Bluenose II by Heronguy - Billing Boats Nr. 600 - Scale 1:100 - First build

[Steve 12345]

Hi Doug roll some masking tape round the dowel before putting into the chuck also when wrapping the sand paper round the dowel if you do this the wrong direction it will tighten and snap the dowel out of your hand have it so if anything the sandpaper will loosen

[skifflake]

Hi Doug from Atlantic Canada:  Keep updating me. I have actually built this twice. Looking forward..... Pat

[Heronguy]

Steve,  I've tried the masking tape on the dowel.  It still crushed the dowel in the chuck.  I wonder if the wood in the kit supplied dowel is particularly soft.  The parts list lists it as ramin. I imagine the ones in the local hardware are birch.  I'll look tomorrow.  I was careful with the sandpaper for the reason you indicated.  I've seen the wrapping effect though I don't think that's what got me this time. I appreciate your suggestions!

 

Skifflake,  nice to meet you.  Is it this particular Bluenose II kit you've built?  If so, may I ask you the odd question on things I'm having trouble interpreting on the plans?  I also have a Artesania Latina Bluenose II in process.  I've (mostly) been applying John H. Earl's mods to the kit instructions.  Fixing the transom and bulwarks just now.

 

Doug

[Steve 12345]

Not sure what else to suggest Doug but have have successfully tapered 3mm down to 2mm in the past after encountering the wrong direction with the sandpaper thing .

As for the chuck denting the dowel doesn't the end of the dowel live below deck anyhows .

On my first build I experienced the exact same problems with the mast but stuck with the drill and sandpaper technique I hope you find a solution that suits your need

 

Steve

[Heronguy]

That's encouraging Steve.  I'll likely try some more trials.  The kit dowel had very little extra otherwise I'd have lived with the chuck impressions then cut them off for stepping the mast.  I'll have longer dowel to play with next time!

 

Doug

[Steve 12345]

Another dilemma I faced Doug was when to start the taper perhaps others could advise further I tended to start from approx half way example bottom of dowel 4mm middle of dowel 4mm top of dowel 3mm

[maturin52]

I have never tried tapering a mast using a drill to spin the mast (dowel). I've always just used a sanding disk on my Dremel (thank God for the Dremel), and doe it by hand, eyeballing the result till I was happy.

 

Howdy skifflake, you old herring-choker. I'm a former Bluenose from Halifax, family in St. Andrews, NB, and now residing in the USA.

[Heronguy]

Thanks maturin52.  I've picked up some more dowel rod and will try various techniques to see what will work for me.

 

Doug

[Heronguy]

Well, some success with the dowels.

 

I invested in a dremel and a dremel "workstation" this week.

 

 

As I mentioned previously the fore topmast is former from a 3mm (1/8") dowel which conveniently fits in the 1/8" collet.  Using the newly purchased dowel (since I broke the kit ones) I was able to successfully shape them as long as I carefully supported the dowel end (I was considering making a little support stand but had enough hands to be able to work!)

 

I used a file for the shaping and some sandpaper for a final smoothing.

 

 

The bottom of the mast needed a small reduction to fit the trestle tree and cap.

 

[Blighty]

Hi Doug, nice looking build, I'm here to check out your kit, I have the Bluenose from Model Shipways lined upfor the near future, good luck with the build., I really like your adaptive gadgets!

 

Len

Edited January 18, 2017 by Blighty

[Heronguy]

Thanks Len.  I'm watching your Chaperon too.

 

Doug

[Heronguy]

I'm making my 1st tentative steps at the rigging.

 

Part of the challenge with this 1:100 scale kit is the size of the blocks and deadeyes.  My first successful attempts at stropping the blocks:

 

 

 

Working on the foremast required my 1st gaff.  Seemed to go without any major gaffes.

 

 

The throat that that holds the gaff to the spar doesn't have any barrels to hold it on so I've temporarily wired it onto the mast.  I presume at the end of the day (i.e when the model is done) I'll have to glue it to the mast?

 

Edited January 24, 2017 by Heronguy

[Professor]

Well done, Doug. No gaffes on the gaffs. Nice work...and nice word play.

Professor

[piter56]

Doug, see drawings, do not need glue

 

 

 

With regards Peter

 

 

[Heronguy]

Thanks Peter,

 

Yes, I know that is the usual way.  This kit does not provide for that attachment.  I may try to glue a strap around it eventually.

 

 

Here is a comparison in size with the part from a 1:75 scale Bluenose II kit from AL.

 

 

 

[Worldway]

I'm curious if you're planning on tensioning the rigging lines or leaving them as is. They look a little loose.

[Heronguy]

Going to tension them.  Currently following Frank Mastini's dictum to assemble as much rigging as possible before I step the masts onto the ship.  The pictures shown have the foremast clamped in a vice.  The halyard for the gaff is just dangling.

 

I think I'll mount the mast through the deck before I ring the shrouds though.

Edited January 26, 2017 by Heronguy

[Heronguy]

Let's see how we can develop some skill with deadeyes!! (This may sound a little like I'm venting so feel free to skip this post!)

