HMS Sphinx 1775 by Hollowneck - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64

[hollowneck]

19 hours ago, glbarlow said:

any progress?

 

Some.

As we all know, life can intervene with our best modeling plans. I have been making steady progress on rigging and I'm going to post some photo updates this weekend (Mar 26/27 - my plan in any event). I hope some of these will be helpful for those who are heading into this later stage of their Sphinx rigged-builds.

 

Thanks for the check-in, Glenn.

I'm doing O.K., but I've been attending to other important parts of personal life these past few weeks, not to mention dealing with the intense distraction of the first major crisis of the 21st Century, and I'm not talking about Covid, or climate change. I can compartmentalize pretty well, but what's going on in the world right now is difficult to process. Here on this International forum, I'm certain I'm not alone in this regard.

 

Because there is a tightly-moderated platform for MSW concerning "political speech," I'll refrain from writing anything more.

 

Thanks to those who've followed my Log and commented or mentioned that it's been helpful to them.

 

Stay tuned, fellow MSWer's who've been watching. HMS Camilla is slowly getting her "wings!"

[hollowneck]

An update...fell out of the saddle for a few days gentlemen, jumped back up. Here's some progress on Camilla's standing rigging, some details on the rope I've chosen to use on this build and a variety of blocks I'm using (some kit, some other sources).

 

 

Bobstays. These stays counterbalanced the immense upward pull on the bowsprit exerted by the fore & main mast stays. Four heavy lines run from the bowsprit to the stem and hull. This shroud rigging has blocks that permit tightening of the lines as they loosen over time.

 

 

The foremast shrouds, futtocks and catharpin lines. The mast wooldings can also be seen in this photo. The catharpins are tied-off to a span of .7mm brass wire tied to the upper shrouds where the futtock shroud lines continue up to the top. No ratlines yet.

 

 

The fiddle blocks for the fore topmast stays are boxwood; I considered dyeing them to match the other pear blocks I'm using throughout but I did't mind using these here for contrast with the many lines in the bowsprit area which will triple in number by the time all are run-in - including the sail management lines. I will also be using these boxwood fiddle blocks for all the yard lifts. I wish these were available in pear, but I'm really not complaining.

 

 

A close-up of a lashed and mounted fiddle block at the stem. These tackle blocks have two sheaves of different diameters adjacent to one another contained in a solid wooden shell and not side-by-side as in a double block.

 

 

Here are the "fiddlestacks" - the three piece layered boxwood patterns to make-up the fiddle blocks. This clever approach to fabricating these essential blocks works really well but does require a lot of handwork to assemble and prep before they can be employed. After being (carefully) glued, all the sheave holes need to be drilled through for the rigging rope. The multiple rope line "channels" need to be delicately filed to accommodate the various sizes of rigging. These mini-kits are from SyrenShipModels and I recall two available sizes. The 9/32" size comes close to the 5 & 3 mm sizes specified in the kit's rigging plans for making the yard lift double blocks as well as the stay lines. The kit provides simulated fiddle blocks as "singles" (lash a 3 & 5mm together) but assembling them is a real pain in the...

 

 

Little fiddlers with nice detail. One needs to drill them out after hand sanding all the edges and rope channels. I would also call this very "fiddly" work...but worth it. The  built-up block's mid-section also needs to be sanded so a lashing rope can tie it to the main running line.

 

 

Deadeye rigging on the seven (7) foremast shrouds. The shroud spreader (1.5mm X 1 mm pear strip) is lashed to the shrouds after the deadeyes are tied-off. Tricky to achieve, one needs to shoot for an even spacing across all these blocks. I have a simple bent brass wire jig that holds the deadeyes in place temporarily while the shroud is being tied in place.

 

 

 

Catharpins. Fun word to say! These lines below the tops pull all the shrouds taut, port and starboard, and align them along the plane of the keel when properly aligned. The shrouds are quite taut when this is done properly which makes tying the myriad of ratlines much easier. No, I haven't forgotten the Burton pendants! I run all these after the stays and shrouds are completed.

 

 

 

A clear view of the foremast shrouds with a spreader lashed to them. I use a lighter brown, .01mm polyester upholstery thread for nearly all lashings of lines. 

