Glenn-UK

It is a great kit and well worth the expenditure when funds are available.

Mizzen Gaff Parrel Beads / Trucks Today's task was to fasten the mizzen gaff to the mizzen mast. In theory this was going to be an fairly straightforward activity but maybe a tad fiddly. Many thanks to @James H, @DelF and @Blue Ensign for their help and guidance. Of course I managed to make this a far more complicated task with a few mistakes which really tested my patience. I am not sure of the correct technical term, parrel beads or parrel trucks. I will stick with parrel beads. With a short length dowel held in the quad hands I placed a number of parrel beads on some thread to see how many would be required. I decided that I would need 9 x parrel beads. This arrangement is shown in the photo below. I then fed a length of 0.1mm natural thread from the underside of the mizzen gaff yolk. I added a knot to the end of the thread to stop it coming through the yolk. I then added 9 parrel beads to the thread, as shown in the next photo. I applied a coating of wood glue to the jaws of the mizzen gaff yolk and then added it to the mizzen mast. The pin held the mizzen gaff in place. The free end of the parrel bead thread was fed back through the other hole in the yolk and was held under tension with a clamp. The tensioned thread can be seen in the next photo. Using a tip from @Blue Ensign I added a length of thread to the other end of the mizzen gaff to help hold it at the required angle. The next photo shows the clamping arrangement. The red clamp is holding the parrel bead thread in place and the reverse action tweezers hanging beneath the main mast platform is holding the other thread under tension. Once I allowed time for the glue to cure the clamps were removed. I then added a slip knot to the parrel bead thread end and pulled it tight up to the underside of the mizzen gaff yolk. I then added the jeer thread to the timble on mizzen gaff as shown below. Everything was coming together nicely. As I started to feed the jeer thread through the two blocks I realised there was a problem. The plan sheet indicated that a 4mm double block was required for the jeer block on the mizzen gaff. However this only needed to be a single block. I decided to leave the double block in place and completed the jeer rigging. I was happy with the end result however disaster struck when I trimmed some of the excess thread as I managed to cut through one of the jeer rigging lines. Therefore I took the decision to remove the jeer and parrel bead rigging and to release the mizzen gaff from the mizzen mast. I was then able to replace the 4mm double block with a 4mm single block. After a couple more hours I had completed the rework. The next photo shows the completed jeer rigging. The next photo shows the jeer rigging belayed. Next I moved on to adding the gaff halliard rigging. This was straightforward task. The gaff halliard rigging is shown in the next photo. I have not belayed the free end which will be done once the correct tension has been applied.

Hello Allan Many thanks for your comments. The belaying pins are supplied with the kit. I know from other discussions I have seen on MSW Chris's belaying pins are more representative to scale compared with some of the more robust looking belaying pins supplied by other kit manufacturers. I am not sure which thread Chris uses but I know some is from Guttermann. Glenn

Mizzen Gaff When deciding on the next build task I realised I had not made the mizzen gaff. The mizzen gaff started life as a length of 3mm down. One end required a taper down to 1.8mm and is fitted with an eyebolt. The other end required a taper down to 1.5mm for the yolk. The yolk has a sanding line to allow a chamfer to be added so the mizzen gaff will sit at the right angle. I did add a pin, suitably angled, which will hold the mizzen gaff in place. There are also 8 cleats required which have been added. The picture below shows the completion of the first stage of the build process. The next picture shows a test fit of the mizzen gaff. There are a number of blocks to be added to the mizzen gaff. As per part of my normal build process I made a set of notes showing the blocks required and the rigging thread required, as can be seen in the next picture. As always I like to check the rigging thread will pass through the blocks. The top three blocks in the picture below are 3mm single blocks on a length of 0.25mm natural thread. The bottom three blocks (2 x 3mm single and 1 x 4mm double) are on a length of 0.1mm natural thread The next picture shows the mizzen gaff being held in the quad hands. The 4mm double jeer block and the two mizzen top gallant braces have been added. I also used two strips of 1mm yellow tape for the banding around the yolk. The next picture is simply a close up of the two mizzen top gallant braces And a close up of the The 4mm double jeer block. You will note I have a small length of thread in the thimble on this block, which was done to make sure the thread could be threaded. Next I added the gaff halliard block, as shown below. A clove hitch knot was used to secure the gaff halliard block to the mizzen gaff. Finally the two blocks for the mizzen topsail braces were added. The completed mizzen gaff was then painted black and test fitted once again to the mizzen mast. I just have to add the parrel beads and the job will be completed.

