HM Colonial Cutter Mermaid by olliechristo - FINISHED - Modellers ShipYard -

[S.Coleman]

I never have any of my rudders move. No explanation for it but that's just my own preference. Your build is amazing. Big pat on the back for your work. I like how you are making your own false keel etc. I have the kit from Modelers shipyard the Perserverance, ( not started yet) maby I'll take a Leaf out of your book and make my own too. Keep up the great work.

[olliechristo]

Thanks Tom, John ans S Coleman.  You guys are too kind

 

The cutting away of planks and epoxying of keel in place went really well.. It has made sure the mermaid is really strong..

 

I grouped multiple cutting discs on the dremel until i got to required thickness for my scratch keel..

 

Cut it out ever so carefully and dry fitted many times..

 

I feel i have really turned a corner now and i'm slowing down and thinking about the next few stages..  I wont be tree-nailing deck as i think it is too small a scale and im thinking about the planking and gun ports etc..

 

Also thinking about scuppers and if i should  do them or not..  probably just on the painted side...

 

Thanks for looking and commenting all. Ollie

[olliechristo]

More angles

[Jim Lad]

The keel and stem make a huge difference, Ollie!

 

John

[olliechristo]

Yeah it sure does John.. Its hard to show in the pictures how well it fits and very straight. I'm a happy modeller at the moment..

[Jeff-E]

Hi Ollie,

 

Your keel and stem look great much better than the supplied one  

[olliechristo]

Now I am just working on some smaller items for deck etc..   I am putting together anchor winch..  I tried fitting the ratchet wheels and they were not quite round, made the mistake of trying to squeeze one with pliers and shattered it into four pieces.. Oops.. Not made of brass... They are a bit rough on the casting so repaired and sanded and repainted.. Must be made of cast alloy of some sort...

 

Now I am looking at instructions and I am pretty sure they have this built wrong in their diagram..  The handles should be attached to main shaft that holds anchor rope.. not the brass rod above that has lugs for ratchets... Turning that would not wind rope.. I assume the brass rod should have a handle to release anchor when needed.. Thoughts? Thanks all... Ollie

[S.Coleman]

I agree with that. The handels should be on the actual spindle. In that picture the rope closest to us winds around from the underneath of the winch drum, while the other rope winds over the top of the drum. Just thinking, would winding that winch lower one anchor and raise the other?

[S.Coleman]

By the way, that keel came up real nice. Greatpeice of craftsmanship going on there. A real nice fit. Good work

[olliechristo]

S.Cole.. I think you are dead right.. Nice observation, I hadn't noticed that... That wouldn't be very handy would it? The ratchets seem to be facing right way to stop anchors falling down at least..

[Jim Lad]

Ollie,

 

I think your windlass would be more likely to look like this one from a contemporary model of the 'Harriet' in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, with the holes for handspikes to operate it, although from King's sketch of the 'Mermaid', it would appear that her windlass had the crossbar as well.

 

Also note that in that photo you posted the port anchor cable is incorrect - the cable should lead over the windlass drum and not under it as shown so that heaving on the handspikes from behind the windlass will heave the cable in.

 

John

 

 

 

[olliechristo]

That's great John.. I really appreciate your recommendations.. Any more pictures to help with the vision of how it should be would be greatly appreciated.. I had a feeling this windlass was not really that accurate. 

 

The square holes for spikes look like a tricky operation,, any techniques for getting such a small square hole?   Regards Ollie

Edited December 7, 2013 by olliechristo

[Jim Lad]

Ollie,

 

Go to the National Maritime Museum website (the Pommy NMM); go to 'collections' and search on 'windlass'.  You'll find several photos of windlass models including a few early ones - all the ones you want are on the first couple of pages.

 

As for the square holes, use a square drill, of course!   I drill a small hole and then square the hole out with the tip of a very small square escapement file I have.  In case of a lack of square files small enough, try filing down a small length of steel to a square point; drill the hole; then ease the hole out to square by pushing the squared steel spike into it.  Try on a piece of scrap of the same type of wood first just to check that it works OK.

 

John

[egkb]

Some nails have square pointy ends too, so tapping one into the desired area will give a square hole.. just don't tap them in too far

 

Eamonn

[ringbolt2013]

There's some real fine comments here. I totally agree with all of them. Stay focused and take your time. You have done so very well!!!

I love what you are doing!

