ianmajor

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 112 – Main Deck/Forecastle Framing
 
The first picture shows the main deck aft of the main hatch after completion of the central planking and treenailing.
. 

 
Topsail sheet bits are now installed for each mast.  The metal plates over the pump suction pipes will be blackened.  The next picture shows decking completed at the bow.
 

 
The port side in this area will be left unplanked – as shown.  The starboard side was planked so the anchor chain can be shown on this side.  The chain pipes have not been installed, but will come up through the two square cutouts forward of the sheet bits.  The two carrick bits are installed and will support the winch later.
 
At this stage the forecastle could be framed.  The next picture shows the beginning with the setting of the breast beam.
 

 
The beam is supported at the center on the carrick bits and with a bolt into the central Samson post.  In the next picture the setting of the forecastle beams is underway.
 

 
The top of the forecastle decking needs to be flush at the side with the top of the outer planking – and, of course, it must be fair.  Fairness is being checked as each beam is set using the strip of planking as shown.
 
As the forecastle beams were set other structures were added.  In the next picture the mooring bits are being glued in.
 

 
The cathead and capstan carlings have been installed.  The forward beams are still loose, pending fitting of the bowsprit partners.
 
In the next picture those have been installed along with the lodging knees and half hooks astride the dummy bowsprit.
 

 
Except for carlings astride the bowsprit, the forecastle framing is essentially complete.  Copper wire, epoxied bolts have been installed to reinforce the structure.
 
The last picture is a view from directly aft along the deck.
 

 
This shows the copper bolts through the breast beam.  It also shows the upward sheer and the fairness of the forecastle deck.
 
Ed

Thanks for looking in again David, George, Kees and Nils, and also to all those who hit the "like" button .
 
Spritsail Running Rigging
 
I've completed all the rigging on the Spritsail. This pic shows the Jib Guy Falls (dark inner lines) and the Yard Lifts (light outer lines). I'd rigged the forward parts of the Falls earlier, now they pass through the thimbles about 3/4 of the way in from the ends of the yard and end with a single block which has an eye stropped into it's ****. The tackle for the falls has a block and hook attached to the Cathead, and the fall passes through the block in the fall and ends at a timberhead.
 
The Lifts start at the yard cleats, pass through the thimbles at the end of the jibboom and tie off to a cleat on each side of the bow :
 

 
The Halyard has two single blocks, one with an eye and both with hooks. One hook is attached to the thimble in the centre of the yard, the other hooks to the eyebolt under the cap. The fall runs to a timberhead on the starboard side of the bow :
 

 
The previously attached Standing Lifts lash to another hook and thimble which go into the eyebolts either side of the cap :

 
The light colored lines in the shape of a "W" are the Braces. The standing parts of these are very long, as they start on the Forestay where the attach via a clove hitch in it's centre, through the blocks on each end of the brace pendants on the yard, up to the blocks under the mast top, down through the sheaves in the inner ends of the Bitts, and tie around the timberheads above them :
 

 

 

 

 
At this stage I haven't done any "faking down" (coiling the lines around the belaying points) of any of the lines. That will come when I've finished all the rigging.
 
 Danny

Thanks once again Carl, George, Mark, Grant, Janos, Crackers, Christian, Nils, Greg and Mhegazi and also for all the "likes" .
 
Truss Pendant Tackles
 
The Truss Pendants prevent the yards from pulling away from the masts in a forward direction. There is one on each side of the mast.
 
Work begins by stropping a thimble in each one. The line turns around the yard and is seized back to itself :
 

 
Then each line is passed around the mast and through the thimble in it's opposite number. I've only temporarily tied the yard through the jeer blocks to prevent it from dropping - I'm awaiting some more suitable size rigging thread from Chuck :
 

 
The falls for each tackle have a double block at their ends. The tackle passes through this block and through a single block with a hook stropped to it. The strop is long enough to clear the bitts. This hooks into an eyebolt at the foot of the mast. This is the fore tackle :
 

 

 
And the main tackle :
 

 
 Danny

Thank you Carl, David and George.
 
Figurehead
 
My figurehead arrived the other day . This was carved by Janos - a brilliant job as usual, and something I don't have much talent at .
 
The only thing I really had to do was fit it - this took the best part of 2 hours, as I had to CAREFULLY cut the slot between it's wings to fit around the stem :
 

 

 

 

 
All done .
 

 

 
 Danny

Stunsail Irons
 
The stunsail irons support the Stunsail (or Studding Sail) Booms on the yards. The booms can be retracted inboard along the yard when not in use.
 
The iron work for these turned out to be fairly easy to make. I started by cutting the larger inner rings from some tubing of the correct size (which I had in stock) using the parting tool in my lathe. The outer rings are smaller in diameter and width, and as I didn't have any tubing of that size I turned and bored some round stock to the correct size.
 
Next I drilled a 0.7mm hole into each ring for the legs.
 
