HMC Sherbourne 1763 by Gregor – FINISHED - Caldercraft – Scale 1:64 - first build

[Gregor]

Not many words are needed in this posting: I made myself a serving machine.

 

 

Thousand thanks to all the guys showing their machines here on MSW. Mostly I followed Marc (http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/4294-the-first-royal-dutch-yacht-mary-by-flying-dutchman2-mamoli-1646/?p=174488), who wrote a good tutorial, and made it with parts from the local hobby store.

Since the role of Killick is already taken, I feel quite comfortable in the role of Dr M., staring at the rigging and wondering why there are trucks on top of everything and looking for horses, mice and donkeys (the cap is called donkey’s head in my native German).

Cheers,

Gregor

[tkay11]

It's like you were reading my mind, Gregor, because I have been ruminating about a serving machine, and I had entirely missed Marc's build. So I am delighted at the link and will be building my own machine on those plans as well.

 

Thank you very much, and, equally, congratulations on another nice piece of work, Dr. M.

 

Tony the Preserved

[Stockholm tar]

Gregor,

 

Your machine certainly looks the business. I like the idea of a rod to hold the spool of thread.

[tkay11]

Dirk, if you didn't know it already, your entire motivation to build is to provide my instruction at no cost.

 

Tony

[tkay11]

Now you see how satisfying that motivation can be. It brings happiness and laughter to your life. Long may it continue. And Gregor. And Kester. And Mark. And Eamonn. And Chuck. And Jay. Oh, dear, now I'll have to start the list of all the members of MSW. Let me work on it. It might provide some motivation for my build....

 

Tony

[Gregor]

But you are correct, Dirk: On the plan there is an angle of about 6 degrees between keel and bowsprit, and that's what I made. It looks worse on this picture because of the angle distortion, and because of the tapering of the bowsprit.

But here is something that (hopefully) gives you some motivation:

 

 

 

These things were meant to be movable, after all.

Thanks for this observation - I thinks it looks better now. 

Gregor

 

And Tony is right. I will finish my rigging and belaying plan this weekend, if the weather does not change (it is very hobby friendly at the moment). I will be needing all the instructions and tipps I can get, and will be eternally grateful - that's a motivation, isn't it? That would be tho role of Tom Pullings, then.

[Gregor]

Here it is, my belaying plan. It started with George Bandurek’s list, and then I tried to match it with Petersson’s drawings. There were big differences not only in the kind of rigging, but also in the use of terms, so I decided to draw a picture. I photoshopped Petersson’s cutter into something resembling my Sherbourne, added some sails and rigging details or moved them around; and gave each part a name. 

 

 

Doing that in two languages made this a true Babylonian task. But this was necessary to clear my brain and complete the rigging list.

Sherbourne Rigging_v2.pdf

This list was then used to draw a belaying plan for my model. I was very relieved when I saw that there are even more belaying points than necessary! As I’m still unsure whether to make (furled) sails or not, the amount of lines might be reduced later.

 

 

Of course, one can always add more lines… But these are the parts that Petersson shows in his drawings, minus the Burton tackles. It took quite some time to make these plans, but it was the only way for me. I cannot do that in my head alone. And it was also a test: Petersson doesn’t show a belaying point for the forestay, and his cutter has a modern windlass with many belaying pins, therefore I had to find alternatives.

Peterssons cutter is shown without sails, and I’m confused with some details: He shows a topsail bowline. Can this be right? Do topsails have bowlines? In my list at the moment I have bowlines for the lower sail (on Petersson’s model there are bowlines (?) coming from the topyard). This is hard to decide for a mere landsman.

Consulting the plans of the Pickle online was very helpful – it seems that Caldercraft’s younger kits have generally thinner ropes (the main shrouds are only 0.75 mm instead of 1 mm in Sherbourne’s plan).

I present this plans in the hope to start a discussion; I guess they have many errors and mistakes. Any comment is very much appreciated and welcome, and will help me build something that makes sense (at least, that’s my ambition). 

 

Gregor

 

Edit: Errors corrected (foresail should be behind staysail, bowline at topsail), new Rigging plan and drawing.

Edited June 27, 2014 by Gregor

[tkay11]

Great work, Gregor, and tremendously helpful.

 

Thanks

 

Tony

[jwvolz]

Looking very, very nice Gregor. 

