HM Cutter Alert by Thukydides - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - first build

[druxey]

Spare spars might have been lashed to the bulwark tops except that, in your case, the rail does not continue over the ports! Possibly they were lashed vertically to the foremost shrouds.

 

Very nice work on the spars and the finish looks excellent.

[Thukydides]

1 hour ago, druxey said:

Spare spars might have been lashed to the bulwark tops except that, in your case, the rail does not continue over the ports! Possibly they were lashed vertically to the foremost shrouds.

 

Very nice work on the spars and the finish looks excellent.

Thanks druxey, is it possible that maybe some of them could have been lashed to the boom as well? I am mostly concerned with the storm topgallant mast as it is much thicker and presumably heavier than the mizen mast and spars and it looks a bit much for the shrouds.

 

I could also try lashing the storm topgallant to the stern railing and let it hang out over the back on the boom crutch, I don’t know if you have any info which would suggest if it was ever practice to let the end stick out the stern like that.

[Theodosius]

Your rigging as good as your painting! Lovely model!

[Thukydides]

Log #75: Odds and Ends

Thanks to everyone that stopped by and for the suggestions. I still have not decided what to do with the spare spars, but based on @druxey’s advice I am not going to stick them on the deck. Likely some combination of lashed to the shrouds or potentially putting the storm topgallant on the railing sticking out the back.

 

In the meantime I have been finishing up some odds and ends in preparation for work on the upper mainmast moving towards the topgallant. First up, the yards themselves are finished now and ready to start having the rigging attached to them.

I had some issues attaching the cleats? or whatever they are called at the ends of the yards as they are so small. I think in the future despite the fact that it makes painting more difficult I would make sure all the shaping is fully done before I start painting.

 

I also prepared the top of the mainmast to add the pendant for the topsail yard.

As this will be quite visible at the top of the model I gave them a bit more care and decided to add in a simulated bolt. Finally I finished securing and adding rope coils for the remaining lines I had not yet done. The inner tie was secured to the bits and I laid a coil against them. The inspiration for this came from a painting of a cutter that I saw in someone’s build log, but can’t remember which one anymore.

You can see I have put the cable for the anchor in place, but I have not fixed it down as I want to be able to move it if necessary as I do the rigging.

 

The sheet for the mainsail was coiled around the cleat on the boom.

And finally I started experimenting with rope hanks. This is for the outer tie or peak halliard which is secured with two single blocks attached with a hook to an eyebolt on the larboard channels.

The excess rope was coiled in a hank on the nearest shroud cleat. Still not entirely pleased with it, but I learned a lot. Once I get my method figured out I will probably post about it in more detail.

[Thukydides]

Log #76: Anchor Cable & Rails

I have a fairly small update for today.

 

I had intended to show pictures of my work on the yards, but after two days of work and 6 failed attempts at rigging blocks to a standard I am willing to accept I decided I would postpone an update on them till the next log post.

 

In the meantime I decided to secure the anchor cable to the windlass before too many ropes start to clutter the deck.

It is delicate work at this point trying to do this sort of thing without catching anything. I have to make sure I am fully in the zone for this and at all times am aware of where my hands are.

 

At this point I also replaced the belaying pins which I had previously broken when trying to get the bowsprit in place.

I also decided to get the rope that runs through the stantions in place and to add some knotted ropes to help with anyone trying to get on the ship.

And here is the current status of her. Thanks for stopping by.

[jpalmer1970]

That's a great idea for the knotted handrail - excellent work

[Thukydides]

7 hours ago, jpalmer1970 said:

That's a great idea for the knotted handrail - excellent work

Thanks though I can't claim credit. I got the idea from @Blue Ensign's alert log.

[Isaiah]

Such clean work, looks very nice.

 

Excuse me if this has been mentioned, but is this the cord that’s included in the kit? 
 

I’m looking at purchasing a kit by Vanguard.

[Thukydides]

5 minutes ago, Isaiah said:

Such clean work, looks very nice.

 

Excuse me if this has been mentioned, but is this the cord that’s included in the kit? 
 

I’m looking at purchasing a kit by Vanguard.

Thanks Isaiah. The rope I used was purchased from @BenD (ropes of scale). He produces some very nice rope in a wide variety of sizes and colours. He has even done some custom sizes for me. I am using his polyester rope (the anchor one is the cabled type). It has some upsides over natural fiber (no fuzz, higher definition), but also some downsides (stiff, can be difficult to get it to lay naturally, white glue doesn't work on it).

 

The kit rope is fine and like most of the kit is to a much higher quality than most kit stuff you will find, but not quite as nice as if you go out and buy some rope or make it yourself.

