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

[6ohiocav]

Hey Mike,

 

I have to mount the course yard, and both spanker booms, which I will be doing this week.  Then attach all of the loose stays and running rigging. That should complete the rigging.  I then have to work on the anchors, decide on what to do with the hammocks/rails, and last but not least, the ship's boats. The plan is to scratch build the boats on ribbing, and discard the kit supplied layered method.

 

Any suggestions on the hammock rails, canvas material, methodology, etc? 

[mikiek]

Hey Darrell - I'm redoing the hammocks on the gun deck cross section build. With Joel's help, I have a pretty nice 'look' now. I should have been done with them by now, but many other things interfering this week.  My plan is to then see how much of that can be transferred to 1:64 for Niagara.

 

It's been very cool building it big first, with all the bells & whistles. Now I need to miniaturize the whole thing.

 

Actually the Niagara plans just call for a canvas wrap over what would be hammocks underneath. But honestly, I think real hammocks done right would be an excellent piece of detail.

Edited January 26, 2017 by mikiek

[6ohiocav]

MAINMAST STAYS

 

I attached all of the mainmast stays.  The main and spring stay are rigged with closed hearts and tied with lanyards to a heart seized to the foremast and forward bit. I used .018 tan rope for the lanyards.

 

The topsail (middle) stays are rigged with bulleyes, route through thimbles tied to the foremast, and tied with lanyards to bulleyes attached to eyebolts on the deck. I used .012 rope for the lanyards.

 

The t’gallant and royal stays are routed through thimbles on the foremast.  The t’gallant stay is rigged with a double 1/8 block and attached to a tackle on the foremast tree. The Royal is rigged with a kit supplied ring, and attached to an eyebolt with .008 lanyard on the foremast tree.

 

I think you can see most of this on the photos.

 

Every layer of rigging I add to the ship really enhances the image of this great ship.

 

Next up, attach spanker booms and course yard.

[mikiek]

Truly spectacular! Even in the photos, which we all know shows the slightest imperfection.

 

I'm boxing up my Niagara hull to ship to  Zoar

[6ohiocav]

COURSE YARD AND SPANKER BOOMS

 

Winter Weekends in North East Ohio are good for modelling. I was able to accomplish a lot.

 

I dressed up the course yard. I seized all of the blocks, attached the foot ropes and jackropes. After doing all of that on the bench, I pinned the yard to the mast… my last yard!

 

I then rigged up the course yard sling and truss. As stated, the block and tackles (with .018 lanyards) for the truss were seized to the yard before raising. All I had to do was to run the lanyard.  I will belay it to the deck later.

 

I then turned my attention to the Spanker Boom and Gaff. I previously seized all of the blocks and thimbles. I also tied up a knotted foot rope. I used a .018 rope and tied a serious of half hitch knots and seized it to the boom.

 

Attaching the boom and gaff to the spanker mast was very tricky.  I decided to pin the throats to the spanker mast. The first challenge was drilling a hole in the whopping 1/8 diameter dowel. I used a micro drill bit and decided to use a .026 wire for the pin. I marked and drilled the holes for the spanker mast before I mounted it.

 

I also drilled the holes on the spanker jaws. 

 

Lining them up however to attach the boom and gaff was another challenge. The boom was easier. The Gaff was one of those @^*&$ moments. Too much “stuff” in the way.

 

I also tied on a rope parrel with small eyebolts (the smallest I could twist up). I tied one end with a whipping before I installed the booms. I had to tie the other end on the model. Again, a very difficult procedure. I used a .018 rope. Threading the end around the spanker mast and through the small eyebolt on the other side was difficult. I used a long length of rope so that I could pull the ends away from the eyebolt to tie a whipping. Once tied, I carefully pulled the end to slide the knot to the eyebolt and tightened up the entire assembly. This took most of the morning, and alas, when done, YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE IT!

 

Oh well, I know it is there, but in a few days, I will forget it.

 

Once the boom and gaff were pinned in place, I was able to rig the topping lift for the boom.  The blocks in the tree were previously installed.  I used a .018 tan rigging rope. I also attached the tackles and belayed them to eyebolts in the waterway.