Edited December 8, 2013 by ringbolt2013

[Jeff-E]

Hi Ollie,

 

John is totally correct the winch was operated by hand spikes which turned the main drum the handles are on the brass rod to release the pawls form the ratchet wheel. Also you may notice from John's photo that the windlass drum is hexagonal between the the outer bearing and the ratchet and pawl and not round  

[olliechristo]

I have spent another few hours today and built pretty much the last blackbean items (unless i build windlass also). The stern post. rudder, Channels and tiller.

 

Happy with the result, didnt really take that long..

 

I am in thinking mode about the lass and will build her this week i think. I am going to follow the design of the 'Harriet'..

Those large scale models are just wonderful... Thanks John   And yes I have a square drill bit in the kit somewhere

I am thinking about what timber to build the windlass out of now...

 

Thanks to you all, for helping me and i hope this thread can help many more..

 

I added a picture of how i cut the grooves in channels..(quite hard wood) I made sure i had a simple depth limit.. I used a metal hacksaw blade so hitting the old vice is no drama and with a quick sand the groove comes in at the required 1mm wide by 2mm deep.  Ollie

[Jim Lad]

That Blackbean looks a nice timber, Ollie.

 

John

[ringbolt2013]

I have never heard of the Blackbean wood before but it looks good and seems hard enough. The grain looks right too.

Go for it!!

 

Tom

[Jeff-E]

Hi Ollie,

 

Very nice work on the rudder and channels, the timber looks great.

[olliechristo]

Thanks Tom, John and Jeff Cheers..     The Blackbean has been seasoned for at least 40 years and I have access to a stockpile of old floor boards that are anywhere up to 140 years old.. My mind wanders thinking about how old the felled tress were.. From a demolised old building in the early eighties, building was built about 1910..

 

Back to the build, 5 hours spent on the windlass and very happy so far... I used some different timbers to give nice contrasts and made the hexagonal shafts from a wood that is fairly soft to be able to puncture round holes into square..

 

Im not sure if I am going to add top bar or not.. I added notches in tops of 'stands' for lack of better term. I figure this is where rope could be tied off if needed and like the look of it.. .. But now it would defeat the purpose if i have the bar running along top, Im thinking that maybe it was just an easy way to give the kit windlass strength anyway..

 

It is also obvious that the barrel is hexagonal to grip rope and tapered to wind rope on evenly.. I gather it only needs to accommodate five or so winds of anchor rope?   

 

Really enjoying myself and love that you guys are helping to nudge me towards a great ship.. regards Ollie

[olliechristo]

I started out making the ratchet mechanism.. I took a valve adapter for a tyre pump (thought it may be brass but was obviously alloy.. . Some careful filing with various files and etch primed and enamel painted.

 

The shaft is stainless and i need to work out next stages for tomorrow afternoon..

[egkb]

Clever stuff going on here Ollie.. Love the Valve Adaptor work, Nice

 

Eamonn

[Jim Lad]

Nicely done, Ollie - your square drill obviously worked a treat!

 

John

[ringbolt2013]

Outstanding job! Nicely done...a lot of thought went into the work. Certainly looks real!

 

Tom

[Jeff-E]

Hi Ollie,

 

Excellent work on the windlass, very nice improvisation with the tyre valve adaptor.

[S.Coleman]

As I look over your build, I'm thinking that this is a guy who knows what he's doing. Outstanding craftsmanship! Clearly you have put a lot of thought and planning into this and executing the work with a high degree of quality. Great work keep it up!

[olliechristo]

Thanks so much all of you..!!!  You are keeping me very enthusiastic about my build..

 

I have spent another 3 hours on windlass. It has been a challenge, but all in all, not that hard.. I just need to work out the ratchet and release mechanism now.. I like the one on the 'Harriet' and you may notice that i basically copied my windlass by eye.. I like the little bell on top of the post, i would like to know what it is for and if it was common.. I gather it has something to do with the anchor procedures..

 

Also any reccomendations on the deck planking would be great... Should this cutter's deck have a margin plank around it?

 

Happy crafting all.

Edited June 5, 2014 by olliechristo

[Jeff-E]

Hi Ollie,

 

The windlass looks fantastic, superb workmanship.

 

I think I'm correct in saying a bell was common on almost all ships and cutters and it's main use was to toll the start and end of the different watches, also as a warning device in fog, there were no air horns back then, there are probably a dozen other uses for it as well that some one else will definately know.

 

As for your deck planking I think this cuttter would of had a margin plank or water way around the main deck planks. Are you going to plank the deck with scale length planks?

[olliechristo]

Thanks Jeff, great info...  The kit says to cut planks at 100mm lengths.. I'm not sure if this appropriate scale or not..  Getting my head around  how to do the margin plank..  Should get a few more hours in today..  Ollie