Flying Fish by Jared - Model Shipways - 1:96

[Jared]

Thanks to both of you for sharing your rigging knowledge.  To clarify, the rigging sizes I have been using have been as per the kit's plans.  All rigging threads supplied in the kit or purchased as additional sizes from Model Expo were double checked for size by myself using a microscope with a micrometer.  

 

The particular tan thread I used for the 5" lift line was made by Mantua.  It is free of fuzz but is relatively stiff (feels like it has been starched).  This makes it harder to tighten, especially around sharp bends.   I had to be extremely carefully during tightening not to pull out the eyebolts secured to the deck under the fife rail.

 

For the remaining lower yard lifts I will have to use the same line to preserve a uniform look.    The upper lifts are of smaller diameters so they should be much easier to work with.

 

Thanks as always for your feedback and encouragement.  Much appreciated.  

[rwiederrich]

Jerad.

There is one thing I can see that will give you more grief if not addressed first.

You need to pay special attention to the installation of all your running rigging blocks....especially the ones at the foot of the mast.  They should have been installed before you fixed the fife rail in place.  They are way easier to get to once in place then if you have to add them after the fact.

 

Running Rigging, unlike standing rigging requires a lot of preplanning.  Your main course blocks should all be placed before hand. Before you get too far along..... Review your rigging charts and see your block layout.  Place all the blocks needed for the rigging for the foremast on the mast and tops before you begin the rigging of lines.

 

You still need to place the bunt line blocks under the tops.  This would have been far easier with the masts still off the model.

No real problem.....keep this as a learning experience.   Rigging takes a lot of pre-thought.....so take your time.   And undersized line is easier to use then over sized line.  Plus is scales better.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

I posted an image of Glory of the Seas.  Note: the larger lift lines and all the smaller bunt, leach and braces.  Also notice the number of lines coming down the main mast to the fife rail.

These lines have to be about an 1" diameter at scale to work with so many other lines.

Now, mind you, I fully rigged Glory.  Every line short the stunsail lifts and sheets.....cuz I didn't place stunsails or booms on Glory....she spent most of her time on the West coast, not in tropical seas where the light winds blow.

 

Rob

Edited September 26 by rwiederrich

[Jared]

Thanks Rob.  Your rigging work is impeccable.   I had to learn much of what you recommended  the hard way!    And it was painful in many ways.   When I started the lifts I quickly realized it would be impossible to rig the lower blocks to the  eyebolts that were already secured under the fife bar.  The only feasible option I could think of was to pull out the eyebolts, then attach a lower block, rig the upper block (see photo) and then, with great difficulty, reglue the eyebolt (assembly) back in place.  🤬  

 

As to the rest of the running rigging,  my current plan is to I limit this to the yard braces, halliards, downhauls, lifts and vangs.  

Edited September 26 by Jared

[gak1965]

On 9/24/2024 at 2:57 PM, Jared said:

I am off for celebratory scotch!

Getting the first running rigging going calls for the good stuff. I personally would go for Highland Park 18, or Balvenie Doublewood, but your mileage may vary...

 

Cheers!

George

[gak1965]

27 minutes ago, Jared said:

When I started the lifts I quickly realized it would be impossible to rig the lower blocks to the  eyebolts that were already secured under the fife bar.  The only feasible option I could think of was to pull out the eyebolts, then attach a lower block, rig the upper block (see photo) and then, with great difficulty, reglue the eyebolt back in place.

 

I put the tackles in place before the fife rails, and it helped sort of. One thing I found is that if I did that and didn't bring the blocks to the approximately correct distance apart ahead of time, when I did arrange the blocks correctly, the "embedded twist" (sorry can't think of anything else) in the lines caused the blocks to kind of torsion (basically they started twisting relative to each other). Some I could untwist, others I had to do what you describe - pull it out, re-rig, and then reinstall the bolt.

 

One more thing to watch out for is if you bump into the yard, it can pull the bolt out or stretch anything stretchable and you wind up with a "saggy" line. Needless to say, I know this because I did it many times.

[Jared]

The 2 things I fear most is pulling out a lift eyebolt and snapping off (again) the end tip of the bowsprit.  That is why you can see a pair of thick dowels "guards" extending from the base of my model at the bow.

[rwiederrich]

29 minutes ago, gak1965 said:

 

I put the tackles in place before the fife rails, and it helped sort of. One thing I found is that if I did that and didn't bring the blocks to the approximately correct distance apart ahead of time, when I did arrange the blocks correctly, the "embedded twist" (sorry can't think of anything else) in the lines caused the blocks to kind of torsion (basically they started twisting relative to each other). Some I could untwist, others I had to do what you describe - pull it out, re-rig, and then reinstall the bolt.