 

 

The blocks shown here for the mainmast stay lines (Main & Preventer) - open and closed hearts - are provided in the kit and similar to my fiddle block assemblies ( the lighter colored boxwood block in the foreground) in that you fabricate them with a three layered pattern, identical to the previous explanation for the fiddle blocks. They also require some careful sanding to break the edges and deepen the rope grooves for the heavier stays.

 

 

The main mast shroud and stay rigging started. The stays are held in place by a "mouse," the round items just under the tops; in actual use these were complex, tapered rope assemblies that acted as stoppers for the looped end of the stay line. The ones in the kit are shiny plastic jewelry beads. They work o.k., but you'll need to paint them with a flat black paint to avoid the plasticky look. For previous models I've made these with a small length of thin dowel that I drilled through and then sanded with a conical taper. After the crow's feet and other running rigging lines are mounted, these stoppers are barely visible. Upper shrouds come next.

 

 

The Big(ger) Picture: coming together and starting to look like a sailing ship!

 

 

Main Stay rigging. The Main Preventer lashes to the foremast and is seen in the upper right corner of the photo.

 

 

Oops. I hate it when this happens... I accidentally smeared some glue on an upper shroud line and to remove it I tried using a handheld flame (barbeque lighter) and ZAP!!  - it removed the glue for sure, but it also burned through the line. This will be repaired of course, but not without a lot of slaps to my forehead...DOH! I'll never do that again. This was a glue removal "trick" I witnessed by another modeler who made it work without torching his rope.

 

 

I'm rigging with a new rope source: very nicely made, triple strand cotton rope. Minimal unraveling. These are just two of the main sizes for my shroud rigging. I have several other sizes for other rigging areas, in both the 'tarred" (Dark Brown) lines and the running hemp (Beige) lines.

 

Although polyester rope looks less "fuzzy," I still prefer real cotton rope for principal rigging. Polyester rope from other sources is somewhat "shiny" and is also harder to work with since it's also "slippery." However, this said, I've used a very nice looking beige polyester rope on this build's safety lines on stanchions and hammock cranes. These lines are easy to afix so working with the polyester isn't an issue.

 

Also, the slightly hairy look on some rope lines is a non-issue - unless, of course, the cotton rope is so worn it becomes an apparent distraction - something that isn't typical with our sailing ship models. If you've ever been on a real sailing ship with real hemp rope lines (not synthetic), you'll see that the rope is actually a little "fuzzy."

 

 

A mounted shroud cleat, one of seven for the fore mast shrouds. Note the top and bottom lashing points. I glue the cleat first with a miniscule drop of CA to hold it in place (with a tweezers), then tie-off with brown upholstery thread.

 

 

The red arrow points to the required blocks for all the yard lifts (sixteen required). The plans show making these from two separate blocks. A single fiddle block solution is better, more accurate.

 

 

Edited March 26, 2022 by hollowneck

[Theodosius]

wow...

 

[SUBaron]

That is some darn good modelling right there. I've just completed shaping my masts, spars, etc., and will soon be ready for rigging. This is truly inspirational!

[hollowneck]

On 4/4/2022 at 5:55 PM, SUBaron said:

That is some darn good modelling right there. I've just completed shaping my masts, spars, etc., and will soon be ready for rigging. This is truly inspirational!

Thanks! Appreciate it!

It does make me feel good that looking at my photos (and perhaps reading some of my long-winded text), can inspire.

Inspire & perspire. They do go hand-in-hand.

 

For Age of Sail modelers, one either looks forward to the masting & rigging stages, or one hates it. Clearly, this stage involves an entirely different skill set, good close vision acuity as well as fine motor skills - plus - specialized tools and progress measured by one line of rope at a time which makes "progress" – at times, feel never ending.

 

I'm frequently asked about the rigging when someone looks at my models. The question that is invariably asked: "How long did that take you." Lately, I've taken to responding with: "A lifetime," implying that the skills needed don't come immediately, nor easily. After our hobby's "in-joke," I will seriously estimate my invested time for a particular model, measured in months, usually.

