HM Cutter Cheerful 1806 by Erik W - 1:48 scale

[Chuck]

I have a crazy busy next two days.  But if  I can manage to squeeze it in I will try and take some photos of the simplified method I use.  You dont need anything to hold the breech line except your fingers if this method suits you.  There are so many ways to do it and everyone has theirs thats suits them.  But I will share mine.  It wont make sense without photos so its not something I can just describe.

[Tossedman]

Those look great Erik! What did you use for the cap squares?

 

Cheers,

 

Todd

[glbarlow]

This  Helping Hands  is an essential tool for all rigging in my opinion. This link is for US Amazon, I’m sure they are available elsewhere online. They come in multiple sized base plates with different types and amount of arms. I like this smaller plate with four arms, I later acquire a fifth arm. I used to use a cheap smaller version, this one though was a game changer for my rigging, makes it all much easier. You have many seizings in your future. 
 

I think it was when I built Cheerful I first used it, post 669 and 706 among others show it in action. 

Edited September 23 by glbarlow

[Erik W]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

 

Peter,  Thanks for the advice.  I rigged up a temporary tool with a alligator clip on a wood block.

 

Chuck,  If you have time, I'd appreciate any photos you can post of your method.

 

Todd,  My cap squares were made from strips of black construction paper with the hinge being represented by 24 gauge wire.  Low tech, but they actually look pretty good.

 

Glenn, Yes!  I had actually seen the helping hand you used in your post on the breech rope.  As I get closer to the main rigging phase, I'll definitely keep those in mind.

 

Thanks all,

Erik

[Chuck]

 

Start with a breech rope slightly longer than you will need.  Have four eyebolts with rings at the ready.   Also have whatever line you intend to use for seizing ready.   In my case some mara 120 thread that matched my rope color.  Note that I have made a loose granny knot on this.  Or one simple overhand knot but left open and ready to go!!!

Place one ringbolt on the rope and simply bend it over to form a loop.  Leave the tail a bit longish.  I just squeeze the loose loop as shown below with my fingers.  No helping hands needed.  Then I slip the seizing "open knot" onto the end.   Easy peasy.  Then cinch it tight....

This is what it looks like.  And yes the seizing needs to be pushed closer to the end of the breech and ringbolt.  No glue as of yet.

Use a tweezers that you are comfy using for this stuff.   Slide the seizing which is still just a loose overhand knot closer to the end.   It may open a bit.  Thats OK.  Just tighten it again when the seizing is where you want it.  At this stage I place the tiniest bit of CA glue (any glue will work here)  on the knot after tightening it.  Then I use my fingers to brush away any excess so it doesnt make the rope stained or discolored.   Yes you get CA on your fingers.   But the rope stays perfectly clean.   I see folks moaning that CA darkens and stains the rope.  This is nonsense if you wipe most of it away before it dries and you dont use too much to begin with.

No discoloration....super simple method and no helping hands or wacky jigs yet.

It may be hard to see in the photo below.   But

I take one loose end of the seizing and pinch it between my fingers and away from the seizing.   I am basically pinching the ringbolt and top of the looped breech line.   See the other loose end hanging off the far side?

Take that loose end and simply wrap it around the breech two or three times.  I have seen folks wrap like 25 times and make a long seizing.,  This never lays correctly and will look sloppy.  I keep my seizings always very short with at maximum only 3 wraps around.  Then I add a drop of CA to the top of the wrapped seizings.  Just a small drop.   No knotting needed.   I pinch and brush the excess CA away with my fingers to keep it clean without darkening at all.  It will only stain if you douse it with way too much CA.  What  a mess that makes and changes the texture of the rope.  Your fingers get sticky and pull the fibers of the rope etc.  I just dip a toothpick into some CA on a scrap piece of wood and barely touch the seizing.  

Then using a tiny scissors which I have maybe 5 of.....these are spring loaded micro scissors that are very sharp.   I cut the loose ends of the seizing very close to the breech rope.  You dont want to see any sticking out after cutting.  Sometimes a mall amount of CA on that end and using a tweezers to fold it into the breech rope will solve this issue.   I hate when the cut loose ends stick out.  Cut both loose ends.

 

Its nice and neat and no discoloration or staining.  Rope is clean and crisp as it should be.  Note the long "loose" end of the breech rope.

Time to trim that with a sharp blade.  Trim it close and at an angle.  To keep the end of the cut rope from fraying I sometimes put some CA on the op where I am going to cut it.  Then immediately wipe it away with my fingers again to keep it clean before it dries.   

The cut end....note the angle of the cut and the clean rope with no fraying or staining.

Then slide two ringbolts on the breech rope which will be inserted on the gun carriages later.  Take the last one and repeat the process to seize the other end just like we described.

 

Only now you should slide the cinched seizing and adjust the length so the overall breech rope is the correct length.   Then just finish it as you did the other side.

