Young America by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper 1853

[EdT]

Here is a link, Maury.  You can find smaller spools.  A lot of artistic wire is coated.  You do not want that.  If is is magnetic it must be copper coated steel?  

 

https://www.amazon.com/Bare-Copper-Bright-Diameter-Length/dp/B000IJU1ZW/ref=pd_ys_c_rfy_rp_all_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000IJU1ZW&pd_rd_r=GKKJMHVS3KZ7SHEPMZ9Y&pd_rd_w=GV3pT&pd_rd_wg=uhINb&psc=1&refRID=4AFD9YGQTP100F9AHBEV

[EdT]

Thank you, Doris.  Knowing and admiring the quality of your work, this is much appreciated.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Here is another link for smaller spools.  You want solid bare copper.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Mandala-Crafts-Beading-Wrapping-Jewelry/dp/B00YDEZAAO/ref=pd_sbs_201_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00YDEZAAO&pd_rd_r=GN21WV3R8EJD5Z4ZPXP4&pd_rd_w=1hKTE&pd_rd_wg=4fvLo&psc=1&refRID=GN21WV3R8EJD5Z4ZPXP4

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 271 – Fore Upper Topsail Yard Ironwork 2

 

The first picture shows all the ironwork fitted to the yard except for the pieces containing brass that were blackened before assembly.

 

 

All band eyebolt holes have also been drilled. At this stage the yard and its metalwork were cleaned using isopropanol and cotton swabs.  The next picture shows a closer view.

 

 

The 28 gauge jackstay eyebolts are pushed into their holes, which seems to be sufficient to keep the jackstays in place.  The next picture shows the yard with its copper ironwork blackened.

 

 

To blacken the copper parts, the entire assembly was brushed with liver of sulfur solution starting at one end.  As the copper turned black, the yard was held under running water to wash off excess blackening solution.  The yard was then left to dry overnight.  The next picture shows the yard temporarily fitted to the mast.

 

 

After drying, the yard was finished with satin wipe-on polyurethane using foam swabs to apply and wipe the finish.  After trying other finishes I am starting to settle in on this method.  The foam swabs are free of lint.  The jackstays are brass and were blackened with full strength Brass Black^® before sliding them through the eyebolts.  Except for the wooden parral, no glue has been used on this yard.  The center of the yard is shown in the next picture.

 

 

The parral band pins are only temporarily inserted. Note that there is a slight gap between the parral lining and the mast, allowing the yard to slide up and down easily.  In the last picture the yard has been removed and set up for rigging work.

 

 

The long, slender topmast studding sail booms have been fitted and tied off at their inner ends.  The yard is ready to be mounted for rigging.

 

Ed

[Mirabell61]

Wonderful "Ironwork" Ed.

 

your rigging of the yards looks very authentic as well as the leading of the ropes, right down to the belaying points....

 

Nils

[albert]

Very very nice metal work Ed.

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 272 – Fore Upper Topsail Yard Rigging  1

 

The last picture in Part 271 picture showed the yard set up for rigging, but first the topgallant sheet blocks had to be fitted to the yard.  The first picture shows a trial fit with one of these before both were blackened.

 

 

This picture also shows the studding sail boom irons on this end of the yard and the two jewel blocks at the end of the boom.  Studding sail blocks that would likely have been "permanently" rigged will be shown on the model, but other studding sail rigging will not be modeled.

 

In the next picture the yard has been returned to the fixture and rigging of the footropes has begun.

 

 

The stirrup eyes and the ends of the footropes are secured with lashings – to jackstay stanchions in the case of stirrups and the inner ends of the footropes, and to the outer boom irons in the case of the footrope outer ends.  The next picture shows a lashing being tied.

 

 

Guterman^® quilting cotton is being used for all small lashings – black for permanent connections and ecru for temporary – like reef tackle blocks and inner boom lashings.  To make this type of lashing, I have been double looping the line through the eye and around the boom iron (or stanchion, etc.) A clove hitch is then made around the turns as shown.  Before this is tightened the other end is pulled to shorten the lashing to its final length.  The hitch is then tightened and the lashing touch with diluted glue.

