US Brig Niagara by 6ohiocav - FINISHED - Model Shipways - Scale 1:64

[6ohiocav]

Thanks Mike and Mike,

 

The admiral took a look at this stack and complimented me on making a great looking gas lamp.

[mikiek]

BTW - is that the same height as the pewter one?

[6ohiocav]

its a wee bit taller.

[6ohiocav]

STANDING RIGGING – FORE MAST AND JIB

 

I have been working on the standing rigging of the fore mast and jib for the last 20 days. Here is where I am so far. The fore mast is just sitting in its mast hole. 

 

 

Most of this time has been spent thinking, planning, and too often, interpreting the difficult rigging plans. It became obvious to me that I had to create a plan of attack, keeping in mind that serving, seizing, whipping and tying collars will always be EASIER if done on the bench rather than on the ship. All of the standing rigging lines in the photos below were prepared on the bench and then systematically added to the masts in a planned order.

 

Having created this plan in my head, I thought I would share this with my fellow Niagara builders so that we all could wonder why the kit designer failed to do so.

 

A few caveats. I don’t know if I am doing this correctly. It is my best interpretation of the plans and the written instructions. I have also gone back to my library of Niagara photos. I therefore stand behind this, at least until someone says otherwise.  Take your best shots.

[ca.shipwright]

Nicely done.

[Elijah]

The rigging is looking very nice! I look forward to more!

[6ohiocav]

LOWER FOREMAST STANDING RIGGING.

 

Before you attach the cap and topmast to the lower foremast, it would be advisable to create the following:

 

1.      Course yard sling

2.      Lower shrouds

3.      Fore Stay

4.      Fore Preventer Stay.

5.      Thimble for the Spring Stay.

 

Doing these on the bench before you attach the cap means that you can simply slip them over the top of the lower foremast. I can’t imagine tying these onto the mast.

 

I would also suggest that you mount the 6 1/8 inch double blocks with eye bolts to the bottom of the tree (used for spritsail yard braces, course yard sling, and course buntlines).

 

Here is a photo of the final products.

 

 

[xken]

Darrel, great looking work!

[GuntherMT]

Looking great.  You are absolutely right about getting everything that goes around the lower mast done before adding the cap.  This should include blocks which you did.

 

Another thing to watch as you move forward, is whether an upper mast section can fit through the cap, or whether the cap needs to be placed after the mast.  I ran into this when I placed the cap per instructions on the main mast and then had to insert the top-mast from below!

[6ohiocav]

LOWER SHROUDS

 

I decided to serve the forward mounted shroud. That would be the line that the course yard would rub against at times, and based on my research, would likely be served for added strength and wear protection. On the Niagara, the forward mounted shroud is a single line with a burton pendant. It took me a couple of days to figure this one out.

 

I decided to use the kit provided .075mm (.035 inch) line and covered it with a basic black sewing thread on the Syren Serve-o-matic. A pretty good machine.

 

I then tied an eye hole and tied the throat collar. I did two of them.

[6ohiocav]

REMAINING LOWER SHROUDS

 

The remaining shrouds, done in pairs, were done with .035" inch rope from Syren.

 

[As an aside, I tried to use the kit supplied rope.  Two complaints. I wish the supplier would mark the diameter on the spools, so that we would not have to guess what the size is. Also, the plans call for at least 8 different sizes that I have noted so far. I only received 5 unmarked sizes. Also, the nylon rope is too stiff, and even when stretched and soaked in hot water, sometimes shows the kinks. Unless I serve it, I have abandoned the kit supplied rope.]

 

I decided to serve the section of rope that wrapped around the mast. After some trial and error, that ended up to be exactly 2 inches of the rope.

 

I then folded over the served section and measured over ½ inches to start my throat wrap. I used my black sewing thread, and started it by running the end through with a sewing needle. A small drop of CA, and then began wrapping back to the end of the served sections.

Edited October 26, 2016 by 6ohiocav

[xken]

Darrel, I think you need a 0 after the decimal point. 

