L’Etoile by glennreader - FINISHED - Billing Boats - Scale 1:50 - Updated to represent her current fitting out

[glennreader]

First I would like to thank everyone who has liked any of my postings and thanks also to Popeye for the comment, I have been keeping an eye on your Jolly Roger.

 

The part I have been waiting for, for my ropewalk, finally arrived, so I have completed making that.

 

I started by remaking the spinning end. This was because in my first version I used a chain to drive everything, which would have enabled me to incorporate as many whorls as required. Metal ropes have 6 or more strands, as well as usually having a central core. At present the new version has 3 whorls but I may incorporate more later. The principal reason for this change is that the chain drive was very noisy.

 

This is a side view. Some people may recognise that it is made of Meccano. The motor has a six speed gearbox. It is also possible to adjust the speed by varying the voltage applied to the motor. Not shown in the picture is my 0-30V 2.5A adjustable DC power supply. Sorry this is a bit out of focus.

Here is another view, more from the front. As can be seen the strands are just held by clips. I need to screw this whole thing onto a baseboard to give it a bit more mass.

This view shows the looper and the top or topper.

The looper is free to move backwards and forwards. Required as the distance between this and the whorls will change as the rope is made. The twisted rope will be about 2/3 the length of the individual strands. This is restrained by a rope at the back with a weight attached to the end which hangs over the end of the bench. Through experiment I have found that when making rope from 3 strands of cotton about 1oz/30g is required.

 

The top is a simple design made out of cardboard. This design requires me to walk it down the rope as the rope is made. The advantage of this is that the whorls and the looper can be as far apart as convenient and there in no requirement for a table or anything in-between. The disadvantage is that the formation of the rope does not automatically push the topper towards the whorls as the rope is formed. With this setup the length of rope that can be made is limited by how far the looper can move, which is the same as how far the weight can move before it reaches the top of the bench. This distance can be increased by suspending the weight with tackle.

 

The ball bearing fishing swivel that I was waiting for is the little bit connecting the strands to the looper.

 

The next two pictures show some rope being made. I set it up to make about 2 feet of rope from some white cotton, with 1 yarn in each strand; so I could take some pictures. As the original yarn was Z-laid, the rope made is S-laid.

While I was writing this I stumbled upon an interesting fact. The weight of the rigging on a 1st rate ship was about 78.5 tons or 71,000kg.

 

As I had the Meccano out, I also made a serving machine. This is my first version. I took some rope made from grey cotton, to represent rope made from wire, that I had made previously using the ropewalk. I first used this machine to do a seizing to fit an eye pin to the end of the rope. I then did a small length of serving, to see how well I could do that using the machine. There was no problem performing either of these operations using the machine.

Though some improvements I make will be:

• To add another rod for the bobbin holding the serving cotton, in front of and below the rope to be served. This will be held so it can rotate easily but not totally freely as it can at present.
• To add another bobbin to hold the rest of the rope being worked on. This will go on one of the short axels that hold the working rope. It might require one on each side.
• Retain the working rope with something better than the currently used clips. I will have to see what I can find/make.

Unfortunately I do not possess photography equipment that will take better close ups than those shown so cannot properly show the rope I have made.

 

During this period I have had little time for modelling. However as I have been playing around with rigging cord after I finished the above I decided to add the wooden battens that are attached to the futtock shrouds on the fore mast. There are 2 on each side. I did the upper one first using a square lashing. I did 2 lashing turns followed by 1 frapping turn. Looking at these I thought the knots looked too large, so on the second lower 1 I only used 1 lashing turn. The knots look a lot better. I do not think the difference shows up as well in the picture. The frapping turn was essential to get a tight knot. I applied a small drop of CA before cutting off the hanging threads.

I will cut the upper one off and redo it, then do the other side. There are no ratlines on this ship only wooden battens. Hopefully I will find more time now. I want to get to the position where I am confident that I can fit the foremast without having anything left to do which requires turning the model upside down. I think it will be easier fitting the foremast before fitting the cabin that goes directly aft of it. That also means doing everything I can to the foremast before I fit it.

 

Glenn

 

[Cathead]

I'm just catching up with you here, and those are some great photos you've shared in the past few posts. I really liked the one laying out all the different blocks: daunting but fascinating. And your explanation of the topmast's shape and fitting was really interesting and educational. Thanks.

[glennreader]

Cathead, thanks for the comments. I forgot to mention that the blocks are from the Belle Poule, when she was stripped down recently for a refit. Its from her Facebook page where there are lots of other pictures of the rebuild. If you look closely you can see they are all numbered.

