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


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Thanks everyone, much appreciated.

16 hours ago, glennard2523 said:

Your attention to detail and workmanship is amazing

Very kind of you to say so Glenn, but I'm still learning like the rest of us. And that's not false modesty - when I look at the work of some of the true masters on the forum, people like Marsalv and Doris for example, I feel like I'm still a novice.

 

9 hours ago, glbarlow said:

So many nautical terms, I don’t know what you’re saying in most of this post 🤣😂

Haven't you got that nautical dictionary yet Glenn :rolleyes:?

 

9 hours ago, VTHokiEE said:

A lathe seems like a fun toy...

...and fun toy is right. I don't really need the metal working lathe for ship modelling, but it's good fun for little projects like this. If you ever decide to go for a lathe a wood working version like the Proxxon DB 250 I use would be much more useful (and a lot cheaper).  

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ratlines & ships' boat

 

Steady but slow progress on the ratlines. I don't hate this part of the build as much as some folk seem to, but I do get frustrated at my inability to produce good, consistent work. This is despite practicing on cupboard door handles! :rolleyes:

 

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Pretty good at that scale! Anyway, I've finished the lower starboard shrouds and have just started on the port:

 

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To break up the rattling I've done some more work on the ship's boat. I'm certainly glad I went for the boxwood option when I see the result so far. The kit supplied boxwood strips for the boat's hull planking, and there was enough left over to replace the pearwood thwarts as well. I departed from the manual slightly by fashioning a little platform in the bow to hide part of the MDF structure that would otherwise show:

 

 Without the platform:

IMG_3138.thumb.JPG.a083ad833e7d0bb0b37688284448094d.JPG

Platform fitted:

IMG_3139.thumb.JPG.f8c58d5e3310048946bab953314af6fb.JPG

 

I haven't yet decided whether or not to paint the hull. It seems a shame to cover up the boxwood, and with a bit of tidying up and a couple of stealers it might look OK bare - especially when it's sitting in a cradle on the deck.

 

IMG_3135.thumb.JPG.d8c21a8208b073986df856361ac4b775.JPG

Back to the ratlines!

 

Derek

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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Looking great! I may borrow that idea for covering the mdf on the ship's boat.

 

1 hour ago, DelF said:

I don't hate this part of the build as much as some folk seem to,

I have currently decided that, to me, the worst part of the build is making belayed rope coils (other coils are okay). Maybe its my jig, but it is probably me...

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Not only is the model looking beautiful, your practice ratlines should make it much easier to reach things on top of your kitchen cabinets! 

 

I will also be stealing your idea of the little platform at the bow of the boat to cover the MDF. That's a nice solution. I think the boat will look great whether you paint it below the waterline or leave it bare. 

 

I'm a little bit caught in the doldrums as I struggle through my second planking, so looking at your wonderful results is a nice bit of inspiration to push on. 

 

 

Current build: HMS Speedy, Vanguard Models 1:64

 

Past Projects: 18th Century Longboat, Model Shipways, 1:48

                         22 Foot Yawl, Vanguard Models, 1:64

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7 hours ago, DelF said:

whether or not to paint the hull.

I think you should copper it😁🤣

 

Although it’s pretty boxwood it’s more how it looks as a ship accessory on display so in my opinion I’d paint it, at least below the waterline. 
 

I’m sure it will look great either way. Congrats on the ratlines. I have an actual boat at our Lakehouse. I’m pretty good at full scale clove hitches at that scale. It’s the tedium of one after another that gets to me, and the forced labor of Just..,Do...One...More...😩

Regards,

Glenn

 

Current Build: HMS Winchelsea
Completed Builds: HM Flirt (paused) HM Cutter CheerfulLady NelsonAmati HMS Vanguard,  
HMS Pegasus, Fair American, HM Granado, HM Pickle, AVS, Pride of Baltimore, Bluenose

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Thanks everyone, and thanks for all the likes.

 

19 hours ago, VTHokiEE said:

to me, the worst part of the build is making belayed rope coils

 

Not my favourite either Tim, so I do a few occasionally throughout the build just to break it up a bit. Makes me more inclined to experiment with different methods. 

 

17 hours ago, whitejamest said:

I'm a little bit caught in the doldrums as I struggle through my second planking,

I often 'freewheel' for a bit if I'm not feeling up to spending all my free time on a model. It's a hobby after all, not a race to finish. Having said that, I really enjoyed the time last year when I had Speedy and the English Pinnace on the go at the same time, each providing a break from the other when needed. Have you tried making up some of the deck furniture and/or masts to give yourself a break from planking?

