US Brig Syren by WalrusGuy - FINISHED - Model Shipways - Scale 1:64 - Second wooden ship build

[WalrusGuy]

On 2/25/2021 at 10:40 PM, desalgu said:

Wow!  Love your photos, and I'm still amazed at how nice the copper hull came out.  It looks great.  And every time I see gun ports, hammocks, and netting, it's impressive.  I have no idea how you manage this going to grad school.  Back then I was into model airplanes which are much simpler, but didn't have room or time for anything like that.  

 

I know exactly what you mean about photos showing everything.  When I look at closeups of mine, I see all kinds of little mistakes, and some not so little.  It looks better in person at "normal" size.  The chains look great.  I don't think I filled the gaps in wire on the chains either.  I think I started doing that later when making some of the rings.

 

Also, I can't thank you enough for the references.  I have the last one you mentioned that just has drawings of rigging, and I've referred to it a few times building Syren.  I will look into getting the others.  It helps to have all the information you can get.  I certainly wish I'd started using this forum a lot sooner. 

 

Doing grad studies at home definitely helps!! 😄 Also with most things closed here, this is the only thing keeping me sane. 

 

Glad I could help out, that's what this forum is all about 🙂. I also didn't know of any of these books before until I read some of the reviews and recommendations here. I don't know where I'd be without this forum, all the members are very friendly and always give great advice and suggestions whenever I'm stuck or need help. 

[WalrusGuy]

I have finished with the two lower pendants. Note for future builders (and future Walrus): step the masts after these and the shrouds are installed... To wrap these around the masts were not very easy 

I first served 5.5 cm line. I got this measurement by measuring the distance of the pendant in the plans (3.6 cm) and measured the length of line needed to wrap around the mast (3.2 cm), which was divided by two for the two lines needed (3.2/2=1.6). The remaining length was needed for the eye splice at the end of the line. 

 

After this was served, the eye splices were made and painted black, then a slant cut was made at the other ends. One of the lines were glued to the other line making sure there was at least 1.6 cm left to wrap around the mast. I made it a bit loose by leaving 0.2 cm additional length on the ends.

Then it was wrapped around the mast, glued and served. This would have been a lot neater if I could make these off the model then slide them to place. 

Next I'll work on the lower shrouds for the main mast. Been waiting for this moment for months now. Really eager to see how I perform in this. Hoping no major mishaps!! 😅 

Edited February 27, 2021 by WalrusGuy

[Overworked724]

That reminds me...have to make my serving machine. 

[WalrusGuy]

Spent most of the weekend on the main mast shrouds.. I had no idea how long it takes to make one. I fully served the foremost shroud, and the rest were partially served where they overlapped.. To get the right distance between the deadeyes I used a "claw" as shown below. Even with this there were some slight deviations in the lengths of the lanyards. I guess this makes it more authentic 😁

Here are some pics of the first few shrouds wrapped on the mast:

And here are a bunch of pics to mark this small milestone:

Shining some light to capture the served ropes (may try to retake these in the daylight). 

And of the overall ship:

Edited March 1, 2021 by WalrusGuy
additional photos

[captain_hook]

Very nice!

[WalrusGuy]

Thank you Captain Hook, much appreciated!! Thank you for all the likes as well 🙂 

 

Got to admit, I'm really enjoying this part if the build! Next up is the main stay and main preventer stay. Never made a mouse before so this will be a bit interesting 😄

[TimC]

This entire build is inspiring.  I’ll certainly be referencing your serving and rope work for my build.  It will be my first time doing this type of detailed rope work as well. I can only hope to have results like yours 

 

Tim

[niwotwill]

Fantastic progress 🙌 Really enjoyed the pictures. Now that I'm back I'll go back through the log and take a closer look. Loved the hammocks.

 

Stay well and stay safe

Will

[HIPEXEC]

Great build! 

[desalgu]

I can only echo others, fantastic!   I sure wish I'd discovered these build logs a lot sooner.  Your photos are great!

 

Very impressed with how you served shrouds around masts.  Until this forum I wasn't sure what serving meant.  Chuck called it seizing a line, but it looks all the same to me.  What kind of thread did you use?  It looks a lot thinner or finer than what I used, and it looks a lot better than what I did.  The ones around masts are very realistic. 

