druxey

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797
Part 13 – Cant Frames – Lofting and Fabrication
Posted MSW 10/31/10

Cant frames are half frames that bolt to the vertical surface of the deadwood above the bearding line at the fore and aft ends of the hull.  They are angled forward at the fore end and aft at the after end.  If square frames were used in these areas the bevels would be severe and the timber wastage would be huge.  Each cant frame is at a different angle, which approaches 90 degrees to the keel toward the center of the hull as the first square frames are reached.  The cant frames also get longer in this progression as the bearding lines, both fore and aft, drop down in height.  Below is a picture of the aft cant frames taken later in the construction.
 

 
All these features mentioned above need to be accounted for in the frame lofting process, however, the most significant factor to be addressed in the lofting of these frames is the fact that on the body plans the views of these frame profiles are distorted, actually condensed horizontally, because they are viewed parallel to the line of the keel, at an angle to their true shape.
 
Below is a typical cant frame pattern sheet, in this case for UF, one of the forward cant frames. 
 

 
The cant frame patterns are different than the others described earlier.  First, they contain three patterns each for the starboard and port frames.  One is for cutting out segment patterns, another for assembly and a third in case of mistakes.
 
The pattern sheet also contains a pattern for a gauge that can be pasted to cardboard, cut out and used to set and check the frame position when being erected.  The bottom edge of this will rest on the building board and the inside against the keel.  These gauge patterns were added to cant frame patterns after the erection process was finalized because they are important tools for that process, which will be described later.
 
Like the square frame patterns, profiles are shown for fore and aft edges.   Joint lines are shown as a single line only.  All the cant frames are 10.5 inches thick, top to bottom, and this reminder is on every sheet. 
 
The last important data on the sheet, different for every frame, is the bevel angle of the bottom face that mates up to the deadwood.   Also the locations of the bottom squared off edges that will rest on the bearding line ledge are shown.
 
Like the square frames, separate worksheets were made to loft the forward and aft sets of these.  The worksheet for UF is shown below.
 

 
This worksheet contains much of the information included on the square frame worksheets – plan view of frames, body plan with frame profiles, a template area for developing the frame, and sheer plane views of the bearding line and the top of the deadwood.  I will only summarize how this worksheet is used.  The detailed procedure is given in a note on the worksheet.
 
On this example worksheet, the frame in question has been colored red, both in its position on the framing and in its rotated position on the development template - to help the explanation.  Also, the two profiles needed for the lofting are colored and accented on the body plan.
 
The first step in this process is to copy the plan view of the frame, note its angle to the keel, rotate it to the horizontal, then place its inside aft edge in a vertical line with the deadwood.  Vertical lines are then placed at the extreme edges, inside and out, for both faces.
 
To develop the true outboard profiles for UF, the UF profile, which was taken at its forward edge when drafting the body plan, will be used for the forward edge, and the next profile aft will be used for the after edge.  They are copied, pasted and aligned as before.  To develop their true shapes they are expanded by the CAD object handles out to the lines which were set up above at the edges of the rotated frame object – one at the forward and one aft ends of the rotated frame. The same is done at the inside.
 
Using the profile of the next frame aft for the aft edge is an approximation, but expanding it only to the actual aft edge of the frame makes it a more accurate representation of the actual aft profile.  I won’t say any more about this to avoid being too confusing.   But if there are questions…
 
Heights of the bearding line and the top of keel for both faces of the frame are then transferred to the template by means of the red diagonal line.  Excess frame profile is erased below the bearding line for each face and the height of deadwood is used to terminate the lower end of the inboard edges.  Inboard profiles are developed in the same way as for the square frames – using the red circles to set points.  The frame components are then copied and transferred to the pattern sheet as before.
 
The standardized CAD worksheet greatly simplifies and speeds up the accurate lofting of these complicated frames. I hope this short version of the steps in this process is somewhat clear, but if not, the procedure note on the worksheet describes it thoroughly, for those with a keen interest.
 
