HMS Vanguard by RMC - FINISHED - Amati/Victory Models - scale 1:72

[RMC]

I have found credit in short supply - claim it whenever you can.

 

The top gallant shrouds are tied off and they turned our fairly well to my pleasant surprise.

 

This is the foremast before tying off:

 

 

and after.

 

 

The photos make them look a bit of a mess, but 'in the flesh' they are quite respectable. The top gallant ratlines for the mizzen are still to be done unfortunately. We're going to India on Sunday and that should keep my mind off the wretched things for a while...

 

Edited September 20, 2016 by RMC

[RMC]

The stays for the fore and main topmasts are fitted.

 

The main topmast stay provided a particular problem. The thread specified is 1.3mm.  The Syren thread I am using is 1.37mm.  Not much difference really.    In fact it turned out that there wasn't much practical difference as the 1.3mm thread would not have fitted through the hole provided in the block in any event. This necessitated enlarging the hole in the block to 1.5mm. Now this was a very fraught process as there is very little access indeed, and the probability of damage is high.  I then put a little CA on the end of the thread to stiffen it  making it easier to thread through the hole. This of course caused the thread to swell slightly so the it would not fit through the 1.5mm hole. Having said 'goodness gracious me' (or words to that effect), I cut off the CA and put dilute PVA on the end of the thread. This time there was no swelling, but the Syren thread showed a delightful tendency to unravel when I attempted to thread it through the hole despite the PVA. You may gather that this was not one of my best afternoons. Finally after a number of unsuccessful tries (each time losing a bit of thread so that the thread was close to being too short) - success. 

 

There is a lesson in all of this - make sure your thread fits BEFORE fitting.

 

This is the culprit.

 

 

This how things stand at the moment.

 

 

 

 

I have hung bulldog clips to the ends of each stay to keep the lines taught. I'll leave them like that until I return in 2 or 3 weeks.

Edited September 23, 2016 by RMC

[Beef Wellington]

Rigging looks so clean and perfect, definitely aspirational!  Seems with rigging that no matter how well thought out the plan of attack is there is guaranteed to be something that turns and bites you.  Seriously great work.

[RMC]

Thanks for the encouragement Jason and to the others for the 'likes'. After yesterday's experiience it's greatly appreciated.

[Joanne]

Hi mate, I have just read your build log, hours of great entertainment. You have obtained an extremely high standard and your research is very good, we have the same books. I am so happy you are in Sydney, as am I.

 

Cheers Joanne 

[RMC]

Back to finish the ratlines and mow the grass.  I should have stayed away.

 

Thank you for the nice comment Joanne.

Edited October 12, 2016 by RMC

[RMC]

The ratlines are finally complete and the mizzen top gallant mast is now mounted (?). The shrouds are in progress.  This is how it looks at the moment.

 

The photo isn't the best, but here are the ratlines for the mizzen topmast complete.

 

The mizzen top gallant mast with shrouds askew.

 

 

To my relief, the three top gallant masts line up nicely, as do the rest of the masts.

 

 

 

 

The shrouds for the mizzen top gallant mast should be finished this weekend, with the next step, finishing the various stays.

Edited October 14, 2016 by RMC

[RMC]

The main and fore stays are now tied off; the main stays temporarily.  I won't finally tie them off until all the other stays are complete.  I think it best to do all the necessary adjustments at the same time - tying one thing too tight may cause another to sag. 

 

I found it difficult to see just where the fore stays should be tied. I ended up tying them to posts on the head rail which seems to be the only place it could be. Looking at this and a couple of other things that will need to be tied off, it would help to be clairvoyant.

 

This is how the fore stays look at the moment. I cut off the thread a little shorter than I  would have liked, so when both are finally tied off, a couple of dummy rope coils will be needed to tidy things up.

 

 

 

These are two of the blocks used with hooks attached.  They came out acceptably (the photos accentuate the poor finish; they look better in the flesh), but I'm sure there are better ways to do it (suggestions welcome).  I had meant to show the process I used - there are others to do so another time ....

 

 

Here are the main stays temporarily tied off. When the time comes to finally tie them, I'm not sure how best to do it. A few dummy rope coils draped over the bitts will probably cover up any short-comings.

 

 

Edited October 16, 2016 by RMC

[RMC]

Advice needed. Having more or less finished the main and fore stays without too much trouble, I was under the delusion that the remaining stays would be reasonably straight-forward. A close look at plan 8, rigging stage 2 suggests the top gallant stays are attached to the masts by mouses. I made three small mouses in preparation, and then thought to look at Petersson. No mouses - at least that I could see.  I then looked at the photos on the kit's box. The photo was too small to see much but again it appeared there probably were no mouses. What did show up were royal stays for the main and fore.  Back to the plans: nowhere could  I find them. By this time I was smelling a rodent (sorry).

