olliechristo

Just amazing Ollie and the cabinet is perfect too!
It was just meant to be!!

...

Ok some pictures..  I have finished backstays now the missing part arrived a few days ago and had it prepared....
 
And of course.......   I did a clean up and the part turned up, i knew that was on the cards!!!!
 
Any way, top sail halliard fitted also, preparing parts for bowsprit guys... 
 
 

Thanks Tom, Eamm and Brian... Pygothian! Thought we had lost you. i'm glad you havnt lost the passion... Cheers mate....
 
John, im glad you suggested that ..  Just have to figure out those grommets now.. think i will try splic a tiny eye bolt into top mast shroud..
 
 
Ok so i have been working away at bowsprit traveller which is now done.. added iron spectacle.
 
 I have fitted first yard.... do you guys think she is slung at an appropriate height?   
 
Next onto bowsprit guys and yard lifts, braces and halliards...
 
Few pics to show you whats happening, really not far to go now!!!
 
Ollie

I can see that I have got to figure out how to put in a pic or two!!!!!!!!  I have been blissfully ignorant shame on me!!!!
 
Tom

Thanks gang...    John, The AL Endeavour should fit but a bit tight to look as good....  I really think i like the smaller ships anyway..  Looking at the plans and im a bit daunted by the big girl, perhaps i should have grabbed a long boat..
 
So it has taken me some time to get my technique going for these rope coils for belaying points...
 
How do you think they are looking?
 
The sun is out today! So an outdoor shoot. We have had the strangest weather this year,, rain and cloud for months...
 
Ollie

Cheers Tom..   That is good to know John.. I wish i asked before... I think i might have to stick with this method though.. Im having enough trouble getting these fitted.. theres not much space betewwn belaying pin and belayed line, this way i can just hook that one loop over...  The cord i have left is not that great.. Regards Ollie

Thanks gang...    John, The AL Endeavour should fit but a bit tight to look as good....  I really think i like the smaller ships anyway..  Looking at the plans and im a bit daunted by the big girl, perhaps i should have grabbed a long boat..
 
So it has taken me some time to get my technique going for these rope coils for belaying points...
 
How do you think they are looking?
 
The sun is out today! So an outdoor shoot. We have had the strangest weather this year,, rain and cloud for months...
 
Ollie

Thanks so much Jeff and ZyXuz.  I appreciate it...  I only use basic tools and a keen eye.
 
I am well into scratch building the barrels for under floor.. It s been 3 hours at least over 2 evenings..
 
I cut strips at angles and made them all in one tube.. because the lengths are wedges, when i sand the curve at ends of barrel it gives the appearance of planks narrowing and in fact they do, just not as they really woud, but working at this size you cant build like you would a fulll size item, so one has to improvise a little.
 
I used "sika" super glue. it is good quality, then i filled tube with an expanding glue that helped hold the small bits together.. These are not going to be seen from alll angles so i thought better not get too carried away,, i tend to do that..
 
The bands i'm not 100% sure on yet, i made prototypes out of hammered soldering wire but think i need a thinner guage,, the effect is great.. and very nice to bend around two angles
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Well after work today i scratch built a stairway from some cypress of some discription it has a nice fine grain.. They are built at 75degrees and seem about right, number of treads are matched with that in the picture.. about 6.
 
Next i will be scratch building some barrels to go in hull and trim out interior before planking, regards Ollie

Now i have started my modifications...
 
I am painting and coppering one side of the hull and other side being left timber finish with a cut away of hull to show planking and some of interior. (including stairs or ladder and rum kegs in bottom of hull)  It as all still very strong..
 
here lies my first ponderings...  I have some pictures to work with but the detail is very grainy. I can make some of it out... sail cupboards on left anothe rcupboard on right perhaps..
 
What im wondering in particular is would the main gangway have stairs or a vertical ladder coming straight down into below?  I am thinking stairs as it would be very hard to bring large items or take injured or sick crew up a ladder
 
Also wondering how much platform and what sort of opening would lead to steps / ladder.   A round hole through deck or rectangle?
 
Any help or ideas would be very much appreciated.. Thanks Ollie

Hi guys, im off to flying start and starting to understand how it goes together..  I have done the fairing and removed deadwood, i'm happy with how it is going. I am using a few different glues that are very strong and set fairly fast... I saved a lot of time with fairing by making two tools - 40 grit paper on a piece of quadrant so it can curve sidewards as needed and 40 grit on a piece of stiff plastic that can bend longways.. They are great... I dont mind that the edges are a bit coarse as this will help glue adhere..
 
 
 

Hi again Ollie, those photos of your Mermaid look like a real ship along side a quay wall Mate.. don't think I can say a better or higher compliment than that !    Am best pleased for you.. your ropes look grand by the way, as I said 'Like a real ship..' 
 
