HMS Vulture 1776 by Dan Vadas - FINISHED - 1:48 scale - 16-gun Swan-class sloop from TFFM plans

[Dan Vadas]

Mizzen Topmast Stay

 

First thing to make for the stay was the mouse. I turned it on my lathe the same as the previous ones for the lower stays :

 

 

The stay fits around the mizzen topmast in a similar fashion to the lower stay :

 

 

A lead block is served and stropped to the main mast head :

 

 

The lower end of the stay has a block seized to it. Another block is attached to an eyebolt adjacent to the foot of the mast via a pendant. A lanyard joins the two blocks :

 

 

 

  Danny

[BANYAN]

Really nice rigging Danny; she is coming along like a true masterpiece of work.

[dgbot]

You should wright a treatise on rigging Danny I have a feeling it would go over big.

David B

Edited January 9, 2015 by dgbot

[allanyed]

   A TOAST TO YOUR CONTINUED BEAUTIFUL WORKMANSHIP.  TRULY IMPRESSIVE. 

 

Your method of making shroud cleats so they are all the same size and shape is very useful, thanks for sharing that.

 

Allan

[Spiff]

As always Dan, your work sets the bar way too high for the rest of us (or, at least me) to reach.

On a much much smaller scale, Im also at the rigging proces right now, and am having trouble getting the length of the Shrouds to be equal. You wrote that you used a wire spacer - could you possibly post a picture of it? I have also made a spacer, but much to my surprise and annoyance, they still didnt come out the same length.

 

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Regards Shaun

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks again Pat, David, Allan and Shaun.

 

You should wright a treatise on rigging

 

 

David, it's been done before . I'm using the rigging plans from TFFM and backed up by Lees.

 

Shaun - my spacer is basically the same as yours except I push it through the two centre holes in the deadeyes.

 

  Danny

[Jim Lad]

The rigging continues to look really first class, Danny!

 

John

[jaerschen]

Hi Shaun

 

It gives some other options to get the shrouds to a equal lenght. Here you can see a other one.

[Spiff]

Thanks Dan and Juergen.thats a nice link Juergen - wish my german was better but all the pictures say it all :-)

[ziled68]

Hello Dan,

I hope everything is fine on the home front. Sir, I must say that I've just finished going over your log and am totally in awe at your level of expertise. Your narratives are truly easy to follow along and I hope that one day I may reach a fraction of your skills. Once again, "Kudos" on a job well done.

 

Ray

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks for the comments John, Shaun, Juergen and Ray .

 

Main Topmast Shrouds

 

Before fitting any of the shrouds the topmast Burton Pendants needed to be made and fitted. These are served all over  I turned the thimbles on the lathe :

 

 

The four sets of shrouds were made up and fitted the same as the mizzen topmast shrouds. Once again the foremost ones are served for their entire length and the others for the uppermost parts :

 

 

 

 

The Backstay is separate from the shrouds and terminates on the aft section of the channel :

 

 

A Sister Block is lashed between the two foremost shrouds. I made these from a single piece of stock in the same way I make "normal" blocks. After first cutting the basic shape on the table saw most of the finish shaping work was done with an Xacto knife :

 

 

 

 

 

  Danny

[Dan Vadas]

Main Topmast Stays

 

There is a preventer stay as well as a main stay for the topmast. These were made in similar fashion to the mizzen topmast stay. There is a Violin block attached to the lower end. I made these from one piece of stock the same way I make the Sister blocks :

 

 

 

 

The stays are served where they go around the mast head and for a few scale feet below the mouse. A Collar is used to hold a lead block to the mast. The preventer stay block is fitted just below the foremast hounds. This would have been considerably easier to fit on the bench before I'd fitted the mast top :

 

 

Here are a few pics of the main topmast stay ready for fitting :

 

 

 

 

 

And some more of both stays fitted. The preventer stay goes on first :

 

 

 

The lead block for the main topmast stay has a collar which could be slipped over the fore mast head. This pic was taken well after I'd fitted the stay - the fore topmast and shrouds had been fitted when I took the pic :

 

 

The sister blocks and their tackle at the foot of the fore mast. Hooks are used to attach the lower blocks to the eyebolts in the deck :

 

 

 

  Danny

[Jim Lad]

Very neatly done, Danny!

