HMS Speedy by Delf - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - Scale 1:64 - Master Shipwright edition

[DelF]

Rigging the spars - odds & sods

 

Many thanks for all the likes.

 

I had hoped to move on to the bowsprit by now, but some half-decent Autumn weather has kept me on various outdoor chores with only very limited time in the dockyard. Also, finishing off rigging the masts wasn't quite as straightforward as I'd expected, so I'll log another couple of wrinkles I've had to deal with.

 

First, I realise now that I was somewhat premature in gluing together the various components of the fore and main masts, the problem being that it now makes it more awkward to rig some of the required blocks. For example, a block and a thimble have to be set up on the fore topmast head as part of the rigging for the main topgallant and royal stays. With the fore topgallant mast and cap in place you can't just slip a loop of line over the masthead, and I found it impossible to seize the block or the thimble in situ. I resorted to cheating, which in this case meant seizing the block/thimble into the middle of a short length of line then tying the line round the masthead in such a way that the simple half knot was concealed in the gap between the masthead and the heel of the topgallant mast. A dab of CA and careful trimming with a scalpel and hopefully the 'cheat' is invisible:

 

Lift Blocks

 

I had more substantial problems with the fore and main lift blocks. The kit shows these as pairs of long tackle ("fiddle") blocks seized into spans, ie lines that wrap around the main and fore caps. Impossible once everything is glued in place, as the gap between the mastheads and topmast heels is too narrow for the blocks to fit. A worse problem in my case was the quality of the fiddle blocks. These are the only components I have come across that fall below the otherwise very high standard in this kit. They were out of scale (at 7mm they should have been 1.4mm thick according to the ratios laid down, not 3mm), they were not well finished and the sheave holes and grooves were off-centre making them difficult to rig. I made my own fiddle blocks from boxwood for Royal Caroline and was going to do so for Speedy, but when I checked standard references (including Rees's The Masting & Rigging of English Ships of War) I found that ships of this period could be rigged with either fiddle blocks or ordinary double blocks. I opted for the latter. The only fly in the ointment was that Rees also noted that from 1760 blocks would be seized to an eyebolt in the cap rather than to a span. I was loathe to drill the caps for eyebolts at this stage so I chose to assume that Speedy's builders hadn't caught up with the changed instruction and fitted spans 😬. 

 

In this instance I was able to rig the span partly in situ. I started off the model by seizing a double block into one end of a line which I then set round the cap in a clove hitch as per full-size practice (I've got to do some things right!). It was then a relatively easy task to seize the second block into the free end of the span:

 

The clove hitch also came in handy when it came to setting up pairs of blocks at the topgallant heads:

 

 

Much easier when you can get right round the spar in question!

 

Talking of knots, apart from the indispensable Ashley Book of Knots, my other goto reference is this website Animated Knots by Grog. Worth checking out if you've not used it.

 

One final point before I forget - I've found that the sheave holes in the blocks are only just big enough for their intended line. To avoid any problems in rigging on the ship, I've been drilling them all out to a very slightly wider diameter as I fit them to the various spars. 

 

On to the bowsprit.

 

Derek

 

[glbarlow]

Do you have the masts already installed on the hull?  That would make adding block challenging, but seems like you’re solving the problems as you come to them. I also thing it’s always good practice to drill out the blocks before installing them, if nothing more to give the rope a smooth passage as it’s being run.

 

I’ve also been away from the bench due to having to reconstruct and renovate our kitchen due to a major water leak. Not fun.

[DelF]

1 hour ago, glbarlow said:

Do you have the masts already installed on the hull?

No, I'm using the quadhands to hold them while I work on them. One of the best pieces of kit I've got in ages.  Sorry to hear about the water leak - nightmare!

 

[Sjors]

It looks like a great tool that quad hands.

I can not buy it in the Netherlands so i was looking at the USA for it but there not shipping to Europe!

I have to find another  way to get it.

 

Sjors

[DelF]

Hi Sjors. I ordered my quad hands through Amazon UK. Would Amazon be an option for you?

[Sjors]

I try it with amazon Holland but they sold out 😢

I just have to take a look everyday till the are Available  again.

Thanks for thinking with me.

 

Sjors

[Sjors]

Got it ordered !

I just take a look and i found one....the last one!😄

Thursday i hope that it is at home.

Thanks again for letting me know.

 

Sjors

[DelF]

👍  Well done!

[DelF]

Rigging the bowsprit

 

Not much time in the dockyard recently. Ten days ago my wife had an operation to repair a leaking heart valve, so for once I've been happy for family and domestic duties to take precedence over modelling.

