Occre Santisima Trinidad - Mast/Spar sizing questions

[bc_63]

Hello, first-time modeler here, and I'd like to start by thanking everyone for this great forum, from which I have picked up SO much already!!

 

I'm getting ready to start making the masts, etc., and am having trouble making sense of the instructions.  I'm hoping that someone who has either built one of the Occre models, or someone who just generally knows this stuff, might be able to help me out here, please.  Questions below this first set of drawings that I've made some annotations to:

 

 

My primary question is this:  Where should the main mast turn from round to square? 

1) Under the cheeks?   (would increase the contact patch between the mast and the cheeks)

2) Where it penetrates through the platform?  (would provide rotational stability to the platform's supports)

3) Where it fits into the mast cap?  

 

Some other questions:

a) Where should the mast diameter reduce from 8mm to 7mm?  Just above the platform since the platform spacing is 8mm?

b) Why does the drawing show the top of the main mast squared off to 6mm when the mast cap's square hole is 7mm?

c) What does the square on the top mast indicate (the blue ??? callout)?  The hole that it goes into in the mast cap (part 149) is round.

d) What serves as the "step" for the top mast and supports its base vertically?

 

I hope these questions make sense... Any and all advice or clarifying questions are welcome!

 

The model as it sits today...

 

 

Cheers!

Bryan

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by bc_63

[allanyed]

Hi Bryan

While they are British ships, there are drawings of spars and masts on the RMG Collections site as well as on the Wiki Commons site.

One example https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-86593   There are also detailed drawings and text on pages 2-7 in James Lees book

The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625-1860.  Too many to post here as it is copyrighted material.

Allan

Edited March 24, 2023 by allanyed

[bc_63]

Thank you, Allan, I truly appreciate your response.  I was able to sort out some, though unfortunately not all, of my questions from the RMG drawings.  I think I'll just use my best judgement at this point, as this model is more about fun than trying to be 100% historically accurate...

 

Cheers!

Bryan

 

[Baker]

An example from a great modeler 

 

 

[bc_63]

On 3/26/2023 at 9:19 AM, Baker said:

An example from a great modeler 

 

 

Yes, thanks, Patrick.  I've scoured his build repeatedly and already borrowed/stolen many, many ideas. 🙂

 

What I've decided to do is to square off the top of the mast at 7mm down to the top of the platform crosstrees; below that is a 4mm tall section that's 8mm square (to support the crosstrees), then go down another 35mm at 8mm round (cheeks).  The taper will thus go from the bottom of the cheeks down to near the top of the weather deck.  Right or wrong, that's today's project.

[Dr PR]

Bryan,

 

The masts tapers a bit from the deck (partners) up to the hounds (where the trestletrees fit onto the mast). The mast is round up to the hounds where it is square again for the cheeks to attach. The testletrees rest on top of the cheeks. Above this the mast may be round, square (with or without champfered edges) or octagonal, according to the preferences of the designer or requirements of the  owner. Where the mast fits into the top piece the hole is square so the top can't rotate around the mast.

 

The hole in the top for the top mast is round, The foot of the top mast is square or rectangular to fit between the trestletrees. The topmast can be raised or lowered through the opening between the trestletrees. A fid (pin through the base of the mast) prevents the topmast from dropping through the opening between the trestletrees.

 

Here is a link to the masts of a model I am working on. Not exactly the same as what you are building, but it illustrates some of the principles:

 

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/19611-albatros-by-dr-pr-mantua-scale-148-revenue-cutter-kitbash-about-1815/?do=findComment&comment=908539

 

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/19611-albatros-by-dr-pr-mantua-scale-148-revenue-cutter-kitbash-about-1815/?do=findComment&comment=924547

 

Hope this helps.

Edited April 2, 2023 by Dr PR

[allanyed]

4 hours ago, Dr PR said:

The masts tapers a bit from the deck (partners) up to the hounds

Further to Philip's post IF the masts are like early English masts, up 1719, they also tapered from the partners downwards.  In the case of the English, the diameter at the heel was 5/6 the diameter at the partners.  Of course if the hull is fully planked, this will never be seen.  As he notes it tapers going up, and in the case of the English, the taper at the hounds was 9/13 the diameter at the partners.  (Lees' Masting and Rigging, page 2)

 

Allan