Top and Topgallant Masts Over the last couple of days I have been working on top and topgallant masts. I spent a bit of time checking the masts would fit through the caps. Once I was happy with that I then checked the FID's could be slotted in. The upper platforms were glued to the topmasts. Once that was done it was a case of painting the various mast sections and end caps black. In the following two pictures the top and topgallant masts have fitted to the Sphinx, but they have are not glued in place. I have started in seize the various blocks required for the top and topgallant masts so they can be added as and when required during the rigging process. I have been studying the rigging plans and the next logical step would be to add the shrouds, lanyards and ratlines for the topmasts. I may decide add the braces for the main, fore and mizzen yards before that however as I do like to work from bottom to top. I also like to check the rigging thread size required for a block can be fed through the hole before it is seized. When a thread does not seem to fed through the block hole I will run a suitably sized micro drill through which does the trick. Mizzen Topsail Tye's When checking the rigging plans I noted there are two blocks required for mizzen, main and fore topsail yard tye's. These blocks which are fastened to the topmast crosstrees which are on shown the right hand side of the picture below (mizzen mast with only one of the two blocks shown). However when looking at the rigging for the mizzen topsail yard tye's, as shown in the next photo it would appear the thread is fastened to the crosstrees and then fed through the block on the mizzen topsail yard and then taken back up and fed through the hole in the mizzen topmast and then taken down to be belayed via another double block arrangement. Therefore the mizzen topsail tye's blocks seem to be redundant. Both the fore and main topsail tye's are rigged through blocks fastened to the crosstrees.

A good start, enjoy the rest of the build

Crossjack Yard Completed, Foremast Jeers & Spritsail Braces Belayed Work is now complete with the installation of the Crossjack yard on to the Mizzen mast. The first task was to add the truss pendant using the same method as detailed in previous posts as can be seen in the picture below. After the truss pendants were fitted I added the stay. I forgot to take a picture before I added the crowsfeet, but I did take one after. I then added the crossjack sling. The crossjack sling is a length of black thread which has a thimble eyelet on one end. The thread is looped around the top of the mizzen mast and held in place by two cleats. The free end is then fed through a block on the crossjack yard before it is fed through the thimble and seized to complete the loop. I have taken a photo of the sling in place which is shown below. The final task was to add the crowsfeet. I am reasonably happy with how they look and I have made a much better job compared with both the fore and main mast. Before moving on to adding the topmasts I decided I should belay the foremast jeers and spritsail yard braces. The jeers were carefully taken down to the deck level and after checking the rigging plans were belayed the the fore bitts crossbeam. The spritsail and top spritsail yard braces are belayed to the belaying pins located on the forecastle breast beam rails. The next picture shows both the jeers and braces belayed. And to complete this post another picture of the Sphinx, noting I have a wonky starboard lantern.

Many thanks.

Thanks, slow and steady at the moment. I am pleased with the build so far. It is far from perfect but so much better than my previous builds. Still a few more weeks work ahead. I am thinking about building Erycina next.