 

John

[BANYAN]

Danny you are a rigging master - very nice - a very high quality of finish to your rigging!

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks John and Pat. I LOVE rigging .

 

So far my only problem has been with humidity - Chuck's line is a bit susceptible to it. I have to stop around 10:00am as the high humidity we have been experiencing lately up here causes the line to sag alarmingly. It's all fine again the next morning though .

 

Anyone have any thoughts or solutions on this?

 

  Danny

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

G'day Danny

What a GREAT idea for the shrouds cleats! I will be definitely using your idea when I'm up to that stage.

Cheers

Greg

[GLakie]

Some really nice shrouds Danny. Indeed, you are the Master. I know you must have already thought of this, but wouldn't an air-conditioner fix the humidity levels? Beeswax could seal it out but probably would adversely affect how they look and hang.

 

Cheers

[BANYAN]

Danny, you could install  / use a free-standing de-humidifier, but it is a more expensive solution.  You can get mini-dehumidifiers for under $100 but a medium will be over $100 - if it works though might be worth it?  You would have to try and seal the workshop a bit though I would think?

 

cheers

 

Pat

[EdT]

Danny, beautiful work as always.

 

I would be inclined to fix the shrouds and not the environment, otherwise you will have the problem when you move the model or the de-humidifier isn't running.  My first suggestion would be to impregnate the lines with a wax solution - microcrystalline or beeswax - very dilute in turpentine or mineral spirits. Surface wax is not attractive and the dilute solution helps with that and absorption.   Some materials are more prone to this because they absorb more moisture - I think cotton being one.  I would like to hear some expert comment on that.  I have used linen for larger, made rope and mercerized cotton polyester for small lines - both at 1:96 -  and after five years in a climate with dry winters and high summer humidity have had no problem.  Some of the lines were waxed and some not.

 

I have not used cotton because of this, but am considering it for YA, so I'd like to hear some feedback on this.

 

Thanks, and good luck with your problem.

 

Ed

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

It is not normal for a line to sag so fast. It is not only humidity but also the temperature which are exterior factor.

As one example for the temperature even if it is not metal here, on large electric line, the cable is sag in function of the temperature only, not the humidity.

 

The first to look is the kind of material, the worst to use would be 100% cotton, very extensible and I think that after many years it would have disintegrate quite a bit. The best to use would be linen for stability and longevity.

 

The second factor to check is how much the lines were twisted, insufficient twisting will cause the lines to easily  to easily change length, a bit like a bungee cable. There is an optimum rate in twisting lines for stability and I saw some peoples having tendencies to  simplify the  turning method.

[EdT]

Good comment, Gaetan.  I see you share my concern about cotton.   I also agree with you on the twisting.  I would add to that the importance of pre-stretching the rope after twisting it up.

 

I should have mentioned that I tint my rope (either black or hemp) with acrylic gouache in water, dilute enough not to stiffen the rope.  This might help.  I don't know.

 

I wonder if long staple cotton is more stable than garden variety thread.  Comments anyone?

 

Ed

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

Hi Ed,

 

I guess that after 100 years or so, some lines of cotton would break because too much thin after deterioration.

Cotton is not a very resistant material, this is why in the industry reinfore it with polyester in different %.

 

Twisting strenght must be balanced mechanically, not by eye, when turning the ropes.

 

About pre-stretching, I think it is more true with cotton than it is with linen; and often unnecessary with linen, because of his nature which is more rigid than cotton.

 

We had previous discussion about the tint color. For English ship, dark brown is more appropriate than black.

 

I would say that linen is preferable to cotton, and by seeing some experimentation on this forum; linen has not the elasticity problem that cotton has.

 

Gaetan

[michael mott]

Danny sagging and other issues aside your rigging looks superb, very nice thimbles as well. I am curious as to your sequence for making them, bore first then shape with files and or form tool? then part off?

 

Michael

[AnobiumPunctatum]

Wonderful rigging, Dan.

[dgbot]

Years ago. At Manitowoc a modeler brought in a model of the Thermopylae. He brought

It in a trailer. The day was hot and humid. The

Rigging was very loose.

He was going to tighten it up but was told to leave it alone. I wish I had taken a before and after photo. The line tightened up inside the museum. In a temperature controlled environment the line was returned to normal.

