Capstan - Wood vs Metal

[knightyo]

Hello,

 

I'm building the capstan for the Nina, and am trying to determine whether the capstan head in this photo would be wood or metal.  Any thoughts?  It's hard to tell what is metal, and what is wood on this one!   At present, I "think" the discs and baseplate are metal and everything else wood, but it really doesn't seem like the head would remain intact under strain if it was wood as opposed to metal.

 

Alan

[allanyed]

As ships in the 17th, 18th and into the 19th century had capstans that were made of wood I "wood" go that route for a 15th century ship.   I would not assume accuracy on replicas of any ship that are not based on contemporary plans or paintings for information.  Unfortunately I do not believe there is such contemporary information available specifically for the Nina.  

Allan

Edited May 17, 2022 by allanyed

[Gregory]

 

Mondfeld shows these images for 15th & 16th century capstans.

As Allan says the major components would have been of wood with some metal fittings such as bolts.

 

That framework looks strange and would have really hindered operation IMO..   But not having any further information I can't say for sure it is inaccurate.

Do you have the AOTS ( Anatomy Of The Ship ) for the Columbus ships?  I have it, and will check later for what the author had to say about a capstan..

[knightyo]

Thanks guys!   I was thinking the head would be wood, and had already been shaping it to fit the "boxy" structure; I was just really given pause when thinking about the stress that tiny piece would be under as it was being turned.   Gregory, I have the Mondfeld book as well, but unfortunately don't have the AOTS for Columbus' ships; I'm a little embarrassed to admit that as I'm building one of the models. Guess who's now going to go book shopping?    I admit to also being curious about the structure of this thing; I think it's actually the capstan from the replica Pinta; it was just more interesting than the one on the replica Nina, so I thought I'd go with it. 

 

Alan

[Gregory]

7 minutes ago, knightyo said:

don't have the AOTS for Columbus' ships

I bought it on a whim many years ago to go with a Santa Maria kit many years ago..  The kit is still on the shelf among others..

You are probably aware there are no definitive plans for those ships, only conjecture based on known practices and artwork from the time.

 

I will be happy to share excerpts from the book that comply with fair use..

 

Like a lot of AOTS books, I see some crazy prices for this one, but I see one on Abe Books for $50..

 

If you decide you really want the book I'm willing to part with mine, for no more than the cover price + postage..

[knightyo]

Thanks Gregory.  I actually really did go straight online to order a copy.  I appreciate your offer, however!  The nice thing about not having any definitive plans for these ships is that it sure gives me leeway to model what I like, and not have to worry about being proven wrong on anything.  My model is a real hodge-podge of what I liked most about the Nina and Pinta replicas.  

 

Alan