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Glenn-UK

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Everything posted by Glenn-UK

  1. Fore Topmast Stay and Preventor Planning is the cornerstone of any success with regards to rigging, as I have learnt through many hours of rework when I have not planned ahead. With regards to the fore topmast stay and preventor I took a good look at the rigging plans. As can be seen in the photo below both the stay and preventor are fed through holes located on the either side of the bowsprit bee. Once the stay and preventor have been fed through their respective bowsprit bee holes then are belayed to thimbles located on the end of the 5mm / 4mm single block arrangement. A second 5mm single block is secured to the hull via an eyebolt. The blocks are then linked together using 0.25mm natural thread and the free end is belayed to one of bow catheads. The 3 block plan arrangement and rigging is shown in the photo below. The first task was to check the 0.25mm natural inter-block rigging thread could be fed through the various block holes. As seen in the photo below the thread would pass through the block holes without any problems. I decided to start with securing the single 5mm block to an eyebolt. With the 5mm block held in the quad hands a length of 0.25mm black thread was wrapped around the block. A long length of 0.25mm natural thread was also added at this stage, as shown in the photo below. Using some white fly tying thread the block was seized, as can be seen in the photo below. One of the two black thread end was trimmed. The other black thread will be seized to the eyebolt later on in the process. With reference to the next photo the 5mm block was reversed in the quad hands so the 0.25mm natural rigging thread could be seized, creating a pseudo thimble I used some ratline black thread to seize the rigging thread. Once seized the excess rigging thread was trimmed as can be seen in the photo below. It is now time to feed the black thread through the eyebolt. With the eyebolt in place black thread is held in place on the side of the 5mm block as shown in the next photo and is now ready to have the seizing added. I decided to use some 0.1mm natural thread to add the eyebolt seizing. I did check with the rigging plan sheets to ensure the eyebolt was correctly aligned with regards to the block, as can be seen in the two photos below. I think it was a mistake to use 0.1mm natural thread for the seizing as it looks a bit to bulky. Turning my attention to the double block arrangement I started with making a thimble which will be used to belay the stay / preventor thread. I took a length of 0.25mm black thread and using some white fly tying thread made a loop. The two free ends of the black thread were then pulled which reduced the loop diameter to the required size. It is a good idea to check stay / preventor would pass through the completed thimble, as shown below. Next the thimble was seized to the 5mm single block which is held in position using the quad hands. With the 5mm block held in one of the quad hands the 4mm block was positioned and held in place with another quad hand and the black seizing thread was wrapped around the 4mm block and seized, as can be seen in the two photos below. Again I think the seizing looks to bulky The final photo in this post shows how the blocks will be rigged. As I am not totally happy with how these finished blocks look I will redo to see if I can make a much better job of the seizing.
  2. Looks good so far. Hope to start my build in October, just need to finish rigging the Sphinx first.
  3. Backstays Completed I have had another good two days in the shipyard and I completed the starboard backstays. This represents another major milestone as all the work shown on rigging plan 1 is now complete. The top mast stays threads have been added. The mizzen topmast stay has been completed. The main and foremast topmast stay and preventors are now ready to be belayed. The main topmast stay and preventor is straight forward as they are just belayed to one of the fore bitts. The foremast stay and preventor requires a bit more work as they are secured to the hull via a block arrangement. In the pictures below I have used some tweezers to apply some tension to the main and fore topmast stays and preventors.
