Glory of the Seas 1869 by rwiederrich - FINISHED - 1/96 - medium clipper

[rwiederrich]

Spent just a short time carving the mizzenmast fife rail and adding pins.  
 

Rob

[ClipperFan]

Rob, as the popular saying goes "it's the devil in the details". Having said that, I absolutely love your detail work. Nicely done on Glory's fiferail.

[rwiederrich]

3 hours ago, ClipperFan said:

Rob, as the popular saying goes "it's the devil in the details". Having said that, I absolutely love your detail work. Nicely done on Glory's fiferail.

I had to work that over a couple of times to get it right.  It's so small and I had to do the work after the fife was already mounted.  It took some doing to hold the mast and rotate it to cut in the sharp bottom edges to permit the rail to be thin enough to allow the pins to fit and extend beyond the bottom to secure rigging. The wood is quite thin and carving it after it was secure proved to be the wiser choice...since it kept crumbling apart when it was in my hands being carved, while unmounted.  You can compare the first images I took to these final images.

 

I was reviewing the procedure I used on Great Republic to prep for the next phase of additions.  I'm, going to move to the foremast and begin adding eyebolts and blocks.  I'll do that before I add the top and royal shrouds.  It just makes sense to keep things clear to have room. 

 

Rob

Edited January 28, 2022 by rwiederrich

[Vladimir_Wairoa]

10 hours ago, rwiederrich said:

Spent just a short time carving the mizzenmast fife rail and adding pins.  
 

Rob

Lovely work Rob.

[ClipperFan]

1 hour ago, rwiederrich said:

I had to work that over a couple of times to get it right.  It's so small and I had to do the work after the fife was already mounted.  It took some doing to hold the mast and rotate it to cut in the sharp bottom edges to permit the rail to be thin enough to allow the pins to fit and extend beyond the bottom to secure rigging. The wood is quite thin and carving it after it was secure proved to be the wiser choice...since it kept crumbling apart when it was in my hands being carved, while unmounted.  You can compare the first images I took to these final images.

 

I was reviewing the procedure I used on Great Republic to prep for the next phase of additions.  I'm, going to move to the foremast and begin adding eyebolts and blocks.  I'll do that before I add the top and royal shrouds.  It just makes sense to keep things clear to have room. 

 

Rob

Rob, thanks for sharing all these scratch build construction procedures. I'm so used to having all pre built, plastic pieces ready to assemble (even with their gross inaccuracies) that to consider scratch building in wood no less is sheer intimidation. But you never know. Seeing your and Vlad's progress is just so inspiring, you never can tell for sure if someday I might not be tempted too.....

[rwiederrich]

1 hour ago, Vladimir_Wairoa said:

Lovely work Rob.

Thanks Vlad...I appreciate that.

 

Rob

[rwiederrich]

1 hour ago, ClipperFan said:

Rob, thanks for sharing all these scratch build construction procedures. I'm so used to having all pre built, plastic pieces ready to assemble (even with their gross inaccuracies) that to consider scratch building in wood no less is sheer intimidation. But you never know. Seeing your and Vlad's progress is just so inspiring, you never can tell for sure if someday I might not be tempted too.....

Wood is actually the easiest to scratch build with.....and metal and plastic comes in second.

 

I'll have to scratch build for each yard the sheet blocks and the gin blocks.

 

I like to use pre-engineered stuff...it makes the task that much easier.  I use the metal office folder tabs as the basis for my sheet blocks.

 

I cut out a section....fold it over on itself(this forms a natural pocket).  I then use a separating disc and cut it to the desired shape.  Drill a hole for the mounting pin...paint and there you go.  A nicely fabricated replica of a sheet block.  All about 1/8" wide.  I'll need 12 of these little boogers.

 

 

 

First...cut it...then fold it  ..shape it and finished product...mounted.

 

Rob

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by rwiederrich

[Kevin-the-lubber]

3 hours ago, rwiederrich said:

Wood is actually the easiest to scratch build with.....and metal and plastic comes in second

I'm always hugely impressed by you craftspeople who do this by hand, I certainly couldn't and I suspect that, well done, it gives a better end result than other methods. But, I'm not so sure that statement is true any more, with 3D printing becoming so popular. Small example below, which is at 1/96; this took me around 20 minutes on the computer. It probably takes about an hour to print, but I can print a whole load of other things simultaneously; and if I get it a little wrong or just don't like it, I can tweak the design or re-print in a few minutes. Is it as rewarding, satisfying? I don't really know as I haven't yet built a wood model, let alone a scratch build ship. I suspect not.

(The strange top bit is the printing support, like a sprue, left on while painting)

 

I absolutely love this model, by the way. Elegant, statuesque are words that spring to mind. When I read that you'd previously used the revell cutty sark as a base for an earlier one, for a nanosecond I thought oooh, as I'm still early enough in mine of the same to look at that, but quickly reined that daft thought in.  So I'll just pull up a chair, join the audience and enjoy reading the remaining 79 pages.

