Boothbay 65 Schooner by allanyed - FINISHED

[Bob Cleek]

On 10/29/2020 at 9:25 AM, Roger Pellett said:

Wooden mast hoops-  I hesitate giving advice to a professional, BUT:

 

I made wooden mast hoops for a model longboat model that I built by soaking very thin strips of pear that had been soaked in water around a dowel.  The result was a collection of scale thickness mast hoops.  That had to be slipped over the mast prior to rigging as they would then be trapped by the shrouds and stays.

 

Yes, I found that approach very successful, too. I planed long shavings from the edge of a clear plank. I then took a dowel of the desired diameter to use as a mandrel, wrapped it in plastic wrap to prevent glue from sticking to it, applied PVA to one side of the shaving and wrapped it around the dowel a few times, fastening with a rubber band to dry. There was no need to wet the shavings, as they were already tightly curled as they came off the plane blade. I did this with several shavings next to each other on the dowel. When the glue was set, I mounted the mandrel on my lathe and then sanded the faces of the wrapped shavings until I achieved the thickness of the mast hoops I wanted, and then parted the mast hoops with a fine razor saw. I then removed all the finished mast hoops from the mandrel and hand-sanded them to round off the edges. (A "block sander" for rounding off block edges would probably do a good job rounding the edges, too.) The result were very realistic looking laminated mast hoops. They were also very strong. None broke in later handling, the "grain" running in a concentric circle, as it were.

 

Scale 3/4'=1':

 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2020 by Bob Cleek

[allanyed]

Progress with the masts made and stepped as well as the standing rigging.  I worked hard at using stainless steel wire but it was not to be.  I could not find small enough rope sleeves so made some out of brass on the lathe and softened them by heating with the butane torch so they could be crimped easily.  After countless splinters from tiny bits of wire strands after trying to cut it nicely and not being able to keep it tight even with working turnbuckles I gave up and went to rope soaked in chrome paint.  The look is really good, and it was FAR easier to work with.  I still used the home made sleeves to complete the look.

 

Note in the photos that I removed five deck cleats around the masts as I mistakenly put them where their respective blocks are to be located.  The good news was that they were so secure I destroyed them when taking them out so I know the new ones will hold fast when the rigging is done.

 

The chain shroud on the bowsprit is copper chain and relatively weak compare to brass or other materials.   Lesson learned. 

 

Near the top of the foremast stays are the rollers for the furling system.  The furlers themselves can be seen secured to the bowsprit and at the fore part of the cap rail.  The lines for the jib and staysail furlers typically run to the cockpit on smaller sailing vessels but after discussing with the ship yard and mentioning that these would be a hazard to guests, especially in wheel chairs, even with fairleads along the deck, we decided that they will have leads only part way and end near the jib sheet and stay sail sheet traveler tracks port and starboard.   

 

Started making internally stropped blocks from Syren.  These are superior to anything done by hand.  The instructions call for CA glue when assembling but having little experience with it, the first set came apart as soon as I started to add the strop.   I scrapped these but learned a lesson.  I know CA is quick but I truly despise this stuff and went to the next set using carpenter's glue.  Worked like a charm and the glue was set and the blocks ready to finish in an hour.  Worked on some other stuff while the glue set, then went to finishing them by hand.  This was not a problem, but a pain in the neck so I bought a $12 tumbler and it works really well.  It gives an even finish all around the blocks in about 20 seconds for Syren blocks.   Kudos to Chuck on his blocks!!   

 Allan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jim Lad]

Looking very nice, indeed.

 

John

[KeithAug]

Good progress Allan, the furling gear looks particularly realistic. 

9 hours ago, allanyed said:

I could not find small enough rope sleeves

Allan, for future reference this company produces micro-bore brass tubing that is good for sleeves. It’s a bit expensive but you don’t use much. https://www.albionalloys.com/en/ https://www.chronos.ltd.uk/omega-search/?q=Albion alloys .

 

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by KeithAug

[allanyed]

Thank you!!