Not having any 0.6mm square bar for the legs I made my own from 0.7mm wire. I bent one end of the wire so I could control which face I had on top, and then simply hammered the wire flat on all four sides. Again, this is a lot easier than it seems at first :
 

 

 
I pushed the end of the squared wire into the rings and silver soldered them together. Note that I left the square stock at full length whilst soldering so that I could control the direction of the squared section. I trimmed these to length after soldering :
 

 

 

 
I made the straps and reinforcing rings from thin card which I dyed with black wood stain. These are glued on with PVA :
 

 

 
The irons fit to the fore upper section of the yard at a 45 degree angle from the vertical :
 

 
 Danny

Blocks fitted to the Lower Yards
 
An overview of most of the main yard. There are 23 blocks in total. The Fore yard is virtually identical except for it's length and diameter :
 

 
The central portion showing the Jeer Block (top), the Quarter Blocks (lower inner) and the Clueline blocks (lower outer) :
 

 
One of the four Stirrups (not yet adjusted and stiffened). Note the three turns around the yard :
 

 
The Leechline block (inner) and one of the four small Tricing Line blocks. The Yard Cleats have also been fitted :
 

 
The Topsail Sheet/Lift blocks fitted :
 

 
And the Yard Tackle block (inner violin block) and the Brace block :
 

 
Here is a list of all the blocks for the main yard (the fore yard is the same) :
 
Jeer Blocks - 1 x 20" single plus 2 x 20" single Jeer Tye Blocks fitted to the mast. These blocks are double stropped.
Quarter Blocks - 2 x 14" single
Topsail Sheet Blocks - 2 x 12" Shoulder
Yard Tackle Blocks - 2 x 15" Violin
Clueline Blocks - 2 x 9" single
Lift Blocks - 2 x 9" single
Buntline Blocks - 4 x 8" single
Brace Blocks - 2 x 8" single
Leechline Blocks - 2 x 7" single
Tricing Line Blocks - 4 x 6" single
 
 Danny

Thank you too Nils, Frank, George and Pat.
 
Topsail Sheet Blocks
 
These are a Shoulder Block. The Lift blocks are seized to them as well. Here are a few pics of a carved sheet block :
 

 

 
My method of seizing the two blocks together. Note the gap in the strops to allow the lashing to pass through :
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 Danny

Thanks muchly Christian, Greg, John, Carl and David .
 
Jeer Tyes
 
The jeer tyes support the lower yards. These would have been a fair bit easier to fit before raising the Topmasts   .
 
Two 20" single blocks, one each side, are double stropped with very long strops :
 

 
A cleat each side of the mast supports the strops. TFFM suggested the following method of making the cleats to allow the lashings for the strops to be fitted more easily, but after I'd done them this way I think it would have been easier to make them in one piece. The small "feet" at the top were a real pain to fit afterward, and a needle treader can be used to pass the line through one-piece cleats with a minimum of fuss :
 

 

 
The lashings take a little while to fit, as there are six turns around the mast for each (there are supposed to be seven, but I made the lashing line a bit too short   ).
 

 

 

 
The strops should be long enough for the blocks to sit beneath the tops by about half their length. The yard will sit at the level of the futtock shrouds when they are rigged :
 

 
 Danny

Next pieces are the Stirrups and Horses. I've made these from "tarred" line as they get a lot wetter than the horses on the other yards.
 
The Stirrups have an eye in their lower ends. I made the eyes by passing the line back through itself using a needle threader :
 

 
The upper ends of the stirrups turn three times around the yard. On the real ship they were nailed to the yard, but PVA does the job on the model :
 

 
Finally the Standing Lifts are fitted. These also have a thimble seized into their outer ends :
 

 
I haven't glued the stirrups to the horses yet - I'll do that after the yard has been slung to get them to "hang" neatly.
 
 Danny

All the blocks and fittings are much easier to fit BEFORE the yard is fitted to the mast. I didn't do these in the right sequence for this yard, but I learned my lesson .
 
First things to make and fit are the Sling Cleats. These were made from English Box.
 
I also made the Spritsail Halyard Strop. This has an eye in each end, with a thimble seized into it's "centre" - it's actually a bit off centre with a long and short leg. A lanyard fixes the two eyes around the yard :
 

 

 
Next I made and fitted the Stop Cleats near the ends of the yard. This was the mistake I mentioned earlier - they should have gone on AFTER the other blocks had been fitted as I couldn't slip the block strops over them. It would have been a lot easier if I'd left them until later in the piece.
 
A strop with a thimble seized into it is fitted at the 3rd quarter of each end of the yard for the Jib Guys :
 

 

 
An overall view of the yard to this stage :
 

 
The Clueline blocks are fitted 3 feet from the slings :
 

 
 Danny

Thank you very much Dave and Bryan. 
 
 
I don't mind at all Dave . I look forward to seeing the start of Pegasus.
 
Spritsail Yard
 
I've started making the Yards. The basic method of making them is pretty much the same for all of them, so I won't detail each step for all of them. Where there are differences in the construction I'll show those details.
 