 

I then rigged the spanker gaff. Again, I used a .018 tan rope. I temporarily tied the ends off on cleats on the railing.

 

It is starting to look like a sailing ship.

Edited January 30, 2017 by 6ohiocav

[6ohiocav]

Mike,

 

If you can get your ship to the Mississippi, and sail it up the Ohio, I will pick it up in Marietta. Actually, I wish we lived closer so that we could collaborate in person.

 

Thanks a lot for your experiments on the hammock rails on your build. I am following closely and taking a lot of notes.

[mikiek]

Thank you Darrell - hope it helps. It would be nice to have a fellow modeler in the neighborhood.

 

Your build just gets better & better. You mentioned stuff being in the way for the gaff & boom. Would it have helped (or even been possible) to do that earlier in the process?

 

I sent you a PM yesterday. I'm wondering about the proper time to do the hammocks - before or after rigging.I would have thought after except that  the hammock setup runs on the rail behind the shrouds. That would be difficult to get at. Now that I think about it maybe the whole hammock rig could be built as a unit off the boat and then the entire thing glued to the rail. Or at least sections so you could just slide a section down the rail behind the shrouds.

Edited January 30, 2017 by mikiek

[6ohiocav]

Mike

Your build just gets better & better. You mentioned stuff being in the way for the gall & boom. Would it have helped (or even been possible) to do that earlier in the process?

 

 

 

I think this is the nature of the beast. I don't think there is another way. The catharpin and futtock shrouds were the problem. But they need to be done before anything is added since they are much more complex. If I had added the spanker gaff before the catharpin, that would have been a real pain.

[jbshan]

Mike

 

... If I had added the spanker gaff before the catharpin, that would have been a real pain.

Just beware that some of the stuff between the shrouds is modern safety stuff.  Check some of the books to see what should not be there on a period ship.

[6ohiocav]

Joel,

 

In addition to a number of blocks hanging from the trees (topping lift blocks and halliard lifts), I was referring to the futtock shrouds and the catharpin.  Are any of these modern anomalies?

[jbshan]

Below the catharpins, I believe, Darrell.  They are sort of a ladder strung between the P & S shrouds, also there is a safety net out on the bowsprit.

[6ohiocav]

Ahhh.  I do remember that rope ladder. The plans actually say that is a modern safety thing, and I discarded the idea of doing that long ago.  I also discarded the safety net for the bowsprit for the same reason.

 

Thanks for the clarification and reminder.

[6ohiocav]

CATHARPINS PRACTICUM

 

I thought I would share with you my method of installing the catharpin on the lower shrouds of my main mast. I have seen other modelers use this method. The Niagara plans call for thimbles for attaching the lanyard.  I elected to use the kit supplied brass rings that I blackened.

 

Since this has to be tied on to the model, it is a bit tricky. Using elongated pieces of .018 black rope (as per the plans), you can pull the ends far enough away from the shrouds to tie the knots.

 

The pictures show the process that I chose. I don’t know if this is the correct way, but it worked from me and at this scale looks good.

 

As an aside, I have come to a better understanding how and why a sailing ship’s rigging is engineered the way it is. Together with the futtock shrouds and the ratlines, the catharpin, when added to the main shrouds, really tightens up the entire system.  It is rather incredible how everything works so well together.

[mikiek]

I'm waiting for the YouTube    Well done!

[6ohiocav]

If I could hire a camerman, I would do one. I already need an additional hand just to tie these knots - certainly can't spare one for the camera.

[6ohiocav]

SPANKER THROAT HALLIARD AND TOPPING LIFT COLLAR, COURSE LIFTS, TOPSAIL LIFTS, BACK STAYS

 

More work on the main mast. And I hit a snag with the Spanker Throat Halliard Collar.  I installed the collar around the top of the spanker mast ok. I actually cut a grove in the spanker mast to allow the collar to sit in before I installed it. Good planning. But I forgot to seize the double block to the Spanker Gaff. With the Spanker Gaff already pinned in place, and having already fully rigged it, I was reluctant to UNDO everything just to seize a block.

