Granado by RMC - FINISHED - Caldercraft - 1:64

[flyer]

Hi Bob

Fantastic work and excellent looking rope work on your Granado!

 

Checking on my Granado I think that most of the ropes belayed to the breast rail do need some extra length to be properly usable e.g. braces when yards are braced up. These ends I did somehow coil around the rope itself which may not be correct but was what I could think of at the time.

 

the lower part of that picture shows the breast rail

 

 

Cheers

Peter

[RMC]

Thanks Bob and Peter.  I did this (below) before I saw your replies. Unfortunately I cut off the threads too short to provide a more substantial set of coils.  The result is probably adequate, but I wish I had seen your two solutions.  I still may play with it a bit - along the lines you two have shown me - but I don't want to completely stuff it up.  At the least I see from the photos I should improve their shape and positions.

 

 

 

 

[RMC]

Slow progress still.  I seem to have spent most time making rope coils - not one of my favourate things.

 

The driver boon has now been installed, but not rigged yet.  It's slightly awkward job - access is difficult - and perhaps this may help someone.  The thread upon which the parrel beads were loaded is about 100mm long.  This enables the boom to be pulled away from the mast and made more accessible.  The thread  is passed through the second of the driver boom jaws, and the thread is then pulled taught  (shown below).

 

 

 

An overhand knot was then tied around the thread, a dab of dilute PVA put on it, making sure not to get the PVA on the parrel thread.  Once dry the ends of the knot were cut off, the knot slipped up to the jaws and glued, and the hanging end of the parrel thread then cut off.  In the photo below, the knot may be seen about 15mm from the jaw before being slipped up to it

 

 

At the moment I am deciding what to do next.  The most likely is HMS Speedy by Vanguard Models.  Chris Watton is the designer and he did a wonderful job on Amati's vanguard.

 

[HardeeHarHar]

Such a great way to do it.  You are awesome!  I really appreciate the depth of information you are able to convey in your build log.  Also, the more time I spend in the forum, the more I hear Chris Watton's name being used in positive ways.  I'd love to do the special edition of The Speedy too.....after I finish the Granado (ahhhhh, one day) and make a port wine decanter out of the Morel by Master Korabel 😉

[jwvolz]

Looking good Bob!

[RMC]

Thanks for the kind comments Hardee and Joe.  I'm just looking forward to finishing, then doing something perhaps a little different.

[HardeeHarHar]

Honest comments RMC, your work is great, and thanks for your blog work too.  I am seriously thinking of making a port decanter out of the secret vessel Morel by Master Korabel as something "different", 😃 it seems doable.  However, post Granado thoughts are a long way off for me  (just placed the spirketting on the inner bullwarks). 

[RMC]

The rigging of the driver gaff and driver boom is now finished, and the end is in sight.  I have ordered the HMS Speedy from Vanguard Models, and hope it shows up before we go away before Christmas.

 

 In rigging the drivers, belaying the various threads is quite difficult as access is very limited.  I now have to make up a fairly large number of rope coils, which, as I wrote earlier, is not one of my favorite jobs.  Fitting them over the belaying pins in some of the  pinrails is also problematic.  Either the pins I are too large, or the holes into which they are fitted are a little too close together, and this adversely affects their appearance.

 

This how I have done the rope coils so far.  The results have been acceptable, though I am sure there must be better ways.  First, onto a piece of dowel of an appropriate diameter, some thick teflon tape was wound three or four times.  Then the thread was wound on, and a drop of CA was applied to stick the layers of thread together.  This is shown below.  The dab of CA may be seen and the yellow is Tamiya tape to hold the thread.  I would have preferred a couple more layers of thread, but this would have provided more difficulties in fitting them over the pins.

 

 

 

The assembled coil is slipped off the teflon (if you are careful, it does not stick) -

 

and here is a coil.

 

Now the trick is to get it to hang properly.  This is one way.  Wet the coil - the CA will hold it together - fit over the pin, then weigh it down (here I used a nail) until the coil dries.  After taking this photo, I shaped the coil here to look a little more civilized.  In this photo you may see that two of the pins had been removed (they were replaced later) to provide better access in belaying the hanging ends of the rigging.

