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

[Bill97]

Ian I am tinkering around with different ideas of how to make the little bracket that holds the main sheet tackle away from the side of the ship. Obviously Heller did not provide such a piece. What did you make for this piece?

Edited September 17, 2022 by Bill97

[Ian_Grant]

Bill I believe I just bent a bit of brass wire to shape, with small bits of evergreen for the feet. Tried to take a pic just now through the case but it's hard to see behind the stunsail boom and the sheet block itself. Camera also seems to have had difficulty focusing through the case.

[Bill97]

Thanks Ian. That may be what I do. Tinkering with a couple things. How far out from the side of the hull did you decide on?  Longridge does not say. I think I am going to bring the ring out flush with the front edge of the channel. 

[Hubac's Historian]

It is amazing how all of those layers of rigging really flesh-out a clear portrait of a sailing ship.

[Ian_Grant]

I brought mine out to about as far as the gunport lid reaches, which is more or less the channel too.

 

I should have mentioned that there was some debate on the Pete Coleman site about whether/when this bracket existed. It's not on the ship today; the block just attaches to a ringbolt in the side.

 

I just decided to followed Longridge.

[Bill97]

I find that with out the brackets it seems the sheet rubs against the hull and the mainmast shrouds unless I move the clewline way out the length of the crossjack yard. This is of course when rigged without sails and the clew/tack/sheet block are pulled up an inboard. I like having the bracket move the block out from the side just a bit. Now if I can’t craft a suitable bracket I will need to go without and move the clew out to get a better angle on the sheet. 

Edited September 18, 2022 by Bill97

[dafi]

Wonderful build and great discussions, I love it, congratulations!

 

The main sheet tackle spreader was not introduced until quite a while after Trafalgar. That is why I omitted it in the etch set. 

 

I am not sure but I think it was also taken of the ship a while ago. Just have the eyebbolt on the hull, a length of tackle and that is it 🙂

 

All the best, DAniel

[Ian_Grant]

On 9/14/2022 at 7:17 PM, Bill97 said:

 

I will then finish up the major rigging with the braces. I am doing some advance reading about the braces. Anything you would recommend in advance here?  I have seen there is some discussion as to the use, or not, of yard pendants 
 

 

Just a note to reinforce in your mind that the cro'jack yard braces "cross" i.e. the port brace belays on the starboard side, and vice versa. (Longridge pg 258).

 

No other braces cross in this fashion.

[Bill97]

Daniel I am going to go with your opinion on this. Just the eyebolt and length of tackle. I am looking over a number of drawings and Victory photos to determine the correct position of the two eye bolts. All of the references I have show them between the second and third port from the back. However I am finding a slight variance in the position between the two ports. Not sure it matters as long as the position keeps the sheet from crossing in front of the third port. 
 

Also thank you Ian as always for your point of interest about the cro’jack braces crossing. Have not gotten that far yet but it is good to know so I don’t forget to do it. Speaking of the braces, at this scale did you try to do the dog and bitch thimbles for the yard ends or just fasten a block? 

[Ian_Grant]

I just tied them on. Life's too short.

[Bill97]

Ok gentlemen sheets, tacks, and clew lines complete!  Decided to go without the bracket. To be honest I used Daniel’s comment as an excuse to not try to make something that would look like a bracket. Drilled and relocated the main sheet eyebolts a couple times. Had to then putty the not used holes and touch up the paint. Had to use the trick of pushing the main clew line down through the hatch cover, tie a knot, and pull back up through tight. Basically rigged it in reverse through blocks and tied off at the yard. My knots have not been glued yet so if you see anything that needs adjustment please feel free to advise. 

[Bill97]

Whooo! Great Ian, I am glad you said you just tied them on. I was thinking about just doing that but thought you guys would shame me for cutting corners! 😀

[dafi]

Great work!

XXXDAn

[Bill97]

Thanks my friends!  If there are no recommended corrections I will move on to the braces. 

[Bill97]

YARD TACKLE PENDANTS???

Scanning back through my Longridge book I came across this rigging item I apparently missed on page 242. What in the world are these guys. I was starting to think I had a handle on this rigging now, but maybe not just yet!  I have read over this long paragraph in Longridge’s book several times and still don’t understand it. I think I briefly skipped over this item way back when thinking it was the same as the yard brace pendants only used on the cross jack yard.  Apparently this pendant is something different. Did you guys add them to your ship?

[Ian_Grant]

Yes I did. They are very confusing to read about in words and I don't recall Longridge having a diagram. Here is Petersson's diagram instead. It's just a tackle hanging off the ends of the fore and main yards for use as cranes to lift heavy stuff. When not in use, the hooks are hooked onto the forward shroud and the tricing lines "trice it up" close in to the yard out of the way.