  4. Port Side Backstays After two days hard work I have completed all the work related to all the port side backstays. The first picture show the mizzen topgallant mast backstay. This belays to an eyebolt fixed to the outside of the hull via two 2.5mm thimbles. The next photo shows the main breast backstay. The backstay is belayed to the main channel via three blocks and two eyebolts. The next photo shows the main shifting backstay and the main topgallant mast backstay. The main shifting backstay is belayed to the main channel via two blocks and an eyebolt. The main topgallant mast backstay is belayed to the channel via 3mm deadeyes. The next photo shows the work in progress, noting I have the rigging plan as a backdrop. Moving on to the fore breast backstay which is belayed to the fore channel via a three block arrangement and an eyebolt. In terms of completing this backstay I started by adding the 5mm single block to the end of the backstay. Next I took a length of 0.5mm natural thread and seized one end to a 4mm double block. The 0.5mm thread is then fed through the 5mm single block and the free end is seized around the bottom of one of the deadeyes. I then seized an eyebolt to a 3mm single block. I also added a length of 0.1mm natural thread to the other end of the 3mm block. A touch of ga gel was added to the eyebolt before it was pushed into place on the channel. The 0.1mm natural thread was then rigged between the two blocks and the free end was then belayed around the bottom of one of the 5mm deadeyes. The completed fore breast backstay rigging is shown in the photo below. The next photo shows a close up of the free ends (0.1mm and 0.5mm threads) seized around the bottom of the deadeyes. Next up was to add the fore shifting and fore topgallant backstays. The fore shifting backstay is belayed to the fore channel via a double block arrangement. The fore topgallant backstay is rigged via 3mm deadeyes. As there was a lot of sunlight coming through the conservatory windows tonight it was not possible to take a decent photo of the Sphinx. When reviewing the pictures taken I did quite liked the next photo, not sure why. Over the next few days I will add all the backstays to the starboard side. After that I will add the top and topgallant mast stays. Hopefully I can get all this done before I take an enforced break when my wife and I embark on a trip to France to enjoy a 5 star 8 day river cruise. On my return I should be left with making the top and topgallant yards and then rigging all the yards. I also have the three small boats to make. The Erycina and Saucy Jack kits have been left unopened and it is taking a great deal of will power not to peak inside as I know if I do that I will want to make a start on the build process.
  5. Topmast Ratlines I have had a really good morning in the shipyard and I was able to complete adding the ratlines to the port side main and fore topmast shrouds. As I have found it difficult to take a good picture of the completed topmast ratlines I decided to make a video whilst working on the fore topmast ratlines. I am not in the same league as Steven Spielberg when it comes to film making but it was fun to have a go. You will note, if you watch the video, there is a little bit of damage to one of the shroud lines just below where I am working. It would take me a good couple of weeks work (at least) to replace the shroud lines and to then redo all the lanyards and ratlines. I did redo the ratline however. Also as the model, when complete, will only be viewed by me from time to time (and occasionally by a visiting family member) I decided I could live with this damage. In the video you will see how I secure a ratline to the fore topmast using one clove hitch per shroud line. I am using reverse action tweezers to maneuver the thread which is my go to tool for the majority of the rigging tasks. You will note that I add a touch of ca gel to the first and last clove hitch knots. The video ends with the trimming of the excess ratline thread. YOUTUBE VIDEO LINK
  6. Main and Fore Topmast Ratlines Due to the current heatwave in the UK I have spent much more time in the garden over the last three days (dozing on the sunbed with a little bit of weeding). I did spent a little bit of time in the shipyard and I managed to complete adding the ratlines to the starboard side main and fore topmast shrouds. I should be able to complete the port side over the next couple of days. I found it was difficult to take a decent photo showing the ratlines. The fore topmast ratlines are shown in the next two photos. The topmast stays and backstays have been kept out of the way as the ratlines were added and these will fully rigged once the ratlines have be completed. The next photo shows the main topmast ratlines with the mizzen topmast in the background.
  7. I still have this task to look forward to. As always you make it look easy.
  8. Hello Dave I like to run everyday, usually in the afternoon, and doing puzzle & wordle (not when I am running). Saturday I attend a local parkrun. I am a qualified UK Athletic run leader. I stopped taking out running groups a couple of years ago.
  9. Mizzen Topmast Ratlines I managed a hour in the shipyard today when our youngest grandson had a morning nap. I was able to add the ratlines to the mizzen topmast. I created a template for the template and added a 0 for the first ratlines to be added (every 5th one), a 1 for the next set of ratlines and finally a 2 for the final set of ratlines. The photo below shows the template in place with the 0 ratlines in place. It did not take too long to complete both sides. My son and daughter in-law return back from their holidays tomorrow so I should be able to return to my normal shipyard working hours on Friday. A typical shipyard day is 9am to 10am, 10:30am to 12noon, 1pm to 2:30pm and finally 6pm to 7pm
  10. After completing the Erycina I am sure you will be able to tackle a bigger build, such as Alert, Flirt or Duchess Of Kingston. I have already built Speedy, Alert and DOK. I have a few more weeks work left to complete the Sphinx, as can be seen in the attached two photos. I will enjoy building both the Erycina and Saucy Jack which will be a nice project before my next major build which will be the Indy. Chris is hoping the Indy kit will be ready for release by the end of the year.