Then I make a simulated fake splice in the center to place on the  cannon or Carronade.  I make sure one of those ring bolts are on each side of the center first.  It is very important.  Then I use my plan for the breech line to find the center.   I use a sharp awl to then pierce the center of the breech rope.   I always use 4 strand breech rope so I can pierce it with two strands on each side.  Then I use some CA to stiffen the splice and keep its shape.   I pinch and brush away the excess before it dries....right away.   It will hold its shape.   No shiny spots or staining or dicoloration.

Finished breech rope.

 

[Erik W]

Chuck,

 

Thank you so much!!  I'm glad to see you also posted this tutorial on your Speedwell log.  This needs a wider audience.  This step by step tutorial is exactly what I needed.  I had done my second breech rope yesterday, which turned out well, but I still was fumbling around with how to best hold/secure the breech rope and seizing thread while making the seizings.  So far my outcomes have been fine, but the process of fumbling through it has been super irritating.  So this will help a lot. 

 

Also, I did have the thought that because rigging is new to me, and unlike any other modeling skill I've mastered over the decades, I'm feeling that beginner frustration with how to best approach it.  At least my finished product looks good.  I just now need to develop the skill set to venture forth confidently.

 

Thanks again Chuck.  I really do appreciate it!

Erik

[Chuck]

You are welcome…any time.

[Erik W]

Chuck,

 

When you came up with the rope list for the Cheerful, did you figure in extra rope, like you did extra wood with the wood list?

 

And I just made my 3rd breech rope following your method above.  Much less frustrating, and it took about 35 minutes total, compared to 1 1/2 hours for the last breech rope I made.  And no pulling out the seizings and starting over.

 

Erik

[Chuck]

Yes ….I always add a bit extra.

[oakheart]

12 hours ago, Chuck said:

ready to go!!!

Thanks for this brilliant tutorial @Chuck I have  made some new rope on my shop made ropewalk and just about ready to rig the cannons on my 'Speedy'

Tim

[JpR62]

Many thanks Chuck for this very precise tutorial. An effective method that gives absolutely perfect results. I'll be using it very soon for the carronades on my 'Cheerful'. 😄

[Erik W]

This week I've been in assembly line mode with fashioning the breech ropes and attaching them to the carronades, and then attaching the carronades to the deck.  Chuck's advice on the seizings above has been invaluable for a newby like me.  Six down, four to go . . .

 

*note:  It looks like I'm using different color red paint.  It's the same bottle of Vallejo red I've used all along, but I've noticed it looks more orange when newly applied, but for some reason darkens to more red over time.  Weird.  At any rate, when not under the bright glare of a closely positioned halogen light for photos, the variation is not noticeable to the naked eye.

 

Erik

[Erik W]

I finished the breech ropes.  I definitely got better at the seizings as I did more of them.  It's hard to see, but the seizings on the starboard side are a bit more clean looking than the port side.  More importantly, I feel more comfortable with this intro to rigging stage of things.  So, I may actually be able to do a credible job of rigging this thing after all.  Now onto the gun tackles . . .

 

Erik

[Tigersteve]

Looks really good and clean. I’m sure the rigging will look awesome
Steve

[Erik W]

In the last couple of weeks I've finished the gun tackles on 9 of the 10 carronades.  It took some trial and error to get these the way I wanted them.  My first attempt at seizing both blocks might have been more prototypical, based on the photos I was looking at, with a noticeable small gap between the block and the rear of the attached rigging hook, with the seizing in between.  This though made the two blocks on the sides of the carronades closer to one another, which to my eye, looked less visually appealing than having the blocks spaced further apart.  So, I settled on rigging the blocks with the back of the hooks nearly touching the blocks and with the seizing done using 72 denier 8/0 W fly tying thread (see bottom photo), rather than small sewing thread.   This also kept the seizings from looking too bulky, which I've noticed from looking at photos of other builds, can tend to happen when rigging smaller blocks. 

 

One accidental challenge I made for myself is not paying attention to Chuck's instructions for using 28 gauge wire to make the eye bolts on the carronades.  I inadvertently used 24 gauge wire, but formed to the correct outside diameter as shown on the plans.  When I realized this, I thought it would be no big deal.  The problem is that it left a hole that Chuck's 3mm black plastic rigging hooks barely fit into.  Some eye bolts wouldn't take the hooks at all, or the hooks broke while trying to attach.  So . . . . I had a sheet of the old brass 3mm hooks.  I super glued two of those together so they're the same .020" thickness as the black plastic hooks, and then was able to bend them as required.  I only used these on the rear blocks where the hook is vertical, so intermixing the black plastic hooks with the brass hooks wouldn't be noticeable.  And I figure accidentally using the thicker 24 gauge wire for the eye bolts vs. the correct 28 gauge wire isn't noticeable since the outside diameter of the loop is the same as it would be with the smaller diameter wire.  Anyway, that's my cautionary tale of why reading comprehension is important in model building.  Haha!

 

Also, between the making the breech rope and the gun tackles, I'm feeling much more self-assured as I approach the rigging phase of the build.  I'm more confident that the outcome of the rigging will be of the same standard I've achieved for this build thus far.

 

Erik

[glbarlow]

Glad the fly tying thread is also working for you. 