The picture below shows some cant frame segments ready to be cut out from 10.5 inch thick pear stock.  For some reason the patterns below do not include pencil lines for the chocks.  For some of the earliest frames, I marked these out after placing the segments on the assembly pattern, but later found it to be more efficient and accurate to do this before cutting up the pattern.
 

 
The steps to fabricate these frames were identical to previous examples, but with a couple of additions.  First, the bevel has to be cut on the mating face with the deadwood at the bottom of the frame.  That was done on a disk sander using the tilt table set to the bevel angle given on the pattern sheet as shown below.
 

 
The last minor item is shaping the foot of the frame to match the bearding line curve. This was done as part of the erection process.
 
With the conclusion of this part, the discussion of the use of CAD for lofting frames is complete.  I hope this has been helpful to those who CAD draft and loft their own plans or who might consider doing so in the future.  The principles are conventional, but I found it challenging to look for ways to ease the repetitive processes – of which the frame lofting was foremost.

In the next several installments I will discuss the installation of all these frames.
 
Ed

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797
Part 12 – Beveled Square Frames
Posted 10/29/10
 
Below is a pattern sheet and a pdf for frame 20A, one of the more highly beveled square frames - a few frames forward of the aft cant frames.
 

 
This pattern sheet contains all the information in the pattern for the deadflat frame example discussed in part 11, but there are some differences. 
 
Because this frame is beveled to account for increased curvature of the hull in this section of the ship, two sets of profile lines are shown.  The green lines describe the forward face and the brown lines describe the aft face.  Also, the keelson is higher at this frame as is the top of the rising wood at this location.  Finally, on this particular frame, all the timbers are centered fore and aft on the floor, unlike the previous example, in which all the aft faces were aligned.  All these fore and aft alignments were taken from the disposition of frames drawing.  These alignments varied to provide adequate air space and to place gun port sides at their proper spacing.  This adds an assembly complication, which will be discussed below.
 
Following is an image of the worksheet used to develop this pattern.
 

 
This worksheet was used like the worksheet in Part 11, with additional steps.  This worksheet includes a plan of the aft frame locations and to the right of that a sheer plane view of the lines describing the top of the rising and the bottom of the keelson.  These are needed to set these locations on frame patterns toward the ends of the hull.
 
Profiles from the left view are copied and pasted on the right view as before, but now there are two profiles because the fore and aft faces are different.  Also, because the aft square frames are on the right side of the body plan they are placed on the right side of the pattern template. 
 
Because this is the aft frame of the pair, the number 20 frame line profile is used for the forward face. The dashed line between profiles 20 and 21 is used for the aft face.   The use of these additional dashed lines for frames that have significant beveling improves the accuracy of the pattern.  The primary benefit of this, besides reducing the amount of fairing needed, is that it helps set the bevels of the chocks accurately, which reduces the chances of cutting into a chock joint when fairing, either inside or out.  It also improves the accuracy of the aft inboard profile which is a saw cut line.
 
To set the heights of the rising wood and keelson bottom, points are set on the bottom right view, then transferred to the pattern view by way of the diagonal line, using the red transfer lines.  These heights are different for the fore and aft faces, so four lines need to be set.
 
The inboard lines are then drawn as before, joint lines are set, all these lines are copied, pasted and flipped, and as before all the objects are transferred to the pattern sheet.
 
With the lofted pattern in hand, the next step is to mark out the chocks as before.  However, because the frame is beveled this procedure needs to be modified.  The picture below shows the first step in this process for beveled frames.
 

