Ranger 1864 by palmerit - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Barking Fish Carrier

[palmerit]

Olha Batchvarov has a nice demonstration of attaching a block to an eyebolt (I see now that I should have added the block to the eyebolt before adding the eyebolt to a mast or yard or bowsprit). 
 

It’s Ep. 17 of her Lobster Smack build (yeah it says “PAINTING” but she also does masts and blocks) starting around 1:13:16. 

 

Edited Monday at 02:13 PM by palmerit

[Kenchington]

11 hours ago, palmerit said:

Does this have a name?

The "loop" is a "becket" and the block would be known as a "single block with becket". In the case of Ranger, the blocks are rope-stropped (rather than built around a metal structure), so the becket (by which the standing end of the tackle is attached) and the eye (by which the block is fastened to the bowsprit) are both made from a single loop of rope. In full-size, that should be a grommet, made by laying up a single strand to make a loop, but at scale you will, of course, tie it off as you would any other block.

 

Full-size, both the becket and the eye would have thimbles in them to prevent chafe of the grommet. Whether you want to go that far at scale is up to you!

 

 

Trevor

Edited July 24 by Kenchington

[Kenchington]

8 hours ago, palmerit said:

Wouldn’t a gaff use parrel beads?

Yes. Maybe not always in a small boat but, in a  vessel of Ranger's size, definitely yes.

 

Trevor

[palmerit]

For simply attaching a block to an eyebolt, Olha simply ties a knot at the bottom of the block (adding some thin CA, and later some shellac, and cutting the loose ends flush). She does add seizing between the eyebolt and the block.

 

I found this as another (likely more challenging approach thanks to @Thanasis. Maybe someone like this would work allowing for a becket (loop) below the block, adding seizing between the block the the loop at the bottom and a seizing between the block and the loop around the eyebolt at the top.

[Kenchington]

I would try middling the line (that is to become the block's strop) around something like a thick needle, then catch the two ends together with a series of half-hitches in fine thread (representing a seizing). Add a dab of glue if necessary, then slide out the needle. That leaves your becket.

 

Place the block into the crotch between the two ends of the strop and either tie those with a half knot (half a reef knot) held with a dab of glue or else apply another "seizing". Then lead the free ends through the eye of the bolt and tie in place, trim the ends and hide them under more "seizing" if you choose.

 

That way, all the fiddly stuff is done away from the rest of the model, while all the mess is hidden between block and eyebolt, where the full-size vessel will have had sister-hooks or shackles or some such -- all of it too complicated to replicate at 1:64 but giving every excuse to represent with an excess if thread.

 

Trevor

[Keith Black]

 Or you could strop your blocks with wire. Here's how I do it, page 12, post #352.

 

 

[Loracs]

Absolutely...  I have attached all my blocks using this approach. Once you get the hang of it, it is very tight and clean final look.  Here is one example which can be applied everywhere, like fixing blocks to ropes and spars.  A very versatile knot.

 

For the Sizing:  I now do a variant that look like the real thing BUT easier to do:  1/2 square knot in front the 1/2 at the back of the rope. At each step, tie smugly.  Repeats 3 times and finish with a full square knot.  Look like below, which was done the traditional way of sizing but easier to execute in thigh area, like on the ship itself.

 

Note: I even don't use the needle anymore.  I use the tip of a fine forceps in the hole of the block for positioning.

 

Edited July 24 by Loracs

[palmerit]

Here’s a useful page for illustrating a way to strop blocks with a becket:

https://www.modelboatyard.com/stropping.html
 

[robert952]

First, thanks for the build log and details.  Great progress and commentary.

 

One of the great things about these build logs comes from seeing different aspects of the modeler's setup. For example, they're workbench setup.

 

I looked again at your paint booth set up (post 73 edited June 5). The hose goes into a bucket in what looks like a piece of filter paper.  Is that correct?  

Do you have a top for the bucket with a center hole for the vent and some smaller holes in the top, hence the dark spots that we see?  The filter would cover the holes, it appears.

 

I am looking at a similar set up since the temperature in my garage varies so much (like up to 100 degrees this week) and I need to bring my painting operation into a more controlled environment. 

 

Thanks for taking a side trip in your build to answer these questions.

 

 

[palmerit]

In Tennessee we’re almost as hot. I have a window right next to the airbrush booth but being in a 130 year old house, most of the windows do not open and even if they could I would not want the hot air coming in. For a while I painted in our cellar but then searched and found this setup. 
 