Construction starts by marking out the tapers using the 7-10-7 method. Two opposing tapers are sanded into each end using the disc sander - this is easier than it may seem with a bit of practice. Then the other two tapers are done in similar fashion.
 
Next I marked out the octagons :
 

 
and cut them in with a very sharp chisel using my "V" block rest :
 

 
The central portion of some of the yards are octagonal in shape with only the outer parts rounded off. The rounded sections were done with a sanding block. I used the lathe to cut a sharp neat transition on each end of the octagon before sanding the round sections.
 

 
 Danny

I glued my remaining sprocket wheel in to the starboard cistern. To secure the chain I (permanently) hooked lengths of wire in to the end links.
 
I also drilled two 4mm holes in the cluster base for the inboard pipes to fit. The outboard pipes will simply sit on the deck surface.  
 

 
The wires were then fed down in to the tubes drawing the ends of the chain with them. To secure the wires I turned up two 2mm diameter bungs from bamboo, then drilled 0.5mm holes through their centres. These were threaded on to the wire from the bottom then pushed in to the bottom of the tubes. The bungs were glued to the tubes leaving the wire free for now. 
 
The chain could then be adjusted and pulled taught by the wires then the wires secured by a drop of superglue. The wires could then be trimmed off.
 
This ensures the chain is secure at both ends. The bungs also line the chains up centrally within the tubes.
 
The photo shows this almost completed. The left hand wire is yet to be trimmed.
 

 
Next was a dry run in the waist area of the ship. The cisterns cleared all the surrounding items such as cannon rigging. Unfortunately I have drilled the two holes in the cluster base too close together. This results in the two cisterns being jammed together. Also the crank handles would be too far away from the uprights to which they should be attached. I will have to ease the two holes outwards by 1mm.
 
When I have rigged out the second pump I will make some rodings in the same way as the cannon caps.
 
I keep looking at the chain and thinking I could have made the links finer.
 

 
I have been giving more thought to the second mechanism and doing some reading on the subject.
 
One document that I consulted was a thesis by Thomas James Oertling called "The History and Development of Ships' Bilge Pumps, 1500-1840" which can be found here . Thomas Oertling has developed this further and published it in a book "Ships' Bilge Pumps - A History of Their Development, 1500 - 1900" ISBN 978-0-89096-722-5.
 
In his thesis he describes the Burr Pump in Chapter IV page 24, the Common (Elm Tree) Pump Chapter V page 32 and the Chain Pump Chapter VI page 73.
 
On page 77 he quotes Blankley (1750) who describes a cylinder of wood with "Y" shaped sprockets set in its periphery. The chain being made of circular, oval or "S" shaped links. 
 
At this time the saucers were made of metal. Earlier they were made of wood and referred to as burrs.
 
On page 78 he quotes the London Magazine (1768) which refers to the new improved Cole/Bentinck design that has a spoked sprocket wheel with "cycle" type chain. 
 
This suggests that the spoked sprocket type was introduced during the lifetime of Unicorn and that the original pumps would have been of the old type. Did Unicorn ever have the new type of pump? Who knows. Since Unicorn and Lyme could be regarded as experimental ships then perhaps it is feasible that towards its end Unicorn carried one of each type. So.....I think I will attempt to make one of the old type mechanisms.
 
One fly in the ointment - most of the info I have seen suggests the old type mechanism simply emptied directly on to the deck, then the water drained across the deck and out of the scuppers.However if I model one pump with and one without a cistern it is going to look odd. Needs more thought.
 
Still that will have to wait - a few pleasant distractions are coming up in the next few weeks - so no modeling and I will have little Web access which will stop my ramblings for now.

I glued my remaining sprocket wheel in to the starboard cistern. To secure the chain I (permanently) hooked lengths of wire in to the end links.
 
I also drilled two 4mm holes in the cluster base for the inboard pipes to fit. The outboard pipes will simply sit on the deck surface.  
 

 
The wires were then fed down in to the tubes drawing the ends of the chain with them. To secure the wires I turned up two 2mm diameter bungs from bamboo, then drilled 0.5mm holes through their centres. These were threaded on to the wire from the bottom then pushed in to the bottom of the tubes. The bungs were glued to the tubes leaving the wire free for now. 
 
The chain could then be adjusted and pulled taught by the wires then the wires secured by a drop of superglue. The wires could then be trimmed off.
 
This ensures the chain is secure at both ends. The bungs also line the chains up centrally within the tubes.
 
The photo shows this almost completed. The left hand wire is yet to be trimmed.
 

 
Next was a dry run in the waist area of the ship. The cisterns cleared all the surrounding items such as cannon rigging. Unfortunately I have drilled the two holes in the cluster base too close together. This results in the two cisterns being jammed together. Also the crank handles would be too far away from the uprights to which they should be attached. I will have to ease the two holes outwards by 1mm.
 
When I have rigged out the second pump I will make some rodings in the same way as the cannon caps.
 
I keep looking at the chain and thinking I could have made the links finer.
 

 
I have been giving more thought to the second mechanism and doing some reading on the subject.
 
