US Brig Syren by _SalD_ – FINISHED - 3/16" scale

[_SalD_]

Dirk, Elijah & Nigel thanks for the kind words and thanks to all who hit the likes button

[_SalD_]

As I had mentioned earlier in one of my posts I had won a small serving machine at the Northeast Ship Model Conference last April so I thought I would use it for some of the standing rigging.  The lower pendants were done first by serving two separate pieces of rigging, forming the eye at one end of each piece and then seizing the two pieces together around the mast head.

 

Next I did the lower main shrouds.  Only the foremost shroud on either side of the main mast was served in its entirety, all the others were served only where they wrapped around the mast head.  I’m glad I did this because, imo, it does look impressive.  The only problem I have with it is the black thread on the black mast, it’s very hard to see.  I think the next time I’ll paint the mast head white.

 

 

For tying the shrouds around the deadeyes I used a technique for holding them in position that I read about in Brian’s (GuntherMT) AVS build. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/8085-armed-virginia-sloop-by-gunthermt-model-shipways-scale-148-complete/?p=340205   I did make one change however, instead of just drawing a line to mark the location of the deadeyes I made a copy of the plans showing them and pasted it to the piece of wood.  The deadeyes were then pinned in place in their correct orientation.  The below picture is the fore mast but I did the same for the main mast but didn't take a picture.

 

 

 

After the shrouds the main stay and preventer stay were done.  The portion of the stays that wrap around the mast head were served including the mouse.  To make the mouse I use a 5/64” diameter dowel, first I drilled a hole in it, then used a pencil sharpener to get its basis shape and then used a file to round off the back after cutting it of the dowel.

 

[Elijah]

Very nice shrouds Sal! The pinned deadeyes look almost as if they are rigged !

[gerty]

Great work Sal  !  I enjoy the pics of your beautiful model.

[Gahm]

That looks very good, Sal! I like your way of making the mouse.

 

Thomas

[_SalD_]

Thanks Elijah wish my lanyards turned out as nice.

 

Thanks for looking gerty

 

And thank you all for the likes 

[_SalD_]

Thanks Thomas, they are very hard to hold onto, very small.  I also painted them black just in case the thread didn't cover it all.

[_SalD_]

This is one of the parts of ship building I like the best, running all the rigging.  As a structural engineer it never ceases to amaze me how they ran the rigging in order to transfer the load from the sails, to the masts, to the shrouds and stays and then into the ship.  After every line I put on I push or pull or twist the mast to see how it interconnects with all the other rigging, just amazing.  Sorry…I'm just easily amused.

 

I finished up the lower fore mast shrouds and stays which were done pretty much like the main mast.  Next the sheer poles and futtock staves were tied in place.  I put the futtock stave on the outboard side of the shrouds but after reading up on them (after the fact) I think they should have been placed on the inboard side.

 

The futtock shrouds were installed next.  A 3mm hook from the Syren Model Co. was seized to one end to attach to the eye below the top.  The other end was wrapped around the futtock stave and seized to the lower shrouds.  I used 8/0 fly tying thread for the seizing to keep the seizing small.  The catharpins were done next as described in the instructions.

 

 

 

 

Sorry for the blurry pictures

 

 

One thing I realize now but not at the time I was doing it is that I could have rigged the entire lower masts without installing the top masts.  It would have been so much easier to install the shrouds on around the mastheads and not have to worry about breaking the top masts off.  Would have been easier just stepping the lower masts too.  Next time.

[Elijah]

Very nice Sal! You make me want to work faster so I can get to rigging ! For some reason the pictures, when I clicked on them, were sideways. Hmmmm….

[_SalD_]

Thanks Elijah, don't rush your time will come soon enough.  Not sure what's up with the pictures.

 

Thanks for all the likes also.

[dafi]

A great joy to follow :-)

 

Cheers, Daniel

[Burroak]

Sal your ship is really spectacular!

 

Greg H.

[rafine]

Very nice work Sal. I have generally followed Lees for rigging practice, and he shows the futtock staves outboard of the shrouds.

 

Bob

[_SalD_]

Thanks Daniel, Greg H., Bob and Lawrence for the kind words.  Bob, I know I read somewhere that the stave was inboard but of course now I can't find where.  But I have seen it in both locations so i'll be leaving it where it is.

 

And thanks again to all that hit the likes button. 