 

Having consulted Petersson again, I am inclined to fit the royal stays. But I would like to know if indeed mouses should be used for the top gallants.

It would obviously be easier just to tie a bit of thread around the masts, but I would like to get it as right as I can.

Edited October 17, 2016 by RMC

[AON]

I will PM you what I have.

[RMC]

Thanks Alan, I have replied to your PM. Incidentally, you look far too young to be smoking a pipe.

[AON]

Why thank you.  It must be one of the side effects of smoking a pipe.  The same thing happens when you drink too many tots of rum and then look in the mirror.

 

I am happy to have helped.  Your rigging photos are my cheat sheets for 5 years from now.

[RMC]

Alan :I spent a couple of hours trying to make a genuine eye splice with 0.75mm thread with very little success. I have now sort solace in a larger- than-fair share of a bottle of quite respectable wine. Things could be worse.I'll fake the eye splice. 

 

I am now trying to figure out the rigging for the bowsprit. I have looked at Arthur's log which is very helpful, but there are still some mysteries - to me at least. The complete rigging is shown in bits and pieces over 5 plans. I have photographed each diagram and then tried to put them all together which makes it all a little clearer. Unfortunately I will still need to consult my clairvoyant to fill in some gaps.

 

If you think my photos will help you, let me know.

[AON]

An actual miniature eye splice... I've dreamt of doing this but having made many a splice in real life lines of various sizes with fingers, feet, fig and spike I have a feeling it will remain in my dreams

 

My copy of The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625-1860 by James Lee covers quite a bit of this.  The diagrams are very helpful but when then don't exist the verbage needs re-reading multiple times before I can start to make some sense of it.  If you need anything from it in particular just ask and I'll be there for you.

 

I'll look at the section for the bowsprit rigging tonight and then PM info to you.

 

Yes, if you are offering a copy of the photos I am gathering everything I can to help me with my build.

 

Time for me to get off to work.

Edited October 20, 2016 by AON

[Jdieck]

Oh Bob!

After seeing your great work I am seriously considering redoing some of my rigging. Darn!

[RMC]

At the moment Jose you would be following the blind. If I were you, I would take a cold shower and forget about redoing anything. There is the danger of making something quite acceptable into a small disaster. I've certainly had to take a few cold showers during my build.

 

Just at the moment I am having all sorts of trouble in figuring out the rigging for the bowsprit and jib boom.  I'm getting nowhere remarkably quickly, despite valuable help from Alan (AON) and looking at Arthur's (aew) log.

[Jdieck]

At the moment Jose you would be following the blind. If I were you, I would take a cold shower and forget about redoing anything. There is the danger of making something quite acceptable into a small disaster. I've certainly had to take a few cold showers during my build.

 

Just at the moment I am having all sorts of trouble in figuring out the rigging for the bowsprit and jib boom.  I'm getting nowhere remarkably quickly, despite valuable help from Alan (AON) and looking at Arthur's (aew) log.

I hope I could help you there but other than familiarizing with the drawings I have rigged only the spitit shrowds.

Any particular doubt you might have let me know, may be two brains (or three) might figure it out.

[RMC]

 Until now I have resisted mounting the jib boom as, sticking out as it does, it is an invitation to disaster. Having already rigged much of the bowsprit when it came to the jib boom, it then occurred to me that gammoning the jib boom is required - though I can find no mention in the plans. Gammoning at this stage is quite fiddly, with all the rigging around it. In retrospect I probably would have done it earlier, but then there is he risk ......

 

Anyway here is the jib boom without the gammoning.

 

 

The dolphin striker is only dry-fitted.  It's another potential disaster.

 

This isn't a very good photo, but I was trying to show a method of keeping the thread taut while winding the thread over the two spars. I used spring tweezers as weights, alternating the two as I wound the thread. There was always at least one pair hanging on the thread to keep it tight and in position. (I notice too, the carpet needs a vacuum. )

 

The result.

 

 

PS: Thanks Jose. I'll certainly take up your offer.

Edited October 26, 2016 by RMC

[WackoWolf]

Beautiful work.

[Beef Wellington]

The closeups on your rigging Bob are just amazing, beautiful work indeed.  So crisp and clean.  Well done.

[RMC]

Thanks again Arthur for your help. The timberhead certainly does seem overcrowded, though there doesn't seem to be much alternative. I will definitely try your method of attaching hooks to blocks.  I knew there had to be a better way than mine.

[RMC]

The bowsprit rigging has been quite frustrating. The detail such as it is, is spread over 5 plans. The dolphin striker, the martingale and the blocks are now installed on the jib boom.

 

Here is one of the plans. It shows 6 blocks on the jib boom - which makes it very crowded indeed as some of the later photos show. The plan shows the cap with four vacant eyelets. The lowest are apparently for the spritsail yards. There is no provision for fixing a second pair of bowsprit shrouds, though Arthur (aew) has used these eylets for both the yards and the shrouds. I will follow his lead.