 

There are several blocks lashed to the yard for buntlines, reef tackle, downhauls, etc.  On this yard most are 9" (1/8") single blocks, strapped with a single thimble.  For these small blocks I usually form an eye around a pin, tie it with a double hitch to simulate the seizings, then tie an overhand knot under the block to simulate the strap splice.  Some of these may be seen lying about in the second picture.  For blocks with thimbles at each end, this method is not practical. So something more like the actual strapping is made.  A strap loop is first made as shown in the next picture.

 

 

The rope is wrapped around two pins set at a distance that will allow the two eyes to be seized.  The strap splice is made by passing the rope through itself then gluing.  When the glue dries the block is inserted as shown in the next picture.

 

 

The excess strap rope is cut off and a seizing tied to form the eye at each end of the block.  This method was used for the reef tackle blocks lashed to the outer boom irons.

 

The next picture shows the method used to simulate a shackle between the halyard tie and the iron gin block with the finished shackle shown in the inset.

 

 

The picture shows a test of the method.  The actual connection will need to be made on the model after the tye chain is attached to the yard band and threaded through the mast sheave.  To make this shackle, wire is passed through the chain link then through the eye on the block from both directions with an overhand knot set within the block eye.  The ends are then pulled tight and clipped off as shown in the inset.  The final configuration of the halyard will be shown in the next part.

 

The next picture shows the bench work finished and the yard ready to be hung.

 

 

The topgallant sheet chains may be seen hanging from the center sheet block and from the cheek blocks at the ends.  Securing the two chains inside so the yard may be pulled down by the sheet tackles was discussed in an earlier post.  The picture also shows the chain halyard tye suspended from the sling band.  All the chain ends are threaded with wire to assist in getting then through the various sheaves.  Pushing on a rope has its difficulties but pushing on chain is impossible.

 

In the last picture the yard has been hung and is ready for the next steps – securing the sheets and halyard.

 

 

 

Ed

[wefalck]

The little tool for making block-straps gives me ideas ...

[druxey]

Thank you for my morning smile, Ed. I love the little adjustable jig!

[rwiederrich]

Fantastic job Ed.  Surprising enough, but I found it interesting that the Stunsails booms in many cases were made from Bamboo.  Light and tough.

Love your metal work as usual.

 

Rob

[SJSoane]

Hi Ed,

 

It is looking quite wonderful. What a great series of lessons on metalwork, clipper rigging.

I have a question about the jackstays. Were there any fastening devices to keep these from sliding out of the eyebolts? Or were they ever intentionally slid out?

 

Mark

[Maury S]

Admitting that the time to make a jig is less than the inevitable frustration of doing without  is key.  I can't tell you how many times I've copied your tools and jigs.

Maury

[BANYAN]

A very informative update Ed; thanks once again for showing us some of your techniques - the copper wire wrapped to simulate the shackles is very effective!

 

Those yards and rigging details are exemplary and show what can be done with a little care and attention to detail.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[EdT]

Thanks, everyone.

 

The tool for strapping blocks is helpful on larger blocks, say over 1/8" to 3/16".  Many on the model are small at the 1:72 scale so it is easier to simply tie these around a pin.  The tied black faux seizings are hard to distinguish and are much easier to make.   Larger blocks and double blocks may be seized using the fixture, but the thread ends need to be cut off short.  I have been setting the distance between pins by eye, but if there were very many to do this way I would want to add either some marks for different blocks sizes or use wooden gauge strips based on size.

 

Mark, I have not seen details of how jackstays were held in place.  Perhaps the 3/4" rods were bolted or riveted at the ends or to one of the stanchions.  On the model they are a close enogh fit in the eyebots that they stay in place.  I tacked the first ones with CA, but that does not seem necessary.  The brass rods are blackened, passed through the full yard, then clipped in the center and at the ends.  the brass wire is in straight lengths.

 

I am glad to hear the shackles are working for you, Pat.  I could see expanding the use of this type to reduce the need to solder so many.

 

Ed

 

[rwiederrich]

I myself can only guess as well..but this image of a steel yard gives a clue.  They may have been simply placed and through sail forces simply remained.

