HMS Victory by Bill97 - FINISHED - Heller - 1/100 - PLASTIC

[Bill97]

Ok for comparison I have the smaller Heller and Kevin blocks attached to the main yard. The attached photo shows the fore yard with the previous installed wood blocks. I am not going to add the expense of buying smaller wood or printed blocks since I have a million of each. Now to decide which way to go. I am leaning toward the smaller printed blocks, I think. One set or the other will need to be removed and replaced. 

[Ian_Grant]

Good recovery, Bill. 👍

[Bill97]

Step out of the ship yard to my alternate building area, recliner in front of TV, to tie a bunch of stirrups to be used with the yard foot ropes. Tied a loop around a small diameter brass rod and applied a touch of white glue to keep the loop. Will tie around the yard with a fall of about 3/8”. Later I will thread the foot rope through the stirrups as shown in Longridge’s Plan 7. 

[Kevin-the-lubber]

I can’t tell which is which, but smaller looks better.

Edited June 15, 2022 by Kevin-the-lubber

[Bill97]

In the picture the bottom yard has the wood blocks. Top has the printed blocks. 

[Bill97]

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY TODAY!  One year ago today I started my Heller Victory. What a fun, educational, addicting, frustrating, relaxing, nerve racking, and a real pleasure it has been. Along the way I have met (digitally) many new friends from around the world. It has truly been an incredible experience. Thank you so much Modelshipworld.com for making this possible. I look forward to continuing this great experience as I move through the rest of this build and into the next. Thanks guys (all of you) for your help, encouragement, and compliments. 

[Ian_Grant]

Bill you've made incredible progress in a single year, as I've said before.

 

Regarding your blocks, the smaller blocks look better for the bunt and leech lines. But the smaller version of the topsail sheet block (upper yard in the photo) is too small. The bigger version on the lower yard is more to scale; ideally it should be 1/4" same as the quarter blocks below the jeer blocks.

 

Conversely, the 12" lift blocks, attached to the sheet blocks, should be about half the size of the sheet blocks, and are actually only slightly larger than the buntline blocks.. I think the smaller lift block, shown on the upper yard, is better.

 

Finally, a reminder that the buntline blocks don't dangle above or below the yard, but rather lie along its front face. See the famous Plan 8.

[Bill97]

Ian you know you are making me crazy 🤪 reference these block sizes 😀. I wondered about the blocks being on the front of the yard when you said it before. If they are on the front of the yard wont they interfere with the hanging of the sail?

Edited June 15, 2022 by Bill97

[Veszett Roka]

3 hours ago, Bill97 said:

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY TODAY!  One year ago today I started my Heller Victory. What a fun, educational, addicting, frustrating, relaxing, nerve racking, and a real pleasure it has been. Along the way I have met (digitally) many new friends from around the world. It has truly been an incredible experience. Thank you so much Modelshipworld.com for making this possible. I look forward to continuing this great experience as I move through the rest of this build and into the next. Thanks guys (all of you) for your help, encouragement, and compliments. 

Congratulations Bill! An incredibly fast and accurate rendition of Victory - you've made so far better than i could do, and lightning fast, compare to my Pamir. Hats off!

[Ian_Grant]

Bill, in those days the sails were lashed to the yards by robands with the result that the heads of the sails were underneath the yard.

 

It's only in the more modern ships that the yards were equipped with jackstay bars running along their tops, to which the sails were attached; in this case yes the sail smothers the front of the yard. In fact, in windjammers a second bar was run along just behind the jackstay, called the safety stay. It provided a handhold in an emergency. Additionally, small rope loops were attached to it through which crew could thrust a forearm to secure them when using both hands.

 

Here's a picture of how it was in the old days..........

 

[Bill97]

Thanks Ian. I believe I can easily rotate the buntline blocks forward. I will inventory the block sizes I have and follow your directions the best my inventory will permit. 

[Bill97]

OK Ian I think I made the block corrections you recommended. Bigger size of the topsail sheet block, and lift block, and moved the buntline blocks to the front of the yard. Fingers crossed it looks OK and a good guide and reference for the other yards. 
 