 

 

 

 

Not the greatest picture, by here is how it has turned out.

 

 

[RMC]

I am finishing off some random bits and pieces: the support for the ensign staff, the fish davit and the anchors.  Here is how they turned out.

 

I had a nice photo of the support and painted up and unfortunately I deleted it.  This is an earlier photo.

 

 

 

here it is: more civilized and dry-fitted.

 

 

the fish davit.

 

and the anchors.

 

 

 

Unfortunately my purchase of HMS Speedy has run into trouble.  I had hoped to receive it before we go away just before Christmas.  I made a mistake in entering details on the website.  In trying to correct it I ran into the security payment system which viewed me as a shady character (!) and refused the transaction.  Subsequent attempts seemed to dig a deeper hole.  So be careful.  Chris Watton has been really good, and I hope to have things righted in the new year.

 

 

[Gahm]

You have a wonderful model there! Thank you for sharing!

 

Thomas

[RMC]

Thanks Thomas and to others for your support.  Encouragement is always appreciated.  Granado is now almost finished.  I will post a few more photos in the next day or so.   Then, it's a matter of trying to organize a Speedy.  Unfortunately it's unlikely to be this year.

[SIDEWAYS SAM]

Thanks RMC for an outstanding build.

Been a pleasure watching this.

 

Sam

[RMC]

Thanks Sam. 

 

Here is the lifting gear for the mortar 'covers'.  A note of caution: the instructions specify the circular part of the eyelets as ringbolts(?) for lifting the covers.  Alas, the hooks shown in the photo  below will not fit into them.  Fortunately I had some rings to replace them, but it was a bit of a pain.

I am now working on stowing the anchors, and should have the whole thing finished by next weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One more annoyance is the inconsistency in the plans for the belaying point for the main yard tack.  I imagine the second is correct.  Bad luck for me.

 

 

 

 

[HardeeHarHar]

I just noticed you didn't bend your fish davit span shackle down to lie flush with the deck.  I am amazed they haven't taken a beating, as I have been hesitant to put them in place after bending them as instructed....  Also, did you use any polyurethane or oil on the deck, the mortar housing, etc?  Did you use poly or oil or anything on top of the red ochre bullwark, or is that not recommended in your experience/opinion?  Finally, and I have said it more than once, your build is beautiful and inspirational.  I have much to learn, as I have just finished the main hatch and the deck reinforcement, and am going to rig the cannons in place before adding the forecastle deck.  So far, so good (literally).  Oops, one last question, did you glue your mortar base and mortars into the mortar housings at fixed angles and positions, or leave them free to rotate or slide around, etc.  I hope that last question makes sense...

 

[Beef Wellington]

Really outstanding progress Bob, very nice.  Just a comment on the main tack, I don't think the plans are inconsistent, just maybe not intuitive.  I suspect that the tack goes first through a sheave in the chesstree and inboard through a sheave (or simplified hole as per plans) to then be belayed to the range cleat identified.  Have been studying this for my own benefit recently 🙂

Edited December 15, 2020 by Beef Wellington

[RMC]

Jason: unfortunately you're right. My mistake was merely referring to the belaying points on sheet 9, which shows the tack simply belayed to the cleat.  It pays to read the instructions alas.  It MAY niggle me enough to redo it.

 

Hardee etc.

1.    In the photo the shackle is dry-fitted.  It is now glued and flush with the deck. 

2.    I have covered all painted surfaces with flat polyurethane. 

3.   The way I have done it,  mortars are effectively fixed by the sides of the housings.  Look at the Jotika website for photos of the alternatives.

 

Best of luck.

Bob

[HardeeHarHar]

Hey Bob, thanks again for the help.  Glad to hear you waited all that time to put the spanshackle down, as I was thinking it would just get destroyed if I put it in place where suggested in the instructions.  Look at me growing wiser with experience!  Glad to hear you poly'd over, you just do it so well it looks great.  And yep, I understand the mortar comment, just wanted to hear whether you actually GLUED them down.  Sounds like you just let them sit within the housing, which is tight space for the larger mortar, for sure!  I may see if I can use some of that bluestick adhesive putty to hold removable components in place with a little more permanence than gravity alone, as I have found it helpful in holding quoins in cannons in place on a semi-temporary basis until I have them all tied down.  That stuff was also helpful in building the gun carriages too...