 

Thanks also to everyone who has liked one of my posts or just looked in. Now for a quick update..

 

I have added about just as much as I can to the foremast, so have taken the plunge and glued this in place. That has enabled me to also fit the forward cabin and the adjoining skylight. I need to complete the life rafts before I can continue on down the deck. I have been a bit lax in doing this as I need to work with plastic and I am a bit out of practice. I have already scrapped my first attempts. I have now made a jig to try and hold the pieces in place while I glue them.

In the photos you can see the thinner mast hoops. I think they look much better. You can also see that it now shows its name. I am printing this from a word document. I am having trouble with the other two plates that should be mounted here ‘VALEUR’ and ‘DISCIPLINE’ as I cannot print them small enough. I need a narrow font for ‘DISCIPLINE’ (and probably a better printer). The other problem is trying to match the shade of the background to the wood.

 

This is what it should look like.

Looking at the pictures I can see there is some touching up to do, which I had forgotten about.

 

Those of you with keen eyesight might have noticed that I am doing some work on the bowsprit rigging. At the moment it is just trialling; to see what order I need to do things in. I need a long session of rope making before I get involved in any real rigging. I need to do some experimenting with different numbers of yarns in a strand to make thicker rope from the same thread. Note that here I am equating the cotton thread I am using to the yarns in a strand.

 

Got to go, being chassed out shopping.

 

Glenn

 

[popeye the sailor]

I know what you mean about printers.......I deal in decal making,  and sometimes it's hard to get colors right.   I feel good when I get'em close    great looking progress on her...looks super nice     I hear Chuck sells some decent thread/rope....his link is on the forum page .

[glennreader]

Popeye, thanks for the comments. That was my 3rd attempt at the colour. I think if I was to do better I need to go round to a friend who is a fanatical photographer and has much better equipment that is set up correctly. But I think I will leave it as it is.

 

I am aware of Chucks rope, I do not think he does the colours I want as standard, I am sure that if asked he could knock up what I want, but I enjoy rope making. I spent yesterday afternoon outside, where there is more room, and made a number of different thicknesses in various ways, some of which might be of use Actually it included some that I needed to rig the bowsprit.

 

Here is a picture of some samples. Starting on the right

1. Dia 0.4mm, made from 3 strands each consisting of 1 yarn. This was made from cheap white cotton and is a bit hairy. It is meant to represent rope made from synthetic material. I will get some polyester thread and try that.
2. Dia 0.4mm, made from 3 strands each consisting of 1 yarn. This was made from standard Gutermann cotton. This is a light grey in colour and is meant to represent wire rope.
3. Dia 1.4mm, made from 3 strands each consisting of 1 yarn. This was made from Gutterman top stich cotton. Having examined this, it appears to be made of 3 strands of standard Gutermann cotton. I.e. it is the same as number 2. This was a slightly lighter shade of grey.
4. Dia 1.9mm, made from 3 strands each consisting of 4 yarns, where each yarn is standard Gutermann cotton. This was the same cotton used to make number 2.

I made some using linin thread, but it looked the same as numbers 2 and 3. Maybe a bit cleaner in appearance.

Most of the standing rigging is wire rope and most of the running rigging is synthetic rope, but I do not know the type of material. Conclusion I need better white cotton and I think the lighter shade of grey looks more like wire rope than the darker shades..

 

I have made some progress on the model. I have built stands, from plastic, for the inflatable lifeboats and mounted them. This picture shows them positioned along the starboard side between some chests. Most of the plastic I used for this was purchased when I was into plastic modelling about 40 years ago. Never throw anything away.

I then made a harness out of white rigging cord and 1mm plastic rod.

This mounts on the lugs you can see just behind the canister on the left in the previous picture.

I then did the second. These are now glued permanently in place, the chests are not as it will be easier to do the rigging first.

As I now had enough rigging cord I decided to complete rigging the bowsprit. There was not a lot to do as I had already done all the chain.

However at this point I have a question, if we look at the ship there is this black safety netting.

I have no idea where I can get this from. I see this in other logs, either in this role or as hammock netting. But what do people use? I have not seen it mentioned. Is it assumed everyone knows? If I do not get an answer here I will post the question on the Masting, Rigging and Sails notice board.

 

Next thing to do is to mount the main mast and the bits and pieces on the deck around that. But I need to make the main mast first. I also noticed while taking these pictures that I have not varnished the foremast, so I need to remember to do that at the same time.

 

Thanks again to all those people who like my posts and also those of you who just look in.

