US Brig Niagara by mikiek - FINISHED - Model Shipways - Scale 1:64 - First wooden ship build

[texxn5]

Hi Mikie, I think those are just holes for running the Stays through. You might check out my pictures of the real Bowsprit on my website - I think I show those as I took a lot of pictures of the Bowsprit back in June. Just a thought for clarity. She's looking good, keep up the good work. I drove up to the Bentwater gate and turned around today taking my little red car out for a drive.

 

John

[jbshan]

They're just holes for the line to run through.  A pair of dotted lines in the middle of a spar means one hole, following the direction of the lines.  The dumb sheave at the end of the spar is basically a groove, again shaped to match the line on the plans.  They're 'dumb' because they don't have a turning pulley, much as a light is 'dead' if it's solid and doesn't let light through.

Glad you've made preparations for structures under the deck.  I could see only bad things coming.  A sharp scalpel might come in handy there, with holes drilled at the corners as stops.

Edited February 29, 2016 by jbshan

[mikiek]

Thanks John and Joel for that input.  I'm still learning how to read plans.

 

I am continuing on with the bow mast. Cutting those groves (dumb sheaves) was not easy. Was pretty nervous about splitting the small end of the jib boom. I am close to completing all the parts. Will post pix of my work when I get there.

 

Joel, one thing I forgot to mention on that deck. For better or worse, the practicum said to paint a light coating of white glue on the underside. I did do that. Hopefully it will add a little strength.

[Canute]

Mike, another trick for use on sheet stock is to put some light colored masking or drafting tape on the back side of the sheet. You can draw the outlines of the deck furniture on the tape and make your cutouts from the backside, off the model. You want the tape on to prevent splitting along the grain. Cut it away where it crosses your deck beams, so the planking runs smooth and flat. That's assuming you don't plan to show off any 'tween decks areas. If you're doing that, take the tape off.

[mikiek]

Thanks for that reminder Ken. I 've heard that and meant to do it when I drilled the holes for the masts. For sure I will do it when I start cutting the structure footprints.  I'm also hoping a real slow cut with a scroll saw will do better than the dull drill bit.  Of course I do have to drill a hole to get the scroll saw started.

[mikiek]

Just about to wrap up the bowsprit and boom - except for the actual assembly.  I shaped all the spars from boxwood squares, but ended up using basswood for all the small pieces. Overall I happy with the outcome. I posted a few pix before I painted - It's kinda hard to see detail when everything is black.

 

First problem during this was the cap for the bowsprit. Apparently I used it on one of the masts. The only two I still had on the laser cut sheets were way too small. So I had to make one. You can see it in the pix.

 

Second problem, same part. Per the plans, I had to file a bevel in the holes in the cap so the jib boom will sit parallel with the bowsprit - the cap doesn't sit perpendicular on the bowsprit. Well sure enough, genius here glues the cap on backwards. I tried to get it off but the glue held and I didn't want to have to make another so - more filing.

 

The metalwork came out OK. I got to use a resistance solderer for that. Very cool! No heating and waiting, just touch the electrodes to the part, press the foot switch, BAM, done. The plans call for metal staples (whatever that is) to help fasten the dolphin striker to the bowsprit cap. I ended up using some brass wire bent in U shapes. You can see those in the pic of the bowsprit cap. I must say they are mainly for looks. The striker is also glued to the cap.

 

Cutting a few of the dumb sheaves was also a challenge. One of them was at the end of a stick that was about 1/32". I drilled as big a hole as I dared and then used an Exacto to scratch open the hole to the end of the stick. There's a pic on that.

 

I really want to assemble all the spars but then I have to put it somewhere out of the way. Same reason I haven't assembled all the mast pieces yet.

 

Back to the hull. When I was finishing up the transom I noticed that one of the gunwale strakes, where it terminates at the transom, is off (too high) on one side, almost 1/8". This is going to have to be fixed as I'm sure the offset would wreak havoc when I start planking the hull. Those 2 strakes are glued and painted so it's going to be tough to get them off cleanly. One good thing, as with all the timbers I am laying, the planks for the gunwales were cut as 20 footers rather than one long stick. So if I can get the ones next to the transom loose they should break free where they butt up to the adjacent plank. It least that's the theory.

