Henry Grace a Dieu (Great Harry) by Louie da fly - FINISHED - Scale 1:200 - Repaired after over 50 yrs of neglect

[Louie da fly]

Gluing ratlines to the fore-topmast and fore-topgallant shrouds (to be trimmed later).

 

 

 

 

Finally glued the mainmast in place, and added the lower main shrouds - the starboard ones already had ratlines glued on and deadeyes in place, but needing to be attached to the channel.

 

 

 

 

 

Glued the dragon figurehead in place.

 

 

Carved oars for the longboat

 

 

And added the oars, the mast and spar (I haven't been able to find anything out about what rig these vessels would have had, so I've copied Dutch contemporary pictures and given her a spritsail rig)

 

 

And glued the hatch cover and longboat in place on the main deck. I had to wait until the mainmast was glued in place before I could close up the hatch - otherwise I wouldn't have been able to see when I was slotting the bottom of the mast into the mast-step - it's been quite a wait.

 

 

 

Steven

 

 

 

 

 

[Baker]

Always nice to follow this build and be surprised what some can do on this small scale.

Great "small" work Steven

[Louie da fly]

To be honest, most of it isn't really much harder than in bigger scales - except the deadeyes! Oh, dear, they're a real problem (not threading them, making them small enough and drilling the holes so they don't split. Then finding fine enough thread to run the lanyards.

 

In the end I gave up on the deadeyes for the topmasts and topgallants - just wasn't practical - I just left them off. They're so tiny you really have to look hard to see they're missing.

 

Steven

[Louie da fly]

I wasn't happy with how the ratlines on the fore topmast and topgallant worked out - cutting off the free ends with scissors, craft knife, anything, just didn't work well. Nothing was sharp enough, even when I used a brand-new craft knife blade. The thread "feathered" and went messy; sometimes even came away.

 

So I decided to try a different method on the main mast, and if it worked I'd re-do the foremast.

 

First steps the same - glue the shrouds together, and then onto the mast at the top, with a lot of free thread at the bottom. Then glue each shroud to the edge of the fighting top, with a small peg as a weight to pull the shroud straight. Then glue the ratlines on one by one, with an overlap at each end.

 

   

 

So far exactly the same as before. But here's the change. Once all the ratlines were glued on, I removed the shroud/ratline assemblies from the mast, turned them over on the cutting board, and trimmed the ends off with a sharp craft knife. Then glued the assemblies back in place.

 

    

 

     

 

Still not perfect, but a lot better than the previous method. So I'll definitely re-do the ones on the foremast.

 

Now attaching the lower deadeyes, one by one, to the starboard main channel. NOTE: This is NOT the standard way of doing this - it's my own method that I evolved because I already had the shrouds and ratlines in an existing assembly, because I didn't know what I was doing when I was seventeen.

 

 

And all deadeyes in place (sorry about the photo quality). I was even able to re-use some that I'd made back in the day. I'll be fixing these in place with CA so they don't come loose when I tighten the lanyards, and also trim and fix the lower ends to the hull, as though they are the chains - because when I was seventeen I didn't know chains existed.

 

 

Now on the larboard side, temporarily gluing the shrouds to the main channel so I can glue on the ratlines to match the starboard configuration. Again, I'm re-using the old shrouds - in this case I never got around to gluing the ratlines on. Note the small peg used as a weight to put tension on the shroud.

 

 

 

 

All lower shrouds in place and beginning to glue on the lower ratlines - don't worry about the scruffy glue at the bottom where the shrouds meet the channels. That will all be sorted later when I add the deadeyes.

 

 

And now completing the main stay by adding its upper deadeye and lanyards. I won't fully tighten it up until later in case the other rigging affects the tension. As mentioned before, the mainstay splits into two and passes both sides of the foremast.

 

       

 

 

Adding the main topmast shrouds.

 

   

 

And gluing the ratlines onto them.

 

       

 

Steven

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by Louie da fly

[druxey]

Looks like that is working out well for you, Steven.

[AnchorClanker]

Your model is looking very good!  Keep up the good work.

 

Mark

 

[BANYAN]

The effort was worth it Steven; looking good.

