Emma C Berry by ahb26 - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1/32

[ahb26]

Slowly poking away at things over the last month, I've completed most of Stage 4 - Hull Details.  I'll cover progress in a couple of posts.

 

First up was chainplates and deadeyes.  On past models, I've used cast-metal chainplates; this was my first attempt at building them from scratch.

 

 

Drilling the brass was tough until I found a good drill in my collection.  It's broken with only about 3/8" of the fluted section remaining, but that actually reduces the bend and makes drilling easier.  Hope I don't lose it.

 

 

I would have preferred to solder the pin where it exits the wire loop, but couldn't devise a way to hold everything tight, not burn the deadeye, and not solder the wire to the chainplate.  So I used a short piece of aluminum tube, crimped to hold everything in place.

 

 

I also made up shackles for the topmast backstays.

 

 

All installed and painted.  (Oddly enough, the real Emma C. Berry at Mystic Seaport does not seem to have a separate plate for the topmast backstay - it simply connects down to the aftmost shroud chainplate.)

 

Next up was the rudder.  I previously shaped the rudder and glued it to its post.  I painted it but decided to skip the copper sheathing indicated for the rudder post and sternpost.

 

 

The brackets that wrap around the rudder post and attach to the sternpost required more drilling but were straightforward to install.

 

 

With the rudder in place and the hull mounted on its temporary base, I decided a long-overdue bench cleanup was in order.

 

 

But knowing me, it won't last.

[ahb26]

I had previously made up the stem plates but had not installed them.  I decided it would be best to attach fittings to them before installing, rather than trying to do it after the fact.  I only have one photo, showing the final state of things:

 

 

The bullseye on the upper plate is a hollowed out small deadeye - that will secure the jibstay.  (I made up two similar fittings for the bowsprit end of the bobstay, for future use.)  The bobstay chain is attached to the lower plate with a shackle.  This is not the chain that comes with the kit - it's a slightly larger link size (about 19 links/inch) that I had on hand.  Easier to work with.  I don't intend to parcel and serve the lower part of the bobstay.

 

Finally, after much delay, I came to grips with the windlass and its handles.  I made up the handles from brass tubing and toothpicks.

 

 

With the handle and pivot mechanism assembled, painted and attached to the bowsprit-pawl bitt, I glued it and the windlass bitts into place and ran thin black wire as links.

 

 

 

So this leaves me with a few little things to do on the hull: anchor, main sheet horse, and oh yes, I forgot the windlass pawl.  I'll get around to them eventually, but now it is on to spar construction.  The bowsprit is mostly done, but I think I will defer installing it until the other spars are also ready to go.

[gjdale]

Some great work there Andrew - looking sharp!

[Sea Hoss]

Looking really good Andrew, the details are impressive.

[ahb26]

Grant, Sea Hoss - thanks!

 

I tapered the short section of mast in my big old drill press.  I had to rearrange some things to get the mast into the correct position.

 

 

 

I squared and tapered the section above the round taper by sanding it in my small vise.

 

 

The finished product -

 

 

I need to shape the topmast as well before I start to build the bands.  But in reviewing the instructions, plans, and other builds, I came up with a couple of questions:

• The instructions say "After squaring the head, cut the tenon for the iron mast band."  There are three mast bands, but the only one for which I could cut a tenon is the upper band - thereby setting it slightly into the mast and giving it a shoulder to rest on.  The plans don't show such an arrangement, but the drawing in the instructions seems to suggest it.  Is this correct?
• Two thicknesses of brass strip are supplied: 1/64" (.016") and 1/32" (.032").  The plans call for strips .012" thick for some parts and .016" thick for others (including the mast bands). So far I've used the thinner strips for everything I've built, but it looks like I should use the thicker (1/32") material for the mast bands, even though it's twice as thick as what the plans call for...?

Any insight greatly appreciated!

[gjdale]

Can’t answer your question definitively Andrew, but is it possible that the plans have a misprint - is it possible that where they are calling for .012” it should read .032”?

