HMS Snake by jim_smits - Caldercraft - First Build

[texxn5]

Really nice work Jim.  It looks fantastic.

[Beef Wellington]

Jim - I've also bought a copy of the Rigging period ship models, are you finding it any help at all?  Everything looks very clear in the book, but I must confess I feel a little faint looking at the level of detail in there 'to do it right'.  You're so right that the instructions are not clear in many places and some cases I think misleading.  Trying not to worry about that yet though.  Keep at it, will be following your progress and learning from you.

[jim_smits]

Jason - I think the book Rigging Period Model Ships is probably best used as guidance where the Snake instructions are not clear. I would think that generally rigging is fairly similar and therefore anything that doesnt make sense could be clarified by the book.

 

That said the instructions are a pain in the butt when you discover you needed to add an eyelet to the hull and this is only when you infer it to be there due to the way the rigging seems to be displayed. I know of a few eyelets that I now have to add. It is odd because the basic plans shows some eyelet positions, but not all of them.

 

Trying to make sure I go in very careful order at the moment. So put in place lower mast sections. Add shrouds and then stays. Check forward for any other rigging that must be put in place before the next mast sections are added.

 

Once i've finished my shrouds etc, I may try and sit down and map out the rigging myself......

[jim_smits]

Bit more progress.

 

Added the first four pairs of shrouds to the main mast. Just need to make up the two single shrouds and add them. Also added the stays between the foremast and the bowspirit. Getting the loop and the 'lump' (I don't know the term!) in the right place was quite tricky and ended up being a process of trial and error......

[Beef Wellington]

If I understand you correctly, think the 'lump' you are referring to is a mouse (?)

[jim_smits]

Completed the main mast shrouds and have now added first two pairs to the mizzen mast. Just need to add the two single shrouds.

 

 

In addition I have made my first attempts at ratlines. I created a template for the port side of the foremast, using a piece of paper to draw in the positions of the shrouds and ratlines spaced at even intervals of 5mm.

 

My first attempts were less than satisfactory with too much slack between the shrouds. Eventually managed to get a line that I was happy with. I'm trying to tie in using cow hitches at the ends and clove hitches in between.

 

[drtrap]

Hey Jim, you;re running like the wind.

She's so beautiful !!

[jim_smits]

Couple more ratlines done. I hope I get better, faster etc at this otherwise I may go mad before i'm done.......

 

 

[ModelBoatMaker]

Please could I see a close up photo of the deck eyelets around the masts?

 

Cheers,

 

Pete

[jim_smits]

Please could I see a close up photo of the deck eyelets around the masts?

 

Cheers,

 

Pete

 

Seeing as you asked nicely.....

 

These weren't very obvious from the plans and the eyelets around the main mast clashed with the pumps according to the drawings I had so I made a guess. It may or may not work but we shall see....

[ModelBoatMaker]

Seeing as you asked nicely.....

 

These weren't very obvious from the plans and the eyelets around the main mast clashed with the pumps according to the drawings I had so I made a guess. It may or may not work but we shall see....

Do I detect sarcasm there Jim.... Sorry I should have asked more politely.

 

But Thankyou very much anyway, to be honest i wasn't even 100% sure that those were eyelets around the masts from looking at the plans, do you recommend putting them in sooner rather than later?

 

Cheers,

 

Pete

 

Oh and btw, good progress on the rigging, I remember the shrouds and ratlines taking me AGES on my pickle!...

[jim_smits]

Do I detect sarcasm there Jim.... Sorry I should have asked more politely.

 

But Thankyou very much anyway, to be honest i wasn't even 100% sure that those were eyelets around the masts from looking at the plans, do you recommend putting them in sooner rather than later?

 

Cheers,

 

Pete

 

Oh and btw, good progress on the rigging, I remember the shrouds and ratlines taking me AGES on my pickle!...

 

No sarcasm at all! You said please and everything.

 

I'd recommend putting them in sooner! My masts were in and shrouds attached before I realised making it a very delicate process....!!

[Beef Wellington]

Hi Jim, you definitely seem to be on the downhill stretch now.  Couple of items I've been pondering and couple of questions:

• Did you install any cleats for the various stays (Fore stay and preventer stay, and the main stay and preventer stay).  These seem to be inconsistent between sets of plans and in some cases I'm not sure that they're not just smudges :-)
• I know you commented on the lack of 1.25mm black line which I think are needed for the fore and main stay, is the dyed natural line what you ultimately used in the photos above?  I see CC produce a 1.3mm black line which may be an alternative to dying, but yours cam out looking pretty good, what did you use?
• How did you make your mouse?

Keep up the great work, will be following your progress as you know...meanwhile back to page 5 of the instructions for me, although its more a measure of progress than actually being of assistance to the build

Edited September 13, 2013 by Beef Wellington

[texxn5]

Starting to look like a ship......very nice indeed.

[jim_smits]

Hi Jim, you definitely seem to be on the downhill stretch now.  Couple of items I've been pondering and couple of questions:

• Did you install any cleats for the various stays (Fore stay and preventer stay, and the main stay and preventer stay).  These seem to be inconsistent between sets of plans and in some cases I'm not sure that they're not just smudges :-)
• I know you commented on the lack of 1.25mm black line which I think are needed for the fore and main stay, is the dyed natural line what you ultimately used in the photos above?  I see CC produce a 1.3mm black line which may be an alternative to dying, but yours cam out looking pretty good, what did you use?
• How did you make your mouse?

