rvchima
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Dolphin Striker Modification I think I've broken my dolphin striker 4 times now. Reach for something under the bow on my bench, bump a line, and SNAP! Today I reinforced my dolphin striker by gluing an inverted V of music wire to it. Don't know if it will help, but I'd recommend it to anyone else building the Syren. Do it early and maybe you can hide it better.
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More Extra Parts My kit included 15 13/32" single blocks that were also listed in the parts list. The photo below puts these blocks into perspective - they are huge! These must be included by mistake. Or did I miss something major? Update According to Chuck, the 13/32" single blocks were added to the kits by mistake, and that ME is aware of the error.
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I've already contacted twice them about missing cannon balls and shortages of deadeyes. They did replace both for free, but it took 2-3 weeks to get the package. I ordered the deadeyes specified in the kit and received a scribbled note asking me to order from the catalog, which didn't match.
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Beautiful work on your Syren, Thomas. I love the little ring bolts on the gun port lids. I used bent eyebolts, but some of them look too much like bent eyebolts. You will be glad that you made the rings. Rod
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I'm Out of Everything My lower yards are lofted and mostly rigged, but I have run out of all kinds of supplies: 28 gauge black black wire 0.008" black line 0.008" tan line (almost out) 0.012" black line 3/32" single blocks (I might have exactly enough but it sure is hard to count ahead) 1/8" single blocks I ordered blocks and wire from Model Expo, but their parts descriptions on-line are completely different from those in the kit. They don't seem to have the right size blocks at all, so I ordered those from Ages of Sail. I hope they match when they arrive. The weird thing is that I have enough boxwood strips left over to build another boat! Has anyone else run into shortages or surpluses with the Syren kit?
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Tip of the Day - Needle Threader or Instant Needle? When I have to thread rigging line through a block I'm always tempted to grab for my needle threader. But sometimes it's hard to see or reach the back side side of the block. In that case I dip the end of the line in a drop of CA glue, wipe it with a paper towel, and wait 10 seconds for it to stiffen. Then the line becomes an instant needle that I can push through the block from the front.
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Beautiful work Augie! I can hardly wait to see you Syren completed. Do you plan to get a case for her?
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Yards Complete 28 weeks, 448 man-hours Saturday I returned from a two-week vacation in Alaska. Now the grass is cut, the laundry is done, and the weather is terrible - a perfect excuse to stay inside and complete the yards for the Syren. The yards took 33 hours to build and are shown in the photo above. You can compare them to Augie's yards at this link: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/46-us-brig-syren-by-augie-ms-kit-164-18-gun-brig/page-40#entry42019 Augie's entry was dated April 21 and he's almost done, so I figure I'll be done by the end of September. I decided to paint my yards black like Chuck's prototype. It seemed like a good idea until I realized that I had installed my boom and gaff unpainted. Luckily there wasn't too much rigging in the way and I was able to paint them in place. Maybe I'll be done by Halloween
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USS Syren vs. the Diamond Princess Approximtely to scale. They just don't make ships like they used to. Posted from Ketchikan, Alaska. My cabin is on deck 10 of 15.
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Augie, You Syren is an inspiration. I can hardly wait to get back to work. Rod Sent from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. (I'll bet you would like the fishing here!)
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1/2 hour until I leave for the airport for Anchorage and I'm in the basement tying foot ropes.
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Bob, Good to hear from you. I was wondering what happened to your build. Frank Mastini's book "Ship Modeling Simplified" has several pages about sails, mostly discouraging you from building them. It does cover a lot of the extra rigging needed for sails. I am sure not the person to ask about sails but I used to make kites and am quite comfortable around a sewing machine. A 1/4" hem is easy but a 1/16" hem will be tough. That could be less than the distance between the needle and presser foot. You can try running a glue stick down the edge of the cloth and folding against a straight edge or over a stretched thread. A touch with a warm iron will set the glue, or a bit of rubbing alcohol will loosen it. Then stitch through the glued hem. I just posted a photo of my yards at http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/440-us-brig-syren-by-rvchima-model-shipways/page-6 The background is a photo backdrop cloth made of thin muslin. To me it looks perfect for sail material. Hopefully someone else will chime in with better suggestions. I am looking forward to seeing your ship under sail! Rod
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By "worse" I mean "harder than." Sorry honey.
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Dirk, You say that you know to put down the model and listen to your wife, but you are building two models at once. That is worse than having two wives! But they sure are beautiful. Rod
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Yards In Progress 25 weeks, 437 man-hours The lower yards are complete, but I've only shaped the rest. After considering Augie's advice I decided not to paint the yards pink. Instead I decided to follow Chuck's scheme and paint them black. I kind of like the contrast between the black yards and the natural stuns'l booms. One piece of advice - if your wife calls from a business trip while you're tying blocks to a yard, put down the yard and listen to your wife. I tied a whole mess of blocks on the wrong side of the yard. Oops. (They're fixed now.) You won't hear from me for a while. Saturday we leave for a two-week land tour and cruise in Alaska. I'll post a photo of the cruise ship when I return.
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Standing Rigging Complete 24 weeks, 415 man-hours Amazing how complicated the foreward end of the ship is compared to the aft end.
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Absolutely beautiful Augie! I am building yards now and can hardly wait to start rigging!
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Augie, Thanks for the information about the staysail halliards. I can see now how the downhaul would be unhooked at the lower block, and the hallyards would be used to raise the staysails. Thanks also for the links to the Eye of the Wind website. The diagrams and photos of the sails really clarified things for me. I printed a photo of the Eye to hang in the workshop next to the Syren. I have just completed construction of the two lowest yards and am trying to decide whether to paint them or not. I was thinking that pink would look good with the red gun ports.
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Does anyone have an image of a ship like the Syren under full sail? I am a total landlubber and don't quite know what the sails would look like on the Syren.
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Trying for a more realistic look Ha ha, only joking. I went to an awesome antique show last weekend and had to buy this double block. Next to it is one from the kit for scale. When I finish the Syren I'll clean up the old block and hang it in a place of honor in my shop.
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Trying for a more realistic look I've been experimenting with techniques to make the blocks look more realistic. Here's what I came up with.
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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?
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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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