Eamonn

Thanks gang...    John, The AL Endeavour should fit but a bit tight to look as good....  I really think i like the smaller ships anyway..  Looking at the plans and im a bit daunted by the big girl, perhaps i should have grabbed a long boat..
 
So it has taken me some time to get my technique going for these rope coils for belaying points...
 
How do you think they are looking?
 
The sun is out today! So an outdoor shoot. We have had the strangest weather this year,, rain and cloud for months...
 
Ollie

Thanks gang...    John, The AL Endeavour should fit but a bit tight to look as good....  I really think i like the smaller ships anyway..  Looking at the plans and im a bit daunted by the big girl, perhaps i should have grabbed a long boat..
 
So it has taken me some time to get my technique going for these rope coils for belaying points...
 
How do you think they are looking?
 
The sun is out today! So an outdoor shoot. We have had the strangest weather this year,, rain and cloud for months...
 
Ollie

That's better-- pictures in natural sunlight

Some goodies arrived in the post the other day...my anchors and lanterns.. I loved the way Flipperphil created his anchors in his build log so I am sure he wont mind if I use his idea... 
 
This is FlipperPhils Anchor, followed by mine in progress, I have drilled the holes and painted some small pins which I will cut short and fit to replicate the bolts/rivets then make the strapping . So my next decision is how many transom lanterns should I fit-1-2 or 3?
 

I reckon this issue is one for your eye.
 
My AVS coils are probably wrong but I can live with them and like them.
 
John's photos show that there is a lot of rope around and I guess that whether you are presenting for inspection or in port or just hard running a ship at sea would make a big difference. John's first photo is of a ship that lacks discipline!
 
I worked on a commercial rope rigged ship - a freighter - and we took a lot of care with the ropes. I would always coil the ropes after use and tie them off when their use was completed. This was simple wrap between the hands and the elbow followed by a quick half-hitch before being placed on the pin or cleat. We would leave them loose coiled while working but tie the coil off also, as you show it, when in port and not working. So I say it depends on so many conditions and moments in a ships day to day aspects. You can choose! The ropes as you have them look exactly right to my eye for a certain configuration of the ship at a certain time.

Very, very nice and a firstie too! Outstanding work! I'd give you an A for it!
 
Tom

Ollie,
 
I assume that the style of your coils is as per the kit instructions and indeed you will see a lot of models on the forum with coils made up exactly like that.  You'll also see such coils on many modern replicas and restored ships, however the traditional method of make up coils was a simple coil dropped over the pin, as you will see in many contemporary photos of old sailing ships.
 
The photos below date from the 1840's  (first photo) and 1850's (second photo) and shown perhaps not in brilliant clarity, what I mean.
 
John
 

 

Thanks gang...    John, The AL Endeavour should fit but a bit tight to look as good....  I really think i like the smaller ships anyway..  Looking at the plans and im a bit daunted by the big girl, perhaps i should have grabbed a long boat..
 
So it has taken me some time to get my technique going for these rope coils for belaying points...
 
How do you think they are looking?
 
The sun is out today! So an outdoor shoot. We have had the strangest weather this year,, rain and cloud for months...
 
Ollie

This looks cool ... Now it's time to build Bligh's launch to add to the case ha ha    though I think you'd like that one!?!? I'm thinking of doing that one myself.
 
Tom

Thanks Bob and Russ.
I used the same philosophy in rigging the bob stays and bowsprit shrouds as I used when rigging the cannon:  I rigged as much as possible before the bowsprit was mounted on the hull.  That way I could get the dead eyes equally spaced.  After gluing the bow sprint to the hull, I attached the lines to their eye bolts.  The seizing was not tightened until the shroud or stay line was pulled tight.  The result was the dead eye spacing and the line tightness looking right.   

I'll call my official start date 6/14/2014
 
I found this kit on ebay, and wanted to build a Hannah without having to commit to a full POF scratch build. This will be a fun little build that will be for my youngest daughter Hannah. I want to try and improve the historical accuracy of this kit, but don't want to kill myself getting there, my main goal is a nice little intricate ship that represents the Hannah that my daughter will be proud to display in the future when she has her own home.
 
The kit included a solid hull, plans, printed deck on thin wood, wood dowels, wood strips, several cut pieces, rigging materials, cast cannons and sails. The box claims 1:48 scale but by best calculatuions estimate her as 1:80 scale. The cannon casting in brass or bronze are suprisingly decent and am considering keeping them as-is as they have a nice aged patina finish.
 
The upgrade will include planking over the solid hull, Planked deck, and complete full rigging following "Lennarth Petersson Rigging Fore and Aft craft" American schooner rigging info.
 
