HMS Victory by gjdale - FINISHED - Mamoli - Scale 1:90

[Sjors]

Hi Grant,

 

I'm still following you but I don't have a clue what you are talking about .......

But I believe it will be great !  

 

[Script]

Hi Grant,

 

I'm still following you but I don't have a clue what you are talking about .......

But I believe it will be great !  

 

 

What Sjors said.........

[gjdale]

Thanks Lawrence,

 

I'm going to have a bit of a play to see how that idea looks.

 

Sjors and Jim - thanks fellas, there are some who'd say I don't have a clue what I'm talking about either!!! . But glad to know you're hanging in there with me anyway.

[gjdale]

Hi all,

 

It's been a little while since I posted an update, so thought I'd best pop in with a couple of progress shots to keep you-know-who happy.

 

I have now completed installing the yards on the main mast, along with the "inner" rigging for each yard (slings, trusses, jeers, tyes, lifts). I've also secured the yard tackles for both fore and main lower yards in a "temporary" arrangement.  Being still undecided as to the final "display" version, I've temporarily secured these hooked into the channels and shown the outer tricing line rigged.  It's not a bad compromise and may well be the final version, though I'm still thinking on this.

 

The hardest part of this process has been securing the lines to the belaying points - it gets pretty crowded in around the main mast.  I think my record so far has been one hour to secure a single line.  Let's just say that the language in this shipyard would have made even Mobbsie blush!     

 

Here are some progress shots, although at this stage, it all seems to be much of a muchness.

 

 

 

 

In the photo below, you can see the temporary arrangement of the yard tackles, with the outer tricing line attached.  I've left the tail ends of these lines long for the time being, in case I change my mind.....

 

 

Right, now for something completely different - the Mizzen yards !     

 

 

[realworkingsailor]

Very nice, Grant!

 

I'm not sure, but can you start to see the finish line yet? You've got to be almost to the final turn by now....

 

Andy

[mobbsie]

Morning Mate,

 

It's starting to get busy in there and it aint gonna get any better. ( that's just to make you feel good )   :D  

 

You'll be done before you know it mate and she's looking rather resplendent in her new adornments, so hang in there.

 

I fink oim gonna af ta give ya some elocussin teachins wot wiv you bein an hofficer and gentilman and all. Cant have you cussing the wrong stuff can we. 

 

The recipe for rigging, one line at a time and copious amounts of the fall over fluid.  

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[mtaylor]

Grant,

 

What Mobbsie said.. but to clarify:  rig first, then copious amounts of fall over fluid. Doing it the other way around could be very bad.

[Kevin]

lol - i was about to say - i liked Danny,s option, but just realised that was written weeks ago, god where/ what is happening to my year, it is just flying by

 

seriously though she looks lovely

[mikec]

looking fantastic Grant.Its going to get really crowded around the masts . I dont know if you are using one, but I found that by making a groove in the end of a 2 x 2mm x 30mm strip of wood you can work outside the web of lines. (see diagram me.

[Dan Vadas]

Hi Grant,

 

A bit further to Mike's suggestion above, I made a couple of simple tools for this kind of work. One is a "push" tool, the other a "pull" tool. They are made from piano wire with wooden dowel handles :

 

 

 

Couple these with some special Needle Threaders for feeding line through Eyebolts and it simplifies things considerably :

 

 

  Danny

[texxn5]

Hey brotha from down unda, looks like you really are getting close to the finish line. Pictures look great. Question, how would you use those threaders for the eyebolts with lines in place? seems to be too crowded. Keep up the good work Mate.

[gjdale]

Thanks everyone for the kind remarks, suggestions, and likes.

 

Mike and Danny - thanks for the tips/suggestions on rigging tools. I do have all of those, and even made up a new one for extra long reach by embedding a large sewing needle in a length of dowel, and cutting half the "eye" off the needle. What I really needed though was three hands (at least)! The Admiral was away, so I couldn't even bring in some contract labour. I did find that a pair of locking tweezers was quite useful at times. That and the adult beverage (to celebrate afterwards!).

 

John - the needle threader would be used to draw a line through eye bolts as Danny suggests. I haven't tried this method yet. I always soak the end of the line (about 2cm) in diluted PVA glue, then cut the very tip at an angle. This creates a hard, sharp "needle" like end that is easy to feed through blocks, eyebolts etc. I usually hold this end in a pair of tweezers when threading through blocks etc - I find it easier than holding in my sausage-like fingers.

[texxn5]

Ok, thanks for the clarification, that is the same method I use for threading, good stiff 1/2" with a point---much easier for me...

[gil middleton]

Hi Grant,  I'm so glad that you've taken on the yard tackles before I did.  Now I can sit back and evaluate your results.  As to breaking masts, you're becoming an expert  (at repair that is).  A couple of near misses though.  When you get to the braces, one gets both hands into the rigging and the problem is getting them out without taking everything else with them.  Wonderful progress and a beautiful ship.  Gil

[gjdale]

Thanks Gil. I've almost finished fitting out the Mizzen yards, so hope to install these this weekend. You're absolutely right about getting the hands back out of the rigging again - I'm sure I'll get plenty more practice at this before I'm done!

[texxn5]

Hey Grant, I think you know who is looking for some pictures....

[gjdale]

Hi folks,

 

Small update and no pictures - sorry.

