jablackwell

It's been a frustrating few weeks in the shipyard. I've re-rigged most of the upper stays, fore royal stay. Just too much slack after tightening the cutting-in tackle. I must have re rigged the 4 backstays half a dozen times. I think I have all the standing lines where they need to be now. 

Ran the jib halyard and downhaul, and belayed the downhaul to the bow rail.

Then, more trouble. As I tried to belay the hauling end of the halyard to the pin in the small pinrail on the fore mast, I realized the little two pin rail on either side of the mast is not going hold up the strain, off they came. 

 So now I need to construct some new pinrails. Got an idea at work today. I found these plastic dividers we use. The thickness looks to be just about perfect. Hopefully I can fashion 2 rails, with two belaying pins in each that will hold up when affixed to the spider band with lines belayed to it. Because as you can see, the wooden one shown below didn't stand a chance. 

 
 
 

Thank you all for your support and counsel while I undertook this restoration. Your collective encouragement and valuable comments helped immeasurably.
I am now looking forward to the final inspection by the client and then it can leave the modelshop freeing up valuable space for the next occupant of the workbench. I am going to enjoy having the extra room to work on the cutter over the next little while.
 
Michael

Thanks everyone for following along on this journey. A couple of small Items completed the work today. The gratings on the starboard companionway And the installation of the flags. I had to do the house flag twice because the first time it was upside down. I can say that the house flag can be raised and lowered though.
 
I had some etched copper from Scale Link that I picked up in 1979 from Puffers opposite Kenton Railway Station. after cutting the size slightly oversize I slowly sanded it with some 600 grit until it just fit snug. I used a toothpick with beeswax to pick up the piece to place it for final gluing.
 

 

 
Then I decided to reprint the house flag in red rather than the blue one.
 

 
The ensign was also re printed on some light weight silk-span, I decided to shape it after setting it to the stern flagstaff.
 

 

 
And now.....She's done!
 

 

 
When we get back from Whitehorse I shall crate her up after the inspection.
 
Onward and upward.
 
Michael
 
 

I used Lego plates and bricks as an assembly fixture to set the dihederal.  

Awesome work on that netting: I am taking notes!  Nicely done, Jesse!
~john

Awesome work on that netting: I am taking notes!  Nicely done, Jesse!
~john

Awesome work on that netting: I am taking notes!  Nicely done, Jesse!
~john

Awesome work on that netting: I am taking notes!  Nicely done, Jesse!
~john

Awesome work on that netting: I am taking notes!  Nicely done, Jesse!
~john

For the netting that goes on the Bowsprit horses and battens I decided to make a jig and pre-rig most of it off ship to make it easier to tie on after. I tied two threads to four wire pegs spaced the same as the Bowsprit horse lines. I laid a piece of netting down over them and carefully glued the it to the threads where the overlaid. I glued the battens down onto all of this (pre-measuring the spacing). When that dried I used a curved sewing needle to help me thread and tie the edges. Removed it all from the jig and trimmed the edges. This made it much easier to tie the netting to the horses.
 
I used G-S Hypo Cement made for gluing watch crystals to glue these tiny spots. It has a very tiny needle applicator end that works very well for tiny rigging knots. (forgot to take a picture - will have to add one in later, my camera died and is recharging). 
 
Jesse 

Not to hurt your feelings, but you will never get the accuracy you are looking for (and deserve!) with instruments designed for use by high school geometry students. You need the same tools the draftsman who drew the plans with which you are working used to draw them. As with any other tool, you get what you pay for. Fortunately, thanks to manual drafting ("mechanical drawing") being replaced in the industry by CAD, there is quite a bit of high quality drafting and measuring tools available on eBay. (Admittedly, there used to be a lot more, but the collectors are like seagulls over a garbage barge.)
 
As you have learned from experience, the expense of fine drafting instruments is all about their rigidity and ability to "hold a set." The "joints" or "unions" of high quality instruments will not have to be reset all the time. Moreover, if you are only interested in drawing circles or marking arcs, you need a compass. Not one that holds a pencil, but one that holds a 2mm drawing lead, which is easily obtainable from art and stationary supply stores. (The difference is analogous to the difference between holding something in a collet and in a three jaw chuck.) These leads are easily kept razor sharp with a swipe on a flat piece of sandpaper. If you want to transfer measurements, you need a pair of dividers. A compass will do the same, but the dividers will not mark up your plans with pencil marks when in use and will be easier to use accurately. The high quality dividers (as pictured below) have hairspring adjustments. (You set the measure by spreading the legs. The hairspring adjustment "fine tunes" the point thereafter so that the setting can be absolutely perfect. (Important in scaling, where one can "split the line" when placing a point because, at full scale, the drawn line on the plans could be a half inch wide! That makes a big difference when taking off a vessel's lines to construct a table of offsets.)
 