 

There are no manic deadlines in our hobby (typically), so timeframes aren't very important for most hobbyists (pro model makers is another matter). This said, after years of doing this hobby, I like to keep my time investment in any given model (including my dioramas) to not more than 9 months to one year.

 

As the C&W song chorus belts out:  "That's my story and I'm stick'in to it..."

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by hollowneck

[hollowneck]

A few more photos of HMS Camilla's rigging progress.

Rigging fixed. In my previous post I showed how I tried to cleverly remove some random glue from a rope with a handheld lighter; it torched the line, burnt it. Sacré Bleu! Non-reparable. So, I stripped-off the line that consists of two leads wrapped around the upper post head at the crosstrees and started over. I'll never do that again.

A lot to see in this photo of the foremast rigging. At the bottom of the photo, the catharpins are laced and tied to the intersection with the futtock shrouds. The resulting tension created with this rigging step is quite critical to get right. All shroud lines on the foremast are now completed, upper and lower. The large single block holds the main topmast stay that descends to the base of the foremast. Setting each of these stay lines is a tricky business to achieve the right balance for line tension. With standing rigging, one needs to constantly double-check the alignment in three planes as well as insure that all the lines are taut - without skewing the angles of the mast components unnecessarily.

Another detail in this photo: I will mount the guardrail and remaining stanchions AFTER all the stays are run (including backstays). There are several lines that terminate to the small eyebolts at the aft area of this top. Mounting the guardrail (and its rope netting) too early makes attaching the subsequent rigging to the top's eyebolts very difficult.

Tying-off the main stay topmast violin block. These one-piece blocks are much easier to rig than attempting to tie two separate blocks together - particularly at this smaller scale. This detail is shown to illustrate the usefulness of the "QuadHands" tool for rigging. Here, two of the four flexible extension arms firmly hold the block and the rope in-place. The extensions reach almost 15 inches high from their base. This is very handy in many rigging spots. Here, this double block provides leverage to the lines secured at the base of the foremast; the rig is designed to tighten the stay line that runs upward through a large block at the tophead and then across to the main mast. The same rigging set-up will also apply to the adjacent Mainmast Preventer stay to the opposite side of the foremast.

 

There are many different approaches to rigging processes by age-of-sail modelers and all of them are correct - as long as the result is neat and accurate - with all lines appropriately taut (or not). This consideration is very important when one adds sails to their model. Assuming a model's sails are mounted as "working sails," some running lines will be very taut, others, not.

Another photo showing the utility of the QuadHands jig. Pretty self-explanatory. In the bottom left corner, a spool of my Coats & Clark dark brown upholstery thread. I use this thread extensively for tying-off blocks and lashing lines. It is a polyester thread and not likely to come undone once secured. I've used this thread for all my models and so far (knock...knock...), so good: no loosened or unwound rigging lines- yet.

Edited April 24, 2022 by hollowneck
spelling

[druxey]

Ow! Like burning down the house to get rid of a spider.... You were lucky not to ignite the whole ship. Glad you were able to repair battle damage. Another great reason to use PVA: it can be easily dissolved in rubbing alcohol. As long as you keep open flame away from it!

[hollowneck]

7 minutes ago, druxey said:

Ow! Like burning down the house to get rid of a spider.... You were lucky not to ignite the whole ship. Glad you were able to repair battle damage. Another great reason to use PVA: it can be easily dissolved in rubbing alcohol. As long as you keep open flame away from it!

Yep, druxey. A bonehead move. I usually have a bottle of alcohol handy too. Will an 18 yo single malt Dalwhinnie work?

[Nipper]

14 hours ago, hollowneck said:

A few more photos of HMS Camilla's rigging progress.

Rigging fixed. In my previous post I showed how I tried to cleverly remove some random glue from a rope with a handheld lighter; it torched the line, burnt it. Sacré Bleu! Non-reparable. So, I stripped-off the line that consists of two leads wrapped around the upper post head at the crosstrees and started over. I'll never do that again.