Mizzen Mast Crossjack Yard WIP The crossjack yard was fairly easy to taper in my mini lathe especially when using my recently acquired set of Proxxon wood turning chisels. The yard started life as a length of 5mm dowel. I started by making the octagonal central section. This was done using a mini file to create the various flat edges. Once that was done I moved on to the tapering each end down to 1.8mm which did not take too long at all. With the crossjack yard nicely tapered I added the 6 cleats. I also drilled a hole and added the supporting pin. It was now time to add the various blocks. I started with the crossjack yard lift block which, once seized, was attached to the crossyard yard using a clove hitch knot, which ran either side of the brass pin. Next I added the two jeer blocks. As with the lift block the two jeer blocks were secured to the crossjack yard with clove hitch knots. The two sheet / tack blocks were then added to each end of the yard. Each sheet / tack block arrangement comprised a 4mm single and a 3mm block which were seized together and then secured to the yard using a clove hitch knot. All that is left is to add the two brace blocks and to then paint the yard black which will be done tomorrow morning. The following two pictures shows the crossyard jack in position on the mizzen mast. I really like the first picture. I also took a few pictures of the Sphinx. After reviewing the various pictures taken, most of which were deleted, I could not decide which one of the remaining two to include in this post. In the end I decided to add them both.

Main Stays, Jeers, Crows Feet The first task this morning was to add the lanyards for the main and preventor stays. For some reason I really struggled with the preventor stay lanyards. I should have added a few more turns therefore the end result is not brilliant but I can live with it. When I started work on the main stay I realised I had made an error with the position of both stays over the main mast. I managed to sort it out with a bit of fiddling and then added the lanyards. The completed stays look Ok. I then moved on to belay the main yard jeers. This was quite an easy task to complete. I adjusted the rigging between the blocks and then belayed to the bitts on the gallows. Once I was happy with the rigging of the jeers I completed the belaying process and trimmed the excess thread. As it was time for lunch I thought I would take a few pictures of the current state of play. The first one shows the main yard with the stunsail boom yards in place. I do need to finish painting both the stunsail booms black. I thought I would try an upward looking picture of the Sphinx and I really like how it turned out with the next two photos. After lunch I started work on the main mast crows feet which did not turn out too bad. Tomorrow I will turn my attention to manufacture of the crossjack yard for the mizzen mast. I have already made a start with the central octagonal section. I have also checked and made sure the different threads will pass thought the crossjack yard blocks.

Foreyard - Completed I have now completed the work on the foreyard and it has been secured to the foremast. I might try to remove the braces as I not totally happy with their position because they need to be aft facing when rigged but they are hanging down on the bow side of the yard at the moment. It may be OK when the braces are rigged, time will tell. This is a close up of the jeers and truss pendants. The truss pendants have not been belayed as yet. When looking at rigging plan sheet 3 it appeared to me that the belaying point was on the chain pump assembly as can be seen below. Having checked Jim's build log (page 11) and confirmed by Chris (email) the correct belaying point is the bitts on the gallows. The next picture shows the stays which have been added to the foremast. The next photo shows a nice view of the fore and main masts complete with the yards. I have added the closed heart blocks to the main and preventor stays but I have not added the lanyards. I have used a couple of reverse action tweezers to show these stays in position.

Many thanks. I have done it both ways but I am finding it easier doing this way, so far.

Main Yard I have made quite a bit of progress with the main yard manufacture over the last couple of days. With the help of the proxxon mini lathe chisel set it was a much quicker process to shape the main yard. I was very happy with the end result. I even managed to make the central section octagonal The next task is to add the various blocks for the jeers, tacks & sheets and braces. I have assembled the various blocks which are now ready and waiting to be seized. I started with the jeers, noting there are two parts per side. These comprise 5mm double blocks and the completed jeer sets are shown below. I decided to add the 2 jeers blocks to the yard before moving on to the next set of blocks. The quad hands are a really useful tool to support the yard as the blocks are being added, as shown below. There are three block sets, per side for the sheets and tacks. I am using the bottom / top arrangement of half hitch knots for seizing the blocks. With the block held in the quad hands I start by adding a bottom half hitch knot, as shown below. With the bottom half hitch in place I repeat the process by adding a top half hitch knot. For most blocks I add a total of 6 bottom and 6 top half hitch knots and the seizing can be easily adjusted so it sits tight up to the block before the ends are secured with ca gel and trimmed. In the next picture the seizing is ready to be trimmed. The finished block is shown next. When there is a double block arrangement I will only add three top and bottom half hitches to the first block. The picture below shows the arrangement I use with the quad hands when adding the second block. And the next photo is the end result. The final task is to seize the two brace blocks which, according to the plans, requires a thimble (eyelet). After a little bit of thought I have refined the process I use to create the required thimble. I start by positioning the block in the quad hands as normal. I then take one free end of the thread back over the block which is held in place with my reverse action tweezers. The next picture shows this arrangement. After the seizing has been added the looped end is place over a suitable round object, in my case a metal pin, as shown below. The looped end can then be pull tight over the round pin before the seizing is secured with a touch of ca gel and the excess seizing thread is removed. The block has been gently lifted off the metal pin in the picture below. The remaining free ends of thread can be trimmed as required to end up with a nice looking block complete with a thimble eyelet. To complete the brace block a length of 0.75mm black thread is fed through the thimble and is then placed in the quad hands ready to be seized. This is shown in the next photo. One of the two completed block for the braces is shown below. With all the blocks seized they are now ready to be added to the main yard.

