses, they were also used to make up and raise the sail package to the yard for bending.  Buntlines were toggled or knotted to cringles on the lower edge of the sail, leech lines to cringles on the sides.  On lower sails these lines then passed through lead blocks on the yard, single blocks hooked under the rim of the top, and down through shroud fairleads to belay on the main pin rails port and starboard.  The first picture shows these lines on the fore yard.
 
 
 
The four inner lines are the buntlines and outside are the single and smaller leech lines.  The lines pass through lead blocks lashed to the jackstays.  On the "no sails" model, the lines are stopped at the block with toggles that would be used to fasten to the sail cringles.  These toggles may be seen in the next two pictures.
 
 
 
The toggles, were made from small lengths of wire, passed through the line and glued to simulate an eye.
 

 
The next picture shows the blocks at the top.
 

 
The blocks on the 3" buntlines are 9", on the 2½" leechlines 8". 
 
And finally, the lines passing through the shroud fairleads to the pin rail.
 

 
As with all the running rigging for this first yard, final belaying and tensioning will not be done until all lines for the yard are rigged.  This will facilitate getting the right level of tension and avoid rework.  For this reason lines may not appear properly tensioned and a mass of excess lines clutter the deck at this stage.
 
 
 
Ed

Aaaaarrrggghhhhhh !    I have enough trouble with the one that whispers, "What harm can one doughnut do?"    :-))
 
Dan

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 256 – Fore Yard Reef Tackle
 
The effective area of most sails could be reduced by "reefing," that is, taking in sail to diminish its size while set.  Larger square sails, except for lower topsails, were equipped for this purpose with horizontal canvas reinforcing bands across the sail.  These "reef bands" were fitted with "reef points", short lengths of rope to tie up the reefed part of the sail.  To assist in bringing the reef band up to the yard, reef tackle was attached to the yard arm and to "cringles" on the leech of the sail just below the reef bands.  This was normally a simple "gun tackle" (two single blocks) with a runner through a sheave on the double quarter block running down to a pin on the fore mast fife rail.  When sails were removed (unbent), the cringle block would be tied off (stopped) to the jackstay.  When the sail was again bent to the yard, this tackle would be attached to its "ear-ring" and used to stretch it out to the ends.  It would then be re-connected to the reef cringle.  The first picture shows the reef tackle fall running below the yard and through the quarter block.
 

 
The next picture shows the yard arm tackle block shackled to the lower eyebolt on the band.
 

 
In this picture the seizing to the block has not yet been tied, nor has the fall been taken inboard to the quarter block.  The cringle block is just visible below the boom.  The next picture shows both tackles rigged.
 

 
In the next picture the port fall is being belayed to the third pin on the fife rail.  As with other lines at this stage, no glue is used (yet), allowing further adjustment once the yard is secured at final height (next part).
 

 
The next picture shows the completed tackle under the port yard arm.
 

 
The last picture shows the cringle block stopped to a jackstay stanchion.
 

 
I plan to replace the permanent-style black lashing shown here with a more temporary hemp stopper knot.  This picture also shows the type of lashing used on the foot rope stirrups, the shackled attachment of the lift pendant, and some other blocks.  The block at the lower left is the halyard block for the lower studding sail yard and will not be rigged.  This block is strapped around the yard arm, simulating a lashed eye attachment.  The eye on the aft side of the band will connect the brace pendant, and the iron cheek block will pass the soon-to-be-installed lower topsail sheet chain.
 
 
Ed           

I am starting to get back into the swing of things, working on the gundeck waterways. Starting my new retirement phase of construction, I resolved to begin cutting as many joints by hand as possible. I had earlier relied on building extensive jigs for machines to control quality, but I have been inspired by the books by David Antscherl and Ed Tosti regarding how to do this with chisels and files. I also took to heart Gaetan's good advice to me a few years ago that the more one repeats a task, the better one gets at it. I learned this when cutting the mortises for the carlings and ledges in the gundeck itself.
So here is the port waterway ready to be installed, with handcut scarph joints. The last photo shows a little trick I tried successfully to keep the chisel perfectly vertical to the cut. I drew a line on the cutting block, which is reflected in the back of the chisel. When the line is straight between the block and the reflection, the chisel is vertical.
 
Best wishes,
 
Mark

Hi Mark,
Retiring means a new life, new habits ... and model ship building.

It takes a special kind of mind to redo so much stuff of the kit...and I like it.
 
A "Hip hip, hooray" for you Daniel!

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 224 – Bowsprit Standing Rigging 3
 
Jib Boom Guys
 
The jibboom and flying jibboom guys provided lateral support for the outer bowsprit.  They are 5 ½" rope at the forward ends and 54 links per fathom (lpf) chain where they pass through the whisker booms and back to where they belay to hearts on the outer rail.  I used the smallest (40 lpi) model chain available for this size chain.  The first picture shows the port jibboom guy secured and the starboard guy draped through its whisker boom cleat. 
 

 
Loose ends of both the line and the seizing yarn may be seen in the picture.  The rope sections are seized at both ends – to eyes on the boom and to the chains.  The next picture shows a seizing being tied at a boom eyebolt.
 
