Young America by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper 1853

[druxey]

Beautifully executed, Ed!

[cog]

Beautiful work, Ed. Your brass work really is astonishing. I must be blind, since I can't see/imagine how this works ... searched the internet, but I found only release locks for modern shipping, which didn't match naturally

[albert]

Hi Ed, very beautiful work.

[EdT]

Thanks, everyone.

 

Carl, the third and fourth pictures may be causing some confusion.  In the third picture the chain shackle is about to be soldered on upside down and in the fourth picture the incorrect assembly is shown in place with the pin support upside down.  I should probably put these pictures in the "reworked" file and not have used them.  This error was corrected before blacking and installation.   If you focus on the drawing shown in the second picture and understand that the light colored pin on the drawing lies loosely in the spoon at the end of the lever, you can see that when the lever is raised and its shaft rotated that the light colored pin will no longer be supported and will drop, releasing the chain that was shackled to it.  On the model the parts are soldered together - a non-working model.

 

Ed

[the learner]

Non-working to Keep the viewers from releasing the anchor

 

great representation on the release mechanism as described by Campbell and fantastic documentation on your part Ed.

[cog]

Ed,

 

Much appreciated. that clearifies it all!

[amateur]

Hi Ed,

 

I understand the mechanism of the chain release, but how did they get these anchors overboard?

Was there some kind of tackle, or.... I can't image they just worked them overboard, the risk of damage to the hull would be fairly large....

 

Jan

Edited May 26, 2016 by amateur

[Sailor1234567890]

They used a pendant from the foremast. It has a tackle on the end of it. Called the Fish Tackle. To fish the anchor from the sea and plop it down on deck essentially. These things weighed thousands of kilograms in the larger ships and could not be moved without mechanical advantage. Or gravity when you pull the lever.

[EdT]

Jan, an interesting question.

 

The anchors were handled primarily by two triple purchase tackles - one was reeved, when needed, through the sheaves on the cathead, the other, the fish tackle, was suspended on these ships by a pendant seized with a collar around the fore topmast head.  Other tackles and tools were used depending on the stowage position of the anchor.  Both purchase falls were fitted with large hooks to grasp the shaft or bills of the anchors.  With the stowage position and release gear shown in the pictures above, I suspect that the pinned release chain and the main chain cable was secured before the lashings, aka shank painters, were loosened.  A smaller tackle was probably secured to the upper end of the stock to keep it upright and prevent anchor from rotating into the side of the hull.  The lower end anchor would then be somehow pried or jacked outboard and lowered by the fish tackle to the release position, where all the tackles would be removed.  With the extreme outward flare of the bow on these ships the lower end of the anchor did not have to be moved to far outside the rail to be clear of the side below.  As a non-seaman, based upon some almost undecipherable texts, this is my best guess.

 

Recovery would be roughly the reverse of this process.

 

When not in use, the fish tackle hook was usually secured to the lower end of the fore stay and the cat tackle removed and stowed under the forecastle or in one of the forward lockers.

 

 

Ed

[Sailor1234567890]

That's a better description of how it's done. Exactly what I had in mind as I was trying to describe it. There was some element of going over the side with a rope to support yourself while catting the anchor. Someone had to go hook up and disconnect those falls that were used to put the anchor in position and it meand going over the side to do it.

Thanks Ed.

Daniel

[amateur]

Thanks!

[AON]

... going over the side ... sounds like a job for a bos'ns chair and a bos'ns mate ... or Boatswain for those less familiar

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 165 – Forecastle/Poop Pin Rails

 

Another small task was slipped in to break the monotony of deadeye chains and belaying pin turning.  In the first picture the forecastle pin rail has been made and is being used as a template to spot the centers of the posts on the deck.

 

 

The location is over a beam.  The posts will be set into square mortises cut into the deck to provide more strength to this type of rail.  In the next picture one of the mortises is being started with perimeter cuts using a small chisel.

 

 

The turned posts are 5” (.07”) square, turned as was done for the fife rail posts earlier.  In the next picture the two posts have been set and fitted with pins in the top to secure the rail.

 

 

In the next picture the rail has been installed and the six pins added.

 

 

This is a light duty rail, used to belay the four jib and fore staysail downhauls as well as the two foresail bowlines.

 

Providing belaying points for the running rigging of the mizzen mast proved to be a puzzle.  There are some two dozen light lines associated with the mizzen sails that need to be belayed aft of the mast, below the shroud fairleads through which they run, but with the lack of a raised bulwark on the poop there is no clear place for belaying pins.  The poop deck perimeter will be packed with cleats and lead blocks for heavier lines and the spider band around the mast is fully allocated.  The photo of the ship from the starboard quarter is not very helpful. Time for some historical interpretation – not the first or the last.  I believe there are four possibilities.  First, that the poop monkey rail itself was fitted with pins – unlikely given the small section of this brass rail.  Second, using shroud cleats, but these would be visible in the photo.  Third, using deck cleats as with the heavier lines, but the sheer number of these and the resulting mass of line piled on the deck argue against this.  I finally decided on the fourth option, pin rails similar to the forecastle rail along each side of the forward poop rails.  This was a common method.  The next picture shows one of these rails positioned on the deck to spot mortises for the three posts.

 

 

In the next picture the rail has been set as with the forecastle rail and a drop of CA is being applied to each of the vertical wire bolts.

 

 

The posts of all these rails were glued into the deck with wood glue and the tops with CA.  After applying the drops to the top of the rails it was washed off with acetone.  The bolts were later clipped off and the tops sanded.  The last picture shows the two rails installed with the rail on the near side already being fitted with pins.