 

One general question. I almost overlooked the hawse pipes for the anchor line. The plans are a little vague. So you drill a hole thru the bulwark - then what? It seems like there would be some pipe or tubing to run thru the hole. Nothing supplied with the kit that looks like it would fit the bill. Let me know how you have done it.

[mikiek]

Sometimes I amaze myself - just shake my head and wonder. Tell me what's wrong with the pic below

 

 

Don't see it? Here's some help.

 

 

OK - times up.  The tenon is angled the wrong way. It should extend longer at the bottom. It's bass ackwards. AHHHhhhhhhh!

 

Lazy guy that I am I am not about to make another bowsprit. So options as I see them:

 

1. Break out the file and file the tenon to the correct angle. Downside - this will shorten the bowsprit and I don't know how that would affect rigging.

 

2. Make a perpendicular cut to the bowsprit either at the square part right behind the tenon or the square part behind the cleat. Then rotate the end 180 degrees and glue back together. Maybe adding some pins for strength.

 

I'm open to any ideas you guys have......

[leclaire]

Mike,

 

Two thoughts. One, i would go with your second solution. Much easier and it should not show after the bowsprit is painted. My second thought is that when I do things like this I have a really hard time not taking the whole thing and slamming it against a wall. Hats off for your patience.

 

Bob

[mikiek]

You know it's funny Bob, it's the little stuff that really burns me up. Drop something on the floor, can't find the pencil I was holding 10 seconds ago, etc.  A lot of screaming and yelling goes on over  things like that.

 

Big things like this, I just sat there shaking my head in disbelief, and finally broke out in a very sarcastic laugh.

 

Like you I'm thinking option 2. The only possible problem is that the top side of the bowsprit doesn't taper. The other sides do. If I rotate the end I am moving the flat topside to the bottom where there is taper and the tapered bottom up to the flat top.  It may not be that noticeable or if it is could be touched up with some sanding.  I am about to find out.

[jbshan]

Mike, just glue a chunk on there, maybe with a tiny dowel up from the end, and re-shape until it fits correctly.

[mikiek]

That's why I love ya' Joel. Such a simple solution. Why do I always make things so difficult?

[mikiek]

Well things turned out to be worse than I thought. I had most of the bowsprit upside down. The reason this matters is that the top of the bowsprit, while it takes on the octagon, square and round) is not tapered. The sides and the bottom are. You can see this in a couple of the pix. 

 

All the treads that are supposed to run along the top were on the bottom. The metal band under the bees had the eyehole on the top. The cap was upside down and in order to turn the band around I would have to remove the bees and the cap. And as I mentioned earlier that cap did not want to come off. The chocks and cleats on the sides were also OK.

 

So I cut off all the treads, was able to cleanly remove the bees but I had to saw the cap off the end - tenon and all. I figured with a little structural help I could glue that back on. So with those pieces off I sanded all the glue off the bowsprit and cut new pieces to re-install.

 

My biggest concern was the cap. I know this piece will take on a lot of stress once the rigging starts. I wasn't sure glue by itself would hold. So I made a couple of pins out of some .8  wire, drilled a couple of holes in the end of the bowsprit and a couple more in the cap where it would contact the bowsprit. Stuck the pins in the bowsprit added some glue, then put the cap on the end with the pins going into those holes.

 

I've added the other pieces to the real top this time and everything is setting now. I'm still not sure if the cap will hold under stress. I guess I'll find out.

[jbshan]

Looks better now, Mike.  There was 'something' before but couldn't put my finger on it.

[mikiek]

Nothing like a day of rework    In addition to rebuilding the bowsprit I had to make the boom irons over as well. The rings are too far apart on the first one which sets the flying jib boom off in a crazy direction. The plans show a little bit of separation between the rings. I'm seeing that the rings need to be touching each other. It's a little weird because the fjb doesn't sit on the same plane as the other spars.