[6ohiocav]

Ken

 

Whoops. Thanks for the heads up.

[ca.shipwright]

Nice work Darrell. I'm just about where you are on the HMB Endeavour. Things move rather slow now.

 

A?

 

What is the purpose of the upper brass rod and gear on the Syren Serving Machine It looks like the lower gear and handles do all the work. Am I missing something?

 

Thanks

[GuntherMT]

What is the purpose of the upper brass rod and gear on the Syren Serving Machine It looks like the lower gear and handles do all the work. Am I missing something?

 

Thanks

 

The upper brass rod transfers the turning energy from the handle you are turning to the other end of the machine so that both ends are turning together.  Without that connection there would be nothing turning the far end of the rope and it would twist a lot before starting to turn.

 

The bottom rod is only to hold the spool of thread.

[jablackwell]

Nice looking build!  

A comment - and not from an expert in any way :-)  Those backstays that are to the aft of the shrouds... they really got in the way of my working on all the ratline knot tying that comes later.  I'd recommend leaving those off until the ratlines are tied. I ended up removing the backstays until I was finished with all those all-too-many clove hitches.

~john

[6ohiocav]

Brian,

 

That same principle applies to the topmast cap as well. I tied all of the upper shrouds, back stays, jib stays and topmast stays and the thimble for the top gallant stay coming from the main mast before placing the upper cap on.  I will be posting all of those steps later today.

 

Getting the masts to slip through the cap holes was a challenge I faced when I built them, and if I recall, it was you that warned me back then to make sure they fit so that I did not have to feed them through the bottom. I have not glued anything on my foremast yet, and perhaps may not do so until the very last minute, if at all. The assembly fits pretty snug now.

 

Mike,

 

Brian hit the nail on the head on the upper gear of the serving machine.

 

Ken and Elijah,

 

Thanks for stopping in.

[6ohiocav]

John,

 

That is a great tip. I won't tie the back stays down until I conquer the rat-lines. By the way, the plan is to tie the rat-lines on the upper shrouds before I glue the mast to the ship. 

[6ohiocav]

By the way, I have not tied any of the lower strouds or back stays to the hull. They are just hanging there for the photos.I wont do that until i finally afix the mast to the ship. Still have some work to do before I take that plunge.

[Tigersteve]

It's looking good to me. Your planning will pay off I'm sure. In skimming through some of the manuals online for these kits I noticed they all seem very "cookie cutter"- at least from this kit's designer. I hope the plans are clear. I will keep following your build.

Steve

[GuntherMT]

By the way, I have not tied any of the lower strouds or back stays to the hull. They are just hanging there for the photos.I wont do that until i finally afix the mast to the ship. Still have some work to do before I take that plunge.

 

Honestly there is no need to fix your mast to the ship.  Your rigging will hold it quite securely when it's all tightened up, and by leaving it unglued you can adjust the angle if it ends up slightly off for some reason by simply adjusting the rigging tension.

 

The mast on my AVS is not glued to the hull at all.

[6ohiocav]

Bian

 

thanks for confirming that.  I was thinking the same thing. It will also be a lot easier to "undo" something if I screw something up.

 

Steve,

 

The problem with the rigging plan is that it includes all of the sails. I am rigging the ship without sails. It is hard to seperate out all of the clew, sheet, and buntlines from the plans, and there is not enough detail to show how some things are belayed or tied off. Some of the rigging lines on the plans don't connect with themselves in places, and when there are multiple lines running the same way, it is very difficult to follow. It requires a lot of outside research and knowledge of sailing ships. And to be honest, it would not take much to alter the plans to provide the details we need. Are you out there Model Shipways??? It is a phenominal kit. We just need a little more  direction for the rigging.

[6ohiocav]

COURSE YARD SLING

 

I seized a thimble with a traditional whipping and tied the ends together with a double whipping as per the plans.  I used .035” rope.

[6ohiocav]

FORE STAY AND PREVENTER STAY

 

I decided to serve the entire run of these stays. I started with Syren .045 rope for the Fore Stay and the .035 for the Preventer Stay.