 

Therefore, I was forced to seize that block on the ship.  The seizing rope wraps around the base of the gaff and passes through two holes in the jaws (I did put the holes in before installing). That is now a very busy place. I used a very long strand of .012 black rope so that I could pull it far away from the gaff, and was able to tie a whipping knot that wrapped around the double block, and pulled it tight to the gaff.

 

I rigged the Topping Lift Collar with .018 rope for the Spanker Boom

.

I rigged the Topsail Lifts and belayed them to the pin rail.

 

I rigged the Course Yard with .018 and belayed them to pre-installed tackles at the base of the main mast.

 

I also belayed a number of the loose running rigging ropes, including the t’gallant clew line and sheets.  Those pass through the fairlead on the shrouds and belayed to the pin rail.

 

​I belayed the Course Truss lines.

 

​I also tied off all of the back stays with the small kit supplied deadeyes.

 

I am getting pretty close to finishing off the rigging I chose to do. I have not included any large scale photos lately, so here you go.

Edited February 3, 2017 by 6ohiocav

[mikiek]

No one will know but you

[6ohiocav]

CLEWLINES AND SHEETS

While I have been working on prototypes of my scratch-build ship’s boats, I noted that we now have a new format to the site.  Looks great.  Thanks to the ADMINS. I can’t imagine the time it takes to keep all of this up to date.

Since I hit a snag on what to do with the clewlines and sheets for a ship rigged without sails, I broke down and secured a copy of Peterssons book “Rigging Period Ship Models” and found an answer in the diagram on page 49. Using that as a guide, I rigged my topsail clews and sheets. An adequate solution.

[mikiek]

Petersson's books are good. I just wish there was more verbiage in them. They're all the same format - great illustrations with barely a word. Lauck Streeet has a rigging practicum where they started with his book and added descriptions. Have been thinking about getting that.

 

Good to see you back.

[6ohiocav]

Hey Mike,

 

I have a few halyards to install, and then the braces, and then I dare say, the rigging (at least as far as I am going with it) will be complete. I'll have to do some final tying off at the pin rails and then create some rope coils. In the meantime, I need to figure out what to do with the boats and the hammock rails.

[Elijah]

Hey Darrell, your rigging looks fantastic! What glue(s) do you use on it and where do you use them?

[6ohiocav]

Hey Elijah

 

Thanks for checking in. I use a very small drop of medium CA on all of the small whippings and ratlines. These knots are pretty good on their own, but the glue helps. Don't over do it however.  On larger knots I use a diluted white glue, 50/50 glue-water. again, used sparingly, it will dry almost invisible.

 

The real key to the rigging is the rope and blocks that I purchased from Chuck at Syren. It makes my work look way better than it really is.  If you can swing the additional cost, I highly recommend it.

 

And finally, practice makes (nearly) perfect. I have tied so many knots in the most confined areas, that I have figured out a thing or two.

 

My advice to my fellow Niagara builders at the cusp of starting the rigging process is to be bold and forge ahead. It is not as daunting as it may seem. The plans could be a bit better, but you will figure it out as you go, and of course, if you run into a jam, I am sure I already faced it, and figured out a solution to it which may not be the right one, but one that I will nonetheless be happy to share.

[mikiek]

Was thinking of your rigging these last couple of days. I received the Lauck Street practicums and tutorials and dove straight into the rigging chapter. Probably not much help to you now, but I like how it is presented - block by block, spar by spar. He does something called a figure 8 seizing - I had never heard of. You fold a line over making a loop at each end. Then you seize in the middle which leaves you a loop at each end that you can pull tight - one loop around a block the other loop around a spar. Sounds useful.

[6ohiocav]

Mike,

 

I use that figure 8 seizing a lot. That is especially useful for seizing blocks to yards. Just be careful when you cut the tails off.  Make sure you always have a sharp blade. You want the cut to be quick with as little pressure as possible.  If the blade is not sharp, and you have to start pressing down on the seizing and start sawing, you can pull the knot loose.