 
Because the frame is beveled, the chock joint surface must be beveled as well, which means that a chock joint line must be put on the pattern for both the fore and aft faces to define this surface. However, because the chock will be angled in the frame it must angled before tracing, because tilting the chock changes the apex angle on the face of the frame.  The above picture shows how the chock blank is marked for beveling to get the right angle for tracing.  If the chock blank thickness is close to the thickness of the frame, the amount to be removed from the apex side is about equal to the distance between the fore and aft profiles at that point.  This approximation is adequate to yield a good joint and is being marked with a pencil in the above picture.. 
 
Below a chock blank is being beveled back to the mark made above before marking the frame.
 

 
Now the blank can be used to mark out both fore and aft joint lines and this is shown in the next two pictures.  The beveled face should be held down flat on the pattern for this.  The next picture shows tracing of the joint line for the forward face and the following picture for the aft face.
 

 

 
The next picture shows the beveled chock joint lines and notes the line to be cut out on the saw.
 

 
The paper patterns are now cut out and pasted to the appropriate size wood stock exactly as described in Part 11 and the segments are cut out and finished on their ends in the same way.
 
When cutting the chock joint line, however, the cut should be made on the innermost line as shown  above, in this case the aft joint line.  The next picture shows a set of these after cutting out. 
 

 
Once cut out, each sawed chock joint face is dressed with a file to bring it even and square with the pencil line used for the cut.  It is then beveled to the line on the other face as shown in the following series of pictures.
 
First, using a fine toothed saw, an angled cut is made down to the forward chock joint line, while not cutting into the back face.
 

 
Now, please do not be confused by the fact that while the last picture showed an aft frame with a smaller aft profile, the next three show a forward frame with a smaller forward profile.  These example pictures are not all the same frame, but the process is the same.  Sorry for this.
 
So, in this next picture, the first paring cut on the deeper (in this case the aft) chock line is being made.  I use a skew chisel for this because I find it easier to control than a square chisel.  The idea here is to pare down the corner of this edge to the pencil line.


 
In the next picture the corner is being removed in the opposite direction.  Care is needed here to watch the grain direction and avoid chipping off the end of the piece.  Small cuts and a very sharp chisel are in order here.
 

 
In the last paring step, shown below, the ridge left in the center is pared back leaving a flat surface for the chock.  As a final step this is dressed smooth and flat with a file.
 

 
The chock is then fit as shown below and then glued and clamped.
 

 
When the glue has dried the bottom surface is sanded flat as before and the frame assembled on the pattern exactly as before, but before fitting up additional segments the joint surfaces of each needs to be pared and fitted to their mates as described above.

As noted on the pattern sheet, this frame has all its timbers aligned on the centerline of the floor.  To do this, shims, which have been cut to the thickness of the offsets are placed under the upper futtocks to hold them at the correct fore and aft placement in the assembly jig.  Otherwise the frame assembly and finishing off process is exactly like that described in Part 11.   A variety of these shims ranging from 1 inch up to 3 inches are kept on hand for this.
 
 In the case of this frame, with its upper segments on the floor center, there will be offset joints to pare back on both sides of the frame in the finishing process.

In the next segment, the lofting and fabrication of the cant frames will be discussed.
 
Cheers,
 
Ed

 
 
2013 Copyright Edward J Tosti

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797
Part 11 – Frame Assembly
Posted MSW 10/27/10
 
Frame Assembly Jig
 
With eighty-three square frame sections and seventy-eighty cant frames to be made, some sort of assembly jig was certainly appropriate.  A picture of the basic jig developed for this is shown below.
 

 
The work surface is a piece of melamine-coated particleboard with the center area sized to fit a letter sized pattern sheet.  Slotted wood assemblies on the sides hold down clamping strips, which will hold frame segments in position on the assembly pattern sheet.  The side trays hold clamp parts.  Below is a picture of this jig in use on the glue up of a cant frame.
 

 
Hardwood cross members are drilled and tapped to take tightening screws at a variety of locations.  These tighten down onto hardwood strips below, which bear on the frame pieces.  The ends of the cross pieces are held down by the side slots.  Each clamp also has two screws, which fit loosely through the top members and screw into the bottom strips to hold the assembly together. 
 