Keep up the great work, will be following your progress as you know...meanwhile back to page 5 of the instructions for me, although its more a measure of progress than actually being of assistance to the build

 

Hi Jason,

 

I haven't installed any cleats as yet. I guessed there would be some somewhere but haven't encountered them on the plans as of yet. I hope they shouldn't be too bad to install if required.

 

For the 1.25mm line I stained the natural line with watered down black paint. Took a couple of 'dips' as it were but came out ok. Slightly stiffer than before but nothing that is at all noticeable.

 

The mouse was a bit of a cobble together. I tied a knot in the line at the required point (trial and error for position) and then got some 0.75mm thread and wrapped it around, a bit like seizing it I guess. First one wasn't brilliant but went with it and the second one was a little better. I think for my main mast stay I will just attempt to seize a thread around the stay a couple of times and then glue into position.

 

Anyway, thanks for compliments!

[jim_smits]

Ok. Question time!

 

I have added ratlines at every fourth line to help keep the shape of the shrouds, and I have worked my way up to the bar that the catharpins are rigged against. I have glued the bars in place with a bit of CA. Now my query is how have people gone about rigging the catharpins in place?

 

The plans would seem to indicate that they are wrapped around the bar and then seized in place. However, upon trying this it is damn difficult to get the tensions correct without seriously warping the shrouds and also actually getting the seizing to work without it all looking massively out of scale. The rigging book I have has shown that catharpins would actually be created by splicing a loop at each end just short of the bar and the seizing through the loop to the bar with some thinner line.

 

Recommendations would be most welcome!

[normanh]

Looking very tidy Jim

 

Norman

[jim_smits]

Well I've managed to fit the catharpins in place on the foremast shrouds. Seriously fiddly job with fitting them in place and i'm not entirely convinced that it's the neatest job but they're in. Created the catarpins themselves by threading 0.75mm thread through itself to create a spliced loop on each end. 

 

Used a sewing needle to pierce a hole at the required point in the thread.

 

 

Pushed the needle though halfway.

 

 

Then threaded the needle with the thread end.

 

 

Pulled the thread through itself.

 

 

Repeat for the other end, glue the joints with Cement, and trim down the thread a bit.

 

 

Once cement is fully dry then complete trim back.

 

 

I then fitted three of these between the shrouds using a couple of loops of 0.25mm thread.

 

Once in place I then started work on adding futtock shrouds.

 

 

[Beef Wellington]

Very nice job indeed on those catharpins Jim, nice to see the step by step and you seem to have managed to keep everything looking taught which I expect was not easy at all.

 

Hard to see in the photos, how did you attach the deadeyes in the tops to the futtock shrouds?  The instructions seem (again) very light, I can't quite see how this works.  More recent kits seem to have nice brass etch futtock plates to attach to rather than the very simplistic wire strops that seem to have the joint in exactly the wrong place.

[jim_smits]

Very nice job indeed on those catharpins Jim, nice to see the step by step and you seem to have managed to keep everything looking taught which I expect was not easy at all.

 

Hard to see in the photos, how did you attach the deadeyes in the tops to the futtock shrouds?  The instructions seem (again) very light, I can't quite see how this works.  More recent kits seem to have nice brass etch futtock plates to attach to rather than the very simplistic wire strops that seem to have the joint in exactly the wrong place.

 

Thanks Jason!

 

It took far too long to get the catharpins in place! I kept making the length about 5mm too long and then had a senior moment (only 34....) and then made one 10mm too short....

 

The deadeyes at the top of the futtocks are basically the same as the shroud deadeyes ie wrapped 0.75mm thread aroud deadeye and siezed using 0.25mm thread, cemented and trimmed down. I had to sand the gaps in the platform a little bit and it was a tight fit but then threaded the thread through the gap and pulled the deadeye down to the platform.

 

The shroud was then wrapped once around the bar and siezed to the main shrouds. I'll do the port side tonight and take some images during the process so you can see.

[jastrząb]

Thanks for your wonderful and clear tutorial. 

Cheers,

 

Paweł

[texxn5]

Very nice, I hadn't thought of something like this method. I'll have to make a mental note to look back when I get into these areas. Thanks for the pictures.

[jim_smits]

As promised I have installed the port side futtock shrouds.

 

Firstly, as per main shrouds sieze a deadeye using 0.75mm thread and 0.25mm thread and cement.

 

 

Allow to dry and then trim.

 

 

Thread through one of the gaps in the platform.

 

 

Pull down to the seizing.

 

 

Being very careful at this point, pull the seizing through the gap. You may need to remove and sand a little further.

 

 

Thread the trailing length around the bar.

 

 

Pull taut.

 

 

Then seize to the main shrouds ensuring everything remains nice and taut. Cement in place.

 

 

Repeat as necessary!

 

 

 

[texxn5]

Excellent photos of a great "how to" in construction.  Thanks for showing this.

[Beef Wellington]

Thats an elegant solution Jim, I can't find much reference to this step in the instructions but this seems a lot better than trying to us the supplied strops.

[drtrap]

Nice tutor Jim!

Absolutely helpfull

[jim_smits]

Ratlines driving me insane! That is all.....

[texxn5]

I'm enjoying watching your techniques, albeit frustrating and tedious, it really does make your model stand out....the end result is worth it.thanks for the photos showing your "how to's"

[jim_smits]

Ratlines continuing......

 

 

[jim_smits]

I have now upgraded the base for the ship to it's final display base. Ordered a base and a couple of mounting pillars. Had to inset the rear pillar to ensure that the water line was level. Pleased with the result.

 

I have taken a minor break from ratlines to fit the main mast stays. Fitted the main stay to the bowspirit and main mast. Just need to follow up with the preventer stay.