 

cheers

 

Pat

Edited February 16, 2022 by BANYAN

[Louie da fly]

And some more . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steven

Edited February 19, 2022 by Louie da fly

[Roger Pellett]

Steven,

 

When I looked in to see your progress, I accidentally hit the first post of your first page and was reminded how little that you actually had to start with when you decided to rescue this model. 

 

Very well done.

 

Roger

Edited February 20, 2022 by Roger Pellett

[Louie da fly]

Thanks for the comment, Roger, and to everyone for the likes.

 

I just looked at the date on the first page of this log. It's taken me over 6 years to get to this stage (though on further inspection it appears I had a gap of two and a half years where I did nothing on it. Don't feel quite so bad about it . . .)

 

Steven

Edited February 20, 2022 by Louie da fly

[Louie da fly]

Some good news and bad news.

 

First the good news; I've finished adding the ratlines on the larboard main shrouds. 

 

In progress:

 

 

 

 

All ratlines in place but before trimming

 

    

 

 

After trimming

 

   

 

 

 

Now the bad news - the main starboard deadeyes really aren't working.

 

 

They're all over the place, some of the deadeyes themselves have broken (red circles below - they're made of wood), they're different sizes, different distances apart, some twisted (yellow circle), the holes have pulled through so the lanyards terminate in the wrong places (blue circle) - and I have no idea what happened in the green circle. Add to that the fact that some of the lanyards got glued into the holes so I couldn't pull them tight.  Gak!

 

 

I think I really need to re-examine all of these, probably rip them all off and start again doing it differently. I've started experimenting, but not having a lot of success so far.

 

Steven

[Baker]

This is indeed not good

I think it is best that the grain of the wood of the deadeyes is in the same direction as the holes you drill in them.

37 minutes ago, Louie da fly said:

probably rip them all off

Think about it first before you do drastic things 😉

 

[henrythestaffy]

Steven, let me know if you want me to print some for you.

 

Paul

[druxey]

Is the material the deadeyes are made from really suitable at that size and scale? How frustrating for you.

[liteflight]

I love the ethos on MSW: if it’s not good enough - repeat till (the builder) satisfied

 

Steven, you might consider using thin Paxolin (resin-bonded paper or cloth). Very strong and won’t do the splitting that wood is prone to.
 Bonus - it’s not too far from wood colour!

Disadvantage:  smell of phenolic resin when drilling
alternative: thin birch ply (0.4mm) maybe in two laminations depending on the thickness required

i make small holes in this ply with a needle - sometimes a hot needle

 

Both materials would laser-cut easily, toooo

 

andrew

Stop press:

Activity detected at Viking Shipyard!

blog creaks into action

 

 

[Louie da fly]

Thanks everybody for the reactions, and suggestions on how to fix it.

 

Baker and Druxey, I really think that wood isn't capable of this kind of job - I don't have any boxwood so I don't know its grain would be fine enough, but I think it would be the only wood suitable - and maybe even that wouldn't work. I've tried pear wood and it splits as well. I've tried card impregnated with white glue and it works better, but still not really all that wonderful. Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything drastic until I have a better solution, but I really think the current deadeyes have to go.

 

Liteflight, I've never heard of Paxolin. Where do you get it in Oz? I don't think the birch would work any better than what I'm using, but I have considered the hot needle method - just a matter of practicality; over 100 deadeyes each with 3 holes, without burning my fingers . . .

 

Henrythestaffy, I'm sending you a PM.

 

Thanks again, everyone.

 

Steven

[Keith Black]

 Steven, I think you'd be better served impregnating the card with CA instead of white glue. 

[Louie da fly]

Hi Keith,

 

I tried that. Really not as satisfactory.

 

Steven

[mtaylor]

Have you tried a very thin CA to impregnate wood the size you need?  Otherwise, it sounds like  you'll need to go to plastic.

[GrandpaPhil]

Steven,

 

Henry Grace a Dieu is looking phenomenal.
 

What’s the wood grain orientation on the dead eyes that are holding?  
 

At that size, that would become a factor.  
 

Also, I’ve used thin CA on small wood parts to shore them up before.