 

One of the nice things about the Vanguard Alert kit is that it is to a very high quality, but also there is lots of scope for improvements and adjustments. So if you want to do a bit of kit bashing I would highly recommend it. If you want to do the kit exactly as out of the box I would say that the new Vanguard cutter Sherbourne looks really nice.

[allanyed]

Had to do more than checking off just a "like" ....... truly fabulous build Daniel.   

Allan

[JGoff]

I concur with Allan. Your work and attention is exceptional. 

[Blue Ensign]

Fabulous set of photo's Daniel, this is one classy build, that holds little fear of the macro lens.

 

B.E.

[Moonbug]

  Very nicely done. Also - I'm very in touch with the "...at all times am aware of where my hands are" concept - especially as I lose some dexterity with age. 

[Thukydides]

Log #77: Experiments in Lashing

Thank you to everyone for your kind comments and encouragement.

 

I have succumbed to feature creep once again. I was doing some investigating on how to lash the blocks that run the falls of the topsail sheets to the spreadsail yard and realized that I could make significant improvements to how I attach blocks to the yards. Though I am unwilling to go back and redo my past work, I figured since the yards will be a fairly prominent feature of the model I might as well do it right going forward. Also I have always thought of this build as an experiment and frankly there are parts of the build which are at a much lower standard than others.

The above image from Lees shoes what I am trying to achieve, a loop on each end of the block strapping which are seized together around the yard.

 

The first step was to try and create the small loops. This is easier said than done at this scale and in particular since I am trying to serve the entire length. After about 7 attempts I got one that was passable. First I served two short sections on the rope where the loops would be. Then I spliced them into the rope as can be seen in the picture below.

I secured the splice in place with fabric glue and once that was dry I served the rest of the rope. It was then fairly straightforward to size the rope to the block.

As you can see I still have some ways to go, but the above example is at least starting to look the part. One thing I have discovered is that I need to be really precise with both the amounts of glue I use and also how the ends of the serving are secured. Small issues become quite visible on the loops.

 

Next up was the question of lashing the two ends together. I started testing this out, but realized that the 0.25mm rope I have was too thick. I have since ordered a smaller size of rope from Ben (the same size I used for the ratlines, just in a tan colour). Once I get that I can start to experiment with this more. But you can see a WIP version below where I attempted (with only partial success) to create a rose lashing.

Well that is as far as I have gotten. I still have some tests to do and also I need to wait for the thinner rope for the lashings to get here.

 

[wvdhee]

It's genuinely amazing.

[AON]

I have to say I am amazed at your splicing at this scale!

You are serving the entire strop but the image does not depict the strop to be served.

Is that extra work for you, or did the image simple not show it?

[Thukydides]

36 minutes ago, AON said:

I have to say I am amazed at your splicing at this scale!

You are serving the entire strop but the image does not depict the strop to be served.

Is that extra work for you, or did the image simple not show it?

Thanks Alan. This is also your scale so all of this is in your future 😄.

 

The image in question is just showing how the block is lashed. Separately Lees mentions that all ropes which could experience rubbing were served. 

 

I interpreted this as meaning that I should serve these blocks as they will experience chafing on the yard. That being said I don't know this for sure and would be curious if anyone can answer one way or another.

 

It is on my to-do list to do some more reading of primary sources on naval seamanship to try and better get clear in my head what should be served, what knots to use when etc...

 

Edit: It would certainly be easier if I didn't have to serve them.

 

Edit2: Part of the reason for me assuming they were served is that Goodwin depicts them as such in his illustration of  the topsail clew blocks. Now this is not the blocks in question, but if the clew blocks were attached using served line I would imagine the sheet blocks which are under much more strain would have been too.

Edited March 24 by Thukydides

[AJohnson]

That is really good, as others have said this is exceptional at 1/64 scale. 

[AON]

I will crack open some books this evening and get back to you.

[AON]

I looked in The Fully Framed Model vol.4 by David Antscherl, The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships by C Nepean Longridge, The Young Sea Officer's Sheet Anchor by Darcy Lever, The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625-1860 by James Lee, and the back chapters of Rees's Naval Architecture.

 

Though difficult to tell by looking at some of the images, some straps/strops were definitely served. Like the Jeer and Quarter blocks. Others on smaller blocks on the yards don't seem to be served. Long strops seemed to be served whereas short strops on blocks forming a becket (eye) don't seem to be served.

 

At this moment it is all very confusing to me.

Possibly someone more experienced could offer guidance.