David B

Edited January 21, 2015 by dgbot

[Dan Vadas]

Thank you Greg and welcome to my Build Log. Thanks also for "Liking" just about all my posts .

 

wouldn't an air-conditioner fix the humidity levels?

 

 

Yep, I've got one. However my power bills are high enough without using it all the time   .

 

Pat, see the above comment. If I was at all worried about it then I'd do something to improve things, whether the line or the environment. It only means I need to stop rigging work at about 10:30am - by then I've had just about enough anyway .

 

Ed - thanks for your input, very well thought out. As mentioned before I don't really have too many concerns about it - the line goes back to almost "guitar string" tightness as soon as it all cools down. I'll try the diluted beeswax trick to see if it makes any difference.

 

The first to look is the kind of material, the worst to use would be 100% cotton

 

 

Thanks Gaetan. I believe Chuck's rigging line is a blend of cotton and polyester. As far as the tension on the ropewalk goes - I have no idea. It's really nice stuff to use and looks superb on the model - other than the temporary sagging issue I'm more than happy with it.

 

BTW - I tried stretching one piece early on (for about 1/2 a day using a 2kg weight) and it made no discernible difference to the amount of sagging.

 

Years ago. At Manitowoc a modeler brought in a model of the Thermopylae. He brought
It in a trailer. The day was hot and humid. The
Rigging was very loose.
He was going to tighten it up but was told to leave it alone. I wish I had taken a before and after photo. The line tightened up inside the museum. In a temperature controlled environment the line was returned to normal.
David B

 

 

Yep, exactly what happens to mine. I might take some pics myself . When I take Vulture to the next model shows it will be in the middle of winter, so I'm not going to have an issue .

 

very nice thimbles as well. I am curious as to your sequence for making them, bore first then shape with files and or form tool? then part off?

 

 

Thanks Michael, yep just like that. I use the Part Off tool on the lathe to do all the work of shaping the outer groove - it's less than 1mm thick and does the job nicely.

 

Thank you too Christian.

 

  Danny

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

G'day Danny

 

Thanks for your welcome. I only joined this forum before Christmas. And wow, what I've seen is amazing.

I'm only half way through your log, and I wish there's another tag to press rather than LIKE. Something similar to GODSMACK. I'm sure that would be ticked all the time.

your workmanship is out of this world. I think you should change your forum's handle to: The Wood Whisper.

Cheers

Greg

[rdsaplala]

Top-notch rigging, as always, Danny, thanks too for sharing your block-making techniques

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

G'day Danny

Just finished reading your log until now....... can't wait for the rest. You have given me a lot to ponder about. A million thank you wouldn't be enough. Keep the great work, no brilliant work coming. We are all on our edge of our seats waiting for more updates,

Greg

Edited January 30, 2015 by Greg the peg leg sailor

[Dan Vadas]

Thank you Aldo, and thank you too Greg .

 

Just finished reading your log until now....... can't wait for the rest.

 

 

Yeah, I noticed ...... every morning there were at least 30 "Greg the Pegleg Sailor liked a post in HMS Vulture" notifications. I'm glad you like her .

 

Just for you (oh, OK the rest of you too ) here's an update. Sorry it's been so long coming but my computer's been playing up again. Today it's having a rare "good" day.

 

Topmast Futtock Staves

 

The topmast shrouds have futtock staves that are similar to the lower mast ones :

 

 

 

Fore Stay and Preventer Stay

 

Both stays are attached to the topmast head in similar fashion to the main topmast stays, with the exception that the preventer stay is above the stay :

 

 

The running ends of the stays are fed through the sheaves in the bee blocks, with the preventer stay going through the port side forward sheave and the stay going through the aft starboard sheave :

 

 

The ends of the stays have violin blocks fitted. Two 7" single blocks are stropped to the eyebolts in the knightheads, and are connected to the violin blocks by lanyards :

 

 

 

Topsail Yard Tyes

 

TFFM suggests that now is a good time to fit the Topsail Yard Tye blocks. This would be very difficult to do after the topgallant masts are fitted.

 

I made the two pairs of 14" blocks for the main and fore masts (only) from English Box in a similar fashion to all the other blocks I made previously. They seem to be getting better as I go . The two blocks are stropped with enough length to allow them to hang about a block length below the trestle trees :

 

 

 

  Danny