 

Glenn

 

[popeye the sailor]

it is a material called Tulle......used to make veils and parts for wedding dresses.  there are other uses,  but this is the most common.  I think any place that deals with fabric will have it.   nice progress by the way  

[glennreader]

Popeye,

 

Thanks for that. I have looked up Tulle and yes I should be able to get some in a local craft shop. Have not been there yet but it’s on their web site. I want to go there to pick it up rather than order on line so I can check it out. It appears that there are a lot of designs that come under the general heading of Tulle and I want to make sure I get something that is just square netting and not something more fancy.

 

Right on with a quick update. It feels I have done a lot of work since I last posted, but without too much to show.

 

I have now fitted all the deck furniture that goes forward of the main mast. I had completed this some time ago and it was only required to glue this in place and surround it with those green strips that on the real thing seem to surround everything that is a permanent deck fixture. This is ok by me as it meant I could save myself a lot of trouble ensuring everything is a perfect fit to the camber on the deck.

That did not take too long, most of the time was spent making the main mast. For this I needed 2 bands that form part of the gooseneck. For the foremast I made these from strip, but since then I realised I have some brass tube of the correct diameter, 8mm I/d. No idea what this was ever bought for. So for this I used a disk cutter in my Dremmel to slice off 2 sections of just over 2mm each.

 

To do this I had the Dremmel mounted in the drill stand and made a jig to hold the tube upright while I manually fed it through the disk cutter. I used some offcuts from pre-cut CNC sheets that were left over from a previous build that are just over 2mm thick to raise this up for each pass. Forgot to take a picture. I then drilled a hole in each and then used files to neaten up the ends and reduce each to 2mm.

I was very pleased with the result. Assembled the bottom of the mast looks like this. Needs a coat of varnish.

The cleats are plastic and came with the kit. Thought I may as well use them. Once they look like this, who's going to know. Note the green strips round the sky lights.

I made the top very much as I did for the foremast. This time the spreaders are the same length and there is a bit sticking out the front on which the radar is mounted. I made the mast head from a separate bit of 6.5mm stock with the end bit turned down to 5mm to fit the hole in the top. similarly the top of the main mast also has a section turned down to 5mm. This is because with the equipment I have I can make holes up to this size fairly accurately, but any larger and I have to do it with a hand drill which is not nearly as accurate, or as straight.

When it is assembled it is impossible to tell.

This is a quick shot of the current status with the fore topmast and main mast loosely put in place, along with most of the remaining deck furniture, not yet complete.

Once again, thanks to everyone that looks in and also thanks to those who like what they see.

 

Glenn

[popeye the sailor]

very nicely done Glenn  

[glennreader]

It seems like some time since my last update. Every time I have thought of doing an update, I have put it off until I have just finished the next bit. However this seems a natural break. Rather than looking at updates chronologically I will start forward and work my way aft.

 

First I have fitted the safety net beneath the bowsprit. Thanks to popeye for the information, I am now the proud owner of a 23m x 15cm roll of tulle of which I have used about 10cm. I think it will take a few generations of ship modeller to get through this roll.

It took me about 2 days work to make and fit this. I first made a pattern which I then used to glue a rope edge to the required shape on a pin board, which I then carefully cut out with a sharp knife. I discarded my first attempt but was happy with my second. I used CA adhesive, but found this to be a long and difficult task to get this glued properly all the way round.

I then used spiral lacing to attach this to the bowsprit guy ropes. Again this was difficult as the thread kept catching on the glue on the netting. But now it is on I am pleased with the result. However I do think it would have been a lot easier to do if I had decided earlier that it I would like to include this.

 

I then finished the mainmast and glued this in position. I did this just by eyeballing it with the foremast and dropping a plumb line to get the correct rake. I almost did this before fitting the cheeks, but I remembered these just in time. I had made them at the same time I made those for the foremast, put them aside and forgot about them.

This enabled me to fit the hand winch, the engine hatch and the main deck house, all of which I had completed earlier. Next I used some BECC transfers to apply the decorative stripe to the side. I think It shows up best in this picture.

I now need to continue this and finish the pattern near the stern. It needs to look like this.

I think I need some drawing practice before attempting this for real.

 

At this point my new toy arrived. I used this to finish the fore topmast. I wish I had got this months/years ago.

Using this it was easy to cut a slot for a sheave and drill a few holes with an accuracy I could only dream of before.

 

It is a very long time since I have used a milling machine, 40+ years. But things do not change, the main problems generally relate to holding the job and finding a reference point. The way I did this for the tapered spar was to first mill a 2mm slot in a piece of scrap wood. Then glue a second piece crosswise, without removing the first piece. Then when the spar is positioned in the slot the cutting tool is automatically aligned to the centre line. Then to obtain a position along the length of the spar I can zero on the face of the cross piece, used as an end stop.

