USS Tennessee 1869 by Keith Black - scale 1:120 - Wood Hull Screw Frigate - ex Madawaska 1865

[Glen McGuire]

Fantastic work, Keith.  Like everything else on this build, your gaff and lift rigging is very clean and crisp.

[clearway]

Nice to see you back with her Keith and she is looking awesome.

 

Keith

[KeithAug]

Lovely rigging work Keith.

[Rick310]

Really beautiful work!!

Rick

[Keith Black]

 Rob, Glen, Keith (c), Keith (A), and Rick thank you for your kind comments and thank you to all for the likes. 

 

 I was hoping to post photos this evening but unfortunately that didn't happen, hopefully in a couple of days.

 

 Again, a Happy New Year to all and again, thank you for following along.

[mbp521]

Happy New Year Keith!

 

-Brian

[KeithAug]

6 hours ago, Keith Black said:

I was hoping to post photos this evening but unfortunately that didn't happen,

The story of my life.😐

[clearway]

Happy New Year to you too Keith

 

Keith

[Keith Black]

 Brian, Keith A, and Keith C, thank you for the comments and thank you to all for the likes.

 

 I enhanced this photo 

 

 where the lines and stays could be more easily seen  

 

and after adding the fore's top, topgallant braces, standing stays from main to fore, and standing stays from fore to bowsprit, the skyline is pretty stinkin' close which is amazing to me all things considered. 

 

 Bowsprit details with added bullseyes. With the exception of the mizzen the main and fore's stays and running lines are not permanently tied off as adjustment will be required once the shrouds have been added. 

 

 i have a punch list for items that need addressed on the main and mizzen. Correcting the main and mizzen's main and top standing stays and adding bullseyes to the mizzen main stay abreast the aft stack. Additionally.... i thought the fore's main yard brace attached to the outside of the hull as does the cross jack and the main's main yard but not so. in the enhanced photo it can be clearly seen the fore main braces attache to blocks beneath the main's top next to the main's top yard brace blocks. I'll have to add the two single blocks which will require a bit of standing on my head and i'll search for any necessary paint touchups.

 

 But all this inside work needs to be done before adding the shrouds as when done the inside workspace will be, hard to come by. Once the punch list is completed I'll post a 'proof of life' photo and then on to the dreaded shrouds. 

[mbp521]

Beautiful Keith!  I have often found myself in the quandary of getting the inside work done before the shrouds or visa-versa.
 

Doing the internal work without the shrouds is so much easier to access, but I’ve always thought that once the inside work was done and the shrouds added later that the tension of installing the shrouds would cause a sag on the inner lines. So, I’ve always worked from the outside in, praying to the ship gods that i didn’t snag a line and dump the whole thing in the floor. Oh the trials of model shipbuilding. 😁

 

-Brian

[wefalck]

Nice work and interesting strategy. It's a bit counterintuitive, but may be a good idea. On the other hand, fairleads and such things for pieces of running rigging would need to be tied to the shrounds, which can be only done once the shrouds are set.

 

Looking forward to see how you are getting on !

[Keith Black]

3 hours ago, mbp521 said:

Beautiful Keith!  I have often found myself in the quandary of getting the inside work done before the shrouds or visa-versa.
 

Doing the internal work without the shrouds is so much easier to access, but I’ve always thought that once the inside work was done and the shrouds added later that the tension of installing the shrouds would cause a sag on the inner lines

 Thank you, Brian. Knowing the shrouds will pull all the tension aft is the reason none of the stays or running lines are tied off. They're there to eliminate having to add them later but I'll have the ability to pull them taunt once the shrouds are in place. 

 

 

2 hours ago, wefalck said:

Nice work and interesting strategy. It's a bit counterintuitive, but may be a good idea. On the other hand, fairleads and such things for pieces of running rigging would need to be tied to the shrounds, which can be only done once the shrouds are set.

 Thank you, Eberhard. I'm not doing sails and because my rigging knowledge/experience is limited many rigging details will not be included. A unknowledgeable viewer will be none the wiser and the knowledgeable viewer will just have to look on with sympathetic forgiveness. 