One document that I consulted was a thesis by Thomas James Oertling called "The History and Development of Ships' Bilge Pumps, 1500-1840" which can be found here . Thomas Oertling has developed this further and published it in a book "Ships' Bilge Pumps - A History of Their Development, 1500 - 1900" ISBN 978-0-89096-722-5.
 
In his thesis he describes the Burr Pump in Chapter IV page 24, the Common (Elm Tree) Pump Chapter V page 32 and the Chain Pump Chapter VI page 73.
 
On page 77 he quotes Blankley (1750) who describes a cylinder of wood with "Y" shaped sprockets set in its periphery. The chain being made of circular, oval or "S" shaped links. 
 
At this time the saucers were made of metal. Earlier they were made of wood and referred to as burrs.
 
On page 78 he quotes the London Magazine (1768) which refers to the new improved Cole/Bentinck design that has a spoked sprocket wheel with "cycle" type chain. 
 
This suggests that the spoked sprocket type was introduced during the lifetime of Unicorn and that the original pumps would have been of the old type. Did Unicorn ever have the new type of pump? Who knows. Since Unicorn and Lyme could be regarded as experimental ships then perhaps it is feasible that towards its end Unicorn carried one of each type. So.....I think I will attempt to make one of the old type mechanisms.
 
One fly in the ointment - most of the info I have seen suggests the old type mechanism simply emptied directly on to the deck, then the water drained across the deck and out of the scuppers.However if I model one pump with and one without a cistern it is going to look odd. Needs more thought.
 
Still that will have to wait - a few pleasant distractions are coming up in the next few weeks - so no modeling and I will have little Web access which will stop my ramblings for now.

Dafi,
 
Happy New Year to you.
 
It is great that you are introducing the personal aspect of life on ship, particularly in wartime, it completes the the environment in which these sailing ships existed.
 
By the way (to take a very light view) have you seen the film "Carry on Jack"? It introduces a whole new (and very British irreverence) to the battle of Trafalgar.     

I glued my remaining sprocket wheel in to the starboard cistern. To secure the chain I (permanently) hooked lengths of wire in to the end links.
 
I also drilled two 4mm holes in the cluster base for the inboard pipes to fit. The outboard pipes will simply sit on the deck surface.  
 

 
The wires were then fed down in to the tubes drawing the ends of the chain with them. To secure the wires I turned up two 2mm diameter bungs from bamboo, then drilled 0.5mm holes through their centres. These were threaded on to the wire from the bottom then pushed in to the bottom of the tubes. The bungs were glued to the tubes leaving the wire free for now. 
 
The chain could then be adjusted and pulled taught by the wires then the wires secured by a drop of superglue. The wires could then be trimmed off.
 
This ensures the chain is secure at both ends. The bungs also line the chains up centrally within the tubes.
 
The photo shows this almost completed. The left hand wire is yet to be trimmed.
 

 
Next was a dry run in the waist area of the ship. The cisterns cleared all the surrounding items such as cannon rigging. Unfortunately I have drilled the two holes in the cluster base too close together. This results in the two cisterns being jammed together. Also the crank handles would be too far away from the uprights to which they should be attached. I will have to ease the two holes outwards by 1mm.
 
When I have rigged out the second pump I will make some rodings in the same way as the cannon caps.
 
I keep looking at the chain and thinking I could have made the links finer.
 

 
I have been giving more thought to the second mechanism and doing some reading on the subject.
 
One document that I consulted was a thesis by Thomas James Oertling called "The History and Development of Ships' Bilge Pumps, 1500-1840" which can be found here . Thomas Oertling has developed this further and published it in a book "Ships' Bilge Pumps - A History of Their Development, 1500 - 1900" ISBN 978-0-89096-722-5.
 
In his thesis he describes the Burr Pump in Chapter IV page 24, the Common (Elm Tree) Pump Chapter V page 32 and the Chain Pump Chapter VI page 73.
 
On page 77 he quotes Blankley (1750) who describes a cylinder of wood with "Y" shaped sprockets set in its periphery. The chain being made of circular, oval or "S" shaped links. 
 
At this time the saucers were made of metal. Earlier they were made of wood and referred to as burrs.
 
On page 78 he quotes the London Magazine (1768) which refers to the new improved Cole/Bentinck design that has a spoked sprocket wheel with "cycle" type chain. 
 
This suggests that the spoked sprocket type was introduced during the lifetime of Unicorn and that the original pumps would have been of the old type. Did Unicorn ever have the new type of pump? Who knows. Since Unicorn and Lyme could be regarded as experimental ships then perhaps it is feasible that towards its end Unicorn carried one of each type. So.....I think I will attempt to make one of the old type mechanisms.
 
One fly in the ointment - most of the info I have seen suggests the old type mechanism simply emptied directly on to the deck, then the water drained across the deck and out of the scuppers.However if I model one pump with and one without a cistern it is going to look odd. Needs more thought.
 
Still that will have to wait - a few pleasant distractions are coming up in the next few weeks - so no modeling and I will have little Web access which will stop my ramblings for now.