 

The topmast has a square section at the base which was used to set the face to be machined. I was thinking of various ways I could try and hold this in place, but in the end I just held it with one hand while operating the mill with the other. Probably would not try that if machining metal.

 

The next task was to move a porthole. I only realised this after I had glued the main deckhouse in place. I had made this a long time ago when still following the supplied plans. I have only just realised that this porthole has been moved to the side to allow the fitting of the engine controls to the exterior of the rear wall. This came out cleanly and I drilled a new hole in the side and refitted it. The hole left in the rear will be covered up by the engine control panel housing. This porthole supplies light to a shower room.

More pictures. The first shows the overall deck layout and the second a close up of the work just done in the area aft of the main mast.

The other thing I had been looking for is something to represent the power cable, coiled on the front of the engine hatch. Eventually I found some very thin copper wire with black insulation. The sort of stuff used for patching printed circuit boards in the electronics industry (where I used to work). Currently I have just hidden the end. Anyone got any idea of what type of connector might be used on a ship like this?

 

I can now see the end of building the hull is in sight. There are a few minor jobs to complete, but the only larger jobs I can think of are:

• The work behind the main deckhouse
• Davits for the launch
• What I think is the exhaust funnel for the engine. The metal thing in this picture. (If this is daily rations in the French navy, sign me up).

Standing rigging after this. Though I want to get these tasks finished before starting on the standing rigging, otherwise I feel I will keep putting them off.

 

Thanks to everyone for looking in and I hope you have enjoyed it.

 

Glenn

[popeye the sailor]

nice!!!......throw in some steamers and you gotta deal!  

[glennreader]

It has been some time since my last update. I have been on holiday and had other things to do. However some progress has been made.

 

First I have installed the davits for the ships launch. I have used the ones supplied with the kit, though modified slightly. There was a disk at the top, more akin to a flag pole than a davit. I filed this, as best I could to a cylindrical shape and drilled a 0.7mm vertical hole in the centre. These are still not quite right as there should be no step change in diameter along the length.

I then inserted an eye pin, cut to length so that it could be bent to shape so that there was an eye on each side, as can be seen in the next picture. A double block was added to each for the launch tackle. I have just realised, as I type, that a cleat is also required on each davit. They are not stuck in and are free to rotate.

I also completed the extensions at the rear of the main deckhouse, which are largely for control of the ships engine. The carcass for the unit on the right in the photo, was built in situ out of scrap 2mm material from one of the sheets supplied in the kit. It was quite soft and easy to work. This was then veneered. The top was made by gluing 1mm strips to some clear plastic sheet that I had left over from my plastic modelling days. Again I have just noticed the hole from where a porthole was previously mounted. I had made something to cover this, but have obviously forgotten to fit it. I cannot see this on the model, only when it is enlarged to this size.

The unit on the left was made to the same shape as the top section of the right hand one but slightly deeper. This was made by starting with a solid cuboid, which was then veneered.

 

The ladder was made in the same way as the one I made for the forward cabin, which I described in a post on March 20th. I even used the same former, slightly modified to allow for the fact that this ladder is at an angle. This was done by making the slots progressively deeper and then cutting the edge to the required angle. I made a template for the side pieces from cardboard and cut these to shape before I started.

 

I have decided that to make the bit I think is the engine exhaust I need some 5mm brass rod. I have only just ordered this, so while I was thinking about how to do this I started the standing rigging.

 

The next picture shows how far I have got. I have done the foremast shrouds, the mainmast shrouds, the inner and outer jib stay and the fore stay. With this done I could mount the fore topmast and main topmast and their caps. I still have the backstays for both masts and all the standing rigging for the fore topmast and the main topmast. I have not tied off the lanyards yet. There is not much difference in rigging these than how they would have been rigged on a ship of 100 years earlier.

The model has now almost reached its full height. All that is left are a couple of short sticks that seem to be mounts for various gizmos; antenna, navigation lights?

Finally a couple of left over pictures, the first shows details of the foremast and the second gives a better impression of the overall height of the mainmast compared to the foremast, in the previous picture the perspective made them look to be almost the same height.

I am beginning to look around for my next topsail schooner to build, forget about all those frigates and ships of the line, topsail schooners are the way to go. If anyone has any suggestions I would be more than pleased to hear them.

