USCGC Eagle by mysticlee - Constructo - 1:102

[mysticlee]

I finally finished updating my spreadsheets for the sizes and attachment points on each of the masts and yards, per the Eagle drawing.

 

Besides the detailed dimensions of the masts and yards in the Eagle rigging drawing, two other key measurements are shown.

 

1. Mast rake (German: "mastfall") is specified for each of the three masts: 

 

Fore: 52mm per 1 meter

Main: 70mm per 1 meter

Mizzen: 87mm per 1 meter

 

These convert to 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 degrees respectively. Now I can accurately set the rake on each of the masts. My estimates based on photographs were in the ballpark, but nothing beats the design specs.

 

2. Standing rigging (wire) rope sizes. There are six different sizes listed on the drawing (50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100mm), the largest (100mm) for the fore and main topmast stays, and the smallest (50mm) for the mizzen upper backstay. The diagram also shows that the primary fore/aft stays for each mast are double ropes (which is evident in vintage and current photos).

 

Now, are these figures diameters or circumferences? 

 

The main shrouds are listed as 90mm. If 90mm is a diameter, it converts to 3.50 inches in diameter. If 90mm is a circumference, it converts to 1.11 inches in diameter. Looking at a closeup of two cadets grasping the shrouds, I'd say the shroud diameter is almost certainly 1 inch rather than 3.5 inches (also note that the shrouds are served with small stuff; I'm not planning to model that). 

 

 

Rather than trying to scale and use six different line sizes, I'll use the two most prominent sizes, 70mm and 90mm, for all of the standing rigging. These scale (102.2) to .22mm (0.009 in.) and .28mm (0.011in) respectively, which seem considerably smaller than I would have expected.

 

I'll address the sizes of running rigging later, but the above picture gives a clue as to the size of some of the lines (those pictured are clewlines and buntlines). Note how much smaller they are compared to the shrouds (half or less in diameter). I may need to re-think the scale size of lines for the standing rigging as compared with the running rigging.

 

In any case, I plan to use black line for the standing rigging (rather than dark brown), and tan (or similar) for the running rigging.

 

That's all for now.

 

Lee

 

 

[Kelp]

Lee,

 

You’re doing a very nice job on this Eagle model.  
 

Don

[mysticlee]

Thanks, Don, for your kind words. I'm learning as I go, both regarding the myriad details about the ship's rigging, fittings, etc., how to model them, what to include and what to omit. I do a lot of browsing and searching on this forum for ideas and techniques.

 

Lee

[mysticlee]

Metal sheet sheaves are used on each of the Eagle's fore and main yards (except the royal yards). The sheet sheave attached to the main course (for the lower topsail sheets) is shown below.

 

 

 

On the Eagle, chain extends for about 6-8 feet from the clew of each square sail (except for the courses), and then connects to a wire rope, which leads through each side of the sheet sheave and on down to where it is attached to a double or triple wood block. The block and its opposing block are connected with hemp rope that terminates at the fife rail (the exception being the course sheets).

 

I tried various ways to model the sheet sheave, and eventually I found inspiration from George K. (gak1965) and how he crafted the sheet blocks on his build log of the Flying Fish (1:96), entry #442. Whereas his was made of pieces of brass sheet with holes drilled for three small brass nails, I used aluminum sheet metal (slightly thicker than the brass sheet he used), and drilled only two holes for two straight pins. I inserted a piece of veneer between the two layers of metal, and used mini-files to shape the structure. (I tried using my Dremel tool to shape the metal, but it's a new tool for me, and I wasn't getting the results I expected.) I chose aluminum because it more closely resembled the steel used on the Eagle, and it was a bit more rigid than the brass sheet I have for other components.

 

Below are a few pics of my construction process. The first pic shows the rectangles of metal, with a pattern taped on, that I drew in MS Word. Second pic shows the sheave after shaping the metal pieces. Third pic shows the sheave on edge; note the layer of veneer that provides enough of a gap for the line to run through (eventually). Last pic shows the size of the sheave, about 1/4" wide by about 1/2" long.

 

    

 

 

I'll cut the sheave to length (about 3/16") before attaching to the yard with CA. I'm happy with the process and results, so I'll proceed to make the additional 7 sheaves for the other yards.

 

That's all for now.

 

Lee

[mysticlee]

As I mentioned in my previous post, a significant portion of the sheets on the Eagle are wire rope, starting from their attachment to sheet chains fastened to the sail clews, then routing through the sheet sheaves and on down to wood blocks.  In photos of the ship (and in person), the diameter of the wire rope is noticeably smaller than the hemp rope that runs through the wood blocks and eventually to the fife rail or other deck fixture.

 

Any recommendations for how to (or whether to) model the wire rope segments? I'm wondering if it would be an acceptable compromise to treat them as normal rope, and size them accordingly (i.e., same size and color as other rope, rather than smaller diameter and different/gray color resembling wire rope).

 

The same issue appears on portions of several other lines of running rigging, where the Eagle uses wire rope instead of regular rope (clews, halyards, lifts, etc.)

 

For that matter, since wire rope is used for all of the standing rigging, and is in some cases of smaller diameter than some of the hemp running rigging, will it look strange to model the standing rigging with smaller thread than some of the running rigging?

 

I got access to an online copy of Harold Underhill's Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship & Ocean Carrier, which contains tables for steel wire standing rigging, and approximate size of running rigging (hemp and wire), for various size ships (by registered tons). The Underhill tables correspond fairly well with the standing rigging sizes I previously identified on the Eagle blueprint. I'll use the tables to determine the size of all the running rigging for my model, once I decide whether or not to model wire rope as wire or hemp.