A lot to see in this photo of the foremast rigging. At the bottom of the photo, the catharpins are laced and tied to the intersection with the futtocks. The resulting tension created with this rigging step is quite critical to get right. All shroud lines on the foremast are now completed, upper and lower. The large single block holds the mainmast stay that descends to the base of the foremast. Setting each of these stay lines is a tricky business to achieve the right balance for line tension. With standing rigging, one needs to constantly double-check the alignment in three planes as well as insure that all the lines are taut- without skewing the angles of the mast components unnecessarily.

Another detail in this photo: I will mount the guardrail and remaining stanchions AFTER all the stays are run (including backstays). There are several lines that terminate to the small eyebolts at the aft area of this top. Mounting the guardrail (and its rope netting) too early makes attaching the subsequent rigging to the eyebolts very difficult.

Tying-off the Mainstay violin block. These one-piece blocks are much easier to rig than attempting to tie two separate blocks together - particularly at this smaller scale. This detail is shown to illustrate the usefulness of the "QuadHands" tool for rigging. Here, two of the four flexible extension arms firmly hold the block and the rope in-place. The extensions reach almost 15 inches high from their base. This is very handy in many rigging spots. Here, this double block provides leverage to the lines secured at the base of the foremast; the rig is designed to tighten the mainstay line that runs upward through a large block at the tophead and then across to the main mast. The same rigging set-up will also apply to the adjacent Mainmast Preventer stay to the opposite side of the foremast.

 

There are many different approaches to rigging processes by age-of-sail modelers and all of them are correct - as long as the result is neat and accurate - with all lines appropriately taut (or not). This consideration is very important when one adds sails to their model. Assuming a model's sails are mounted as "working sails," some running lines will be very taut, others, not.

Another photo showing the utility of the QuadHands jig. Pretty self-explanatory. In the bottom left corner, a spool of my Coats & Clark dark brown upholstery thread. I use this thread extensively for tying-off blocks and lashing lines. It is a polyester thread and not likely to come undone once secured. I've used this thread for all my models and so far (knock...knock...), so good: no loosened or unwound rigging lines- yet.

Ron

 

What thickness is the upholstery thread that you are using?  I'm using some fly-tying thread for my model but it's too fine and difficult to handle.  Presumably you have other colours for e.g. running rigging?

 

Nipper

[hollowneck]

On 4/23/2022 at 4:34 AM, Nipper said:

Ron

 

What thickness is the upholstery thread that you are using?  I'm using some fly-tying thread for my model but it's too fine and difficult to handle.  Presumably you have other colours for e.g. running rigging?

 

Nipper

The upholstery thread I'm using is .20mm or .008 thick. I previously said it is polyester. This is wrong, it's nylon.

 

I'm using a "Beige" color rope for my running rigging; I'll use five different thicknesses when I get to this stage. The beige color resembles natural hemp. You can see this rope and its color in my deadeye rigging ropes as well as the ropes for the hammock cranes.

Edited April 25, 2022 by hollowneck
grammar

[hollowneck]

Onward...incremental progress, but progress nonetheless!

A do-over for the mainstay tackle at the bow.

I'd used an open heart block previously at the bowsprit end and have changed this to a closed heart. At the same time I substantially increased the diameter of the rope that holds this block and then descends around the base of the bowsprit into the stem. This is a much better solution for this critical mast support. In addition, I made the beefed-up rope run between the foremost timberheads (bollards). Previously, my rope from the heart block was on the outside of these timbers - and this was clearly wrong. Thanks to druxey for pointing these details out to me, a man who certainly knows his ropes.🤗

The tackle rigging for the mainmast's topmast stay. The topmast Preventer stay will be rigged to the opposite side of the foremast in a similar arrangement. When my alcohol-based W & N promarker color pens arrive (soon, I hope) I'll carefully attempt to color these boxwood blocks. Better to do this BEFORE rigging I realize, however...there are plenty more that await coloring. I'll see how this coloring of boxwood works out (burnt sienna); my experience is that the density of boxwood requires more than one application.

 

Another view of the tackle rigging fall line dressed to a belaying pin at the base of the starboard foremast. Once all the rigging is dressed to their proper locations (chocks, blocks, bitts, belaying pins, etc.), I'll add various sizes of coiled rope hanks that will be prepped off the model.

 

In this close-up I noticed the mast coat has popped-up from the deck. This likely happened due to movement by the mast during its rigging. I'll squeeze a tiny drop of glue under the edge, push it down.

