HMS Victory by clearway - Billing Boats - 1/75

[Emmet]

So you are doing the stays in white rope-just thinking.

[Bossman]

Keith, you do very nice work Sir! She is a lovely model. 

[clearway]

Ty Bossman glad you like her, Emmet all the standing rigging is in black (stays, shrouds, backstays and strops) but where the stays running forward are connected to the mast collars or strops on the tops, i used a light grey thread- the white blob is the P.V.A. that had just been applied. Any rigging to the deadeyes on the shrouds and backstays is white) I was going to stain all the running rigging using tea leaves but because the model depicts her as she looked within past 40 years left the running rigging white as per you see now- so any white rigging you see is for trimming the yards and sails- if modelling her Trafalgar style then you will need to model the bows in the style Caldercraft have depicted.

Hope that makes sense.

 

Keith

Edited May 13, 2020 by clearway
missed info

[Emmet]

I will be thinking about that topic.  Authenticity is important.  So you made the ropes white using glue, is that right.  I will have to look up builds of Caldercraft.  I was thinking of buying the Caldercraft model but it is just too big for my shipyard.

[clearway]

Hi Emmet- the rigging chord from billings is white-but the lashing behind the foremast doubling looks white because it had just been glued- for the lashings on the stays to the yards i used some light grey thread bought from a sewing shop as white looked too obtrusive- on this pic i have enlarged the lashing and you will see the strops for the topgallant shrouds belayed to the deadeyes.

hope this helps explain more clearly

 

also in ship yard been tidying some of the spaghetti in the waist before i start on foremast.

take care all

 

Keith

[Emmet]

OK I understand.  Closeups are fascinating!  Here I thought the rigging on La Nina was amazing-nice work.

[clearway]

Ty Emmet- you have all this to come a year or so from now😉

 

Keith

[Jeff-E]

 I can never get the tail end of the lines to hang properly to look any good so I cut them off and make them separately which sometimes I am still not happy with but yours look great.

[clearway]

Thanks as always for views likes and comments everyone. Got all the rigging on the quarter deck stored away on the belaying pins and made progress on the foreyard- omg foreyard at last! Nearly glued the railing in place before the mainmast, but realised i will have to rig the mizzen crossjack braces so will need access still.

 

enclosed this shot of the rail to show the brass pins that will hold it in place.

 

take care all

 

Keith

[Keith S]

Very exciting to watch this phase of your model. Aha! I can see how you've used one of those "kevels" we were talking about! I can't wait till the book you suggested arrives. 

[clearway]

Thank you Keith- it will explain a few things- they might have done things with the rig on exploration ships slightly different, but i imagine the rigging for controlling the yards and sails would have followed standard naval practice- will explain them sheaves set into the bulwarks abaft the masts for example. The kevels just before the steps to the poop deck are for the topyard tyes which lowered the yard and raised it, and the two on the entry way inline with the mainmast are for the mainyard lifts.

 

Keith

[Emmet]

Good looking rails-using pins is certainly a good way to install fixtures on decks.

[clearway]

thanks for likes views and comments folks- yes Emmet always makes for a sturdier fastening- not much happened today but did finish the foreyard and it will be painted when glue dried.

 

take care all

 

Keith

[Emmet]

And so a story.

It was 1957 and I had just flown in from Weisbaden to Bovingdon.  A captain who was cold in the back of the plane got us into the cockpit area, We were able to see London from the bubble on top of the plane. The Captain also took us in a staff car to the Union Jack Club in Elepehant & Castle fust across the Westminster bridge from the Parliament. When you mentioned the Cumbrian accent I thought right away about the Limey paratroopers we met at the Union Jack. A dollar a night with breakfast.  Their accents were we thought cockney-something out of Eliza in Pygmalion. We did drink tea.  Took a couple of young Brit beauties to see south Pacific-cueing up as it were.

Went back with the Admiral in 2009 but no more Union Jack.  We did drive all over England and went thought Cumbria on our way to Bath and Stonehenge.  We were going this year to London to see more places on the man Churchill but the virus stopped us cold.

[clearway]

accents in the u.k are tricky to people over the pond- everyone thinks we talk like the queen or eastenders cast! cumbrian accent is kind of unique along with liverpudlian, lancashire, north east and yorkshire accents- watch open all hours, and james herriott series if available to get an idea of northern accents- along with ant and deck for north eastern accent😁

[Emmet]

Accents are great!  The West Virginia accent here is awesome. While similar to other Southern accents it just has a special ring to it. I remember a Kentucky acquaintance we had told my young son to "get the fol Bob".Bob was stumped. she got the foil and hit hi on the head with it. Often when we watch English movies we need closed cap to know what is being said. Unfortunately here in the States only a NY accent is permitted on tv-such a shame. I will look for Heriott-"If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans".

