rvchima
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Everything posted by rvchima
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Hi Augie, I just finished all the staysail rigging, but I'm mystified about what it's all for. It seems that all ends of that rigging is belayed to something not useful. Would some of those lines be used for something when under sail? -
Belaying Tool I made this belaying tool from a piece of electrical wire. I stripped off about 2 inches of insulation and flattened the end with a hammer. I used a triangular file to cut a notch in the end and thinned the sides of the tool with my disk sander. After a little experimentation I put a 45 degree bend in the end to help with reaching under the belaying pin racks. Belaying is still a pain, but this tool sure helps.
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Don't do this About 10 days ago I finished my standing rigging. I was excited that I could finally start cutting wood again for the boom and gaff, and reached across the bow to grab a dowel. My arm brushed the fore royal stay, and BANG, the fore topgallant mast snapped right off. I sure wish I had taken a photo because it looked SO pitiful hanging there tangled in rigging. But I took a deep breath, gently untangled the mast, put a drop of medium CA on the lower part, and pulled the topgallant back into place. The tension from all the lines was surprising, but it held the mast perfectly in place. I let the glue harden, then added two 1/16 by 1/32 braces fore and aft. I stained the braces to match, and all is well again.
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Ratlines and Some Backstays Completed Last week my wife had business in Flint, MI, and I went along for the ride. While she was working I visited the Flint Institute of Art, which has an exhibit called Ship Shape, Models of Great Lakes Vessels. The exhibit has about 30 ship models, many freighters and side-wheelers. My favorite was a magnificent 5-masted ore carrier. As if 2 sets of rat-lines isn't hard enough. The exhibit runs through 6-16-13. If you're in the area it's worth a visit. Here's a link to their web site: http://www.flintarts.org/exhibitions/current/shipshape.html I also stopped in Rider's Hobbies in Flint. They had a nice selection of Model Shipways supplies, so I bought one of each size of rigging line. Good thing 'cause I just ran out of .018 black! After Flint we drove to Dearborn and spent a day in Greenfield Village and a day at The Henry Ford Museum. There were practically no nautical exhibits, but if you're into planes, trains, automobiles, or steam engines, WOW, what a great museum! That accounts for a week of no work on the Syren, but I have made some progress since my last post. My extra deadeyes arrived from MS, and I have finished the ratlines and some of the backstays. Here are some recent photos of the Syren. 20 weeks, 375 man-hours Lower shrouds and ratlines Upper shrouds and ratlines
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Beautiful work Augie! Not only is your Syren much neater than mine, but so is your workbench.
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Standing Rigging In the last week I've added a lot of the standing rigging and started the rat lines. I discovered that I am short several 2.5 and 3.5 mm deadeyes, so I pestered Model Expo and they promised to send more. I the meantime my Syren is a little lopsided, with some shrouds missing on the port side. I experimented with the ratlines and found that clove hitches were a lot of work to tie. But Ship Modeling Simplified by Frank Mastini says that at small scale a simple overhand knot is simpler and neater than a clove hitch, so that's what I used. Here are step-by-step instructions for tying the ratlines. 1. Clip some 1/4" graph paper to the shrouds. Micro clips for igniting model rocket engines are great for holding graph paper, loose threads, and rigging deadeyes. Start with a clove hitch on the left-most shroud, since a clove hitch is self-tightening. Pull the line across the next shroud with your right hand. Then use your left hand to put some angled tweezers in the "hole" between the next 2 shrouds and the ratline you're working on. Grab the end of the line with the tweezers. 2. Use the tweezers to pull the line through the hole, then push it through the loop in the line in your right hand. Here I've already grabbed the end and dropped the tweezers. I wish this picture was a little clearer. 3. Ta-da! You have an overhand knot around the next shroud. 4. Tighten up the knot, then move on to the next shroud. When the line is done align everything with the graph paper, then put a drop of medium CA on each knot. Blot quickly with a paper towel, and make sure the graph paper is not stuck in back. In 15 seconds you can trim the ends of the lines. When all the lines are done, touch each knot with a black Sharpie marker to cover up shininess from the glue. After my deadeyes arrive I'll try to get some photos of my Syren with some standing rigging in place.