[Gregor]

The slightly premature publication of my rigging plan had some positive effects. I’m still working on it, but learned a lot. It even helped me understand better other logs, Kester’s prominently among them (I wish I had understood more when I started, especially his discussion of Peterssen’s modernised rigging, but that is all part of the learning process).

 

 

Following Peterssen, I had to make a new square sail yard, with two sheaves on each end. I also, like Kester, made a new boom from a 5 mm dowel, since the old one looked very weak, compared to the other spars. And, after ripping out and repositioning the bowsprit, it too had to be remade: Painting the bowsprit was not my brightest idea, so the new one has a light oak varnish and is less tapered towards the outer end.

Modelling-time was rare before my upcoming holydays, so there’s not much to show (I updated the data in post #164).

 

For all who feel they need some motivation or simply something enjoyable to read or to look at, you can legally download “King's Cutters and Smugglers 1700-1855” by E. Keble Chatterton on the Project Gutenberg website. The pictures alone are worth a click or two.

Enjoy,

Gregor

[tkay11]

Very interesting, Gregor. Thanks a lot. I like the book too -- you are probably pleased with seeing all those gunport lids. I suppose you'll notice that Peterssen also put lids on his gunport drawings.

 

Tony

[CAd My Fingers]

Looking very nice, Gregor! Here's a link to high resolution photos of the contemporary model on which Petersson based his drawings: http://www.modelships.de/Museums_and_replicas/Science_Museum_London/gIMG_0583.jpg

 

This unidentified model was on display at the Science Museum in London but sources told me that the model has since vanished (I believe before the museum took down all their ship displays).

 

In his Rigging Fore-and-Aft Craft, Petersson mentions that he believes this cutter that he based his drawings on is the HMS Expedition. Unfortunately, the NMM doesn’t have images of the draught available online. According to Lyon, the Expedition is of the Sprightly Class, 1777 (Sailing Navy List, 101). The draught in Lyon of the Sprightly clearly differs from the model photo. The Sprightly more resembles the Alert in terms of her rails, ports, and so forth; however, all that may not be applicable to the Expedition—hard to know without seeing her draught. The take away here is that though this ship possibly post dates the Sherbourne by about 15 years, you're probably on solid ground using most of the rigging details in Petersson and these images. One caveat, however, is since the the model is unidentified, it could be a cutter much later than 1777....

 

An issue that I haven't yet researched in depth is whether or not top gallants were consistently or inconsistently either fore or aft the top masts on small craft during the Sherbourne's time period. From about the mid-1770s onward, the top gallant is depicted as fore the top mast on the contemporary models and in the paintings I've looked at thus but for earlier periods I'm not yet sure. This one of those small details that’s been niggling at me for a while, and so far the material I've looked at has been inconclusive...I'm finding that the research on this detail will take a lot more time and digging.

 

Anyway, I hope this is of some help!

 

Cheers,

Jay

[Gregor]

After a long absence it’s time for an update: nothing significant happened (modelling wise), but I learned a lot, trying to bend blocks to spars and making seizings. 

 

 

The so-called ZIP-seizings are easy to make, but once in place, they look like what they essentially are: tubes. The thinner the threads, the better they are looking. 

 

 

They are ok on the inhauler/outhauler (0.4mm, seizing 0.1mm). On the bowsprit guys (0.5mm, seizing 0.1mm) they look somewhat wrong. 

 

 

But they helped a lot making the thimbles (the smallest parral beads I could find locally).

 

 

For the rest of the blocks on the masts and spars I will use Jay’s (modeller12) method.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gregor]

That’s how the deck is looking now.

 

 

Making a buoy was especially time and nerve consuming. Mine looks much battered, so I like to explain that this item is one of the original pieces of equipment of HMC Sherbourne I in 1763 and has seen 23 years of service, improbable as this may seem…

 

 

It was rather difficult to make pictures outside today, but I absolutely wanted to share my first look of a “complete” cutter – without the rigging lines, of course.

 

 

Many details need to be prepared before assembling. I think I will follow Kester’s log to do that.

 

 

One of the small details will be a proper fiddle block. This one was made from a 5mm and a 3mm single block glued together, not perfect. I wonder whether it would be better to simply lash two blocks together, an alternative proposed by Wolfram zu Mondfeld, but one that I can’t find on NMM’s models. 