[niwotwill]

Andrew something to think about is scale verses actual. Meaning .016 band equates to a 1/2" thick steel band. So that being said I think .032 is way too thick. For the sake of accuracy its only a 2 hour drive to Mystic and ask maintenance crew on Emma. Just a thought. Its looking fantastic.

[Sea Hoss]

I could see from the start of this model that the manual was vague and that the plans were sometimes wrong. I just opted to do what seemed "right" when confronted with a dilemma.

[ahb26]

On 9/25/2021 at 6:10 PM, niwotwill said:

Andrew something to think about is scale verses actual. Meaning .016 band equates to a 1/2" thick steel band. So that being said I think .032 is way too thick.

 

Good point.  There is a fair amount of mismatch between what is called for in the plans and the materials supplied in the kit.  I think this is an example - they felt the need to supply two thicknesses of brass, and these are the thicknesses they had.

 

In any case, I decided to stick with the 1/64" stock for almost everything.  I have made up the three mast bands as well as the single topmast band.  I wasn't looking forward to this but it went better than expected, for the most part.  We all find ways to hold things in position while soldering.  For the upper mast band, I made up a length of wood the same dimension as the top of the mast (didn't want to burn the real thing) and built the fitting on that.  Three sides of the square are bent from one piece of brass, and the fourth side soldered in place.  This is what I came up with:

 

 

The solder job was messy but effective:

 

 

After some filing, I added the ring to hold the topmast to the fitting and soldered it in.

 

 

It took a lot more filing to get to a reasonable shape.  The middle fitting was straightforward since I could simply bend up the square around the correct spot on the actual mast.  The bottom fitting was trickier, since I needed to add a flat-sided ring on one end and the spreader bracket and a rigging attachment point at the other.

 

 

Getting to the point shown here wasn't too bad, but it took me a good hour to get the lug soldered in since I kept messing up the bracket.

 

After all the work and clean-up, I ended up with these:

 

 

The topmast fits nicely:

 

 

It was good to get this done but there is so much more to do.  I've shaped the gaff and will carry on with getting all the spars ready to go.

[niwotwill]

Very nice Andrew a job well thought out and executed. The results are amazing. A fellow modeler, I know, uses resistance soldering with outstanding results without burning the wood. Seeing his work I bought a system but am still learning how to use it on such small parts as I've only used silver soldering and the flame immediately burns the wood holding substrate. Your work is amazing.

 

 

[ahb26]

12 hours ago, niwotwill said:

A fellow modeler, I know, uses resistance soldering with outstanding results without burning the wood. Seeing his work I bought a system but am still learning how to use it on such small parts as I've only used silver soldering and the flame immediately burns the wood holding substrate.

 

Thanks!  I am using lead-free solder with a small silver content, and a low-power soldering iron that is just adequate to heat the thin brass strip.  The solder is on the thick side (just over 1/16") and it would be easier to work with thinner solder - this stuff tends to form big blobs and it's not well suited for precise work.  My files are my best friends.

[ahb26]

I've reached the point where it is time to start fitting the spars to the hull, so an update is in order.  I worked on the boom and gaff first.  More metalwork was needed for the boom: the main sheet bail...

 

 

and topping lift iron.

 

 

I made up simple jigs to glue the gaff jaws and boom jaws - sheet scraps of the correct thickness with cutouts such that the jaws were aligned on the spar centerline, lined with wax paper.

 

 

These were also useful for aligning fittings on the spars and holding them steady when attaching the fittings.  The gaff gets a cheek block, cleats to secure the peak halliard lines, and a little cleat on the end for the peak lashing.

 

 

After further work and painting, the mast ends of the gaff and boom (which is upside down) ...

 

 

and the aft ends.

 

 

The next post will cover the mast.

 

[ahb26]

The metalwork for the mast was completed earlier, so I started by building the trestletree and bolsters - twice.

 

 

Version 1.0 is on the left and after further review of the plans, I concluded it was incorrect.  Version 2.0 is on the right.

 

For the mast hoops, I used a new blade and lots of patience to free them from the sheet and trim and sand the attachment points.  I left the laser char remain, since I was planning to stain them dark anyway.  Miracle of miracles, no breakage!