  11. A great build log and I will continue to follow your progress with great interest. I hope to start build both the Saucy Jack and Erycina in early October and will set up a build log when I am in a position to start work. I just have the small matter of completing my current build (Sphinx). You are doing a good job so far and I am sure you will build a great looking model. Glenn
  12. I am enjoying your build, you seem to be doing a great job so far. My next project, once I have finished building the Sphinx, will be two small fishing boats, the Erycina and Saucy Jack. The kits have arrived today and I will use you build log as a reference guide along with Jim prototype build log(s) when I get started, hopefully early October.
  13. No time in the shipyard this week as all my free time is taken up with looking after our youngest grandson (14 months old). He is having a nap at the moment so I have time for a quick post Sphinx plan update. As Chris's Vanguard Model sale ends on 6th Sept I thought it would be prudent to purchase a couple of kits. The Erycina lines really attracted me it was top of the list. I just like the name of Saucy Jack so I decided to buy that one as well. The UPS delivery arrived this morning but I do not expect to start work until late September earliest, probably October.
  14. Topgallant Shrouds - Completed This will be my last post for a few days as our youngest grandson (14 month old) is coming to stay for a few days. I have pushed on yesterday and this morning and I was able to complete the work on installing the mizzen, main and fore topgallant masts and their associated shroud lines. For me this represents reaching a major milestone in the build process. There is still quite of lot of work left, but once the topmast ratlines have been added to the shrouds there is, to my mind, light at the end of the tunnel. To celebrate reaching this milestone I treated myself to the Erycina and Saucy Jack Vanguard Model kits (I decided to buy them before the sale end next month) as they will be my next project. The current state of play with my build is that the mizzen topmast backstay and stays have been rigged. All the backstays lines for the main and fore topmasts have been added but they have not been rigged to their respective deadeyes / blocks. The main and fore topmast stays have also been added to their respective topmasts and are ready to be belayed. Before I complete the rigging work on the topmast backstays and stays I need to add the ratlines to the topmast shrouds. This should take me 3 or 4 days to complete, once I can resume work in the shipyard, probably on Friday unless I can sneak the odd hour or two in when the little chap is napping. In the picture below the tweezers are adding a bit of tension to the fore topmast stay and preventor free ends.
  15. Hello Mark I have painted holes before fitting items on previous builds and suffered the same problem. I have been much more careful with this build in that respect Fingers crossed I have had my last slice of humble pie on this build. Glenn
  16. Topgallant Mizzen and Main Masts Moving forward, after my mistake with adding the backstays to soon, I added the topgallant masts (Mizzen and Main). The fore topgallant mast will be fitted later. With the mizzen topgallant mast in place the two shroud lines were added. I decided to hold the shroud line under a bit of tension to help drop out the kinks before adding the seizing. The main topgallant mast has also been fitted. The next photo shows the Sphinx on the work bench. Holding the mizzen lines under some tension did help remove the kinks in the shrouds. It was a relatively simply task to add the seizing. Moving on to the main topgallant mast shrouds. The previously added backstay shrouds were moved out of the way and the shrouds were seized to the topmast shrouds. Once the shroud is run in I use a croc clip to hold the shroud in place to enable to seizing to be added, as can be seen in the photo below. The end result I will need to repeat the above for the starboard side mizzen and main topgallant shrouds. Not sure when I will get time to do this as our youngest grandson (aged 14 months) is coming to stay for a few nights.