I learned the setup I have from this YouTuber:

 

I found others with similar setups. The bucket is from Home Depo or Lowes (I painted my bucket and lid black). It has a snap on tight lid. You see in the video that there’s a large hole for the exhaust vent in the lid and then smaller holes in the lid to let out the exhaust air. Most of the paint fumes stay in the bucket. There’s a few inches of water in the bottom and some detergent. The exhaust hose ends a few inches above the water. I try to wash it out about once a month. The filter at the top sits over the smaller holes in the lid to catch anything that might carry out. I now have fish tank filters that I cut to size. 
 

I use this for acrylics (Vallejo). I would not use spray enamels in the house. I hope that helps. 

Edited July 27 by palmerit

[Dr PR]

I would add a word of warning about stropping blocks (and other things) with seizing.

 

I used polyester rope with very fine silk thread for seizing. After wrapping the seizing tight I soaked it with white glue. After the glue dried the seizing was very solid. But the glue did not stick to the polyester rope, and it easily pulled out of the seizing if any strain was placed on the assembly. This left a nice tight hollow tube of seizing around one end of the rope, and a failed rigging. This happened to seizing that had been made weeks earlier when I started adding the rigging to the model. This caused a lot of difficult repairs!

 

I tried several different glues to fasten the ends of the polyester rope together. All failed except CA (cyanoacrylate or super glue).

 

After wrapping the rope around the block (hook, eye, etc.) I place a small amount of CA on the two strands of rope. Then I wrap the seizing around it.

 

If I try to tie the seizing over the wet CA I cannot wrap the seizing fast enough before the glue hardens. The result is a lumpy seizing. I spread the CA evenly and let it harden before starting the seizing.

[palmerit]

10 hours ago, Dr PR said:

I tried several different glues to fasten the ends of the polyester rope together.

I've read a bunch of posts about how to glue rigging lines and tried a few things.

 

I tried white glue and it does take a while for it to hold. Not working well with polyester thread is another problem. Thanks for that.

 

I might try using a little thin CA instead to set the line. 

 

Others have recommended instead using shellac. I wonder if there's any problem using a little CA to set the line and then using a light touch of shellac after the rigged piece is done (line and block). Shellac seems a little slow to set. A combination of little CA to set the line and shellac over some rigging (including a mast or yard) seems to be what Olha is doing in her builds too.

Edited Sunday at 04:57 PM by palmerit

[robert952]

21 hours ago, palmerit said:

In Tennessee we’re almost as hot. I have a window right next to the airbrush booth but being in a 130 year old house, most of the windows do not open and even if they could I would not want the hot air coming in. For a while I painted in our cellar but then searched and found this se
 

I use this for acrylics (Vallejo). I would not use spray enamels in the house. I hope that helps. 

Thanks. I plan on using acrylics.  I want catch all 'overspray' since I will be using inside a room.  Great video, thanks for the link. 

[Dr PR]

Shellac will hold the seizing, but it doesn't adhere to polyester rope. It hardens and appears t hold the rope - as do other glues. But if you put a strain on the rope the polyester will just slip through the glue like it was greased!

[palmerit]

I’m still struggling to figure out the best approach for rigging blocks.
 

Part of the challenge is translating what you might see at full scale (like what might be in the Ashley book or a photo of a rigged ship) and what might be appropriate - or “good enough” - at something like the 1:64 scale of the Ranger (and other Vanguard Models). I know at 1:24 or even 1:48 scale you might do something closer to what you might see at full scale. 
 

I think I have a way to add a simple block like I’m showing in the first two photos. Following a bunch of other people, I can simply do a half hitch of the line on the eyebolt, adding a little CA to keep the knot tight, then do another half hitch that’s loose and position the block in the eye of that knot, cinching it tight and making sure the line is in the grove of the block, adding some CA to the half hitch under the block and to the line near where the stray ends will be cut off, cutting the lines with a sharp scalpel flush so that there are no visible stray ends. I know I could do a seizing between the block and the eyebolt but I’m still struggling with seizings and I’m not sure at 1:64 if it’s really visible without a macro lens. 
 

It’s the several blocks on the Ranger with beckets (rope eyelets under the block) that are still stumping me. I can make the eyelets. The first step is hammering 2-3 small nails (the ones supplied for holding the first layer of planking) very close together to form the “mold” for the becket, cutting off their heads. I have some photos of two I’ve used. One just has the mold for the becket, the other also has a nearby nail to hold the block. The simplest approach is just to do a half hitch around the “mold” and add a little CA to hold the becket (rope eyelets that will go under the block). That gives a rope with a small eyelet. Then I can do a loose half hitch, position the block in the opening in that knot, and cinch tight, adding CA. That would work for a “floating” block with a becket at the bottom (if I trimmed the ends of the line), but I need to then tie the block-with-becket to an eyebolt. 

