HMS Leopard 1790 by Bluto - FINISHED - 1:80 - 50 gun ship - PoB

[toms10]

Hi Jim,

Rigging just adds another dimension to a model.  Looks really good.  I found in my last build that one of the fun things about rigging is as you mentioned above, there is variation in every ship as to exactly where every line needs to be.  Trick is to put them all in a place where they can all "function"  with each other.  As for the bees wax... I found it a must.

Tom

[Bluto 1790]

Thanks for the comments and likes.

 

A little progress.  Mizzen stay made off to the main mast and a start on the main shrouds >>>

The 2 black 'ropes' hanging loosely behind the main mast are shrouds number 6 for each side  of the main still waiting to be attached.

 

The line hanging over the mizzen topmast top is the mizzen topgallant halliard. At it's fixed end it is attached to a block which is attached to the topside of the mizzen top platform. When I looked at Petersson's rigging plan it seemed to me that block would have been extremely difficult to fit into the very tight space available on that platform, so I fitted it to the platform while the platform was still off the mast.

I had already fitted the first 2 pairs of shrouds to the main when I realised that I hadn't made and fitted the Burton pendants. I made the two pairs (Burton pendants) and managed to get them squeezed down through the shrouds and secured in position over the masthead and bolsters.

The upper jeer blocks have been attached to the masthead for some time.

I had a lengthy respiratory infection and was staying away from making any sawdust for a while. That's why there have only been the main and mizzen lower and topmasts making an appearance on and off the ship for some time. I've been back at my makeshift lathe and the fore lower mast is now in position.

 

 

[toms10]

Hi Jim,

She is really come to life with the addition of the masts.  Glad to hear you are feeling better.  Keep up the good work.

Tom

[popeye the sailor]

rigging looks great so far Jim.....really nice work!

[Bluto 1790]

Thanks for the comments and the likes.

 

Not a lot of progress since my last posting, partly due to a hand injury.  I'm right-handed and the injury was to my left hand, but it's amazing how many daily routine things are so much more difficult when the 'other hand' is not working properly!

 

The main shrouds are now in place although the deadeye lanyards are still to be made off properly >>>

Now that I'm at the rigging stage I really don't know in what order things should be done, so I'm kinda making it up as I go along.  I'm trying to think ahead and imagining what snags may lie in wait if I do "X" before "Y" - - - or if I do "Y" before "X".

In any case, since the mizzen stay was in place I felt that there may be some intrusive rigging in the way if I left it to later to rig the crow's foot of the mizzen top so I made the euphroe and went ahead and rigged it >>>

That main top that is lying on the Q/deck should soon find its way up onto the main trestletrees/crosstrees as soon as I finish attaching the blocks to the underside of the crosstrees. They're still off the ship as it seems to be taking forever to fit them pesky blocks! . . . I'm just glad that I didn't fit the crosstrees first and then attempt to fit the blocks afterwards . . . !

I'll soon have to be fitting the bowsprit as the main stay and preventer both originate on there . . . I'm just trying to delay as long as possible having those long, vulnerable things sticking way out in front of the ship.

Edited September 11, 2017 by Bluto 1790

[Bluto 1790]

More knots have been tied and more bits of wood added.

 

The wooden bits are the foremast which is now properly fixed as is the bowsprit which I needed in order to get the main stay and preventer rigged.  

Here the main stay is looped around the masthead and the lower end is just looped inside the heart block at the bowsprit end and held by a clip.

Main stay and preventer now rigged.  At this point I was quite happy with the gap between both of these stays >>> 

I wanted these stays in position as I wanted to do the snaking before even thinking about rigging the foremast shrouds ~  I didn't want to be messing with trying to do the snaking behind all those shrouds.

 

Here, in the pic below, the snaking is done but the stays are a little closer together that I would have liked.  There is no tension in the snaking -- I made efforts to ensure that I wasn't pulling the stays together but somehow they are a bit closer that I had hoped for >>>

I have to say that I'm pleased that I did the snaking as I found it quite tricky even in the "open space" I had to work in. I think it would have been much more of a nightmare if I had waited until the foremast shrouds were in place.

 

The crows foot of the main top has also been rigged. (The main top platform is now eventually a permanent part of the mast!)>>>

Edited September 22, 2017 by Bluto 1790

[leginseel]

Superb work Jim, your attention to detail is amazing.  BTW the snaking looks great.