Having described the assembly jig, we will pick up where we left off in Part 10.
 
Frame Assembly
 
After chocks have been glued to the heads of their segments and their backs leveled off on the disk sander, as described in the last part, the lower pieces are clamped down on the assembly pattern.  The adjoining segments are then fit up to it.  Usually some file dressing is needed to get a precise fit.  The clamps hold the timbers in place so any adjustments can be checked easily.  When the joint fits well and the parts match the pattern, they are glued together.  The hold-down clamps are applied first to assure the parts stay on pattern.  Then clamps are put over the joints.  This is shown in the picture below.
 

 
This picture also shows shims under the upper futtocks to provide the correct offsets in the fore and aft direction.  This particular frame has all the forward faces aligned, so progressively thicker shims are needed under the upper segments so all the top (fore) faces are aligned.
 
Finishing Assembled Frames
 
The picture below shows a square frame ready for the last finishing steps.
 

 
A this stage the frame has been removed from the jig, the inside of the chocks have been cut back to the inboard profile on the scroll saw.  The frame has been sanded down very close to the outboard and inboard profiles on a vertical drum sander, but no beveling is done at this stage. The notch to fit over the rising wood has been cut out and filed to fit.  In this picture the frame is being matched up to the assembly pattern for a last check.

The next step is to pare down the excess chock widths on the front face and to finish off these joints in preparation for erection of the frame.
 
The simple clamping device below was helpful in the paring process.  It also helps avoids chiseling into fingers.
 

 
To make this, a 1inch dowel has slices cut off, just less than the frame thickness.  Holes in these for screws are drilled off-center.  Sandpaper is glued around their perimeters to help grab the work.  They are then screwed loosely to a piece of plywood, which has a bench stop under its front side.  The curved frame can then be pushed between the off-center discs and the cam action of the disks will hold it in various positions for paring.
 
The next few pictures illustrate finishing off of joints to the smaller siding of the upper piece, and if necessary, for any other jogging called for.  This is done with a paring chisel and then dressed off with a small file.
.

.

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As mentioned earlier, I leave the paper on until it absolutely has to be removed, to help in alignment and, on beveled frames, for rough faring of the inboard face after erection.  In the above picture, paper has been filed off at the joints in the finishing process.  When doing this, a file card is kept handy to remove paper residue from the file.
 
Floor Fillings
 
The picture below shows a final step for certain frames.
 


In this picture a filling piece of cherry has been cut which will be glued to this particular frame to match its floor.  In practice these fillers were inserted between floors after erection to provide a continuous surface to help prevent bilge water from filling the spaces between frames.  On the model these add authenticity and are very helpful in spacing floors correctly.  Since floors of main-frame bends are bolted tightly together, these are used only in spaces adjacent to intermediate frame floors.  There are three such spaces for each pair, one between intermediate frame sections and one each between these and their adjacent main-frame bends.
 

 
These fillers vary in thickness based on the disposition of frames drawing, averaging a little over 2 inches thick.  They were glued to the frame before erection and then sanded off as necessary to match the required spacing.  These fillers also add a lot of strength to the model in this area.

In the next part I will discuss how the preceding lofting and assembly process was modified to handle square frames with bevels.

Stay tuned…
 
Ed

 
 
2013 Copyright Edward J Tosti

Bollard and Hawse Timbers
 
 
Thanks, all for your kind comments. A bit of serendipity with regards to the crash - many of us are putting up more photos than the first version. The ease of posting them and lack of file size restrictions make it a breeze.
 
The bollard and hawse timbers are among the most challenging to make on the model. As well, they are the first timbers made after the keel, and the learning curve hasn't had a chance to kick in yet. So it's important to take your time getting them right and redo them if necessary (as Ed T. has also pointed out in his excellent log). The last little filler piece has no real pattern. It's just cut over-sized and "massaged" into place.
 
