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

[Jay 1]

She’s looking great, Keith—well done, sir! 

[wefalck]

The long beading needle are good idea, as they allow you to align the ratlines properly before you pull the thread through 👍🏻

[GrandpaPhil]

Keith,

  Sorry to hear about Maggie’s difficulties!

 

The Tennessee is looking great!  I had never heard of the weave method to make ratlines before.  That is interesting and looks amazing!

Edited Sunday at 12:20 PM by GrandpaPhil

[KeithAug]

Those ratlines are truly magnificent Keith. The shot with them mounted shows how perfect they are. Clearly your skills are in no way diminished. Keep up the good work.

Edited Sunday at 12:31 PM by KeithAug

[FriedClams]

Fantastic work on the ratlines, Keith!   Your usual meticulous attention to the task.  I've never built a full masted ship, but I can imagine the difficulties in placing the figures after-the-fact.

 

Gary

[wefalck]

As to the the disposition of the figures, it is useful to make a sort of 'story-board', at least meantally, that notes down what is happening, who is involved (officers and ratings), and how many are needed for the task.

[Rick310]

Very nice!! 
Rick

[Keith Black]

 Thank you to all for the likes, your support is most welcome.

 

 

19 hours ago, Jay 1 said:

She’s looking great, Keith—well done, sir! 

 Thank you, Jay.

 

12 hours ago, wefalck said:

The long beading needle are good idea, as they allow you to align the ratlines properly before you pull the thread through 👍🏻

 Eberhard, sometimes I'll miss a shroud and won't know I've missed till the thread is pulled through. It's a simple matter of doing it over as there's no glueing till all the shrouds have been woven successfully. 

 

10 hours ago, GrandpaPhil said:

Keith,

  Sorry to hear about Maggie’s difficulties!

 

The Tennessee is looking great!  I had never heard of the weave method to make ratlines before.  That is interesting and looks amazing!

 Thank you, Phil. Several of us discussed the weaving process pages 16 and 17 but I never actually photographed the needle in action. I'll do so when I weave the starboard side.

 

 

9 hours ago, KeithAug said:

Those ratlines are truly magnificent Keith. The shot with them mounted shows how perfect they are. Clearly your skills are in no way diminished. Keep up the good work.

 Thank you, Keith

 

 

8 hours ago, FriedClams said:

Fantastic work on the ratlines, Keith!   Your usual meticulous attention to the task.  I've never built a full masted ship, but I can imagine the difficulties in placing the figures after-the-fact.

 Thank you, Gary. I messed about a little last night seeing how difficult it is adding a figure climbing the rats and 'working' on the spars, tedious.  It's going to be a challenge adding the figures in a meaningful manner.

 

 

6 hours ago, wefalck said:

As to the the disposition of the figures, it is useful to make a sort of 'story-board', at least meantally, that notes down what is happening, who is involved (officers and ratings), and how many are needed for the task.

 Understood and that's the mental process I'm currently going through. Thank you. Eberhard. 

 

 

4 hours ago, Rick310 said:

Very nice!! 
Rick

 Thank you, Rick.

 

 

 Thank you to all for following along, I wish I could sit with everyone in a group and chat over strong coffee and artery clogging donuts.

 

 God bless each of you,

 

  Keith 

[BANYAN]

Well trained centipede - looks good mate.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[clearway]

19 hours ago, Keith Black said:

Thank you to all for following along, I wish I could sit with everyone in a group and chat over strong coffee and artery clogging donuts

 i would bring  a few bottles of Cumbrian real ale as well Keith😁

 

Keith

[Rick310]

Thank you Keith and God bless you and Maggie.

Rick

[FlyingFish]

Bit late to the party here... the ratlines are fantastic; you are very skilled Keith. Really enjoying the progress on the boat.

I have some experience of being a carer to my father who had Lewy Body Dementia. Despite some dark moments, I mostly remember the great moments of fun we had together - the laughs always echo loudest as you'll no doubt know. Best wishes to you both, and keep a smile somewhere close!

Edited Monday at 07:25 PM by FlyingFish

[TBlack]

Keith, dear bro, it looks like there are 27 dedicated followers here, plus drop-ins from time to time. Grass Lake is west of Ann Arbor, right? I’ll bring the donuts, if you can provide the coffee, and we’ll all have a grand time. Let’s call it a NRG mini convention. Aside from that, we get to see your efforts up close. One of the things that is lost in the excellent photography is the scale of this model.

[Keith Black]

 

Pat @BANYAN, Rick @Rick310, and Andy @FlyingFish thank you for your kind comments. 

 

 

6 hours ago, clearway said:

 i would bring  a few bottles of Cumbrian real ale as well Keith😁

  Keith, will that get past all the check-in hoopla? 

 

5 hours ago, TBlack said:

Grass Lake is west of Ann Arbor, right? I’ll bring the donuts, if you can provide the coffee, and we’ll all have a grand time. Let’s call it a NRG mini convention.

 Tom, yes we're about 23 miles west of Ann Arbor. 

 

 This sounds like the makings of an MSW/NRG Noggin n' Natter and I'm up for it!!

 

 Our house sits on two lots, 3/4 of an acre in total. The lot on the west side is empty, plenty of room for car and camper parking. We've got a 7 foot fire ring that I burn brush in but we can make it tidy, a quarter cord of firewood and we can stay up all night making S'mores donuts and campfire coffee.

 

 Gawd, that sounds like so much fun. 

 

 Thank you for the likes and for following along. Consider yourselves invited. 

