HMS Diana 1794 by Ray - FINISHED - Caldercraft - A 38 gun Heavy Frigate

[Beef Wellington]

Have fun with the serving machine Ray, I've been happy with mine (though I do feel a bit like Gandhi when doing the longer lengths!).  One trick I've learned by experience is to periodically "compress" the thinner line every 2cm or so to keep the serving as tight as possible.  Your Burton pendants came out very well.

[Blue Ensign]

I also run a smear of pva along the line as serving progresses, helps keep things tight.

 

ps: I love that last run of full model shots even more than the ones before.

 

Nice work Ray.

 

B.E.

[Mirabell61]

Hi Ray,

 

your rigging is excellent, Looks great so far !

 

Nils

[Ray]

Thanks for the ticks and comments guys.

working on the shrouds and will update soon, progress is a bit slow due to visits too, and from, the grand children,and work on my motorcycles.

[mobbsie]

Hi Ray,

Nice bit of serving mate, I find it quite therapeutic. Also if you have any stretch in the thread your serving take it to the limit then serve, when the tension is released the served thread will tighten the serving, if that makes sense.

 

When I make an eye with a served rope I use a hands free with a wire in one set of jaws, loop the rope around the wire and lock with the other set of jaws then seize the loop, not as good as splicing but I cant do that.

 

Enjoying your progress mate.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[capnharv2]

Ray,

 

Your Burton Pendants look really good!

 

I have a couple of questions about your eye splices. Do you splice them as a normal eye splice or seize them and then serve over it?

 

Also, how do you do the serving of the eye? Serve, then splice or splice, then serve by hand (I haven't figured out how to use the serving machine inside the eye)?

 

One last question-how do you keep your served lines so straight? Mine often twist and turn and have kinks in them after I finish serving.

 

I wish I had room/time to do HMS Diana. You've done a superb job.

 

Thanks,

 

Harvey

[Ray]

Thanks for all the ticks and comments guys

 

Harvey

detailed below is how I am making my served eyes, they may not be purist, as they are not spliced, but they work for me and look in my opinion small and neat.

 

A length off tightly served rope.

Eye formed around a suitable sized piece of round material

Eye tied as below with back to back half granny knots, I use three to hold the eyes size and shape.

A drop off gel super glue over the whole knot and allow to dry, I do not use as much gel as this normally but this amount shows up better the angled cut in the next step.

Trim off knots and then cut return length at an angle with a scalpel

Lastly I roll the eye joint with my fingerers

.

Job done.

 

 

 

 

[capnharv2]

Thanks so much Ray! I like that so much that I may redo the fore and main stays on my Connie.

 

Harvey

[Ray]

Fore Mast Shrouds

The shrouds on the fore masts were made next, and the fore most shroud on either side is served right the way down to the dead eye I believe this was to strengthen it as it was liable to be chaffed by the sail,all the others were severed as shown in the rigging book about two thirds of the way down to the futtock stave,they ended up not all exactly the same length down,to achieve that I would still be doing them at Xmas. The dead eyes were added to the ends of the shrouds and rigged at this point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ray]

Now all the shrouds have been added to the fore mast I decided to tie the rat lines on this mast, and not when all three lower masts have had the shrouds rigged,as it would break up the dreaded rat line tying into sections.

 

 

[gjdale]

Good idea to break it up like that Ray - they can become a little tedious!

 

The ratlines look great so far - nice and evenly spaced.

Edited September 5, 2014 by gjdale

[Ray]

Catherpins

Just a small update With the rat lines tied I turned my attention to the futtock staves and the catherpins, the staves were made from 1mm brass wire and the catharpins from lengths of serve rope with eyes made as previously described and stiffened with pva they will be tied to the shrouds and the wire cut to length painted matt black.

 

 

Test fit for length

 

All four made up

 

 

[teloo]

Hello Ray, I really like your way of buildung ships. I learned a lot from your build log. And the Diana I also want to build once in a while. keep up the brilliant work. regards ludger

[mort stoll]

Hi Ray,

 

Great job as always. Been meaning to ask did you use the kits wood to plank your hull? It looks really great in the pictures.

 

Thanks,

Mort

[Ray]

Thanks for all the ticks guys

Mort all the hull planking was carried out using the supplied timber which was fine.

[mort stoll]

Thank you, it really does look great.

 

Mort 

[mort stoll]

Thanks.

 

Mort

[md1400cs]

Ray,

 

Found your build while surfing through Kit Builds. Oh my, your work, and your ship are Beautiful. Well done.....

 

Michael

[Blue Ensign]

Neat work on the Catharpins Ray, is that the approach suggested by the kit instructions? I've always rigged mine insitu and a fiddly job it is getting them seized and taut without distorting the shrouds.

 

B.E.

[mobbsie]

Hi Ray,

 

She looking real good Ray, good work on the Ratlines, not the nicest part of a build, good idea to brake it up.

 

I use a very similar system as you for the Catherpins, I use 0.5mm wire served with a loop formed at the ends, the Catherpins are then fed onto the futtock stave through the shrouds.

 

Thanks for showing mate.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[Ray]

Hi BE

The kit instructions for catharpins just say use .5mm thread to tie each futtock stave to the next one and they act to keep the shrouds taught !! I have installed mine as Mobbsie mentioned above,with a fair amount of pva brushed on to make the pins quite stiff.

Hope to add some photos later of them installed.

[Ray]

The catharpins have now been installed with the futtock staves,also the 3mm dead eyes to the top in the non kit plates the futtock shrouds were tied on and hooked into the plates and the rat lines tied on the the futtock shrouds,now just the main and mizzen lower masts to do.

 

catharpins

futtock shroud hooks

futtock rigging

finished lower mast

 

[GuntherMT]

Thanks for those great closeup pictures, they really helped me understand what all those things actually do now!

[Ray]

Progress has been rather slow as of late due to holidays, and other pastimes, mainly selling two motorcycles, and buying one, plus ratline tying is a chore, the main lower mast shrouds,ratlines,catherpins, futtock staves and shrouds are now done.

 

 

 

stave location marked

ratlines done

Lower maim mast done

fore and main

[Beef Wellington]

Lovely shots Ray, I'll be caught up to you in no time    Looks like you replaced deadeye strops in the tops (?), what did you use?

[jaerschen]

_{It's nice to see a new progress Ray. Lovely work as ever.}

[Ray]

Hi Guys thanks for the ticks

 

Jason I did not make the futtock strops as per the instructions I bought Amati 3mm deadeye futtock strops and hooks much better and very cheap. Some photos below.

 

Painted matt black

 

 

[drtrap]

Fore Mast Shrouds

The shrouds on the fore masts were made next, .................

 

 

shrouds 5.jpg

Hi Ray

your work is excellent!

May I ask you how do you seize the shrouds around the lower mast? Using half knots or something like that, and for how many turns?

Thank you.

 

Stergios

Edited November 10, 2014 by Stergios

[Blue Ensign]

Nice work Ray, well done

 

B.E.

[mobbsie]

Sweeeeeet, Nicely done Ray.

 

mobbsie