San Francisco by vulcanbomber - FINISHED - Artesania Latina - (Original Version)

[vulcanbomber]

Did I mention attaching the rudder was a tight fit?!

 

 

General views of the build so far:

 

 

Gun ports and channels and steps fitted:

 

 

[newbuilder101]

Everything is looking wonderful! I had quietly followed your build before, but now I feel I should tell you how great it looks!

[vulcanbomber]

Now the fun part, making the fittings. Here the capstan, catheads, bitts, anchors and mast rings made:

 

It's been that long ago, I can't remember what some of the parts are called! Here we have the anchors and bitts again, helsmans shelter? gratings and the stern boom?

 

 

I didn't like the method that was to be used for attaching the deadeyes for the ratlines, the instructions said to use thread. Again, that wasn't good enough for me, so I bought some brass strops and chain and I ordered some light wood deadeyes which I preferred over the walnut ones:

 

While I was in the buying mood, I also purchased some buckets, and barrels. i wasn't sure what size buckets to have so I bought a variety for comparison:

 

Deadeyes in place with the much better looking strops and chain:

 

 

[vulcanbomber]

Comparing the buckets against the cannons to decide which ones I wanted:

 

Cannons attached to the deck, complete with breaching ropes:

 

 

 

 

 

[vulcanbomber]

Starboard side cannons in place:

 

 

Port side being attached:

 

With gratings, capstan and stairs in place alongside cannons:

 

 

[vulcanbomber]

Thanks Sherry, I missed your post amongst all my updates!

 

Posting the log is certainly bringing back some memories, I can remember you giving me advice in my old log Arthur.

[DesertWolf]

Caroline,

 

It’s good to see this log back up again.  For me, reading your log was just as insightful as reading the modeling books from masters such as Mastini, Roth, Julier and Petersson.  It’s the definitive work on building the San Francisco. 

 

(Now you just need to write the final chapter – How to explain to the Admiral why building your ship is more important to mankind than going shopping with her…)

 

Wolf

[sokrates]

Hi Caroline,

 

Your build log inspired me once to begin my first build and i am happy that i can see it again.

Now i am looking forward to choose my 3rd build...

 

Thank you for posting it again.

 

Sokrates

[vulcanbomber]

Hi Wolf, thanks for your lovely comment, not sure about that final chapter though!

 

I glad that my log inspired you Sokrates, have you chosen your 3rd build yet?

 

Thanks for looking in Gary.

 

Next I made the pumps, with only a little modification:

 

 

In place on the deck:

 

 

 

Other deck furniture in place:

 

 

 

[vulcanbomber]

General overview, now ready to start on making the masts:

 

 

 

 

 

I loved making and adding the extras:

 

Ship's boat in place:

 

Fire buckets:

 

Cannon balls and water buckets with cannons:

 

Barrels:

[Adrieke]

wow what a beautiful model

[vulcanbomber]

The masts and spars made and in loosely place.

 

 

 

To make the masts and spars I used my craft knife to pare off the excess wood then I placed in into a drill and used a piece of sandpaper (very carefully, if your not careful the sandpaper can be snatched from your hand) to fine tune the shaping.

 

 

 

I didn't glue the masts in, they are held in place by the shrouds, at this stage I did a lot of research into what type of rigging would be likely to be on a ship of this type and era, as I wasn't happy with the rigging diagrams that came with the kit, to me it was too basic.

 

One of my first additions were the tackles and pendants which can be seen hanging down alongside the main mast, they were also added to the fore mast. The lanyards were left loose until the last minute:

 

The shrounds were put on in pairs, one pair to the left, the next pair to the right and so on. The last shroud on the port was spliced to the last one to the starboard as they were both singles.

 

Spliced shroud:

 

It gets a bit crowded!

 

A more detailed explination of how I attached my shrouds can now be found here

 

The triangle block for the main mast stay siezed into place:

 

Main stay in place on the mast:

 

Main stay attached to the bowsprit with lanyard, in the second and third pictures you can see the stay passed on both sides of the fore mast, this is not indicated in the instructions, but in my research, it appeared this is the way it would probably have been:

 

 

 

 

The stay now siezed around the bowsprit:

 

Edited March 11, 2019 by vulcanbomber
Replace missing photos.

[vulcanbomber]

Thanks Adrieke!

[JPett]

Ahoy Caroline

 

Thank you for taking the time to repost your build. It was the first log I read after discovering MSW. I will always remember the fun I had reading it late into the night on my tablet. It was quite inspiring and I found it almost ‘story like” in its trials, tribulations, and of course, happy ending.

 

It’s nice to see it back

[vulcanbomber]

Thanks for your looking in, your comments are appreciated.

 

It's been a while since I've been able to update this log, but I'm back now. I'll try and explain about the rest of the rigging I added to my San Fran as much as I'm able to remember.... it's been nearly two years since I finished her, I've been asleep since then!

 

This is how I made the tackles which are attached to the pendants hanging on both the main mast and fore mast.