 

One more thing to watch out for is if you bump into the yard, it can pull the bolt out or stretch anything stretchable and you wind up with a "saggy" line. Needless to say, I know this because I did it many times.

Twisting of the block tackle is a real pain...that can be illiminated if you thread each block with the line straight.  Cotton lines works best for staying off twisting.  Especially when you're dealing with hundreds of lines.

 

[rwiederrich]

15 minutes ago, Jared said:

The 2 things I fear most is pulling out a lift eyebolt and snapping off (again) the end tip of the bowsprit.  That is why you can see a pair of thick dowels "guards" extending from the base of my model at the bow.

This is one reason why I rig from the top down and I rig the yards on the mast OFF hull.  Once I install the mast...I can easily trace out the lines and were they go.  Sure it's a lot of them, but when you work down you can secure those lines first down through the mast rigging and when you arrive at the main course yard...you have just its lifts and bunt, sheet lines to belay at the fife and rail.

Edited September 26 by rwiederrich

[Jared]

Thank Rob.  I knew that the lower fore yard lift was going to be even more  difficult if I tried installing it after the main stay.  That us why I installed and rigged the lower fore yard and the lifts when I did.   

 

I am going to take a bit of a pause and think out the remaining rigging sequence to completion more carefully.  I will also consider your yard  pre-rigging suggestion.  Thank you.

Edited September 26 by Jared

[rwiederrich]

1 hour ago, Jared said:

I will also consider your yard  pre-rigging suggestion. 

What I've Learned over the course of time is that, it is far easier to rig your yards on the mast...with the mast off hull.  You are free 360deg around the mast to work.  Secondly, if you start with the upper most yard...sky or royal...you can then easily run the rigging down through the mast structures far easier and with less opportunity to damage something.  I perfected this method and building in this manner when I built the Great Republic.

Then when you have all the yards mounted....except the main course...you leave that to add after the mast is glued in, you can go through your lines and belay them to the correct spot/pin.

 

Now, in your case, if the masts are already glued in, you can still start from the top and work down.  Again...because it is far easier to run the sheet and bunt lines this way.  Then you move to the next yard and so forth.

 

I always add the stays after each mast/yard section is done....so you have room to work around the mast, without bumping into the stay.

I can't explain my entire method here in this short posting, but I assure you, you must look at your rigging 3 dimensionally..  Top to bottom and from the inside out. What rigging requires a block/s and where is that block/s located.

 

As you go, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

Rob 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Look closely at Rob's photos, and you can see that he used 1:96 Revell blocks on Glory of the Seas (and some others), which can be had from Revell C.S., Thermie or Connie kits (and a couple others).  There are still a fair number of new or partially built 1:96 kits to be found on line.  The molded eyes are single & double becket single blocks, and double becket double blocks - convertible into a single becket.  They are good enough representations of internally stropped blocks  (one can ignore the slight side rib on them, or even file them off) - the type used on later clippers.

  By leaving the side rib on the Revell blocks, they can double as externally stropped.

 

[rwiederrich]

53 minutes ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

  Look closely at Rob's photos, and you can see that he used 1:96 Revell blocks on Glory of the Seas (and some others), which can be had from Revell C.S., Thermie or Connie kits (and a couple others).  There are still a fair number of new or partially built 1:96 kits to be found on line.  The molded eyes are single & double becket single blocks, and double becket double blocks - convertible into a single becket.  They are good enough representations of internally stropped blocks  (one can ignore the slight side rib on them, or even file them off) - the type used on later clippers.

  By leaving the side rib on the Revell blocks, they can double as externally stropped.

 

Good eye Johnny.  Each block is cleaned of flashing...drilled out and then painted an appropriate block color...then the eye and stropping is painted as well....using paint pens.

I used many other kinds of wood blocks in the past...but found, for regularity, and consistency....not to mention expeditious, these premade blocks can be made to look very convincing.  Plus, like all things...they are fast and easy to prepare.  I'm generally a lazy modeler to begin with anyway.  But if it works...it works.    I have hundreds upon hundreds of those blocks...single and doubles.😉

 

Rob

[Jared]

Will plastic block affect the lifespan of the model?  Will they become brittle with time (20 years)?  I have read about plastic models deteriorating with age, especially if exposed to direct sunlight.   

[rwiederrich]

On 9/26/2024 at 2:52 PM, Jared said:

Will plastic block affect the lifespan of the model?  Will they become brittle with time (20 years)?  I have read about plastic models deteriorating with age, especially if exposed to direct sunlight.   

I built a 1956 version of the Cutty Sark.   No problems with the blocks.   
 

If you expose any model to direct sun light it will deteriorate as well.   