The last photo illustrates the rather diminutive size of Speedwell as compared to an earlier discarded attempt at my Swan class model. The sixth rate looks gigantic compared to Speedwell. Yet they wood both look like longboats compared to a third rate or larger!
 
 

2013-03-10&11: waist rails, sheer rails, drift rails, fife rails, plank sheers, cutting the external planking above the main wale into individual pieces





 
This is the progress up to now. Enjoy!

2012-06-05: assembling the stern to the hull, adding the rudder chains



 
2013-02-11: ladders connecting the lower deck to the upper deck, chain pump winches, iron pillars on the upper deck, shot racks on the upper deck

 
2013-03-04 to 05: forecastle planking and fittings, quarter deck planking and fittings, catheads, stove, capstan, forecastle planksheer





 

2012-02-29 to 05-31: working on the stern















 

2012-02-20 to 25: working on the steering gear










 
2012-02-25: changed the color scheme


 

2012-01-11: upper deck planking

 
2012-01-14: internal planking above the upper deck

 
2012-01-15: forecastle beams, quarterdeck beams, and knees


 
2012-01-17: the whole assembly






 

2013-03-18 Upper deck bulkheads finished


 

Welcome back to the new, improved MSW. It's always a pleasure looking at nice clean workmanship. Thanks, Greg!

Thank you again for sharing your lovely work, Doris. I thought that you might rig the model as well.

Thanks guys.
 
Now is also the time to dryfit the upper well. I had made this one two years ago.
 



 
Actually it didn't fit and some modification was necessarily, it was slightly to high but this was good as I also had forgotten to take the chamber of the deckbeams into account when I made the well. Removing wood is easier than adding
 
Now it looks like this.
 



 
 
I also made another set of hanging knees, nasty bits to make... I still need to get back into the flow of making beam, knee and ledges parts
 
Remco

Pump Chain
 
This is the Chain for the starboard Chain Pump - I'm only making one of these, as the port side will have a cover on the Cistern.
 
The chain is made from the pieces supplied in the PE set from Admiralty Models. It's a little on the fiddly side to make, but I came up with a rather easy way to put it together. I should have taken a few step-by-step pics, but my explanation will have to suffice.
 
After cutting all the required pieces from the sprue I started by fixing one link in my vise with half of it protruding. Then I picked up a second link with small pliers and pushed some 0.5mm brass wire through both pieces. The wire needed a good cleanup with 1000 grit wet and dry to slightly reduce it's diameter.
 
Next I picked up a third link and threaded the wire through it alongside the second link, making three links joined at the same point. A drop of medium CA glue held the joint firmly. I then snipped off the wire on both sides a little longer than "flush".
 
I continued in this manner for three single and four double links, then I slipped on the one (and only) "saucer" that will be visible - there is one every fourth single link, but I only need seven singles in the length around the Sprocket between the two Tubes.
 
When I completed the whole length I placed each pin on my anvil and carefully peened each side of the wire to keep it all together. Then I gave the whole chain a bath in Acetone to remove the CA - the chain actually works, and doesn't come apart at all (OK, one joint did - not quite enough peening, but not hard to correct).
 
I'll blacken the chain before fitting it. It took me about 1 1/2 hours to make 50mm of chain.
 

 

 

 
 
  Danny

Thank you Sjors!
I have just finished decorating on the label with the ship´s name, here is the result:

Royal Caroline on her base

 

After painting:

Part 6.
 