[toms10]

Jim,

Looking fantastic. I am looking to your build as an inspiration to what I hope someday mine will become.  Keep up the good work.

Tom

[Bluto 1790]

Thanks for your comments, Nigel and Tom, and to the others for the likes.

 

The main and mizzen shroud lanyards are eventually made off and the excess trimmed.

Since the bowsprit is now in position I rigged the bowsprit shrouds and bobstays.

In the pic above the boomkins are dry-rigged just to check the fit.  They won't be staying there until the time comes when I'll have to fit them. They look so fragile and vulnerable sticking out the front and they're now back in the 'safe box'.

(The 'safe box' is so safe that a few things that have been hiding in there for a while are no longer 'findable'  and I have had to make replacements -- I have no idea where the originals went!)

O.K. ~ I'll be off now, I think I hear the foremast shrouds calling . . . . .

 

Edited September 30, 2017 by Bluto 1790

[Derek C]

Looks real nice Bluto

[Bluto 1790]

Thanks for the comment, Derek, and to the others for the likes.

 

I was right in my remark at the end of my previous post ~ I DID hear the foremast shrouds calling . . . and they kept me busy for a couple of weeks. I have to say I'm glad that I've now got all the lower mast shrouds in place as I was finding it a bit tedious. On a really good night I would get 4 shrouds (2 each side) done but on 'normal' nights it was more like 2 shrouds. (there are 22 on the fore lower mast)

 

Deadeye lanyards waiting for the fore stay and preventer before being finally tensioned and trimmed.

 

In order to relieve the tedium of  the shrouds I diverted to a few other projects. I made the basic platform of the fore top, had a go at rigging the port side cat tackle and assembled an anchor. OK ~ as with the deadeyes and most of the blocks, I cheated with the anchors -- I bought over-the-counter items instead of trying to make my own. The ones I got are quite acceptable and probably better that I would have made myself.

The cat tackle  >>>

Here's what comes in the anchor kit >>>

The only thing I found a bit tricky was getting that brass rod to bend into an acceptable round ring.

. . . and then having some fun trying to serve the ring >>>

Still have the bandings to be fitted to the stock.

Edited October 15, 2017 by Bluto 1790

[toms10]

OK ~ as with the deadeyes and most of the blocks, I cheated with the anchors -- I bought over-the-counter items instead of trying to make my own. The ones I got are quite acceptable and probably better that I would have made myself.

 

Jim,

There is no such thing as cheating.  I like to think of it as using the available resources to fit your needs and accomplish the goal.  I would think in our cases the goal is making an eye pleasing piece as a result of a hobby interest.  You certainly have met the goal.

Tom

[Beef Wellington]

Catching up Jim, everything looks really good especially the rigging.  Which manufacturer made the anchor kit from? -  it looks well formed and very clean.

 

Just noticed you're in Edinburgh, I used to live in a tiny flat on St Stephen St in Stockbridge many years ago.

[Bluto 1790]

Hi Tom,

" There is no such thing as cheating.  I like to think of it as using the available resources to fit your needs and accomplish the goal." ~ I don't really have a guilt complex about the bought items!  - - - it's just my way of saying these items weren't scratch made!

 

Jason,

The anchor is a Caldercraft item.  I don't know if you can source Caldercraft products in the U.S.? 

Here's the one from my previous post >>>

I bought 4 anchors at the same time. Two at that size, and two smaller ones.  The smaller ones appeared like this on the website >>>

BUT ~  when they arrived they looked like this >>>

The website photo had shown the anchor with flukes, but what I received had no flukes -  and neither were there any flukes in the pack that could be fitted.  I'll have to make and fit the flukes for these smaller anchors.  I DID email the supplier and pointed this out to them and they replied that is how they receive them from Caldercraft.  I see that the photo on their website has now been changed to equate to what is actually in the packet.  (The larger anchors were exactly as shown on their website.)

[Can't help thinking that would be something like buying a model ship kit and finding that you have to make something major like your own bulkheads ! ]

 

Since I'm here, here's a quick update.

Forestay, preventer and snaking now done >>>

Shroud lanyards still to be tensioned and trimmed.