 

A cool side note - a future build arrived today. Victory Brig Mercury. Very impressive! The materials look first rate. But that's another post in another forum. At any rate I am taking tonite to look it over and go over the plans. I need to get it out of my system before I end up with 2 hulls on the workbench.

 

Can I just retire and do this from now on?

[donrobinson]

Mike things are looking great , and as far as retiring and doing this from now on ..............it isn't as good as it sounds trust me...........but maybe don't trust me

 You're time is coming, you will love it    just wait....trust me!

[mikiek]

More rework today - I tore into the gunwale that was misaligned. Suprisingly I was able to loosen it up. The end that stops at the transom was literally 1/8" too high. I got that re-glued but of course this caused a gap between the gunwale and the bulwark planking above it. So I ended up ripping out some of the planking and then re-laying new planks on top of the repositioned gunwale.

 

I hate tearing up perfectly good work!!! At least I'm getting back on course with everything.

[mikiek]

Hi Mikie, I think those are just holes for running the Stays through. You might check out my pictures of the real Bowsprit on my website - I think I show those as I took a lot of pictures of the Bowsprit back in June. Just a thought for clarity. She's looking good, keep up the good work. I drove up to the Bentwater gate and turned around today taking my little red car out for a drive.

 

John

John - the pix on your site really helped today.  Was looking how the bowsprit mounts on the deck and the plans are not helpful. At least to someone at my skill/knowledge level. Even Googling Samson Post didn't really give me an idea of what it is supposed to look like on Niagara. As it turns out it's pretty simple.

[mikiek]

Most of the evening so far has been spent just putzing around. I have made one executive decision. Well maybe two.

 

I have been struggling with how to make a real nibbing strake. It is going to have to be in pieces so getting the right planks or sheet has been an issue. The actual cutting of the nibs I see to be pretty difficult given that at the bow, each plank has a nib. Realistically, I think trying to cut something like that and have it presentable is more than I want to deal with now.

 

So, to reduce the effort I am sanding the nib off every other plank. This leaves more space between nibs which should make cutting them less intense. I've done that to one side and you can judge from the pic.

 

I think I will also first trace and cut the pattern in some styrene. Then I can use that as a template to figure out how/where to join some real planks. Since there is not much space between the deck and the waterway, there has been a question of where to put the joints. Scarph joints take up some room on their own so placing them will be part of the process.

[texxn5]

Looks good Mike, things are shaping up. I returned your PM earlier, let me hear from you and I can get some things together for you.

John

[mikiek]

I feel like I accomplished something today. I put together a nibbing strake.

 

First I traced out the deck edge on a sheet of styrene. Then I drew an arc about 3/8" above that, and cut that out. It took a little filing to get it sized. You can see it dropped in place.

 

 

Next I had to decide where to break up the strake. Not as easy as it sounds, as the scarph joints require a certain amount of width and the strake is not all that wide. After drawing the joints out on the styrene it was time to start cutting the actual pieces. At the bow - where all the nibbing ugliness is - I used a 1/4"x1/16" plank. I went with basswood since I figured it would be a little easier to shape.

 

 

Cut the pieces one by one adding a simple scarph joint to each end.

 

 

 

The final product. When I got to the straight pieces I switched to 1/8"x1/16" planks.

 

 

I wish I could just take these parts (the port side) and copy them for the starboard but there are some slight variances so I will have to go thru the exercise again.

 

The outer edge of the strake will still need to be shaped to fit snug to the waterway. I'm thinking of gluing the pieces to the deck edge and then filing the outer edge as required. All in all I'm fairly happy with the outcome.

 

This all seemed to go pretty smoothly, almost too much so.  Let me know if you can think of something I haven't considered.

 

I'm also priming and sanding the bulwarks again. I'm looking forward to getting that painted again.