 

13 hours ago, glbarlow said:

I think you should copper it😁🤣

 

Another great idea! I've got some spare copper left over from the main hull....

I'm also inclined to agree with you about painting.

 

13 hours ago, glbarlow said:

I have an actual boat at our Lakehouse

So have I - see my profile picture on the left. :rolleyes:

 

 

Edited by DelF

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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6 hours ago, DelF said:

So have I -

Wow, so this is why you had to let the butler go, paying all that crew must weigh heavily on the estate. My captain works on half salary due to current economy. 

Regards,

Glenn

 

Current Build: HMS Winchelsea
Completed Builds: HM Flirt (paused) HM Cutter CheerfulLady NelsonAmati HMS Vanguard,  
HMS Pegasus, Fair American, HM Granado, HM Pickle, AVS, Pride of Baltimore, Bluenose

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Ships Boat (aka anything but ratlines!)

 

I wasn't too keen on the way the rowlocks were fashioned in the kit boat, from holes cut in the wash strake:

 

CaptureCutter.JPG.9cd51fe28dc8f460a312f26038b55327.JPG

I was especially dubious about my ability to glue the wash strake edge on above the wale, especially as I had followed the kit instructions and cut the ribs off below the wash strake. Without thinking about it I also copied the kit boat in not fitting ribs in the stern section. I note that the revised 18 foot cutter Chris now offers has put this right:

 

cutter.thumb.jpg.c32b5e198d9dec55ba3b73c2f6586b89.jpg

I got the revised cutter from Chris with half a mind to start again, but as the original boat was already quite far advanced I thought I'd try a different approach. With the wale fitted I felt I had enough width at the top edge of the hull to have a go at fitting cap rails and more conventional rowlocks. I started by thinning a small sheet of boxwood down to 0.75mm then holding it against the top of the boat to trace each side in turn. After cutting the two halves of the cap rail on the scroll saw and sanding as close to the proper shape as I could I CA'd them in place and tried to even them up with a tad more sanding. 

 

I made the rowlocks using the same method I employed on the English Pinnace so I won't repeat that here. Here's the link to post #47 of that log with the details. Of course this boat is only 3/8ths the size of the pinnace so the rowlocks were cut from a strip of 1 X 1.5mm boxwood. For ease of handling I kept each one on the strip until I'd finished shaping it:

 

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Here they are rounded off and tried on for size:

 

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I'm not entirely happy with the cap rails. They're not as symmetrical as I'd like, but I've decided not to stress about it. I'll see what it looks like finished and fitted to Speedy. If I don't like it at that stage then plan B is to make up the revised boat kit.

 

Btw, I've just noticed the thwarts aren't straight but fortunately they're not glued in yet.

 

Back to ratlines. Whoopee!

 

Derek

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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6 hours ago, clogger said:

Your Cutter looks stunning

Thanks Clogger! Whilst the kit makes a great model right out of the box, I enjoy adding a few little tweaks of my own.

 

Derek

 

P.S.  I see you live in a beautiful part of the world. I've fond memories of a slow drive from Perth to Margaret River a few years ago, taking in several vineyards and great seafood restaurants along the way!

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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On 8/23/2020 at 10:57 AM, Edwardkenway said:

Great but of kit Derek and it's only gone up £1 to £15.75 including VAT, I'll order one before they disappear.

I just checked them out on Amazon USA. Note that they are around $33.50 but this is just for the adaptor alone. It doesn't include the chuck. There's a "package deal," including a Chiwanese chuck for $43.50 at the bottom of the page under "Frequently bought together."

 

https://www.amazon.com/Miniature-Shank-JT0-Chuck-Manual-Control-Avoids-Breakage/dp/B06XZ4KJSV/ref=pd_lpo_469_img_1/138-4377185-5044154?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B06XZ4KJSV&pd_rd_r=4b546926-1697-465b-b65e-5ff710252f39&pd_rd_w=p7Mbu&pd_rd_wg=iFknW&pf_rd_p=16b28406-aa34-451d-8a2e-b3930ada000c&pf_rd_r=FJQWZ5GFRGH7NZF6FP3Q&psc=1&refRID=FJQWZ5GFRGH7NZF6FP3Q

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Hi Eric

 

Progress is a bit slow at the moment as we’re in the middle of some building work at home. However I’m making some progress on the rigging, and am hoping to finish the ship’s boat soon. I had intended to wait until I’d finished the lower shrouds before posting an update, but I’ll try to do a quick interim report. 
 

In the meantime I’m enjoying following your build, which is bringing back fond memories of my own pinnace  last year!

 

Derek

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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Many thanks as always for the 'likes' and kind comments.