[Thukydides]

Thanks Alan for taking a look.

 

I also have been digging into this more. My first thought was to take a look at Steel. There are a number of plates in the elements and practices of seamanship which may shed light on this question, for example see below.

But all of the images like this one are not high enough resolution to really say for sure. Once you start to zoom in you can’t quite tell if they are served or not.

 

I did some more reading of Lees and he has the following to say on p162 after noting that these things have not changed much since the early days of sail:

 

Quote

As regards the question of whether to serve the straps of the blocks or not, there are two trends of thought - some like to serve them to keep the weather out of the strap, while others like to leave the straps unserved so that any signs of wear or rot are visible… …however it certainly was the practice to serve such exposed straps as those round the tack block, where the sea could easily get to them. I therefore suggest serving all large and all exposed straps, all straps where they could be chafed, such as those on the yards, and leave the rest of the straps unserved.

Now what constitutes a large strap is up for debate, but I would guess based on this that Lees would recommend serving all of the straps attaching blocks to the yards. This does make logical sense, but as of yet I have been unable to find any primary sources which confirm this.

 

On the balance I think I will probably serve them as I have already served most of the blocks I have been attaching to the mast and yards using a single long strop and logically if I was doing it for them, this shouldn’t change for using a lashed strapping. However, if anyone has any sources the can point me to which either confirm or contradict this line of thinking I would be interested in looking at them.

Edited March 25 by Thukydides

[Thukydides]

Time for a minor update.

 

I have been slowly picking away trying to improve my method for making the straps for the blocks. I have been experimenting with avoiding the use of glue as much as possible and this seems to help. I also have been giving the fly tying thread I am using for serving a few extra twists before I serve it onto the rope and that seems to help as well.

 

In any case you can see below my latest attempt.

Compared to my last one the area around the loop is less bulky though the left hand loop turned out better than the right hand one. I did make some notes on things to do differently and so I am optimistic that I will soon have a good process down. I decided this one look good enough to use and so below you can see it on the block.

The new rope for the rose lashings should arrive soon and then I can get back to lashing everything to the spreadsail yard.

[Isaiah]

Nice blocks! What size fiddle blocks did you use for the backstays?

[Theodosius]

I am amazed about your rigging! Incredibble for this size!

[Thukydides]

3 hours ago, Isaiah said:

Nice blocks! What size fiddle blocks did you use for the backstays?

They are 20 in as per the steel tables. I made them myself, I discuss the process in log #52.

 

The rest of the blocks I bought from either vanguard or crafty sailor, but they are no longer available as the supplier is located in Russia.

Edited March 31 by Thukydides

[Thukydides]

2 hours ago, Theodosius said:

I am amazed about your rigging! Incredibble for this size!

Thanks.

 

Like most of this model it is a work in progress. The goal is to keep getting it neater to the point that the flaws can only be seen with excessive camera zooming.

 

My latest iterations which I will show in my next post I think are getting closer. I have made some changes to my process which have seemed to help.

[Thukydides]

Log #78: Methodology for preparing small ropes

Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement, I do really appreciate it all and it is nice to hear that you guys think the rigging is looking good. Sometimes when you have been staring at something trying to figure out how to make it better for a while all you can see is the flaws. In any case I think I finally have a method that works reasonably well for dealing with these small bits of rigging and the secret is essentially three changes to my methodology:

1. No glue - One of the biggest eyesores is visible glue flakes. These catch the eye and are often readily visible with the naked eye. No matter how careful I was I found that inevitably something was put where it shouldn’t be so the solution is to pretty much get rid of glue.
2. Twist - The fly tying thread I use for serving and seizing these small ropes is not twisted very tight and consequently has a tendency to lay flat. This has two problems, first there are lots of little hairs and threads hanging loose, second there is no visible rope in the serving. There should be a distinctive spiral of rope going round and this is actually quite noticeable even with the naked eye, though you might not know why one looked better than the other.
3. Magnification - At the end of the day I realized that when working with the smaller ropes I need to use magnification. It is pretty much impossible to get it right without it as annoying as it is to use. This also has a side benefit that it slows the process down, but that actually helps matters as going slower also helps to improve the quality. See below for the glasses I use ($20 on Amazon).

So with the above changes in mind, let me discuss how this practically works using the pendants for the spreadsail braces. These are made with .35mm rope and need to be served at both ends where they go round the yard and the block.

 

The first step is to serve the two sections of the rope that will make up the loops. The only way to do this well is to measure carefully and since I inevitably got the first measurement wrong, I have just resigned myself to having to always do at least one do over.