This is a general view of the ship as she is at present >>>

Oh ~ and I'm well familiar with St Stephen's Street!

 

Edited October 18, 2017 by Bluto 1790

[popeye the sailor]

superb progress Jim.......shrouds look very well done.   I know what you mean with ordering stuff......got a few in the spare parts inventory myself   

[Bluto 1790]

Thanks for the comment, Popeye, and to the others for the likes.

 

It has been a week or so of forward steps, backward steps and discoveries.

 

First, since I fitted the fore stay and preventer I've been unhappy with the size of the mouses on these stays. (It doesn't feel right to say 'mouses' instead of 'mice'!)

It just annoyed me immensely every time I looked at them >>>

So  ~ a sharp pair of scissors, and . . . . .

New stays with smaller mouses . . . even if they aren't perfect they're a bit more in scale and less annoying.

and 're-snaked' >>>

Several months ago I made what is so far the only yard -- the mizzen crossjack >>>

I wanted to get it on the mast and that is when I made a discovery. When rigging the lifts it became obvious that after the topmast shrouds will be fitted, the lift lines will foul the foremost of these shrouds and will have to "bend around" the shrouds instead of having a 'straight run'. This is because the slot in the mizzen top that accommodates the foremost topmast lower deadeye is slightly further forward than the position of the upper crossjack lift block. As the entire assembly is now firmly and permanently glued and rigged I had no intention of carrying out a major demolition job on the mizzen top in order to correct this problem, so I have moved the position of the upper lift blocks from the middle of the masthead cap to the front of the cap. I know this isn't strictly correct, but in the circumstances it was the best solution that I could come up with.

 

Another discovery ~ although not entirely unexpected -- was that the crossjack braces have a tendency to pull the aftmost of the main shrouds out of line, even with just the small clamps that are weighing down the end of the brace lines. The 'out-of-line' shrouds can be seen in the above as well as the following photo >>>

None of the lines attached to the crossjack have been made off yet.  The bitter ends of the braces, the lifts, the sling and the truss pendant are all just being held by these clamps/pegs. Because of the deflection in the aftmost main shrouds I want to get the ratlines and futtock staves fitted to the main shrouds before I tension the crossjack braces. So, I have made the heroic jump into the world of never-ending ratline tying! >>>

I will soon be off to bed now, dreaming of ratlines and clove hitches . . . . ZZzzz . . .

 

 

Edited October 26, 2017 by Bluto 1790
Spelling correction

[toms10]

14 hours ago, Bluto 1790 said:

First, since I fitted the fore stay and preventer I've been unhappy with the size of the mouses on these stays. (It doesn't feel right to say 'mouses' instead of 'mice'!)

It just annoyed me immensely every time I looked at them >>>

If it annoys you eliminate it.  That is my motto!  The model is really looking good Jim.  I thought two steps forward and one back was the normal process????

Tom

Edited October 26, 2017 by toms10

[Bill Morrison]

Jim,

 

I just found this thread.  You are doing a wonderful job!  It is a shame that there are no longer any kits available of any of the two-decker 44s, the only one previously manufactured having been the defunct Aeropiccola HMS Serapis.  I will have to study your entire build log in greater detail.

 

Bill

[JerseyCity Frankie]

Congratulations on moving the lead of the lifts to the front of the cap. One of my (many) pet peaves on models is when the builders run the lifts through the Topmast shrouds, which you see ALL THE TIME even in museum collections. 

[Bluto 1790]

6 hours ago, toms10 said:

I thought two steps forward and one back was the normal process????

Tom

Tom ~ that does sound a bit normal for me . . . it's just that I don't always admit to it!

6 hours ago, Bill Morrison said:

It is a shame that there are no longer any kits available of any of the two-decker 44s, the only one previously manufactured having been the defunct Aeropiccola HMS Serapis.  I will have to study your entire build log in greater detail.

 

Bill

Bill, if you're thinking about building a 2 decker this is a good model to choose. It's a bit more involving than a frigate but a bit less than something like a 74 gun ship. The plans and drawings contained in 'The Fifty Gun Ship' (by Rif Winfield) are adequate for a P.o.B. model, although, as I've already said in previous posts, the rigging drawings are a little sparse but I'm able to find most of the info that I need here on the forum or in Petersson's book.

