Bob Legge

Fig-142 The completed Midship house in place with Jock the riveter there to check the scale.

Fig-143 All is now complete excepting for the ships Bilge Pumps. Note the two elongated holes in the deck plating, as an indication of where they will eventually be located.

Fig-144 A photo showing the same holes in the deck plating of the actual full size Falls of Clyde.  The Bilge Pumps were removed in 1912, when she was fitted out with internal tanks, as a sailing oil tanker, but luckily the deck plates were left intact to indicate the type of pumps originally fitted - There are no photographs of what these original pumps looked like, and until I manages to dig up the original data, with the help of the staff of the University of Glasgow Archive department, no one had any ideas about them, other than they must have been quite unusual.  I have visited almost all of the old Windjammers that still sail the seas, and a lot of those tied up as Museum ships, and in all cases, the elongated holes to take the Bilge Pumps have been positioned fore and aft, and not across the deck.  Thus stated a very interesting search - find and reconstruction - but for next month.

Aaaand the clamps are finally done!
They work great, and I'm very happy with the result, it was a time well spent. Hope I will use them for years to come. The brass rod is a bit soft, but they are not designed for high pressure anyway. I would recommend to go with 4mm rods instead of 3mm if you are thinking about making them.
 
Gluing handles with epoxy, using gravity to penetrate deeper. I also cut a notch on the end of all rods, to help epoxy float down and make a "key" to prevent handle from slipping. Forgot to make photos of that.

 
The final result, everything is finished with two coats of danish oil.
Note that one clamp without basswood lining, it looks darker because of fine brass dust stuck in its pores. I tried to sand it to 400 grit, recognised the mistake, others are sanded to 240 grit. 240 leads to coarser brass particles, and they are not small enough to stuck in cherry wood pores.
Cherry looks like a nice wood for the purpose, the grain match looks pretty neat!
 


 
 

Got the upper deck cannons mounted and rigged. 

 
Now I will go back and work on the quarter deck and see how that will fit up with this deck. 
Tom

Hi everyone,
 
It has been a long time since the last post. We had 11 groups of friends and family come to visit us in our retirement this spring and summer, and however nice it was to see them all, it sure killed any momentum I had going on the Bellona. No work at all this summer.
 
I also took some time away from the Bellona to build a plastic model of an LCVP (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel) for my father's 95th birthday. He is seen with the sidearm in the first photo, with an LCVP in the background. 
 
Back to the Bellona, I picked up where I left off, finishing the lower two strakes of the port wale. Too clever for my own good, I steamed the foremost two strakes together, thinking I could clamp them into the fixture at the same time. I pulled the long one out, and then discovered the shorter one had slid back in the steamer. By the time I fished it out, the first one had cooled to the point that when I tightened up the clamps on the fixture, I heard a loud crack. Missed my window of plasticity in the steamed wood, and had to make the two strakes all over. One always learns from mistakes; now I know how long that window is...
 
I did finally figure out how to clamp these lower strakes, which had given me so much trouble on the starboard side because I could not get a fore-aft clamp to them (the gundeck behind is in the way of a clamp). This time, I fastened a batten across the building board, and used this to restrain the feet of several vertical boards. When the tops were clamped against the hull, their middles pulled the wales snug against the hull.
 
I hope to make more progress this fall, now the snows are threatening.
 
Best wishes,
 
Mark
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 309 – Foremast Top-hamper 2
 
I mentioned in the last post that the topmost pole mast and the two upper yards were to be installed with most of the rigging fitted at the bench.  The first picture shows the assembly erected on the topgallant crosstrees.
 

The two forward stays – the royal and the skysail – have been threaded down through the bowsprit, but most of the other lines are dangling in a tangle - as yet unconnected.  The running rigging lines – clew-lines, buntlines, leechlines, and skysail sheets – all of which are quite long - are coiled to avoid a real tangle.  The next step was to run the standing rigging lines to their connection points to clear some of the mess.  In the next picture the lifts on the two upper yards are rigged and the backstays for the upper mast sections have been run – but not yet connected.
 