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Rob's right, since direct sunlight - and even reflected sunlight - transmit damaging UVa and UVb (high energy) radiation.  Just expose your unprotected skin to the sun for an hour, and you'll get a nasty sunburn (with a chance of future skin cancer).  Skin can generally heal itself, but not a model.  Rigging line or sail cloth of any material will become brittle with sunlight, and will fall apart over the years.  The last clipper model built by my dad (which I offered to restore for my brother, who had the model) became so fragile (it was made entirely out of natural materials) that the rigging simply disintegrated and everything fell apart - according to my bro.  Sad thing, the wooden parts still could have been rebuilt and re-rigged ... but it was thrown out as a 'hot mess'.

 

  Painting every plastic surface is a great protectant, but even the paint might not fare so well under UV.  The solution?  House windows can have a thin film applied to the glass on the inside of the pane that will reject bot UV and infa-red (heat wave) spectrum to make them more energy efficient.  There are companies that do this, and if one is handy, one can apply the film (with practice) oneself.  The home interior will benefit.  Modern 'efficient' windows have this feature built in.  Attics are terrible places for even cased models, since high heat will in crease the aging of materials as much or mose than some UV.

 

  I suppose that UV excluding glass can be used for a case the same way fine art is protected within a frame.

[Jared]

I have a friend who inherited a fully rigged Revell plastic model of the USS Constitution from her father.  The model, made many years ago had been fitted with the kit's plastic sails.  Over the tears the sails turned yellowish and became brittle and broken.  A photo is attached.  I suspect sunlight exposure was consequential here.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Even as a teen, I never thought much of plastic sails ... but if the kit instructions suggested using the plastic sails as patterns for substituting light-weight cloth for sails, I likely would have tried that ('Never thought of that myself way back then, and 'assumed' that the kit instructions were a 'bible' as far as research and authenticity were concerned ... ha!).

[ClipperFan]

10 hours ago, Jared said:

I have a friend who inherited a fully rigged Revell plastic model of the USS Constitution from her father.  The model, made many years ago had been fitted with the kit's plastic sails.  Over the tears the sails turned yellowish and became brittle and broken.  A photo is attached.  I suspect sunlight exposure was consequential here.

@Jared

Your friend's dad made a beautiful large Revell model Constitution. It's a shame about those sails. Depending on how important it is to her to save the sails, I would use a thin toothpick, apply the thinneest line of krazy glue on one edge and hold the two pieces together until it sets, usually a minute or two. Once all repairs are done, I would then paint a light coat of white on both sides to protect and strengthen them. 

[Jared]

If you expand the photo I attached, you will see someone tried to repair part of the sail using a mesh fiber tape.  There is also damage on other sails, with some small pieces of sail broken off.  She is in discussion with a tall ship builder regarding repairing some of the rigging that has become loose. 

 

As I recall from one of the Revell tall ships I built when I was a kid, the plastic sails were supplied in the kit.   

[Jared]

After spending a week tracing the various standing and running rigging lines I am  back at rigging again.  I am going to adapt Rob's approach of rigging the masts and yards  off the model as best I can, as all the lower masts are already glued in place as is the fore top mast. 

 

I spent much of today agonizing over how to build the lift grommet for the fore skysail yard.   The first figure shows it is made of siezed rope with a thimble in each side loop.  The line is 2" rope, which at scale equates to 0.007" dia. thread.  I knew there was no way I would be able to produce it from thread.   After a lot of thought I came up with another approach using thin black wire for the rope part and thimbles made from a  thin narrow strip of brass.  The sequence and final result is shown in the photos.

 

I have one major criticism about this model kit abd it is the choice of fragile basswood for the masts.  As I was assembling the grommet on the thin mast the mast broke in my hand at a point where a hole had been drilled for the shysail hailiard.   I have glued it back together but still need to do more work on it to make the repair look better.

 

[ClipperFan]

12 hours ago, Jared said:

After spending a week tracing the various standing and running rigging lines I am  back at rigging again.  I am going to adapt Rob's approach of rigging the masts and yards  off the model as best I can, as all the lower masts are already glued in place as is the fore top mast. 

 

I spent much of today agonizing over how to build the lift grommet for the fore skysail yard.   The first figure shows it is made of siezed rope with a thimble in each side loop.  The line is 2" rope, which at scale equates to 0.007" dia. thread.  I knew there was no way I would be able to produce it from thread.   After a lot of thought I came up with another approach using thin black wire for the rope part and thimbles made from a  thin narrow strip of brass.  The sequence and final result is shown in the photos.

 

I have one major criticism about this model kit abd it is the choice of fragile basswood for the masts.  As I was assembling the grommet on the thin mast the mast broke in my hand at a point where a hole had been drilled for the shysail hailiard.   I have glued it back together but still need to do more work on it to make the repair look better.

 

@Jared

Wow! I feel your frustration with that bit of bad luck about your broken mast. It looks like you have done a decent repair job. 