 

 

I made up the spreader and attached it to the mast and mast band with pins and liberal quantities of CA.  It took me a couple of tries to get it right.

 

 

 

It was hard to believe that I could drill through the mast cleats to insert pins, but harder to believe that the cleats would stay on the mast without pins.  It turned out to be relatively straightforward.  I drilled the cleats before attaching them to the mast, and drilled separate holes in the mast, which made it easy to position the cleats.

 

 

Finally, everything was painted or touched up and a few additional fittings added, such as the jib halliard eyebolt and sister hooks.

 

 

 

The unpainted parts of the mast were finished in two coats of Minwax PolyShades Classic Oak Satin, scuffed with fine steel wool after each coat.  The result is possibly the finest finish I've ever applied to a piece of wood, better suited to a piece of fine furniture than to a rough-and-ready fishing vessel.  The mast dowel seems to be some sort of hardwood, perhaps a fine-grained oak.

[mek]

Hello Andrew,

Very good work!

Michael

[ahb26]

I've made some progress on the standing rigging.  Previously, I've struggled with creating proper attachments of line to spars, eyes, blocks, deadeyes etc. so I wanted to make that a point of emphasis on this build.  The instructions stress seizing lines rather than using knots ("knots are for shoelaces") so a-seizing I will go.  However, I decided to forego serving the lines this time.

 

I started by placing the shrouds and jib stay around the masthead.

 

 

The jib stay should be spliced, but I just seized it.  The supplied line is nylon; white glue won't touch it, so the seizings are secured with CA.

 

I wanted to work on the deadeyes on the bench, rather than dangling in mid-air as I have in the past - much less frustration that way.  I used a simple gauge to measure up to where the top of each deadeye should be on the shroud, and marked it with a tape flag.

 

 

The plans show the shroud being crossed over itself at the top of the deadeye and secured with a seizing, although this is not done on the real ECB.  I did a proof-of-concept using a short length of line and white thread.

 

 

The "seizing" here is a single constrictor knot, but it gets the job done.  (I have a love-hate relationship with knots in general and constrictor knots in particular.  Sometimes I can tie one in seconds, other times it takes me 15 minutes to get it right.  I'm improving ... slowly.)

 

I set up the actual shroud in a hemostat, forming a loop near the flag and slightly larger than the deadeye, then formed the knot in the space between the clamp and the flag.

 

 

(Full disclosure: the knot in the photo turned out to be a failed knot.)   I pulled the knot snug but not tight, then tightened the shroud around the deadeye, keeping the knot as close to the flag as possible.  A final tug on the knot and then on the shroud finished the operation.

 

 

From this point, seizing the shroud to itself in three spots was relatively straightforward, although I did start each one with yet another constrictor knot.

 

 

Thankfully, the deadeyes came out even.

 

 

They will look better when stretched by the lanyards.  However, I'm not ready to commit the mast to the hull yet; I want to do as much rigging as possible first.  I'll work on blocks next.

[turangi]

Looking very nice, rigging is a challenge! I have been working on rigging my model and have found that all blocks and fittings are not needed if you are not making sails for the vessel. as an example, the Gaff topsail halyard may look a bit strange without a sail attached. Several models built without sails on this site do not have the fitting and block on the upper mast  as it would a bit strange without a sail. I suppose you could attach the fitting and not rig it in anticipation of of sails being fitted during the rebuild of the vessel if that is what you are representing. There are other blocks, lines etc. that also might look out of place with no sails.  

[ahb26]

On 10/27/2021 at 8:55 PM, turangi said:

Looking very nice, rigging is a challenge! I have been working on rigging my model and have found that all blocks and fittings are not needed if you are not making sails for the vessel. as an example, the Gaff topsail halyard may look a bit strange without a sail attached. Several models built without sails on this site do not have the fitting and block on the upper mast  as it would a bit strange without a sail. I suppose you could attach the fitting and not rig it in anticipation of of sails being fitted during the rebuild of the vessel if that is what you are representing. There are other blocks, lines etc. that also might look out of place with no sails.