 

Glenn

 

 

 

[popeye the sailor]

she's looking superb Glenn........are you going to include sails?   love the way you've fitted her out.......nicely done  

[glennreader]

Popeye,

 

Defiantly sails. How could you do a model like this and not include sails. I have been looking at what to make them from. I would like to obtain a really lightweight cotton lawn fabric, more than 250 threads per inch and about 70g/m^2 , but I have yet to find a source. The alternative is to try paper, but having done some experiments, I am not that happy. On a model like this I would like to try cotton first.

 

Glenn

[glennreader]

 

Since my last update I have continued to work on the standing rigging. I had got to the point where I was putting the batons on the shrouds and had started with the mainmast port side. However I was not happy with the way this looked and could see two problems:

 

The first was that I had started at the bottom and worked my way up. This resulted in a slight spreading effect, where the batons were pushing the shrouds apart slightly.

The second was that the knots I was using looked vastly oversize. This can be a problem that is impossible to solve as even the simplest knot can look too big, but I was sure I could do better.

 

I turned the model round and had a go on the starboard side. This time I first fitted every 8th baton and then every 4th. I also used the simplest method of fitting I could think of except for just gluing the batons to the shrouds. I took a line round behind the shroud and brought each end up and over the baton the back round behind the shroud. I then tied a half hitch and added a drop of CA to hold it fast.

 

This can be seen in the following picture. The reason some of the lines do not appear to match the template is parallax problems. I took the picture from quite close.

Overall I thought this was much better. So I dismantled the top mast and cut away what I had done on the port side; as shown below. If you look at the starboard side you will also see I have done every second baton and started  the final stage of doing the ones left in-between.

I now need to remake the shrouds. Unfortunately I do not have enough remaining of the rigging cord I made for this, so it will be out with the rope making machine this afternoon. I need more rope for the running rigging in any case. Hopefully it will be nice weather and I can set it up in the garden where I can make longer lengths.

 

I am not upset about this, I expect a few setbacks and think I am fortunate that this is the worst one so far. I think I am fortunate that I did not start on the foremast as it would have been a lot more difficult to replace the shrouds with the fore stay and all the other rigging to the bowsprit on top; as shown in a picture a few posts back. In fact the only reason I started on the mainmast was the template I made to fit the batons was made to fit the mainmast and would then need cutting down to size to fit the fore mast.

 

Again thanks to everyone who drops in for a look and to those that like what they see. I think I have found some material for the sails, but it is quite expensive, though I will probably order enough that it will last me till I am no longer allowed to use sharp implements.

 

Glenn

[petervisser]

Hi Glen,

You have a great looking model so far. I used muslin cloth for the sails on my E'toile, which seemed to me to be a satisfactory weight. It's tough to get a good substitute for canvas at this scale. Muslin cloth is used by seamstresses for pattern templates and is readily available at fabric shops. It has a similar colour to canvas as well. I use it on all my models with sails and it looks and feels ok.

As for another topsail schooner, Billing also produces the Lilla Dan which is still in production I believe. The lines are not as fine as E'toile, but still, it's a nice model. Brigs are a nice substitute to topsail schooners if you're still looking...

Happy modelling!

Peter

[glennreader]

The time between updates seems to be getting longer and longer. I must try and get more organised.

 

Petervisser, thanks for the advice. I have tried Muslin in the past (HMS Shark), but think I needed to experiment. I have now picked up an offcut of a fairly lightweight cotton lawn for 30 pence in a charity shop; a lucky strike. I will see how this works out. I had also spotted a high quality cotton lawn at about £25.00/meter, for which I obtained a sample. This looks and feels excellent, but as it would also cost £12.75 delivery, I will try the offcut first.

 

At present for my next project, I was looking through MacGregor’s ‘Fast Sailing Ships’ and am drawn towards the Scottish Maid. Fine lines and I like the sail plan. There is a kit by Artesania Latina which I could use as a starting point and I could try and obtain a set of the plans held in the Brunel Collection. Not certain how easy that is at present.

 

To get back to the current project, I have now just about finished the standing rigging. So I took a few pictures:

I would have said finished but looking through these I realised I had forgotten the ratlines on the fore topmast shrouds. There are only 3 each side, so that will not take long. I suppose I also have to neaten up the loose ends on the tackle anchored to the poop deck. Those that tighten the backstays. These are there so the backstays can be slackened off so they do not interfere with the mainsail boom when it swings out.

 

I have also been doing some metalwork

These are, from the left:

 

A bottle screw to tension the for topmast stay. This was made from 1.5mm OD brass tube with 0.8mm ID and 0.75mm brass rod. The only tools required were a jeweller’s saw, needle files, small pliers and a soldering iron.