Well, on to the beakhead bulkhead.  There are six figures described by Thomas Heywood in hid book, and Mantua has chosen to use six identical figures of a woman moulded in brass.  They are, however, very different and as Heywood describes, are intended to depict not just a representation of typical figures on a warship but also having a relationship to one another.  He writes:
 
"On the Bulk-head right forward, stand six severall Statues in sundry postures, their Figures representing Consilium, that is, Counsell: Cura, that is: Care: Conamen, that is, Industry: and unanimous endeavour in one compartment: Counsell holding in her hand a closed or folded Scrole; Care a Sea-compasse; Conamen, or Industry, a Lint-stock fired. Upon the other, to correspond with the former, Vis, which implyeth force, or strength; handing a sword. Virtus, or Vertue, a sphearicall Globe; and Victoria, or Victory, a wreath of Lawrell. The Morall is, that in all high Enterprizes there ought to be first Counsell, to undertake; then Care, to [Gla] manage; and Industry, to performe; and in the next place, where there is ability and strength to oppose, and Vertue to direct, Victory consequently is alwayes at hand to crown the undertaking."
 
It is unfortunate that Mantua could not make each figure distinct, but I fear that it was in aid of reducing costs or a misrepresentation.  In any case, this can be corrected if you carve your own figures, and use the Van de Velde sketch as a guide.  They can all be seen in his sketch, whereas the Payne engraving is taken from a different angle, and they are very difficult to see clearly.
 
In the next part, I will discuss the criticism Heywood suffered in some of his choices of carvings and mottos, and also have a look at the very ornate and beautiful stern decorations.
 
More to follow....................
 
Bill

Part 4.
 
I have read and returned to the University of Western Ontario Library, a book written by Alan R.Young,
a professor at Acadia University, who critiqued Thomas Heywood's book written in 1637 describing
The Sovereign of The Seas.  Thomas Heywood was a playwright and had been annually responsible for the creation of successive Lord Mayors' pageants in London.  A pageant consisted of a play presented with actors on moving carts with stage settings which were conveyed through the streets for the populous to
view.  The sets sometimes consisted of elaborate carvings, and Thomas Heywood worked with
The Christmas brothers, John and Mathias, who had been appointed Naval Carvers in 1634, in producing the pageants.  Charles I appointed Heywood as the designer of all of the carvings and adornments on The Sovereign of The Seas, and Heywood used the Christmas brothers to carve them.  Heywood wrote his book,  A true description of His Majesty's Royall Ship called The Sovereign of The Seas built in Wolwitch in Kent 1637, and had it published to coincide with the launch of the Sovereign on September 25, 1637.  In it he starts with some poetry written by his good friend Shackerley Marmion and spends a great deal of time talking about nautical history going back to Noah's Ark and Jason's Argo.  Eventually, he describes the Sovereign of The Seas, including rather detailed descriptions of the carvings and their meanings.  It becomes clear when he describes the stern, that the adornments are those shown in the Portrait of Peter Pett and The Sovereign of The Seas which I wrote about in my earlier e-mails.  He describes Victory with Jason on her right and Hercules on her left. He also describes the carvings at the beakhead and on her hull in great detail.
 
In a later printing of the booklet, Heywood also makes mention of the crew of The Sovereign and also mentions that Peter Pett, the master builder had the grandeur of the Sovereign "graved in a portrait by the excellent artist Mr. John Paine, dwelling near the posterne gate neere unto Tower-hill, of whose excellent skill as well in drawing and painting, as his Art in graving, I am not able to give Character answerable unto his merit".
 
The conclusion would appear to be that the kit by Mantua depicts the stern in a different light than the Payne engraving or the Portrait in Greenwich.  Perhaps it was meant to emulate the Sovereign after one of her re-builds.  At any rate, I have decided to modify the kit and will try to build the stern as close to the portrait as I can.  It may be that with the limited material available on this ship, that a truly accurate depiction of her may not be possible. I think that credit must go to Mantua for providing a model of this great ship regardless of its historical accuracy.
 
More to follow.........
 
Bill

Part 2.
 
Well, I have finished reading A Portrait of Peter Pett and The Sovereign of The Seas, and it must go back to its rightful home in a day or two.  Just enough time to review a few parts before it parts company with me. The answers to the five questions appear to be answered if you believe the author. Here goes.
 