[Louie da fly]

Just to answer a question several of you have asked, the grain orientation is up and down or side to side (depending on which way up the deadeye is), not front-to-back. I think that would be an even worse invitation for the wood to split.

 

Steven

[liteflight]

Steven

Paxolin, also known as Tufnol ( both trade names).  It’s Sunday name is SRBP ( synthetic resin bonded paper).  Resin is phenolic, and it’s equally strong in all directions at right angles to the sheet ( what we need for dead eyes

its stronger brother SPBF (Tufnol Carp) is the same resin bonded into cotton fabric - even stronger and tougher

 

they all seem to be available in Aus from electrical and gasket suppliers, 0.5 mm to 75 mm thick 

https://agaus.com.au/?s=Srbf
https://au.rs-online.com/web/b/tufnol-/

 

I should go back and see what thickness you are using.  Tufnol  sheet goes down to 0.4 mm and I would guess you are using something like 1mm, or 40thou to its friends.

 

 Birch!  I was speaking of my favourite birch ply!  0.4 mm thick 3-ply.  A couple of laminations of that and little matters like “grain” and “ tearing” are history

Best way to make the lanyard holes would be laser - I have found many places in Melbourne who will laser cut from a program ( or drawing) and will supply material or use yours.  They might bilk ( or balk) at phenolic because of the fume properties.  Birch ply cuts beautifully, so they could nest many deadeyes and spares and cut them in one pass

 

Sadly my flying buddy with a CO2 laser died last year or I would offer to get them made as a trial

 

andrew

[liteflight]

Reread the shroud saga!

 

Reminded myself how small these bastards devices are!

 

Snippet of info that may help you or other threaders of gnats eyes:  fly tying thread is not round but flattish with many near-parallel strands with a slow helix (for good and sufficient fly-tying reasons).  It therefore can be split into thinner strands.

 

This info from https://www.bottledshipbuilder.com/topic/393-fly-tying-thread-for-rigging/

BTW - there is a staggering amount of info about the small side of model shipbuilding which we all might find interesting in the forums

 

I have some fly thread - again the thinnest that was available at a local shop called "the compleat angler" about 5 minutes from me.  They are probably still laughing on finding out the intended uses of the materials I buy

 

I'll have a wee keek at the fly thread and see if I can split it - I'm intrigued now

 andrew

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[liteflight]

https://www.bottledshipbuilder.com/topic/34-thread-silk-rope-etc/?do=findComment&comment=876

 

This thread mentions actual sizes, and also the makeup of fly threads from multiple strands

 

andrew

[BANYAN]

Steven, I have some 'privet' which is in the boxwood genus.  This is a dense wood which is very tight grained and strong, but as with any wood when you go thin, it loses strength.

 

I can spare you some if you would like to experiment/use it?

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Roger Pellett]

How about impregnating them with shellac or clear lacquer based natural l polish.  Either one is nicer to work with than UGH! CA glue.

[Louie da fly]

Thanks everybody for the suggestions. Fortunately it looks like @henrythestaffy is coming to the rescue by 3D printing a whole bunch of them for me. My heartfelt thanks, mate.

 

And this is the reason I'm having so much trouble making the deadeyes out of natural materials:

 

 

That deadeye is 2mm on each side. I haven't been able to make any myself that are smaller than 3mm. And keeping in mind that those three holes have to be big enough for cotton thread to fit through . . .

 

Steven

 

 

[druxey]

This is the wonderful part of a community like MSW; folk helping each other out. Kudos to Henry!

[Louie da fly]

8 hours ago, druxey said:

Kudos to Henry!

 

 

I totally agree. Not only henry, but over the years I have had so much generous unselfish help from many MSW members which has been invaluable to me. This is a pretty special forum.

 

Steven 

[henrythestaffy]

Steven i have two lots of deadeyes totalling about 250 so far. The sides are a bit straighter than the previous ones but not completely straight. I found they didnt print very well unless i added a bit of meat around the holes. I have made the ends a lot tighter as you wanted as well. I reckon if i print this amount again it should give you enough to complete your task . I should have them finished on monday for you.

 

regards

 

Paul