 

Had I not taken these specific close-up photos I may not have noticed this! For reference, most of my rigging closeups are approximately 600 to 800% enlargements of the actual model size.

Edited April 23, 2022 by hollowneck
grammar

[glbarlow]

Are you following the rigging plan for blocks and rope sizes or a different one?

[hollowneck]

21 hours ago, glbarlow said:

Are you following the rigging plan for blocks and rope sizes or a different one?

The quick answer is that I'm referring to Chris' plans as well as relying on past experience of rigging similar 18th-century Royal Navy warships.

 

You'll see in my last post that I re-rigged the main mast stay, because following the instructions and plans in the kit - was in error. This involved both an incorrect block as well as rope size. Generally, the sequence of rigging is my own although the provided plans are always helpful. As I proceed to rig, I use a marker to highlight a rope line once it's completed. This helps to visualize what has been accomplished and what remains.

 

I've also substituted nearly all the kit's blocks with upgraded versions, typically falling in the range of 3- 5mm. My posts that explain why I use violin blocks is pretty self-explanatory: these blocks are NOT furnished in the kit. I also rarely use any of the rigging "thread" provided. When substituting real rope I generally downsize by one incremental step; e.g. a plan calls for 1 mm dia. rope, I use the next available thickness, which is .8mm typically. This also depends on my choice of rope vendor now. I do this "downsizing" throughout the rigging process and you've likely spotted these minor changes that deviate from Chris' plans. Many of the upgraded blocks will not easily accommodate the plan-specified thicker rope sizes either.

Edited April 24, 2022 by hollowneck
grammar

[hollowneck]

Rigged the crowsfeet to the foremast.

PLEASE IGNORE THIS PARTICULAR PHOTO'S INACCURATE ADVICE! (jump to the next thread in this log). BUT THE OTHER TWO PHOTOS BELOW ARE HELPFUL.

 

Rigging the crowsfeet can be tricky. Before running the continuous, laced line into the top and down to the euphroe block, I start with securing the euphroe tackle to the stay (see closeup and description of this below). After lashing the two blocks with their lines to the euphroe, I position both on the stay and temporarily clip them into place do they don't slide around when subsequently tensioning the lines from the euphroe to the top.

 

To determine how much line to allow for the crowsfeet, measure down to the eurphroe block from the edge of the top and multiply this length by the number of holes you'll feed the rope to the top. I add another 2 or 3 inches. In this example, I had a total rope length of approximately 42." There were twelve runs to the top. The distance from the euphroe lashing is about 8-10 feet from the stay to the edge of the top. This will be a long run of rope that can easily get fouled in other parts of your model. Proceed appropriately.

 

My crowsfeet line is "beige" (natural hemp color) line that is nominally .20mm dia. This is roughly equivalent to 1/2" diameter rope at full scale. 

 

For reference, the main propose for the crowsfeet was to protect the foot of the topsail from becoming worn and fouled on the tops.

 

In the above photo, I've indicated the beginning sequence to this rigging, starting with the line entering the hole on the top at exactly the midpoint (in this case, the first hole to port, close to center), the Red arrow. Tie a stopper knot in the line after it is pulled through the top's hole so it stays secure for the balance of the rigging. You can trim this down after the full run is completed.

 

Next, run this line to and through the FIRST hole at the closest end of the euphroe block (white arrow). Now, run the line back up to the top to the first hole on the starboard side, UNDER and through it (the yellow arrow). The balance of this "lacing" is straightforward, running in sequence, alternating port-to-starboard and along the top, filling all the holes in the euphroe.

 

Once the line is fully rigged, you'll likely need to even-up the tension across this array of lines; I use my needle point tweezers to finesse this step. You want these lines to be taut but not so much that the mast stay is pulled upward from too much tension exerted by the euphroe tackle lines.

 

Here, I'm showing how I use a small flashlight to illuminate the tiny holes in the top from my hand position above it. The crowsfeet rigging progresses upward, under the top  - trying to poke a .20mm diameter rope into the holes is an exercise in extreme patience, particularly when the top is painted black! The light shining downward helps immensely to see where the rope needs to enter upward through the tiny holes. I use my needlepoint tweezers for this task.