 

Rob

[wefalck]

I took some pictures of the yards of HMS GANNET (1878) in Chatham

 

 

and of the frigate DON FERNANDO II E GLÒRIA (1843) in Lisbon

 

 

while being refitted. In the first case the jack-stay was threaded and a hexagonal nut was screwed on, while in the second case they simply electro-welded(!) it to one of the stanchions. The thread-and-nut would have been a technical possibility in mid-19th century, but the welding is clearly a 'preservation' short-cut. The spars, to my knowledge, in both cases are reconstructions, so we are not absolutely sure what the actual practice in these cases at the time would have been.

 

I would rather think that a hole was drilled across the jack-stay and a split cotter-pin inserted, the end of which where bend around to prevent it from falling out. It doesn't need to take up a lot of force, but just to prevent the jack-stay from slipping out, when the ship is rolling. I also seem to have read somewhere that turc's head knots where set onto the jack-stay and then painted over. One could also drill a hole through the stanchions and the jack-stay for a cotter-pin, but this would be more work and weakens the stanchion.

Edited March 6, 2018 by wefalck

[EdT]

Thank you both for the pics.  Looks like a variety.  The Gannet picture looks like what I had in mind in my response to Pat.  All the solutions mentioned would be pretty inconspicuous at 1:72..

 

Ed

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 273 – Fore Upper Topsail Yard Rigging  2

 

With all the bench work finished, the yard could now be hung to complete its rigging with a few exceptions mentioned earlier – mainly braces.  This part deals with the halyard and the lower ends of the topgallant sheets.  These are worked together.  Tension in the halyard pulls the yard up.  Sheets are used to hold the model yard down by linking them within the sheet block as described earlier.  In the first picture the yard is suspended in its lowered position – its final position on the model.

 

 

In this lowered position, the yard would be down on its lifts that will be rigged later.  Unless there was some desire on the part of the captain to show off the masts with yards at the upper sailing heights, this is the most likely position after the sails were taken down.  Note that the yard at this stage droops down a bit due to the clearance between the mast and the parral.  In the next picture the yard has been raised to its upper position.

 

 

The yard would be at this height under full sail.  It would be lowered as reefs were taken in to shorten sail.  The sails above would have been fully taken in before reefing this sail, so the yard could be lowered freely.  I fixed the yard temporarily in this position so the gin block shackle could be fitted to the end of the halyard chain.  The shackled block is shown in the next picture.

 

 

In this picture the yard has been lowered.  The copper shackle will be blackened.  Note the drooping topgallant sheet chains.  These will eventually be shackled to the topgallant clew lines when that yard is installed.  The next picture shows the topgallant sheets at the sheet block.

 

 

The chain sheets are connected to wire falls that run down toward the foot of the mast.  The wire cable was made by twisting up 36 gauge stainless wire and is less than 1" in diameter – hard to see.  I have highlighted the wire in white in the picture.  This runs down to the block of a whip, which has a standing end hooked to a deck eyebolt and the fall belayed on the fore fife rail.  When the sheet is put in tension to hold down the yard in this position, the chain interferes with the cap, as shown, if it is rigged through a fairlead in the top.  This line would normally be slack with the yard in this position.  I could leave it slack and rely on the downhaulers to hold the yard down, but slack model wire is pretty unruly and does not look good.  I have tentatively rigged this line to run vertically down along the mast so that it runs in a straight line to the whip block in the lowered position.  The two whip blocks with the cable connections may be seen near the center of the next picture.

 

 

The wire cable is just visible in the picture after rerunning it as described above, roughly on the centerline of the mast.  The standing end of the halyard is also wire, slightly larger, and may be seen at the lower part of the next picture.

 

 

Without full tension, the wire shape shows the problem described above. Sufficient chain has to be left on this leg to raise the yard.  The lower end of the wire standing leg, after tensioning, is shown seized to a channel eyebolt in the next picture.

 

 

This wire is a bit more visible – still pretty slender.  The running leg of the halyard is shown shackled to the upper block of a triple purchase tackle in the next picture. 