 

Good luck.

[mikiek]

I know what you're talking about! I use some high end sewing scissors. They're made for sticking under a stitch and snipping - there's a name for them but I don't remember. Very sharp.

[6ohiocav]

I'M BACK

After a 3 month hiatus, I am back in the shipyard.  A lot has happened since then.  My wife and I bought a new house in January. It needed a new kitchen and bathrooms. So I put my micro amateur talents on the shelf and dusted off my macro carpentry skills and gutted and rebuilt the entire 1^st floor. We were able to move in on June 1. For all of the diversionary work, I was rewarded with a new indoor workshop in the basement. It is a great space, with 13 course block walls, that opens out into the backyard onto a cement deck. I spent the last month setting up the new workshop.

Then another diversion of sorts. My wife saw a notice in the local auction guide showing an estate sale that had a large HMS Victory model in a showcase on the listed items. There was a woodshop with power tools for sale. That of course caught my eye. The flyer indicated that the deceased owner was a violin maker. I headed over to the sale. To my delight, I realized that the owner also built model ships, and that he had probably built the Victory in the case. 

While I ultimately did not purchase the cased Victory, I did purchase a number of micro tools, including a Proxxon mini mill, Micro Lux thickness sander, table saw and chop saw. I also purchase two complete Mamoli 1/98 Victory Kits, a Model Expo Rope walk kit, and Sergai ship base kit. I bought two huge racks of strip wood, dowels, etc, made mostly of poplar, but some of boxwood, cherry, walnut and mahogany. I picked up a small rack of styrene plastic strips and brass and aluminum stock. I bought a homemade rack full of paint brushes, paints, carving tools, forceps, and assorted modelling tools. I also purchased a large showcase with lexan plates. And then finally I purchased a skeleton of a Corell Victory model (keel, bulkheads and false decks). The house was full of stuff, and the auctioneer was selling whole cabinets and shelf racks. As fellow patrons realized I was the “ship” guy, they began to give me anything ship related that ended up in their cabinets. I therefore walked out of the sale with a full set of plans for the Corell Victory, a full set of plans for a Mantua Victory, a three ring binder of 8x11 color pictures of the HMS Victory taken in Portsmouth England, probably taken by the owner, that focus on important details for someone that wants to build a model. THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLE SALE FOR A SHIPBUILDER.

In the end, I walked out of there with all of this wonderful stuff for hundreds less than the going retail price of just one of the Mamoli Victory Kits. So, when I set up my workshop, I was able to add all of my new toys.

I am attaching some photos of the items I picked up at the sale and the new workshop….. And YES, I will be turning my attention to finishing my Niagara.  Here are some photos of the ship.  It survived the move, with only one small knot giving way on the jib boom. I have to finish up the rigging on the main mast, mostly halliards, and the bracing. I need to work on the anchors and then figure out what to do with the hammock rails. I am really getting close to finishing her up, and I now have a great display case waiting for her.

THEN??? Do I tackle the HMS Victory? I never planned on doing that, but I now have a kit sitting in the workshop that I will have to look at. While I will ponder that monumental decision, I do know that I won’t be building TWO Victories, so if anyone is interested in the second Mamoli Kit, send me a private e-mail.

Glad to be back! I will be trying to catch up on everyone’s build logs.

[6ohiocav]

LATEST PHOTOS OF THE NIAGARA.

 

And here are some updated photos of the Niagara in its new shipyard.

 

 

[Tigersteve]

Congrats on everything and welcome back. Good to see this build resume. 

Steve

[jct]

Wow Darrell, nice stuff...JEALOUS...seriously, super shop...lots o good ships coming out of there

[mikiek]

Wonderful workspace!  New tools should serve you well. Would love to see a panorama shot of the whole shop.

 

Are those wood racks kind of a home made thing or does it look like that is exactly what they are? I need to do something with mine - it's all in mailing tubes.

 

Glad there were no catastrophes moving the boat.

 

I'm glad to see you back here again!