 

TIP: Don't try to rig crowsfeet without making the end of the rigging rope stiff with glue first - just a tiny amount ( I use CA) so you create a "needle" point on the end. You'll trim this glue-hardened end off later.

BEFORE you start threading the lines between the top and the euphroe block, secure the euphroe tackle at two points as shown in this photo. I use my smallest alligators to hold the lines in place. This keeps the assembly from slipping upward from tension on the rigged euphroe block, and, if not secured - TEMPORARILY - you'll wrestle with attempts to get the proper results that the rigging process requires.

 

Once you've tied-off the full crowsfeet run to the top, you can remove these clips and affix the best position of the two tackle lines on the stay and apply a drop of glue so the tie points don't move or slacken: you may need to "slide" these tie points up or down a couple millimeters to accomplish the best tautness to the lines.

 

For reference, these two tackle blocks are 3 mm single sheave, pear. The line is the same .20mm line used for the crowsfeet.

Edited April 26, 2022 by hollowneck
grammar

[Blue Ensign]

Your Crowsfeet look nice and taut Ron, but can you clarify if the method of reeving is one of your simplifications?

I don't think I recognise the double looping of the line through the rim top holes, effective, but not necessarily authentic as far as I know.

 

Regards,

 

B.E.

 

 

 

[hollowneck]

8 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

Your Crowsfeet look nice and taut Ron, but can you clarify if the method of reeving is one of your simplifications?

I don't think I recognise the double looping of the line through the rim top holes, effective, but not necessarily authentic as far as I know.

 

Regards,

 

B.E.

 

 

 

Indeed, my method is inaccurate, but not a simplification, per se; I used way too much rope and thus, this rigging reeving turned into a jury-rig. After consulting the following principal references I have for rigging, I'm up for ANOTHER re-do.

Good eye, B.E.: it doesn't quite look right to me either. Thank You.

 

Here's my solution, some background for thread readers:

The standard reference for rigging, James Lees. The "Bible."

James Lees, Pgs 44-45. Rigging to the Foremast.

This is the only pictorial reference for crowsfeet rigging in the entire 212 page tome, which the text explains "...It [crowsfeet] ceased to be generally used by the end of the eighteenth century." The text does give a written explanation how to accomplish this artistry, but I found it confusing, even though I've done this rigging several times in my ship modeling life.

Basically, for the foremast, I invented my own, semi-accurate solution. The English have a saying for this: "that's not cricket!"....so...in the next photo, my Dear Watson, I'll show you the evidence for a more accurate solution to fixing (undoing) my unique (call it "creative") method for rigging!

"Elementary, Mr. Neilson, Elementary." This photo from Lennarth Petersson's  Rigging Period Ship Models book (page 15), is my "go-to" main visual reference for rigging, including its extensive information on sails, their configurations, rigging and excellent info on belaying.

 

You can see in Petersson a pretty clear depiction on how to go about accomplishing crowsfeet reeving. This procedure will apply to all three mast tops on my Camilla.

Why I ignored this clearly illustrated reference I can only chalk up to "a senior moment."

 

I'll fix my erroneous foremast crowsfeet rigging tonight, after an Eastern Conference NBA playoff game.

 

Thanks again, B.E. for the sharp eye and the gentle query into my rigging madness.

Where would I - we all - be without Model Ship World?!😳

Edited April 26, 2022 by hollowneck
grammar/spelling

[druxey]

And yes, that it the right way to go about it. Use the thinnest line you can: I've used fine fly-tying brown line 6/0. usually crowsfeet look too clumsy on models.

[hollowneck]

40 minutes ago, druxey said:

And yes, that it the right way to go about it. Use the thinnest line you can: I've used fine fly-tying brown line 6/0. usually crowsfeet look too clumsy on models.

Thanks druxey. I believe I have some .10 mm rope, hopefully enough to do all my tops!

I neglected to mention in this topic that I have yet another important, accurate reference for rigging...😬

[Blue Ensign]

You’ve got it Ron, 👍 and 0.1mm line is about spot on for Crowsfeet, equates to 3/4” circ. line.