 

 

The lower block is hooked to a channel eyebolt on the port side.  This halyard arrangement was used on large yards to distribute the weight forces to both sides of the hull.  This tackle would consume a lot of rope when the yard was lowered.  The downhaulers used to help lower that yard and the other yard rigging will be described in the next part.

 

 

Ed

[Mahuna]

Outstanding work, Ed.  The photos and explanations help me to understand a subject I've previously thought to be too complex for me to comprehend.

[DORIS]

Great looking model, I love these precise details. 

Kind regards

[BANYAN]

I keep forgetting you are doing all of this superb detail at 1:72 - wonderful work!

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Sailor1234567890]

I know, it looks like 1:1 at times. Incredible. 

[stm]

Ed have you ever experienced any problems with electrolytic action when connecting steel wire falls to the brass chain sheets in the past?

Scott

[John Allen]

Ed,

 

I have been awed by your expertise and your magnificent build. What really impresses me is your metallurgy and use of jigs you have made, have learned a lot and will put to good use.

Please tell me you did not solder hundreds of links to make your chain but you purchased it already made.(although it would not surprise me if you made it).

[EdT]

Thank you all for the comments and questions as well as the likes.

 

Frank, I am glad that the rigging explanations are helpful.  I am no expert, so I hope they are reasonably accurate. 

 

Pat/Sailor, there have been a number of comments in the past about scale.  I do not think too much about it and do not try to do things at 1:72 that can be done at 1:48 for example.  I tend to look at the model as a whole and say, what is right for this overall model? - rather than thinking of a certain standard for every part.  The same question at a larger scale would yield different answers.

 

stm, I would not anticipate any electrolytic action between copper or brass and stainless steel.  These materials are close enough on the electrochemical scale to resist galvanic corrosion in even the harshest conditions.  Here is a link that has a table and an explanation.  I have never experienced this problem personally, but have never used stainless before.  I plan to use some nickel-chromium and do not anticipate a problem with that either.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion

 

No, John, Ed does not make chain.  If you know someone who makes 42 links/inch chain, let me know.

 

Cheers, everyone.

 

Ed

[archjofo]

What fantastic workmanship, Ed!

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 274 – Fore Upper Topsail Yard Rigging 3

 

The last rigging lines to be installed on the upper topsail yard were the buntlines, the reef tackle and the downhaulers.  The first picture shows the yard with these lines.

 

 

The next picture shows these lines more clearly.

 

 

As with the lower yard, the reef tackle block is tied off to the jackstay where it awaits the bending of the sail.  Its standing end is seized to a single block suspended from the outer boom iron.  The line then passes through the tied-off block, back through the first block, then through one sheave of the double block at the quarters and is belayed on the fife rail below.  The double block is shared by the downhauler used to help lower the yard when gravity alone won't do the job – for example when the ship is heeled.  The standing end of the downhauler may be seen spliced to a shackle on the lower tops'l yard arm band.  Since it is never reefed, the lower topsail yard has no reef tackle.  The buntlines are stopped at blocks lashed to the jackstay as with the other yards.  They then pass through double blocks hooked eyebolts under the crosstrees as shown in the next picture.

 

 

The tied-off topgallant sheet chains shown in this picture is a temporary measure until the topgallant yard is installed.  The next picture shows the rigging on the starboard side.  The large extra blocks dangling from the boom irons on this yard are the halyard blocks for the topmast studding sail yards that will not be installed.

 

 

The next picture shows about one-third of the top's fairlead holes filled at this stage.  All but two will be used.

 

 

In the last picture the halyard gin block may be seen hauled up close to the mast sheave with the yard in its lowered position.  The standing lifts that support the yard when lowered are shackled at their upper ends to the topgallant mast fid and will be added later after that mast is set.

 

 

The work is now shifting to the main mast.

 

Ed

[druxey]

The complexity of rigging your model is mind-boggling, Ed. It is being beautifully executed.

[rwiederrich]

Wonderful work....

 

Rob

[Wintergreen]

I'm with druxey on this one... it is just crazy many lines and blocks... pristine work Ed.