10th-11th century Byzantine dromon by Louie da fly - FINISHED - 1:50

[Louie da fly]

I’ve been away for a while – life’s been getting in the way. But I haven’t been idle; there’s been slow but steady progress, though a little erratic.

 

I put in place the through-beams for the steering oars and began on the support structure . . .

 

And then - DISASTER! The extensions to the gunwales that formed the tail of the ship had been shaped by heat bending, and when I put them on I didn’t realise they were exerting a sideways force on the sternpost. On a routine inspection I discovered they’d pushed the sternpost into a quite dramatic curve to starboard - and  the tail planking was following the off-centre curve.

 

It took a week to decide whether I should correct it, with the chance of completely stuffing up the whole ship – the frames and planks are very delicate - or leave it as it was and have it sneer at me for the rest of my life.

 

In the end I took my courage in both hands and started pulling it to bits – with horrible memories of what happened when I decided to re-do the Great Harry model – it’s still waiting for me to rescue it once I’ve finished this one.

 

I should have taken a “before” photo to show how bad it was. But I at least got some directly after I’d cut both sides away from the sternpost, which gives a fair idea.

 

 

 

I’d thought I’d have to put the ship back on the plug to have a stable base for the repairs, so I removed the through-beams and the partly completed steering structure as well. It turned out I didn’t need to use the plug, but removing the through-beams has made it easier to put in the stringers (see below), so it wasn’t a total loss.

 

Fortunately the port side wasn’t too bad, and the sternpost came almost back to its correct shape once it was cut free. But I had to take off quite a bit of the planking on the starboard side.

 

 And the “tail” of the starboard gunwale.

 

It turned out that the residual bending in the port gunwale and the sternpost cancelled each other out, and i was able to bring it all back into square by squeezing them together. I didn't have a suitable clamp so while the glue dried I just held them together with my fingers.

 

And it's now about as straight as it can be. A tiny bend in the head of the sternpost, but it's almost invisible and I've decided I can live with it.

I’d been worried I’d have to make a new pair of “tails”, but I was able to re-use them with a minimal amount of  tweaking, and re-position them so they didn’t push the sternpost sideways. I’m pretty happy with it now - it’s nice and straight and as the off-centre forces have been removed I’m satisfied it won’t happen again. But the starboard “tail” was now about 3mm (1/8”) too short,

 

and I had to use filler to make it good at each end.

 

While under repair it looked pretty ghastly,

but I’ve finally got it to a point where it only needs a bit of planking and it’ll be right as rain.

 

 

 Another learning experience. Sigh.

 

By the way, having finalised the steersmen’s positions, I realised the handles of the steering oars were way too short. Serves me right for making them too early. As I was going to have to re-jig them, I thought I’d have another look at the 11^th century picture I got the design from. Not good, I’m afraid. The rudders I’d made didn’t look much like the original at all.

 

So I might as well be making completely new ones. Below are the steering oars, with the contemporary picture for comparison – from the left, one of the original pair; then the first new one, carved out of pear wood (which I discarded because  although the shaft was the same thickness as in the picture, it looked too thin for the forces involved in steering a ship of this size); and the last two are my final version. I still have to put the tillers (visible in the picture) on them.

 

 

I’ve also made a bunch of stringers, based on those found on one of the Yenikapi galleys. Only two of the galleys found had stringers. One had only a single pair, each made from half a youngish tree split down the middle, and placed face down at the turn of the bilge. The other had four stringers each side of the keel, made of planks the same thickness as the strakes of the ship (about 25-30mm, or one inch), and 150mm (6”) wide. Though the first configuration did seem attractive, I decided to follow the second. Here they are:

 

 

And here is the first one in place at the turn of the bilge. There’ll be another three between this and the keel on each side.

 

 

And here it is bent to shape.

 

I didn’t have clamps that reached far enough to hold it in place while the glue dried, so I acted as my own set of clamps. Only seven to go.

 

Steven

 

 

 

Edited October 25, 2017 by Louie da fly

[druxey]

Well, Steven, it looks like you had a battle royal there! Balancing any forces in such thin and delicate structures is a real challenge. Some parts need to be cut to shape rather than bent sometimes. However, it looks like you won! Persistence paid off.

[Louie da fly]

Thanks, Druxey. If I do something like that again I probably will cut the pieces to shape. Bending is too uncertain. But I wanted to try it out - hubris, I suppose.