Keith, the trick for me was to find the diameter that can the be squeezed into an oval shape to allow two diameters of the line to past through.   Knowing the diameter of the line, I drew two circles of this diameter side by side.   Then I drew an ellipse and found the circumference of the ellipse.  This was then used to find the diameter of the crimp pieces I had to make.  Micro tubing would certainly be easier but finding the right size could be difficult.  Actually making them on the lathe was not too difficult.   

Allan

[druxey]

Nice progress, Allan. Wire 'rope' is miserable to work with its poking sharp ends, so I understand why you reverted to fiber line! The self-furler looks great. I'm fascinated by how your feedback to the builders is being incorporated on the prototype ship. That must be very satisfying.

[allanyed]

Druxey

Bristol Marine has been extremely receptive about feedback that I have been giving them.  Some items above deck and below deck  will likely have dimensional changes.  For example, the space between the bulwarks at the entry and the bench backs just aft side of the aft deckhouse is not sufficient for a wheel chair to pass nor is there room for a wheel chair to get into and turn in the head.   These will be addressed when actual building drawings are prepared by the architect.   You are absolutely right in that it is extremely gratifying to find that the model has allowed me to point out some changes that they will be addressing on the final construction drawings.    This had never crossed my mind when taking on the project, but it also opens my mind to the idea that no matter the source of any drawings, unless as-built, they may not be 100% correct, including contemporary drawings from NMM.    

Allan

 

[wefalck]

No matter how comprehensive your thoughts and planning were, you will always find out that something doesn't work in reality. So I would always expect to be differences between 'as designed' and 'as built', although modern 3D-modelling, where you not only can model static features, but can model the functionality can eliminate some of these problems.

 

Not sure this is being used by this kind of naval architects, but in designing industrial facilities, they can model much of the functionalities, before the first concrete is poured or the first metal cut.

Edited November 12, 2020 by wefalck

[CW_Tom]

I just found this thread and read through it today.  Your work is very impressive.  I look forward to seeing more updates as the model nears completion.  I too am impressed with the builders receptivity to your inputs.  

 

Regards,

 

Tom

[allanyed]

Thanks Tom,

One thing that I have found that is interesting is the rigging.  Like days of old with contemporary drawings from the British and French going back 100 years or even 300 years, there is very little information on rigging and rigging scantlings for many types of vessels.  Running rigging was often customized by the captain so nothing was set in stone and it appears that is still the case to a great extent today.  Discussions with the shipyard have been helpful, but generally they suggest going with what makes sense based on other schooners as they have not yet finalized belay points or other items and the drawings that I have are not necessarily final.  Common sense and practicality comes into play, but  this can be frustrating at times as I am no expert when it comes to rigging.   Great learning experience though 😄

Allan

Edited November 23, 2020 by allanyed

[druxey]

Not an expert, Allan? By the time you have finished rigging this model, you will be!

[allanyed]

Druxey,  ain't that the truth!    As I mentioned previously, common sense has to come into play.  For example, many of the blocks are secured on pads on the deck with corresponding cleat nearby to belay the line.  BUT, not all.  There are several blocks set up in this manner with no place to belay the lines.   The "Captain" that I am working with at Bristol Marine has given me pretty much carte blanche in getting things right as I see them, including adding fife rails, but I worry about gross errors.   

 

There is one issue in particular that I hope to work out with the shipyard today, but if not I may post here to get some feedback from the membership.

 

Allan

   

[allanyed]

Standing rigging is about complete, including flying backstays which I suppose are more running rigging than standing rigging.

I turned the parrels on the lathe using boxwood.  I finally bought a block tumbler to round the edges of all the blocks and put the parrels into the tumbler for about 20 seconds to round the edges as well.  Saved a lot of time hand sanding and came out more even.  The parrels are supported on a metal (brass in this case) rod similar to those on many of the Gloucester fishing schooners rather than rope.  

 

The back drop material I used for some of the photos is not good.  I usually like to use roll back drop paper which does not wrinkle and is easy to set up without a seam where it goes from horizontal to vertical.   Another lesson learned and a wasted $15 I will never see again on the material I bought.

 

The flag is cloth and the staff and support plate and sleeve are brass.  I used brass nails in lieu of bolts, which at this size show relatively well.

