Wasan 1628 by Nazgul - FINISHED - Billing Boats Vasa 1:75

[marktiedens]

Hello Matti

One thing to keep in mind is the ratlines are usually the smallest diameter rope on the ship.I use small diameter sewing thread.At your scale you would never see the twist of the rope.Hope that helps.Also you might try doing some with both a clove hitch & a simple overhand knot.I find it`s easier to get a naturally looking sag with an overhand knot even though it`s not historically correct.

 

/Mark

Edited October 14, 2014 by marktiedens

[dragzz]

vary nice work that u are doing keep it  up

[NAZGÛL]

Thanks for the suggestion Mark, I'll keep that in mind! What do you mean with not see the twist of the rope?

 

Cheers dragzz!

 

Thanks for the likes also everyone!

 

 

 

/Matti

[CaptainSteve]

Just a suggestion to consider, Matti, but I have seen at least one builder here one MSW who has sewn a thinner thread straight through the shrouds. This is INSTEAD of tying all those clove-hitches. I think they tie the line off at each end with a clove-hitch - plus a spot of glue.

 

I've never tried this method (I used to have nightmares involving being swarmed by clove-hitches), but it would make your job of creating sag a lot easier. 

Edited October 15, 2014 by CaptainSteve

[NAZGÛL]

Thanks for the suggestion Steve! Yeah I found a thread here suggesting that. I'm pretty sure I would mess up the shrouds with that method. And for me its something of an aesthetic decision, like adding nails to the hull or not. Or not adding any chaulking between the weatherdeck planks. 

 

I don't really agree that you would not see any knots where the ratlines cross the shrouds. I see it even on smaller reference pics.

 

 

I do agree that the knots in this scale are slightly to big, but I prefer that to no knots. I hope to get a glose color match between the shrouds and the ratlines and that this would make the knots less prominent.

 

 

Cheers!

 

/Matti

[CaptainSteve]

I agree ... I also like seeing knots.

 

OK. How about combining ideas ??

Sew your thin rat-line thread through  ... create the sag as you want ... spot glue the ends ...

THEN, tie a clove-hitch knot over each shroud/rat-line juncture.

[Guest Tim I.]

Stunning work!

 

- Tim

[marktiedens]

Matti - rope is made by twisting several strands of thread together on a rope walk. You would not see this twist on simple sewing thread without a magnifying glass. Maybe someone else could explain it better than me.

 

/Mark

[NAZGÛL]

Steve, sounds like it could work but I'll go with the clove-hitches and CA on a toothpick.

 

Thanks Tim!

 

Mark, ah, yeah I get what you mean. They look like this close up on the original:

 

 

I agree the twists would not be very obvious at this scale.

 

 

/Matti

 

 

[JanV]

Did you consider to use a mixture of the white wood glue with water (50/50%) and then fix each knot with a small drop of this mixture using a small old brush

consider that CA might break after several years and this is a very hard glue connection which can also break after touching once you are finished.

 

this is my experience as well from several experienced builders in the Netherlands, we try to not use CA on shipmodels except when all other glues cannot be used

I am using CA only to make a needle from the beginning of a rope so this makes it a lot easier to have the rope in small openings from blocks etc.

[NAZGÛL]

Yeah, I did Jan. But after testing CA, I felt it worked well for me, as I felt I can shape it pretty well with it. I've used CA for a long time and actually haven't had any problem with it going fragile with time on the older models or stuff I used it on. I even used it when making the strings (basically the same material as this thread) for my sons homemade toy crossbows and bows, and as long as it isn't in a straight bend, it works well, they shoot them alot and the strings still hold up well.

 

Considering how fragile the model is alltogether, I plan to not let anything on it to be touched.

 

Thanks for your input though!

 

 

/Matti

[themadchemist]

On that last picture of the shroud... is that a cap of some sort on the end of the shroud rope end?

 

That's a great detailed picture of the deadeye wrap and seizing and the ratlines look smaller then the seizing lines.

