Bob Legge

Hello,
 
thank you Nils and all others for your likes. Today only a small update. The men installed the waterway and thereby the planking of the deck is ready. Now the paint and varnish can dry. 
 
Next I think I must made the cheeks.  The head has the tendency to bent to the left. It's now only a little, but nobody knows what will come in the future. There went something wrong when installing the head and I hope I will stop that with the cheeks installed.
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 291 – Upper Mast Fids
 
Young America's upper masts would have been supported on iron fids that passed through a rectangular mortise near the base of the upper mast.  The fid then rested on the trestletrees.  Masts were hauled up through the forward opening in the top or crosstrees, the fid slipped in, and the mast lowered into place.   Fids on the topgallant and royal mast sections had horizontal holes bored in the ends for shackles that held the standing lifts for the upper topsail and topgallant yards respectively.  The base of one of the topgallant masts with its fid shackles is shown in the first picture.
 

 
Most shackles like this would be shaped and the bolts soldered to the yokes off the model – an impractical solution on these fids that had to slide through the tight mast mortise.  My initial idea was to solder the shackles then cut the fid in the center and insert it from both ends – using CA glue to anchor the two pieces.  However, other situations arose where shackles had to be formed in place on the mode, so a different method was adapted for those and for the fid shackles. The next picture shows a finished fid – on the left - with shackles fitted. 
 

 
Because the model masts are inserted from above, the fids may be inserted before setting the mast.  The mast at the right in the picture shows a shackle in the process of being formed.  To make the shackle, ends of a length of wire were inserted through the fid eye from opposite ends.  An overhand knot was then tied in the wire as shown.  The wire was then pulled tight as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The overhand knot becomes hidden in the fid hole. The pin was used to maintain an opening in the yoke of the shackle.  Once the wire was pulled tight, the ends were clipped off to form the final shackle shown in the last picture.
 

 
This method has also been used on a number of in situ chain connections and wherever a shackle is required but not able to be pre-soldered.  Shackles made in this way look realistic at this scale and are quite strong – more than strong enough for the tightest rigging.
 
Shackles on these fids and at the yardarms allowed standing lifts to be made with spliced eyes at each end.  Later.
 
Ed

Hello friends.
 
Thank  you all for the kind comments.
 
Pumps and section of the main mast.
 
Karl

Cannons ready assembled.
Karl
 
Part 32

Hello,
many thanks to all for the nice comments and the LIKES.
The lifebuoy has received the wrap with ropes and ropes on which
those who are to be rescued can hold on.
Finally, I show a picture with the lifebuoy on the model.
 

Amalio, Michael, thank you very much.

Good morning.

Hi some more photos.

Thank You, Maury and for all the "Likes"!
 
The quarter gallery framing and aft-most gun port turned out to be my week's project. The 5/64" X 1/4" strip along the top of the quarter deck bulkheads was made from basswood. I sanded the bulkhead tops to the correct angles for a smooth flow of the strip. Getting the symmetry from one side to the other took patience and repeated eyeballing. The framing of the quarter gallery required a bit of experimentation. There are a number of angles on each strip and no two strips are the same, except for the two gallery entrance strips. Rather than waste precious boxwood, I used basswood strips to find the correct angles. As an example, one strip had angles of 70° and 10° on one side, 6.5° and 5° on the other. A disc sander with multiple adjustments comes in handy. After completing the horizontal strips I made the two aft-most gun ports. Lastly, the quarter gallery entrance strips were added. The plan detail proved to be very useful for getting exact measurements.
 
All strips were inserted standing proud, allowing for shaping to the hull shape when fairing. I faired the work leaving a wee bit more for later on when I start work on the lower hull. I'm always trying to stay one step back until I'm sure of where I'm going.


Mike

Thank you montaňes.
I installed the flags on the model and now only boats remain to do. The Pandora included 5 boats which all are placed in central part of the ship. To see equipment on the board I decide to make only two boats.

Rest of pictures:

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 290 – Upper Mast Caps
 
Part 287 described making basic pieces for mast caps and parral yokes that had correctly sized holes for the upper mast sections bored on the milling machine.  In the first picture one of those basic pieces has been mortised to fit its square masthead tenon – in this case on the foremast.
 

 
Cutting and trimming the square mortise with a piece of this length helps to visually align the cap on the ships centerline as the square mortise is finished.   The spacing between the lower and upper mast sections was also carefully marked and cut to ensure the total mast assembly was straight.  In the next picture the forward end of the cap has been cut to its round shape.
 

 
The circle template in the picture was used to mark the rounded ends, allowing the curves to be cut and sanded to the final shape.  These curves could have been drawn with a compass before boring or mortising the holes, but this would require precise centering of the hole for boring in the rotary table and reliance on measured marking to correctly locate the square mortise in relation to the bore.  Using the template to mark the non-critical shape of the ends was much easier and more efficient.  The next picture shows the final cap shape.
 

 
The next picture shows the main topmast cap and topgallant mast fitted temporarily.
 

 
The next picture shows the fore topmast cap with its ironwork in a test fit.
 