 

B.E.

[glbarlow]

Here's an example of one of those clumsy efforts done 12 years ago on my Pegasus (and long before I knew of Syren rope) along with the now no longer made Warner blocks.

 

[hollowneck]

4 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

Here's an example of one of those clumsy efforts done 12 years ago on my Pegasus (and long before I knew of Syren rope) along with the now no longer made Warner blocks.

Thanks, Glenn. I confess I rigged my HMS Swan's (neé Pegasus) crowsfeet correctly. Why I didn't look closer at how I accomplished this years ago, is beyond me.

I used old-school Warner blocks too. They are still beautiful looking IMHO.

For kit building, there have been dramatic changes to the aftermarket for our hobby in just a few short years, accelerated by our MSW forum.

 

[hollowneck]

32 minutes ago, Blue Ensign said:

You’ve got it Ron, 👍 and 0.1mm line is about spot on for Crowsfeet, equates to 3/4” circ. line.

Thanks, B.E. Yeah, 0.10mm rope will be like what I envision its like for fly-tying fishing lures, as druxey has advised!

Mmmmm... smoked rainbow trout.

[Theodosius]

This rigging will be first class!

[hollowneck]

Back at it following the Annual Joint Clubs Northeast Ship Model Conference in New London, CT. Great models to see. Good attendance on a beautiful day at the beachfront venue.

 

Here is an update I made on HMS Camilla just before I hit the road to New London.

A better result with thinner rope for the crowsfeet - and a redux on the "over-under" threading required that avoids the doubling of the lines I'd previously rigged. I'm happy this has been straightened-out - thanks to B.E. & druxey who helped me to re-focus on my work. BTW: those small blocks that rig the euphroe block to the stay are 2.5mm pear singles.

My promarker, alcohol-based coloring pens arrived and I immediately tried them out on some boxwood violin blocks and pear belaying pins. The color, raw sienna, is the darkest in the 5-piece "brown range" set I bought. I used both marker tips: the flat, wedged "sharpie" point and the "pencil tip" point. The belaying pins only needed one pass of the coloring whereas the blocks needed two to achieve a nice "chestnut-like" reddish sheen. Boxwood is a more tightly-grained hardwood than Swiss pear and therefore needs more than one color pass.

Taking a small break from rigging, I'm now testing some paint colors for the ship's 24' yawl. The clinker-styled boat is the one I purchased from Vanguard and not provided in the Sphinx kit. Here, the resin boat has been primer painted in Titanium white with two coats from the Liquitex pro series rattle can. Not easily seen in this photo is the off-white color of this paint which may suffice for the boat's finished hull exterior.

 

The thin brown line at the boat's transom is a test for color. This matches quite well with the pear wood pieces that will be added, namely the thwarts and aft seating. There are quite a few choices of internal boat components that are provided in the kit. Some of these will be brass P/E, the remainder in lasered pear.

 

I'm only building one boat for my model so I'll pick n' choose the components that will best fit this 3D resin print. The kit includes a full, three boat complement in pear and thus there is quite a large selection of very detailed bits n' pieces to make all the ship's boats quite convincing, right down to tiny oar locks and decorative boards. As this mini-project develops I'll post photos, of course.

 

Most builder's of this kit will opt to build all three pear boats provided and array them across her midships on the skids. I'm just not one of them.

 

At this writing I'm seriously considering airbrushing a custom color mix for the boat's interior before I add the P/E and laser etched pear details.

 

One other detail: the walnut dowel behind the boat lying across the beams is a 'test' piece for adding a spare topmast that's on my checklist. I'll make this piece when I get started on Camilla's yards since I'll be spending time on my Proxxon mini-lathe making them.

 

Another view of the boat, prime coat painted. This view better shows the nice clinker'd hull and the ribs. Once completed, I'll leave the boat in this upright position, strapped down across the skid beams.