 

The fore and main boom guys or tackles have a hook on a  single block as well as a double block.  The plans show a single block at the end of the boom, but in looking at a lot of rigging plans for schooners, they invariably have a double block which makes sense when rigging in the unused mode and would work well when the booms are swung outboard.  The photo showing the boom saddle also shows a single block on the fore boom before I replaced it with the double block.  That was not fun as there was very little room to work.   As suggested at MSW many times by many folks, I rig everything I can on masts, booms, and spars before fixing them in place.  It is sooooo much easier to get it right.

 

The base is walnut that I have had laying around and kept moving with us for 48 years.    The model rests well on the cradles but I do not want to put hulls in the hull so will use threaded stock or perhaps brass rod with threaded ends between the cradles that will go through the base and into the keel. 

I was thinking of using Velcro on the cradles in lieu of the brass rods, but not sure these will be sufficiently secure for a truck ride of 1600 miles.  If anyone has gone this or another route I would love your feedback.

 

I made two frames and plugs for silk span sail making.  The one in the photos is large enough for the main sail, but impractical for the small sails.  This is my first time using this method so I made a smaller frame for the smaller sails and a practice run.   Glad I did the practice run on a smaller size as it did not go very well.   I am using the method David Antscherl describes in his sail making supplement to Volume IV of TFFM, but will be trying a few alternative ideas along the way.  If they work out I will post once they are proven.

 

Allan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

[KeithAug]

She is coming along very quickly Allan. Are you working to a deadline or are you just naturally quick? 

Not sure you should have used that piece of walnut, now it won't be available for some future use.

[allanyed]

Thanks Keith!

I have had the walnut for what seems like forever and a long story that goes with it and the tree it came from, but that is for another day.   I figured I may as well let it go to a paying customer and it does no good just sitting in the shop.    Quick??? Not really.  I have a loose deadline, but as I can work on it for at least 4 hours a day on most days, it goes pretty quickly.    

Allan

 

 

 

 

[BANYAN]

What a great looking model, your client should be well pleased.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[allanyed]

Thanks Pat!

As much as I have enjoyed working on this model and have learned a LOT as there were a number of new things I have learned to do, I am anxious to finish and get going on finishing Ernestina for them.    Will try to post in my old log on the Effie M. Morrissey/Ernestina once I get going on it again in the next month or two.   More traditional old schooner and a heck of a lot more detailed information on rigging is available from Chappelle and others.

Allan

[allanyed]

At the welcomed suggestion of one of our top model builder members, I adjusted the flag to hang down more naturally.   I soaked it in situ with matte medium with a brush and hung a small clamp to pull it down until it dried.  The matte medium is water proof and dries perfectly clear.  I think the end result is more natural and looks better.  

Allan

 

[FriedClams]

Catching up on your schooner Allen and she's looking very nice indeed!  The rigging looks terrific.  I too have never had much luck with stainless cable when applied to smaller scales, because so much force is required to keep them tensioned on a model that moves around with humidity.  As others have stated, you are moving fast, but the workmanship has not suffered in the least because of it.  Beautiful work.

 

Gary

 

  

[allanyed]

Thanks Gary, very much appreciated!   Not so much working fast as just being lucky to have a lot of hours available.  I do stay out of the work shop  after   4:30 or so.     I found that happy hour in these retirement communities starts a lot earlier than in our past neighborhoods and a martini and power tools, scalpels, and chisels, do not work well together.  

Allan

[allanyed]

For those who have studied David Antscherl's booklet on making sails, much of what follows will be familiar.  There are some differences though.

 

I started with making two frames and matching plugs,  one for the larger sails and one for the smaller sails.   When starting I found that due to the large sizes of four of the sails it was easier to lay out the silkspan on the board while dry and cutting to match the outside dimensions of the frame, less about an inch all around.   Once this was done I wetted the silkspan with water in a spray bottle while it laid on the board and frame and then applied tape starting with the short leg on one end.  Once taped on the first side the silk span can be gently pulled to remove major wrinkles.  One of the long sides was then tapped and again, major wrinkles pulled out.   The last two sides were then taped down.   When I went to the local Michael's store, lacking a true artist store nearby,  to pick up the materials I would be needing I found they had no gummed brown paper tape so I used painter's masking tape to tape down the wetted silkspan.  I had absolutely no problems with the tape as it adhered to the wetted material very well.  