 

 Speaking of forgiveness......profile shots are pretty boring so I've included an angled view.

 

 

 

Thank you to all for the support and thank you to all for the likes.

[BANYAN]

She's looking good Keith; and looking forward to seeing the corrections/improvements.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Rick310]

Truly magnificent!!  I had a heck of a time tying off the lanyards on the bowsprit rigging at 1/8 inch scale.  I can’t imagine how you accomplished that at an even smaller scale!  Very impressive, all of it!!
Rick

[FlyingFish]

On 12/26/2023 at 8:37 PM, Keith Black said:

Sometimes the result is more suggestion than 100% accuracy

Tremendous work Keith - I agree wholeheartedly with this, although it does look very 'on scale' and I particularly like the lack of 'fuzz' on the ropework - a sign of attention to detail. Really enjoying seeing it come together.

[KeithAug]

She is looking exceeding smart Keith. 

[clearway]

😁😁😁

[Cathead]

On 1/6/2024 at 3:58 PM, Keith Black said:

and the knowledgeable viewer will just have to look on with sympathetic forgiveness.

 I might have to steal this phrasing, well put!

[Glen McGuire]

4 minutes ago, Cathead said:

I might have to steal this phrasing, well put!

Same here.  Keith definitely has a way with words!

[TBlack]

3 hours ago, Glen McGuire said:

 Keith definitely has a way with words!

Isn't that the truth! Almost poetic.

[Dave_E]

Top Shelf material! 😀

[Keith Black]

Comments housekeeping......

 

On 1/6/2024 at 6:17 PM, BANYAN said:

She's looking good Keith; and looking forward to seeing the corrections/improvements.

 Thank you, Pat. Most of the corrections are going to be so minor they'll likely go unnoticed. The one that will be noticed is adding bullseyes to the mizzen mainstay attaching abreast the rear stack. Currently the stay is merely tied at eye pins.  When I originally installed that stay I was afraid I'd make a dog's lunch out of the stack's chain stays if I tied adding bullseyes there but I now think I can do so without damage to the chains. I'll certain post that correction.

 

On 1/6/2024 at 8:13 PM, Rick310 said:

Truly magnificent!!  I had a heck of a time tying off the lanyards on the bowsprit rigging at 1/8 inch scale.  I can’t imagine how you accomplished that at an even smaller scale!  Very impressive, all of it!!

 Thank you, Rick. Because I cheat with the way I strop and attach blocks and deadeyes it makes that tiny finger work manageable.  I'f I was doing it the normal way they'ed have to put me in a home. Those that work in even smaller scales (Eberhard for one) blow my mind.

 

On 1/7/2024 at 4:36 AM, FlyingFish said:

Tremendous work Keith - I agree wholeheartedly with this, although it does look very 'on scale' and I particularly like the lack of 'fuzz' on the ropework - a sign of attention to detail. Really enjoying seeing it come together.

 Thank you, Andy. I use Gutermann polyester thread. I have limited experience with cotton thread and I hated working with and the finished look. the biggest knock against polyester the than being nontraditional is because it stretches, i have not experienced that. I've had line at the stern of the mizzen tied off going on two years this Spring without any noticeable droop. I didn't pre stretch the thread, I just pulled it taunt and tied if off. i would never consider using cotton after my experience with the Gutxrmann polyester thread. 

 

On 1/7/2024 at 10:33 AM, KeithAug said:

She is looking exceeding smart Keith. 

 Thank you, Keith

 

On 1/7/2024 at 2:56 PM, clearway said:

😁😁😁

 Keith, you made me smile.

 

8 hours ago, Cathead said:

I might have to steal this phrasing, well put!

 Consider it yours, Eric.

 

8 hours ago, Glen McGuire said:

Same here.  Keith definitely has a way with words!

5 hours ago, TBlack said:

Isn't that the truth! Almost poetic.

4 hours ago, Dave_E said:

Top Shelf material!

 Glen, Tom, and Dave, thank you guys, you're too kind. 

