Atlantic by closehaul - FINISHED - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - 1:96 Scale

[gsdpic]

On 1/25/2021 at 4:36 PM, closehaul said:

Another question is the disposition of the anchor on deck. I've assembled it with the crossmember in place. I noticed on gsdpic's build log of America the crossmembers are unjointed from the anchor and laying flat with it. Have I erred again? lol.

 

 

Haha, please don't assume that I know what I am doing

 

For the America, the deck plan depicted the anchor with the stock in that position.  It is connected to the anchor, just slid to the end with the 90 degree bend so that it lays flat.

 

Well done with the model, all the deck furniture looks really good.

[closehaul]

On 1/27/2021 at 8:17 PM, gsdpic said:

 

Haha, please don't assume that I know what I am doing

 

For the America, the deck plan depicted the anchor with the stock in that position.  It is connected to the anchor, just slid to the end with the 90 degree bend so that it lays flat.

 

Well done with the model, all the deck furniture looks really good.

Thank you gsdpic, but if it wasn't for your build log I wouldn't have caught it. By the way, I'm considering a plank and frame hull on my next build but on a lesser skill level as it would be an entry level kit to get the feel off it. Your build of America impressed me with all the lattice work of ribs, beams, planks and decking involved in its assembly. It will be a model to cherish for years to come.

[closehaul]

Well this is the part of the build I eat crow. A couple posts back I stated there were no mentions, depictions or photos of the anchor's crossmember. As the printer was dispensing my copy of the ship's boats details, there on the right was the anchor and crossmember with instructions to lay them both flat on the deck. My apologies to Bluejacket Shipcrafters for implying a lack of information on the sail plan of Atlantic because of my oversight.

[closehaul]

The past few days the bowsprit been tapered, primed and fitted to the stem temporarily. The masting techniques posted in the modeling section present a multitude of methods for fashioning masts, booms etc. The vise mounted drill worked out very well for tapering  the bowsprit and was handed sanded with 400 grit paper for priming. One other item I noticed on the sail plan is a shackle for the anchor. After several failed attempts at it the latest one is working out so far. The ships' boat hulls are currently a work in progress with body putty applied and fine sanded with 400 grit paper then 0000 steel wool, primed and first paint coat brushed on.

 

Edited January 30, 2021 by closehaul

[MrBlueJacket]

That's looking very good!

[closehaul]

3 hours ago, MrBlueJacket said:

That's looking very good!

Thank you Nic, I never knew body putty could be this effective on such a small scale. A one to one paint to thinner mix works well on them too.

[closehaul]

The elongated scratch built anchor shackle was successful and its chain and crossbar installed on deck along with chain sections for the anchor winch. The square yards have been completed and stowed on deck as they were during the 1905 Kaiser's Cup race across the Atlantic. For turning the 3 masts I fashioned a tailstock using a 5mm ID roller bearing. The 3/16 in. dowel fit snuggly into it to get the required tapering for fitting the hounds and mast caps. The tapered sections of the mast are then hand sanded to insure a proper fit.

[closehaul]

The top photo is the spreaders glued with CA to the hounds and have yet to be sanded to the final shape. In the middle photo are the completed ships' boats and behind them the spreaders sanded to their final shape. The bottom photo is my forest of masts, booms and gaffs all sanded to shape, primed and painted with the first coat of depot buff enamel.

[closehaul]

The spreaders have been sanded to shape, primed and painted while the hounds have been reamed to fit the mast per sail plan. To ready about for rigging , all blocks and turnbuckles have been drilled, filled smooth and painted per instruction booklet. The bottom photo is of the gold trucks at the masthead. An 1/8" dia. hole punch cut the round out of the unused 3/64" thick basswood that was supplied in the kit for the transom bulkhead which I chose to carve out instead. Once the trucks are finished and drilled, the taped over mast caps will be gently slid down the topmast to the designated position per sail plan and glued in place.

 

 

 

 

[closehaul]

The guys and dolphin striker have been cut from 3/64" dia. brass rod, set, glued, painted and will be rigged later after the masts are stepped. The second and third photo are the top fore and main backstay bridles fashioned from 26 gauge brass wire and also painted flat black. The trucks on the  3 topmasts are finished with gold paint in the 4th photo. Atlantic requires 8 single blocks and hooks for its ship boats davit rigging and 3 double blocks and hooks for each mast throat halyard tackle in which the blocks were drilled out to glue the hooks in that were also fashioned from the kits' 26 gauge wire and then painted brown on the blocks and black for the hooks. I have to apologize for the incompleted paint and finishing on some of these parts. Some have only an initial coat of paint while others require further smoothing of surfaces or redrilling the blocks' sheaves clean. When the rigging begins the photos will show the final finish on all parts.