  17. Award for Numpty (Idiot) of the Week Goes To Glenn (A Multiple Numpty Award Winner) One thing I have tried to do with the rigging is to plan ahead so that the process can be as easy as possible and to avoid trying to add rigging in congested areas. With that in mind I decided it would be beneficial to add the main backstays as the access is much better without the topgallant mast in place. With the backstay shrouds in place it seemed to make sense to rig them. As detailed in my last post I forged ahead and completed the main breast backstay. I had also started work on adding the main shifting backstay. I was very happy with the progress I was making. Yesterday evening, when looking at my model, after adding the first part of the shifting backstay rigging I suddenly realised the error of my ways. I had not considered two outstanding rigging tasks, namely: a) Adding the ratlines to the topmast shrouds b) Belaying the topgallant mast shrouds to the topmast shrouds just below the topmast futtock stave. As can been seen in the picture below the main breast backstay sits just in front of the futtock stave and this would make belaying the topgallant mast shroud lines very awkward. Furthermore, as can be seen in the next photo, with the backstays in place it would also greatly hinder the access when adding the ratlines. I knew the backstay rigging had to be removed. So this morning with a little bit of gentle pressure I was able to: a) remove the two eyebolts from the channel b) remove the lanyards from the rigged 3mm deadeye lanyards c) remove the rigging belayed around the bottom of the 5mm channel deadeye The picture below shows the backstay rigging has been released. Thankfully I think I can keep the 5mm block and the 3mm deadeye on the end of the backstay shrouds. All the other breast backstay rigging will be removed and redone at a later stage. The unrigged backstay shrouds can be kept and placed and out of the way whilst I add the topgallant mast and topgallant shrouds, as shown in the photo below. With all the shrouds in place the ratlines can be added. Once all that is done the backstays can be rigged. There is a reason the excellent rigging plans and build manual define the required rigging sequence. However numptys like me think they know much better than the experts (sorry @chris watton and @James H). Lesson learnt and I am now going to eat a large slice of humble pie as contemplate the error of my ways.
  18. Main Breast Backstay There is quite a bit of work adding the main mast backstays so I will spread the work carried out over different posts. This post will cover the work required to add the Main Breast backstay. There is a shroud pair line and before working on the breast backstay which uses the leading shroud line I decided to rig the other shroud which is a simple deadeye / lanyard arrangement. My aim was to set the 3mm shroud deadeye to the same level as the existing 5mm deadeyes. I was happy that I managed to achieve this, as can be seen below. Moving on to the Main Breast Backstay detail, as can be seen in the rigging plan details shown below this arrangement comprises 3 blocks (5mm single, 4mm double and 3mm single) and two eyelets. Starting with the 5mm single block I seized this to the shroud line, using the lower wrapping on the main mast as the reference point for its position. With that block in place I then took a length of 0.5mm natural thread and added an eyebolt to one end. The thread was then fed through the block as shown in the next photo. With the thread in position I placed the eyelet in the channel (but not glued) and I was able to determine the where I should position the 4mm double block. In my case it was approx. 9cm from the eyebolt seizing. The thread was then removed from the channel and using the 9cm measurement as a guide the 4mm double block was then seized to the free end of the 0.5mm natural thread using the quad hands, I have attached a couple of photos showing the set up I used with the quad hands. The thread is wrapped around the 4mm double block, noting the 9cm distance requirement The next photo is a close up of how I like to hold a block, clamping the thread to prevent unwanted movement, prior to adding the seizing. With the seizing complete I decided I should check the end result so the eyebolt is put back in the channel, but not glued. Ensuring the eyebolt stays in place the position of the 4mm double block can be checked. With everything looking good the next task was to add the second eyebolt to the 3mm single block. When adding the seizing to the 3mm block it was also required to add a thimble to the top end. In the picture below you will note I have already seized a length of 0.1mm natural thread to the thimble. This block arrangement is now ready to be added to the channel. Both the eyebolts were then glued in place and the 0.1mm natural thread was rigged, as per the rigging plans. The free end of the thread is then belayed to the bottom of the nearest lower shroud deadeye, as shown on the photo below The 4mm double block rigged is shown below. The 5mm single block is shown below It proved difficult to take a decent picture showing all the completed rigging, the photo below was the best of a bad bunch. The next post will cover the Main Shifting Backstay rigging process.
