HMS Pegasus by flyer - FINISHED - Victory Models

[flyer]

Thank you, Frank.

 

Whenever I almost succeed with such a tiny self-made piece I get a hint of the satisfaction those scratch builders must feel – but then I remember the frustrating,  unusable tries lineing the road to success…

I will stay with kits!

 

Take care

Peter

[flyer]

In between I tried to build a traveler for the bowsprit.

I intend to rig sails. Most probably they will be furled.

 

To rig the jib a jibstay must be rigged and its lower end will be fixed to a traveler. Of course I remembered this only after the blocks on the end of the jibboom were already in place and I had to fabricate the traveler around the boom.

 

A ring made of 1mm brass wire and a thimble made of 0.4 mm wire were assembled and the ring was soldered. Then all was painted black and after cleaning the jibboom again I had an approximation of a traveler.

 

Open ring and thimble

 

Traveler on the boom in the raw…

 

…and painted

[flyer]

On my Pegasus I did a few minor works such as making the hammock netting on the quarterdeck rail and the handrail on companionway as well as touching up some parts with wood colored paint as suggested by Ron.

 

Next was a small step for a mast but a great step for all shipbuilders: the stepping of the masts. Fortunately they ended up more or less true and the first step of the standing rigging was also done: the gammoning of the bowsprit.

 

 

The edges of the hammock netting look a bit unkempt and will need a shave…

 

Companionway

 

The first step of the standing rigging. Quite a few more to follow…

[flyer]

The rigging was started aft and low. First all the shrouds on the lower mizzen mast were prepared and the foremost pair was set up.

 

To get similar distances between the deadeyes a simple little tool is used: a wire bent into a Z.

 

After first 2 shrouds I installed the mizzen stay. Those 3 were set up and their pull balanced so as to leave the mast in its true position. Thereafter I continued pair by pair with the shrouds working aft. Each pair was set up to keep a constant tension on all the shrouds and the stay.

 

The stay got a simple mouse botched by a cross between a lopsided figure 8 and a stopper knot and was seized (wormed?) to below the mouse. Any kind of mouse I tried so far was somehow unsatisfactory. This was at least quickly and easily done.

 

For the pictures I also played with some scale figures. I like it how they enliven the model.

 

 

The first two pairs of shrouds and the stay are set up

 

Stay and simple mouse

 

OK. I had some skilled help.

 

The little Z-wire-tool

 

Captain Jack was checking the progress

 

 

 

[realworkingsailor]

Looking good, Peter. In short order I'll probably be referencing your build for the spars etc.

 

Just one trick I found, if you want the handrail around the companion ways taught, bend in the end stanchions a bit before tying the knots. That way you get a little slack to tie with, and when you're done you just straighten up the stanchions to get the tension back.

 

Andy

[flyer]

Next step was setting up the shrouds on the main mast. Despite the little tool the height of the deadeyes varied and I had to retie one per side to get an acceptable result. The main preventer stay was also put in place.

But when I wanted to set up the main stay I missed the heart blocks.  I don’t know if I misplaced them or if they were missing altogether.

 

The captain was checking the alignment of the deadeyes – and not happy

 

After resetting the third deadeye it looked a little better

[flyer]

While waiting for the heart blocks some other tasks could be taken in hand:

 

There will be some spare spars over the waist (where the boats will be stowed onto). After searching in a few clever books I decided to make 4 spare parts:

1 jib boom

1 main topmast

1 fore yard

1 main topsail yard

 

The jib boom could be made from leftover 4mm dowel. The first attempt was according the plan and just a little to short to rest safely on the bearings. I made it again a little longer. For the other parts I will have to wait again for some ordered walnut strips.

 

Spare jib boom in its position (below lies the prepared collar for the main stay)

[flyer]

As the ordered spare parts were still in the pipeline I started on the ratlines.

 

I took the 0.1mm natural thread from the kit and stained it with water soluble black wood stain. After soaking it for an hour and drying it had the same color as the black thread. I did use this stain already on other ship models and it worked fine. Perhaps a wood stain is better than ink to dye a thread because stain is designed to be soaked up and color permanent.