 

The funnel/exhaust for the engine. This was made from ¼” brass rod, 3mm tube and 2mm rod. As I do not have a metal lathe, two lengths of ¼” rod were cut off and finished on a Proxxon MF70 milling machine. This was also used to drill holes in the centres. I then cut off 50mm of the 3mm tube and soldered the two pieces of ¼” tube to each end. A short length of 2mm tube was then soldered in the centre to make a pin to go through the deck.

 

A spreader for the foremast backstay. This was milled from solid stock. I milled a length to this profile and then used a 1mm end mill to part off 2 of these. I made enough that another could be made if required. Unfortunately it was, as I snapped one off while doing the standing rigging. This proved extremely difficult to remove and replace. I had to cut the broken piece off using a length of broken blade from the jewellers saw, which was hand held.

 

It is easy to spot the spreaders in the above pictures. It is possible to spot the bottle screw if you are keen sighted, its just forward of the bow above the bowsprit. The funnel is still to be fitted.

 

Next are a few minor tasks like the port and starboard navigation lights and fitting the funnel. Then the next major task is the spars. This is what is supplied in the kit.

 

 

From the top these are the mainsail gaff and boom, the foresail gaff and boom, the fore topsail yard and the foreyard (which I have already started). There are two sticks for the fore topsail yard as the topsail is self-reefing. I think the type may be Colling’s and Pinkney’s, but am not certain. If not it is similar. These now have to be converted to what is required for the model. More on that next time.

 

Again thanks to everyone that looks in.

[reklein]

Hey Glenn, I lost track of this build somehow. You have really come a long way. I like how you have all that documentation. It takes a lot of mystery out of the details. The struggle with French is good for a person. It forces us to learn stuff and maybe a little different way of thinking. Nice work all throughout .  Bill

[glennreader]

Bill,

 

Thanks for looking in. I feel I have done a lot and thought that when I had finished the standing rigging the end would be in sight. But when I think about how much there is still to do it feels more like when I round the next bend I might see the stadium in the distance. However I am really enjoying this, especially the scratch building, so it is not that bad how long it is taking. It is just the list of stuff I would like to build keeps getting longer. While I have been building this I have added:

• Another topsail schooner or similar
• Thames barge
• Viking ship of some sort.

In other words this build has completely broadened my outlook from 18/19 century navel vessels to encompass whole new fields, maybe that should be oceans, of ships.

 

As for the French, languages were my worst subject at school. However I have now constructed my own French-English dictionary of nautical terms which I refer to often. I find when I am making a part, knowing what it is and how it is used is of great help in getting it right.

 

Glenn

[popeye the sailor]

the redo of the ratlines / shrouds looks really great Glenn!   the rest of the rigging looks good too.   super looking vessel   

[glennreader]

Popeye, thanks for the praise. I do not know if other people are the same as me, but I am a strong critic of my own work. I know where I would like to have made a better job and where I think I could have made a better job. However I am also realistic and know that if I keep remaking anything that I think I could have made better, progress would be so slow that eventually I would give up. There has to be a happy middle ground and I think the key word here is 'happy'. As long as I am happy with what I have built I can progress to the next step.

 

 

I decided to next build the booms for the mainsail and the foresail, as I could see that these presented some problems. They are both roller furling booms, though the kit ignores this and provides parts for a very rudimentary gooseneck that would have limited movement. Though I have called them roller furling, in practice they seem to be only used for shortening the sail; there are no reefing bands on these sails. Also the supplied foresail boom is tapered, something that would not work, as to wind the sail round the boom it must be constant diameter.

 

Here is a picture showing the mainsail shortened.

To achieve this there is a mechanism that forms part of the gooseneck, where you haul on a chain and it rotates the boom along its long axis. There is also a device at the end of the boom that is free to rotate on the boom so that it stays in the same place as the boom rotates; as shown in the following enlargements.

These are based on something shaped like a bobbin:

So how to make these? Given I do not have a suitable lathe, I can assemble them from a short length of brass tube and two brass disks, soldered together. The problem was how to make the disks accurately with a hole in the centre. I spent a long time pondering this until I had a blinding flash of the obvious. A disk with a hole in the centre is a washer. So I had a search in the tin that contains every odd nut, bolt, screw, nail, washer, etc. that I possess and came up with 15 identical brass washers. These are the only brass washers I have and they were precisely the size required; lucky. They fit perfectly over some 4mm o/d bass tube that was supplied in the kit and not required for my build.