What I am representing... not a shipyard scene, more like a three-dimensional cutaway drawing, like those I used to admire in Road & Track.  My goal is to show as much of how things are put together as possible.  For the rigging, I am not planning sails, but I'll include all the lines I can manage without sails.  The instructions say these lines would be tied or shackled to something.  The topsail halyard is a good example.

 

I've been making slow progress but I have managed to build up the three primary halyards off the boat, ready to install when the time is right.  The top block for the jib halyard is shown as rope-stropped with beckets on either end.  It took me two or three days of experimentation and frustration to get it together.

 

 

The nylon line is very springy and uncooperative, and white glue doesn't stick to it.  I had to saturate the seizings with CA to get them to hold.  Other blocks are iron-stropped and did not present such a problem - I have thin black wire that can be wrapped around the block twice and fashioned into beckets or hooks as needed.

 

I test-fit the throat and peak halyards to make sure everything was untangled and would hook into the ironwork properly.

 

 

Then I stored them away, along with the jib halyard, for safekeeping by hanging them from a handy cable

 

 

I wanted to make all three halyards from the heaviest supplied manila line (.028") since it was closer to the plan specification (.023") than the next-lighter manila (.016").  However, there wasn't enough to do the three halyards and the main sheet, so I ended up using .016" for the jib halyard.

 

With these halyards more or less sorted, I turned to the shroud lanyards.  The spec here is .020" and the closest line supplied line is black .021".  I know there is some debate over whether lanyards should be black or manila so I made up one of each, using the .016" manila line.  Decisions, decisions...

 

 

The photos of the real ECB show light-colored lanyards - the picture on the Model Shipways box has black. I will probably go with the manila, as the contrast with the stained deadeyes is nice and it's also easier to work with than the slightly heavier black line.  But I'll sleep on it.

Edited November 6, 2021 by ahb26
Remove ref to topping lift - it is black, not manilla.

[turangi]

There are some tough decisions and I found the same problem as you with regard to the amount of line provided. Although there is a minimal amount of rigging on the model sans sails it may still look a bit like a Road & Track cutaway of a Birdcage Maserati.

[ahb26]

Before I finished the standing rigging, I made up the topping lift and the main sheet, leaving them unrigged to the boat for now.  I finally built the main sheet horse and drilled the holes for it:

 

 

It's not glued in yet, I'll wait until it's time to rig the sheet.  I turned back to the standing rigging and I believe it's now done.  I installed the sheer poles and made up running lights.  I deviated a bit from the plans, making them more like what I discovered while researching the lights on Bowdoin:

 

 

After some difficulties with the wire pulling through, I installed them on the shrouds.  (This photo was taken after the topmast stays were in.)

 

 

I had been putting off the jib stay and bowsprit until there was no option other than to do it next.  Turned out to be easier than I thought it would be.

 

 

The heat shrink tubing on the bobstay worked well.  With the bowsprit all set and the shrouds secured, I made up the three topmast stays and rigged them.

 

 

 

 

So it's on to running rigging, much of which has already been assembled off the boat.  The end is in sight.

[turangi]

Looking great! A small suggestion, you may want to put a small bend in the middle of the horse to keep the boom centered when you tension the rigging. I didn't and wish I had.

[Dr PR]

Very nice build!

 

I have been deliberating the black vs natural color for the shroud lanyards. After reading through every book I have, modern and contemporary, I have found no statements about how these lanyards, and the lanyards on stays and other lines that occasionally need adjusting, are prepared. However, a couple of books say the lanyards were well greased before threading through the deadeyes, and they needed to be flexible in order to take a tight strain on the shrouds. This seems to argue against heavily tarred lines that are not especially flexible.

 

Photos of modern schooners seem to show that untarred or natural hemp lanyards are more common.