Igor,
 
I am speechless.....it get better and better.

I glued my remaining sprocket wheel in to the starboard cistern. To secure the chain I (permanently) hooked lengths of wire in to the end links.
 
I also drilled two 4mm holes in the cluster base for the inboard pipes to fit. The outboard pipes will simply sit on the deck surface.  
 

 
The wires were then fed down in to the tubes drawing the ends of the chain with them. To secure the wires I turned up two 2mm diameter bungs from bamboo, then drilled 0.5mm holes through their centres. These were threaded on to the wire from the bottom then pushed in to the bottom of the tubes. The bungs were glued to the tubes leaving the wire free for now. 
 
The chain could then be adjusted and pulled taught by the wires then the wires secured by a drop of superglue. The wires could then be trimmed off.
 
This ensures the chain is secure at both ends. The bungs also line the chains up centrally within the tubes.
 
The photo shows this almost completed. The left hand wire is yet to be trimmed.
 

 
Next was a dry run in the waist area of the ship. The cisterns cleared all the surrounding items such as cannon rigging. Unfortunately I have drilled the two holes in the cluster base too close together. This results in the two cisterns being jammed together. Also the crank handles would be too far away from the uprights to which they should be attached. I will have to ease the two holes outwards by 1mm.
 
When I have rigged out the second pump I will make some rodings in the same way as the cannon caps.
 
I keep looking at the chain and thinking I could have made the links finer.
 

 
I have been giving more thought to the second mechanism and doing some reading on the subject.
 
One document that I consulted was a thesis by Thomas James Oertling called "The History and Development of Ships' Bilge Pumps, 1500-1840" which can be found here . Thomas Oertling has developed this further and published it in a book "Ships' Bilge Pumps - A History of Their Development, 1500 - 1900" ISBN 978-0-89096-722-5.
 
In his thesis he describes the Burr Pump in Chapter IV page 24, the Common (Elm Tree) Pump Chapter V page 32 and the Chain Pump Chapter VI page 73.
 
On page 77 he quotes Blankley (1750) who describes a cylinder of wood with "Y" shaped sprockets set in its periphery. The chain being made of circular, oval or "S" shaped links. 
 
At this time the saucers were made of metal. Earlier they were made of wood and referred to as burrs.
 
On page 78 he quotes the London Magazine (1768) which refers to the new improved Cole/Bentinck design that has a spoked sprocket wheel with "cycle" type chain. 
 
This suggests that the spoked sprocket type was introduced during the lifetime of Unicorn and that the original pumps would have been of the old type. Did Unicorn ever have the new type of pump? Who knows. Since Unicorn and Lyme could be regarded as experimental ships then perhaps it is feasible that towards its end Unicorn carried one of each type. So.....I think I will attempt to make one of the old type mechanisms.
 
One fly in the ointment - most of the info I have seen suggests the old type mechanism simply emptied directly on to the deck, then the water drained across the deck and out of the scuppers.However if I model one pump with and one without a cistern it is going to look odd. Needs more thought.
 
Still that will have to wait - a few pleasant distractions are coming up in the next few weeks - so no modeling and I will have little Web access which will stop my ramblings for now.

Hi folks,
 
Thank you for your words of encouragement and likes. All of you who have commented are modelers that I look up to on this forum.
 
Nenad, I hope I don't make you too breathless - I don't want you to stop breathing! 
 
Grant, I am glad you enjoyed my ramblings - I hope you were not sent off to sleep by them.
 
JP, the lids are removable so that the detail can be seen. However I am wondering how practical it will be to remove/replace the lids when the rigging is in place. Well in my old model railway club I had the reputation of making details like working locomotive inside valve gear that was impossible to see once the boiler is fitted - so I am just continuing with my old lunacy!
 
John, thanks for looking in. I am looking forward to more developments on your Unicorn.
 
Piet, my metal work is put in the shade by that on your 0 19.
 
BE, as you say searching for "pinged" items always results in finding previously lost items. In this case it was bits for the quarter deck rail that I made some time ago. I love your replacement figures on your Pegasus. Before you did them the originals looked good but the new ones are a huge improvement.
 
Mike, I am expecting that you will improve on my chain pump efforts. Something to look forward to.
 
ZyXuz, good to hear from you again. Your Unicorn has come on in leaps and bounds. Not sure why the hull has started cracking. Perhaps someone with more experience then me could offer a view. I am sure you will sort it.
 

Then it was time to assemble the chain. The double links were soldered to the cross pins, the single links were left free. To stop the links getting soldered up solid I used cigarette paper between the parts of the link with the paper lightly oiled. Cigarette paper is very useful stuff in the workshop. It comes in various surprising accurate thickness. I use it as above plus I use it to set the right backlash in the gears of my locos - however I don't "roll my own" since I don't smoke.
 

 
Having completed a length of chain I assembled a sprocket wheel......
 

 
Then tried them for fit in one of the cisterns. I hadn't got the chain sat down properly when I took the photo. The chain is a little bit fat.
 