If you are working with different scales, you will find a pair of proportional dividers invaluable. (Keuffel and Esser's Paragon 10" model pictured top below.) These come in various sizes. (The 10" ones are preferable, as are all with rack and pinion setting.) The best are those which are scaled decimally, so that the proportion expressed as a decimal can be set exactly. (The pair below have Vernier scaling feature allowing for proportions set to .005) When a distance is set on one side of the proportional dividers, the proportionate distance, as desired and set, will be readable from the opposite set of points. (It can also be used as a regular divider, obviously, but is less convenient than using a regular divider.)
 
The lower picture is of a set of Keuffel and Esser Paragon drafting instruments, known as a "three bow set," having a basic selection of dividers and compasses and ruling pens. "Paragon" designated K&E's top-of-the line instruments, all hand-fitted of German silver (a nickel and copper alloy, also called "nickel silver.") They are generally considered the finest drafting instruments ever sold by a US vendor. (Dietzgen, the other US top-quality vendor's top line was their "Gem Union" instruments.) Other fine quality brands are Aarau Kern, Bowen, Alteneder, and Charles Bruning. All of the worthwhile instruments (and all of junk, as well) will be made in Germany or Switzerland. Most of the top vendors will have "lines" that range from "student" to "apprentice," to "professional," and usually an additional "finestkind" line, like K&E's "Paragon" and Dietzgen's "Gem Union."
 
The Keuffel and Esser and Dietzgen catalogs are on line and can be googled. (https://books.google.com/books?id=P1gZAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=three+legged+divider&source=bl&ots=PY4vqrKjTl&sig=lNmQcCSIBxrsoATGVrhgzG8FJGM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=MRltVK2YHIqaigLF3oGICw#v=onepage&q=three legged divider&f=false)These are full of information on the products they offered and their ranges of quality. You don't need the "top of the line" for modeling, but a good "professional" quality set, or even just a pair of dividers and a compass from a good quality set, will serve. The collector's market is looking for pristine "mint quality" sets with all the instruments present. There are many partial sets with missing instruments, or instruments singly, that are offered on eBay at a fraction of the cost of a "perfect" set. Look under "drafting," and you should be able to find something suitable. A pair of "Paragon" proportional dividers as pictured below will go for between $50 and $200, depending on the condition of the case, or lack of a case, and the instrument's condition. (A bit of tarnishing isn't going to affect the performance of the instrument at all.) A full "three bow" Paragon drafting set as pictured will probably run between $150 and $300, assuming the case is in decent condition and all the instruments are there. If the case is trashed, the felt faded and worn, the case grippers shot, an instrument or three are missing (like ruling pens, which you might not need,) and the like, two or three bows, a pair of dividers, and a of compass with leg extensions, which may be a bit tarnished and the steel threads a bit rusted, might be had for as little as $25.00. Like anything on eBay, you have to know what you are looking at and be willing to wait.
 
Bottom line, "dime store" student compasses are never be satisfactory for serious use. If you find the prices high even for the used stuff on eBay, just remember that the price of a Paragon "three bow" set as pictured below (that one sold recently for about $235) when new cost about $750 in today's money. These were and are serious technical instruments. Few of us would ever have been able to afford to purchase them for hobby use until CAD made them obsolete in most of industry. Instruments of this quality are no longer made, (the labor cost of hand-fitting is prohibitive today,) so they are likely to only increase in value over time.
 
Serious modelers beware! Collecting drafting instruments, many, if not most, of which are invaluable additions to a modeler's shipyard tool kit, is highly addicitive!
 
 

Not a bad bit of progress today. Step by step. Got the foremast chuck in place.

 
Also got the boom rest seated on the main mast along with the boom rest supports. 
 

In a pique of curiosity, I decided to try the mast hoops on both masts to ensure things lined up. As neither mast is stained, the effect is kind of vanilla...but I wanted a test fit. Glad I did as the ring bolt I made for the main boom was interfering with the settling of the mast hoops!  
 

Minor thing but noticeable. Since I still had the option, replaced with a smaller eyebolt. Resolved the issue handily!

 
 
Ok...moving on!!

Yep - a teacher - astrophysics during the school year and researcher during the summer months. It's good work, and allows for some interesting off-time hobbies.
Been working the planks up to the port openings. I have some images here to show how I am handling the cutting of the notches into the planks. I am using a small saw to notch the planks first, to the depth of the needed notch, then I use a #11 blade to remove most of the wood, then a small file to finish it off. It looks pretty good. It was a trial and error type thing at first, with a couple of horribly failed attempts. I am sure there are better methods, but this one is working for me thus far ;-)  The colorful clamps were a bargain at the Dollar Store... they are poorly made, but do just right for this work.
~john
 
 

All,
Still here!  ;-)  I was waiting on some boxwood to continue on with the build The next step is the start of planking. Got the stern framing completed and the ports all painted red. The wood has arrived, so onto the next part!  It's coming along. Some images below.
 