 

I cut four 4.5mm lengths of the brass tube, which along with 8 of the washers would provide me with enough bits for the two booms. Two of the assemblies require a small hole in each bit of tube for a small nail to anchor one end of the chain. The other two require some brass tube to fit over the 4mm tube that will then rotate freely. To this I then need to fix some parts to which the rigging will be attached. The rotating parts are based on some 5mm brass tube, also supplied in the kit and not required.

The following pictures show the foresail boom as it is at present. The fittings for the mainsail are the same except the one at the end of the boom needs two eye rings. The most difficult bit was bending the D shaped bit of wire and soldering it symmetrically.

However, though I am happy with the fittings, I am not happy with the boom itself. It is made from 6mm dowel and when presented to the model it looks too bulky. I will remake this from 5mm dowel. Luckily I had not got any further and have not permanently attached any fittings.

 

I have also done the port and starboard navigation lights as shown below. It was a fiddly job tying the knots to hold these to the shrouds. The pair at the back are plastic, as supplied in the kit. I remade these out of 1mm lime. There is a peg on which to mount each lantern and I painted the inside black. The fittings on the back are to ensure the lights are level.

If I was doing these again I would make them from thinner material, but as I am not unhappy with the result I will leave them as they are.

 

I also mounted that cleat visible on the deck between two of the shrouds and its companion on the other side. They are both glued and pinned. I had made these some time ago but could not find them when I came to put them on so I made another two. I then found the originals.

 

That's all for now. I am determined to do updates more frequently, but it has still been 10days since the last one. I do not know how some people find the time to do the modelling and update their build log so frequently. Thanks to everyone who looks in and hope it was interesting.

 

Glenn

 

[John Allen]

Glenn,

 

Very nice about as clean and neat a build as i have seen on this site kudos

[popeye the sailor]

I only like those supplied light boxes for fishing vessels........and they have to have a little detail on them at least      I use Testor's window maker to fill in the lens hole and dab some paint inside.....red or green.   sometimes,  the kit supplies some colored paper or plastic to stick inside them {I know Billing's does}.   nice work on the added detail to the boom........it gives me an idea using sewing machine bobbins.    very resourceful   

[glennreader]

Popeye, great idea I had not thought of using window maker for the lens holes. I have added some to my shopping list, though not sure where I can buy some this side of the pond. I had decided not to paint the port and starboard navigation lights, but have now changed my mind and will paint them as shown below. I am also thinking of including that HF antenna poking up from the bulwarks through a slot in the box. Will decide when it comes to putting on the final touches. If I do it any earlier it is certain to be broken off. It will be about 4-5 inch long.

Thanks, Glenn

[popeye the sailor]

there is another brand out there as well........I read the name,  but can't place where.  of course,  I can't remember the name either......go figure !  I hope that someone who knows reads this and fills in the blank  

[glennreader]

I am aware of the other brand, cannot remember the name either, but I am sure I will bump into it eventually somewhere on the sight. No hurry, one of those jobs I can do tidying up at the end.

 

 

I have been busy in the garden since my last update, so have not made as much progress as I would have liked (same with the garden).

 

First, I have started the ships boat which is an inflatable, the shell of which is made by CAP Maquettes and purchased from Cornwall Model boats. Picture curtesy of CMB.

I have dressed this up a bit with some black paint, paper and some 2mm o/d rings made from 0.33mm brass rod. It looks a bit better. My wife said (scornfully) that it looks like a lump of plastic. That’s what an inflatable is, so maybe it’s better than I thought. The side ropes do not hang very well, I will give them a coat of diluted PVA and see if I can get them to look better.

I still need to do the outboard motor, fuel tank, paddles and the fittings for it to be lifted on the davits.

 

I finished the foresail boom. I was hoping the gooseneck would be fully working, but a bit of solder got into it, so it only goes to port and starboard.

I need to cut the chain to length and fit a double block to the end. It goes 2-3 times round the end of the boom and then I need about another inch.

 

To get this far, I realised I needed some idea of how the foresail would be attached, so I also started the process of making the sails. I cut up the piece of cloth I had obtained into sail sized chunks and then tried to iron out the creases. Lesson. I should have washed/soaked it first then dried it, then ironed it and finally cut it into sail sized chunks. I then experimented with making one of the triangular sails, the inner jib, as I thought they would be the easiest.

 

It did not go as well as I had hoped. I folded over the shortest edge and used diluted PVA to glue it in place. It was too narrow to tack. However I did not pay enough attention and did not realise it stretched as I did this. Once I realised what had happened I decided a new inner jib would be required, but I would continue with this one for practice. I then repeated this process on the longest edge, taking more care. I found that I could glue this in place without any stretching. That is as far as I have got. Below is a picture of my trial sail along with the Billings one. I would describe the billings material as deck chair canvas.