Our friend @Vladimir_Wairoa had a similar rigging disaster when his lines suddenly snapped off his main royal mast. In his case, since he was working on the larger 1:72nd scale, he inserted an internal copper splint. His clever repair job is practically invisible. Since your vessel is smaller 1:96th scale, obviously Vladimir's option would have to be done much smaller. Like maybe a cut-off pin or tack. I've included scenes of Vladimir's repair so you can see what I'm describing. For future reference, of course.

[Jared]

Thanks ClipperFan.  For now I have used super glue for the repair.  On another similar tip  break of the jibboom  superglue wasn't enough and I had to resort t epoxy which so far is doing well.  In both cases the breaks occurred in a thin area where there was a drilled hold for rigging.  If I could of I would have drilled into the wood on both sides of the break and inserted a steel pin as an internal splint.  I can tell you that it took hardly any force to cause these breaks.  I am going to try applying superglue around other fragile mast sections to strength. them in hopes of preventing such problems as I go forth.

[ClipperFan]

 @Jared

It's got to be unnerving to be constantly concerned about snapping delicate spars. I wonder if there's a way that you could devise a temporary protective splint or jig device to minimize a chance of this happening? I think such an approach would be less potentially messy than a pre-application of super glue. Meanwhile, Rob has an excellent in-process description of his methodical systematic rigging approach in his most recent Glory of the Seas build log. He does multiple sub-assemblies, even on his yards before they're mounted to each mast. He uses alligator clamps to suspend each yard as he pre-rigs them. He does a similar thing with his mast, only putting them in a vise while assembling each one. Rob also leaves off the largest yard, the main or course sail until last. His build and rigging process starts with the mizzen and goes forward from there. He's also said, to prevent damage, he waits to install the jibboom until later too.

[Jared]

Thanks for your suggestions ClipperFan.  The recent break occurred to the mast as I was rigging it off the ship, trying Rob's approach.  I think my only option if the problem continues is to bite the bullet and remake all of the thinner spars using a stronger wood like boxwood or degamme.

[ClipperFan]

23 minutes ago, Jared said:

Thanks for your suggestions ClipperFan.  The recent break occurred to the mast as I was rigging it off the ship, trying Rob's approach.  I think my only option if the problem continues is to bite the bullet and remake all of the thinner spars using a stronger wood like boxwood or degamme.

Basswood has a janka hardness of 410, degame is 1,940, yellow birch is 1,260 and inexpensive while boxelder is 720 which probably explains why your thinner masts keep snapping.

 

https://www.precisebits.com/reference/relative_hardness_table.htm

[Jared]

Back at it again.  I found a speciality wood store that had a variery of hardwood dowels of diameters 1/8", 3/16", 1/4 and up.  They were labelled birch or maple.  I was easily able to remake my 3 topgallant masts by turning these on a drill and sanding away carefully and using calipers.  I glued strips of basswood to the base of each mast and sanded them to the required shape, as shown in the photo (the new fore topgallant mast) I not added the fids or top lightning rods yet.

[Rick310]

Jared, nice recovery on repairing your mast.  I too had to repair the top of my mizzen mast , which I snapped off while drilling the holes for the skysail halyard.  This seems to be a common theme among us model ship builders!

I can only imagine what’s going to happen with the spanker boom and jib boom!  I’m already thinking about affixing some kind of a guard for both booms, otherwise it is a certainty that I will snap them off as well!!

You continue to do a great job and you are progressing nicely!

Rick

[ClipperFan]

4 hours ago, Jared said:

Back at it again.  I found a speciality wood store that had a variery of hardwood dowels of diameters 1/8", 3/16", 1/4 and up.  They were labelled birch or maple.  I was easily able to remake my 3 topgallant masts by turning these on a drill and sanding away carefully and using calipers.  I glued strips of basswood to the base of each mast and sanded them to the required shape, as shown in the photo (the new fore topgallant mast) I not added the fids or top lightning rods yet.

@Jared

those dowel masts look very durable. An added benefit will be that they also won't even flex when you rig them. That should result in a more accurate overall look to your replica. Great decision to select tougher wood to model those thinner spars.

[Jared]

Thanks Rick and ClipperFan.  I intend on making the gaffs and all of the other thin spars using the hardwood dowels.  Fortunately only a relatively small diameter the lower diameter spars have been made so far from the basswood so not a lot to remake.

Edited October 12 by Jared

[Jared]

Just completed rigging of the shrouds on the fore top mast section.  It had to be completely handmade on the ship, as the lower and topmasts had already been glued in place.

 

Having done this, I can more fully appreciate Rob's method of rigging the masts off-model.  I can't begin to describe how many times I bumped into the fore lower yard while tying the lanyards and ratlines.  The lower yard lifts, which had already been rigged,  also got in the way.  However, after 2 challenging days, I got it all done.  

Edited October 15 by Jared