~john
 
 
 
 
 

More progress this week between classes and grading papers. I have started to work on the stern. Yep - those little ribs are quite fragile, particularly where they have been inscribed with the laser cutter... so they tend to bend then break away from those marks. Cyanoacrylate to the rescue. I'm going to let this set overnight before continuing the stern framing.
~john
 
 

The gun port lintels are complete. Now to sanding.... stand by! 
~john
 

Thank you, Pat - I am always happy to receive comments, help and the like. The pencil/graphite issue is one I will be experimenting with. I did rub along both edges of each plank piece, which was too much... and I rubbed the graphite at an angle, which did indent the edge of the planks. The wood is soft and is easily shaped with pressure from the graphite.  I am beginning think to try something less friable (graphite) and more permanent (ink?) then also see if it can withstand scraping as opposed to sanding.  Trials to come.    As for the Golden Oak, I think I will be looking for something lighter. 
 
~j

Hi Harley,
Thanks for the kind words. And thank you for the suggestion: one side! I should have thought of that. Indeed the caulking in the below deck was made by running the graphite along both sides of each plank.... and it does look too heavy. I was not concerned (yet) as this is all pretty well hidden below decks, but it will matter much more on the top. Thanks!  I will rig a test bed and see how it looks.
 
In the meantime, I am headed to Wash.D.C. for the week: work trip to the American Astronomical Society annual meeting. Should be interesting, but will keep me away from building this coming week.
 
~john

Making slow and steady progress here with the Syren. I spent some good time working on the rabbet, a first for me. I ended up becoming frustrated with wielding a sharp knife and took out a small finishing sander. That did the job remarkably well and in little time.  The stern knee was then tapered to accept the figure head, and then glued on along with the 3/16" square keel along the bottom. I made sure to clamp the bulkhead former onto a flat workspace while gluing things to it... hopefully to help remove some of the slight warp that it has. I know this will be completely rectified when I get the bulkheads and filler blocks installed. Any little thing to help is good, in my opinion!  For the filler blocks, I made a quick trip to Home Depot for a 1x2" strip of pine. I am ready....   
 
I also spent time getting ALL the wood sorted and labeled for easier work in the shop. A Sharpie and blue masking tape made great labels... 
 
;-)  Some images below.
~john
 
 

as promised



(got it from a polish site in 2016, can't find it anymore though)

Cherry Bombs!!
What were you simulating? The Bikini Island tests?
 
As I didn't own a gun that would really shoot I was partial to lighter fluid and a match. The huge clouds of black smoke were very realistic I thought. 

I've been milling over this model long enough........now I went and done it!  assembly has begun.   actually,  it started a couple of weeks ago,  but I was try to get an idea of what I could do,  in dressing her up.   I bought the kit a month or so ago............I remember building this kit in my younger days.  I thought it had a wonky way of assembly back then....and I still think so today    research on this model has been tough.......this particular model ranks lower than the Trumpeter 1:200 kit {and even that is subject to debate}......there are some 1:350 scale kits out there that rank even higher.   info on this kit lacks as well..........after market just scratches the surface with gun barrels and bare bone PE.  I call it that because there are some aspects that are not included in the PE kit.  at first,  I was all set to do a poor review on this kit........but now that I've had a chance to delve into it,  there is a silver lining.   for another model that I'm building,  I purchased the PE set for the HMS Hood,  and some of it can be used on this kit {even though it's a 1:350 set}.   I ordered the PE set for the catapults and cranes.......but I didn't take into consideration that there were no railings in the kit {the price should have given it away}.   after some measuring and comparison.......I can use the hood set for them as well.  the two glaring downsides to this model,  lies in how it assembles,  and how few parts there are in this kit.  this kit has only 133 parts,  compared to the Trumpeter kit,  which has over 1,048 parts.  this doesn't even include the PE or add ons you may want to include.   don't bother looking for a wooden deck for the Revell kit,  because there isn't one.   I can't fathom that.........a kit that's been around since 1959,  and no one has developed a wooden deck for it!   a lot of detail is molded....the railings, various deck fittings,  and anchor chain,  are just to name a few.   but,  with a little imagination,  these issues can be modified and corrected.   how the superstructures are assembled is another stumbling block........the mating joints run through the portholes,  meaning part of the structure walls,  are on both parts of the deck levels.   this will make it harder to add doors and porthole enhancements.   it has been a long time since I've done modifications to a plastic kit......but we'll give it a go.   there are no logs here on MSW.......and there are scant logs anywhere else.   it's my pleasure to be the first  
 
it sounds like i'm being hard on this kit........but don't let it throw ya.   I enjoy an old kit 🔨⛏️⚒️

the picture reminds me of star wars {if you were to put some legs on those critters}.    they look very well done!  nice   

I finished the carronade bases. Now I have to figure out how to mount the actual guns. Again the wood is so poor that several split while I was handling them. BTW I use masking tape doubled on itself sticky side up and down to hold all these small pieces to the work bench.

Ok. Main boom is done. The parrels using black beads was awesome idea (whoever’s it was!). The metal bands turned out stellar using my Tamiya/Sharpie/Razorblade technique. 😁
 

One thing to note is that I used black wire for holding parrels between the jaws of the yolk. Easy to crimp once it’s on the mast. 
 

 
Moving on to the next set of sticks!