robdurant

Through trial and error, I found that a brand new x-acto blade to gently carve away the excess was the best tool for me (taking off little by little) - sanding just caused tear out on one side or the other... But I didn't have nice new diamond files, so you may have a better experience.

Something to watch out for... I think there were a few places that the gunports meant there was no support for the internal (and external?) planks in between the ports (they did not land on any of the frames) - you may want to check and support those places before you drill them out. I simply packed some strip in to provide support to the planks above and below.

Thank you @rwiederrich and @gak1965. 
 
I finally got the model outside as spring is well underway here. Unfortunately in my excitement I hung the main mast sails on the foremast on this photo, but it gives a little idea of how the finished model will look... I haven't finished adding stunsail yards, so the stunsails are missing on the main upper topsail and main top gallant yards, too. 

Happy building to you all
 

Thank you @rwiederrich and @gak1965. 
 
I finally got the model outside as spring is well underway here. Unfortunately in my excitement I hung the main mast sails on the foremast on this photo, but it gives a little idea of how the finished model will look... I haven't finished adding stunsail yards, so the stunsails are missing on the main upper topsail and main top gallant yards, too. 

Happy building to you all
 

Progress on the sails... I've just finished the bolt ropes on the topsail studding sails for the main mast - that's BS22 and BS23, so I'm two thirds of the way through the sails now... Once I've sewed on the bolt ropes, it'll be reefing points next... I have a plan for how to do that...  No photos of this, as it looks almost identical to the many photos I've posted of the sail sewing so far... 
 
What I have also been working on is the detailing of the yards, ready for them to carry the sails. I've completed the bands and the painting on the foremast yards, and now I'm working on the mainmast yards. It makes a huge difference to the look of the model, and when I get a chance, I'll take a photo outside with all the yards squared up.
 
Here's are the bands added to the foremast yards...  They're made of black card... 
 

 
And here they are painted... 
 

 
And finally, the full width of the main mast main yard, and that same yard, with stunsail booms removed again, so that the white sections can be painted...
 

 

Thank you for looking in, and for the likes and comments.
 
Rob
 

Hi ☺️
 
March 2013
 
 

Thank you @rwiederrich and @gak1965. 
 
I finally got the model outside as spring is well underway here. Unfortunately in my excitement I hung the main mast sails on the foremast on this photo, but it gives a little idea of how the finished model will look... I haven't finished adding stunsail yards, so the stunsails are missing on the main upper topsail and main top gallant yards, too. 

Happy building to you all
 

Thank you @rwiederrich and @gak1965. 
 
I finally got the model outside as spring is well underway here. Unfortunately in my excitement I hung the main mast sails on the foremast on this photo, but it gives a little idea of how the finished model will look... I haven't finished adding stunsail yards, so the stunsails are missing on the main upper topsail and main top gallant yards, too. 

Happy building to you all
 

Thank you @rwiederrich and @gak1965. 
 
I finally got the model outside as spring is well underway here. Unfortunately in my excitement I hung the main mast sails on the foremast on this photo, but it gives a little idea of how the finished model will look... I haven't finished adding stunsail yards, so the stunsails are missing on the main upper topsail and main top gallant yards, too. 

Happy building to you all
 

Thank you @rwiederrich and @gak1965. 
 
I finally got the model outside as spring is well underway here. Unfortunately in my excitement I hung the main mast sails on the foremast on this photo, but it gives a little idea of how the finished model will look... I haven't finished adding stunsail yards, so the stunsails are missing on the main upper topsail and main top gallant yards, too. 

Happy building to you all
 

Aah - thank you, my better half has ordered this for my birthday, so I'm looking forward to having a good look through and getting some inspiration. To return to your earlier comments, I've pondered them, and I think I'm looking to get past plank on bulkhead, but with simplified frames... so probably using the stations rather than re-lofting each frame, and with a simplified structure without cant frames at the bow and stern. 
 
I've had another crack at the transom using an angled frame (16 degrees from perpendicular) aft of station 25 - this goes out to the wale. I've re-drafted the transoms and hopefully now it is something more workable... Some pictures... It's not quite perfect yet (and I haven't drafted the inside flow of the transom pieces), but I feel like I'm making progress. It's certainly helpful to be able to make multiple designs and try them all out.

 

 

Thanks again for all your help
 
Rob

@clearway @Glen McGuire @mbp521 @mtaylor @Rick310 thank you for your kind comments and thank you to all for the likes.
 
  I'm so accustomed to working at this scale I forget when I say  it's "just too small a space to do so" that if I don't give you the viewer a reference it's hard for you to appreciate the size. I've placed a penny at the base so you know exactly how small small is. While doing the work around the mast base, at times I felt like I was trying to adjust Lincoln's bowtie.
 
 My apologies for not including this photo in my previous post. Once again, thank you to all.
 

Very nice. Love the card bands!

Rob...your masting is coming along very nicely.
 