5 hours ago, JerseyCity Frankie said:

One of my (many) pet peaves on models is when the builders run the lifts through the Topmast shrouds, which you see ALL THE TIME even in museum collections. 

Frankie, I'm really pleased to read that. I have to say that I've never picked up on that anomaly in any other forum posts I've followed, nor have I noticed it on any of the few models I've actually seen "in the flesh".  - - - So, it's not just ME!

I'll also have to move the lift blocks a little further forward on the main cap for the same reason, but I might be able to save the foremast as I haven't yet milled the slots in that top yet, so I can modify the positions of these slots now that I'm aware of the pitfall.

 

Oh . . . and I've done another 4 ratlines tonight! (until my eyes started to go and my fingers started to cramp up.)

[Jim Lad]

Just catching up on your progress, Jim - she's really looking superb.

 

John

[Bluto 1790]

Can't believe it's almost 3 months since my last post . . .

 

 . . . I continued with the ratlines at an average of 4 - 5 per night and eventually finished up to the futtock stave on the starboard side of the main mast, by which time I was beginning to become very weary of ratlines!  Nevertheless, I pressed on with the port side and got to around 60% of the way up to the futtock stave when a couple of 'life things' happened along and all work on the ship ground to a halt.

To be honest, I had become seriously weary of tying what felt like millions of knots and not seeing any great progress and I think I just needed a break away from the ship, and that 'break' lasted around 6 or 7 weeks.

Have now since returned to that main mast and have finished the ratlines up to the futtock stave. I was keen to get to that point on each side of the mast so that I could finally get the braces of the mizzen crossjack secured to the aftmost main shrouds.

Time to get that crossjack secured - - - that shouldn't take long ??? . . . well, if that's what I thought before, I now know differently!

 

As it's the only yard on the ship that is braced 'forward', any tension on the braces was tending to pull the yard well away from the mizzen mast. I have no rigging plan for this ship, so, following Petersson's  book I rigged the truss pendant to a block on the mizzen channel then back through it's own block to a pin on the pinrail behind the mast. (Petersson's book shows a pin on the side bulwark of the poop deck, but as Leopard has none there, it would have to be the pinrain at the mast.)  That wasn't working for me because all it was doing was holding the yard downwards BUT wasn't preventing the braces from pulling the yard forward by too much to be acceptable.  So I had to modify where the truss pendant would have to be belayed.

I fitted a block on top of the taffrail, outboard of the spanker gaff vang on the port side and from there back through it's own 'inline' block then to a cleat on the inside of the taffrail. At least this has had the desired effect of exerting an aftwards pull against the forwards pull of the braces, thus holding the yard much closer to the mast >>>

So, it "only" took me 2 night's work getting the lifts equalised, followed by much frustration trying to get the lines made off to these tiny pins behind the mast . . . equalising the braces and having a similar amount of frustration getting their lines belayed while trying to maintain the correct amount of tension in the truss pendant.

All in all, it was a bit like a 5 way juggling act! . . . and I have no previous juggling experience.

[toms10]

JIm,

Your perseverance has paid off.  She is coming along nicely.  And as an added bonus, you can work at the circus with your newly acquired juggling skills.    I know what you mean about taking time off.  If it starts to seem like a job more than a hobby it is break time.

Tom

[leginseel]

Great work as always Jim.  I'm just embarking on my masts and rigging and I'm truly mesmerized at your attention to detail as you're providing me with a fantastic 'go to' build for general information, thank you.

 

[popeye the sailor]

wow Jim.......I can imagine that the other shrouds will be just as labor intensive.  I don't blame you .......anyone who has attempted shrouds that large,  don't either,  I would say.  wonderful job though......I hope mine come out as well,  when I get to them.   running rigging can be quite a balancing act.......that's why I came to a formula.......finding the true 'zero' tension and staying within this tolerance.  it's not like the thread runs free in the blocks either.  once tension is applied,  the blocks tend to hold the tension,  until you manually adjust them.......it can be frustrating.

