Bower anchor project by Sizzolo

[Kenchington]

I don't think I could do as well at 1/1 scale! 

 

And I have tried: Not an anchor ring but one on a mooring buoy.

 

Trevor

[Desertanimal]

You may have said, but what’s the diameter of that ring? 
Chris

[Sizzolo]

1 hour ago, Desertanimal said:

You may have said, but what’s the diameter of that ring? 
Chris

30mm after parcelling and  puddening

[Sizzolo]

I made some more progress. Still likely to finish the ring tomorrow. 

note, 13 strands chosen as it aligns with Steel’s estimate of the average (at least I think it was Steel… so many references). Due to a nicely working ropewalk I was able to calculate the exact diameter required. 
 

I also ran a quick test on applying thinned wood glue and then my mix of Stockholm tar (25%tar, 75% boiled linseed oil). The test was perfect - I was worried the glue would generate a barrier but the tar/oil still had a decent effect. 

Edited October 29 by Sizzolo
adjusted pic size

[Thukydides]

I am really enjoying this build log, learning so many things I was not aware of. I don't really have anything to add apart from great job.

[Sizzolo]

The fiddly bit is done!

Edited October 30 by Sizzolo
adjusted picture size

[Sizzolo]

More progress today.

Work on some shackles for the chains. 

Anchor ring tarred with a mix of 75% boiled linseed oil, 25% Stockholm tar. Ends of the puddening received a thicker dose of Stockholm tar as I saw this in a reference (apologies, I need to start writing down references when I see them). 

Cable fully wormed. I’ll add some seizing at intervals near the ring before the starting point of the Keckling/ serving - so most of the worming will be hidden. 

 

I’ll try and take better pictures in sunlight when it’s all put together. 

Edited October 31 by Sizzolo
resized pictures

[Sizzolo]

Some very useful information here, and fantastic pictures:

 

https://anthonylonghurst.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Signals-94_pp02-11_Endeavour-standing-rigging.pdf

 

I'm hoping to make time to read his Anthony's other published works later:

https://anthonylonghurst.com/#published

 

I'm trying to identify the diameter of the serving rope. I can make a good estimate based upon pictorial evidence but it'd be nice to see a table with measurements.

[Sizzolo]

Better picture of the upper half (in daylight!)

Edited October 31 by Sizzolo
added the original plan

[Sizzolo]

Brief test during the lunch hour on serving the cable. This is 0.7mm serving rope : too thick I think...

Edited October 31 by Sizzolo
changed image size

[Kenchington]

Maybe not much too thick, as you are serving a cable to protect from chafe on the seabed, not serving standing rigging to keep the weather out and protect against chafe from the sails.

 

Trevor

[Sizzolo]

18 minutes ago, Kenchington said:

serving a cable to protect from chafe on the seabed

You know what - I'm going to go with that. I've seen reference to serving, then rounding, and on top of that likely keckling and platting near the end of the cable. Aesthetically it looks nice, it won't take a million years (as with anything thinner by hand) plus I can do a short amount of serving with thinner stuff near the anchor, underneath this thicker 'keckling' to represent the multiple layers of protection (plus there'll be chains on top).

[Sizzolo]

Happy halloween everyone. Apologies for nothing particularly scary apart from fiddly rope-work after a couple of whiskeys! Here's the end of the cable nearest the anchor - based upon assessment of a variety of sources so not necessarily accurate for 1800. A dose of my Stockholm tar mixture will neaten things up a bit.

 

[Sizzolo]

Not much of an update - just adding some snaked seizing to the wormed end nearest the anchor.

Reference: Boudroit '74 Book 3, p 104: "If a rope is simply wormed, (i.e. not parcelled and served as well), the worming must be secured at intervals by special seizing called snaked seizing."

I'm just going to leverage that reference here for aesthetic reasons to make the model more interesting - there's no reference to say this was done at the anchor-end of a cable. 

Edited November 3 by Sizzolo
added the reference.

[Sizzolo]

Steel: The Elements and practice of Rigging and Seamanship" 1794:

"TO PREVENT CABLES FROM CHAFING by friction...care taken to stop the service with spun-yarn at every six or eight turns."

 

This is a pic of stopping the service but, not using separate spun yarn so just a test. I'll try a section with separate 'stop's.

Edited Wednesday at 12:01 PM by Sizzolo

[Sizzolo]

I think this is more appropriate: for spun yarn I used 2-thread, 2-strand rope with 0.35mm diameter. Spot of superglue on the reef knot to keep it secure. Again, the eventual Stockholm tar will neaten things up.

It's going to take a while to do the roughly full 4 fathoms (60cm to scale) but should be worth it in the end.

Edited Wednesday at 12:51 PM by Sizzolo
typo

[Kenchington]

56 minutes ago, Sizzolo said:

stop the service with spun-yarn

Was Steel any more specific about what he meant?

 

I can see every reason to clap on something to prevent a break anywhere along the service causing the whole thing to unravel. (It's even a problem I have with my boat's mooring pendant. A rope washing about in water can shed its service all too quickly!) But it needed to be done in a way that neither promoted wear on the seabed nor risked jambing in the hawse while weighing anchor.

 

Trevor

[Sizzolo]

1 hour ago, Kenchington said:

Was Steel any more specific about what he meant?

Unfortunately not. That's all he said as far as I can see:

https://maritime.org/doc/steel/part10.php

 

Completely agreed with your points. I suspect the 'stopping' was either similar to my first method which was just a half hitch in the service itself, or, more likely was sewn into the service with a palm, using finer thread which bound two turns together but not protruding as much as the ones in my model which are just wrapped around two turns. Or (another thought) was a line that used fitted down the contlines of the turns and lashed - again being more concealed. I'll probably stick with my method 2 as it's taking long enough as it is    It's lunchtime now though so I guess one more method....

[Sizzolo]

I think this is better:

This probably makes more sense and wouldn't promote chafing or damage to the hawseholes.

 

[Kenchington]

1 hour ago, Sizzolo said:

a line that used fitted down the contlines of the turns and lashed

Trying to think this one out.

 

The whole task was massively heavy. First the cable had to be supported above the deck (assuming that the work was done on board, and it rather sounds like something the crew would have to keep on top of). Then the rope (itself something substantial) had to be passed around and around the cable (and around ... and around: Serving even the standing rigging of my little boat needed an estimated 30,000+ turns!). Every turn had to be hauled tight.

 

Amidst all that, stops had to be passed. How?

 

Maybe pause in the heaving, pass two looser turns around the cable. Then pass turns of spunyarn  around those two looser turns, taking advantage of a contline in the cable. Heave the serving turns tight, pull the spunyarn tight, knot its ends, bury them under the serving and continue.

 

Then, after applying another 6 or 8 turns of serving, pause and do it all again. And continue until you have served over 10, 20 or more fathoms of cable. What an incredible labour!

 

 

If that is roughly how it was done, I think that your third version captures the appearance very well.

 

Trevor

[Sizzolo]

Thanks Trevor. Yes I think your assessment is sensible. It probably demonstrates just how busy sailers were during their shift. After a few years of practice they probably got quite fast at it when the cable was regularly re-served and repaired.

 

I'm glad I did two methods first as, yes, the third is subtle enough to add an element of interest to the model without making it look like a twiglet.