[rwiederrich]

Kevin…….I appreciate your fine comments.  
Im a scratch builder and I haven’t done any 3D printing. I have friends who do and it’s amazing.   You can create via a computer almost any 3D object.  Make your own parts.  That is pretty cool.  I make my own parts, but from Lots of previously engineered things.  I love creating from what’s around me.  
 

Again……thanks for the likes and fine compliments.  
 

Rob

[Kevin-the-lubber]

For the likes of me, who lack the patience, skills and confidence to do what you do, 3D is a godsend. But I can tell you with absolute certainty that I got far more pleasure and satisfaction when I used to make bigger things, like garden furniture, cabinets etc, the traditional way, especially if it involved a bit of creative recycling. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the 3D side at all, far from it, but it’s not the same.

[rwiederrich]

10 hours ago, Kevin-the-lubber said:

For the likes of me, who lack the patience, skills and confidence to do what you do, 3D is a godsend. But I can tell you with absolute certainty that I got far more pleasure and satisfaction when I used to make bigger things, like garden furniture, cabinets etc, the traditional way, especially if it involved a bit of creative recycling. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the 3D side at all, far from it, but it’s not the same.

Indeed.  Creating something from total scratch or modifying something from some  totally different other thing is a testament to  a strong mental prowess….. a fruitful imagination and ingenuity.  
 

3D printing like Astro photography lend heavily to good computer skills and adeptness to combining software to hardware for good results.   I praise masters of both……..I’m old school….a simple man. 
 

Thanks again 

 

Rob

[Kevin-the-lubber]

That's the thing. Give me a drawing, even a bad one, and I can see the end object. Give me a piece of wood and I see... a log for the fire? Astro photography... been wondering whether to go in that direction. The eyes alone just aren't good enough now, even with one each of a fairly decent 6" refractor and 6" reflector. Though I don't like the cold that much anymore, nor staying awake until the small hours. Hence modelling 🙂

 

[rwiederrich]

3 hours ago, Kevin-the-lubber said:

That's the thing. Give me a drawing, even a bad one, and I can see the end object. Give me a piece of wood and I see... a log for the fire? Astro photography... been wondering whether to go in that direction. The eyes alone just aren't good enough now, even with one each of a fairly decent 6" refractor and 6" reflector. Though I don't like the cold that much anymore, nor staying awake until the small hours. Hence modelling 🙂

 

I’ve built a 6”f/15 refractor and a10”f/15 refractor.  And in my younger days, staying out all night and enduring the cold was a passion.   Now…..not so much.  My 7” Mac is much easier to set up and put away.  Less time freezing by myself.   Long after everyone has hit the hay.  
 

Rob

[rwiederrich]

I made the eye bolts and the blocks and hung all 18 head bunt line blocks under their prospective tops. 
 

The pics are of the mizzenmast and main masts. 
 

Rob

[TBlack]

On 1/28/2022 at 11:44 AM, rwiederrich said:

 I use the metal office folder tabs as the basis for my sheet blocks.

Rob,

I'm sure a good idea, but I'm lost on your reference to office folder tabs. Illustrate?

Tom

[rwiederrich]

On 1/29/2022 at 6:08 PM, TBlack said:

Rob,

I'm sure a good idea, but I'm lost on your reference to office folder tabs. Illustrate?

Tom

I’m so sorry for not originally posting any images.  
 

Here are some to show my process. 
 

I take a metal folder tab,  cut it….bend it, then cut to shape and drill and add securing pin.  
paint black and run the chain sheets through.  

 

This model is the Great Republic.
 

Rob

Edited February 2, 2022 by rwiederrich

[rwiederrich]

I was doing some general measurement checking and Glory’s  fore and main lower yards were 91ft long. 
 

That is roughly half the the distance the main yards are from the deck.   In other words, the yards are twice as long as is the yards are from the deck to their location on the mast. 
 

91 ft is enormous and is quite long.  It almost seams too long, until I measured the main mast lower yard from an image of Glory floating as a canary in Alaska.   Sure enough the mast measures up.  
 

Her yards were enormous.

Im just gathering the information currently. 
 

Rob

[Vladimir_Wairoa]

Lovely stuff Rob. you moved along wow. Yes, Lower yard took my breath away. Photo probably wont show the effect in entirety. 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Vladimir_Wairoa
Add

[rwiederrich]

3 hours ago, Vladimir_Wairoa said:

Lovely stuff Rob. you moved along wow. Yes, Lower yard took my breath away. Photo probably wont show the effect in entirety. 

Thanks Vlad...Things are slow now...because I'm making lots of eyebolts and blocks with  eyebolts mounted to them.  I have so many combinations of single, double and triple blocks that need eyebolts mounted to them.  Each mast will be fully blocked prior to rigging the shrouds.

 

I spent quite a bit of time calculating the lengths of each yard for each mast and then gathering the materials to create them.

Lot of study and behind the curtain work.