 

Ship's boat & ratlines

 

The last internal fittings to do on the boat were the little knees on the thwarts. The kit supplies tiny pieces in pearwood, but I wanted to use box to match the thwarts. I started by shaping a piece of 2.5 X 3.5 mm box using the Proxxon mill and a selection of files to get the right profile. Then it was on to the Preac saw with the finest blade (0.010"; ).25mm) to slice off the required number of pieces:

 

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The next step was to trim the back edge of each knee to match the slope of the hull. I used a razor blade in a safety holder:

 

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The thwarts fitted:

 

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Just the rudder to fit, plus equipment such as oars, anchors and boathooks, then a final decision on painting (or not).

 

Shrouds

 

Meanwhile work on the lower mast rigging continues. I'll not say much about ratlines other than to confirm I'm still rubbish at them. It's not a matter of practice; even if Speedy had four masts I'm convinced the fourth's ratlines would still be just as poor as the first's. I did all the recommended stuff - ruled card behind the shrouds; complete every fifth ratline first to avoid the hourglass effect, and so forth. My problem is I just can't get the ratlines to hang naturally. No matter how hard I try I end up with some that sag too much and some that take on an 'S' shape, and others that insist on defying gravity by bending upwards, despite efforts with pva to persuade them otherwise.  :default_wallbash:

 

Here's the lower ratlines finished. I'm trying not to look too closely.

 

IMG_3210.thumb.JPG.8cda1271f49c7eb58a1e58d6408e9b85.JPG Futtock staves

 

The kit supplies 1mm brass rod for the staves but I found this tricky to lash to the shrouds. I substituted some 1mm dowel left from another job and this worked fine. 

 

Catharpins

 

Chris suggests using line to represent the catharpins. I found it difficult to tie lines between the futtock staves. Also, there's a lot going on in a very small space and I was concerned the whole area would look very clunky if I wasn't careful. For example, on the fore mast the futtock staves are only about 10mm long. Within that space you have to make room for lashings to seize the stave to the shrouds, the catharpins to the staves, and for the four futtock shrouds to loop round the staves and seize to the shrouds. To minimise the clutter I decided to use thin brass wire for the catharpins, with loops formed in the ends that could be seized to the futtock staves with the thinnest fly tying thread.

 

IMG_3212.thumb.JPG.d0bc878eea95a82e9cb54d040cadf689.JPG

I should note that the rake of the masts limits the number of catharpins that can be fitted. I just fitted two per mast, but that was sufficient to apply the required tension to the shrouds.

 

Futtock shrouds

 

The kit uses 0.75mm line which I felt somewhat heavy, especially bearing in mind the point about how cluttered this space is. Lees suggests 3.5" line for 6th rate vessels, which equates to just under 0.5mm at this scale. The kit provides very nice PE hooks, to which I seized the line using black fly tying thread:

 

IMG_3217.thumb.JPG.8993669754e0f5f10433ce45d87ecb66.JPG

That close-up surprised me, because with the naked eye that hook looks a nice dull grey metal having been treated with Brass Black. The camera seems to bring the brass colour back out, but I think I'll stick with what my eye tells me.

 

I've just started fitting the futtock shrouds. So much work goes into the seizings I decided to make them visible (without being too obtrusive) by using brown fly tying thread:

 

IMG_3214.thumb.JPG.56579bdb727109f5d860acf28f23365b.JPG

It's worth pointing out that this thread is the same diameter as a human hair. Note also the serving on the first shroud, and the stays in the top right of the photo, curtesy of my Syren serving machine.

 

Building work on the house is about to go quiet as we wait for doors and windows to be delivered, so I'm hoping I might be able to get more time in the shipyard.

 

In other news, I've just had my first covid jab 🙂. I suspect I must be one of the first healthy, under 70s to get the vaccine in the UK (apart from health care and other priority workers) for which I'm very grateful.

 

Derek

 

 

 

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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2 hours ago, glennard2523 said:

I would love to see a side on picture of your wire catherpins

Here you go Glenn:

 

IMG_3219.thumb.JPG.8a572321ffbcc7fe4f20f8f73a5e5d45.JPG

Derek

 

P.S.  I can see I've got some more ratline staining to do! I started off using light-coloured line to help with visibility whilst I was rigging, then dyeing the ratlines in situ. However after a couple of goes I decided this was more trouble than it was worth and started using dark line to start with.

 

 

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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I’ve never understood the purpose of using white line then staining it with India Ink, a disaster waiting to happen.  I always use dark line to start with.

 

For what it’s worth I’ll never be good at tying rat lines, it is not the highlight of my modeling.  
 

Nice details in the rigging, you always add that extra something. Meanwhile I’m spending days on channels and strops.

