Bristol Pilot Cutter by michael mott - 1/8 scale (POF)

[cog]

Michael,

 

Sorry to read about that misfortune. Maybe we put to much time in building - and related activities - that we forget to take a breather so we can avoid our 'little' misfortunes ...

 

You are making some wonderful detailed accessories for your lady.

[Jim Lad]

Welcome to the club, Michael - I've done that too!

 

John

[jo conrad]

Hello Michael,

 

that´s of no importance at all; it´s  just a little more work to do. I´ve done the same a couple of times - when I was a young vet, a very young one. Three or four times in the run of my glorious career, when stitching up a caesarean in the middle of the night, I´ve cut the long end of my catgut...

 

Well, some juicy curses from my side, and - gnashing my teeth - I´d start the whole 40 cm-stitching business all over again. 10 minutes of precious sleep lost.

And them cows went on chewing their cuds in all peace.

These things and many more happen on the bumpy road to the retirement age. And after we have finally come up to that, we cut the shrouds at the wrong end. 

Prosit !!

Gx

Germanus

Edited May 7, 2013 by jo conrad

[michael mott]

Carl, John, Germanus, you comments made me smile this morning, perhaps there is a club called the shroud snippers somewhere in the universe.

 

I have almost finished remaking the shroud and served the dead eye end. All that remains is to make the stem end of the forestay now and I will be able to finally support the mast.

 

I am thinking that a metal fitting that wraps over the top of the stem rather than a series of holes through the top side to side, or the hole fore and aft.

 

Michael

[mtaylor]

Michael,

 

There should be a club for this.  I'm rather fond of trimming the ratline and snipping the shroud at the same time...     

[jo conrad]

I am thinking that a metal fitting that wraps over the top of the stem rather than a series of holes through the top side to side, or the hole fore and aft.

 

Michael

 

That´s right, Michael. Looking at your bowsprit-housing I had the very same idea, but I didn´t want to play Mr. Wisenheimer again. I sort of knew, that you would find this weak spot of your construction yourself. In most ships of that kind you see either a iron counter strap at the opposite side of the stem, or they carry a solid metall wrap of one piece, containing and fixing the bowsprit on one side of the stem, and offering a support for the fastening bolts on the other. The housing you have build so far would not withstand too many snappy squalls, especially those coming over her starboard bow. A strong metal ring-bolt soldered to the top of that wrap, and you can set up the fore-stay to the stem as taught as you wish, thus killing two flies with one flap.

Germanus

Edited May 7, 2013 by jo conrad

[michael mott]

Germanus I was thinking that this set up would also work independent of the the gammon iron this is a shot from the bow.

These are on the smack Betty CK 145.

 

I think that you are also suggesting that a plate on the port side of the stem a a keeper plate for the gammon iron would be  good idea.

 

Michael

Edited May 8, 2013 by michael mott

[druxey]

Welcome to the 'I-cut-the-wrong-leg-of-the-line' club, Michael. You have joined a non-exclusive club, of which I am also a member. Mark - you're in as well.

[michael mott]

So you're in the club too Mark! Druxey thanks for the welcome

 

This evening I started on the forestay fitting for the stem.

 

 

 

 

tomorrow I will silver solder the parts together, and drill the holes. I will make a separate keeper plate for the Gammon Iron.

 

Michael

[Jim Lad]

More of your lovely 'blacksmithing', Michael!

 

John

[jo conrad]

Michael,

I was thinking of a metal strip functioning like a big washer opposite to the the gammoning iron ( thanks, this is the correct nautical name I have been looking for. ) This metal strap would keep the bolts on her starboard side from working their way into the stem. That can be achieved by two or more separate metal strips, like on the Betty, or by one "gammoning clamp" with a ring bolt for the fore-stay on top. Many ways lead to Rome.

It´s a pity that much of this brass and wood splendour will disappear under coates of varnish or black finishing. So nice to look at  forms following their function.

Germanus

Edited May 8, 2013 by jo conrad

[michael mott]

John thanks.

Germanus, Yes you are thinking as I was with regard to the strap washer, the shape will mirror that of the gammon iron. My thoughts about the finishing are to keep the bright work bright and to keep paint to the absolute minimum, basically the hull outside, all the other woodwork will get a coat of clear varnish, the deck will be oiled with teak oil. When I make another model and it follows an actual boat I will make the model look like the prototype, as for this model (which is essentially my learning exercise in boat building) I feel that I can be close to tradition and also be creative. and draw from many boats mixing older with more modern.

 

Michael

Edited May 8, 2013 by michael mott

[popeye the sailor]

great progress Michael.......simply beautiful work!   sorry to hear about the wrong snip.........I've done it too {holding hand up high}.  the only thing to do is laugh about it............and then do it over {shrug}.

[jo conrad]

Hello Michael,

 

no mails nor pictures from you for more than a week ; I´m missing the updates your pilot cutter.

 

 

Greetings from

Germanus

Edited May 16, 2013 by jo conrad

[michael mott]

Brethren, I have been busy doing a few things. Lots of memory work for those of you who know of what I speak out of the Blue and into the Red

Installed as "Z" yesterday and will be past Master of Meridian Lodge 129 as of June 12th.

 

The boat has been sitting with the shrouds and forestay straining to be heard for a few days now and they are giving me a bit of agro as it was coined by my brother a few years ago.

 

 

the one with green flag is needing to be re seized because it was to long.

 

The thing is I stretched these shrouds and then they need more stretching. At this scale perhaps I should be thinking wire rope.