I removed the plug once the silkspan was wetted down and laid it on a couple blocks so the sagging material did not touch the floor.   Once dry the frame was laid back on the plug.  This is not necessary, but having the plug gave me assurance that I would not tear the material by mistake.   Just be sure to remove the frame and span as soon as it is painted so it does not stick to the plug. The sails on this vessel are to be white rather than a canvas color so for the paint I used tubed artists' titanium white acrylic paint, not unbleached white.   I diluted the paint with water to create a soupy mix and painted the silkspan with the first coat using a foam roller.  Smaller setups can be coated using a wide brush.    The plug was again removed and the frame set aside to dry.  Once dry the frame can go back on the plug or left off and a second coat of paint thinned to the same viscosity as the first coat was applied. 

Note that as careful as I thought I was, there were still some wrinkles at one corner.   It turned out to have no affect at all in the finished sails. Once the second coat was dry I reinserted the plug and drew the sails.   I have seen a video where the sail was painted with a single coat of paint straight from the tube without being thinned so this may be an alternative method for me to try on the next project.

 

 The next step was to apply the sail panel seams.  The size of the sails precluded the use of a bow pen as it would run out of paint before the long seams could be completely drawn.  Reloading the bow pen and starting where the line ended does not make for a clean line so I was at a loss on how to make the seams.   After seeing a video on sail making with silkspan I tried cutting strips of silkspan to about 2" width (0.08") but the long pieces were misery to handle and apply to the sail.  It worked  well on the small sails and matte medium works beautifully in "gluing" the seam down and is totally clear when dry.   I found Liquitex brand paint markers with a 2mm wide tip and thought to give this a try.  The tip can be cut smaller before being primed  if the lines are to be smaller than 2mm.  I bought several colors that might be a good match.  They do offer an unbleached titanium which I think would work very well on old  canvas sails, but was far too dark for these sails.   I wound up using their "parchment" shade and even this was a little too dark.  It was the closest I could find so I tried a few practice strokes then coated the lines with a thinned mixture of the titanium white I used on the sails.  It leaves the lines visible but more subtle.   The three lines on the left are straight from the pen, the four on the right are after receiving the thinned top coat of titanium white.   The thinned paint was about 2 parts paint to 1 part water so less viscous than the original coats.  The second photo below shows the seams on the foresail and staysail before the top coat was applied.

The reinforcing pieces can be cut and applied using matte medium as an adhesive at this point, but I was worried that the sails might need some trimming for a proper fit on the boat.  I doubt this would be a problem for square sails, but for large triangular and trapezoid shaped sails, I found it easier to cut the sail a bit over sized at this point.   Fresh scalpel blades are a must when cutting this material, a good reason to use these instead of Xacto and other similar knives.  The blades are far cheaper when bought in 100 piece packs and are as sharp if not sharper.  

 

The sail was then placed on the boat to make sure the size was correct, and then the reinforcing pieces were applied.  Next up was the bolt rope.  I used tiny dots of carpenter's glue, then once cured, coated the entire rope with matte medium.  I had difficulty using only matte medium without gluing the ropes in place first, but others may find it better to forgo the pre-gluing and just use the matte medium.   When applying the bolt rope the sail was laid on a flat surface, the sail  pulled tight in all directions, and held in position with some small weights to keep it tight during this process as it was no longer on the frame.  If done on the frame, the sail will already still be tight.

 

I tried making grommets with a small brush as described in the sail making booklet but had trouble making these consistently round and all the same size.  I then made a small brass applicator of the diameter that I needed and dotted the grommets with this.  The grommet material was the same titanium white used up to this point,  but  darkened with burnt umber to match the color of the running rigging line.  

Once dry I trimmed the sail material where it overhung the bolt rope.  