A paper with lines in the calculated distance (roughly 1/64^th of 14 inches) serves as a scaffold to tie the ratlines.

 

According to some hint in this forum I use ratline hitches except for the outermost shrouds where a cow hitch is used. That way you avoid the ratline end sticking out.

 

The first 10 knots done…

 

Cow hitches on the outer shrouds, ratline hitches on the inner

 

The Ratlines on the lower mizzen shrouds are finished. The futtock staves will be cut to length when the futtock shrouds are installed.

 

[flyer]

The heart blocks have arrived and the main stay was finished. There is still much work to do in the main top but it is taking shape.

 

Finishing work on the main stay

 

Collar of the main stay. In the background work continues on the foremast shrouds

[flyer]

Progress is slow on the Pegasus. I’m working on 3 different tasks. One is the shrouds and stays on the foremast.

 

I use the preventer stay as an example to show how the upper end with mouse and loop is made. First the mouse is simulated by an asymmetric figure-8-knot.

Then I start serving the rope where the loop will be. The distance from mouse to loop is 110mm. This value is taken from the Granados manual and fits Pegasus. The serving is done for the whole length of the loop, and then the loop is bent and fixed with the continued serving which goes on down the rope. The serving is then going over the mouse and stops about 10mm below it. Over the mouse the serving must be fixed with some diluted white glue and black color otherwise the loops of the serve over the mouse will wander towards the rope.

 

To serve I use some black thread from the haberdasher. I roll the rope between the fingers to roll the yarn onto it, using the coil as a weight to straighten the thread.

 

The ‘mouse’

 

Rolling on the thread to serve the stay

 

The weighted coil straightens the thread

 

Loop finished

 

Stay ready to set

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[flyer]

Another task is the making of the spare main topmast.

I got some square walnut strip from Cornwallmodelboats to work with. As expected it is much easier (for me) to start working with compared to dowels if you have spars with prominent square or octagonal sections.

 

I already made a spare main topsail yard of a 4mm square strip but this strip proved too soft and had a too rough grain – I will have to redo it. But making the Yard with a square strip was easy and quickly done: cut the corners to make it octagonal, put it into a lathe (or the electric drilling machine in my case) and work the ends into the correct conical round shape, finished in 10 minutes!

 

I think kit makers should consider using more square strips instead of dowels.

 

Finished spare main topmast…

 

…in its place.

 

 

(Here were some remarks about vacations in Florida, sunshine and good food which I don’t repeat. But I must mention the fine mojitos we had and will give hearty ‘cheers’  to Sir Francis Drake)

[st george]

Great work Peter,

 

She's looking really good and a great build log too.

 

David

[flyer]

The work on the futtock shrouds was started…

 

 

 

And I had one of those moments we all like that much: gradually I realized that I made a big mistake, that the port ratlines on the mainmast were the mirror image of the correct thing and I’m in the process of doing 4 out of 5 anew.

 

Upper part still wrong, lower part corrected.

 

 

(This ends the repetition of the build log up to the crash/restart. Progress will be real time now and therefore a tiny little bit slower.)

[flyer]

Hi Andy

 

Nice to have you on shore for once!

 

Yes, the assortment of spare spars is the result of looking through a heap of my clever books and should be reasonable (perhaps they would have more spars at the beginning of a voyage but, you know…).

 

That’s a good trick for the handrail. You could use it also for hammock nettings etc. Thank you.

 

Take care

Peter

Edited March 13, 2013 by flyer

[flyer]

Hi David

 

Thank you! And...

 

Ship building in Vegas, in the middle of the desert? I look forward to that!

 

Cheers

Peter

[mobbsie]

Hi Peter,

 

She's looking very impressive my friend, you should be very pleased with her progress.

 

Looking forward to further updates.

 

mobbsie

[flyer]

Hi Mobbsie

 

Thank you; there are a few to come.

 

Shipyard work is slow because there was some work for money asking for priority.

 

Take care

Peter

[flyer]

In the mean time ratline knitting is going on and the lower masts are nearly finished. Also the first futtock shrouds are in place. The hooks seem a bit large on top of the futtock shrouds – amati is using one single size of hooks for the whole ship.