Edited November 23, 2021 by Dr PR

[ahb26]

It has been just over a year since I began this enterprise and a few weeks since my last post.  Not much has been done on the model since that post.  First we were away visiting relatives at Thanksgiving.  When we returned, we discovered that our cat Kelly, whose appetite had been declining, had stopped eating altogether.  After an X-ray and abdominal scan, the vet diagnosed probable lymphoma and prescribed a steroid, which helped her appetite and made her feel better.  Shortly thereafter, though, her left hind leg went completely limp, followed this morning by her left foreleg.  The vet said that the cancer was most likely into her spinal column, and we decided that the time had come to put her down.  It's a sad thing that all pet stewards must go through - especially so in this case since Kelly was my special cat, the one that would snuggle up to me at bedtime.  I will really miss her.  Her brother Izzy is still with us and has been a comfort in a difficult time.

 

 

Always inquisitive.

 

Needless to say, my mind was not on ship modeling while this was going on.  I did a little of this and that, but now I hope to get back to it and finish this off.

[gjdale]

Very sorry to hear of the loss of your furry friend Andrew. At least you will still have the fond memories of her and Izzy will no doubt be a comfort.

 

Don’t rush to get back to your model - it will be there when you are ready and you have put far too much hard work into her not to give her the full attention she deserves moving forward. We’ll keep a light on here for you in the meantime.

[yvesvidal]

12 hours ago, ahb26 said:

 

Andrew,

 

Quite often, these furry and wonderful companions are here to help us with karma. It is not uncommon for them to take upon themselves a disease that should have otherwise affected us. We suffer through their loss, but the physical pain in our body is spared by their unconditional love for us.

 

They truly are furry angels of great wisdom and generosity. I have lost quite a few cats (and other animals) during my life and understand very well what you are going through.

 

Yves

[niwotwill]

Andrew

 

My heartfelt condolences for your loss of Kelly. I lost my companion Arthur last month to a long battle with cancer. Arthur died in bed with me while I was petting him, I can not begin to feel what it is to put them down. So sorry

 

Best Regards

Will

[turangi]

So sorry to hear that. The only fault with most pets is that their lives are too short😟

[jgilchrist800]

Andrew, or someone else:

 

I'm struggling with determining the size of the 4 wet well main frames, as seen below in Andrew's log. I sincerely appreciate anybody's help:

 

 

Thanks for your help.

[ahb26]

Grant, Yves, NiwotWill, turangi - thanks.  The house seems a bit emptier but we're doing OK.

 

John - The "end bedlogs" comprise the four boards identified by arrows pointing to the lowest and uppermost.  That dimension can be taken off the plans.  You cut one piece to represent the four boards.  The "side bedlogs", that look like combs, are seen end-on in the left-hand diagram on the plan - that gives you the height, which is roughly twice the thickness of the frames.  They are cut to sit tightly between the end bedlogs.

 

I think I spent hours poring over the plans and photos of other ECB builds as I built the well.  It's a tricky area.  The photos in posts 9 and 11 should give you a good idea of how I put it together.  Hope this helps!

[ahb26]

On 11/20/2021 at 10:58 PM, turangi said:

A small suggestion, you may want to put a small bend in the middle of the horse to keep the boom centered when you tension the rigging. I didn't and wish I had.

Thanks for that!  A very small bend did the trick.

 

I have finished everything I plan to do, although I still need to get a better base board.  I have taken some informal photos which I will post soon, but I thought I would share one very useful hack first.  As I mentioned previously, the supplied nylon line is very springy.  It will happily untie itself from any knot or belay that isn't well secured.  When I was belaying the various halyards to the mast cleats - access is pretty limited in there compared to elsewhere - it was very difficult to keep the turns on the cleat and especially to secure the belay by looping it on itself.  Any relaxation of tension would immediately result in the line flying off the cleat, putting me back to square one.

 

I finally came up with tools and techniques that allowed me to get the initial turns on the cleat without relaxing tension, but the final loop was defeating me until I found a bit of scrap wood that had a nice wedge shape.  With the line temporarily tensioned with a clamp hanging from it, I slid the wedge in under the cleat.  The wedge then held the line in place while I completed the loop.

 

 

I'm glad I pinned all the cleats to the mast, because if I hadn't, I surely would have knocked them off.

 

I also mentioned previously the need to use CA to secure seizings, knots and belays.  The line is too slippery to hold on its own, and white glue is useless.

[gjdale]

Nice trick with the wedge Andrew - thanks for sharing.