Bob Cleek

Because running rigging "runs," and moves, the "bitter end" always has to be tied off to something. It's belayed to belaying pins, generally, during the period after which belaying pins came into use, but also sometimes to cleats and cavels and occasionally posts. Standing rigging is generally fastened permanently, shrouds at their lower ends to chain plates or sometimes pad eyes on deck and to bowsprit irons. There really aren't hard and fast rules, though. There are many different rigging arrangements which can vary from ship to ship, and even vary on the same ship from time to time in the ship's life.
 
Standing rigging did not go to Samson posts, actually. Samson posts are for towing the ship or making an anchor cable fast when the anchor is set, or to belay mooring lines when alongside a wharf or quay. Here again, things can vary from ship to ship and time to time. You really can't say for sure what general rigging practices were without specifying the type of vessel, it's nationality, and the time in history that's applicable.

Hi John,
 
I too am in Aus and I happen to have a 12 inch three-sided Imperial rule that includes 1:48. I no longer need this so if you pm me your address I'll send it to you.
 
Cheers

I've been told there are still things that ducks and battens do that can't be done on a screen, particularly on large drawings. I bet you'll find a use for them within a week of getting rid of them. Isn't that always the way it goes?  

I have to agree with Harvey, they are most commonly referred to as "Ducks".  I know they come in two styles, the one shown above with the hook, and the other has a tab in place of the hook.  The "advantage" of the hook is that the "batten" usually used with this style has a groove down the length so that the hook and run/ride inside the groove.  Thus enabling you to keep all the ducks on one side, in a row so to speak, because you could "push" or "pull" the batten into place.  The tabbed version can only secure the batten in one direction, so depending on the curve you're creating you may have ducks on both sides.  They are heavy enough that you could just rest the duck on top of the batten to hold it in place.  Back when I was on the board, we had a handful in the department but we used them to hold down the ends of roll size drawings because the battens seemed to disappear over time.  No great loss as the department had the most complete set of ships curves I've ever seen.  There were dozens upon dozens stored in a slotted, felt lined wooden case.  The department head kept them under lock and key and could only be used by those who had proved themselves capable of properly using them.  Oh, those were the days.

USA tool maker, Starrett, makes steel rules graduated in 1/48 inch.  Six-inch-long, part # C601-6; 12-inch-long, part # C601-12.  Front and back, top and bottom of the rule make for four graduated edges.  One edge is graduated in 12ths, 24ths and 48ths.  The others give measurements in 10ths, 20ths, 50ths and 100ths; 16ths, 32nds and 64ths and lastly, 14ths and 28ths.  They will be very well made and surprisingly expensive.    

Try here for something more closer to your location:
 
https://www.bnamodelworld.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=Scale ruler
 
Andy

Not coincidental at all. "Getting  your ducks in a row" is a direct reference to fairing a line with a batten and ducks.

Look for some drafting scale rules on eBay. They come in all scales and "quarter-inch" is pretty common. In the U.S., triangular scales as pictured above commonly have a "quarter-inch" scale on one side. I've never seen one here with a combination of Imperial and Metric, although some engineer's scales (as opposed to architects' scales) will have inches divided into tenth's.
 
Alternately, 1:48 scale is equivalent to "O" gauge model railroad scale. You should be able to find a 1:48 scale rule offered for sale on a model railroading website.
 
See also: Triangular Scale Ruler for 1/12, 1/24, /1/32, 1/35, 1/48, 1/72 (L: 17cm) | eBay

My Unimat SL lathe had a 220 VAC motor on it when I got it from a fellow who had bought it in England years decades earlier.  It had the same two-pin plug as the one in the picture. When I was in England 30 years ago, my electric razor power converter plug was also the same double round pin plug shown. I suspect this plug is the British equivalent of our two-prong plugs and has been largely supplanted by three prong grounded plugs, as have our two prong plugs here.

Look for some drafting scale rules on eBay. They come in all scales and "quarter-inch" is pretty common. In the U.S., triangular scales as pictured above commonly have a "quarter-inch" scale on one side. I've never seen one here with a combination of Imperial and Metric, although some engineer's scales (as opposed to architects' scales) will have inches divided into tenth's.
 
Alternately, 1:48 scale is equivalent to "O" gauge model railroad scale. You should be able to find a 1:48 scale rule offered for sale on a model railroading website.
 
See also: Triangular Scale Ruler for 1/12, 1/24, /1/32, 1/35, 1/48, 1/72 (L: 17cm) | eBay

Not coincidental at all. "Getting  your ducks in a row" is a direct reference to fairing a line with a batten and ducks.

Look for some drafting scale rules on eBay. They come in all scales and "quarter-inch" is pretty common. In the U.S., triangular scales as pictured above commonly have a "quarter-inch" scale on one side. I've never seen one here with a combination of Imperial and Metric, although some engineer's scales (as opposed to architects' scales) will have inches divided into tenth's.
 
Alternately, 1:48 scale is equivalent to "O" gauge model railroad scale. You should be able to find a 1:48 scale rule offered for sale on a model railroading website.
 