 

Michael

 

[Jim Lad]

Michael,

 

If you're going to sail her, is stainless steel wire a possibility?

 

John

[michael mott]

John, yes I am beginning to think that wire might be a better option.

 

Michael

[Sven]

Michael. That ceiling is starting to look kinda low!

[jo conrad]

Hello Michael,

 

 

The thing is I stretched these shrouds and then they need more stretching. At this scale perhaps I should be thinking wire rope.

 

Michael

 

That´s the proper solution for model shrouds, fore-and aft stays and backstays. No solid wire, but twisted steel wire of scale diameter; 7 ore more strands give them a convenient flexibility. For 20 years I sail them on my own 1:5 skerries to my complete satisfaction. They roll off the coil easily, without kinks and, of course, they didn´t show any stretching over all these years. Black-finish or serve them, and you will not find any difference to the original hemp - or manilla-ropes. There are lots of these on the after market , http://www.bluejacketinc.com/index.php for example.

Germanus

 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2013 by jo conrad

[popeye the sailor]

looking sweet Michael.....congrats on your appointment!

[michael mott]

Matt yes the boat will have to be lowered or the ceiling raised.

 

Germanus, I looked on the site you linked and their metal wire sounded pretty small it was listed as bronze wire 7 strand #73 drill perhaps I was looking in the wrong place .

 

Popeye thanks.

 

I did a little experiment with some bicycle brake cable this morning it is about the right diameter but a little stiff the experiment sold me on the idea of wire rope for the shrouds and forestay though.

 

 

I tried a few different ways to seize the wire using fine multi-strand electrical copper wire on the lowest twisted to look line fine line. (looks ok but tough to work with)

 

the next one up is solid copper wire (doesn't look right)

 

the next one was three strands of the solid copper ( Way too thick)

 

the top one is the end of some fine rope made from polyester upholstery thread. (the best looking) but the line is a bit heavy so I think this is the way I will head . I will source some flexible stainless wire approx 1/8th diameter and use upholstery thread lines for seizing and serving

 

 

 

The lanyard is some small diameter shroud I grabbed just to hook up the forestay I will use the right diameter lanyards when this is all sorted.

 

Michael

[jo conrad]

Yes , Michael,
you are right, that is to small a diameter for a fore-stay. My calculator shows some 6 mm Ø in reality. But for the underdeveloped calculating center of my middle european brain > #73 < is one of the many unsolved conundrums of my personal universe. How on earth could you Anglo-Saxons ever shoot your astronauts safely to the far side of the moon and get them back home again, despite inching and footing and gauging along ?
Thank God for millimeters, kilogramms and the like.

Btw : these bowden cables look very realistic, a bit of weathering, and they will be perfect. I don´t know whether wire cables were already in use aboard these vessels in their time. But rigging her up at the lake might be a nuisance.
Maybe turning some strands of nylon strings into a rope of the proper dimension would do the trick ; simple surgical nylon for example, cheap, extremely smooth, coming in many dimensions and in 100 m coils. No stretching, and easy to dye.
Tschüs, and have fun.

Germanus

Edited May 17, 2013 by jo conrad

[Jim Lad]

Michael,

 

Your Bowden cables look nice, but are laid up the wrong way - wire rope is usually laid right handed (but only worry about that if you want absolute scale accuaracy).

 

As for yout seizings, in real life, wire rope is usually seized with marline, so using a non wire thread if just right - all you need to do is to find the appropriate size of thread.

 

John

[michael mott]

A small update, it has been a hectic week here with other home projects.

 

Germanus I will be using the stainless steel wire.

 

John, The wire I need will have to be softer to bend.

 

Yesterday I went to the local distributor of just about everything one could imagine, they have a very large warehouse in Edmonton and picked up 30 feet of 1/16th, and 30 feet 3/32 stainless steel aircraft cable it is laid the same way as the shrouds so it looks correct it is 7x19 strand and quite flexible. next will be figuring out how to make the shiny steel look black without going to paint.

 

Michael

[Jim Lad]

next will be figuring out how to make the shiny steel look black without going to paint.

That's a really tricky one, Michael.. Does anything happen to the colour if you heat the wire?

 

John

[michael mott]

Hi John, I posed the question over on the paint and finishing area and Randy gave me a link to a company that sell a blacken it type solution. so I will get some and see how it works.

 

Today I thought about the whole issue of worming parceling and serving as I was driving home from a meeting in the city and this was to use some black shrink wrap as a covering over the wire. The black piece I had on hand was too large a diameter, but the red was perfect to slide over the wire

 

 

My thinking is that if I were to blacken the wire chemically and then use the small black shrink wrap as the worming parceling and serving then use some fine line to make the seizings then it could work

 

 

 

I know the red looks weird but the texture looks interesting it wraps around the deadeye nicely so next time I go to the city next week I will pick up some full lengths of black shrink wrap. It's good over the ends of the cut cable in any case.

 

Michael

 

 

[Jim Lad]

Hmmm, an interesting concept, Michael.  That could look good.

 

John

[Padeen]

Michael,

This is the first time I dive in your build log but it will not be the last!   Your are doing an impressive job on this model and it is a real pleasure to see all the detailing allowed at this scale. I am eager to seeing this "little" one on the water...

 

Cheers,

[michael mott]

Adeline, Thanks for looking in, I really enjoyed your build of the lobster boat.

 

John we will see where it goes..

 

Michael

[captainbob]

Michael,

 

I think you have a winner with the shrink tubing, great idea.

 

Bob