 

I created the mouse by turning them on the lathe much like I did when I created my bullseyes. I slid them onto the rope and served right over them.  I added a spot of yellow glue on the mouse to keep the serving thread from sliding off. It worked pretty well.

 

I then created the thimble/eyesplice on the end with a traditional lashing. I left 3.5” from the eyesplice to the mouse on the Fore Stay and 4” on the Preventer Stay.

[6ohiocav]

FORE TOP TREE

 

Once I had created all of the various rigging devices that slipped over the fore lower mast head, I worked on the tree. I seized all of the double blocks to eye bolts, drilled holes and glued them under the tree.

 

Using a .28 gauge wire, I stropped the kit supplied 3/32” deadeyes, creating the elongated loop at the bottom. I created a cradle with the wire around the deadeye first, and then slipped the wire through the hole in the tree. I then pulled it up to make the loop, and inserted the end through the hole. I cut both ends of the wire flush with the tree and added a small drop of CA. This method was relatively easy, and the joint is hidden in the hole and more importantly, the joint has held up to all of the pulling from the lanyards.

 

I then glued the tree to the cheeks and the fore mast, and then slipped the riggings over the top.

 

FROM WHAT I CAN TELL, since there is no reference in the plans that I found, and the drawings are too small and vague, the order of installation was as follows.

 

1.      Course Sling. I figured that since this carried the weight of the course yard that it would have naturally been placed firmly against the mast head and tree. The plans do say that stays are always placed on top of shrouds, but there was no reference to where the sling went.  I just put it on first.

2.      Burton Pendant Shrouds - Starting on the starboard side

3.      Double Shrouds – alternating from starboard to port

4.      Fore Stay.

5.      Preventer Stay.

6.      AND DON’T FORGET – The Spring Stay Thimble – I did.

[jbshan]

Beginning to look like the pictures in the books, isn't it?

[ca.shipwright]

Thanks for the serving machine info. I just could not see what was going on.

Your rigging is looking really nice. I hope I can do the same.

[mikiek]

Darrell - nice work. A few questions/observations.

 

A lot of real world descriptions of mast stepping mention doing all the lowers first, then the tops, etc. So I think you are right on there. That's my plan as well. Of course it could be different in modelling.

 

Are you planning to glue the mast or just let the rigging keep it in place?

 

I know it's early, but have you noticed any stretching in the standing rigging?

 

Are there enough of the kit supplied large deadeyes? Seems like I may be short a few.

 

And thanks for giving me a little juice for rigging. You know how I feel about that.

[6ohiocav]

Mike,

 

Good to hear from your friend.

 

I will take your questions in order.

 

The plan that I came up with is working pretty good. I will be sure to list every surprise or mishap going forward. I should be able to clear the minefield for you.

 

I have not glued anything, and may not.  My foremast sits so snuggly in its deck hole that I won't need to. It is also plumb port to starboard. (The main mast is going to be another story since it is listing to port a bit, so I will doing some surgery to the hole ) I have removed the caps and topmast so many times (I rigged the topmast shrouds 3 time already), I am afraid to glue anything. Fortunately, the pieces fit snug enough that I don't think I will have to.

 

No stretching at all, but it is early. The deadeyes in the tops also held up to a lot of pulling, three times over.

 

I only have two sizes of deadeyes - 3/32" (100) and 1/8" (60). My plans call for 9/64" deadeyes for the lower shrouds (which I don't have but are real close to 1/8") and 3/32" for the uppers and backstays. I used the 1/8" for the lower mains and should have plenty left over. I put the 3/32" in the uppers and for backstays, and should have plenty of those as well.  Of course, I am not using any of them for bullseyes, as I am making my own.

 

As for juice, thanks back at you. Your wonderful work inspires me to keep slugging it out.

 

Go Tribe.

Edited October 28, 2016 by 6ohiocav

[6ohiocav]

Joel,

 

Not sure I am hitting the mark on the books, but it looks pretty good to my amateur eye. Thanks for all of the advise over the months.