Your work is clean and precise.  Not to mention the time and attention you are spending on your cloth sails.   Probably some of the best cloth sails I have seen.
 
Rob

Progress on the sails... I've just finished the bolt ropes on the topsail studding sails for the main mast - that's BS22 and BS23, so I'm two thirds of the way through the sails now... Once I've sewed on the bolt ropes, it'll be reefing points next... I have a plan for how to do that...  No photos of this, as it looks almost identical to the many photos I've posted of the sail sewing so far... 
 
What I have also been working on is the detailing of the yards, ready for them to carry the sails. I've completed the bands and the painting on the foremast yards, and now I'm working on the mainmast yards. It makes a huge difference to the look of the model, and when I get a chance, I'll take a photo outside with all the yards squared up.
 
Here's are the bands added to the foremast yards...  They're made of black card... 
 

 
And here they are painted... 
 

 
And finally, the full width of the main mast main yard, and that same yard, with stunsail booms removed again, so that the white sections can be painted...
 

 

Thank you for looking in, and for the likes and comments.
 
Rob
 

Progress on the sails... I've just finished the bolt ropes on the topsail studding sails for the main mast - that's BS22 and BS23, so I'm two thirds of the way through the sails now... Once I've sewed on the bolt ropes, it'll be reefing points next... I have a plan for how to do that...  No photos of this, as it looks almost identical to the many photos I've posted of the sail sewing so far... 
 
What I have also been working on is the detailing of the yards, ready for them to carry the sails. I've completed the bands and the painting on the foremast yards, and now I'm working on the mainmast yards. It makes a huge difference to the look of the model, and when I get a chance, I'll take a photo outside with all the yards squared up.
 
Here's are the bands added to the foremast yards...  They're made of black card... 
 

 
And here they are painted... 
 

 
And finally, the full width of the main mast main yard, and that same yard, with stunsail booms removed again, so that the white sections can be painted...
 

 

Thank you for looking in, and for the likes and comments.
 
Rob
 

Coppering continuing: almost finished.

Interesting and I'm not sure why this is happening but within a week of coppering the starboard side it started to tarnish. I've coppered this ship exactly the same way as I've done my other ships and have never seen this happen.  In fact the copper plates on my Syren are still pretty much in the same condition as when they were installed.  The only thing I can think of and I'm just guessing is that we are right across the street from the gulf and maybe it's the salt in the air.
 

 
 

Using a 1” nail with a flat head, I ground off two opposing side flush to the shaft. Then with a Dremel rotary tool and needle files, the remaining portion of the nail head was fashioned to look like a cleat. Next, the shaft of the nail was placed into the Dremel rotatory tool so it acted like a mini lathe. A file was clamped with a vise and the nail shaft was ground such that the shaft was narrowed down to a very small diameter while leaving a small section at the top, thick. When satisfied, the part was cut off resulting in two tiny cleats with a pin at their base which was inserted into drilled holes (#44 bit) on the fourth posts port and starboard.

1/32” x 3/32” basswood was used as the planking material in lieu of the plan called 1/64” x 3/32” stock because that was not supplied in the kit as noted in the practicum. I believe that the 1/16” was a typo in the plans. Each plank had to be custom sized and shaped before installation. I painted the top and bottom planks black before installing them to make painting near the rails easier later on. Bothe sides of the planking were painted black.

Using a 3/8” spacer, seven 1/16” x 1/16” vertical posts were spaced and glued into place from the second rail up to the first. The plans appear to show an eighth post right next to the hull, but since that rail would be buried behind the forthcoming planking, it wasn’t worth the effort to install it.

The final major part of the bow is the bow top rail and the planking below it. Finally, a simple rail to construct. It is a straight piece of 1/16” x 3/32” stock basswood, cut to length, painted black with 1/64” white pinstripes added.

Progress on the sails... I've just finished the bolt ropes on the topsail studding sails for the main mast - that's BS22 and BS23, so I'm two thirds of the way through the sails now... Once I've sewed on the bolt ropes, it'll be reefing points next... I have a plan for how to do that...  No photos of this, as it looks almost identical to the many photos I've posted of the sail sewing so far... 
 
What I have also been working on is the detailing of the yards, ready for them to carry the sails. I've completed the bands and the painting on the foremast yards, and now I'm working on the mainmast yards. It makes a huge difference to the look of the model, and when I get a chance, I'll take a photo outside with all the yards squared up.
 
Here's are the bands added to the foremast yards...  They're made of black card... 
 

 
And here they are painted... 
 

 
And finally, the full width of the main mast main yard, and that same yard, with stunsail booms removed again, so that the white sections can be painted...
 

 

Thank you for looking in, and for the likes and comments.
 
Rob
 

Progress on the sails... I've just finished the bolt ropes on the topsail studding sails for the main mast - that's BS22 and BS23, so I'm two thirds of the way through the sails now... Once I've sewed on the bolt ropes, it'll be reefing points next... I have a plan for how to do that...  No photos of this, as it looks almost identical to the many photos I've posted of the sail sewing so far... 
 