 

I have finished fitting out the Mizzen yards and had hoped to complete installing them on the ship today.  Alas, it was not to be.  I ran into a couple of speed bumps as I discovered (yet again) some slight differences between the kit rigging instructions and Longridge.  As you know, I'm trying to follow Longridge as far as possible, although occasionally the kit has made an omission that is impossible to fix at this stage of the build.  So, it's been one step forward, dwell a pause of two marching paces while I figure out how to overcome the next hurdle, and then move on again.

 

The Crossjack Yard and the Mizzen Topsail Yard are now both fitted (to the same stage of rigging as Fore and Main mast yards).  One snag I found was that the kit completely omitted the pin rail that goes around the base of the Mizzen Mast, and it's too late to be able to add one now.  That meant I had to get creative about where to belay the Topsail Yard lifts, as these should go to that pin rail. I solved this by belaying them around the base of the eyebolts that hold the blocks for the Crossjack Yard Truss Pendants.  Sound confusing?  Yeah, me too!

 

The good news is that the mast cleats and the shroud cleats I made some weeks back are coming into their own and working very well.

 

I just need now to fit the Mizzen Topgallant Yard, but as it is now midnight here, it will have to wait for another day.

 

I'll post some pics once all the yards are in place - probably next weekend as I'm travelling for work during the week.

[Blue Ensign]

Is it too late to retro fit a spider band? made in two halves around a piece of dowel the same size as the mizen, pre drilled for the belay pins and glued into place around the Mizen; maybe there's something I'm missing but I'd have thought it feasible for a modeller of your ingenuity and skill Grant.

 

B.E.

[gjdale]

That's got me thinking B.E. If it was only decorative, I'd say no problem. But as it will need to support tension from several rigging lines, it would need to be very securely fixed and that might be a problem, particularly with the restricted access to that area now. I'll think on it some more during the week. In the meantime, I'm open to further advice/suggestions.

[mobbsie]

Hi Grant,

 

I like B.E.'s suggestion mate but if you could just give us a picture of the offending area that may help us help you.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[gjdale]

OK, so B.E. got me thinking and I believe I've come up with a solution to retrofit the missing circular pin rail at the base of the Mizzen mast - a solution that will be structurally sound as well. I'll have to wait until I get home on the weekend to test my theory. I promise pics, one way or the other, after my trials.

[gjdale]

Thanks Lawrence. It's the "two halves" that is the issue - it introduces an inherent weakness. But..........I have a cunning plan. One might say, so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a fox! (apologies to Blackadder). All will be revealed in due course..........

[trippwj]

And so, as the sun slowly settles in the west, we bid adieu to our daring pin rail innovator and wonder, what the heck has his devious mind conjured up?  Will he make his thingy in 2 halves?  Will he make it out of pine or ebony?  What does cast brass really look like on the mast?  Will the fair maiden escape the rail road tracks?  And who DID put the bop in the bop sh-bop sh-bop?

 

Tune in tomorrow for the exciting continuation!

 

Now, then, with that out of the way - look forward to seeing how you tackle this wee conundrum, Grant!  Good Luck!

[augie]

Just what we need ----- another cliffhanger!

[Dan Vadas]

Hi Grant,

 

 

  Danny

[gjdale]

Danny,

 

Spoiler alert!!!

 

That is exactly my plan!

[mobbsie]

So, your also getting into making horseshoes are you !!!!!!!!!!! I much prefer deck coits, not so noisy.   :D  

 

I'm watching.  

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[gjdale]

Hi all,

 

Back home after a week away with work, and just enough time in the shipyard to address the Mizzen Mast pinrail question.

 

I mentioned I'd come up with a cunning plan, and Danny picked it - that's exactly what I did....

 

First up, here is the starting point, showing the Mizzen mast with NO pinrail and with my scratch built mast cleats doing an admirable (if incorrect) job of securing the Truss Pendant tackle falls.

 

 

First job then was to create a pattern for the pinrail. A relatively easy job using TurboCad, although I did do a little bit of fiddling to get the size/proportions to my liking.

 

 

As I needed to construct this in four pieces (a la Danny's previous picture), I printed two patterns, cut them in half and glued them to a scrap piece of 1/32" boxwood:

 

 

Then it was simply a case of cutting out and gluing together..........or was it? 

 

On my first attempt, I cut out the basic pattern with a scroll saw, glued it all up and then tried to drill the large centre hole (about 6mm diam) ................. and watched the entire piece disintegrate. 

 

On the second (and final) version, I used a cylindrical stone in my Dremel to first cut the half-circle in each of the four pieces (stone was just the right diameter), then cut the four pieces off on the Byrnes saw, then got them close to final shape with the Byrnes disc sander, before temporarily gluing up and finishing the final shape by hand with a sanding board.  This proved much easier (and quicker) than using the scroll saw.  After that I drilled the holes for the belaying pins and did a test fit:

 

 

Then I soaked the entire assembly in isopropyl alcohol to separate the four pieces before carefully installing them around the mast.  Here's the final product:

 

 

Just waiting for the glue to set before re-attaching lines various.  In the meantime, I managed to fit the Mizzen Topgallant Yard with Tye, Parral and Lifts.  Once the lower yard lines are re-attached, I will have finished this stage of the rigging and will return to the Foremast to begin the process of attaching Clue Lines, Sheets and Braces etc.  And of course the Driver Boom and Gaff will need to be fitted soon as well...............

 

[Sjors]

Very nice Grant !!!!!!!

 

Thanks for the tutorial   

 

[mobbsie]

Afternoon Grant,

 

Very nicely done mate and very well explained to boot.

 

Here's hoping you don't have any more little problems and that it's all plain sailing from here on.