 

However Mrs D. is making good progress and now that she's home I've been able to slope off to the workshop briefly now and again to start on the bowsprit. The bowsprit, along with the jibboom and flying jibboom presents some interesting challenges with numerous blocks and deadeyes. Some are relatively straightforward, such as the 4mm double block at the tip of the jibboom, which I was able to seize to the ring on the spar with the help of quadhands:

 

  

Others were trickier, especially where two or more blocks or deadeyes had to be seized in a ring around the bowsprit. For blocks, I found it easiest to strop them with rings. I made the rings with 0.25mm line as previously described, then tied the strop under the block with a simple overhand knot and a dab of CA. Once trimmed, the blocks were threaded onto heavier 0.5mm line:

 

The 0.5mm line was tied round the bowsprit with another overhand knot and a drop of CA where it would not be seen, then trimmed.

 

 

The rings allow the blocks to be moved round the bowsprit until they are in the correct orientation. Rings don't work with deadeyes so I needed a different approach. I'll describe the method I used for a ring of four deadeyes in my next post.

 

Derek 

 

 

[Nunnehi (Don)]

Derek, your log is a master class in how to do stuff, I really appreciate it!

 

Don

[DelF]

Rigging the bowsprit #2

 

Thanks Don. When I started I found it difficult to find information on how to do some of the basic stuff - I suspect more experienced modellers thought such techniques were too obvious to need description. They weren't obvious to me! So I like to go into detail when I can, partly to help others but also because it's amazing how much one forgets between builds.

 

On to the deadeyes. One of the trickiest elements of the bowsprit rigging is a ring of four deadeyes designed to set up the fore stay and various bowsprit stays. There is a 5mm deadeye on top of the bowsprit in the 12 o'clock position, with 3mm deadeyes at 4, 6 and 8 o'clock. Unlike blocks you can't rig deadeyes with rings that would allow them to be moved round once in place, so at first I found the process of rigging them a bit hit and miss.

 

I started trying to be clever, using the circumference of the bowsprit to figure out how far apart to seize the deadeyes into a length of rope to get the correct spacing. That didn't work too well - you just have to be a millimetre or two out for the resulting ring to look a mess. I considered starting out with a ring of rope around the bowsprit, to which I would then individually seize each deadeye. But that would mean a separate strop on each deadeye which would have to be tied or sewn to the ring of rope, and I didn't see how I could manage that at all neatly. 

 

In the end I found the solution by chance. I found that if you seize your deadeye into a rope using fly tying line then seal it with fly tying glue (see here), the resulting seizing is tight but not stuck to the rope. With care, you can move the rope through it, which means you can work a loop into the position you want. Here's how it worked, starting with seizing the 5mm deadeye into the middle of some 0.5mm rope (I didn't use fly tying thread for this as hopefully it won't need to move!):

 

I seized a 3mm deadeye into the same rope in approximately the right position, then held the rope around the bowsprit to eyeball the result:

 

I found it easier to check with the bowsprit upside down and using the weight of a small clip to hold the 5mm deadeye in the 6 o'clock position. I wasn't quite happy with the small deadeye so I noted how far it needed to move and in which direction. It was then a simple job to remove the deadeye and work the loop of rope through the seizing to the new position: 

 

 

I replaced the deadeye and tightened everything up. A quick check back on the bowsprit showed everything in order. With the 4 o'clock deadeye in the right place I knew I just had to seize the eight o'clock fellow the same distance the other side of the big guy for everything to be symmetrical:

 

Setting up the fourth deadeye was slightly tricky, but as it was directly underneath the bowsprit I figured it didn't have to be the neatest. I started by taking the deadeye rope round the bowsprit (still held upside down in the quadhands) and seizing it to itself. I used fine sewing thread for this rather than fly tying thread as I wanted something robust to hold the weight of the deadeyes and rope. In the second shot you'll see I've formed a loop from one end of the rope, again seizing it to itself using the same length of thread.

 

The final step is to insert the remaining 3mm deadeye, pull the rope tight to hold it snug, complete the seizing and trim in the normal way. Job done:

 

A bit clunkier than I'd like but it won't show.

 

By the way, the left hand shot shows another technique I tried - closer to full-size practice, where loops are formed in the ends of ropes which are then seized together to hold the rigging tight around the spar. I might cover this a bit more in the next post.

 

Derek

 

[glbarlow]

I have a different way of doing this but yours is much better. I'm going to have to read it a couple of times more when I get to this point on Cheerful.  I'm not exactly clear on how you finally closed "the circle" (right photo two up from bottom) on the bowsprit once you have the four deadeyes seized. 