 

 

The brown things taped to the mast are the mast rings, which I made from brass wire, soldered and filed into shape. As there will be no sails, they should at least lie properly, and I thought paper rings too light.

I have to admit I’m quite pleased with the model that is standing for the first time complete with it’s impressive spars. This will give me the necessary boost for all the other small things that are to be prepared before anything can be glued on definitively.

Cheers,

Gregor

[Stockholm tar]

Gregor,

 

She's looking very good, I must say!

 

Your mentioned the topsail bowlines earlier, and whether Sherbourne would have had them – I would say yes and, further, Goodwin shows them (starboard side only) on page 115, of the AOTS Alert. The single blocks for them are connected to strops, fitted around the bowsprit just aft of the cranse iron. That's another two pins you'll need (and probably me as well) somewhere near the bow! Aaagh!    Actually, what surprises me more is that the topgallant, which is a far bigger sail, doesn't have them. However, this would obviously be furled in heavy weather.

 

Petersson may not be wrong in showing them without the sail itself. They are pretty long lengths of rope, and I would see no need to unreave them, unless for an extended period. Models without sails are often shown with them bent to the yard, at the position the sails would normally occupy when furled.

 

Jay,

 

I don't have Petersson with me just now but I seem to think his cutter was about 1780, judging from the rigging details, so its seems his thinking is a bit at odds with Lyon, re. the Expedition. Another point is that his drawing postdates the method of hoisting the yards, which the Alert of 1777 has (four) and, I surmise, the Sherbourne of 1763. This method seems to have been superceded in the 1780's by the more modern one.

.

[tkay11]

Lovely to see the progress, Gregor. I've had a very intensive three months, and just this week can think of picking up where I left off. I too was working at the seizings, trying smaller and smaller lines, and I agree about the tube-like effect which I am unhappy with. I was thinking that was down to the method I'm using of making the seizings first by wrapping them round small drill bits and then fitting them to the line. I'm now down to fly-fishing thread and will start experimenting with that, and maybe trying to make the seizings as they are in reality.

 

Tony

[Gregor]

Thank you all for the likes and the comments, Kester and Tony.

 

For the seizings, Alexander (who is building a wonderful Sphinxs and whose rigging threads I'm using) pointed out to me in a German forum a method for "less-tube-like" seizings: here is the link to his MSW log and his seizing and splicing method, which I will try.

 

As for the rigging: At the moment I will follow Pettersson only - I learned that either you should have a deep understanding of what you are doing, rigging-wise, or at least a plan. So my plan is to make a model of the model that was the model for Petterssons drawings. But I'm sure I will find a timberhead or two for additional lines later on...

 

Gregor

 

[Gregor]

I’m looking forward to see your seizings, Tony. After showing my “tubes”, I got a wonderful tip from a German modeller (which I will try to explain with the example of the new bowsprit guys I’ve just made): The loose end of the 5mm thread which goes around the parral bead was cut so that the three strands it is made of are of different lengths.

 

 

The difference this makes is easy to see on the picture (the old tube is on top). Diluted PVE keeps the seizing in place after every step. With the cotton thread I made a simple sling as near at the bead as possible, used one end for the seizing and the other end to close the gap towards the bead.

Of course, this technique can be perfected – my fist step will be the cutting down of the old bowsprit guys.

Cheers,

Gregor

[AntonyUK]

Hi Gregor.

I am suffering with the lack of updates on your wonderful build log:)

Please revive me and post some more of your cutter.

 

Regards Antony.

[SawdustDave]

Hi Anthony:

Just joining your Sherbourne build....thoroughly enjoyed all of your postings. Very nicely done mate.

Pulling up a chair here.

Dave

[Gregor]

Antony and Dave – you are flattering me (it feels good, I admit). There is really no big story to tell; I’ve spent the last few weeks preparing parts and pieces (and sometimes throwing them away again). I spent many hours with the serving machine I’ve made earlier. Here an example: The sling for the stay sail, which will go around the mast after the stays and the hanger for the square yard, shown on the right. The stay sail halliard has already been bent on.

 

 

The next great challenge will be the fitting of all the parts in the crosstrees, where it is already crowded. This is mainly because I just “shrunk” the masts to fit Sherbourne’s small hull, when the shrouds and stays (which are not yet here) do not shrink to the same proportions…

 

 

 

My biggest mistake so far was that I glued on the cap before bending on the shrouds. That made the job unnecessarily challenging.But now that I’ve put together all the prepared lines, I see there is some progress.