Regards,

Glenn

 

Current Build: HMS Winchelsea
Completed Builds: HM Flirt (paused) HM Cutter CheerfulLady NelsonAmati HMS Vanguard,  
HMS Pegasus, Fair American, HM Granado, HM Pickle, AVS, Pride of Baltimore, Bluenose

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Thanks for the likes and comments, they're much appreciated as always.

 

19 hours ago, glennard2523 said:

I have found the fly tying thread a really improvement for my seizing

I won't go back to using ordinary thread for small scale stuff.

 

7 hours ago, glbarlow said:

For what it’s worth I’ll never be good at tying rat lines,

Reassuring it's not just me! If anyone knows how to tie perfect ratlines, I wish they would let us into the secret. Btw, I've gone with your suggestion and painted the ship's boat.

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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  • 2 weeks later...

Crowsfeet

 

I decided to fit these before the ship got too cluttered with yards and so forth. Crowsfeet are one of my favourite parts of the rigging - I just think they add interest and visual appeal. However they can be tricky to get right, particular problems being making sure the lines look straight and even, and that the crowsfeet don't pull the stays they are attached to out of line. The crowsfeet are identical on the fore and main masts, so I'll describe how I tackled the latter.

 

Line

For the crowsfeet themselves I used 0.1mm line. 1200mm for each mast gave me enough for the job with about 200mm to spare. I didn't want them to stand out too much, so I darkened the off-white line slightly using very dilute van dyke crystals. I found it was also very helpful to run the line through a block of beeswax, both to lay the fibres down but also to aid in pulling the line through lots of very small holes. Stiffening one end with CA was essential.

 

Tackle

I had several 2mm single blocks left over from rigging the guns and these were ideal for the crowsfeet tackle.

The first job was to seize a block to the main preventer stay about six feet below the mouse - this worked out at 28mm on the model. Nothing fancy, I just tied some fine black Gutermann sewing thread round the block with a single overhand knot, applied a tiny dab of CA, then tied the thread round the stay with a reef knot and more CA, then trimmed. To handle the tiny block I dug out the little jig I used when rigging the guns:

 

IMG_3242.thumb.JPG.29711037315af1a86b70045fa2b6504f.JPGIMG_3248_edited-1.thumb.JPG.634c0ad2a667f3657a49afd048e9a5e8.JPG

Next came the euphroe block. I did consider making my own out of boxwood as I had for Royal Caroline, but that was hard enough at 1:48 scale so in the end I decided to use the photo-etch from the kit, which I think turned out fine once blackened. The other 2mm single block for the tackle is seized to one end of the euphroe block. Before fitting the strop round the 2mm block I seized the 0.1mm tackle line to it, using brown fly tying thread:

 

IMG_3243.thumb.JPG.63999d0587897c10181c8609d3d08fc3.JPG

Used the jig again to tie the strop round the block:

IMG_3244.thumb.JPG.f639a7e7b376eb4b994c3685e4a9ee0a.JPG

Then seized the block to the euphroe. The final job was to seize the crowsfeet line to the other end of the euphroe block, again using brown fly tying thread.

 

IMG_3245.thumb.JPG.9e0a42665bb3e8455fd14b102c2bf421.JPG Here's the completed tackle ready to fit to the model:

 

 

IMG_3247.thumb.JPG.a1d852b0c17fe3b2a2d4ea0a9fc56502.JPG

The next picture shows the start of the rigging process, with the crowsfoot line fed down through the central hole in the top rim and the tackle set up at the lower end of the euphroe. After reeving the tackle line through the block on the stay and back up through the block on the euphroe, I fastened the running end temporarily to the stay with a half hitch. I kept tension on the tackle whilst I did this with a clip on the crowsfoot as shown.

IMG_3249.thumb.JPG.b60f2e1d37931c579697779a13638816.JPG

The rigging from then on was relatively straightforward but needed some concentration to get the sequence right and keep proper tension on the line. From the position shown above, the crowsfoot line goes up through the next hole to port of the central hole, from the underside of the rim, then down to the first free hole in the euphroe (ie not the one the crowsfoot line is seized to). The line goes through the euphroe from port to starboard then down through the first hole to starboard of the central hole, back up through the next hole to starboard, down to the next hole in the euphroe, and so forth. 