 

As usual, very nice work. I see the quad hands is working out well - glad I have one now. Beats the old beat up third hands thing I've had for years.

[Sjors]

Great job what you are showing us!

Great help with those block and deadeyes rings.

I’m almost there so with your pictures i can manage it.

And also with the quad hands....i have mine also😀

 

Sjors

[DelF]

22 hours ago, glbarlow said:

I'm not exactly clear on how you finally closed "the circle" (right photo two up from bottom) on the bowsprit once you have the four deadeyes seized.

Glenn - re-reading my post I can see that part isn't clear from my description, so I've had a quick go at photographing the process in more detail.

 

To make things clearer and simpler I've used a single line of rope with no additional blocks, and I've used paler rope to make the seizings stand out more. Also, I've "borrowed" the end of Speedy's fore mast for the exercise, the wider diameter making it easier to see what's going on than on the bowsprit. Apologies as usual for the poor focus on some shots - hopefully the technique is still clear.

 

I start by winding the rope once round the mast, holding the ends in the quadhands. Small weights such as clips would work equally well - the idea is just to hold the ring reasonably tight while you work on it. 

Next, I take about 6"/150mm of seizing line (for this I used the finest Gutermann sewing thread) and using a suitable needle work it through both strands of the ring rope at the point where the final deadeye will go. Through, not under. I'm not completely sure this is necessary, but on the bowsprit I just tied the strands together and I found it a bit awkward to keep the ring tight around the spar.  

In the next two shots I'm tying an overhand knot in the seizing thread then tightening it.

 

In the interest of speed I left it at just that one knot for this exercise. For a proper job you should wrap the thread round several more times to make a decent seizing. You'll probably need to use the needle as the rope will be tight, although of course this time you can you under the rope not through it.

 

Next, I take one end of the rope off the quadhands and bring it near to the seizing to form a loop:

 

Then, I use the seizing thread to catch the loop in an overhand knot. Depending on how springy your rope is you may need to use a small clip or piece of tape to hold the loop in place while you do this. In the second photo I've tightened the first knot and moved to the other side of the loop to do a second knot. The second knot just helps to keep the loop reasonably secure for the next part...

 

 

...where I'm gently pulling on the loose rope end to tighten the loop until it's just larger than the 3mm deadeye. In the second shot I've jammed the deadeye on my needle to position it whilst I finish tightening the loop, which is shown in the third shot.

 

Next, it's back to the seizing line to do a further series of overhand knots, alternating between the front and back of the deadeye. I worked from the mast end towards the deadeye as this helps tighten the rope around it. I finished with a reef knot tight against the deadeye:

 

 

A blob of thin CA and a careful trim and this is the result:

 

Not too shabby for a deadeye you'll hardly see on the finished model.

 

I suspect there are better methods around, and if so I'd love to hear them! I know it would be easier if you could fashion the ring off the model and slip it over the end of the spar you're working on, but this wasn't possible on the bowsprit as the ring of deadeyes is positioned behind other fittings. Anyway, this method works for me and I hope others find it useful now I've explained it more fully.

 

Derek

[glbarlow]

Excellent tutorial there Derek.  Thanks!

[Glenn-UK]

I really enjoyed reading your methods for adding the strops to the blocks and deadeyes, especially adding the multiple blocks to the bow sprit and rigging the cannons.

 

I hope you will provide a similar guide when you rigging the shroud deadeyes (and setting the correct tension) as it has been a task I have always struggled with with previous builds. I am Ok at the woodworking skills but have great difficulty with the rigging aspects. You methods has given me the confidence to attempt another rigged build (Duchess of Kingston).

 

The other problem I have is threading the rigging through the blocks. I do add a touch of ca to the end and I have also tried making a diagonal cut across the end. In the end the method I have used (which I think is wrong) is to use a micro drill  to enlarge the holes as much as possible which seems to work along with using a touch a ca of the thread and a diagonal cut end.

 

Do you use beeswax (or similar) of the rigging lines (standing and running)?

 

Thanks

[DelF]

Hi Glenn

 

Glad you found the log useful. I'll certainly log my approach to shrouds when I get to them, but my workshop time is severely limited/almost non-existent at the moment. 