 

The topmast deadeyes are fixed in the platform with a drop of glue. I don’t want the pull from the topmast shrouds onto the lower shrouds displacing them.

 

 

The boomkins were made according to the plan only 7 mm longer. I didn’t trust the method to fix them with a hidden nail and some glue. A hole was drilled into the bow to feed the boomkin trough. This is more stable and I think also like the real thing?

 

 

Mizzen top

 

 

Main top

 

Hole for the boomkin

 

Boomkins provisionally in place. As they are likely to brake off, they will be fixed later.

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Nice progress Peter, a good idea about the boomkins, they won't be needed until you rig the Fore tacks.

 

Regards,

 

B.E.

[davyboy]

Hello Peter,

 

I have been following your build for some time,excellent work indeed. One thing though,it appears that you have rigged your mainstay collar wrongly. It should be lead through that hole in the Stempost (you  can see the hole below the Bowsprit in your 3rd pic) and not around the Bowsprit. Maybe an error on the plans showing how you have done it.

 

Keep up the good work

 

Dave

Edited March 20, 2013 by davyboy

[flyer]

Hi B.E.

 

Thank you.

 

I did some more research on boomkins and found that they should be reworked a bit. Right now they lead a few mm above the bow head rail where in fact they should lay on it. On some vessels they seem to be held with an iron band or a lashing onto the rail. Now I understand that in fact they can be just bolted to the bow with their inboard end and are fixed onto the head rail with the boomkin shrouds thus having a stable 2-point fixing.

 

Cheers

Peter

[flyer]

Hi Dave

 

You are of course completely right (unfortunately).  And I was wondering about that hole but forgot again about it.

 

This means I will make a new collar.

But thank you very much for telling me! It will still be rather easy now to correct that mistake.

 

Cheers

Peter

[flyer]

The mainstay collar was indeed rigged wrongly. I cut it off and had to make a new (longer) one. Now that hole has a purpose and all looks better.

 

 

Those two seem content with the new mainstay collar

Edited March 21, 2013 by flyer

[Blue Ensign]

Looks much better Peter

 

B.E.

[davyboy]

Glad to have been of help Peter. As you wrote,much easier to correct now rather than later.

 

Dave

[riverboat]

Look'n good Peter... Nice thing about this site ...... there are a lot of eyes to help us out !! I was wondering what that hole was for in the stem     I agree with BE, looks much better!

Frank

[flyer]

Hi B.E.

Thank you. And in the process of reworking the collar I had a good look at the bow again and decided to rework it a little. I left off the gold decorations on the bow rails initially because I thought it to much. Now after seeing the overall impression of the bow I decided to rework the rails with a bit of filler and to install the decorations. The new look is more delicate and I like it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Dave

Again: merci vöumou. (For foreigners: That means thank you very much in our elegant native tongue.)

 

 

 

 

Hi Frank

Thanks again; and I agree: Sites like this greatly enhance our hobby.

 

 

You all take care! You hear me there?

peter

[rdsaplala]

Hi Peter,

 

Just caught up with your log, beautiful work on the fittings and rigging work mate, she's coming along beautifully

[flyer]

Thank you, Aldo.

 

Sometimes I think those vessels consisted of more than 90% manila.

 

Cheers

Peter

[flyer]

A small step is completed: All the lower shrouds are installed and the work moves now 1 floor up. The catharpins were changed. The 0.7 rope according plan is too thick- 0.5 is right (catharpins are smaller than the associated shrouds).

 

 

the catharpins size should be about 0.7 of the shrouds

 

After seeing B.E.’s Pegasus and its capstan in these pages mine was asking for a change. I took HMS Pandora’s as an example. (Pandora is only about 2 years younger than Pegasus.) The top was modified and covered with a metal sheet. I choose brass instead of copper because I believe this was mainly used. The capstan will undergo further modifications and be placed on a step instead of directly on the deck.

 

Old capstan right out of the box

 

Capstan under renovation: The brass cover is already dirty and the bosun is calling for some seamen to clean it.