 

That's all for now. Comments and recommendations are very welcome.

 

Lee

[Jim Lad]

Lee, steel wire rope is actually a mid grey colour when new, but quickly weathers to a dark grey. simply use dark grey of black thread where there is steel wire.

 

John

[mysticlee]

Thank you John for your advice. I haven't seen gray thread sold by any ship modeling vendors but I suppose sewing thread might work. Otherwise I'll look at using black thread.

 

Lee

[mysticlee]

It’s been a month since I posted on my build log…other projects compete with my ship building (yard work, roof repairs, new hardwood on the second floor, maintenance of my family history website, golf, etc.). 

 

But I have done some work on the model. I finished my research of the sizes of standing and running rigging lines, using several sources, including:

 

          Horst Wessel (now USCGC Eagle) blueprint that I discussed previously;
          Underhill's Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship & Ocean Carrier;
          Rigging spreadsheet at Model Ship World for size of blocks and diameter of ropes;
          Lloyd’s standard specification for standing and running rigging; and
          Size of lines used by a few other modelers for model ships of similar scale to mine.

 

After factoring all the data from the various sources, I have selected the following thread sizes and sources for the various standing and running rigging:

 

 

My selection of the black and tan thread sizes was driven in part by the selection of dark gray thread from WAWAK for the wire running rigging. WAWAK has several sizes of Gutermann Mara threads, but not all of them come in dark gray. Once I found two sizes that were acceptable, I selected sizes for the black and tan threads from Ropes of Scale, keeping in mind that the dark gray threads, representing wire running rigging, should be smaller than their corresponding fiber running rigging. And the black threads for the standing rigging (also wire on the real ship) should be similar or a bit larger than the running rigging.

 

Note the oddball entry in the above table: linen thread. When I first started this ship model in the 1970s, I purchased a 50-yard spool of Ashaway Cuttyhunk linen line, Zane Gray No. 3, Twisted 50’s LEA, as a replacement for the fuzzy thread that came with the model. From what I’ve read, linen was the thread of choice for ship models until polyester (Gutermann, etc.) became widely used, so I wanted to make use of this thread if it would blend with the other threads in both size and color. I couldn’t find any specification that told me the diameter of the linen line, so I counted the 60 turns on the one-inch wide spool, resulting in a diameter of 0.0167 inches, a close match to the large size running rigging. It’s light tan in color, and I’ll find out if it will blend well with the tan thread from Ropes of Scale when I receive that line.

 

I summarized the relative sizes of running rigging lines for the square sails as follows:

 

 

For simplicity, I have decided not to model buntlines or leach lines, and I’m still on the fence regarding whether to model no sails or furled sails (I’m leaning towards the latter).

 

I’m still working on the threads needed for the stay sails, gaff and spanker, but I’m limiting which lines to represent for these sails, probably to only halyards. Once I determine the total length of thread I need for each size, I’ll place my orders for the thread.

 

                                                                                                           

 

I’ll conclude with a note about my overall work plan. You’ll note that I haven’t painted or assembled any of the deck fittings that I fabricated in the past weeks and months. The majority of the deck fittings, and all of the masts, yards, tops, crosstrees, booms, and bowsprit will be painted in spar color (with other colors as accents, such as white for the yard arms). Spar is not a standard model paint color; and I had previously painted several items on the model with a spar color that I custom-mixed using a combination of off-the-shelf colors. I didn’t record the formula I used, so I’ll need to experiment a bit to replicate the spar color. Once I get the right shade, I’ll paint all the affected parts, meaning I’ll need to have all the parts ready for painting at that point. So my next work tasks will be to fabricate the tops and crosstrees, then finish the masts, yards, and booms with their attachment points. I’ll also be fine-tuning the holes in the deck for each of the three masts to be sure they have the correct rake, and that the mounts are tight (without glue).

 

When I get into painting, I’ll be re-painting the hull, for two reasons. First, the white paint above the waterline has several smudges and thin spots. Second, the waterline is tilted (not sure why I painted it the way I did back in the 70s). I’ve already determined how it needs to be re-positioned, parallel to the keel. The black boot topping will also need to be repainted.

 

After painting is complete, I’ll begin assembly, first with deck fittings, followed by the masts, then the standing rigging, yards and booms, and finally, running rigging.

 

That’s all for now.

 

Lee

 

Edited Saturday at 12:33 AM by mysticlee
Correct source for some threads; improve image readability

[mysticlee]

The tops on the Eagle's fore and main masts are made of metal framework with wood planks on the upper surface, as shown in the below picture. 

 

 

Highlighted in the picture are:

 

      1. Holes in the planks to pass the running rigging (both wire and fiber rope) from above (similar to lubbers holes on 19th century and earlier ships)

      2. A roller bar (behind the shrouds) to guide the running rigging down to the deck

      3. Shrouds bolted to a support bar

 

Other items visible in the picture are the four futtock shrouds, and the turnbuckles for the topmast shrouds that are attached to the tops of the futtock shrouds as they pass through the metal framework and planks.

 

The top on the mizzen mast is similar but smaller.

 

I'm developing a plan for modeling the key features of the Eagle tops using brass sheet metal for the metal pieces, and wood veneer for the planks. More on that in an upcoming post.

 

BTW, the upper tops/crosstrees are also constructed of metal framework and wood planks, but have a different design. I'll discuss the details and modeling plan for those in a separate post.

 

That's all for now,

 

Lee