 

Your rope eyes are also excellent.  I had a hard time with them, especially at first.  In my case, I wrapped the pendant rope around the mast and seized it just like shrouds, and cut off the excess thread leaving pendant rope with eye.  I did it this way not knowing any better, but it's a lot simpler than what you did.

 

I ordered the TFFM books.  They are a bit expensive, but any reference or text book is expensive.   Once again, thank you for suggesting them.

 

Question, where do you enter "current build", "completed build", and "on the shelf" information?

[WalrusGuy]

On 3/1/2021 at 4:40 PM, TimC said:

This entire build is inspiring.  I’ll certainly be referencing your serving and rope work for my build.  It will be my first time doing this type of detailed rope work as well. I can only hope to have results like yours 

 

Tim

 

20 hours ago, niwotwill said:

Fantastic progress 🙌 Really enjoyed the pictures. Now that I'm back I'll go back through the log and take a closer look. Loved the hammocks.

 

Stay well and stay safe

Will

 

20 hours ago, HIPEXEC said:

Great build! 

 

6 minutes ago, desalgu said:

I can only echo others, fantastic!   I sure wish I'd discovered these build logs a lot sooner.  Your photos are great!

 

Very impressed with how you served shrouds around masts.  Until this forum I wasn't sure what serving meant.  Chuck called it seizing a line, but it looks all the same to me.  What kind of thread did you use?  It looks a lot thinner or finer than what I used, and it looks a lot better than what I did.  The ones around masts are very realistic. 

 

Your rope eyes are also excellent.  I had a hard time with them, especially at first.  In my case, I wrapped the pendant rope around the mast and seized it just like shrouds, and cut off the excess thread leaving pendant rope with eye.  I did it this way not knowing any better, but it's a lot simpler than what you did.

 

I ordered the TFFM books.  They are a bit expensive, but any reference or text book is expensive.   Once again, thank you for suggesting them.

 

Question, where do you enter "current build", "completed build", and "on the shelf" information?

Thank you all for the great comments!! Really motivates me to do better 🙂

 

7 minutes ago, desalgu said:

I can only echo others, fantastic!   I sure wish I'd discovered these build logs a lot sooner.  Your photos are great!

 

Very impressed with how you served shrouds around masts.  Until this forum I wasn't sure what serving meant.  Chuck called it seizing a line, but it looks all the same to me.  What kind of thread did you use?  It looks a lot thinner or finer than what I used, and it looks a lot better than what I did.  The ones around masts are very realistic. 

 

Your rope eyes are also excellent.  I had a hard time with them, especially at first.  In my case, I wrapped the pendant rope around the mast and seized it just like shrouds, and cut off the excess thread leaving pendant rope with eye.  I did it this way not knowing any better, but it's a lot simpler than what you did.

 

I ordered the TFFM books.  They are a bit expensive, but any reference or text book is expensive.   Once again, thank you for suggesting them.

 

Question, where do you enter "current build", "completed build", and "on the shelf" information?

Thanks Desalgu! I just saw your finished Syren, she really is a beauty!

 

A few months ago I did not know what serving was either, until I found out they were used to prevent wear on the lines from rubbing on each other and from the sails rubbing on them. I am using "Superior MicroQuilter 100wt Polyester Thread" and the color is "Dark Brown #7029" to match the rope color. I purchased a couple spools from from Red Rock Threads. And to serve it I am using the Syren Serv-o-Matic machine, but there are a few other brands that make serving machines as well (e.g. Domanoff and Byrnes). 

 

No worries! I have almost finished reading Vol 1 of the series, and have learnt so much already. I know I'll be using them a lot when I start to scratch build.

 

You can enter your signature by following the posts on this link:

 

[desalgu]

Once again, thank you for helping me learn about forum and serving.  I was pretty confused about serving, and there's big difference between seizing and serving.  I had a hard enough time seizing lines!    

 

There is so much to learn, it will keep me busy forever.  I think we are all inspiring each other to improve our model building.  It really helps.

[WalrusGuy]

I finished working on the main stays! I opted a simple representation of the mouse by carving out some wood . The weave seemed very hard to do at this small scale. Also seemed like the weave wouldn't show at 1/64 scale. The process is shown in the photos below.