The arrows point to the royal standing lift, the royal backstay and the skysail backstay on the port side.  In the next picture the skysail sheets below the royal yard have been run and the clew-lines for both yards are being rigged. 
 

These lines serve to pull the yards down on the lifts.  Arrows point to the clew-lines that attach to the chain sheets.  All these lines pass down through the fairleads in the top and belay on the main deck rails.  Once the yards were held down, the halyards were passed through their mast sheaves and secured to their central sling bands on both yards.  In the next picture the arrow points to the dangling royal halyard chain that runs down from the mast sheave, and will eventually be connected to a tackle to the deck.
 

 
This picture also shows the royal shroud pairs.  These run from the masthead down through holes at the ends of the crosstrees and are seized to eyes on the topgallant mast band in the lower part of the picture.  The next picture shows the upper mast backstays connected to the deadeyes on the starboard channel
 

Starting from the skid beam and working aft, the channel connections are – the wire for the standing end upper topsail halyard, the two topmast backstays, the tackle block for the skysail halyard, the topgallant backstay, the royal backstay, and finally the skysail backstay.  The deadeyes and lanyards on these standing lines decrease in size down to 6" diameter and 1 1/2" rope size, respectively.  The lanyards on the last three backstays will be tied off later once the tensions are set – and the mast made vertical.
 
The next picture shows the bunt and leechlines rigged on the royal yard. 
 

 
The skysail has only lifts, halyard and clewlines.  Except for the truck at the top of the mast, some neglected ratlines on the topgallant shrouds, and a couple dozen rope coils on the pin rails, the foremast rigging is now complete.  Braces are being saved for last.  The next two pictures show the mast at this stage.
 

 

This was a lot of rigging to sort out.  I hope the descriptions are not too confusing.  On the remaining masts I will use this same process, but leave off the clew, bunt, and leech lines  to be done in place.  Coiling these small cotton ropes results in a lot of fuzz when they are untangled and stretched out.  I had to replace a couple. Rigging these in place reduces this problem.  I have also begun treating cotton lines with diluted pva to further reduce fuzz.  More on this later.
 
Ed

No...I'm saying she would not have set stuns'ls for the passage.  She possessed 100 able seamen and 30 boys.  Her massive yards and sails are why she had double winches for each mast and her patent steam engine to do all the heavy lifting.  I can't imagine the weight of those massive yards and the sails that draped from them...and when they got wet....Ohhh boy.  She must have been a sight.
 
Rob

Rob,
If you receive the NRG's Journal, I have written a detailed step-by-step tutorial on how to create "set" (billowing) sails with silkspan, including techniques and suggestions for painting. This is Part 2 to my article on HMS Swan diorama and will appear in this Winter's issue (I believe the first week of December for fulfillment). David Antscherl's tutorial on making silkspan sails is an excellent reference.
 
Your paper sails look very good. I would only add that silkspan material has a subtle texture that more accurately resembles canvas fabric, since in effect, it is a "fabric." Silkspan is pure white and needs to be painted (and "weathered" should that be appropriate).
Here are two pics of my HMS Swan sails showing the results of my silkspan techniques.
 
I hope this info is helpful.
Ron

You can adjust the translucency of SilkSpan using acrylic paint washes.

I have used vellum tracing paper with good outcomes. I stain it with tea (earl grey works best as it is not too red) and then dry it pressed inside blotting paper in a big book.
Here is a recent one (dry mounted). It has the slightly translucent quality of sailcloth, but also holds its shape well. I scratch on the seams with the back of a scalpel. Also, I pit some fine steel wire in the edges, where the paper is folded over to help it hold its shape. 

Also works quite well if you wet it, and furl it.


Apologies for photobombing your build log!

I know... what a lame duck.  I have 4 clippers in various stages...the Glory of the Seas is probably the farthest along....but GR is surpassing her quickly.  Probably because I took up a different methodology of mast construction with the GR....and since she is on the bench currently....I'll finish her up first.
 
I'll have too.... because I have no other place to put her until I build her own special shelf...and she can't have my work bench and she surely can't sit in front of my clipper painting over the den mantle.
So....I'm forced to finish her first......
 