 

Problem

If everything had worked out the sequence should have ended when the line came down through the single hole remaining on the port side, from where it would have been hitched to an adjacent loop of line under the rim. It was at this stage I realised something was amiss - I had a hole left over in the rim! A spare one on the starboard side. My understanding was that the number of holes in the rim should be twice the number in the euphroe block plus one. There are eight holes in the euphroe block so I assumed there would have been 17 in the rim; there are actually 18 in both tops. However, checking in James Lees' Masting & Rigging I found several diagrams of tops with even numbers of holes. Although Lees' description of rigging crowsfeet matches mine (his example has 11 euphroe holes and 23 rim holes) I reasoned that there must be a method that utilises an even number of holes in the rim. In the absence of any information on historical practice I decided the easiest and neatest solution would be lead the line down from the final port side hole, through the bottom hole in the euphroe (the one the 2mm block is seized to) down through the 'spare' hole on the starboard side of the rim, then hitch it to the adjacent loop under the rim.

 

The last pictures show the stage immediately before this - ie before I'd worked out what to do!

IMG_3250.thumb.JPG.a1a9ec380a2587a35a7d3c003d6c5bb1.JPG

IMG_3251.thumb.JPG.75021dca078460edeb7d09a73afaeba9.JPG

I'll post an update when I've rigged the crowsfeet on the foremast and tensioned the tackles and stays properly.

 

Derek

 

 

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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Those look great, like BE I did them for my Pegasus, mine are still looking good after all these years.  Like most rigging I discovered getting the right tension without being too tight was the key - that and gentle tugs a line at a time to get it right.  As always a nice tutorial!

Regards,

Glenn

 

Current Build: HMS Winchelsea
Completed Builds: HM Flirt (paused) HM Cutter CheerfulLady NelsonAmati HMS Vanguard,  
HMS Pegasus, Fair American, HM Granado, HM Pickle, AVS, Pride of Baltimore, Bluenose

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Many thanks Glenn, Glenn, B.E., James and Theodosius for your kind comments, and for the likes.

 

23 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

The Crowsfeet look good at this stage Derek, they really are tricky beasts to get the tension right without distorting the stays.  Thinking back to my Pegasus build

I read your Pegasus log before attempting the crowsfeet on Royal Caroline, and took note of your advice on distorting the stays. I found it impossible to avoid completely, but with care it can be mnimised.

 

13 hours ago, glbarlow said:

Like most rigging I discovered getting the right tension without being too tight was the key

Completely agree - a fine balance to achieve but worth it for a part of the rigging I find interesting and visually attractive. 

 

I'll post a final update on the crowsfeet shortly.

 

Derek

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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Crowsfeet contd.

 

Finished rigging the crowsfeet this morning. I think they've turned out reasonably well, and without pulling the stays out of line too much - to my eye at least.

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After they passed down through the last starboard hole in the tops, the crowsfoot lines were tied off to their adjacent loops under the rims. In the photo the spare ends of the lines are awaiting trimming. The crowsfoot tackle was tied off with a couple of half hitches below the block on the stay, and the free end seized to the stay with fly tying thread:

 

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I tried to keep the crowsfoot line in reasonable tension as I wove it through the holes in the top and the euphroe block, but that wasn't easy as the line was coated in beeswax and tended to slip back through the holes. One trick I found helpful was to pinch the line between my fingers each time I passed it through the euphroe. This imparted a sharp 'V' shape to the line which tended to hold (presumably because of the beeswax) and prevented the line slipping back through:

 

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The beeswax caused one minor problem, part of which can be seen round some of the rim holes in the previous photo. It tended to scrape off, leaving a deposit on the top and also on some of the line itself. This was easily fixed using a hot air gun on its lowest setting (a hot air gun designed for craft projects, not paint stripping!) which melted the loose beeswax back into the line and rendered it invisible.

 

One final point worth sharing, partly to plug my favourite extra-hands tool but also to emphasise how careful you need to be when threading the line. On the foremast crowsfeet I managed to damage the line by catching it on a tool I'd carelessly left lying nearby. Needless to say you need to avoid catching the line on the ship as well - I found it very easy to snag guns, channels and other protrusions when I let my concentration slip. Anyway, I had to attach a new line to the euphroe block, and thanks to good old quadhands I was able to do this without removing the block and its tackle from the stay:

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And yes, I know my rigging looks a mess but that's because I don't like to finally tension up lanyards until all the relevant elements are in place and I can make sure all the forces and counterforces in the rigging are balanced, hence the spare lines all over the place. It'll all come good in the end, I hope😬

 

Topmast shrouds next, I think.

 

Derek

Cheers, Derek

 

Current build:   Duchess of Kingston

On hold:              HMS Winchelsea

 

Previous builds:  HMS SpeedyEnglish Pinnace, Royal Yacht Caroline (gallery),

                            Victory Cross-section (gallery), US Clipper Albatros, Red Dragon (years ago!)

 

On the stocks:    18th Century Longboat

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