[Erik W]

Glenn,

 

And I appreciate your recommendation a few months ago.  The fly tying thread works great for small applications.

 

Erik

[alde]

Wow, your Cheerful looks amazing. I was following your build early on but I had some life changing family issues that took me away from the hobby for a few years. Seeing your works is a real inspiration to get back at it.

[Erik W]

Al,

 

Thanks for the kind words!  Yeah, if you look at the time stamps on my posts you see I took a 6 1/2 year break from the build after I finished planking the hull.  So I know what it's like to drift away from the hobby for a bit.

 

Thanks again,

Erik

[Erik W]

I reached a milestone this week.  I finished the carronades.  I spent the last week making rope coils and gluing them in place.  I used Glenn's (glbarlow) method, described in his Cheerful build log, of wrapping the rope around dowels glued into a piece of wood strip and securing the ends to the edge of the wood strip while the glue dried.  For glue I used diluted mat medium with a small amount of rubbing alcohol mixed in (this reduces surface tension).  I like mat medium for applications like this since it doesn't dry glossy, and in this case also doesn't darken the rope's color.  Once the coils were dry, I trimmed the ends of the gun tackle rope, and glued those to the deck using wood glue.  I then glued the coils down with Elmer's white glue.  I haven't used any kind of finish/sealer on this build so wood glue/white glue binds to the bare wood easily enough.  The last two photos below are brutally enlarged close ups, showing the gun rigging, warts and all as they say.  I'm actually quite happy with the way the carronades turned out.  This finished Chapter 10 of Chuck's monograph.  I looked back at my older posts, and it took me 6 months of daily progress to work through Chapter 10.  Luckily I'm not in any kind of hurry! 

 

And a quick funny story:  I had a random ship building dream (my first model building dream ever) where I dreamt that my arm hit one of the boom crutches and it broke off.  I woke up, and had the thought, "OK, I need to watch my arms and hands around the boom crutches".  That day, while working on the Cheerful, I was conscious of watching myself around the stern of the ship.  While finishing up, I partially moved a magnifying light I build under out of the way.  A few minuted later I moved the Cheerful, sitting on it's build board, toward me.  I then heard an audible snap as the boom crutch hit the edge of the magnifying light.  I turned my head in time to see the starboard boom crutch sailing through the air, on a beautiful arc, like an Olympic downhill ski jumper.  It seemed I had time to go through the entire 5 stages of grief before the part landed on the rug.  So . . . I spent part of the last week reattaching the boom crutch and touching up the surrounding paint.  I'm sure anyone reading this can relate to this story.  Haha.

 

Erik

[alde]

I always cringe when I hear stories of accidents with beautiful models. I'm glad you were able to fix it.

[tlevine]

How many times have we all "been there, done that"!

[hollowneck]

I hate it when that happens...

 

[Erik W]

I continue to work on the details on the deck.  Since my last update I've added the split rings and eye bolts to the deck.  I put extra effort into making these as perfect as I could get them, since they are so easily visible on the deck.  After much trial end error I got the results I was looking for with making the eye bolts that hold the deck split rings as small as possible out of 28 gauge wire.  Next up was making the mast coat.  With no power tools, this was quite a challenge.  The hardest part was actually just making the wood washer out of sheet stock.  The inner diameter is purposefully a tad bit small at this point.  Once I have the mast made, I'll sand the hole wider to fit.  The galley stack was pretty straight forward.  This was dusted with rust weathering powder after painting.  And lastly, I made the elm tree pumps.  These were pretty straight forward as well. The black areas of these were also dusted with rust weathering powder.  I took extra care to get them aligned/oriented properly on the deck.

 

Erik

Edited November 17 by Erik W

[alde]

The small details sure matter. Your work looks great.

[Erik W]

Thanks for the nice comment Al, and thanks everyone for all the likes.  My latest progress was fashioning the tiller.  I cut the extra tiller from the plans (Chuck has 2 tillers drawn on the plans), and using double sided tape applied it to 1/8" boxwood sheet.  I cut the tiller out to a slightly bigger size than needed, and then just took my time removing material and shaping it over the last week.  I'd say the most challenging part of this was getting the ball shaped at the end to be as close to spherical as I could.  It's not perfect, but close enough.  I had not attached the rudder permanently to the ship when I made it months ago.  This turned out to be a good decision since it was easier to get the tiller fitted to the rudder off the model.  The joint between the rudder and tiller is reinforced with a short length of .032" diameter brass wire.  I securely glued the rudder in place with wood glue applied to the gudgeons.  I'm on the home stretch now with the deck details!

 

Erik

[glbarlow]

Nice looking tiller.

[Stuntflyer]

Ditto!

[Tossedman]

Looks great Erik! I'm taking notes here. All these fantastic build threads give lots of solutions to things that may pop up when I've got a few builds under my belt and finally build my own Cheerful.

 

Cheers,

 

Todd

[vossiewulf]

Very high quality work, Erik, very nice, keep it up. Doesn't hurt to have the kit designer helping out as you go along either 😁