 

Petersson doesn't show the tricing line belays. According to Hackney the tricing lines each pass through a small block attached to forward shrouds just beneath the futtock stave then lead down and are belayed at the bottom of the 2nd shroud. The yardarm tackle is belayed at the bottom of the first shroud. Not sure how he meant, exactly; I just tied them under the lower deadeyes.

 

I see Longridge shows the tricing lines at the first deadeye.

 

At the end of the day you could just omit them. I doubt they were rigged permanently.

[Bill97]

Ok great Ian. So the yard d tackles are pretty much just like the two I have suspended from the main stay. These would just be on the ends of the fore and main yard. I will think about adding them.  If I do I may just leave them as if they were in use. Maybe suspend a barrel, or something, from it as if it were in use. If I trice it up it is just going to be mixed in with all the other lines running down the length of the yard (foot ropes, sheets, etc). Or at the end of the day just omit them. 

[Bill97]

Completed the braces on the bowsprit, foremast, and mainmast yards!  I think that completes all the rigging from the bow back through the mainmast. Braces for a the mizzenmast  and gaff still to go. Have to study that whole cross braces thing for the crossjack. 

[Ian_Grant]

Bill, she's looking very nice indeed but there is one more detail you could add, specifically the lizards supporting the main braces. See Longridge pg 251 and diagram pg 252.

[Bill97]

Yes Ian I still have some work to do on the main brace. The lizards still need to be added and a “snatch block” (if I can figure out what that is 😊) at the aft end poop gunwale on each side at to reeve it through enroute to the large cleat on the deck. 

Edited September 22, 2022 by Bill97

[Ian_Grant]

Bill, the snatch blocks are part #67.

 

Heller instructions show where they are placed in Part 12  "Fitting the Hammocks" (on my older instructions). You have to look very carefully to notice Part 67 at the end of bulwark under the hammock netting.

[Bill97]

Ok Ian. Great. I have those installed. The way I understood the instructions as that the brace was to reeve through a block then belay to that fitting. So the brace just goes directly to the snatch block from the block on the end of the yard as I have temporarily done in the photos?

[Ian_Grant]

Bill, that's the snatch block fitting that should be on the bulwark in accordance with Part 12. I believe I had to glue it on straddling the aftermost hammock crane then drape the netting over it. The brace can then go through it and then to an ordinary deck cleat as in Longridge pg 268. The cleats to use are the aftermost ones shown in Part 10 "Fitting the Poop Deck etc.".

 

It's a small miracle that Heller got the number of cleats and eyebolts (to tie blocks to) correct on each side, exactly in accordance with Longridge.

 

[Bill97]

So Ian you are telling me those items I have glued to the deck need to be on the bulwark? Ok let’s see if I can gently remove them without to much damage to them or my deck! Then put them where they should be and touch up my deck paint. I will let you know how this goes 😊.

[Bill97]

Ok Ian all the corrections made. Snatch blocks removed from the deck and repositioned on the bulwark. Hammock crane moved forward just a bit. Had to cut off one hammock.  Netting reattached. Deck paint touched up. Lizards made and attached to mizzen shroud. Main brace reeved through lizard, block on yard, snatch block, and reeved to cleat. I have not permanently tied the brace or lizard yet. Wanted to ask if brace should be slack as shown in Longridge’s Plan 7 or taut?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2022 by Bill97

[Bill97]

[Bill97]

Taking a break from rigging and doing a bit of piddling. Decided to work on making a bunch of rope coils to hang at all the belay points. I use a bunch of push pins spaced 3/8” apart, wrap my my appropriate thread around 3 or 4 times and then coat with white glue. Once dry I cut them apart to make little coils I will later glue at each point. 

Edited September 23, 2022 by Bill97

[Ian_Grant]

Bill, nice job on the coils; that's a tedious task.

 

I wanted to have slack lower braces with a nice sag but I just could not get the thread to adopt the same (plus you then need to get the clewline  to look taught, somehow). Tried smearing some glue on and rubbing it etc but no luck, so mine are taught.

 

I noticed in one of your photos that the driver sheet is frapped around itself between the blocks; the running end should be belayed on the nearby cleat see pg 268.

[Bill97]

Oh oh Ian I will have to investigate exactly  what you are talking about with the driver sheet. What do you mean by frapped? 

I was able to fix the screw up with the snatch blocks. Surly I can correct what you are talking about. 

[Ian_Grant]

In the 3rd photo of your post, the running end of the sheet is wrapped around itself between the blocks; this is frapping, just like on the bowsprit gammoning.

 

Just unwrap it and belay on the cleat instead, then throw on a coil. A quick fix. 🙂