The shroud also appears served above the last seizing, did it rub the railing on the way up? Do you have a pic further up the shroud Matti, I'm curious how far up the serving goes....

[NAZGÛL]

Keith, To me it looks like a piece of leather or fabric used as a cap yeah. Here is another showing that area, not as upclose, but pretty clear:

 

 

 

 

/Matti

[themadchemist]

I figured  it was a leather cap to keep water from wicking into the shroud end and causing rope swelling.

 

In that second picture Its hard to tell. I saved the large photo to the desktop and expanded it but it pixelates a lot, but it appears that the shrouds a served all the way up. HUM,

 

...also on the lower shroud where they wrap the deadeye and are seized, it appears wormed, but not parceled or served. double HUM.

 

Wonderful photos Matti. You definitely have an advantage with those photos to build from.

[NAZGÛL]

Yeah, it's great Keith. Last time I went to Stockholm I stopped by the museum and took pics of the things that was upcoming in the build.

 

Here's a bigger version of the picture so you can see better.

 

 

/Matti

[mobbsie]

Hi Matti,

 

There is no substitute for the Mk1 eyeball in my opinion Matti, yes we get the magnifiers but there is always a certain distortion to them, your eye has stood you in good stead so far Matti and I see no reason why it shouldn't continue to do so.

 

You'll know when your ratlines are right so have faith in your eyeball and knowledge.

 

Vasa is looking superb mate.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[NAZGÛL]

Cheers mate! I'm bound to get some misstakes as it's new for me, but I hope they will not be crucial.

 

 

/Matti

[Salty Sea Dog]

Congrats on reaching 100 pages! Each page has been a treat. Thanks and keep up the amazing work!

[NAZGÛL]

Thank you Buck, it's been great fun!

 

 

/Matti

[NAZGÛL]

Hey all! Ok so I made the ratlines for the starboard side of the mainmast. Lots of beginner misstakes, but it was quite enjoyable work. To be honest shaping the dead eyes and metal parts for them was more challenging on the nerves as there where many stages. Once these are on you have a result. I like that as it gives energy to continue. I decided to do not go by a template, but did them freehand, by the eye and tried to look at the reference instead. I did end up with more rows then the original at the museum.

 

I still need to weather the ratlines and give a light coat of varnish to hide the CA but this is where Ï'm at now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/Matti

[Ponto]

...splendid,... you're a natural  (and fast).....

 

JP

[NAZGÛL]

Thank you very much JP!

 

/Matti

[themadchemist]

Fast and beautiful as always, I especially like the ratlines against the sky and the starboard bow photos.

 

Autumn has arrived, and the WASAN is much further along.

 

Fantastic Art Matti

[NAZGÛL]

Cheers Kevin! I'm not very fast usually,.

 

 

/Matti

[NMBROOK]

Your ratlines look great mate I always knew you wouldn't have any difficulties Congrats on reaching 100 pages,it is a great pleasure to follow your journey from the start

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

[NAZGÛL]

Thanks for the kind words Brian and Nigel!

 

And thanks for the likes everyone!

 

 

 

/Matti

[Louie da fly]

She looks very beautiful. You're doing a wonderful job.

[marktiedens]

Nicely done. I also spaced mine by eye to what looked correct, I didn`t count mine to see if I had the same number as the original . Since none of the original rigging survived I assume the museum took their best guess when rigging them,so it`s possible yours is more correct than theirs .

 

/Mark

[NAZGÛL]

Cheers Louie and Mark! Yeah, you're right, Mark, as long as they would be "usable for climbing" you should have some degree of freedom. I started out with an estimation, but as soon as I started felt that I needed to just do them by eye to try to control the look and how the lines aligned to eachother.  

 

Thanks again for the likes, everybody!

 

/Matti

Edited October 18, 2014 by NAZGÛL

[dragzz]

vary nice work u have done there cant wait to see it all done