 

here is how I found 'zero':   {you may have to do this with all different types of thread,  so you'll know with that particular type}   hold a piece of the thread in your fingers......pull outward as tight as will allow.   release the tension slowly and watch the string as it relaxes.  do this as many time as needed.....watch the string.....you will see the point where the string will begin to go slack.  the point before it begins to go slack,  is zero.   the more you do this,  you'll be better able to hone in on the exact point where zero is.   this has helped me a lot with plastic kits......the yards bend very easy......but too much tension will also cause wood to bow as well.   I know it sounds crazy........but give it a try.  it may help in some cases      BTW.......you've made quite a bit of progress.   you might not think so,  but I think your humm'in right along!     

[Bluto 1790]

Thanks Tom, Nigel and Popeye for the comments and the helpful suggestions, and to the others for the likes.

 

When I was looking for diversions from "ratlining" a couple of months ago I made the basic platform for the fore top. It has been some time since I made the main and mizzen tops and had forgotten just how much work is involved, and how much time it takes to complete just one top!

It has probably taken me the best part of the last 2 weeks to complete the fore top.  I'm glad I have a small milling machine for milling the slots for the futtock plates as well as drilling the holes for the crowsfeet and for the stanchions for the aft safety rail. (Did they really have any 'safety features' in the 18th century!)

The trestletrees have been on the mast for some time but I have kept the crosstrees off for the fitting of their 12 blocks.  As I don't intend to have sails only 4 lines will actually pass through these blocks - - the braces for the spritsail and for the spritsail topsail. When I looked at the underside of the main top it seemed obvious that it just might be somewhat tricky getting these lines through the tiny holes in the blocks up there in all the clutter (crowsfeet, futtock shrouds etc.) surrounding the fore top's underside . . . SO ~ I 'threaded' these lines through their blocks BEFORE mounting the crosstrees onto the trestletrees.

I measured how much line would be needed for each brace and added about 30% just to make sure there will be enough length when it comes time to rig these braces . . . and just to make sure that they don't come out of the blocks accidentally, I tied the end of each line to it's other end, so for the time being each brace is a loop until knot cutting time. (At least when it's time to rig the braces I think I may have saved myself some frustration and the uttering of foreign sounding words!)

(The top is not yet permanently in it's home -- it's just placed on in the following photos.)

 

 

 

[toms10]

Hi Jim,

slowly but surely a masterpiece is evolving.

Tom

[Bluto 1790]

Progress is S-L-O-W !!!

 

After rigging the foremast shrouds I continued there and made a start on the ratlines. Got 9 done on each side of the mast >>>

Remembering how weary I became with the mainmast ratlines, I diverted to a few other tasks.

The fore topmast has been fitted >>>

and the fore crowsfeet have been rigged, and although unseen in this photo, the fore upper jeer blocks are hanging just under the top >>>

I returned to the mainmast and fitted them pesky catharpins . . . and then the futtock plates and shrouds >>>

Now I guess it's back to do some more foremast ratlines. The 18 (9 each side) that are already done probably represent about 30%  - - - I think I'm scared to count how many are still to be done in case I find out !!!

 

 

[mtaylor]

Nice work, Jim.   With ratlines and treenails are both something we shouldn't ever count because we really don't want to know how many we did. 

Edited April 26, 2018 by mtaylor

[Bluto 1790]

Returned to the fore mast and did a few more ratlines . . . now there are 16 on each side, so I guess that must be close to halfway to the futtock  stave >>>

Since I had fitted the main mast futtock shrouds I wanted to rig the topmast shrouds, but the crosstrees and bolsters would have to be in place first.

Being only about 2.5mm thick, I couldn't see how I would be able to make the crosstrees from a single piece of wood. So I attempted to make my own 'plywood'.  With the bandsaw I was able to slice thin strips of only 0.63mm from a piece of Makore >>>

Four of these strips glued at right angles to the others produced plywood of around 2.5mm. As I'm not very artistic, and not trusting my ability to draw these crosstrees to be identical to each other, I copied and scaled a drawing from a book and glued that onto the plywood >>>

The milling machine ensured that the 6 holes were perpendicular as well as being in the exact spots >>>

The bandsaw released each of the strips >>>

The blanks >>>

 . . . and fitted >>>

and with the shrouds >>>

Two Burton pendants also hang from the topmast platform. I only just spotted them in Petersson's rigging book before I rigged the shrouds.

 

I don't know about anyone else, but I get a bit weary of all those brutal close-ups, so here's how Leopard looks right now >>>

B.T.W. ~  that's just a 'working cradle' that Leopard is sitting in for now!