  19. Main Topmast Backstays - Prep Work With reference to the rigging plans there are 5 shroud lines per side for the back stays. As can be seen in the attached photo some of the shroud lines have a block arrangement and some require deadeyes and lanyards. The different block arrangements for the backstays are shown in the next two photos. To start the process I cut 6 of lengths of 0.75mm black. 4 of these lengths will be configured shroud line pairs and the remaining two shorter lengths will be configured as single shrouds for the lagging backstays. A loop is formed and is then held in the quad hands so I can add the seizing. I have continued to use the alternate half hitch knot method for the seizing, 6 on the bottom and 6 on the top. A completed seizing is shown in the photo below. I always ensure the loop is oversized as it will be adjusted to the required size in situ. It is a fairly quick process to complete adding the loop seizing's for all the shroud lines, as can be seen below. The excess thread will be trimmed once a touch of ca gel has been added to the seizing thread. Each shroud pair placed over the topmast in turn. The loop size is then adjusted be pulling the thread as indicated by the arrows on the next photo. I like to leave the loop a tad on the large size for easy of fitting and for positioning when the blocks and deadeyes are added. The same method for adjusting the loop size can be used for the single shroud line. With all the shroud lines added plus the topmast stay and preventor the topmast is starting to look crowded, as can be seen in the next photo. Please note the bottom stay is not correctly positioned in the photo below as it should be under the leading crosstrees and not the middle one. I will also ensure the shroud are correctly positioned before the blocks and deadeyes are added. The next picture does show the the backstay lines hanging down, ready for the blocks and deadeyes to be added. It also shows the topmast stay and preventor in place. They have been fed through the blocks on the foremast and are ready to be belayed to the bitts.
  20. Mizzen Mast Backstay and Topmast Stay Today I have moved on to adding the backstays and topmast stays. I decided to start with the mizzen mast. A 3mm deadeye needs to be added to the hull for the backstay. This is accomplished using a strop to hold the deadeye and a eyebolt to secure to the hull. A length of 0.75mm black thread is required for the backstay shroud line. The completed arrangement with the lanyards is shown in the photo below. The next photo shows the completed backstay. With the mizzen mast backstays in place I moved on to adding the topmast stay. The stay is wrapped around the topmast and secured in place with a mouse, as can be seen in the photo below. The other end of the mizzen topmast stay requires a 3mm deadeye. With the deadeye in place it was a straightforward task to add the lanyards. The next photo shows the entire mizzen topmast mast stay The next photo shows both the mizzen mast backstay and topmast stay in place. Next I will be adding the backstays and stays to the main topmast. In the picture below I have made the topmast stay and preventor and I am currently deciding where I need to place the mouse. These will be removed as the main mast backstays needs to be installed before the stay and preventor can be secured in place.
  21. Hello Tim Many thanks for you very kind comments. I like to show the detail and describe the methods of my work as I hope it can help others. I am always looking at other build logs to see how various tasks can be tackled. I still class myself as a novice modeller but I am constantly striving to improve my skills. All the best Glenn
  22. Nice work, I still have the task of building the small boats to look forward (dread) to. Glenn
  23. Topmast Catharpins Completed Thankfully the topmast catharpins are now in place. This is, in my opinion, one of the more onerous rigging tasks. That said I have found that the method I have now adopted has yielded a much better end result. Each catharpin is simply a length of thread with thimble eyelets at each end. It can take a bit of trial and error to work out the required overall length of each catharpin. The use of the top and bottom half hitch method when creating the thimbles does allow the seizing position and thimble eyelet size to be adjusted as necessary. I use fly tying thread to secure the staves secured to the shrouds and to also secure the catharpins to the staves. It is not the easiest thread to work with due to it's size but I think it does produce a much better end result. The fore topmast catharpins are shown in the photo below. It will require a little bit more touching up. Next time I will blacking the stave before fitting. The main topmast catharpins are shown in the photo below The mizzen topmast catharpins are shown in the photo below The next picture shows the current build state of the Sphinx I am now moving on to adding the topmast stays which I want to complete before installing the topgallant masts and associated shroud lines. In the picture below I am adjusting the position of the stay so I can determine where I should place the mouse for the fore topmast stay. Sorry for the dirty fingernail I should have cleaned and trimmed it before taking the photo.
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