It seems PBS carries it but with us living in a rural area, public tv cannot afford for us to watch it.

Anyway back to finishing cannon holders and gratings. 

[S.Coleman]

Some seriously stunning rigging going on there. Looks great. Your rope coils look the part. I hope i can be able to do that.

[Old Collingwood]

I agree with Scott  - wondeful work, and may I say  that quarter deck  gives such a large impression of space.

 

OC.

[clearway]

TY Scott and O.C. - before i started rigging the yards i would move victory off the workbench and onto the dining room table - walked out of my modelling room to find the cat with his back legs still on the table but the front paws on the quarter deck and his head squeezed between the mizzen stays trying to play with the quarter deck guns the little s@!t- it was interesting trying to extricate him🤔🤪🤯😱

[clearway]

hello and thanks for likes views and comments everyone- as always they are appreciated.

 

the fore yard has now been painted and varnished with two coats of Ronseal acrylic varnish.

while working on the rope strops for the blocks on the yard i thought i would show how i go about it- not prototypical but does me!

first clamp the strop to the block (poor admirals long suffering peg collection)

then using sewing thread tie an overhand knot first one side then the other until at least 7 turns have been done, then tie off with a double knot and glue with P.V.A.

when dried cut off any part of strop not needed and sewing thread ends then form eye by clamping again- in true t.v.fashion here's one i prepared earlier!

repeat with sewing thread and ta-da

after drying trim off excess not needed.

 

take care all

 

Keith

 

 

 

[Jeff-E]

Looking good Keith, thanks for sharing your method I use a similar method for tying my blocks.

[Emmet]

Nice to see the details.  Back on La Nina I did similar but found that I had to glue the strops to the block for them to stay. Time will come when I will be doing more of it and it will be something to remember.  I also put bees wax on the strops before tying to the blocks. 

[clearway]

Ty Emmet- yep i also run my rigging through beeswax as well- i also never throw any ends i have cut off to use for strops-i also use annealed iron jewelry

wire for blocks which is thin and coated black.

 

Keith

[Emmet]

Is this what you mean? It is 22 gauge. Is this wire around the blocks in the above pics? No.  I see copper wire is used for deadeyes but do not understand where this wire is used.

[clearway]

 yes the blocks above have rope strops the wire is for others- my wire is a little finer - also can use it to make eyebolts and hooked blocks- the blocks at base of mainmast and on yard  pics are stropped with iron wire.

 

yard with iron stropped blocks

and blocks with iron strop with hook

 

i know you like extreme close ups Emmet😉

 

Keith

[Emmet]

I like the idea of doing things like that.  The pressed wood stuff is depressing looking. I hope I can figure a way around using it.  I guess it may be OK for a few applications.

Thanks for showing me how you use the wire.  Annealed wire is quite strong. I have used heavy stuff in the past.  I remember fixing a steel porch table with it.

[Matthew Kassebaum]

Fine work. Im jealous....and nervous.

[clearway]

this is why you see a lot of people (including the advise post at the start of build logs) advising against big complicated models like victory and constitution- this has taxed me at times and i have built and finished around 12 ships before this one. serious advise is to finish the framing then get a smaller kit (billings "Norden" is fairly cheap and you can practice tapering planking etc before tackling this monster hull). Then resume the victory build.

 

Keith

[Emmet]

I have a Santa Maria kit but plan on using it when we go South in October. I appreciate your advice but to tell the truth, if I am not able to see a cardiologist soon for my heart tests, my sons may have to finish it.  I think I can handle the first planking.  To be honest this looks easier than the La Nina.  Actually what bothers me is not doing some other things correctly that i will not be able to fix after planking. E. G. I am hesitant about doing upper deck as it may get in my way not to mention the directions about the poop are a reflection of the word itself. Thanks for being a friend and giving me your ideas.

[clearway]

you are welcome Emmet- the above comment was for Matthew as he has never built a wooden ship before. as regards your Vic you are doing the correct thing in hesitating and thinking through because yes the main gun deck is a bugger to get into when all decks and skid beams are in place. hope you get the attention you need to get on the mend again and see her finished.

 

Keith