 
Then I made sure the lid still fitted with the sprocket and chain in place. It did! 
 

 
The cistern now requires a couple of tubes and a bung fitted. I am wandering off again for a while (I will have no tools or Web access) so they may have to wait for my return.
 
Now for the proof, if proof be needed, that Ian's brain is definitely going soft with the onset of old age.
 
The sprocket wheel in the photos above was the second one that I made. The first was nearly complete so I decided to give it a good burnish with the glass scratch brush. To hold the wheel I used a large, sprung, wooden clothes peg. Now I managed to select one that didn't close squarely. So as I was burnishing away the peg sheered. It was instantly converted from a clamp to a catapult and promptly fired the wheel across the workshop. It searched high and low but the wheel was gone. I think there is another lesson there.
 
This means that although I had prepared components for two pump mechanisms I had lost the sprocket wheel for one of them. So I decided there were three options:-
 
1) Simply fix the lid on the second pump and only have one with a mechanism (simplest).
 
2) Make fresh components for the second wheel.
 
3) At the time the real ship was built the pump mechanisms were changing. Earlier mechanisms had a sprocket wheel in the form of a wooden cylinder with 8 off "Y" shaped pieces of metal set in to the circumference of the wood. The chain consisted of small oval or twisted figure of 8 links. Along the chain were either cups or latterly saucers as with the mechanism I have produced. If I make one of these I could have one of each type of mechanism.    
 
I will have to give it some thought. Anybody got any views on this? 

I glued my remaining sprocket wheel in to the starboard cistern. To secure the chain I (permanently) hooked lengths of wire in to the end links.
 
I also drilled two 4mm holes in the cluster base for the inboard pipes to fit. The outboard pipes will simply sit on the deck surface.  
 

 
The wires were then fed down in to the tubes drawing the ends of the chain with them. To secure the wires I turned up two 2mm diameter bungs from bamboo, then drilled 0.5mm holes through their centres. These were threaded on to the wire from the bottom then pushed in to the bottom of the tubes. The bungs were glued to the tubes leaving the wire free for now. 
 
The chain could then be adjusted and pulled taught by the wires then the wires secured by a drop of superglue. The wires could then be trimmed off.
 
This ensures the chain is secure at both ends. The bungs also line the chains up centrally within the tubes.
 
The photo shows this almost completed. The left hand wire is yet to be trimmed.
 

 
Next was a dry run in the waist area of the ship. The cisterns cleared all the surrounding items such as cannon rigging. Unfortunately I have drilled the two holes in the cluster base too close together. This results in the two cisterns being jammed together. Also the crank handles would be too far away from the uprights to which they should be attached. I will have to ease the two holes outwards by 1mm.
 
When I have rigged out the second pump I will make some rodings in the same way as the cannon caps.
 
I keep looking at the chain and thinking I could have made the links finer.
 

 
I have been giving more thought to the second mechanism and doing some reading on the subject.
 
One document that I consulted was a thesis by Thomas James Oertling called "The History and Development of Ships' Bilge Pumps, 1500-1840" which can be found here . Thomas Oertling has developed this further and published it in a book "Ships' Bilge Pumps - A History of Their Development, 1500 - 1900" ISBN 978-0-89096-722-5.
 
In his thesis he describes the Burr Pump in Chapter IV page 24, the Common (Elm Tree) Pump Chapter V page 32 and the Chain Pump Chapter VI page 73.
 
On page 77 he quotes Blankley (1750) who describes a cylinder of wood with "Y" shaped sprockets set in its periphery. The chain being made of circular, oval or "S" shaped links. 
 
At this time the saucers were made of metal. Earlier they were made of wood and referred to as burrs.
 
On page 78 he quotes the London Magazine (1768) which refers to the new improved Cole/Bentinck design that has a spoked sprocket wheel with "cycle" type chain. 
 
This suggests that the spoked sprocket type was introduced during the lifetime of Unicorn and that the original pumps would have been of the old type. Did Unicorn ever have the new type of pump? Who knows. Since Unicorn and Lyme could be regarded as experimental ships then perhaps it is feasible that towards its end Unicorn carried one of each type. So.....I think I will attempt to make one of the old type mechanisms.
 
One fly in the ointment - most of the info I have seen suggests the old type mechanism simply emptied directly on to the deck, then the water drained across the deck and out of the scuppers.However if I model one pump with and one without a cistern it is going to look odd. Needs more thought.
 
Still that will have to wait - a few pleasant distractions are coming up in the next few weeks - so no modeling and I will have little Web access which will stop my ramblings for now.

Then it was time to assemble the chain. The double links were soldered to the cross pins, the single links were left free. To stop the links getting soldered up solid I used cigarette paper between the parts of the link with the paper lightly oiled. Cigarette paper is very useful stuff in the workshop. It comes in various surprising accurate thickness. I use it as above plus I use it to set the right backlash in the gears of my locos - however I don't "roll my own" since I don't smoke.
 

 
Having completed a length of chain I assembled a sprocket wheel......
 