 
 
The rope is held taut with the alligator clip shown in the picture.  After tying each seizing a drop of darkened glue is placed on the knot.  When this has fully dried the excess seizing thread and the excess line are clipped off.  Another drop of diluted glue is applied to further seal the knot and the cut rope end.  At this stage the line is given an initial tension using the heart lanyards.  The next picture shows both jibboom guys essentially installed.
 

 
The next picture shows the 40 lpi chain at the whisker boom. 
 

 
This picture tells me that the whisker boom needs straightening.  These have occasionally run afoul of my hands and arms.  They are very vulnerable to this.  Perhaps the chains will help.
 
Flying Jibboom Guys
 
The flying jibboom guys are lighter, 3¾" rope and 74 lpf chain.  Chain of this size is made by twisting copper wire.  Some of this, with shackles soldered to the ends, is shown below.
 
 
 
 
This picture illustrates some variation in the simulated links per inch – very difficult to discern by the naked eye.  The next picture shows the outer guy on the starboard side and the hearts and lanyards on both guys on that side.
 

 
The eyebolts are anchored in toptimbers, spaced to keep the two sets of hearts from fouling each other.  Again, the lanyards are left unseized until final tensioning later.  The paper toweling in the picture was used to catch drips of the liver of sulfur solution used to touch up the blacking on the chains.  The next picture shows the chain sections of the guys on the port side.
 

 
The next picture is an ultra-close up of the two rope/chain seizings.
 

 
All the line used so far on the model is linen dyed with India Ink, except for some of the lashings that are cotton.  The seizing thread is black quilting cotton.
 
The foot ropes and lifelines that will complete this phase of the bowsprit rigging will be covered in the next part.
 
Ed

After this I started with the bowsprit. Long time afterwards I understood that this is highly NOT recommended. Think like this: Why would you attach a spear to your precious model, a spear that most inevitably will catch something and snap, leading to an oral expression worthy of Cap'n Haddock from TinTin...
Well, I can say today (201302015), when the ship is finished only waiting for its stern boat, that the bowsprit is intact. One reason for that is the tent I made for the build. My man-cave is my wood working hobby shop, and with a lot of heavy machinery the dust fog is sometimes intense...
 

 
Back to the bowsprit.
The first thing I had to do was to cut a notch in the stem for it to sit in...

 
Just kidding, this is the saw I used

 
And here it is dry fitted.
 

 
Building
a ship is kind of a 15 game, you know the small plate with 15 movable small plates, once in order they will make up to a picture or something. On a ship build, there is almost always something that depends on another thing, in this particular case the bowsprit and the windlass.
 

 

 

 

 
Here
I remember that I posted a question whether to leave the knee under the bowsprit natural or paint it like the windlass. The consensus was to paint it. So I did.
 

 
Only to receive the next cheerful update from my friend John that said that it would have been better unpainted...

Hi Christian,
 
I've missed your updates since last summer. Very nice and convincing half model for a start.
And 1:32...that's Geatan style, impressive. 
Clean job on the keel so far, very nice.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 204 – Tops and Futtock Shroud Wrap-up
 
I am happy to be finished with the dust case and to resume the model work.  The completion of the three mast assemblies with their pre-erection detailing, including their futtock shrouds, required just a bit more work and is now complete.  The first two pictures show the mizzen top with its futtock shrouds installed.
 

 
As mentioned earlier, these shrouds are served, fitted with brass thimbles at both ends, hooked to the deadeye straps at the top and secured to eyes on the mast band with lashings.  The futtocks are 4 1/2" rope (5 ¼" on the main and fore), spun from three strands of linen thread, right-handed.  The rope was dyed black with diluted India ink.  Making these was described earlier in Part 196.
 

 
The last task on the lower mizzen mast was fitting of the mast coat at the base.  This is shown in the next picture.
 

 
The next picture shows the model with the three completed lower masts fitted – still temporarily.
 

 
The next step will be to make the lower shrouds.  The next picture shows numbers 1 and 2 on the fore mast, port side, looped temporarily over the mast head.
 

 
These two will actually go over the corresponding starboard pair.  In each case the #1 shroud is served over its full length.  The serving on #2 extends down to the futtocks as it will do on all the other shrouds.  Parcelling has been wrapped over the serving around the mast head down to the top of the seizing, but has not yet been "tarred."  More on all this in the next post.
 
 
Ed

Thanks!
 
And now: just another day in the sawmill.

Other photos:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Keith!
 
I had a subscription for one of the magz about classic boats for several years. I find these classics just so beautiful to look at and yours is no exception.
 
The deck structures are really coming along nicely. I think the key to success in regards of Mahogany, is the finish. Enough coats to fill every little crevice (or wood structure or what its called) to get an absolutely smooth surface is a must. If one fails in that the appearance will be dull and a bit dirty. The gentleman I bought our blue water sailing yacht from did not have time to varnish the interior teak more than once when he built the boat. It looks horrific.
 
Also Chucks paintwork is extraordinary even though he uses regular brushes. Several thin coats instead of a couple of thick ones.
 
Keep up the good work!

It took a longer time to finish the construction of the deadwood.





 

advancement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

continue....
 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Vitaly,
 
Many apologies for not seeing your questions. Work and personal circumstances have taken me entirely away from the shop and website for some time. Thank you druxey, for answering these questions in my absence!
 
I will be retiring in one year, at which time I plan to take up the Bellona again with a lot more time available!
 
Best wishes,
 
Mark