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

[mbp521]

Keith, in my opinion lining up the deadeyes and getting them to stay even is one of the most difficult tasks in the rigging process. Looks like you nailed it though. Beautiful work!
 

-Brian

[KeithAug]

Wonderfully clean work on the rigging Keith. Excellent!

[Knocklouder]

OOhh how I wish🤩. That is so cool!!  Great job

[Keith Black]

 Bob, Glen, Pat, Rob, Gary, Tom, Brian, and Keith thank you for your kind comments and thank you to all for the likes.

 

 I've completed all the off ship work I can do on the mainmast. The top and top gallant lifts are rigged but the braces have to wait till the mast is installed. Also, the main yard doesn't get permanently mounted till the mainmast is installed and the channel stays deadeyes are rigged. 

 

 Once the foremast top and top gallant lifts are rigged and the foremast installed the Tennessee's rigging will speed up considerably.  

 

 

 

 

 

 The lines from the blocks to the spider pins are temporary and are there only to keep the blocks from becoming a tangled mess. 

 

 Thank you to all for following along and for your continued support. And the journey continues.......

[rwiederrich]

Keith....she's looking super.  Your lines are smart and clean.  Are the ends of the lift purchased getting eyed to the deck, then run down to the pins?

 

You are using my method to rig off model....SUPER job!

 

Rob

[Keith Black]

1 hour ago, rwiederrich said:

Are the ends of the lift purchased getting eyed to the deck, then run down to the pins?

 

 Each halyard passes through a single sheave block secured to the deck before being belayed to a spider pin. I used the posted photo of the mizzen as a guide. 

 

1 hour ago, rwiederrich said:

You are using my method to rig off model....SUPER job!

 You bet I am (thank you for the idea) as it's much easier on one's back to sit at a bench and work rather than stand over a model. You also can anchor your elbows and steady shaky ole hands. Thank you for the complement, Rob. 

 

 

 

[TBlack]

19 hours ago, Keith Black said:

You also can anchor your elbows and steady shaky ole hands. 

Keith,

I know about those.

Tom

Edited March 18, 2023 by TBlack

[Keith Black]

4 minutes ago, TBlack said:

I know about those.

 Shaky hands seem to come with the territory. That and failing eyesight. 

[Keith Black]

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

 

 Today marks a milestone of sorts as all off ship work has been completed on the foremast. This ends my need for my B&D Workmate bench vice for this model. The first post using the Workmate was #401, just over a year ago. I sometimes get the feeling I'm not getting much done but I've actually accomplished a lot during this time period. Of all the tools I've purchased specifically for use on the Tennessee, the Workmate has proven to be the most beneficial. Thank you again for the idea, Rob. 

 

 

 

 Before permanently installing the mast I have to prep the deck with blocks around the main and fore mast along with general cleaning and making sure all is tidy because once the main and fore are both installed it will be extremely difficult if not impossible to get may hands between the mast and rigging at deck level.

 

 To clarify the block arrangement around each mast, it's an inverted gun tackle with horizontal deck level pull. 

 

 

 Thanks again to all and to all, may the winds carry you gently on your journey. 

[Glen McGuire]

Looking good, Keith!  And good to see you making steady progress on your beautiful model!

[BANYAN]

Looking good Keith; you're well and truly down the rigging path now.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[FriedClams]

On 3/20/2023 at 12:44 PM, Keith Black said:

I sometimes get the feeling I'm not getting much done but I've actually accomplished a lot during this time period.

 

All the fussy little details take tremendous amounts of time, and it can often feel like nothing is getting done.  But of course, a lot is being accomplished and the end result will prove it. Looking good Keith.

 

Gary

[Keith Black]

 Thank you to Glen, Pat, and Gary for the comments and thank you to all for the likes.

 

 The main mast is now permanently installed and rigging has commenced. It's a tight fit for my old fat shaky hands to get between the mast and not tear the yards from their moorings and every line wants to snag on something, I have work to do around the mizzen tying off brace lines and around the main installing blocks for the gun tackle yard lifts and tying them off. 

 

 Before I knew anything about rigging it was chaos and confusion but now that I at this point in my rigging education I find beauty in the design and geometry. I've learned so much sitting at the feet of those of you here on MSW. There's no way in heck I could have arrived at this point without being able to look over the shoulders of you folks. Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Before I can permanently attach the main's main yard and install the fore mast, I have to strop and lash 28 pairs of channel deadeyes, attach, and run the shroud lines.

 

 The tunnel gets ever brighter, thank you to all for following me along on my journey. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Keith Black

[mbp521]

Just catching up Keith. Everything is looking top notch.
 

I’ve never used the off ship method of rigging the masts but it sure looks like a more efficient way of doing it. I’ve always started by stepping the masts then rigging back stays and ratlines from there. Then on to the yards and final rigging. I’m just curious as to how much work it is to install the lower ratlines with the lower yards in the way. I’ll be watching and learning as you go along and see if I need to change my methods. 
 

By the way, just last month I picked up a B&D Workmate (with all the parts) at a yard sale. Best $5 I ever spent. Now I have two. 😁
 

-Brian

[Knocklouder]

Now the circle is complete, I find myself at your feet whishing, longing to rig like you     Great job.

[Keith Black]

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

 

On 3/29/2023 at 3:50 PM, mbp521 said:

Then on to the yards and final rigging. I’m just curious as to how much work it is to install the lower ratlines with the lower yards in the way. I’ll be watching and learning as you go along and see if I need to change my methods. 

 Brian, on the mizzen I mounted the cross jack after the channel shrouds and ratlines were rigged. I'm planning on following that same sequence on the main but as I add rigging to the main I'm beginning to think the top yard's brace lines may interfere when I add the channel shrouds. I may slacken the top's  brace lines where I'll have a bit more hand movement freedom as I work and then once the shrouds are run then I'll be able to tie off top's brace lines to the bitts. I didn't have a space issue running the mizzen's channel ratlines and I don't foresee that as an issue on the main. 