Due to the really nice weather for the last two days I have been outside doing some gardening and sunbathing. Today I received a new set of tools which will complement my Proxxon mini lathe. I plan to try them out tomorrow, unless its another hot 🌞 day. I think these will help me tremendously with manufacturing masts and yards.

Looks like you're doing a great job on your build.

I have has a look at my completed build and the my mizzen mast rake angle looks good and as far as I can tell it matches what is shown in the manual and plan sheets.

Crows Feet - Foremast I experimented this morning with trying to secure the free end of thread using a knot which could be positioned uptight to the underside base of the platform. I was using a basic half hitch but after several attempts I decided it was an impossible task and I was ready to ask for help. It then occurred to me there must be another way to do it such as using a slip knot. After a quick lesson (via the internet) on how to tie a slip knot I tried one on my test arrangement which was simply a spare platform part held in my quad hands. Once I had mastered how to tie the knot it became apparent I would be able to adjust its position to the underside of the platform base. Turning my attention to the free end of thread from the foremast crows feet rigging I tied a slip knot. Next I adjusted the tension in the crows feet rigging lines and once I was happy with how it was looking I was able to move the slip note into the required position. I then applied a touch of ca gel to the knot and cut away the excess thread. Using the same test set up I added a belying pin to the platform and I was able to replicate securing a free end of thread to a belaying pin. Of course it is much easier to do when there is nothing in the way to hinder access. That said I have found a method which seems to work and looks good.

Planning Next Stage With the fore stay and preventor rigged the next logical task would be to add the main yard and then the main stay. I have not, as yet manufactured the main yard. The main yard is 295mm long and made from a 8mm dowel. The central section of 76mm is octagonal in shape. The yard is then tapered down to 3.5mm over the remaining 105.5mm per side. For simplicity I plan to taper only the last 100mm per side, i.e. 8mm down to 6.9mm for the first 25mm then from 6.9mm down to 5.8mm over the next 25mm, down to 4.7 over the next 25mm and finally down to 3.5mm over the final 25mm. Up and till now I have been using my proxxon mini lathe with 80 to 120 grit sandpaper to add the tapers. This does produce the desired results but can be quite time consuming, especially when tapering a 8mm dowel down to 3.5mm. I have been contemplating buying some proper wood turning tools for some time as I believe I can achieve much better results and should also speed the process up somewhat. As I have £75 of unused Amazon vouchers I decided to bit the bullet so today I purchased a set of proxxon tools for turning (27023). The set comprises a 3mm spindle gouge, 6.5mm square and round end scrapers, 6.5mm skew chisel and a parting tool with a blade with of 2.3mm. These are being shipped to the UK from mainland Europe so will take a few days to arrive. I will use these tools to shape the remaining yards for the Sphinx. I do have some spare material available to experiment with the tools before I start work on the tapering the actual yards. While I wait for the delivery I have been pondering what I can do. There are a couple of techniques I wish to get better, such as securing a free thread end to a belaying pin. Currently I have 6 free ends which require belaying which I would like to get done ASAP. I plan to construct a test bitt rack complete with some belaying pins and I can then spend some time trying to perfect the method before I belay the free thread ends on the Sphinx. With my previous builds with crows feet I have never been able to get the final knot tight under the platform and have resorted to using ca gel to hold the thread in place. As I have some spare platforms left over from my aborted V1 build I will try work out a method to pull the final knot tight. I am not sure if there is a special knot I need other than a standard half hitch. I am also tempted to fit the fore topmast and to then rig the shrouds and ratlines.