 

This leaves the top vacant pair. One of the plans seems to show the fore top gallant stay going through one of them, ending in a pair of blocks, finally tied off to (I presume) one of the bow timberheads. In fact once the fore top gallant stay goes through one of the blocks on the end of the jib boom, its route to the timberhead is a mystery to me.

 

 

Anyway here is some progress. (The two brass nails here need a dab of paint.)

 

 

This photo of the jib boom is not the best, but it is quite a good shot of my drill.

 

 

Here are the six blocks. I don't know if they are ordered correctly as the plans anticipate mind-reading skills. It all looks rather crowded.

 

 

 

It looks a bit like a dog's breakfast, with blocks all over the place.  What appears to be residual PVA on some of the blocks doesn't show at all in the flesh.

 

 

If this log appears to be a whinge, you're right. You're dealing with a man who, just two hours ago, was coming to the 18th hole putting for birdy, and who promptly three-puts. It's almost Friday night -clearly alcohol is the only solution.

Edited October 29, 2016 by RMC

[RMC]

I may have come up with the answer to my fore topgallant stay problem (though not my poor putting).

 

A closer examination of plan 8 suggests the stay passes through the fairlead on the bowsprit. If so, this appears to be its only use shown in all the plans.

 

 

 

 

A belated thank you Wackowolf (how did you come up with that one? ) and Jason for your kind comments.

Edited October 28, 2016 by RMC

[Jdieck]

Bob:

I do not think the stay passes through the firelead.

If you see a pic of the model attached you will see the stay block before the lead on the upper left corner of the picture.

Also as you can see there got to be plenty of other lines through the fairlead and none of them are black as the stay would be.

Edited October 29, 2016 by Jdieck

[Jdieck]

Bob:

I added two eyelets to the bowspirit, one on each side close to the base of the bowspirit cap for the shrowds while Arthur installed the shrowds to the same eyelets to be used for the spirityard deadeyes. From the pictures of the model, I do not think it had those two additional shrouds.

Here is my understanding so far.

1. The two top eyelets on the face of the cap are for the standing part of the rigging of the foreyard preventer brace. from there the line (One on each side) got to the yard then back through the block on top of the cap then to the belaying point. See drawing 11 line 86

2. The top eyelet on the sides of the cap is for the 3 mm blocks used for the fore top sail bow lines. See drawing 11 or 13 line no.70

3. The second and third eyelets on either side of the cap is to tie the standing an block portion respectively of the spirityard lift. See drawing 10 line 30

4 The bottom eyelets on the sides of the cap are fot the spirityard deadeyes.

 

Many of these rigging lines go through the firelead.

 

Hope this helps.

Jose

Edited October 29, 2016 by Jdieck

[Jdieck]

Here are some pics.

[RMC]

Many thanks Jose. This is all extremely helpful, especially your narration of the plan.  You've certainly done a lovely job on your rigging..

 

You're.right. None of the standing rigging goes through the fairlead.  I belatedly looked at plan 13 which I had more or less had ignored, and there it all was. This was not one of my finest efforts. It seems I was reading far too much into the coincidences of the stay seeming to pass through one of the eyelets on the cap (shown on Plan 8) and through the fairlead (shown above in my last post (also Plan 8)).

Best wishes

 

Bob

[RMC]

My anti virus software (Norton360 Premier) blocked access to the website shown (as spelled) on the photo of Vanguard sent by Jose. I have PM'd him with details which are significant.

Edited October 30, 2016 by RMC

[RMC]

The fore top gallant stay is now settled and done. It seems I got myself into a tizz over not very much. The other top gallant stays are now done as well, but none of the stays are finally tried off.

 

This is how it looks at the moment.

 

 

 

Here is the mizzen top gallant tied off to the main top. Not for the first time (nor, I am sure, the last) I have followed Arthur's lead in providing for some tensioning in the stay. Changing the tension in one stay may affect one or more of the others.

 

 

Here is the main top gallant temporarily made off to a block tied to the fore mast. It can be adjusted later if necessary.

 

 

I have taken a few photos of the sources of my embarrassment: the fore top gallant stay, the jib boom and the bowsprit. They may save others some angst. To my surprise none of the lines foul each other.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 30, 2016 by RMC

[Jdieck]

Beautiful work Bob.

I am also working on the stays. All the back stays at the moment as I need to install them before the stays which I need to install with the staysails on them at the same time.

 

I got your email. The site name on the picture is wrong. Try this link

 

http://www.historicships.com/TALLSHIPS/Amati/HMS%20Vanguard%20AM130004/HMS_Vanguard.htm

 

The view buttons at the bottom will give extra detailed views of the model.

 

Enjoy!

Jose