 

I've kept an eye out for those plastic-covered clamps you asked about. No joy so far, but I'll keep looking.

 

By the way, I looked up "rubbing alcohol" and apparently what it is depends on where you are - in the US iso-propyl alcohol is called rubbing alcohol. Elsewhere (as in the UK) it's ethanol ("drinking" alcohol) with about 5% methanol (wood alcohol) to make it undrinkable - otherwise known as methylated spirits. Best served cold from the fridge . Which one is it you use to get glue off?

 

Regards,

 

Steven

[druxey]

99% isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) is what I use, Steven. The less the water content, the less woodgrain is raised. I'm sure ethanol would work equally well. Methanol on its own (at least here) is dyed blue and would probably stain.

[BANYAN]

Steven, try electronics stores for the isopropanol here; the techies use it with their electronics projects apparently.  i got some from there in a spray can as well as solution.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Robin Lous]

On 21-10-2017 at 11:02 AM, Louie da fly said:

And then - DISASTER! etc, etc.

My goodness! 

 

So glad you managed to fix the problem in such a brave daredevil fashion. Scary stuff!

 

Robin 

[Baker]

Steven,

 

Great to see that this problem has been solved.

 

Ps,

I work in a chemical factory. And Iso Propyl Alcohol and Ethanol are 2 complete different solvents for us.

[Louie da fly]

Thanks, Backer, and thanks to everyone for the comments and "likes".

 

Yes, I know enough organic chemistry (did a single semester at university and never went on) to know these are two very different animals. Isopropanol is a considerably bigger molecule. I don't know how that would affect the two substances' ability to dissolve white glue. I might experiment with "metho" (methylated spirits) on some waste pieces and see what happens. You can get it at the supermarket, it's cheap and doesn't have colouring added.

 

Steven 

[Louie da fly]

The repairs to the planking are now complete:

 

I think I'll extend the gunwale up to the pencil line on the tail, which is how it was before the disaster. I think it will look better.

 

And the stringers are all in place. They look quite a bit better than I'd expected.

 

 

 

And I've been back to the figure carving in between times. This is the VIP passenger - Emperor Alexios Comnenos, who I chose because he was the one who initiated the use of fearsome animal heads to shroud the "business end" of the Greek Fire projectors, adding to the shock and awe.

 

Early stage -roughing out, which I call the Megatron stage - (look at his face)

 

    

He's sitting on a "portable throne" with a bolster behind him, which appears over and over again in contemporary representations. They were gilded and very ornate. Here is a contemporary picture of him, with Christ sitting a throne of this type, though the one I'm making has four fairly hefty legs - also a common feature. Hmm, I'll have to make a footstool as well. 

 

I'll try to reproduce that as best I can at this scale.

 

Next stage - finer shaping

   

 

Next stage - nearing completion

 

 

 

 

Still quite a bit to do on him - smoothing off and trimming etc. And of course painting. My faces are getting better, but I just haven't been able to capture the slightly rogueish expression on his face.

 

 

My next project will be to make the framing to support the oars of the lower bank below deck level, standing in place of the oarsmen themselves.

 

Steven

Edited October 29, 2017 by Louie da fly
changed Alexios' expression from "roughish" (computer's autocorrect) to "rogueish" as I'd intended

[Louie da fly]

Working on the keelson, stemson and sternson.

 

I've hedged my bets - the masts are supposed to be stepped into the keelson, but I still haven't decided whether I want one or two masts. So I worked out where the holes for the masts should be in a single and dual masted set-up, and bored holes for each and all.

 

From what I can see, the keelson in this model just isn't thick enough for a large enough hole for a mast step, so I'll probably fudge it and make a more substantial step to be sure the mast(s) are properly supported. It'll all be invisible below decks anyway, so I'm not going to get too concerned. I'd rather have the masts properly secured than have an accurate (but inadequate) step which nobody can see. Interestingly, the contemporary Byzantine texts talk about ships' masts unstepping themselves in a heavy blow, and maybe now I can see why.

 

I didn't have a long enough straight enough piece of wood for the full keelson so I've scarphed two pieces together, and also made scarph joints for the stemson and sternson. I think I'm getting better at scarph joints . . .