 

 I ran the mizzen to main backstays after running the top and topgallant brace lines. I won't make that same mistake when I rig the fore. 

 

 Great score on the Workmate!

 

On 3/29/2023 at 4:34 PM, Knocklouder said:

I find myself at your feet whishing, longing to rig like you 

 Bob, thank you so very much for saying that but in actuality, you're ahead of me.

 

 Because of the 1:120 scale I can cheat because of the simple fact that unless under very close examination one can't see where I've cheated. My blocks are not tied nor are they eyed to the yards or mast, a hole is drilled and then they are glued in place. Because of the scale, you can't really see that's the case. 

 

 I can't seize line for beans so I cheat.  I use a clinch knot to tie lines to blocks and once again, because of the scale, it looks close enough so that I'm able to get away with it. 

 

 The deadeyes are too small to strop with line and seize as is the normal practice in ship modeling. I cheat, I strop the shroud end of the top deadeye with 28 GA anodized wire leaving a becket where I can attach the shroud line. I run a single shroud line to each pair of deadeyes not a looped seized line for two pair of deadeyes as is the correct way. Once again, due to scale I get away with it.   

 

 If I were to take on a model at 1:48 or even 1:76 scale I'd have to learn how to rig correctly and I'd also have to get a new left hand because after my stroke in 2017 my ole lefty doesn't work as well as it should. But let me say, I THANK GOD that its works at all! If my left hand had remained paralyzed I couldn't work on model ships or play pool or do work around the house or do much of anything. I thank God almost daily for the use of my left hand and even though my finger dexterity is limited, I do have the ability to get away with a bit of rigging cheating.  For me, knowing the correct way has to be good enough. Realistically, I think I'm forever doomed to 1:120 scale because of my physical limitations. 

 

 And that's how the sausage gets made in my shipyard, Bob. As I said, you're doing better than I. 

 

Edited March 31, 2023 by Keith Black

[mbp521]

Thanks for the clarification on the rigging. If I wasn’t impressed with your work before, I truly am now Keith. With these “physical limitations” you speak of, seems to in no way hinder your ability to turn out a beautiful product! I am taking notes on your rigging methods for when I do my next fully rigged ship build. However, I don’t think I’ll be able to “cheat” on it since I’ll have to keep my scale a bit larger than 1:120. I’m just not ready for something that small, and with my sausage fingers I’d just make a mess of things. 
 

-Brian

[GrandpaPhil]

Keith,

  Tennessee is looking amazing!

[Cathead]

Rigging looks fantastic.

[wefalck]

Indeed, the rigging is coming on nicel 👍

[goatfarmer11]

Spectacular build you have going on Keith.  I have no idea how you can keep track of all that rigging.  These are beautiful ships but I think I'll stick to steam for a decade two.  There is so much detail going on here I don't know where to look next.  Just wonderful.

[Keith Black]

 Thank you Brian, Phil, Eric, Eberhard, and Denis for kind comments and thank you to all for the likes.

 

 I've finished adding the blocks rigging, and belaying the gun tackle lifts. I also finished rigging and tying off one Luff tackle (second photo shows it best) to the bitt on the port side for the mizzen top stay.  The work space around the base of the main mast to add blocks, rig and belay is a .5 inch square. I didn't add rope coils as it's just too small a space to do so. I tried to do so on the mizzen, not only was the space too small but the coils looked lake a cowboy's lasso, i can't get the thread to hang in a natural manner and I think it's better to let the viewers imagination fill in the blanks than to add what would look like the dog's lunch. 

 

 I've decided to wait to tie off the top and topgallant braces till after the channel deadeyes and shrouds are rigged. It will be awhile till I post again as I need to strop and lash those 28 deadeye pairs before the next photo op. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Thank you to all for following along..........a stropping we will go, a stropping we will go. hi ho the merry o, a stropping we will go. 

[clearway]

Pretty outstanding especially considering the scale Keith.

 

Keith

[Glen McGuire]

It just keeps getting better and better!

[mbp521]

Looking good Keith. I’ve run into the same issue with placing the rope coils and not enough room on the fife rials. In this case I have used my own method of cheating and just made up enough coils to cover the rails for effect, and leaving the counting of lines vs coils to the viewer. 😁

 

-Brian

[mtaylor]

Just amazing.  I keep forgetting this is a pretty small scale model.  

[Rick310]

Really beautiful!!  Cannot tell from the pictures that it’s such a small scale. WOW!

Rick

 

[Keith Black]

@clearway @Glen McGuire @mbp521 @mtaylor @Rick310 thank you for your kind comments and thank you to all for the likes.

 

  I'm so accustomed to working at this scale I forget when I say  it's "just too small a space to do so" that if I don't give you the viewer a reference it's hard for you to appreciate the size. I've placed a penny at the base so you know exactly how small small is. While doing the work around the mast base, at times I felt like I was trying to adjust Lincoln's bowtie.

 

 My apologies for not including this photo in my previous post. Once again, thank you to all.

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by Keith Black

[BANYAN]

Nice clean and well detailed work Keith.  Looking really good!

 

cheers

 

Pat

[rwiederrich]

Keith....how flexible is your running rigging line?

You can make a jig to make your rope coils....tie them off in the middle and then simply place them over the pin on the rail.

If the line you are using is too stiff....then perhaps you can find a more subtle cotton line, in the same size and shade to make your coils from..

 

Here is a pic of my Great Republic forecastle and some belayed rope coils.  I used a cotton rope to get the coils soft and supple.