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Chain plates, then a week off I haven't posted in a couple of weeks but I have a good excuse - I spent a week in Duck, NC for my son's wedding. Eric Chima and Jess Aylward were married in a beautiful ceremony on the beach, in 25 mph winds. We were all freezing cold, but the wedding went off perfectly and everyone had fun. During the week I visited the Wright Brother's memorial in Kitty Hawk, and my second son Keith and I took hang gliding lessons on the dunes. The winds were also high then, so we flew tethered to the instructors on a short leash. I'd love to go back for more. But back to the Syren. Before the wedding I started the chain plates as described in the instructions. I stropped all the deadeyes, made a zillion links, then assembled a few chains. Then I noticed that they were all different lengths, and all were longer than the in drawings. Oh s*&^. After a little thought, I decided to start over and cheat. I replaced the chains with a long, single wire twisted around a deadeye on one and with a loop on the other end for a nail. I used the photo-etched brass preventer links for some detail. I made a jig to get the correct length. The whole batch of deadeyes took a couple of hours and I am happy with the results. Left - chain plates like they're supposed to be made, but too long. Right - simplified chain plates.
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Sweep ports Excellent question racouch444. I didn't know what sweep ports were either. I even built 16 long oars called sweeps (see page 73 of the instructions) and never made the connection until now. Sure would be cool if someone left the doors off temporarily, built the sweeps early, and poked them out the side to see what she looks like under oar. Concerning cannons, I remember reading that MS was supplying new cannons now, and might even be open to replacing them. Anyone know about that? I bought very expensive cannons from Bluejacket Shipcrafters. But then I've spent way more on tools, supplies, and paints than I spent on the model in the first place. Every new project deserves some new tools. Rod
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Bob, Thanks for the information about the spell checker. I use Firefox and had somehow had no dictionary installed. It's fixed now so I have no excuses. Rod
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Masts Stepped I stepped the masts last night. Plans on the wall to align the side view, plumb bob hanging from the ceiling just behind the main mast to make sure it's vertical from the front. I used 5 minute epoxy for the job. I've done everything else with 15 second medium CA, so the epoxy gave me 20 times the working time I'm used to. Stayed up until 1 am making tiny wire links for the chain plate assemblies. Not the most fun part of the model. ;^(
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Augie, I just downloaded and printed the photo of your yards. I'll be building a set before long, and your photo will be a better reference than all the plans in the box. Rod
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Hi Bob, I just skimmed through your Bluenose build log and am totally amazed at all the minute details that you have built. I've never seen turnbuckles that small. Just magnificent! I'll be following along from now on. Rod
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Question about this editor This is a nice editor for a blog, but does it have a spel checkr? I can't find one anywehre!
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New stand built 16 weeks, 320 man-hours I wanted to build and attach the permanent stand for the Syren before I attached the masts. As I dug through my lumber rack looking at cocobolo, padauk, and quilted maple, I had to step over a pile of quarter sawn white oak waiting on the floor for my next build - a Stickley-style coffee table. And suddenly I realized that the real Syren was probably made mostly from oak That settled it - the stand had to be oak. I built it yesterday and attached it today. I have also finished adding all the miscellaneous blocks and rigging to the masts, so it's time to head back downstairs and step the masts.
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Gentlemen, Thank you all for the kind words. I am enjoying posting this build log, and it is gratifying to know that some folks are following it. Rod
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Masts, Tops, and Top Masts Complete 15 weeks, 301 man-hours The Syren has gotten much taller too! The masts aren't actually attached yet but they will be soon. I better build and attach the final base to the model before I attach the masts. It took 19 hours to build the masts, tops, and top masts. The 1/16" tape that came with the model did not stick very well, so I bought a roll of 1/16" flat black graphic tape made by Chartpak at a local art supply store. It sticks very well, but I coated the mast bands with some diluted white glue just to be sure. I like this overhead view. In real life the cross trees would be about 75 feet above the deck. I have climbed about 40 feet up some big spruce trees in my back yard to trim branches, and it was terrifying! Imagine hauling sails this far above the deck in rough weather.
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Bowsprit, Jibboom, and Flying Jibboom Complete 14 weeks, 277 man-hours It took 23 hours to build and rig the Bowsprit, Jibboom, and Flying Jibboom. The Syren has almost doubled in length since my last post. I've had to revise my situational awareness - I kept bumping parts that weren't there before and broke the dolphin striker twice. I shaped all the booms, etc. in a drill press. I left an extra inch to go in the chuck, spun the part at 1600 rpm, and tapered them with sand paper. Pretty easy. I rigged most of the blocks to the booms with thin wire instead of thread. That's not realistic, but it is a lot easier and looks OK to me.