Stay tuned....I'll be at her soon.
 
Rob

Or for those stuck in the doldrums....heehee.
China tea clippers(British) were famous for rigging these fine weather sails nearly everywhere on their clippers....solidifying their characteristic billows on the annals of history.
 
Unfortunately for those who had anticipated them on my Great Republic build, I will not be including them.
 
Sorry to all stun sail enthusiasts.  
 
Here is a picture to wet your whistles.

Read my remarks to Dawmer....Stun sails were not employed on the Great Republic...McKay designed her as an experiment.  Her vast array of canvas was considered sufficient, especially, when her designed trade route was for a fast passing around the Horn and to Australia.  In latitudes far too treacherous for stun sails.   I believe Palmer added them later, but that is when her redesign brought her back to a more traditional carrier. 
 
The Great Republic was a one of a kind vessel.   Extreme clipper(for speed), Ginormous(Over twice as large as any other clipper)...built like a tank to withstand the most extreme weather conditions...carried the most advanced winches and the first to carry a steam engine for lifting yards/sail and cargo.
 
She was designed to take on the Cape and all the fury the weather at those latitudes could throw at you.
Stun sails were for whooses.
 
Rob

I know right....but the Great Republic didn't carry them during the period I am modeling........her expanse of sail was the largest ever placed on a sailing ship(120ft main sails)...and by the way...she wouldn't have set them on her journey down the coast from Boston to New York anyway.
Not one contemporary painting or model of her depicts her with stunn sails set.
 
I still have to rig the buntline blocks on the yard for the topgallant  and I'll be finished with that yard...and on to the upper topsail.
 
Pics will be forthcoming.
 
Rob(I know...*it never happened* unless you have pics)

One other note to point out for those interested.  Some might ask why not use silkspan?
 
Silkspan is a very nice, nearly to scale material..but I have my issues with it.
 
One; silkspan does not support itself very well, in larger portions, and therefore need some treatment.  Starching or lacquering.  This means the sail will need to be formed and then will need some kind of forming mold to support it while it dries.
Secondly; Silkspan once painted, tends to demonstrate a crinkled or micro wrinkled texture.  In larger scaled vessels this might be acceptable...even if you are modeling drying sails.  Limp drying sails generally look wrinkled.
 
However, I want smooth tightly pressed/billowed sails.... and my years of experience with paper sails shows me that they will last...especially once painted.  They form very nicely and retail their shape...and being paper you can use simple white glue to make them.
 
This images demonstrates what I'm looking for.

Here is another example of what I am trying to achieve.   Slight billowing that would be expected with a ship with all sails set....Cept stun'sls
 
Rob

I finished up the buntlines....later I'll address the upper topsails downhauls that afix to the yard band eye bolts.
 
Some fine adjustments till I begin making the lower topsail.
I think it is coming along nicely.
 
Rob(thanks for all the likes)

A few more.  I still have the buntlines to finish installing and their blocks and tighten up the reef tackle.
 
Rob

Next I spent some time making the upper topsail.  Cutting, banding and painting...and adding the reef points.

Thank you Ron..very much...I'll look into it.
 
Spent some time working on the GR  made and installed the upper topsail..but first I had to finish the topgallant sheet downhauls.....here are a few images.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 307 – Small Yard Arm Bands
 
Up until this point, the eyebolts in spar bands, including yardarm bands have been inserted and glued into holes drilled through the bands and into the wooden spar.  This provides a strong eyebolt connection and anchors the band securely on the spar.  On smaller yards the diameters at the ends are quite small, approaching 1/16" at 1:72.  Drilling through the mounted band becomes more difficult at these sizes and drilled holes into the small spar weaken it.  A different method was adopted for the fore royal yard and will be used on other smaller spars.  Yet another method will be used on the very small skysail yards.
 
In the first picture, eyebolt holes are being drilled into a length of copper tube with an ID slightly smaller than the fore royal yard arm.
 