Best regards Bob,

Brian

Edited December 16, 2020 by HardeeHarHar
forgot to put name in

[RMC]

Well the niggle got the better of me - as I knew it would.  Doing it at this stage was a little fraught with anchors and other bits of rigging in the  way, but  I am now a little easier to live with.  I should complete rigging the anchors which more or less finishes the whole thing except for some tidying up and doing a few more rope coils. 

 

We go to the coast, south of Sydney for about 3 weeks on Monday, so that will be the finish of boating until the New Year.  By then I'm hoping to have a solution to the HMS Speedy problem.

 

This is how belaying the main tack now looks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RMC]

The anchors are finally rigged.  It's turned out reasonably well.  I think that's the end of ship-building for the year (and what a year!) and the beginning of three weeks at the beach - Pisco sowers, Sangria and perhaps a glass of wine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Christmas and a far happier New Year to all.

 

Bob

[SIDEWAYS SAM]

Thanks for one of the best build tutorials on the forum.

 

Best wishes for the holidays,

 

Sam.

[bruce d]

Bob, while you chill out on the beach I think I will be reading this blog from post #1. That is a fine looking model.

 

Bruce

[RMC]

I have finally successfully ordered HMS Speedy.  The difficulties with the security controls on credit cards have been resolved (almost all of which were my fault).  Chris Watton has been has been  superb in providing help with what as been a software problem out of his control.  I could not recommend him and his company more highly.

 

Looking forward to a happy New Year and a new ship to build.

[RMC]

Well the thing is finally finished, though I will put a few rope coils here and there later today.  It's quite a challenging model.  As I have noted earlier in this log, the materials supplied were quite variable  - some was really  quite poor (some of the timber strip was unusable).  The instructions were good and the parts list was really well done.

 

This is how it's turned out.

 

Here I have blue-tacked a very small crew member onto the deck to give some idea of scale.  He is a 1:72 person and of course the model is 1:64.  Once some of his 1:64 colleagues are delivered I will put him ashore.  I don't know what to do with the 'lids' for the rear mortar.  Leaving them strewn around the deck does not seem satisfactory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whoops - my man seems to have been at the grog locker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are returning to the south coast on Monday for a week and I had hoped to bring Speedy with me to make a start.  It was supposed to be delivered on Friday .....

 

 

[jwvolz]

She finished up nicely Bob, very well done. Congrats on the build!

[Beef Wellington]

Congratulations Bob, a very fine looking model.

[Gahm]

You did a great job on your Granado! Congratulations! She turned out beautifully!

 

Thomas

[RMC]

Thanks Joe, Jason and Thomas, and thanks too for all those who have 'liked' the build over the last few years.  We just arrived back from the south coast for what is supposed the be a heatwave over the next week..  Should have stayed at the beach.

 

HMS Speedy has arrived which should keep me occupied for a while.  I have had a quick look at the kit.  It is beautifully presented and the materials are absolutely first-rate.  I will start another build log once there is a little progress to report.

 

Happier New Year to all.

[FredSC]

I started Granado in 2014 (long story).  Like anything left for a long time you forget what you were doing and how you were doing it.  I've been reviewing your log and it seems that everyone who has done a Granado log has done an amazing job.  Right now I'm stuck attaching the Spritsail yard standing lift.  Are there one or two 30mm pendants from the yard attached to a 3mm deadeye lashed to the bowsprit?  From the directions, it looks like 2, but then there would have to be two deadeyes lashed to the bowsprit, which looks like it would be a little awkward.  Can't tell from your photos and would appreciate advice.

Fred

[RMC]

Fred; there are two pendants (one each side) and  and two 3mm deadeyes lashed to the bowsprit.- again one on each side.  If you still have trouble, I'll take a photo which I hope will make it clear.  Good luck.

 

I am now working on Speedy and will start a log later today.

 

Bob

[FredSC]

Thanks, Bob.  I've got it.  You'd think I would be used to awkward by now.  Good luck with Speedy.

Fred