Next they were painted dark brown to match the thread color, and glued in position. An eyesplice was made on one end of the rope for it to thread through:

The preventer stay was made next, and everything is now lashed on the respective hearts. Here is what she looks like now 😄

 

Next are the fore mast lower shrouds and stays 

[uncarina]

Eye candy, every single one of these photos! Even though I don’t plan to model this ship I learn so much here. Thank you for sharing your work!

 

Cheers,  Tom

[egkb]

Dubz who was building the same vessel, gave me the idea (suggested I follow suit) to 'fake' the weave on the mouse by effectively 'serving' the mouse.. rather good outcome too.. Possibly worth a look if you think it is worth it..

BTW I seriously love what you are doing here.. that deck and those fittings make me drool whenever I see them (I regularly look back to your photos of them in awe! )

 

Eamonn

[WalrusGuy]

13 hours ago, uncarina said:

Eye candy, every single one of these photos! Even though I don’t plan to model this ship I learn so much here. Thank you for sharing your work!

 

Cheers,  Tom

Thanks Tom! I'm so glad my log can be useful. It just started out as a platform for me to ask questions and ask for feedback, but seeing that it helps others is really great!!

 

7 hours ago, egkb said:

Dubz who was building the same vessel, gave me the idea (suggested I follow suit) to 'fake' the weave on the mouse by effectively 'serving' the mouse.. rather good outcome too.. Possibly worth a look if you think it is worth it..

BTW I seriously love what you are doing here.. that deck and those fittings make me drool whenever I see them (I regularly look back to your photos of them in awe! )

 

Eamonn

I was actually looking at your log to see how you managed the mouse. I tried to follow suit but found it difficult to serve it since it was at an angle and the thread kept slipping. I may try this out again for future models! And thanks for the encouraging words!! I also keep looking back at your Ballahoo. It's a very clean and crisp build 🙂

 

I also found out from Dubz that the preventer stay mouse should be on the other side (so that both the mice alternate on the mast), so will do some small deconstruction before carrying on with the fore mast rigging 😄

[egkb]

I covered the mouse in glue prior to serving .. did the trick but yup indeedy it was awkward enough  

 

E

[WalrusGuy]

Ohh I tried serving it without the glue, that may explain the harder time I had 😅. I'll for sure try it again next time

 

Anyhow, I did some small deconstruction work on the main preventer stay to change the position of the mouse:

Now I'll continue working on the foremast

[WalrusGuy]

I finished repeating the process for the fore mast. The shrouds at the mast top came out better this time around i think because of all the practice I got..  😄  I'll let the photos do the talking

 

 

 

Edited March 6, 2021 by WalrusGuy

[Robert29]

Really nice work and the serving is fantastic. I am just about to start the serving on the shrouds and pendants on my current Victory build.  It is the first time that I am doing any serving and I do not have the faintest idea what size of line to use.  I appreciate if you can let me know what size of line you used for serving.

 

Robert

[WalrusGuy]

40 minutes ago, Robert29 said:

Really nice work and the serving is fantastic. I am just about to start the serving on the shrouds and pendants on my current Victory build.  It is the first time that I am doing any serving and I do not have the faintest idea what size of line to use.  I appreciate if you can let me know what size of line you used for serving.

 

Robert

Thanks Robert! I am using 100wt sized thread for the serving. It almost looks as thin as hair. I bought mine from Red Rock Threads. The exact one I am using is linked below (color: dark brown #7029 to match the rope color):

https://redrockthreads.com/superior-thread/superior-microquilt.asp

 

[desalgu]

I'm always so impressed with your craftsmanship.  Love the wood mouse.  It looks much better than what I did, especially in closeups.  I wrapped thread around stay making a rough mouse shape, coated it in glue, and added a little paint.  At the small scale it looks ok, but it doesn't look anything like yours in a closeup.  Something new to try next time!  Probably just me, but don't think the weave on mouse would show at this scale.  It would be easy to overdo something like that.

 

Also impressed with your lashing of hearts.  Mine didn't come out as neat looking.  Again, you don't notice it much except in closeups, but photos reveal all.  Yours look neater with threads all in a row.  Threads overlap on my lashings and ended up coated in CA.  

 

I really enjoy the photos.  I'm so impressed with all the little details you are doing that I skipped over or took a shortcut.  You're making great progress!   I started cutting wood on a display case, but weather has been good, so I've been getting outside more and distracted from modeling.