 

 Thank you to all for the comments and thank you to all for the likes. Your support warms the cockles of me ole heart. 

[mbp521]

Scrolling through these builds, enjoying the photos and commentary and learning new and old techniques of the progress is only part the entertainment that I get from this forum. The sideline conversation and banter is the added bonus that keeps me glued to the builds and coming back for more. 
 

-Brian

[Keith Black]

 

On 1/8/2024 at 9:41 PM, mbp521 said:

The sideline conversation and banter is the added bonus

 Brian, absolutely! 

 

Redoing the mizzen main stay with bullseyes is the only change that I'll document as the other pre shroud work have much less visual interest.

 

 I wish I had done this before things go so closed in. Looking back, after the hell I went through getting the aft stack's chain stays in place i was afraid to work around those chains by adding bullseyes, just running the stay ends to eye pins seemed so much safer.  But now that I've added bullseyes to all the other stays, not having a pair on the mizzen main stay seemed goofy.  

 

 An hour into the change over i was wishing I'd left well enough alone. i started on the port side working around the gaff lines and trying to stab the twisted end, .028 inches, into the .034 inch drilled hole about had me throwing things! I crushed one twisted bullseye and had to make up another lashed pair. Before inserting eye pins, blocks, and bullseyes I apply CA gel on the twisted end and insert. Once inserted I'll add some additional CA liquid with an homemade needle applicator around the base. Last night I struggled keeping the gelled end from coming into contact with any and everything except its intended target. Eventually perseverance won out, thankfully the starboard side went like a breeze.........whew!

 

 Lashed bullseyes ready to place.   

 

Before, stay tied off to eye pin

 

 After, port side bullseyes added.

 

 Starboard side added. The lines are not tied off at this point as some additional work needs to be done to the stay lines below the top. 

 

 Thank you to all for the likes and for following along. 

[scrubbyj427]

Nicely done Keith, I’m just now catching up on this build. Interesting subject as well.

JJ

[wefalck]

After-thought-job well done! It's those details that really make the difference.

 

It's not easy to have all the necessary foresight, but I make myself a mental plan for working 'inside-out' in order to minimise interference. It does not always work though 😬

Edited January 12 by wefalck

[FriedClams]

I've been away from the forum for a few weeks, so I was delighted to see that the Tennessee is once again moving forward.  Very nice progress, Keith!  Your work is so clean and precise, which comes as no surprise to anyone who follows your build.  

 

On 1/6/2024 at 4:58 PM, Keith Black said:

A unknowledgeable viewer will be none the wiser and the knowledgeable viewer will just have to look on with sympathetic forgiveness. 

 

Amen, brother.

 

Thanks for the tip on the Gutermann polyester.

 

Keep at it but take your time - this is one of those builds no one really wants to see end.

 

Gary

[TBlack]

Great work Keith. Dad would be proud.
Tom

[Rick310]

Beautiful clean work!!

Rick

[Keith Black]

  JJ, Eberhard, Gary, Tom, and Rick, thank you for the kind comments and thank you to all for the likes. 

 

  

 

 Fore's main yard brace line temporarily run to the block under the main's top. I'm pleased the model's skyline matches the above photo as well as it does. 

 

 

 The existing outside single block became the fore's main yard brace line block. I had to add a single block for the fore's top yard brace line and it was quite the challenge. I had to drill a .034 inch hole into a .080 top support frame between the outside single block and the inside double block looking up at an awkward angle. The pen vice was up against the lines and I worried through the whole process that disaster would strike any moment. But it didn't and except for the wood crumbs it all went very well. 

 

 

 

 And that concludes the inside work.

 

 Isn't it rich?

 That after all of this time

 I've developed the itch

 Where are the shrouds?

 Send in the shrouds

 

That's right, it's time for the shrouds and I'm looking forward to adding them so much more so than I was a couple of months ago. Hopefully this will go quickly, I'll add progress post throughout the process.

 

 Thank you again to everyone for following along, stay warm.

 

  Keith

 

 

Edited January 21 by Keith Black