 
The topgallant mast fid mortise has been sized in this picture but the diagonal rigging sheave above the lower square has not yet been drilled and cut.  The next picture shows the model with the fore and main topgallant masts temporarily fitted.
 

 
The last picture shows the ironwork mounted on the main topmast cap.
 

 
The ironwork on both these caps includes the reinforcing band, four eyebolts for mast rigging tackles on the underside, an aft rigging eyebolt, and side eyebolts with shackles for the upper topsail yard standing lifts.
 
Ed

Gun -Ports mounted and installed.
Karl
 
 
Part 29
 

 
 

Dear fellow builders....
 
my Chebec "Eagle of Algier" has been finished totay, for the final photo session in our garden, and with a good daylight illumination.
Many thanks to all that followed the build, for looking in along the 9 months yourney and for your kind comments and compliments. Very much appreciated. Also many thanks to all the "Likes".....
 
The final pics-set of the "Eagle of Algier" can be seen in the scratch build gallery now...
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Thank you Amalio and hello to all, also thank you all for your likes. 
 
Today only a small update. I started planking. Around the riding bits it was really a challenge, but at least I got it. If you see there some irregularities in front or behind the hatches, that is sawdust. So don't worry. 
 

 

The two forecastle deck clamps were added today. They sit below the stringer at the aft end which allows the forecastle deck beams to sit flush with the top edge of the stringer. At this stage the hull is quite strong.

Mike

The shop has been a busy place lately. In preparation for the quarter deck clamp/stringer in the waist and Forecastle deck clamp install, it was necessary to remove the small temporary filler pieces between each frame. My method is to wrap the fillers (3-4 at a time) with a moist paper towel and apply a hot clothes iron to the surface of the paper towel. The steam penetrates and loosens the joint. Needle nose pliers can then be used to remove each piece. Final sanding of the exterior hull will be completed later.

Using this height gauge, vertical measurements were taken from the shear plan at various locations and transferred to the interior hull. The thin boxwood strip was glued to the gauge with CA and pushed through between the frames, so tic marks could be added.

The quarter deck clamp which becomes the stringer in the waist is installed above the upper deck clamp.

Mike

Hello,
 
for the internal works, I managed to get the old team from the Dragon again to work. And I think they did a good job.
 

 

 

 

 
With the hatchway to the bread room I have a problem. How was it made? All other hatchways have a rim, so that water would't run in, but not this one. See also the original plan. Was it closed with solid lid, or a grating? 
 

 
At least the whole ship with its masts. In the foreground are laying the planks for the gun deck. 
 

 
 

Hello,
 
thank you Nils for your kind words and all others for there likes, they are very appreciated.
 
Today only a small update, I build the gratings for the hatches. After such a long time I build them the last time, I had to think a lot how to do it. But at least I got it.
 

Hello,
 
because we have here the best weather since years, I haven't been much in the basement at work, but more in the garden or at the house.
 
I did a lot of painting and dirt finishing the last weeks. So the ship has now a vintage look. 
 

 

 

 
Yesterday I started to remove the old false gun deck and build a new one from 0,8 mm plywood. That looks now much better. 
 

 

 

 
I thought that I would first build the gun deck mostly ready, before I start to build the outer surface of the ship. So that I would't damage so much there when diving into the ship.
Interesting in this case is, that the ships plan and the plan of the gun deck are not fit in all parts together. So I stay with the ships plan.
 
 

Hello,
 
today I finished the lower counter. 
 

 

 
The only thing left here, is to cut the mortise for the gun port lid into the rail. 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hello,
 
after I had to do some other things then shipbuilding, here now an update. I painted the under water ship.
 
Before I go on and build the upper part of the outside ship ready, I must build in the gun deck and made the inner walls smooth. But then the slots for the over head stand will get lost. So I painted it now.
 
In the first picture I made the water line horizontal.
 

 

 

 

Here I have started to make decorative frames around gunports - they are assembled from 4 parts and card base:
 
 

Hello dear friends,
thank you very much for your feedback, kind words and all the "likes". I do appreciate it a lot and it is a great honour and motivation for me.
 
 
People often ask me about this and I have already answered many times.   In fact, there is not a problem with a dust in this room, cause there is limited movement of persons. My pets are not allowed to enter this room.  My husband and me usually sit in the armchairs, listen to music and enjoy the beauty of the ships.... Some of them are illuminated which creates a special atmosphere in the dark. Only once in a few years I take the models out and gently clean them using a soft brush...
 
About making sails...
I mainly use stiff thin fabric (named batiste) dyed in tea but for the Royal Katherine I have new ideas and will use better technology. Of course, I am going to share here with you.
 
Great tutorial, thank you for sharing. The result looks very nice.
 
 
Well, dear friends, it's time to bring new pics from my project....
I continue with decoration on QG, there are quite plenty of gilded pieces and also larger sculptures in the roofs. I had to create the decoration according to other ships from this period (I find inspiration at museum models, historical paintings and drawings - mainly by Van de Velde) cause in Vale´s painting there are no exact details at this area.