See also: Triangular Scale Ruler for 1/12, 1/24, /1/32, 1/35, 1/48, 1/72 (L: 17cm) | eBay

I have always heard them referred to as "ducks" or more formally Spline Weights.  Calls to mind the expression about getting all your 'ducks in a row,' but I suspect it's coincidental.
-Harvey  

I was going under the impression that the unit in question would be a UK only deal.
Bob, cut thru my knot and jumped on the most simple answer - just save the head and attach it to a regular soldering iron handle.
That would make the plug on the sale unit not relevant.  It would also open it up to the US.
 
I was looking at  Romex at Home Depot, since a recent post was about how expensive a coil has become.  The 220V is  4 wire.  The plug on Ebay is two prong and round.  I was trying to get my head around a match up of 4 wire Romex with that plug.  I also wonder if a kid who stuck a metal object on into a 220V plug would have a more interesting experience than a US kid who did it with a 110V?

British Voltage is rated at 230V but if measured is generally 240 -245. That is not a BS1363 plug. At a push you may be able to get it in a shaver socket. You can still get 5A round pin sockets for lighting circuits but have not generally seen round pin sockets in domestic wiring since the 1960's. In industry you get round pin commando 230V Sockets but these still have an earth pin so could not use one of these.
 
Of course, could use an adaptor but it is highly likely this would be a 110V device and so you will find it won't last long. 
 
Your choice not to trust what I say but after 30 years in electrical industry and the last 10 of this as a Senior Electrical Engineer I would hope I have some idea.

From the eBay photos, it appears to be a British plug, so that would be 220 VAC. I doubt it will sell for as little as a pound. I've seen them go for some pretty amazing prices. I don't know why nobody makes these anymore. They are definitely a great tool. Finestkind! I don't know of another plank bender that allows the user as much control as this one.

Correct. For a considerable time, steamers carried sail, not only in case the engines failed, but also to extend the steamer's range, particularly in the trans-Atlantic trade It took a lot of coal to cross the Atlantic and the wind blows for free. It was not until 1892 and 1893 when Cunard launched RMS Campania and her identical twin sister RMS Lucania, that trans-Atlantic steamers abandoned their sailing rigs.  Note in the photo below, Lucania still carries her masts and was capable of setting a headsail or three in an emergency, but never did. Her masts also served her cargo derricks fore and aft. They also came in handy in a few short years for radio antennas when Lucania became the first ocean-going vessel to be equipped with the new Marconi wireless system. Lucania took the Blue Ribband from her sister, Campania on her second voyage and held it for five years until the Germans built faster steam turbine powered vessels. When launched, these sisters were the largest and fastest passenger vessels in the world. 
 
It wasn't just the "belt and suspenders" redundant engineering of steamships with sailing rigs that was common until the maritime industry finally came to trust steam in the 1890's. Campania and Lucania were also the first ships to be equipped with electrical lights throughout. Note that just above the rail on the side of the bridge superstructure are two running lights, one above the other. One was electric. The other was an oil burner. One of the very few ships ever so equipped. Not only didn't they not trust steam, they had their doubts about electricity, too!  
 
 

When you get the craves... call your sponsor!  

Bob, thanks for posting that image - one learns every day.
 
cheers
 
Pat

Like many large steam ships in the age when steam ships also carried sail, it appears that Great Eastern flew her fore and aft gaff-headed sails from semi-permanently rigged gaff booms. The sails were furled by brailing them to the masts and gaff booms. When the sails were struck and sent down, the gaff booms remained rigged as if the sails were set, with the gaff peaks raised to the same angle as when the sails are set. The gaff booms could be unrigged and sent down for maintenance and such, but at all other times, the gaff booms stayed rigged with the sails brailed to the gaff booms and mast.
 
In port with gaff booms raised and sails sent down.
 

When you get the craves... call your sponsor!  

Like many large steam ships in the age when steam ships also carried sail, it appears that Great Eastern flew her fore and aft gaff-headed sails from semi-permanently rigged gaff booms. The sails were furled by brailing them to the masts and gaff booms. When the sails were struck and sent down, the gaff booms remained rigged as if the sails were set, with the gaff peaks raised to the same angle as when the sails are set. The gaff booms could be unrigged and sent down for maintenance and such, but at all other times, the gaff booms stayed rigged with the sails brailed to the gaff booms and mast.
 
In port with gaff booms raised and sails sent down.
 

Most you ever want to know about gaff rigs is explained in
 
LEATHER, J.  (1977): Gaff Rigg.- 272 p., London (Granada Publishing).
 
There are indeed standing and lowering gaffs as Bob explained above. In general, boom-less gaff-sails (as in GREAT EASTERN) were typically rigged with standing gaffs. There would have been no place to store the gaffs in the absence of booms.

And that makes modeling great.  And it reinforces my argument. Build to your interests. Don't build to mine. By the way, naval vessels are, in fact, working vessels.  I served on seven of them.  Ask my wife about how hard we worked.
 
Bill

Ok ok guys I got the idea. I will save my money for a bottle of Patron Tequila instead. You talked me out of buying this device. You are all right. What was I thinking?
Thanks guys,
Bill