[Flypast]

Outstanding work....in awe.

 

JR

[WalrusGuy]

Thanks so much for the great comments and likes!!

 

I finished with the sheer poles, futtock staves, futtock shrouds, and lower catharpins. For the staves and sheer poles I followed what Ed did in his YA build. I opted to go for the harder route for the catharpins where it was lashed in two parts of the shrouds. The first one was tricky then I got the hang of it. I first fully served them with an eye splice on each side, then tied them around the stave with a normal knot. There was a lot of adjustment needed to make sure it is centered and also tensioned properly. When cutting the thread the knot is barely visible.

 

Here are some pics!

I am thinking of finishing up the fore and main top mast shrouds, so I can do the ratlines all at once. This is another item I am very nervous about...

Edited March 9, 2021 by WalrusGuy

[desalgu]

No need for you to be nervous about ratlines.  They look worse than they are.  And based on what you've done so far, which is extremely impressive, you'll do great.  If I remember right mine are spaced about 1/4" apart.

 

I love your rope eyes and cartharpins.  When I was at this stage, I was having a hard time making they rope eyes.  It got easier much later on.  I did cartharpins the simple way.  I'm wondering how you managed to get into the area and tie knots.  I could get in there, but only to do simple overhand knots.  I had little control over threads.

 

I'm glad you are taking lots of detailed pictures.  Once you get all the rigging done, it will be difficult to see all the details.

 

I've been slowing cutting wood for display case and planking long boat.  I'd never bent planks edgewise before, and didn't understand that you could even do it.  On Syren planks were short enough that I forced edgewise bends as I glued them on.  It worked, but I wasn't that happy about how I did it.  So now I've learned new way of doing things thanks to your log and all the other info here.

[WalrusGuy]

14 hours ago, desalgu said:

No need for you to be nervous about ratlines.  They look worse than they are.  And based on what you've done so far, which is extremely impressive, you'll do great.  If I remember right mine are spaced about 1/4" apart.

 

I love your rope eyes and cartharpins.  When I was at this stage, I was having a hard time making they rope eyes.  It got easier much later on.  I did cartharpins the simple way.  I'm wondering how you managed to get into the area and tie knots.  I could get in there, but only to do simple overhand knots.  I had little control over threads.

 

I'm glad you are taking lots of detailed pictures.  Once you get all the rigging done, it will be difficult to see all the details.

 

I've been slowing cutting wood for display case and planking long boat.  I'd never bent planks edgewise before, and didn't understand that you could even do it.  On Syren planks were short enough that I forced edgewise bends as I glued them on.  It worked, but I wasn't that happy about how I did it.  So now I've learned new way of doing things thanks to your log and all the other info here.

Thanks David. Hearing that makes me feel more confident for doing the ratlines. 

 

It was really tricky rigging the catharpins. I just used tweezers and required a lot of patience. I had to take a couple hours break when doing the first one since it was very frustrating and I was almost going to give up... but then something just clicked the rest were much easier, I was able to do them in just a few minutes. 

 

For planking, another trick is to precut the planks to the correct shape. I did this for the jolly boat following the outline for the enlarged drawings of the Master Korabel kit. It would require more planning to get the right shape, so maybe the edge wise bending would be the best bet. For my next build (Confederacy), I'll try the edgewise bending. 

[Justin P.]

It really is looking wonderful!   

[WalrusGuy]

Thank you Justin! 

 

While working on the top mast pendants and shrouds, I realized I forgot to install the two eye bolts aft of the foremast. I'm glad I caught this early on than later with many more ropes in place. I installed them without too much trouble, but had to navigate a bit with the shrouds and stays coming on the way. So for anyone who is following along while building the Syren, don't forget these two!!

Edited March 11, 2021 by WalrusGuy

[Gahm]

Your rigging looks great! Can't wait to get there myself 🙂

 

Thomas

[WalrusGuy]

Thank you Thomas! I also can't wait to see what magic you do with the rigging! 😀

 

I finished repeating the entire process for the topmasts. Now the model is ready for the ratlines. I'm equally nervous and excited for this step. I'll be sure to take my time with it. Anyways... here are some pics:

 

I guess after ratlines are done, the rest of the standing rigging will progress through fairly quickly. I'm really looking forward to how she'll look at the end of this chapter. 😄