 
Then tried them for fit in one of the cisterns. I hadn't got the chain sat down properly when I took the photo. The chain is a little bit fat.
 

 
Then I made sure the lid still fitted with the sprocket and chain in place. It did! 
 

 
The cistern now requires a couple of tubes and a bung fitted. I am wandering off again for a while (I will have no tools or Web access) so they may have to wait for my return.
 
Now for the proof, if proof be needed, that Ian's brain is definitely going soft with the onset of old age.
 
The sprocket wheel in the photos above was the second one that I made. The first was nearly complete so I decided to give it a good burnish with the glass scratch brush. To hold the wheel I used a large, sprung, wooden clothes peg. Now I managed to select one that didn't close squarely. So as I was burnishing away the peg sheered. It was instantly converted from a clamp to a catapult and promptly fired the wheel across the workshop. It searched high and low but the wheel was gone. I think there is another lesson there.
 
This means that although I had prepared components for two pump mechanisms I had lost the sprocket wheel for one of them. So I decided there were three options:-
 
1) Simply fix the lid on the second pump and only have one with a mechanism (simplest).
 
2) Make fresh components for the second wheel.
 
3) At the time the real ship was built the pump mechanisms were changing. Earlier mechanisms had a sprocket wheel in the form of a wooden cylinder with 8 off "Y" shaped pieces of metal set in to the circumference of the wood. The chain consisted of small oval or twisted figure of 8 links. Along the chain were either cups or latterly saucers as with the mechanism I have produced. If I make one of these I could have one of each type of mechanism.    
 
I will have to give it some thought. Anybody got any views on this? 

I glued my remaining sprocket wheel in to the starboard cistern. To secure the chain I (permanently) hooked lengths of wire in to the end links.
 
I also drilled two 4mm holes in the cluster base for the inboard pipes to fit. The outboard pipes will simply sit on the deck surface.  
 

 
The wires were then fed down in to the tubes drawing the ends of the chain with them. To secure the wires I turned up two 2mm diameter bungs from bamboo, then drilled 0.5mm holes through their centres. These were threaded on to the wire from the bottom then pushed in to the bottom of the tubes. The bungs were glued to the tubes leaving the wire free for now. 
 
The chain could then be adjusted and pulled taught by the wires then the wires secured by a drop of superglue. The wires could then be trimmed off.
 
This ensures the chain is secure at both ends. The bungs also line the chains up centrally within the tubes.
 
The photo shows this almost completed. The left hand wire is yet to be trimmed.
 

 
Next was a dry run in the waist area of the ship. The cisterns cleared all the surrounding items such as cannon rigging. Unfortunately I have drilled the two holes in the cluster base too close together. This results in the two cisterns being jammed together. Also the crank handles would be too far away from the uprights to which they should be attached. I will have to ease the two holes outwards by 1mm.
 
When I have rigged out the second pump I will make some rodings in the same way as the cannon caps.
 
I keep looking at the chain and thinking I could have made the links finer.
 

 
I have been giving more thought to the second mechanism and doing some reading on the subject.
 
One document that I consulted was a thesis by Thomas James Oertling called "The History and Development of Ships' Bilge Pumps, 1500-1840" which can be found here . Thomas Oertling has developed this further and published it in a book "Ships' Bilge Pumps - A History of Their Development, 1500 - 1900" ISBN 978-0-89096-722-5.
 
In his thesis he describes the Burr Pump in Chapter IV page 24, the Common (Elm Tree) Pump Chapter V page 32 and the Chain Pump Chapter VI page 73.
 
On page 77 he quotes Blankley (1750) who describes a cylinder of wood with "Y" shaped sprockets set in its periphery. The chain being made of circular, oval or "S" shaped links. 
 
At this time the saucers were made of metal. Earlier they were made of wood and referred to as burrs.
 
On page 78 he quotes the London Magazine (1768) which refers to the new improved Cole/Bentinck design that has a spoked sprocket wheel with "cycle" type chain. 
 
This suggests that the spoked sprocket type was introduced during the lifetime of Unicorn and that the original pumps would have been of the old type. Did Unicorn ever have the new type of pump? Who knows. Since Unicorn and Lyme could be regarded as experimental ships then perhaps it is feasible that towards its end Unicorn carried one of each type. So.....I think I will attempt to make one of the old type mechanisms.
 
One fly in the ointment - most of the info I have seen suggests the old type mechanism simply emptied directly on to the deck, then the water drained across the deck and out of the scuppers.However if I model one pump with and one without a cistern it is going to look odd. Needs more thought.
 
Still that will have to wait - a few pleasant distractions are coming up in the next few weeks - so no modeling and I will have little Web access which will stop my ramblings for now.

Onwards with the chain pumps.
 
I made some tubes for the chains to disappear in to. This was a simple turning and end drilling job. The tubes are made from walnut dowling turned down to 4mm outside diameter with a 2mm hole bored through the centre. The top edges were rounded and the bore opened out slightly at the mouth to give a tappered entrance. The tubes were parted off 9mm long.
 