 

  Keith

[TBlack]

13 minutes ago, Keith Black said:

 Consider yourselves invited. 

 

  Keith

It may take me awhile, but I'm going to remember this!

Tom(your brother)

[Keith Black]

38 minutes ago, TBlack said:

It may take me awhile, but I'm going to remember this!

Tom(your brother)

 Please do, Tom.

[KeithAug]

23 hours ago, clearway said:

 i would bring  a few bottles of Cumbrian real ale as well Keith

Not sure about the Cumbrian Ale. Is it brewed near Windscale. Perhaps it glows in the dark. I know a thing or two about Brewing and Reprocessing!😬 

There are a lot of Keith's and Black's on this thread. A convention would be very confusing.😕

 

 

 

/

[TBlack]

Yes, but the brothers Black are sometimes referred to as the vulgar boatmen!

[clearway]

17 hours ago, Keith Black said:

Keith, will that get past all the check-in hoopla? 

 

i will find a way my friend- maybe re label as health tonic😜

[clearway]

29 minutes ago, KeithAug said:

Not sure about the Cumbrian Ale. Is it brewed near Windscale. Perhaps it glows in the dark. I know a thing or two about Brewing and Reprocessing!

maybe what makes it taste so good! a few bottles of Loweswater Gold and Ennerdale Blond would be good methinks!

Pssst Keith we need our other Keith

 

 

Keith

[Keith Black]

8 minutes ago, clearway said:

Pssst Keith we need our other Keith

 He seems to be completely consumed with flying. I do wish he would take up where he left off. 

[Keith Black]

44 minutes ago, KeithAug said:

There are a lot of Keith's and Black's on this thread. A convention would be very confusing.😕

 Life's great irony would be if we all look alike.   

[KeithAug]

1 hour ago, Keith Black said:

Life's great irony would be if we all look alike

I wear the old, grey, wrinkled and weather beaten look.  And that is on a good day!

Edited Tuesday at 08:38 PM by KeithAug

[Keith Black]

3 hours ago, KeithAug said:

I wear the old, grey, wrinkled and weather beaten look.  And that is on a good day!

Welp, that's two of us that look alike. 

Edited yesterday at 12:13 AM by Keith Black

[Keith Black]

 Thank you to all for the comments and likes.

 

 The weaving process in a bit more detail for Phil @GrandpaPhil and anyone else that may have an interest. This is not my idea but to whoever thought of it, THANK YOU!

 

 The reason I chose the weaving process is because there are too many knots to tie at this scale. On the main's lower shrouds the starboard (and port) have 42 ratlines times six shrouds equals 252 knots. It would be a herculean task for me to tie 252 knots at this scale, I'd go stark raving mad.  

 

 I use a #12 beading needle for weaving. Obviously if one is working at a larger scale you can use a larger needle. The #12 has a very small eye and one of the most difficult aspects is threading the needle eye. I use a needle threader and when pulling the captured thread and threader back through the eye, the eyes can break or the thread fray and not pull through successfully. The #12 also bends easily which can work in your favor, more later. 

 

One must make a guide card to place behind the shrouds as normal except the guide needs to be fairly narrow where the clips can grasp the shroud lines.  

 

The first couple of ratlines are the most difficult because of the guide width. The clips must securely clasp the shroud lines to the guide for the needle to pass through the middle (or as close to as possible) of the shroud line. 

 

 I normally start two or three ratlines up from the first line to help stabilize the shrouds in a straight line making absolutely sure to leave at least an inch tail on the outside shroud lines. 

 

 I then go back to the bottom ratlines and work up to where I started the weaving process. 

 

 Because the clips are a bit difficult to attach, most of the time a clasp above and below two lines. Sometimes that doesn't work out and I have to adjust the clips closer to the point of entry. About the needle being bent....in trying to hit center of the shroud line one must move the needle either in or out because the thread wants to roll away from the point of the needle. It's tedious work but not as tedious as tying knots it takes practice and patients.

 

And you slowly work you way the ladder till all the ratlines are woven in.

 

 Once all the lines are woven I start on the bottom right side and place a small amount of CA using my needle applicator at the top and bottom of the ratline of the outside edge of the shroud. I proceed to CA first five lines starting at the bottom and trim off the thread tails. and proceed all the way to the top.

 

 DO NOT CA the inside shrouds, only the two outside shrouds.  

 

 Before CAing the left shroud I adjust all the shrouds width to their correct angle and all the ratlines are as horizontal as possible. One that is done I CA the left shroud and ratlines starting bottom up, five at a time. 

 

 And that's it, it's actually a pretty easy process. Any questions, please ask. 

 

 Thank you to everyone for following along.

 

  Keith

[GrandpaPhil]

Very cool process!

 

Thank you very much!

 

I will have to remember it for the future!

[TBlack]

Nice tutorial on ratlines. Should be easier at a larger scale. How are your eyes holding up?

[Jay 1]

Thanks for your nice tutorial, Keith.  At your scale, that’s a lot of fine and precise detailed work.

 

Cheers,

Jay

[mbp521]

You have been busy Keith. I’m out for a week and lots of progress has been made. Thanks for the tutorial, I really dig your method of building the ratlines. I sure miss rigging and tying ratlines, it’s been several years since I’ve built a fully rigged ship. I need to get busy with my Caroline so I can get it finished up and get back to some real ship building, and maybe put some of your methods to use. 
 

- Brian

[KeithAug]

Very clever ratting process Keith - thank you for taking the time to share.