 

On threading blocks, I use the CA/diagonal cut method same as you, and I also find I often have to drill out the hole with a slightly wider bit. I don't think there's anything wrong with that provided the blocks are made from good quality wood. The holes in commercial blocks often seem too small, and even when I've made my own blocks I've found I needed to drill holes that were significantly larger than the nominal thread diameter. At the risk of stating the obvious, you need to be careful when soaking the end in thin CA to avoid too much CA building up and making the threading even more difficult. I drag the thread over a hard surface, twirling it as I go in order to wipe off any excess before it sets. I don't use beeswax - if the rigging line is fluffy I use 50:50 PVA and water, dabbing some on my finger and thumb and running the line through it.

 

I've also gone for the Duchess - looks great from James's build log.

 

Derek

 

 

[Glenn-UK]

Thanks Derek.

[glbarlow]

3 hours ago, glennard2523 said:

I am Ok at the woodworking skills but have great difficulty with the rigging aspects. 

Like Derek I almost always drill out the hole in every block, use just the tiniest bit of CA and twist it a tiny bit while the CA is still wet. I pull all my line thru a block of bees wax before rigging it. Nothing wrong with any of those things.
 

I rig as many as possible of the blocks on the masts and yards before mounting them and mount blocks on the hull before it gets to crowded and I work inside out first with standing then running rigging. 
 

My best rigging tool is a large needle with the threading end about 1/4th cut off leaving a nice Y that I can maneuver lines in tight places with the pointed end glued into a six inch long 4mm dowel, in fact I have two of these. 
 

Aside from ratlines, I enjoy rigging. It’s a fun puzzle to weave together and really makes a model. I researched my Pegasus to get every rope it would have carried onboard and in the right place, it’s a nest that I’m not now sure how I pulled off, but it looks great. 
 

I hope you come to enjoy this part and go back to finish rigging your Speedy. 

[Glenn-UK]

11 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

I hope you come to enjoy this part and go back to finish rigging your Speedy. 

Thanks for the info. I consider my Speedy a learning build and I do not have plans to do any more work on that build. 

[DelF]

Bowsprit 

 

I managed to grab a couple of hours in the workshop and decided to fit the bowsprit. The last items of rigging I added before fitting it to the ship were the footropes on the jibboom. I decided to follow full size practice by knotting the ropes every couple of feet, using a simple method to get the spacing right:

 

The flying jibboom should have similar footropes and hand ropes should be fitted above the bowsprit, but I'm concerned they will get in the way of other rigging at this stage so I'll leave them 'til later in the build.

 

The gammoning came next, using 0.5mm black rope. Following full-size practice I started with an eye spliced into one end of the line, the splice being faked using my favourite fly tying thread:

 

The free end of the rope was passed round the bowsprit and through the eye to hang down the port side, the eye being snugged up under the bowsprit. Next, I diverted slightly from Chris's instructions which show the gammoning forming parallel loops as it is wrapped round the bowsprit and through the slot in the stem. My understanding is that gammoning was usually laid so that the first loop started aft on the bowsprit then forward in the slot, with each subsequent loop following the same pattern thereby ending with an overall twisted effect:

 

Completing the loops in this way is fiddly as you have to weave the rope through the head rails and avoid getting loops tangled in boomkins etc. Nevertheless it is relatively straightforward until you get to the stage where you need to frap the free end of the rope round the gammoning. I started by using the free end to tie a half-hitch round the port side loops, about half way down:

 

The next job is to take the free end around the starboard side, forward to aft, then continue wrapping the rope around both sides, working up towards the bowsprit. The idea being to draw both sides together to further tighten the gammoning. 

 

To finish off, I passed the free end through the last two loops and tied off with another half-hitch. I did this at the aft end of the frapping where the hitch would be mostly hidden. As the frapping was tight, I found I had to use ca on the end of the rope to make it hard enough to poke through between the second and third loops down. Once poked through, it was a relatively simple job to bring the free end back over the top of the frapping and tie the half-hitch around the top two loops. Hope this makes sense - I didn't have a hand free to photograph each step! Here's the end result after loose ends were trimmed:

 

Technically, there should be eight loops in the frapping to match the eight vertical loops, but with the head rails in the way I found I couldn't get the half-hitch and the first loop low enough down, and I thought it would look wrong to continue the frapping too high on the gammoning.  

 

Derek

Edited November 10, 2020 by DelF
Typo

[Glenn-UK]

Look very good, thanks for sharing.

[whitejamest]

Lovely work, and very helpful to see in such detail.

[DelF]

Thanks guys, and thanks for all the likes - they're appreciated. 

 

Since my earlier post UPS have delivered my next project:

Chris kindly made me up a boxwood version, and I opted for the pearwood blocks which have impressed me on Speedy. Can't wait! (Actually I'll have to, as it's a Christmas present😟).