 

 

The complement of belaying pins is almost complete – a few dozen to go.

 

 

Ed

[albert]

Hi Ed, wonderful work.

[Mirabell61]

Fab looking Ed,

 

wonderful work, a pleasure to see...

 

Nils

[Maury S]

Interesting CA glue applicator.  I've always used a pin lightly dipped in some CA trying to be careful not to over do.  Seems yours carries much more liquid.  Would you explain the benefits of your device?

 

Maury

[EdT]

A new tool, Maury.  I used to make CA applicators by sawing a small slit in the end of a brass wire that would hold a small droplet.  The applicator shown was made by the method I am using on eyebolts - taking a length of brass wire, bending in in half, securing the ends in a vise, hooking the loop in a hook (pin or brass wire) in a hand drill then twisting it up.  Either the loop end or the small fork clipped off at the vise end can be used to hold a glue drop.  The loop end needs to be cleaned in solvent; the fork end can be clipped back and a new fork formed.  Different sized wires can be used.   I believe the wire in the picture is 24 gauge from a spool.

[Mirabell61]

Hi Ed,

 

that CA applicator tool (twisted brass wire) you show in your # post 1828, second last pic, is very inspiring, also the described way of doing it.

I remember when I was desperately looking for this sort of (twisted ) brass wire for the gold colored stern decoration of my KWdG. What you did is very in inspiring for me, and may also suit for the detail....     Thanks for sharing.!

 

Nils

[rtropp]

nice idea on the ca applicator.  I will have to try it.

With the cut needle tip I am using now, rather than solvent,  I keep a lighter near the work station and just burn off the excesses. The lighter is set to a very low flame.  Of course, I keep that away from anything flammable, and away from my build.

 

Richard 

[slow2cool]

Ed

I see in your post talking about the ca being washed off with acetone. I have used acetone to clean my fingers, but never thought about using it on the model.

What is your method???

How do you keep the acetone from unglueing the parts you have glued???

I don't know how you guys keep coming up with stuff I would never have dreamed of.

Thanks

Joe

[dgbot]

Your attention to detail is awsome Ed.  I have sen many models over the years and few of them has the little things.  This is one of the first times i have seen a release for the anchor.

David B

[EdT]

Thanks, again, everyone.

 

Nils, the twisted wire is very easy to do.  I have made several sizes of eyebolts by this method some with shackles or chain pre-fitted.  I will be experimenting with very small gauge wire to make wire rope and possibly simulate the very smallest rigging chain that is much smaller (~100 links/") than can be purchased.

 

Joe, CA glue is soluble in acetone before and after curing, so it can be used to clean up excess and break cured joints.  It may take some time to dissolve cured CA.  CA manufacturers also sell solvent but I have not tried it.  For the joints shown, I soaked up excess first with a bit of paper towel right after applying it, then swabbed off the surface excess with a Q-tip dipped in acetone - not too much that would soak the joint.  I have had no problem with the actual joints, since the acetone is just wiped over the surface and evaporates very quickly.  If a lot of un-wiped glue is present, a white residue may be left.  The area was filed off smooth after curing.  

 

You may be aware of this, but I will mention that caution is needed with cotton around CA.  While there is not a problem with cotton dampened with acetone for small clean up, dipping cotton into CA can be very hazardous.  The very high cellulose surface area of cotton can cause rapid polymerization of the CA and the heat of polymerization can/will ignite the cotton - and possibly the bottle of CA.  If you have ever spilled a bottle of this stuff you will know what I mean about rapid polymerization  I usually dispense a drop or two of CA on to a plastic can lid then pick up some with the applicator or sometimes dip the applicator into the open bottle - but with the bottle always contained in a wood base to prevent it tipping.  Once upon a time I did tip over a bottle and do not want to do it again.  I use as little of this stuff as necessary.

 

Ed

[slow2cool]

Thanks for all the info Ed.

I didn't know about the CA and cotton.

Joe

[Roger Pellett]

In my opinion, CA can be nasty stuff. Several years ago, I ised it to glue ribs into some small boats that I had vacuum formed from plastic. This caused exposure to a fair quantity of glue over a period of an hour or so. I was also careless in handling the stuff. The glue did a great job of gluing in the ribs but gave me a serious nasal congestion and sore throat. Now I avoid it whenever possible and am careful to only squeeze out a drop or two at a time into a plastic container lid.

 

Roger Pellett

[Capt.Bob]

Concerning the application of CA in very small quantities, I use the ink pen from an old drafting set.  For those of you who aren't old enough to remember, imagine making ink drawing by hand.  I have some drawings that my grandfather made in 1898 while in tech school.  The ink pen is infinitely adjustable and allows you to control the gap and provide extremely small applications of either thin or medium CA.  It doesn't work very well for thick CA.

 

Roger, they do make a vapor free CA that eliminates the nose/throat problem.  It acts more slowly and avoids the flash cure and associated vapors.

 

Bob

Edited June 2, 2016 by Capt.Bob

[the learner]

Yep! High School 1962 drafting class. still have the one I bought! now I have a new use for it, but how do you keep it clean of CA

Edited June 6, 2016 by the learner

[Capt.Bob]

Hi Learner,

Acetone

Bob

[douglaspbrown]

Will acetone remove hardened CA?

[Capt.Bob]

W2YSM,

Yes, it will take a little while to soften.  There are "debond" solutions available from CA suppliers.  Try Tower Hobbies.com

Bob

[the learner]

Thanks Bob