Foremast Crows Feet Rigging The repairs to the bowsprit rigging were made yesterday. I inadvertently sniped one of the undamaged spritsail top braces threads during the repair process which also had to be replaced. Today I was able to start work on the foremast crows feet rigging. I seized some 0.1mm natural thread to 2 x 2mm single blocks along. I then seized the foremast euphroe block to one of the 2mm blocks. Next I checked that it would be possible to feed some 0.1mm natural thread through the 2mm blocks, as can be seen in the photo below. With reference to the rigging plans I attached the first 2mm block to the fore preventor stay. It was very fiddly work for my big hands but it only took a few minutes work to complete. I am aware the lines look fluffy. I did not apply beeswax to the lines beforehand. The fluffy nature of the lines is only really noticeable (in my view) when taking close up pictures. A longer distance view of the first 2mm single block in place on the preventor stay. I then added the rigging between the two blocks and the free end was secured to the fore preventor stay. Again this was fiddly work. It was now time to add the crows feet rigging. Just to make sure of the sequence I drew a rough sketch which shows the 14 holes on the platform and the 7 holes of the euphroe block. It is just a simple case of starting at position 1 on the platform and tracing a route until the line has passed through all the holes. The following photo shows my rough sketch The distance between the euphroe block and the platform is around 6cm on average and there would be 14 runs required between them. This equates to a total run length of 0.84m. I therefore decided to cut a 1m length of 0.1mm natural thread just to be on the safe side. With a knot added to one end I started to feed the thread, as shown in the photo below. I am not totally happy with how the euphroe block looks. It is to tight with the 2mm block (and not very flexible) so I may decide rework it but I would prefer not to so for the time being I will leave it as is. I did find it tricky feeding the thread through the platform hole from the underside but with a steady hand, good eye / hand coordination and a bucket load of patience I did manage to do it. Sometimes it took me a few goes (<10) and sometimes it took me several goes (>20). On a couple of occasions, when the free end became a bit bending, I found it necessary to trim and to then reapply some ca gel to stiffen the end back up again. The crows feet is now fully rigged. I will spend a bit of time adjusting the tension in the lines before I tied off the free end which I can do a later stage. The euphroe block is not perfect but I think I will leave it as is.

In my last post I indicated that I made a repair to a block fastened to an eyelet on the bowsprit end cap. Sadly my repair failed when I noticed there was no tension in the rigging line. On closer inspection the block was no longer attached to the eyelet. I have therefore removed the rigging and will redo it again. Also I made a fatal error when trimming the spritsail braces which meant they had to be removed and will be redone.

Fore Stay and Preventor It has been a productive morning. I noticed one of the blocks that had been rigged to the bowsprit endcap eyebolt had become detached. My first thought was I would had to derig the line and redo. On closer inspection I decided there was a simple work around solution which after about 5 minutes work meant the block was securely retied to the eyelet. Using a needle I was able to pass some new thread through the gap between the seizing and the end of the block. The new thread was then fed through the eyelet of the endcap and tied off. The photo below shows the good side, which did not need the repair. The next photo shows the other side where the repair was made. It will take an eagle eye to spot this on bodge job repair once the ship is fully rigged. Once the repair was complete I added the 6mm closed heart block to the fore stay. As I started to add the lanyard I noticed the seizing on one side of the forestay open heart block on the bowsprit had started to unravel. I knew it would be a major job to remove and re rig as it would also affect the bowsprit shroud rigging. With some gentle cutting I was able to remove the thread that had worked lose. I was then able to apply some new seizing. Once again it is not a perfect repair but it will be had to detect once the ship is fully rigged. With the open heart block repaired I then added the lanyards for the fore stay which is shown in the picture below. The following is a picture of the competed forestay. With no more repairs required I added the closed heart block the fore stay preventor followed by the lanyards. The next picture shows the completed rigging for the forestay and preventor. A close up of the forestay and preventor lanyards is shown below. The mouse arrangement for both the forestay and preventor is shown below On final task was to feed the spritsail yard braces thread free ends over the foremast stay, above the mouse. If you look closely at the picture below you will notice the natural thread that is sitting on top of the lower mouse which is now waiting to be tied off. I am now debating the next step and I leaning toward adding the foremast crows feet rigging next.