1. What is the ship?
 
It is pretty much a certainty that the ship in the portrait is the Sovereign.   Thomas Heywood, the playwright and artist who was appointed by Charles I to conceive the details of the ornamentation.  Heywood wrote a book called "A True Description of His Majesties Royall Ship, Built this Year 1637 at Wool-Wich in Kent; to the glory of our English Nation and not paralleled in the whole Christian World".  It was released on September 7th, 1637, just prior to the expected official launch of the Sovereign. In the book he describes the decorations of the ship and the stern description reflects the portrait.  It is significant to mention that the Sovereign was the first one hundred gun ship, and that it was twice the size of anything built to that date. A typical ship of that day was forty guns and could be built at a cost of 5,500 to 6,500 pounds.  The Sovereign cost 65,586 pounds, 16 shillings and 9 1/2 pence.  Clearly, a new standard in size and cost.
 
2. Who painted the picture? ( The Portrait in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich)
 
All evidence in the book points to Van De Velde, the Elder, a Dutch marine painter who was in England with his son at the time in question.  The Elder Van De Velde was not a portrait painter, but rather a painter of ships.  His son, had produced a self portrait and could have painted the image of Peter Pett.  You are left with the impression that it was a joint effort of the father and son.
 
3. Who is the man portrayed?
 
By the calipers held in the right hand, it was felt that the man in the portrait was the architect or builder of the ship. The creator of the Sovereign was Phineas Pett (1570-1647).  In his autobiography, he details how Charles approached him to build the great ship.  However, the sitter is not Phineas Pett. If so, he would have been sixty seven years old at the sitting, and the man in the portrait is clearly much younger. The summation is that it must have been his son, Peter Pett the Great.
 
4. When was the picture painted?
 
It is apparent by the detail show of the stern, that the painter took a great deal of time to prepare for its painting.  It would follow that he must have had some time in which to observe the ship. The logical times that this would be possible are:
a. - 1637-1638 at the conclusion of building operations
b. - The first re-building in 1659-1660
c.  - The second re-building in 1685.
 
Both of the Van De Veldes were in England in at the time of the first and second re-building, and it is deemed to be Van De Velde the Elder as painting the ship, the Younger, Peter Pett, and the time as the first re-building in 1660.
 
5. What is the relationship to the painting in the National Portrait Gallery in London?
 
The book surmises that the painting in the National Gallery was a copy attributed to William Dobson.  The book reveals that many of the details in the National Portrait Gallery version are not in keeping with accurate naval details and hence is a copy of the original in Greenwich.
 
These, briefly, are the conclusions that this book comes to regarding the two portraits. For my purposes, the book has aided me in getting a more complete picture of the ship I am modeling, the time it was built in, and has changed my view of how to proceed with her.  I intend to follow up on articles published in the Mariners Mirror that comment on this book and will hold my conclusions until I have exhausted all available materials.  I have simplified the answers to the above questions, and the book contains much more detail to support its conclusions. I would recommend that if you are intending to build SOS, you try to read this book and any other references to satisfy yourself of the direction you want to go in modeling her. I have very nearly decided to change the stern ornamentation and stern galleries on my model to more closely resemble the depiction on the painting.  My reasoning is, that the portrait was painted in the time of the ship, and must resemble her, at least in the eyes of the painter, in a more accurate way than the pictures shown on the Mantua kit box.  I may be wrong, but that is my conclusion.
 
 
More to follow......................
Regards,
Bill

Sometimes line that is stiff or has 'memory' and loosens can be tamed with a wet brush. Try that on your clove hitches.

I could have added to the other thread I suppose but it wasn't my serving machine.
 
After getting frustrated with the tiny bit of serving that I did yesterday I opted to make a tool that was a little flexible in its uses.
Raiding the scrap boxes for wood and metal after doodling while having the early morning coffee I came up with a design that I hope will serve me well enough.
 