 

 

 

Still missing are the main and preventer stays with their mice – another thing that lets me believe that Petersson’s model has a very much younger rigging added later: There the main stay is simply spliced together. 

Cheers,

Gregor

Edited August 13, 2014 by Gregor

[Gregor]

… said by the man who led me on that path! Maybe I should begin another project, just to let you overtake me. 

 

 

Just at the right moment I found a jig by Pat (Banyan) for a mouse. This I adapted or my serving machine.

 

 

The simple jig can move right and left, so I can continue serving after weaving the mouse. The bigger mouse took 19 horizontal threads, the smaller 15. It worked fine, once I figured out how to do it (it took a long time, frayed nerves, some noises – you know what I mean).

 

 

I painted the pear shaped wooden former black; this gives me a depth effect – a pleasant side effect of my imperfectly loose weaving.

Now I really have to take a break, a beer…

Cheers,

Gregor

[Stockholm tar]

Gregor,

 

Noises, noises? No, I don't know what you mean.

 

She's coming long nicely. Your mention of gluing the mast cap, before fitting the shrouds, reminded me that I did the same thing – and I thought it was only me!  Your mousing the forestays also reminded me that I'll soon be at that stage.

[catopower]

Gregor, your model is looking really terrific. Pardon such a mundane question on such a lovely build, but can you tell me what paints you used on this model? I particularly like the red you used. Is this Caldercraft paint?

 

Thanks,

Clare

[Gregor]

Sorry, Clare, for the delay (and many thanks for the kind words and al the likes I received lately). And yes, the Red is Red Ochre from Caldercraft. But beware, it's (correctly, I think) not a brilliant colour. On my pictures it seems often much redder than it really is.

As an alternative to acrylic paints you could think about working with enamel paints - Dirk (Dubz) uses it for his Sherbourne, with a stunning finish.

Good luck

Gregor

[Mirabell61]

Very fine built ship Gregor,

 

are you going to rig sails  as well ?

 

Nils

[Gregor]

And sorry, Nils, there will be no sails. But now that you are asking, I will give it one last try (the other attempts to make sails were binned a while ago, together with the desire to make them).

But I will add sheets and tacks for the square sail, their blocks will hang at the clueline blocks near the yard; I just made the necessary two holes and belaying points for the tacks forward of the first guns. They should be a little more towards the bow, I guess, but then they would be in conflict with the anchors. Similar to the arrangements for sheets and braces at the stern, there are eyebolts outside and a belaying point inside the hull.

And because I saw several models with braces for the topsail yard (Petersson is showing only counter braces towards the cranse iron), I will add them too (there are two belaying pins available for them at the stern, the flag halliard will have to go to a small ring already there). 

 

 

Cheers,
Gregor

[Gregor]

It has been a while since my last post. But now that it is the Week of the Cutter on MSW here a few pictures – there is some small progress to show.

 

It’s still crowded in the top. But it is better once the shrouds and stays have some tension.

 

Still, nothing is glued or belayed definitively. Shrouds and deadeyes are in place. There is a simple slipknot with three turns that holds the deadeyes in position; it’s movable, so I can now adjust an even tension.

 

Lucky me, I had a stack of suitable books handy to lift my third hand so I could make the slipknots outside of the model. Once I feel comfortable, I will put in the lanyards.

 

This is the detail I like most: The Five-hole-deadeye is in place, together with the preventer stay.

 

And that is the whole ship; it has grown a little.

 

And finally, one of the reasons for my slow progress: I made the skeleton for my next project. It’s the lovely small French schooner La Jacinthe (1823) after Jean Boudriot, scaled down from 1/48 to 1/64.

 

I will finish the Sherbourne before I glue the bulkheads of the Jacinthe, I promise.

Cheers,

Gregor

[tkay11]

Nice to see you back on the case, Gregor. Fabulous work!

 

Tony

[Stockholm tar]

Gregor,

 

You're making great progress, she looks superb.

 

I haven't been posting of late, being caught up with other jobs, but I will be home next week when I can return to my Sherbourne. Now where was I? Oh yes, the sheet horse, and then the forestay with it's mouse. That should be fun.