What I have also been working on is the detailing of the yards, ready for them to carry the sails. I've completed the bands and the painting on the foremast yards, and now I'm working on the mainmast yards. It makes a huge difference to the look of the model, and when I get a chance, I'll take a photo outside with all the yards squared up.
 
Here's are the bands added to the foremast yards...  They're made of black card... 
 

 
And here they are painted... 
 

 
And finally, the full width of the main mast main yard, and that same yard, with stunsail booms removed again, so that the white sections can be painted...
 

 

Thank you for looking in, and for the likes and comments.
 
Rob
 

Progress on the sails... I've just finished the bolt ropes on the topsail studding sails for the main mast - that's BS22 and BS23, so I'm two thirds of the way through the sails now... Once I've sewed on the bolt ropes, it'll be reefing points next... I have a plan for how to do that...  No photos of this, as it looks almost identical to the many photos I've posted of the sail sewing so far... 
 
What I have also been working on is the detailing of the yards, ready for them to carry the sails. I've completed the bands and the painting on the foremast yards, and now I'm working on the mainmast yards. It makes a huge difference to the look of the model, and when I get a chance, I'll take a photo outside with all the yards squared up.
 
Here's are the bands added to the foremast yards...  They're made of black card... 
 

 
And here they are painted... 
 

 
And finally, the full width of the main mast main yard, and that same yard, with stunsail booms removed again, so that the white sections can be painted...
 

 

Thank you for looking in, and for the likes and comments.
 
Rob
 

Progress on the sails... I've just finished the bolt ropes on the topsail studding sails for the main mast - that's BS22 and BS23, so I'm two thirds of the way through the sails now... Once I've sewed on the bolt ropes, it'll be reefing points next... I have a plan for how to do that...  No photos of this, as it looks almost identical to the many photos I've posted of the sail sewing so far... 
 
What I have also been working on is the detailing of the yards, ready for them to carry the sails. I've completed the bands and the painting on the foremast yards, and now I'm working on the mainmast yards. It makes a huge difference to the look of the model, and when I get a chance, I'll take a photo outside with all the yards squared up.
 
Here's are the bands added to the foremast yards...  They're made of black card... 
 

 
And here they are painted... 
 

 
And finally, the full width of the main mast main yard, and that same yard, with stunsail booms removed again, so that the white sections can be painted...
 

 

Thank you for looking in, and for the likes and comments.
 
Rob
 

Thanks for the likes and comments.
 
Thanks Dave but the separate oars that Chris sells are too short. For single banked boats they should be 2.5 times the beam so at least 12mm for my boat.
 
After the interlude of making the 24’ cutter, I’m off my crutches and mobile again so it’s back to the main ship and adding the topsail yards.
The yards were made a while ago with the blocks, stirrups and horses completed.
 
I began with the mizzen topsail yard and the parrals (or is it parrels, I’ve seen both spellings?) The kit supplies some black beads for the trucks but they are quite round rather than more barrel shaped. I searched all the bead sites looking for seed beads that are a better shape but have found nothing. I ordered some bugle beads but they are too cylindrical. In the end I had some wooden beads in my box of bits that I decided to use, although they are still not as they should be. The ribs are blackened brass ones left over from HMS Fly.

 
The parral rope is threaded over the yard and the ribs and trucks threaded on taking care to keep the ribs the right way round. The yard is pinned to the mast and glued with CA simplifying the job of fitting the parral. The ropes pass around the mast, over and under the yard and then back over the groove in the ribs. This is repeated two or three times and then tied off around the yard in a simple knot.
 
The tie is next, which on the mizzen threads through a single block up through blocks suspended each side of the mast head and ends in long tackle blocks to come below the lower mast top. The lower block of the halyards is hooked to an eyebolt on the stool. The rope is tied to the long block runs down to the lower block through the long block back up to the long block and is tied off at the cavil block.
The lifts a long strap with an eye in each end is clove hitched around the cap. The lift is hooked into the eyelet runs down to the sheet block and back up to the sister block then down to the pin rail where it is tied off.

The parrals of the main and fore topmast yards are rigged in the same way as on the mizzen topmast. I chose to follow Petersson in rigging the tie. A double block is tied on each side of the topmast head on a long strop. I think that these two blocks should be on the same strop which is then tied around the mast head. I couldn’t do it like this because the topgallant is already in place so separate strops it had to be. The tie has an eye spliced in one end and passes around the topmast head, through the eye and down to the double block on the yard. The port tie passes through the forward sheave and the starboard the aft. The halyards are tied off to eyebolts on the main mast stool just forward of the aft-most topmast backstay.
The lifts on both fore and main topmast yards are set up in a similar fashion to the mizzen mast. The main lifts coming down to the barricade and the fore lifts to the cleat on the third shroud.




David