This photo shows two brass deadeye rigging jigs in position for shroud tying. The shroud line pair (main topmast) has been cut to length and seated around the tophead crosstrees and brought down to the top's deadeye and brass jigs. Once wrapped around one brass leg (on the right side) to hold the shroud line in-place, I've left a small length to wrap a deadeye and it's subsequent lashing. The grey-tipped alligator holds the shroud securely in position as the opposite end of the line is wrapped around the deadeye's channel (on the left). After pulling the shroud line fairly taut, I lash the first of three lashings with the brown upholstery thread I use for nearly all my line lashings. Just the first tie-off is shown here. This lashing line will subsequently wrap 5 or 6 turns and then be tied-off.

 

The shroud line to the deadeye is also held in place by a second alligator clip to maintain tautness. Once the shroud's left deadeye is secured, the line around the right brass jig is wrapped around a second deadeye placed on the jig; once the spacing is evened-up, the shroud is secured with it's lashings.

 

This set of brass wire jigs have sharpened, tapered tips so they can easily slide into the miniscule holes in the 3 mm diameter deadeyes. For the larger deadeyes at the channels I use slightly thicker and lengthier brass jig sets of the same configuration that provide wider spacing between the deadeyes.

A gull's-eye view of progress on Camilla and my out-of-control work surface!

A view from the stem.

The mizzen shrouds await.

 

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by hollowneck
grammar,spelling,more info

[druxey]

Now, those are crowsfeet! Well done. At the risk of being a pain, can you shape them mouses a little more mouse-like?

 

(Hint: stays go over the shrouds. See photo.)

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by druxey

[hollowneck]

54 minutes ago, druxey said:

Now, those are crowsfeet! Well done. At the risk of being a pain, can you shape them mouses a little more mouse-like?

 

(Hint: stays go over the shrouds. See photo.)

Thanks, druxey.

Now that I've properly dealt with a talkative avian (two more circling about), another pest crawls out of my woodwork: mice.

Where there's one, there's more!

Hmmmm...let me think about this. No Pain. No Gain?

[Blue Ensign]

She's looking impressive Ron, and those crowsfeet are a great improvement. I do agree with Druxey those mouses could use a little fettlin'. I make mine out of styrene tubing covered with  netting from ladies tights which gives the woven look.

Example from my Alert build.

 

I will be interested to see your boat completed, I assume it is the Yawl you are including on the deck.

 

Regards,

 

B.E.

 

ps. On second thoughts re-doing the mouses would involve re-rigging the the stays, but as Druxey says they would sit atop the shrouds in the usual fashion, but maybe an adjustment too far for you.

Edited May 3, 2022 by Blue Ensign

[hollowneck]

11 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

She's looking impressive Ron, and those crowsfeet are a great improvement. I do agree with Druxey those mouses could use a little fettlin'. I make mine out of styrene tubing covered with  netting from ladies tights which gives the woven look.

Thank you, B.E. My "mice" can be improved, and this isn't difficult to re-do. However, will you please give me a pointer - or two - on how to fashion the tapered styrene tubing so that it becomes conically-shaped. I've used dowel, drilled thro' and tapered with sanding to fashion better looking "mouses" for previous models, so indeed I can do better. I'm curious if your tubing method will yield a better result and be easier to make? 

 

Your layering of "ladies hosiery" looks very effective from what I can see; I have several daughters (and granddaughters) who can help me out with this supply chain!

 

However, as you've suggested, re-rigging my stays to pass over my shrouds is too far to go at this stage. 

 

Camilla's ship's boat will indeed be a yawl, the 24', 3D printed resin one I purchased from Vanguard. I'll follow the kit's instructions (mostly) on the various pieces needed to outfit the resin boat.

[Blue Ensign]

Hello Ron,

Rather than clutter up your log if you care to look at my Pegasus log (link below) and go to Page 6 Post #171 covering the Main stay, there are full details with photos of how I made the mouses.

There are also details on my Cutter Alert log page 8 post #223

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

B.E.

[hollowneck]

12 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

Hello Ron,

Rather than clutter up your log if you care to look at my Pegasus log (link below) and go to Page 6 Post #171 covering the Main stay, there are full details with photos of how I made the mouses.

There are also details on my Cutter Alert log page 8 post #223

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

B.E.

Hello B.E.- many thanks for taking time to identify some info from your past Build Logs. I'll visit both. Much appreciated.

Now - off to build a better Mouse (trap)!