 

Derek

[DelF]

Bowsprit rigging

 

Work on Speedy progresses very slowly, as domestic duties continue to take precedence during Mrs D's convalescence. I've decided not to fret about it, but rather to just enjoy any time I can spare for the workshop. 

 

This morning I spent an hour on the bowsprit stays, reminding myself how to seize deadeyes. Good practice for the shrouds later on! The kit calls for 0.75mm line for the stays, but as they would have been served throughout their length I decided to dig out my Syren serving machine. Using 0.5mm line served with the finest Gutermann sewing thread, the resulting rope was almost exactly 0.75mm. 

 

I find it difficult to seize deadeyes with the deadeye itself in situ - the result is usually too loose. Instead, I start the seizing using something of a slightly smaller diameter, then work the deadeye into the loop created. In this case, with a 3mm deadeye, I started the seizing round a 2.5mm drill bit:

 

I used 0.10mm line for the seizing, using a needle to thread the line through the two parts of the served rope where they cross over. It was then a simple matter of taking a few more turns round the join, finishing off with a half knot, ca and trimming in the usual way. This is the throat seizing before trimming:

 

Rubbish photo 😟! But you get the idea. 

 

Then, once the deadeye is worked into the loop it's on to the round seizings. I always use the following step-by-step guide to these knots which I found years ago through google. They seemed to be freely available so I hope I'm not infringing anyone's copyright:

 

I didn't attempt to capture each stage of this process - the sketches are much clearer than my photos. I've just included a few pictures to illustrate various stages, and also to show how useful the quadhands is - at one point I'm using three of the 'hands' to keep control of various lines:

 

 

  

The last photo shows the first seizing finished, and the second at stage 4 in the illustrated guide - just about to add the riding turns. I'd not done these knots at 1:64 scale before and I was worried they'd look too bulky, so I experimented doing them without the riding turns. They didn't look right so I stuck to the proper version. It's worth pointing out that there should be one fewer riding turns than in the first layer - I did 5 in the first layer and 4 riding turns. An obvious point, but it's important to use the same numbers of turns in each seizing - differences will stand out like sore thumbs. 

 

 

Both seizings finished I applied some ca to the free end of the served line and trimmed it. I painted a blob of raw sienna acrylic paint to the trimmed end to represent a leather cap. I don't know if that's historically accurate for stays, but the ends of shrouds were often wrapped in leather - presumably to prevent water standing in the cut end - so I decided it would do for stays as well. Finally, I applied some very dilute dye made from van dyke crystals to the seizings as I felt they were slightly too bright:

 

Derek

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by DelF
Typo

[DelF]

Thanks for the 'Thanks' Glenn - I recalled you saying you'd be interested in my approach to shrouds so I'm glad you found this useful.

[VTHokiEE]

Thanks for the clear explanation! I may be working on my shrouds soon and was curious about the deadeyes (and how to align them eventually).

[Glenn-UK]

15 minutes ago, DelF said:

Thanks for the 'Thanks' Glenn - I recalled you saying you'd be interested in my approach to shrouds so I'm glad you found this useful.

I'm still a bit unsure of the move from step from 4 to 5 on the diagram. Also I'm not sure how you can ensure you locate the deadeye at the right length on the shroud lines. I now have some quad hands and plenty of spare blocks and deadeyes so I can experiment.

[DelF]

Thanks Tim & Glenn

 

57 minutes ago, glennard2523 said:

I'm still a bit unsure of the move from step from 4 to 5 on the diagram.

Starting from Step 4, take the left hand line and start wrapping it round to form the riding turns as shown in Step 5. These turns are literally 'riding' on top of the first layer, with each riding turn lying in the groove between each pair of turns in the first layer. That's why there is one fewer riding turn. Let me know if that's not clear and I'll try to explain more fully.

57 minutes ago, VTHokiEE said:

and how to align them eventually

As for locating the deadeyes in shrouds, I'll cover that in due course, but in brief I use a little jig comprising a piece of wood with pins in, such that the pins locate in the holes in a pair of deadeyes and so hold them the right distance apart. I'm sure you'll find good descriptions and photos of this technique in other folks' build logs. 

 

Derek

[Glenn-UK]

1 hour ago, DelF said:

As for locating the deadeyes in shrouds, I'll cover that in due course, but in brief I use a little jig

Thanks, I normally use use two wire strips to set the distance, but I can understand your jig which I might replicate.

 

Thanks for info on the seizing, so that now makes sense to me. I will have a morning practising at some point.