 

**** Venting starts

 

It looks really easy - four simple steps and the shroud will be rigged!

 

 

So far ok I guess  - took a while to get here.

 

Drat - the chain plate glue broke.

 

Try again

 

Well I don't like the glue,  trying to seize with thread and just how am I supposed to get the lanyard straight!!!! 

 

Venting over ****

 

How to you get the orientation of the deadeyes set so the threading of the lanyard is "organized nicely" - especially when these tiny deadeyes are somewhat randomly drilled.

 

How to deal with the ugly glue bumps?

 

Is sewing thread suitable for seizing a line?

 

[S.Coleman]

Hello there. To stop the line from being fuzzy, run some beeswax with your fingers before rigging throughout the dead eyes.

I always pre-turn my chainplate deadeyes so that one of the holes are on the bottom. Fasten with the smallest amount of glue.

White wood glue works best for rigging. But please dilute this glue so it can soak into the lines. About 50:50 dilute.

Keeping the whole assembly from twisting is the key.

To do this make sure the shroud line is not twisted, Then as you have passed the line through the deadeyes and need to tie off around the shroud make sure no tension is trying to turn it by alternating which side you are bringing the line around to tie off. Hope this is helpful.

[piter56]

 

 

[S.Coleman]

Sewing thread would be suitable for maybe this scale. Don't tension your lines to tight. And stay very clear of CA glues as they tend to brittle and stain the lines over time.

To help fix your chain plates to the sides, Insert the brass nails I presumed came in the kit. Works securely and you don't have to rely on the bond of your glue to hold all of your shroud assembly.

[Heronguy]

Hello there. To stop the line from being fuzzy, run some beeswax with your fingers before rigging throughout the dead eyes.

I always pre-turn my chainplate deadeyes so that one of the holes are on the bottom. Fasten with the smallest amount of glue.

White wood glue works best for rigging. But please dilute this glue so it can soak into the lines. About 50:50 dilute.

Keeping the whole assembly from twisting is the key.

To do this make sure the shroud line is not twisted, Then as you have passed the line through the deadeyes and need to tie off around the shroud make sure no tension is trying to turn it by alternating which side you are bringing the line around to tie off. Hope this is helpful.

 

Thank you Scott.  I'm trying out your ideas - glue drying on the lower deadeyes jus now before I re-rig.  I've put some beeswax on the line. I've got some diluted white pva glue at the ready.  The counter twist suggestion would not have occurred to me!

[Heronguy]

Peter,

 

Great jig - when I have a bit larger scale kit I will give it a try too!

 

Thanks.

[Heronguy]

Scott and Peter,

 

Just to give you an idea of the scale of these (infernal) little parts: on the left is the chainplate and beside it is the brass nail (not enough in the kit to attach all the chainplates and way out of scale for the job).  In the middle is a normal straight pin for comparison.  The two deadeyes are from the kit.  My current struggle is with the larger of the two.  I have no idea what I'll do with the small one!!!!

 

 

On the left is a deadeye from my 1:72 Bluenose II kit while the one on the right is the one from this (scale 1:100) kit - the larger of the two I showed above.

 

[Worldway]

Gees Doug, you have me wondering now how I'm going to manage with the little cocktail sausages I have for fingers.  It seems some of your deadeyes were poorly constructed. I'll be watching in anticipation on how you figure all this out.

 

It seems like your diagram of threading deadeyes has step 3 and step 4 reversed.  It does't make sense to me.

Edited January 27, 2017 by Worldway

[Heronguy]

You're correct Derek - the figure (Fig 63 in Ship Modeling Simplified by Frank Mastini) only makes sense if you ignore the Step 3 diagram.  Peter's above is correct as far as I'm concerned.

 

I'm staring at the wok through magnifiers and using hemostat and tweezers from Lee Valley to wrangle the lines.  It is pretty frustrating work but each failure seems to be getting me closer to a limited form of success. I'm really looking forward to the next build with its "huge" deadeyes!!!!

 

You'll do great - you've shown that you can tackle problems and find workable solutions that look good.

[Heronguy]

(oops forgot the image)

 

Please, nobody breath on it!  (It is a tad loose - maybe I will go back to it later)

 

I think this attempt will do as my 1st successful deadeye rigging.  Surely it only gets easier from now on.

 

 

Besides practice (all day!) I think having a meal and another espresso to calm my nerves was the real key to progress.

 

On to the starboard shroud.

Edited January 27, 2017 by Heronguy

[Steve 12345]

Looking good Doug I wouldent go with your first diagram the one piter56 looks much better

 

The first diagram is correct but piter56 is much easily interpreted

Edited January 27, 2017 by Steve 12345

[S.Coleman]

Those are very poorly fabricated deadeyes! The larger one might as well have just one hole in the center. Your doing a great job.

[S.Coleman]

Here are a couple from my Friesland build. I try to get the shroud tied right above the top hole. Sorry about the pic on the angle. Can't seem to fix that.