[Elijah]

Looks good! I hope it fits well !

[mikiek]

Well I hit one of those "chicken and egg" situations.  I wanted to glue the basswood nibbing strake to the deck edge but then I began thinking about coloring. On thought lead to another.  Several problems:

 

1. I still don't have a stain I like for the boxwood deck

2. Any stain I use is going to look different on basswood vs boxwood.

3. I want a decent sized gap between the strake and deck so I can add a good filling of "caulking" (probably PA glue with coloring)

4. Whatever the caulking ends up being, I'm afraid the basswood and to a lesser extent the boxwood could absorb some of the coloring. If so I probably lose the nice clean edges as the coloring soaks into the interior of the planks.

5. Considered different colored stains for deck and strake. If so then each needs to be colored and finished before gluing together.

 

Hey at least I'm thinking ahead

 

 

A few ideas towards these problems:

 

1. I will hit the paint store on the way home today. I WILL find something I like today.

2. Decided to use a completely different stain on the nibbing strake.  We used a stain called Bright Cherry on all the cabinetry in our house. I love the color - kind of a light redwood. I plan to use this for all deck structures so I will use it for the strake as well

3. I think if I get the deck and strake stained and lacquered (sealed), any colored filler would wipe off much better and would not be absorbed.

     3B. I might consider using black construction paper in the gap rather than a liquid filler.

 

 

I installed the jib boom on the bowsprit. No glue so far. Just lashed the heel to the boom saddle per the plans.  MY FIRST RIGGING!!!

[mikiek]

I believe I have the coloring situation resolved. Since I didn't like any stain I was testing on the boxwood, I went with a color called Natural.  No real pigmentation, it just gives sort of a wet look. I love it! Pix below but as usual they don't do justice to colors. I have pre-treated and then stained the deck.

 

For the nibbing strake I did go ahead with the Bright Cherry stain I mentioned earlier. I've also resolved not to use any more basswood on the deck. Using the same stain, the color difference between basswood and boxwood is noticeable - at least to me.

 

Also below is the bowsprit with booms. I think I'll try more of the rigging on this structure. I would think it needs to be pretty solid (and mounted) before masts can be stepped and rigged.

Edited March 9, 2016 by mikiek

[Elijah]

Nice stain! It looks good!

[mikiek]

Thanks Elijah - I wish ya'll could see it in person. It really came out exactly as I was imagining. Add to that the boxwood deck planks have some color variation, and since they're cut as 20' planks rather than one strake, the variations are randomly scattered throughout.

 

I've put down one coat of varnish this morning. Will let that dry and then sand. Expecting to do 3 coats.

Edited March 9, 2016 by mikiek

[texxn5]

The "Natural" colored stains really reflect a nice finish especially with a satin finish clear varnish. Looks really good Mike, you're moving right along.

[mikiek]

Thanks John - it may not seem like much, but as much as I was disliking all the stains I tried, it was really a big load off my mind to find a winner. It was kind of one of those "duh" moments. I didn't like any color, so what about no color.

 

Thinking about it now, I am surprised at how many other tasks were on hold until I could get the deck resolved.

[texxn5]

Yeah, I used an acrylic natural stain with the acrylic satin varnish combined in the same can (came that way) on the deck of my Morgan. It's by Minwax, and I loved it as well as it looked good. Good choice and good job.

John

Edited March 9, 2016 by texxn5

[mikiek]

Wow, wish I had known about that. I used the standard type stain (the stuff you have to clean up with turpentine) and was concerned about applying acrylic varnish on top. I couldn't find anything saying "DON'T" so I did. There doesn't appear to be any problems.

[texxn5]

Yeah, it's in a blue can comes in quarts. I was mistaken about the manufacturer - pulled it off the top of my head - should know better. I just found the can and my apologies again, it looks about the same as your finished product, however it is called "Water-borne, Polystain - Stain and Polyurethane All in One"..... it's color is Maple Satin Finish 8261. Sorry 'bout that. It still worked very well for me.