 

Here they are dry fitted to each other:

 

And some progress on the support frame for the lower bank of oars. I've spent a lot of time agonising about how to do this, and it looks like I've come up with an answer that will work.

 

A frame that follows the curve of the hull, far enough inboard of the sides to allow for the inboard section of the oar-looms.

 

To get the vertical angle right I made up a temporary support at water level and rested the oar blade on it. This then determines how high the oar handles have to be, and so where the top of the frame should be. Once I figured that out I made temporary supports out of balsa to support the oars at the right height, and these will be replaced in due course with a permanent frame.

 

 

I also angled the sides of the frame so the oars would rest along its surface, rather than just touch at a point. Viewed end-on the curve isn't as smooth as I might like it to be, but this will all be invisible - this frame is purely functional - it never existed on the real ship.

 

 

 

The idea is for the outboard part of the oars to be properly oar-shaped, but inboard they'll be flat in section and each one pinned to the frame with a small brass pin which will allow them all to swivel, so I can move the frame forward and aft till I get the horizontal angle right.

 

I've cunningly decided to have the oars at the end of their stroke - that's to make it easier for me to make the upper oarsmen, as then their arms will be right up against their chests rather than extended, and that will make it easier to carve and cast them.

 

Steven   

Edited November 5, 2017 by Louie da fly

[Robin Lous]

From a bread basket for a French baguette to a really exciting and interesting build. This is getting better and better.

 

On the downside...you must find a new bread basket. 

 

 

[Louie da fly]

Thanks everybody for the likes and especially thanks Robin. (Of course I got the idea for the "waterline" from you.)

 

Steven

 

PS: My wife also thinks it looks like a basket.

[Louie da fly]

I haven't updated the log for a while - camera problems meant I couldn't post photos - but I haven't been totally idle.

 

I've cut out all the oarports - the photo was taken yesterday and shows it with a few still to go. Very fiddly trying to get them all the same with the tools I have.

 

 

 

And I've made a start on the lower deck oars - here are the first set of blanks I've cut out. The "business" end is as usual, but the handle end won't be visible and I'm experimenting with a shape that can be pinned to the "oarframe" (see photo from two posts ago) and will swivel easily when attached, so I can get the angle of the oars right before I glue it in its final configuration.

 

I don't know why the photos are in the wrong orientation - they were ok when I was working on them. *

 

I've added a beam shelf each side to support the deck beams when the time comes, and I've also added a couple of crossbeams to support the oarframe.

 

 

 

And I've completed Emperor Alexios, two of his courtiers and one of his Varangian Guardsmen (I may or may not make a second one - depends on the space available on the poop deck). 

   

 

 

 

Next on the list will be making and fitting the mast step(s) and re-fitting the "wings" for the rudders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2018 by Louie da fly

[druxey]

Good to see you back. That first photo make you look as if you live in - oh, yes, you do live Down Under! Those figures look great now they are painted.

[Louie da fly]

* Fixed now. All photos the right way up. Sorry for any neck injuries as people craned to see them.

 

Steven

[CaptainSteve]

Nice work on the carvings, Steven ... right down to the appropriately Norse-looking Varangian Guardsman.

[Louie da fly]

Yes, and he's about a head taller than everyone else - the Arab chronicler Ibn Fadlan described them as "tall as date palms".

 

Steven

[Louie da fly]

I've added the beam shelf for the primne or poop deck.

 

 

And I've made 8 of the 50 oars I need for the lower bank - note, the inboard end will be hidden, and supported by a bracket of my own cunning design. On the left is the first  oar I made, then a blank for the new improved version, and finally a completed oar. Only 42 to go!

 

 

On re-visiting the original mediaeval illustrations I came to the conclusion that the upper bank's blades were the wrong shape and after a lot of soul-searching I decided that I couldn't live with that, and I had to change them. Rather than make a whole new set of oars I built them up with home-made filler (using sawdust from the same wood the oars were made of) and then carved and sanded to the correct shape.

 

 

 

Steven

 

 

[BANYAN]

Looks good Steven; the oars came up well with the "adjustment"

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Louie da fly]

Thanks, Pat. Yes, they now look a lot more like the ones in the 11th century Byzantine representation at the top of this page.

 

Steven

[Louie da fly]

Oh, and regarding my quandary over whether to make the dromon single or two-masted, I think I've been convinced to go for two by this (admittedly 14th century) picture of a two-masted lateener sailing goose-winged. 