Curious, since I moved the buntline blocks to the front of the yard I assume the buntlines will go behind the stun’sail to the blocks?

 

[Bill97]

Fashioned my first try at a parral. I think it is good enough to use!

[Mexspur]

On 6/3/2022 at 2:11 PM, Bill Morrison said:

Excellent!  I'm looking forward to seeing them!

Bill

Me too.

[Mexspur]

I’ve just received my paréala from the uk. They look good.

[Bill97]

I think my seed beads I used for the “trucks” and the evergreen I used for the “ribs” is a little thicker than recommended. To get the length I need to go around the main mast at the topsail yard took 5 ribs and four trucks. Longridge did not specify the number of each for this position. 

[Ian_Grant]

Bill, mine took the reverse - 5 trucks and 4 ribs. It's better to have trucks at the ends rather than ribs. 😃

[Bill97]

Ian I considered that but Longridge on page 213 says there Must be a rib at each end. Not sure why. If you check the reference it is the third sentence from bottom of page. 

Edited June 18, 2022 by Bill97

[Bill97]

Ok guys be honest here. I am reading through Longridge’s book on the running rigging of the yards. Did you, or do you, add every line he gives directions for?  On pages 239-245 he gives directions for 16 different lines for just the fore yard. I can see several are very important, but all of them?

[Bill Morrison]

1 hour ago, Bill97 said:

Ok guys be honest here. I am reading through Longridge’s book on the running rigging of the yards. Did you, or do you, add every line he gives directions for?  On pages 239-245 he gives directions for 16 different lines for just the fore yard. I can see several are very important, but all of them?

Absolutely not. Like the old adage says, "Better is the enemy of good enough!"

[Bill97]

Bills must think alike! 😀

I like that old adage!

[Ian_Grant]

5 hours ago, Bill97 said:

Ian I considered that but Longridge on page 213 says there Must be a rib at each end. Not sure why. If you check the reference it is the third sentence from bottom of page. 

Damn! Another error in my build!

[Ian_Grant]

5 hours ago, Bill97 said:

Ok guys be honest here. I am reading through Longridge’s book on the running rigging of the yards. Did you, or do you, add every line he gives directions for?  On pages 239-245 he gives directions for 16 different lines for just the fore yard. I can see several are very important, but all of them?

Actually they don't all attach to the yard (example the nave line, sheets and tacks) but you pretty much have to rig most of them. Many have to do with supporting the yard and are pretty essential. You could omit the nave line, it's pretty much invisible anyway. If you are omitting sails you could leave off the buntlines and slab lines. The clew lines are normally attached to the sheets (and tacks, for lower sails) in this case (which is what Longridge drew in plan 7). Or you could omit the sheet and clew lines; which would look pretty bare!

 

In my case, without sails, I left off the slab lines but I did rig the bunt lines, just hitched to the yards, because I thought all the blocks under the fore top would look odd if left empty and anyway I had all the buntline blocks on the yards. I also rigged all the bowlines on the ship, again just hitched to the yard in positions sort of near where they would be if a sail was furled on the yard.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Ian_Grant

[Bill97]

I plan to furl all of he sails so I will need to study how that will look. 

[Bill97]

Ok, a little problem. I looked back through my build for the discussion about this but can’t find it. I have a number of lines coming up through the grate in the Quarter deck that I tied off to the bitts on the upper deck. I know two of those are the main yard jeers to be rigged in reverse. The problem I have is when I did it I did not use appropriate diameter thread. All of the threads are to small in diameter. I need to try to replace them but I can’t figure out which ones would be the jeers. On the Upper deck as you know there are two sets of bittts. One forward of the mast and one aft. I can get to the one forward but not the one aft. 