[_SalD_]

Look down, look down
Don't look 'em in the eye
Look down, look down,
You're here until you die ¹….. started the rat lines

 

It was slow at first but once I got the hang of it they moved along quite nicely just very tedious.  I used a card with lines on it to help me space the lines which I found to be helpful in a few ways.  First it helped keep the lines level and spaced evenly, secondly I found it useful to hold the end of the thread in place while I thread it behind the shroud and lastly, for me anyway, it helped me see the thread.  I spaced the lines a little closer than ¼”, 0.22 to be exact, which is closer to what’s shown on the drawing.  The futtock shrouds were done the same way.

 

 

The topmast shrouds and rat lines were done next and similar to the lower mast.

 

 

 

I splurged a bit and decided to buy some 5mm cleats from the Syren Model Co. instead of using the supplied metal ones.  These were tied to the shrouds as instructed.  The sister blocks were tied to the futtock shrouds as was the catharpin.

 

 

 

 

1. Les Miserables cast lyrics

[rafine]

That's a lot of great looking ratlines Sal. Well done.

 

Bob

[JesseLee]

Ditto to what irk said!

 

Jesse

[_SalD_]

Thanks Dirk, Bob & Jesse, appreciate the kind words and the likes

[Elijah]

Excellent work Sal! I have noticed, only the portrait orientated photos turn sideways. The landscape ones are fine.

[UpstateNY]

Lovely work indeed Sal...very precise  I also really like those Syren shroud cleats!

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel.

[Senior ole salt]

Looking good Sal.    I guess you found the right deadeyes 

 

SOS

[alde]

You guys that take on a project like this and do such great work are a true inspiration. Your workmanship and attention to detail looks like you are an old pro. I am about 3/4 of the way through your log and have learned quite a bit of great information. Thanks for making the effort to put so much into your log for us newbies.

[Gahm]

Great work, Sal! Very well done!

 

Thomas

[_SalD_]

Thanks Elijah, I do rotate some of the pictures before I upload them to my log, maybe your browser is re-rotating them.  I use chrome and they appear as posted.

 

Thanks Jack, yes and thank you again for bring the deadeyes to the last club meeting, it kept me moving forward.  I did finally receive the replacement ones from ME this week so I'll replace the ones I used with interest.

 

Your welcome Al and thanks for following my log and as far as being and old pro, well maybe old but definitely not a pro, but I keep trying and learning.

 

Thank Nigel, I like the cleats too.  I probably should have rounded them off a bit but it was just one of those moments.

 

Thanks Thomas your kind words are always appreciated.

 

and thanks to all who hit the likes button.

Edited February 24, 2016 by _SalD_

[Jimz66]

Looks fantastic Sal. Keep it going. Jim

[_SalD_]

Thanks Lawrence, glad you like the cleats.

 

Hi Jim, thanks for looking in.

[_SalD_]

Not a lot of pictures with this post, it’s getting hard to take a decent picture of all the rigging, I think I need a better back drop.

 

Most of the rigging for the main mast went according to the manual.  One thing I did different was when I installed the main topgallant and royal stays.  The manual had you installing the main topgallant and royal backstays first and then the stays but I found that when I applied the least bit of tension to the backstays there was a large deflection in the topgallant mast.  To help offset this deflection I installed the main topgallant and royal stays but only temporarily.  I ran the line from the main mast, through the block on the fore mast and down to the fore top and used an alligator clip to hold the end of the stay to the top.  This helped a lot keeping the topgallant from not moving to much while tying the backstays in place.

 

 

 

Another little deviation was while I was making the shrouds for the main mast I also made them for the fore mast.  I didn’t secure them at this time but just placed them in position on the mast heads and then draped them out of the way.   I did this before rigging the main topgallant and royal stays so I could make sure I got the blocks for these stays on the fore mast in their correct position, above the shroud gangs.  I'm hoping that's right, not doing this before it seems to make sense that they're above the shrouds.

 

 

I came into possession of some extra 2.5 mm deadeyes so I thought I would try making my own bullseyes for the stays.  I have to admit trying to drill out a deadeye is not the easiest thing to do, but with patience it can be done.  These were seized to the ends of the main topgallant and royal stays and then the lanyard was run through the bullseye and eyebolt on the fore top. 

 

 

[Elijah]

She looks very good Sal!

[Richard Griffith]

Ratlines are tedious you say?  Nah, they just bramage my dain.  What?  

 

Nice ratlines Sal.  

 

Duff 

[GLakie]

Nice work-around with the rigging Sal! Very nice!