I have drawn the shapes of all the sails onto the chunks I cut, using the billings sails as patterns.

 

I then made the foresail gaff. I used the supplied tapered dowel, but made the jaws from scratch and added other details from the Musées de la Marine plans and photographs. The jaws supplied in the kit was a piece of plastic, which I used as a template to make the new one from some 1.5mm ply I had spare.

 

Once made I realised the shape of the foresail needed adjusting slightly as the length of the head was too long for it to be correctly mounted on the gaff.

Here are the two together. The piece of cloth they are on is the foresail.

I will now continue with my attempts to make sails. May try various methods on scrap material first. Will also do the mainsail boom and gaff as they are very similar to those for the foresail, just a bit larger and finish of the ships boat.

 

Thanks to everyone for looking in,

 

Glenn

 

[popeye the sailor]

the inflatable looks good Glenn.......I would think the ropes should have a little sag to them {look alright to me}     nice bit of progress though.......the planning always takes the longest.    Billing has a habit of supplying the plastic bits.......I have quite a few parts in my inventory {I don't use them either}.   I'm sure I'll find a use for them somewhere   

[mrcc]

Hi Glenn, you have created such a wonderful build log...

I love the historical details, the pictures of the real ship, planning and solutions above what the Billing kits allow, and the workmanship of course. 

Perfect in all regards!

[Cathead]

Regarding the inflatable, I wonder if adding some seams would help with the realism, especially internally? It would break up the long run of smooth plastic and give some more visual interest. Looks nice, nonetheless

[glennreader]

As mentioned I have been busy for the last few weeks marking exam papers. It is seasonal work and very intense for a short time. I am finished now so I have spent a few hours in the shipyard, or more accurately the sail loft.

 

Thanks, for the comments and thanks to anyone who has looked in.

Cathead, thanks for that, I think seams are a great idea. I will look at some pictures and give some thought to where they could go. This is one of the pictures I am using for reference.

Back to sails. As previously stated I ruined my first attempt at the inner jib. But it was good practice. I then attempted to make the topmast staysail. I was getting along ok with this until I was called away unexpectedly and plopped my small anvil down to hold the turned over edge in place. By the time a got back it had left a nice rust stain. Practice sail number 2.

 

For my 3rd attempt I again went for the topmast staysail. Without being disturbed this was more successful and I managed to

• Cut it out
• Mark where the seams between the sheets of canvas would be in a light pencil
• Apply reinforcing patches, using diluted PVA, also with seams marked in light pencil.
• Fold over the edges and glue them in place, using diluted PVA.
• Sew on a bolt rope
• Add a clew ring to which the sheet and the down haul will be attached. The downhaul runs via blocks at the other two corners of the sail such that when pulled on it compresses the whole sail.
• Realise I have not yet marked the seams round the edge of the sail.

I do 1 line from the template and then add a second later.

the reinforcement patches are circular.

I still need to add tack and head cringles. These go inside the bolt rope as shown below.

To make these I have been experimenting on my 2 discarded sails. What I have come up with uses 1mm lengths of 1.8mm brass tube. This has a wall thickness of 0.1mm. I cut these by putting the tube in a hole and sawing off flush with the top. This works well and also retains the small piece. I then clean up both ends with a small needle file, holding the small piece on some 1.6mm rod. Then use a centre punch and small hammer to round over each end slightly. I Then fit this too a pre-cut hole in the sail and turn over the ends slightly more. The idea is to turn them over as much as possible before they split.

 

I find the most difficult part is to make the hole in the sail. I tried making a punch, but that did not work well. I tried drilling, but in the end settled for using double sided tape to hold the sail onto a block of wood and then using a milling bit to make the hole. This shows my latest trial. At the top is the sail I am currently making with the bolt rope sown on. At the bottom is my first attempt at the topmast staysail, complete with rust stain and cringle. On the actual sail it will be tucked in just inside the bolt rope.

 

I feel this attempt is going well. Hopefully I will finish this sail in the next few days and post some more pictures. If only I could make them look like this. The topmast staysail is centre top.

 

Glenn

 

 

 

 

[popeye the sailor]

what I do with the sails I make,  is to paint them with diluted white glue after they are sewn.   I take a beach towel roll it up in crumpled mess and cover it up with plastic wrap.   the sails are laid on it, positioned so that they will take on major billow.   a flat lacquer can also be used if you want them to be stiffer,  they are still just as bendable.  reef line will also benefit from this.......they won't stick out all over the place.  use a pick to lift them away from the sail,  so they don't become stuck to the sail.