A slight flat was filed on the top surface of the tube and the drill bit projection kept short to reduce the tendency of the bit to "skate" on the round surface.  When the necessary holes were drilled, twisted wire eyebolts were inserted and silver-soldered into the tube.  Before soldering the eyebolts the OD of the tube was filed to reduce its thickness.  In the next picture the eyebolt protrusions into the tube are being ground out using a small diamond grit bur.
 

The end of this tube was then sawed off to produce the yard arm band.  In the next picture a hardened steel mandrel and a wood block are being used to restore the round shape of the band and to begin its enlargement into a tight fit over the end of the spar.
 

Final enlargement of the band was done as shown in the next picture by lightly tapping the band with a hammer using the vise jaws as an anvil – until the band was just large enough to be pressed on to the yard.
 

The next picture shows the band fitted to the royal yardarm.
 

The band was later removed for polishing before final installation.  The other fabrication steps on this yard follow those described earlier so I will skip those steps.  Note that the yard has been drilled for jackstay stanchions and for the skysail sheet sheaves, which have yet to be carved out.  As with other yards, all copper ironwork was blackened on the yard as described in earlier posts.
 
The last two pictures illustrate the replacement of the royal sheet chains on the topgallant yard.  This change was mentioned in the last post.   The first picture shows the new, slightly larger, royal sheet chains installed on the yard.
 

This work was done in place, requiring removal of the old chain, re-threading of the sheet block, and re-connection of the two rope falls below the block.  Ratlines on the topgallant shrouds – and other areas - are a work in progress.  The last picture shows the new twisted wire chain at the port side of the yard.
 

 
The twisted wire chain is stiff, so it stands up by itself and will need to be shaped later – along with all the foot ropes and stirrups.  The pin in this picture anchors the chain in the sheave temporarily to allow the loops below the yard to be initially sized and shaped. 
 
Ed

Rob,  put the ends of a length of wire in a vise, loop the bight over a hook in a a hand drill, maintain moderate (not too much) tension, turn the drill to make the chain.  Wire size about the diameter of the wire on the chain. Number of wire turns = number of links in that length of chain/2 - approximately.  Each turn represents two links.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 308 – Foremast Top-hamper
 
I will use the term "top-hamper" to refer to the upper parts of the masts. That is, the royal/skysail/poles, the royal and skysail yards, plus the associated rigging. I do not much care for this term, but it was commonly used at the time and will make my descriptions more concise.  These parts are being discussed together because I expect to prefabricate the entire assembly complete with most of the rigging on the workbench before mounting the whole assembly on the model.  Hopefully this will reduce the strain of assembly on the upper masts where most of the work is small and above my shoulder height.
 
The first picture shows the pole mast and the royal yard with some of rigging lines.
 

The skysail yard and its rigging has yet to be added to this array. In additional to rigging normally fitted at the bench on normal yards – the foot ropes, sheet chains, and blocks – the yard bench assembly includes reeving and connecting the standing lifts, buntlines, leechlines and the royal sheet falls that were rigged after erection on each lower yard.  The next picture shows the standing rigging of the royal pole section of the mast.
 

From right to left are the two shroud pairs, the two-eyed masthead strop for the royal standing lifts, the doubled backstays and the fore royal stay.  All these lines are coiled to avoid – or at least minimize - a major entanglement.  The next picture shows the mast temporarily set with the royal components attached.
 

This assembly was then removed so a similar amount of rigging for the skysail could be added before final erection.  The skysail yard that will be fitted to the upper part of the assembly is shown in the next picture after blackening of its copper work.
 

Ironwork on this yard is minimal, just the sling band and the jackstay stanchions.  Because this is the highest yard there is no sheet block under the center band.  The four shackles for the yardarm bands are shown to the right of the penny in this picture.  The 2.7" diameter arms (.0375" at 1:72) on this spar are too small for the banding described in Part 307, so they were fitted using black rope strapping to simulate the iron bands.  The next picture shows the yard with the shackles and banding, as well as the jackstays fitted.
 

The rigging for this spar, plus the standing rigging for the skysail section of the mast will next be added before the mast is set.
 
 
Ed

Won't get to work on the GR tonight...Grandkids are coming over.  but here are some pic of yesterdays work.
 
Rob