I found a nice piece of Fiddle-back figured  Maple for the base, a short length of 3/8 anodized aluminum tube, some scraps of Ebony.
 

 
The sliding maple blocks on the aluminum tube were made from salvaged maple I found at the dump.a while back.
 

 
I cut a channel in the block first with a 3/8 end mill then glued in a block that was 1/64th thinner to the back side this was in order to allow it to slide and to act as the base for the threads for the locking thumb screws. I shaped the ebony just because I could.
 

 
I mounted everything on a single pedestal so that I could slide them off and put on different clamps or devices yet to be imagined. I also thought I was being original until I noticed that a lot of other fine builder had used sewing bobbins for the thread.
 
That universal mind just keeps cropping up.
 
The end caps in the aluminum tube are ebony.
 

 
I used Dafi's method of clamping the rope in the rotating holder just simple tapered wedges. the rotators are turned from a length of 3/8 brass hex stock.and are a snug fit into the small shouldered ball races that a friend gave me, he was a helicopter mechanic, and the bearings get replaced after so many hours. I have hundreds of them all different small sizes. If anyone needs a couple let me know.
 
The thumbscrews were turned from some brass pinion stock that I have had lying around for years and since I do not have a knurling tool this was the next best thing. they are threaded 4x40
 
The rod for the bobbin was set so that the bobbin could just turn freely and with a layer or two of card slid under to add tension. It can also just slide off.  I did not get into the complexity of gearing as the hex rotators turn freely enough.
 

 
A clamping arrangement will be added to the tops of the sliders for doing the seizing of the shrouds around the deadeyes.  That's it for now.
 
Michael
 
 
 
 
 
 

At the dead flat is an interesting knee combination:  the opposed lodging knees.  This is a combination of two knees:  a “normal” lodging knee and what I will call a bent knee because it is obviously bent.  This is tricky to make.  The knee itself is angled down off the beam so it can duck under the other lodging knee.  Then there is an additional buckle in the hull arm so it can stay close to the hull arm of the “normal” lodging knee as it passes below it.  There are no ledges mortised in to it for obvious reasons.
 
 
 
The beam arms are located between on the fore side of beam 11.  These timbers are 7” deep and are mortised into beam 11.  Their shape follows the round-up of the beam.  I found it easiest to use an 8” timber and give it a final shaping after it had been temporarily secured to the surrounding structures. 
 
     
 
The main hatch carlings abut the medial end of the beam arms.  The outside ledges on either side of the beam arm are wider.  There is an iron knee between the fore end of the beam arm and the hull.  This lies below the level of the deck.  The fore-and-aft arm of the iron knee is hidden underneath the packing piece (a small length of wood between the beam arm and beam 10).  I did not have any appropriate brass on hand so I made my “iron” knee from boxwood and painted it black.  You can barely see it in the last two pictures.
 
     

Thanks guys. Sure Bob, although I haven't found a safe place yet. .. Piet, the beams are cut on a scroll saw and sanded using a simple jig. I still have some pictures somewhere in my archive. Of course the mortices are hand cut 
 
That said, I had to take out the lathe to make the mast wedge. I used French Box which is a real treat to turn on a lathe. 
 

 
The mast step is hold in place with wedges

 
Everything was dry fitted, this is becoming a cramped part of the ship and this is even without the cisterns 


The holes in the mast partner are cut using chisels and files



 
Remco

A small update at last.  I've been having some computer problems (Windows died) but all seems well now - that's why this update is a bit late.
 
Last Wednesday at the museum I got a little done, but spent most of my time talking to visitors and discussing the museum with one of the staff, rsther than in modelling.  Never mind - there's always next time!
 
Most of the hardware in now fitted to the mast and I must say I'm rather pleased with the overall look.  Everything is just sitting the loose at the moment.  Hopefully I can get a bit of serious rigging done next time I'm in.
 
John