 

First I took a length of thread slightly less than the thickness of the pendant (this is the runner) and siezed a brass hook to one end:

 

I threaded the free end of the runner through the pendant's block, making sure the hook end was towards the bow for the fore mast and the hook was towards the stern on the main mast:

 

Next I siezed a double block to the other end of the runner. the length of the runner was about the same as the pendant:

 

Next I made the lifts and purchase, this was made of a thread a bit thinner than the runner. A single block was siezed to one end with a hook. The free end was threaded through one hole of the double block at the end of the runner, taken down to the hole of its own block and back up through the second hole of the runner's block:

 

I added two eyes to the channels. The hook on the runner was hooked into the front one and the hook from the lift was attached to the back one. I then adjusted the lift until it sat nicely and wrapped the free end around the timberhead:

Fore mast

 

 

Main mast, note the hook on the runner is at the rear

[vulcanbomber]

Next I created the garnet, along with the pendants, runner and lifts, this wasn't included in the rigging instructions either.

 

This is set up in a similar way to the pendants and tackles made previously.

 

First a single block was siezed to the main stay roughly over the main hatch (don't forget to take note of where the block for the forebraces go as they will be very close together):

 

Next I made the runner. A brass hook was siezed to one end and a violin block to the other. The runner needed to be long enough, so that when the hook was hooked behind the main stay's triangular deadeye by the foremast, the block hangs down by about an inch:

 

A longer thread was used for the lift, a single block with a hook is siezed to one end. The free end was threaded through the lower hole of the violin block at the end of the runner, taken down to the hole of its own block and back up through the upper hole of the runner's violin block:

 

 

The lift block is hooked to the same place as the hook on the runner. The free end of the lift I poked down behind the triangulay block of the stay:

 

 

 

[vulcanbomber]

A few photos of where it is at now the stays, shrouds, pendants and tackles (NOT in kit plans) and garnet and tackles (NOT in kit plans) are in place:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next is the top masts and ratlines.

[Sjors]

Hi Caroline,

 

That is one very nice looking build!

And welcome back 

It looks if you like the rigging?

Thanks for explaining everything in detail!

Maybe the rigging makes his profit because you are also doing a stitch project?

Maybe that's something for me to…..first a stitch project and then the rigging…...

 

[vulcanbomber]

Thanks for looking in Sjors. I think I'm one of the minority who really likes rigging, infact before MSW 1 went down rumours were going around that I was the rigging fairy!!

 

Help! I've been trying to find my pics I took of how I did the clove hitches for the ratlines, but I've lost them. If anyone happened to download them from MSW1 please let me know, otherwise I'll try and do some new pics somehow.

 

Thanks.

[Anja]

Hello Caroline,

 

Here is the clove hitch for you.

 

 

You might also have a look here. Kevin posted it.

http://www.animatedknots.com/knotlist.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

 

Good luck,

 

Anja

[trippwj]

That build is absolutely gorgeous, Caroline!  VERY nice - looking forward to the next step in the rigging!

[vulcanbomber]

Thanks Anya, I did a clove hitch tutorial in my old San Fran log, with step by step by step photos I took of the process to show others how I did it, it's these pics I'm hoping someone has downloaded as I'd like to re-create the tutorial again in this log. If no one has, I'll take some new photos somehow!

 

Thanks Wayne, next job is trying to get my little ratline tutorial up again.

[vulcanbomber]

I've taken some more pics of how I tie ratlines, hopefully they'l make the process a little easier to understand.

 

Thankfully, I found my original tutorial text posted elsewhere, so I have managed to keep that the same, unfortunately, the original photos, except for the first one, were no longer accompanying the text, but never mind, I'm pleased that I managed to find some of my original work.

 

EDIT: Now found the original photo's

 

 

Here's how I made my clove hitches:

Photo 1. I started at the left hand side and with the end of the thread held to the left took the rest of the thread, with the needle, across to the right in front of the shrouds.

 

 

Photo 2. With the thread across the shroud take the needle and place it from right to left behind the shroud and under the thread that is across the front.

 

Photo 3. The thread should now go around the shroud and come out under itself.

 

 

Photo 4. Now take the needle and place it from right to left behind the shroud and over the thread, DON'T pull it tight, but leave a small loop.

 

Photo 5. Take the needle and from the left thread the needle through the loop and pull all the way through. (Make sure the needle passes in front the shroud, NOT behind it.)

 

Photo 6. The knot stretched out so you can see how it goes around the shroud.

 
 

Photo 7. Ease the knot together and tighten it to the shroud, before you tighten it completely to the shroud, ease it into place with the point of the needle and then pull it to lock it into place.

 

When I've done several rows I coat all the knots, ratlines and shrouds with dilute pva glue to hold them in place, you can also use the point of the needle to put 'droops' into the ratlines and then when the glue is dry they keep their shape.

[Sjors]

Thanks for looking in Sjors. I think I'm one of the minority who really likes rigging, infact before MSW 1 went down rumours were going around that I was the rigging fairy!!

 

 

Hi Caroline,

 

So, when I wake up one morning and the rigging of the Le Mirage is done by you???????

Yes !!!!! love it!

 

And you have a much better nick name then what some guys are giving to me…...

You know who….the man who's name not be said…..Clown…..

Maybe you can help me with those builders who giving me all those names?

I have a moderator around me but she is not helping me……..

 

 

[Anja]

Hello Caroline,

 

Happy birthday. Have a great day.

 

 

Anja

[cpt. Tom]

Hi Caroline,

 

Happy Birthday and have a nice day

[mtaylor]

  

 

I almost missed it... Happy Birthday Caroline.

[Adrieke]

happy Birtday Caroline

[Sjors]

From me also Happy Birthday.

Enjoy your day and many years to follow.

 

[Jeff-E]

Hi Caroline,

 

Wishing you a very happy birthday  

 

It is good to see you are reposting your log of this very beatiful model