 

 

Really the only way I can see a dromon could sail without heeling over too much (10 degrees) for stability is to sail directly before the wind - and goose-winged not only equalises the forces from port and starboard, but it looks so cool!

 

Steven 

[woodrat]

what did they do with the oars when running before the wind? Were they pulled in and locked?

Dick

[Louie da fly]

If the decision was to proceed under sail alone (which would give the oarsmen a rest), I expect the oars would be brought inboard. That's a whole subject in itself, which I worked out a solution to (it's in an earlier page of this thread), but I have no idea whether it's what was done at the time. Certainly there are pictures of Renaissance galleys with all the oars at rest, locked at a low angle above the horizontal.

 

There are references to ships rowing and sailing at the same time, both in ancient and Renaissance sources (though unfortunately not in Byzantine sources, as far as I'm aware). Above a certain strength of wind, the tendency would be to make for port - in a hurry. There are any number of references to Byzantine (and Arab) fleets being completely wiped out by storms.

 

I've just been re-reading The Jason Voyage by Tim Severin, the record of building a twenty-oared reconstruction (a penteconter was too expensive) of the Argo and rowing/sailing her from the Greek mainland to southern Russia. Fascinating stuff, and the oarsmen certainly welcomed a break from the eternal rowing. Both of the steering oars broke twice on the voyage, and the trip through the Bosphorus against the south-flowing current from the Black Sea was a real test. And they had blisters on their hands all the time. They'd burst, form scabs, and then new blisters would form.

 

Not for me, I'm afraid.

 

Steven  

[berniew]

Just speed-read through most of this build. An epic! Nice work!

[Louie da fly]

The blades for all 50 upper bank oars have been re-shaped , and 35 of the 50 oars for the lower bank are made. Only 15 to go. Upper bank at the top of the photo, lower bank below. Photo quality's not fantastic, I'm afraid.

 

  
 

 

I've also started work on the mast steps for the two masts. Each is made using three strips of wood glued together to create a readymade slot for them to fit over the keelson. I've used clingwrap to keep them from sticking to the keelson.

 

  

Once the glue is dry, I'll shape each mast step properly and then put a hole through each at the appropriate angle for the mast rake. Still have to make the masts - I should probably do that before I make the holes to take them . . .

 

Steven  

Edited April 22, 2018 by Louie da fly

[BANYAN]

A very time consuming effort Steven but well worth it.  As a matter of interest what do you use as a guide to achieve the angle of the rake when cutting your holes in the mast step?

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Louie da fly]

Thanks everybody for all the likes.

 

Banyan, I haven't worked that out yet. What I had in mind was to mark the rake on the side of the mast step, and using that as a guide, mark the entry and exit points of the holes and then drill a very small diameter hole trying to join them as closely as possible, then carefully enlarge the hole to correct any misalignment.

 

Hope it works!

 

Steven

[BANYAN]

Hi again Steven, before I had access to using a mill I used guide blocks.  With them I would place the hull of the model in a cradle that I ensured had a flat bottom and 90deg (squared) sides, which I then fix under an industrial sized mill a mate owns.  Once aligned I can be sure the holes are in a straight line fore-and-aft, and we can also set the angle of each mast rake via a tilting table.

 

WRT the guide blocks, I used small perfectly squared blocks of wood which I again align and drill under a smaller mill.  I then use the resulting hole in the block to guide/transfer drilling the hole in the hull.  For one job I also cut a channel in the drilled block to sit over the keelson to help align it for and aft to ensure the rake was in the right direction.  A form of that method (without using a mill) may be one way to go - that is drill a guide block first? 

 

Your model is much more delicate and the holes deeper in the hull than my models so the bigger mill idea won't be of much help.  Good luck, I will be interested to see how this develops/works out for you.

 

cheers

 

Pat

Edited April 23, 2018 by BANYAN

[Louie da fly]

Hmm, interesting. I'll have a look at the guide blocks as a possibility; it sounds like a better method than my own. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

No mill available, so I'll have to give that one the go-by.

 

Steven 

[Mark Pearse]

Hi Steven -

 

Just following the discussion with Pat, was it certain that the masts sat in raked holes? NB: I don't know anything about these craft....

 

Mark