Edited March 1, 2021 by closehaul

[closehaul]

Halliard and downhaul blocks have been affixed to the bowsprit using 26 gauge brass wire. Eyes, blocks and pendants have been affixed to all masts  and readied to be stepped. I finally broke down and bought a modeling toolbox to facilitate organization for this and future builds.

[closehaul]

Added the short pendants and single blocks for the topping lifts: port and starboard on each mast. These macro shots creep me out. The model looks quite fine to me with the naked eye and others who think its amazing.

Edited March 8, 2021 by closehaul

[BobG]

The close up shots always alarmed me as well because it shows everything little thing in such detail including specks of dust but, as you pointed out, the model looks great from a normal viewing distance. 

[closehaul]

The instruction booklet allows for the boom goosenecks and gaff jaws assembly using copper foil strips to simulate them as close as possible to the actual sail plan that shows them twice the size of the models' actual scale. It also recommends using pins to secure all booms and gaffs to the masts to substitute for the actual hinges portrayed on the plan (top three photos). I had to satisfy my curiosity to see that all spars were clearing the mast regardless of them being cut, shaped  and set according to the sail plan. The bottom photo is of all spars completely fitted with blocks, bridles, pendants and stirrups minus the halliard blocks and their bridles for the gaffs soon to be affixed.

Edited March 16, 2021 by closehaul

[BobG]

Looks great!

[closehaul]

While fastening block pendants to the gaffs I've come up short 8 of the 3/16" single blocks (they pulled a Houdini on me).  All 40 blocks in the kit had been correctly inventoried upon opening its packet, so while waiting for replacements I started serving the backstay block pendants and seizing the forestay rigging needed to step the foremast. The fourth photo down is the pendant line ending that was frayed then glued form a loop with 50/50 Elmers glue to water mix. Then the thinner serving line is wound around, tied off with a square knot and one last coat of white glue mix is lightly brushed on. The latest addition to the tool chest is the articulated clips and magnifier ( I welcome any correction of what it is actually called). It was helpful for making fast the gaff pendant blocks but was unmanageable for serving and seizing the standing rigging. Two pegs in a board worked fine after half a dozen attempts to get the hang of it. 

[closehaul]

On 3/16/2021 at 11:06 PM, BobG said:

Looks great!

Thanks Bob. Overall it is but as you can see on the hull port side, there is a touch of flat black that I overlooked that needs a little buffing. the photos reveal my oversights thankfully.

                  Ange.

[daschc01]

I am curious as to what is your preferred thread or product for serving lines. I did one model *my first with cotton sewing thread and was wondering if you or anyone else had a good recommendation.  I will be starting this Atlantic model soon so I am following this build with interest. Great job and thanks for posting.

 

Chris

[closehaul]

On 3/21/2021 at 8:27 PM, daschc01 said:

I am curious as to what is your preferred thread or product for serving lines. I did one model *my first with cotton sewing thread and was wondering if you or anyone else had a good recommendation.  I will be starting this Atlantic model soon so I am following this build with interest. Great job and thanks for posting.

 

Chris

Thank you for inquiring Chris. The black line for serving actually was from the Admiral's sewing kit. Its 37% cotton 63% polyester. It is visibly much thinner than the rigging line supplied with the kit but I'm unable to decipher the spool label to determine its gauge. If any one reading this reply can augment the details on the label it would be most welcomed.

       Ange 

[closehaul]

The blocks arrived this past week and were served onto the backstay runner pendants, then reeved with the running rigging lines through double becket blocks port and starboard. The foremast has been fitted into its hole in the deck. As more lines are being served throughout the rigging, I'm trying to figure out a rule of thumb as to which lines are actually served and which ones can be knotted . I've been using bowlines for fastening the gaff block pendants as shown back in post #76 but I'm thinking off severing these knots and serving the pendants to the gaff eyes instead. The instruction booklet understandably does not delve into it. I prefer severed eyes instead of knots for appearances alone even if it takes longer to finish Atlantic. So it looks like I'm in for the long haul. 

[closehaul]

Making progress with the foremast. Backstays and running tackle has been reeved and belayed on deck cleats (top photo). Both the double and single forestays have been made fast by belaying them under the bow grate ( 2nd photo). And the forward most shrouds are made taut and served to their turnbuckles which are wired to the chainplates. (3rd photo). With the foremast now stepped, minus  the remaining 5 pairs of shrouds yet to be rigged, I've been profiling the mast rake ( about 1.5 degrees abaft ) against the sail plan throughout the masting process. 