The hull has now been initially faired, I had to align the stem slot a bit to starboard to be it properly centered, but the rest was within reasonable limits. I now need to do final checks between P & S for conformity and shape then mark the hull with lines for planking butts and calculate planking bands and widths for tapering.
I remade the stem, keel and stern post from walnut so that it will match the walnut planking and give me the option of keeping the hull a natural finish. I will be planking with walnut strips for the hull and basswood for the decks. (Note: I have enough wood leftover from my AVS to complete these).
Last nite I started carving out the rabbet and hope to have the garboard strakes installed this weekend.
 
Ken
 
EDIT: I will also be using the Sultana practicum as a guideline for this build

Before moving on to the yard strops, there were one or two problems to sort out. The crew figure mentioned in my last post (I’m calling him the bosun – since he has an official-looking hat, now with a badge) has been finished and positioned – and is in the act of hauling taught the fall of the larboard running backstay. This was left hanging in my last post. One problem I had here was in fixing the line to his hands, there being no slot or hole in them for the rope, which would certainly have made the operation a whole lot easier – manufacturers please take note! I therefore cut the line into three and attempted to glue the lengths in their respective positions whilst the figure was off the model. The line between the hands took quite easily, but unfortunately the other two (the one from the long-tackle block to the left hand, and that from the right hand to the deck) came away on moving him. I therefore decided to glue the figure to the model before attaching the latter two lines. However, the line from the LT block to his upper hand, which I had stiffened with glue, wouldn’t take, I think probably because I couldn’t keep my hand still sufficiently – and no, I hadn’t been drinking, or was suffering from caffein deficiency! I then hit on the idea of hanging a weighted length of thread and stiffening it with glue. When it was dry, and straight, I was then able to cut it to the right length, and glue it between the LT block and the hand. Then it only remained to glue the line from the right hand and realistically trail it along the deck.
 
My other problem was with the acrylic paints that I had recently purchased (a neat set of 18 colours in 12ml tubes) with which to paint the four remaining figures, including the bosun. I had been under the impression that they would have dried to a matt finish, as had the bottled paints (now largely dried up) that I used previously for the lieutenant. Unfortunately, they dried to a semi-sheen – there being no indication of the type of finish on the box. On reading about acrylics however, I learnt that a matting agent is mixed with some types to dull them, and which had seemingly been mixed with the previous paint I had used. Luckily, I still had some of the older colours left, some of which I hadn’t used for some time, where the paint had separated and sunk to the bottom of the bottle. This had left a clear liquid on the top, which I reasoned was the matting agent, and it gave me an idea. I syphoned a little of this off into a small container, being careful not to include any residue of the paint – a dark brown(!) – which I then brushed over the painted figure. On drying, the paint was dulled somewhat but did not turn out quite flat, however I can live with it – just. It will probably be better to mix the liquid in with the paint for the remaining four figures or, if that doesn’t work, give the whole paint set to my wife who is something of an artist, and buy ones that dry to the desired, flat, look! Anyway, here’s the finished result:
 

 
Following that somewhat windy digression, I’ll now return to the yard strops. The AOTS book on the Alert, shows that three of the four yards were hoisted from blocks seized to rope strops on the fore side of the mast. From the bottom, these were the spread yard, square sail yard, and topsail yard. The exception is the topgallant yard, its halliard running over a sheave set in the topgallant mast head and thence to the deck. The hoisting method for the three lower yards appears to have been the practice up until around the 1780's, when it was modified to reflect normal ship practice – and as seen in the arrangement for the latter yard. Since the Sherbourne is dated some fourteen years earlier than the Alert, she would almost certainly have had a similar system. At around the same date the whole masting and rigging of cutters underwent a revision. The lower mast and topmast became separate sections, with the topgallant becoming an extension of the topmast. The shrouds now passed around the actual lower masthead as per large ship practice, and the top mast was stepped forward of the lower mast, necessitating the introduction of topmast backstays.
 
The three lower yards on the Alert/Sherbourne, were simply hoisted at their appropriate positions, at large single blocks suspended from strops, the halliards most likely being made fast at the foot of the mast (or at least that’s where I intend to belay them). It would seem that parrels weren’t used, apart perhaps from one on the topsail yard. It does seem an unlikely arrangement, and the wonder is that it lasted so long. The first strop and block above the backstays, is that for the spread yard. The strop I made of 0.50 mm black thread, with a 5mm block turned into one end and seized, as per the blocks for the backstays. This is the longest of the three strops and is set at what I thought an appropriate distance from its yard position. Next above that is the strop and block for the square sail yard. Again, 0.50mm black thread was used and a 5mm block was turned into its end and seized. Somewhat shorter than the strop for the spread yard, it too is set at a suitable position for its yard. The last strop and block over the masthead was that for the staysail halliard, and smaller diameter 0.25mm black thread and a 3mm block were used for this.
 
Since the yards will not be rigged for a while, I decided to temporarily make the blocks fast to their appropriate mast cleats to prevent any movement. The staysail halliard I have belayed to the centre pin in the bitts in front of the mast:
 

 
 
Next time: the staysail horse, and forestay.