Foremast Take 2 - Update Before I took the decision to remove the foreyard, due to the error I made in fitting the wrong sized double blocks for the jeers, I had tied off the brace threads to the spritsail top yard. I have not tied off the other end of these threads to their respective belaying point which will be done once the fore and preventor stays have been added. In the picture below I have used my reverse action tweezers to simulate tension on these braces. With the truss pendants and jeer double blocks removed the foreyard is supported by the quad hands ready for the replacement truss pendants and jeer blocks to be added. I have also removed the pin as I wish to fit a slightly longer pin. It did not take too long to fit the new jeer blocks and truss pendants. Once again I used clove hitch knots to secure the truss pendants. The next picture gives a better idea of the truss pendant arrangement. One pendant is a short length with a thimble (eyelet) at the end. The other truss pendant the free end. Once the yard is pinned to the mast the free end is passed through the thimble and once pull tight to keep the yard in place it can then tied off using a simple half hitch knot. The knot is then secured with a touch of ca gel as I did not think it was feasible for me to add a proper seizing. The foreyard (take 2) in place on the mast and looks good to my (wonky) eye. The foreyard booms have been removed for the time being. Next I added the jeer rigging. It was so much easier with the right size blocks fitted to the foreyard and I am reasonably happy with how this looks. The free ends have been taken down to the deck but have not be tied off to their respective belaying points. I will adjust and tension the jeer rigging as necessary when it is time to belay the free ends. Finally I made a start on adding the fore and preventor stays. After making a thimble on one end of the fore stay thread I did a trial fit and decided that the mouse needed to be position approx 8cm from the thimble. I added knotted thread on the stay at the 8cm point which will stop the mouse moving any close to the mast. The following picture shows this arrangement. Tomorrow I plan to add a 6mm closed heart block to the other end of the fore stay so it can be linked with the open heart of the bowsprit. I will then repeat the process for the preventor stay. I have not used a open / closed heart arrangement before as my previous builds have used deadeyes. I am not sure, as yet, how I can ensure the stays are tensioned when the lanyards are added but I am sure I will figure it out.

One step forward and two steps back with the foreyard After fitting the foreyard to the mast I noted I had incorrectly fitted 4mm double blocks for the jeers instead of using the 5mm double blocks shown on the plan sheets. Initially I thought I could get away with it as I was able to fed some 0.25mm thread through the 4mm double block holes when I tried on a spare block, noting I did find it necessary to run a micro drill through the block holes to slightly enlarge them. However when I then tried to rig the actual jeers in situ it proved much more difficult and I was not very happy with how the jeer rigging was looking. Therefore I took the sensible decision (time will tell) to remove the foreyard from the mast and to replace the 4mm double jeer blocks with 5mm double blocks. Thankfully the foreyard was easy to remove from the mast once I cut and removed the truss pendant thread. I was then able to remove the 4mm double blocks from the foreyard without any problems.

It looks good to me so I am happy. When looking at the jeer rigging I have realised I made an error when rigging the foreyard as I used 4mm double blocks instead of 5mm double blocks shown on the plans. It is not practical for me to change them as I would have to remove the yard which I do not wish to do. I have checked that the required 0.25mm natural thread can be fed through the 4mm double block holes so all is good to go. I will have to add the stays to the mast before the jeers are rigged before I hook the upper jeer blooks over the cleats on the mast. The stays can then be moved out of the way whilst I rig the jeers then the stays are then rigged to the bowsprit open heart blocks.