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Question about thread supplied with the kit The thread supplied with the kit is wound tightly around plastic "bobbins," and ends up kinked when you unwind it. Should I use it as-is, or soak it in water to straighten it out?
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Question about seizing a line A couple of places in the instructions have said to seize a line with thread. I think I could do it full scale but it sure is hard in miniature. Does anyone have any tips on how to hold two threads while wrapping them with a third?
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Longboat completed 13 weeks, 255 man-hours The longboat took about 1.5 times longer than it should have because of two major mistakes. I mentioned my first mistake in my last post - I sanded through the hull. It patched up OK with wood filler but the stain was blotchy. My second mistake was to try to line up the ribs by eye. I measured carefully but the result looked terrible, as shown below. I ended up starting a new longboat from scratch. This time I held it up to the light periodically as I sanded. When I could see light through the wood I knew it was time to stop. Left: What happens when you sand through the hull, then try to line up the ribs by eye. Right: New hull with ribs aligned with a jig. How I aligned the ribs First I eliminated the center keel strip. You can't see it under the floorboards anyway. Then I used a 1/8" nylon cable tie to align each rib parallel to the last. I used spring clamps to hold the cable tie. CA glue barely sticks to the nylon. The second hull looked SO much better than the first that I'm glad I started over. The longboat took 27 man-hours to build but it's one of the best tiny models that I've ever built. Maybe I'm finally getting the hang of this precision work. I did start on the bowsprit. Only a few hours of work so far, but it makes a big difference in the look of the ship.
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Augie, Tonight I was trying to match your speed on the longboat and sanded through the side. Now I have to wait all night for the wood filler to dry. Maybe I can use spray paint to catch up. Rod
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Hull complete except for longboat I spent the last couple of weeks working on deck fittings, so my hull is complete except for the longboat. Augie's build log shows the hull, longboat, and bowsprit, jibboom, and flying jibbom complete at about 800 hours. I figure that I am building 2.5 times faster than him at about 1/5 the quality! 10.5 weeks, 226 man-hours Here are some detailed views> The stern cannons were fun but the companionway was a pain. It is thin, flimsy, and didn't want to stay square. It could be better. The hammock cranes seemed very flimsy, but when I got the 1/16" x 1/32" rail pressed into place it firmed up. Tying the netting in place was literately a pain in the back. I had to stick my face right into it to see what I was doing. And the photos show every thread that I didn't cut clean off! Guess I need to go back for the nail cutters. The main fife rail was hard to make by laminating 1/32 " stock. It would be better to cut it from 1/16" ply. The stanchions were easy to turn in a Dremel tool, but I wish they had been supplied as castings with pins on the ends. The gratings were fun. The pieces fit together perfectly. If I ever have granddaughters I can start making doll houses. Lots of trip hazards on this ship. It would never pass OSHA standards. I can't believe that I built a ladder to hide inside this thing! If you're building the Syren, just build the companionway with the door closed. I never expected a periscope on the Syren. Now I get to put the Syren aside and build the 25' longboat, a kit within a kit.
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Completed Cannonades Well, the cannonades are built, installed, and rigged. You can see that I ignored most of your cries for historical and scale accuracy by using the larger eyebolts, by placing the sleds on the deck without wheels, and by notching the waterways so that the gun barrels would protrude outboard a little more. Thank you for all the excellent suggestions, but I doubt that anyone who ever sees the model will know the difference. 9 weeks, 182 man-hours I bundled the ropes on deck instead of making the coils shown in the plans. The bundles looked better to me. It took 18 hours to rig the cannonades after they were built and installed
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My first major SNAFU I ran into a very unplesant surprise when I completed my first cannon and set it on the deck - it didn't fit! Somehow I cut the gun ports too close to the deck. I even cut out the little paper gun and checked it on the rear ports, but never on the side. I should look back in the instructions to see how it happened, but it's too late now. The only solution is to omit the swivel brackets from the front of the cannon sleds, and the wheels from the rear. The guns end up centered in the ports. The front of the sleds hit the waterway, and the end of the guns end up about flush with the outside edge of the ports. Can anyone tell me how far the guns should extend beyond the edge of the ports? Should I notch the waterways and push the guns up to the rails? 8 weeks, 162 man-hours
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Pin rails >>> If anything in this kit is laser cut, it should be the pin rails! <<< Pin rails complete, 7 weeks, 153 man-hours
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