 

Next up were the reef points.   Each one was threaded through the sail at the appropriate position and knotted on one side.  Each laid down in different positions and would not hang down which I believe is a normal occurrence.   First some matte medium was applied at the hole and left to dry. Once dry I placed some weight on each one, in this case using small clamps.  Each point was then coated with matte medium and let dry before cutting to the proper length.  

 

Next up will be rigging the sails in place.  

Allan

Edited December 4, 2020 by allanyed

[KeithAug]

Very interesting Allan. Do you worry about the fragility of the silkspan during construction or is it reasonably robust?

[wefalck]

Actually, the silkspan sails are quite tough. I have used the technique since the late 1970s (in 1980 an article I wrote was published in a German shipmodelling magazine: http://www.maritima-et-mechanika.org/maritime/tips/FALCK-SM-5-80.pdf, see Figure 8 - 10 on the second page). As new materials became available, I switched from casein paints to acrylics. Depending on how much I wanted to have the structure of the silkspan visible, I choose the dilution of the paint.

 

For the grommets I used paint thickened in addition with acrylic gel to give it more 'body'. For metal grommets I just made dots with a soft pencil to simulate the zinc-plated steel.

 

This booklet of David Antscherl, were was it published or is it available as an electronic document ?

Edited December 4, 2020 by wefalck

[allanyed]

Keith,

The silkspan is a pain in the neck to handle compared to cloth because it is a bit fragile when wet and unpainted.  But, it is far closer to scale than any cloth material I have   used and with the acrylic coating is pretty robust and will last as long as cloth sails.   There is no way to sew cloth and have it appear to be at scale for the scales most of use so I trust what Eberhard said as well as David Antscherl and his wealth of experience in many art media.   

 

Keep in mind there are three thicknesses of silkspan, but I have not seen anyone offering all three in recent years.   I remember using silk cloth and dope 40 years ago for model airplanes and it was extremely strong.  Other than the smell of the dope, I wonder if there are any other disadvantages to using silk as opposed to silkspan, if it can be conveniently found. 

Eberhard, the booklet is available from SeaWatch Books for $7 plus shipping.  I believe shipping to France is charged at $13.  Thanks for the tips on thickening the paint with gel for the grommets.

 

Allan

[wefalck]

I have not used or touched this, as I still have a life-time supply of silk-span that I bought in about 1978, but silk-screen for screen-printing might be another source of very fine silk.

[allanyed]

Eberhard, that is an interesting idea.  I just checked on silkscreen material and this may be a good thing to test if no one out there has already tried.  So far I found thread count from 83 TPI to 305 TPI and thickness from 34 to 100 micron. (0.083 to 0.1 mm if my math is correct)   I think it a bit strange that they mix imperial and metric when describing the measurements.   I just spent 20 minutes I will  never get back looking for the thickness of 30 ounce duck canvas which I believe is close the thickness of sail cloth.   Hopefully a member will know the thickness of old sail cloth so the silkscreen material can be compared regarding closeness to scale.

Allan

[KeithAug]

1 hour ago, allanyed said:

 I remember using silk cloth and dope 40 years ago for model airplanes

Allan, so did I. I remember converting to silk after the frustration of tissue which seemed to puncture on every landing. I’m assuming silkspan lies somewhere between the two in terms of robustness. 
 

 

[wefalck]

Same problem as for rope, thickness is not easy to define and measure the thickness of fabric. That's why the gauge is usually given in weight (grams or ounces) per area (square metre or yard, depending on where you are). One can make a rough estimate for threads, knowing the density (g/cm^3) of the material and the number of metres per g (given e.g. by the dernier number). Similarly, one can make an estimation of fabric thickness based on the weight per area and the thread-count and a bit of math, assuming that the threads in the fabric are perfect 'rods'.

 

I looked at the silk-screen on ebay a while ago, hoping to find something thinner but more densly woven than my 14 g/m^2 silk-span and more tear-resistant than my silk-paper. I did study some art history at university for the fun of it and also collected a few books on art materials and techniques (before the age of Internet), so I am quite familiar with the variety of them. Useful knowledge for modelling.

Edited December 4, 2020 by wefalck

[druxey]

SilkSpan actually has pretty good wet strength, much, much greater than tissue!

[wefalck]

That's why I was looking towards fabric ...