I could just do a half hitch to tie the block-with-becket to the eyebolt. Maybe that will look fine with some fiddling. Is that a simple thing folks commonly do?

 

I tried doing the seizing method I illustrated earlier from another log. Maybe it just takes more practice getting the seizings to work. I’m using Veevus 16:0 line (bought from Stockard Fly Fishing) for seizings. I got a couple tries maybe 75% of the way there, both trying to do the seizing wraps directly on the line or doing the approach Olha uses (wrapping the line around her finger and going a “pre-seizing” and then positioning the loop where it needs to go and tightening). I’m not happy with 75%. I’m sure practice can get me to more like 90%. 
 

Are there other ways to do a block-with-becket attached to an eyebolt that I should try?

[palmerit]

First step is creating the becket around the three deheaded nails. I tighten the half hitch around the nails and add a bit of thin CA. 
 

Then a loose half hitch to position the block in. A spot of CA after tightening. 
 

The end result is a block with a becket. Challenge is figuring out how to attach that to an eyebolt. 

[palmerit]

I suppose this is one way, passing both end through the eyebolt and tying off with a half hitch. I suppose I could try a seizing between the eyebolt and block. 

[palmerit]

The end result is a bit clunky. 

[palmerit]

I was looking at this web page again:

https://www.modelboatyard.com/stropping.html
 

I suppose an alternative to making a loop at the bottom of a block to accept another line tied to it (requiring a loop above the block to attach to the eyebolt and one at the bottom for the becket) I could instead attach the way illustrated here. I don’t know it will be any easier. 

[JacquesCousteau]

Nice work! I don't remember whether it covers your exact situation, but I found Chuck Passaro's block-stropping method to be very useful. There's a pdf in the "blocks" section of the Syren Ship Model Company page. I used the methods there for my Lancha Chilota build.

[palmerit]

7 hours ago, JacquesCousteau said:

found Chuck Passaro's block-stropping method to be very useful

https://syrenshipmodelcompany.com/resources/Stropping Blocks (one method).pdf

This is a great resource. I've been on the Syren web site a bunch but never saw this. Thanks.

Unfortunately, it doesn't illustrate a method to do a block with becket but the other illustrations are really useful.

Edited Wednesday at 12:47 PM by palmerit

[palmerit]

I see that Chuck uses Gutermann Mara 220. That seems more like Veevus 3/0 or 6/0 thread. That's a good bit thicker than the Veevus 16/0 I've been used based on recommendations. Maybe I'll see if a thicker seizing thread makes it easier to use.

[palmerit]

This is what I bought the small (heavy) desktop vise* for (it’s less than 6 inches long but weight about 5lbs). 

* https://www.haascnc.com/haas-tooling/mill_workholding/toolmakers_vise/09-0569.html#gsc.tab=0

Edited Thursday at 03:40 AM by palmerit

[Dr PR]

It was common on many vessels (especially smaller non-military ships with small crews) to forego the becket and just tie the standing part around the block strop.

 

In some cases the standing part of the tackle was tied in a knot around the block strop, as illustrated in Monfeld's Historic Ship Models on page 245.

 

Some people just loop the standing end under the block strop then pull the end back and seize an eye around the strop. This is perhaps the best way to attach the standing end on small scale models.

 

Sometimes a separate length of line was pulled under the strop, looped around a thimble and seized to create a becket.

 

And on some ships a separate becket was seized into the block strop. I suspect this method was more common on naval ships with large crews with little to do when not engaged in battles.

 

Unless you know the exact way blocks were stropped on the original vessel you are modelling you are free to use whatever method appeals to you.

[palmerit]

7 hours ago, Dr PR said:

Unless you know the exact way blocks were stropped on the original vessel you are modelling you are free to use whatever method appeals to you.

I'm trying to follow the plans in the Vanguard Range kit. It has several blocks illustrated that have a becket under the block while attaching to an eyebolt, requiring a loop above and below the block. It is good to know that there are several other options should I not be happy with my continued attempts to reproduce what it is in the plans.

[palmerit]

In the Modelkit Stuff build of the Sherbourne, I saw that he does a block-with-becket that is tied on an eyebolt (loop-block-loop). It turned out to be a way I was trying to do it (not entirely successfully). The main difference is that he first created the loop that the outside becket was being attached to. 
 

It’s Part 23 of the build, right at the beginning, after the intro. 

 

Edited 13 hours ago by palmerit