 

Rob

Edited February 2, 2022 by rwiederrich

[Vladimir_Wairoa]

21 minutes ago, rwiederrich said:

Thanks Vlad...Things are slow now...because I'm making lots of eyebolts and blocks with  eyebolts mounted to them.  I have so many combinations of single, double and triple blocks that need eyebolts mounted to them.  Each mast will be fully blocked prior to rigging the shrouds.

 

I spent quite a bit of time calculating the lengths of each yard for each mast and then gathering the materials to create them.

Lot of study and behind the curtail work.

 

Rob

I think i Will follow your process. So you glue firm each mast Up,hang yards block her Up  so you have spcee for IT and after your start  rigging? I see shrouds already there. 

[Bill Morrison]

Rob,

 

You are doing outstanding work.  I am amazed!

 

Bill

 

[rwiederrich]

2 hours ago, Vladimir_Wairoa said:

I think i Will follow your process. So you glue firm each mast Up,hang yards block her Up  so you have spcee for IT and after your start  rigging? I see shrouds already there. 

Like my process when I built the Great Republic(The previous images), I will first add the shrouds..then add each yard and then rig it to the mast.

Each yard will be rigged with its furled sail, foot ropes, flemish horses....prior to being added to the mast.   Once each mast is complete with its finished yards...the entire mast/yard assembly, will then be glued into the hull.  Then I will finish up rigging the sheets, buntlines and lifts at the fife/pinrails.

 

Its a process that is made up of several other minor processes.

 

Rob

[Kevin-the-lubber]

On 1/30/2022 at 6:39 AM, rwiederrich said:

I take a metal folder tab

That's mighty impressive metalwork to do by hand, and this is coming from a former precision metalworker. If I saw that in the flesh I would believe it to have been bought, and expensively so.

 

I'm still struggling to figure out what a metal folder tab is though. I can't think of anything from a filing cabinet etc that fits the bill.

[rwiederrich]

2 hours ago, Bill Morrison said:

Rob,

 

You are doing outstanding work.  I am amazed!

 

Bill

 

I appreciate your fine comments Bill.  I try to put my best foot forward.  I also hope to have some more updates soon.

 

I'm not as fast as I used to be....only due to the fact my time is generally required elsewhere.

 

Rob

[rwiederrich]

3 minutes ago, Kevin-the-lubber said:

That's mighty impressive metalwork to do by hand, and this is coming from a former precision metalworker. If I saw that in the flesh I would believe it to have been bought, and expensively so.

 

I'm still struggling to figure out what a metal folder tab is though. I can't think of anything from a filing cabinet etc that fits the bill.

Just think of the metal tabs that are found in Medical type records...that you press open and closed after you slide a new hole punched paper onto it.

 

These metal tabs have a raised ribbed body...that I cut and fold over onto itself...forming the internal portion of the sheet block.  It's just using the preformed metal and forming it into what I need.  Cutting (forming the shape of the block) and drilling is the artsy part.  Tiny, but artsy.

 

I could have come up with several other ways to make these sheet blocks...but I had to do it easily and repetitively.  Cheaply...that comes to mind as well.

 

Rob

[KeithAug]

On 1/30/2022 at 6:39 AM, rwiederrich said:

I take a metal folder tab,  cut it….bend it, then cut to shape and drill and add securing pin.  
paint black and run the chain sheets through.  

 

Very nicely done Rob - I must remember that.

[ClipperFan]

On 2/1/2022 at 5:20 PM, rwiederrich said:

I was doing some general measurement checking and Glory’s  fore and main lower yards were 91ft long. 
 

That is roughly half the the distance the main yards are from the deck.   In other words, the yards are twice as long as is the yards are from the deck to their location on the mast. 
 

91 ft is enormous and is quite long.  It almost seams too long, until I measured the main mast lower yard from an image of Glory floating as a canary in Alaska.   Sure enough the mast measures up.  
 

Her yards were enormous.

Im just gathering the information currently. 
 

Rob

Rob, Glory's main yardarm looks larger in this image due to the fact that it's the sole remaining spar. When she was fully rigged, these massive spars actually look smaller in proportion to each other. A hallmark of McKay's wonderful Clippers were his aggressive yardarm specifications. 

[ClipperFan]

6 hours ago, KeithAug said:

 

Very nicely done Rob - I must remember that.

Rob, I sort of followed your description but these process images are much more illustrative. I admire your creative inventiveness. The finished product is amazing in its authentic fealty to the real thing.

[TBlack]

7 hours ago, rwiederrich said:

Just think of the metal tabs that are found in Medical type records...that you press open and closed after you slide a new hole punched paper onto it.

Rob,

So, as I understand it, you're trying to figure out how to make the metal fittings that fairlead the chains, and to quote you:

" Creating something from total scratch or modifying something from some  totally different other thing is a testament to  a strong mental prowess….. a fruitful imagination and ingenuity. "

I guess you've got it all! Thanks for the journey.

Tom 
 

 

[Kevin-the-lubber]

12 hours ago, rwiederrich said:

Just think of the metal tabs that are found in Medical type records

Now I know what you mean. Nicely spotted.