You can see in the above picture how I am twisting as I serve and so the distinct spiral can be seen. I also fasten it by using my needle tool (pictured below) to run the serving line through the rope and then along it to where the end of the serving will be (see A, blue). Then at the point where the serving should end I run it through the rope again, but then back out the same hole, essentially creating a loop with a thread I can pull to tighten it (the red point A, I meant to make it a B).

 

I serve along till I reach that loop then cut the end of the serving line and pass it through the loop while keeping tension to make sure the serving does not unravel. I then pull the loop tight and everything is fixed in place.

After serving both ends of the rope I loop them over and splice them into themselves. The method I have found that works best for this when covering it is to pass the whole rope through itself twice and then split off two strands which are passed through once. Care needs to be taken to make sure the rope is passed between the strands that make up the rope not through them.

 

I then used a little bit of watered down fabric glue on this area. This is just to make sure that they don’t come loose while I am serving them as they need to be under a fair bit of tension.

I then run the loose serving line ends through the rope and fold them back so they will be held in place by the serving that will go over the area. You can see below the problem with the glue. Even though I used watered down stuff you can still see at bit of discolouration where I am moving the rope around. This is why it needs to be restricted to places that will be covered and as little as possible.

And finally below you can see the finished line. This is the first one that I am actually pleased with as though it still has a few issues, they are only really visible with the camera zoom. I still need to work on making sure the transition from the rope to the spice is smoother as that is the reason for some of the not so clean serving near the loops, but I think I have the general process down.

Edited March 31 by Thukydides

[AON]

First let me say I haven't done a miniature eye splice (yet) and I am impressed with anyone that manages it so well.

 

With full size rope, I find that gripping it either side of where the eye splice will be, twisting to unravel the strands and pushing both hands together will open the strands to get a spike or fid into and hold it. I imagine with small scale rope (1:64) the same will likely be true, the needle being your fid or spike, though a third hand might be useful. This might make it easier to make sure you don't pass a strand through a strand.

 

When the splice is done I would put it on the floor, step on it with my shoe, and roll it back an forth under my body weight to tighten it up.  I imagine rolling the scaled down version between a pinched thumb and finger would do the same thing.

 

One day I will have to try this all for myself.

 

Edited March 31 by AON

[AJohnson]

Thank you for sharing your insights and learned techniques for working on such small ropes. I am definitely going to try an emulate your work on my Trial when I get time to return to it. 
One solution I have been trying for fixing rope is “Matte Medium” used for acrylic paintings, it dries clear and has a matt finish. So far it has not left a white or flakey residue. I have got Liquitex branded, a small bottle to experiment with. 

[Thukydides]

2 hours ago, AON said:

First let me say I haven't done a miniature eye splice (yet) and I am impressed with anyone that manages it so well.

 

With full size rope, I find that gripping it either side of where the eye splice will be, twisting to unravel the strands and pushing both hands together will open the strands to get a spike or fid into and hold it. I imagine with small scale rope (1:64) the same will likely be true, the needle being your fid or spike, though a third hand might be useful. This might make it easier to make sure you don't pass a strand through a strand.

 

When the splice is done I would put it on the floor, step on it with my shoe, and roll it back an forth under my body weight to tighten it up.  I imagine rolling the scaled down version between a pinched thumb and finger would do the same thing.

 

One day I will have to try this all for myself.

 

Thanks Alan,

 

I always appreciate these sort of comments as it makes me stop and think about what I am doing.

 

I should first say that my experience is fairly narrowly confined to using the polyester rope from ropes of scale and the lessons I have learned may not fully apply to other fibre types etc…

 

You are correct on the twisting, I do use this somewhat for the larger rope sizes, however as things get smaller (below 0.5mm) this becomes harder to do. The problem is twofold. First seeing the exact space to open up and second actually untwisting that part. As you can see from the pictures in my post the entire splice takes place over a 2mm or less length and so fingers are not great tools for precisely opening up the right place.

 

The polyester rope also has a tendency to resist being opened up and instead just wrap back on itself so that it just twists. Now you may find a better method than I could for precisely opening up the correct location, but I have found it is easier to just lay it on the table where I can get my head the right distance away for my magnification to work and slide in a sharp needle which does the job. Basically the necessary work to set up something with say quad hands might take longer than just carefully sticking a sharp needle into the rope gab. You can feel when you get it right because the resistance is much stronger when you go through the strands as opposed when you go between them.

 

On the needle handle I was using needles, but I found the sewing machine needle with the eye at the front worked better and having a handle just makes it easier to manipulate (plus I don’t loose them as easily).