[Bill97]

Ok I scrolled through and finally found it. Comment #461 from Ian. Looks like the jeers go through the grate aft of the mast. I can fix this. Tune in. 😊

[Bill97]

Ok. Looking at Ian’s old comment and Longridge’s Plate 46 I think I have this all wrong, or wrong below deck anyway. Back long ago when I as was still a pup learning what to do I did not follow the instructions correctly. I clearly see now I should just have 3 lines coming up from the upper deck on each side of the main mast (jeer, topsail sheet and clue garnet. Each was to belay to the cross piece at the bitts after reeving through the sheave. I did not do it that way. As you notice on my picture above I reeved each of the lines through the bitt and then back up through the grate instead of belaying to the cross piece. So I have 6 lines on each side instead of 3. 😠

I can fix the forward topsail sheet but will have to give real thought to how to fix the jeer and clue garnet. 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Bill97

[Bill97]

Gentlemen the main yard jeers, sling, and tackle pendants complete!  I was able to rerig the jeers to the bit on the upper deck by running two new correct diameter threads down through the grate (had to drill the hole for each slightly bigger). Then I discovered with a bright headlamp and extra long special tweezers I was able to do it from the stair going down aft of the main mast. Wow! What a tedious job that was. Wish I had a couple little tiny sailors to do that for me. The rope colors for the sling and jeers is a bit different. Unfortunately those are the tan shades of my two required threads. I expect on the actual Victory there was a variation in the natural ropes with time, weather, and wear. 

[Bill97]

Ian help my eyes are crossing 🤪.

I am studying the main topsail yard. Understand it follows the same process as the fore topsail yard. Page 246 of Longridge explains the lifts and the the for the fore topsail yard. After highlighting certain areas and rereading I think I understand how to do the tye. Only question I think I have there is getting the tye to the kevel. It looks as if the tye reeves through the block attached to the end of the channel then back up to the double block right below the truck and then directly to the kevel?

My main question is the paragraph about Lifts right above Tye on that page. Not getting that at all. Did you do the topsail yard lifts. 

[Ian_Grant]

Bill, the topsail yards have two halliards to take the strain and equalize the lateral pressure on the topmast. As always Longridge describes it accurately, but it is difficult to parse the facts. Let's look at pictures.

 

Plan 9 depicts the fore cross trees and the topsail yard. The first bit you have highlighted in orange describes the large 20 double tye block at the yard's centre, with the two buntline blocks attached to its strop, projecting like bunny ears. It also describes the two single blocks suspended close up beneath the crosstrees (difficult to see in plan 9, but labelled "20" single tye block each side". You can see the long strop of the starboard block passing up the mast just behind the middle crosstree, with its eye captured by several turns of a lashing around the mast, just above the last backstay ("above the rigging" as Longridge puts it).

 

See the plan 9 note "Standing part of each tye is clinched around the mast here", just above the aforementioned lashing? Those are the start of the two tyes. The starboard tye goes through one sheave of the double block on the yard from stbd to port, then up through the port single block. Correspondingly, the port tye goes through the other sheave of the double block from port to stb, then up through the starboard single block.

 

We now have two tye ropes emerging from the two single blocks, one on each side. They pass partway down the mast and each ends with a 26" double block. Now let's look at plan 7. At the after end of the main channel you see a block a few feet above the bulwarks with its long strop connected to an eye on the channel. That's the 26" single block Longridge says is attached by a 3-1/2" halliard to the double 26" block on the tye. He mentions a becket on the upper end of this single block; that's to attach the end of this halliard which then goes double block - single block - double block - kevel on deck. (At this scale I just trap the halliard under the strop when stropping the block, then tie a knot in the halliard to secure it).

 

Two more things of note: the length of the tye is such that if the topsail yard is lowered, the 26" double blocks should be about at the level of the EDIT: CORRECTION topmast lower mast cap (Longridge says this but you didn't highlight it). If you are rigging the yard raised with a sail on it then adjust the block position down accordingly. Secondly, the 26" double blocks are attached to the after topmast backstay with thimbles ensuring that it slides up and down without twisting. Longridge describes this at very end of pg 246, and 247. Referring again to plan 7, Longridge has indicated this by sketching a short length of the backstay to the left of the 26" double block with two little lines indicating the attachment.

 

Hope this helps. Here is how Petersen illustrates it, as a backup aid. He doesn't show the double blocks sliding on the backstay, on this frigate. Nor are the buntline blocks shown.

Edited June 21, 2022 by Ian_Grant