 

Edited April 4, 2021 by closehaul

[closehaul]

With 5 of the 6 pairs of shrouds completed the next step is to tie in the ratlines to them. Spaced 3/16" apart they should factor out to 106 ratlines for the entire foremast when completed. 

Edited April 11, 2021 by closehaul
ratlines correction

[closehaul]

The ratlines have all been made fast to the foremast shrouds and the final pair of shrouds have been rigged to the spreaders ends, up and around the top of the masthead along with a pair of jumper shrouds from the mast cap out to the ends of the spreaders. Shear poles  have been fastened to the top ends of the turnbuckles with CA glue and have been painted along with the chainplates and wire rods connecting them. This completes the standing rigging for the foremast. The main and mizzen mast are to be rigged in a similar fashion minus the jib and forestays naturally.

[closehaul]

The ratlines are at their half way point of completion so I thought of augmenting this basic build log with a few details about the methods and materials used for the standing rigging. The first photo is the rigging of the top spring stays belayed between the fore and main mast. I know somewhere on the site there are detailed instructions on serving all different rigging situations and I have found some to be helpful but in some things like these spring stays I improvised. In the top photo note the alligator clip hanging off the serving thread (at bottom of photo with green tape covering jaws). It puts tension on it to eliminate the birds nest that resulted each time I tried to tie it off. At this point white glue mix is used to bind the top spring stay serving abaft the foremast and will easily then be tied off when it drys. The second photo is of the finished spring stays. The third photo is of the temporary backstay running rigging (tan colored line) that provides tension to the masts so they can be loosened to make working room when Atlantic's entire running rigging is later reeved and belayed. The permanent backstay running rigging itself will then be reeved and belayed when the standing rigging on all three masts is completed. The bottom photo are the three types of line to be rigged on Atlantic. The left spool is  100% cotton .025 dia. black thread. It is basically used for the shrouds. The middle spool is 100% polyester GutermannE121 tan thread, .020 dia. which is not supplied in the kit. It was ordered from a modeling craft supplier to substitute for the white line provided in the kit. I switched to this line because of my unsatisfactory results from staining the line tan (it came out with a reddish tint). It is used for all running tackle, downhauls, halliards and sheets. The 3rd spool from the left is 100% cotton .020 dia. black thread. It is used for stays, pendants and ratlines. All line types are 3-strand right handed rope. Lord willing, and if the Creek don't rise, all Atlantic's ratlines should be completed in my next post by Memorial Day.

Edited May 3, 2021 by closehaul

[daschc01]

Great work. I am starting on the same model soon I hope. May I inquire what paint color you used for the antifoul bottom paint. Thanks so much.

 

Chris

[closehaul]

On 5/4/2021 at 10:58 PM, daschc01 said:

Great work. I am starting on the same model soon I hope. May I inquire what paint color you used for the antifoul bottom paint. Thanks so much.

 

Chris

Thank you for the compliment Chris.  The paints used throughout the build are True North Precision Enamels. The bottom paint is USN Norfolk 65-A, Anti-Foul Red. The bottom paint was part of the Bluejacket paint kit ordered with the model kit.

             

   Ange

Edited May 11, 2021 by closehaul

[Chuck]

Nice work and progress on the model.  Its really coming together.

[closehaul]

On 5/6/2021 at 6:08 PM, Chuck said:

• Nice work and progress on the model.  Its really coming together.

 

On 5/6/2021 at 6:08 PM, Chuck said:

Nice work and progress on the model.  Its really coming together.

Thank you Chuck; Its been both exciting and challenging to build this famous ship and having fun researching and learning the methodology of model ship builds. I'm looking forward to my next build - thinking a plank and bulkhead design - upon completion of Atlantic.

Edited May 11, 2021 by closehaul

[Chuck]

Very nice…looking forward to seeing that.

[closehaul]

Ratlines and all standing rigging arrays are completed on the lower masts (top photo), bowsprit (2nd from top) and topmasts (3rd from top).  The fourth photo is the spring stays transversing all 3 masts. The fifth photo down is of the running tackle for the starboard mizzen topmast preventer backstay, belayed to the cleat. the choice of using the tan polyester rigging line is one I'm very satisfied with. It reaves very smoothly through the blocks and doesn't need beeswax. The only downside is that it needs the most judicious amounts of CA glue to hold the line snug together at the block's eye then serve it with the small whipping line where it can then be adhered to with white glue. I've found this process is quicker than waiting for the cotton thread to dry completely so I'll continue it throughout the running rigging.