I also produced the bungs to go in to the front of the cisterns. These were again turned up from walnut dowling. I first turned the dowling down to 3mm diameter, then turned the end to 2mm for a length of 1mm. I then parted it off at 1.5mm long. Although only 2 are needed due to my unfailing ability to lose things I made four of them. This also allowed me to choose the better ones to fit.
 
They need 2 off 0.4mm holes drilled in the ends to take a wire staple to represent the handle. To hold the bungs whilst doing this I gripped them in a pin vice.
 
The photo shows the tubes and the first bung in the pin vice.
 

 
The pin vice was then clamped vertically in the vice on the milling machine to drill the two holes. 
 

 
Short lengths of 0.3mm brass wire were bent up, blackened then glued in to the bungs. The next photo shows the best two. The rim of the bungs crumbled slightly - the walnut I have is not ideal for this work. 
 
The sisterns have a pair of 4mm holes drilled in their bottoms to take the tubes plus one 2mm hole in the leading side to take a bung. This was nerve wracking work - it was like drilling egg shells. 
 

Then it was time to assemble the chain. The double links were soldered to the cross pins, the single links were left free. To stop the links getting soldered up solid I used cigarette paper between the parts of the link with the paper lightly oiled. Cigarette paper is very useful stuff in the workshop. It comes in various surprising accurate thickness. I use it as above plus I use it to set the right backlash in the gears of my locos - however I don't "roll my own" since I don't smoke.
 

 
Having completed a length of chain I assembled a sprocket wheel......
 

 
Then tried them for fit in one of the cisterns. I hadn't got the chain sat down properly when I took the photo. The chain is a little bit fat.
 

 
Then I made sure the lid still fitted with the sprocket and chain in place. It did! 
 

 
The cistern now requires a couple of tubes and a bung fitted. I am wandering off again for a while (I will have no tools or Web access) so they may have to wait for my return.
 
Now for the proof, if proof be needed, that Ian's brain is definitely going soft with the onset of old age.
 
The sprocket wheel in the photos above was the second one that I made. The first was nearly complete so I decided to give it a good burnish with the glass scratch brush. To hold the wheel I used a large, sprung, wooden clothes peg. Now I managed to select one that didn't close squarely. So as I was burnishing away the peg sheered. It was instantly converted from a clamp to a catapult and promptly fired the wheel across the workshop. It searched high and low but the wheel was gone. I think there is another lesson there.
 
This means that although I had prepared components for two pump mechanisms I had lost the sprocket wheel for one of them. So I decided there were three options:-
 
1) Simply fix the lid on the second pump and only have one with a mechanism (simplest).
 
2) Make fresh components for the second wheel.
 
3) At the time the real ship was built the pump mechanisms were changing. Earlier mechanisms had a sprocket wheel in the form of a wooden cylinder with 8 off "Y" shaped pieces of metal set in to the circumference of the wood. The chain consisted of small oval or twisted figure of 8 links. Along the chain were either cups or latterly saucers as with the mechanism I have produced. If I make one of these I could have one of each type of mechanism.    
 
I will have to give it some thought. Anybody got any views on this? 

The pump chain is like a cycle chain with alternate single and double links. The difference is that some of the single links have a disk fitted which lifts the water. I have been trying to decide how far apart they were.
 
The diagram shown <here>  has the disks every 6th link.
 
Dan Vadas indicates a "saucer" every 4th link - see <here> but as he says only one need to be fitted since the adjacent ones will be in their tubes if the saucer is top dead centre.
 
I decided to go with every fourth link.
 
To make the saucers I turned some brass rod down to 2mm diameter. Then transfering the chuck and rod to the milling machine I used my thinnest slitting disc to cut the horizontal slot along the rod.
 

 
Then mounting the rod vertically in the vice I used the same slitting disc to cut off thin slices.
 

 
The result was less than pleasing. The slitting disc is thin steel and tended to wander producing curved cuts. This effect can just be made out in the previous photo where the slot in the rod runs out to the right as it moved downwards. A soldered one of these saucers on to a link and it was all lopsided.
 
I will be using this slitting disc later but will make some backing plates for it to stop it flexing.
 

 
Back to the drawing board. I turned a fresh length of rod to 2mm and simply sliced off some 0.2 mm blanks. These were then cut almost right across their diameter using a piercing saw. To hold the blanks whilst sawing I drilled a 1.8mm hole near the edge of a thin piece of scrap brass. The hole was then carefully reamed out until the blanks made a good interference fit in it. Then I filed the edge until the hole just broke through.
 

 
The piece of scrap (with the blank fitted) could then be clamped on to a thin piece of plywood on to the edge of the bench then used like a pin to enable the saw cut to be made. 
 
The bit of plywood stops the blank being pushed down (on the cutting stroke) and out of the jig.
 

 
The whole assemble could then be mounted vertically in the vice to use as a soldering jig, simply add a link in to the slot.
 
Soldering with the wooden backing in place...... 
 
        
 
....soldering without. 
 

 
The result was a much better saucer/link.