HMS Pickle by flyer - FINISHED - Caldercraft - Scale 1:64 - my interpretation

[flyer]

Hi John

 

The chain was ordered from

http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/amati_chain.html

 

It is the smallest I could find, with 1mm links (probably about 20 links per inch) and from Amati. This would correspond to about 2,5 inch links in reality which should be strong enough to hold the rudder. It seems that those chains only come in 1m length but after making about 5 more models you will have used it up.

 

Cheers

peter

[JRB9019]

Hi Peter

 

Thanks for the Info, Ill certainly follow that up.

 

By the way, your advice re fixing the Deadeye Strops to the channels sort of worked.

I have managed to get 4 Strops fixed the the first channel.................. but have broken 4 Strops in the process and I also find that one of the Strops on the completed channel looks as if it is going to break as soon as I touch it again!!!!

 

I will have to phone Jotika on Monday to order some new Strops as I now no longer have enough!!!!!

 

Oh the joys of modelling..

 

John

[flyer]

It was quiet in the wharf lately because the whole workforce was on a trip to the Caribbean. They spent two weeks on Cuba living (partly) a simple life but smoking rather sophisticated cigars (directly from the tobacco farmer for 2$ and excellent) and drinking a matching rum. Speaking of rum - if they had the same quality in Nelsons Navy it's no wonder they could fight like that or maybe it's a miracle they could fight at all. Lovely island, good music wonderful people!

 

no ship but nevertheless a very interesting vessel

Edited December 4, 2015 by flyer

[flyer]

Back to serious business: After preparing the stand I started working on the masts of Pickle. As always I begun aft with the main mast. Using the reduced heights the kit's dowel was sufficient to make the lower main mast in one piece by just filing a 4mm square with the length of my reduced mast head height on one end.

For the topmast I followed basically the kit's method and made it in two pieces. Contrary to the plans I however added hounds similar to those on the fore mast and left a small cap on top of the mast.

 

Following again B.E.'s lead 2 cheeks were fabricated by sanding some leftover ply into a shape roughly similar to the matching parts of Pegasus. The dowels were treated with walnut stain and are maybe a bit dark.

 

A provisional assembly showed a satisfying appearance.

 

 

 

the skipper inspects the finished mast parts

 

 

main mast provisional in place

 

 

masthead

 

 

still quite a lofty seat for that seaman

 

 

[riverboat]

Looking good Peter....sounds like you had an enjoyable trip!!  probably a little warmer weather than you are used too.

 

Frank

[flyer]

Hi Frank

 

Indeed. And it's even warmer than California - being south of the tropic of cancer helps a bit, of course. But the people are open minded and friendly in both states and they speak the same language - spanish.

 

One can only hope that the island will survive the mass tourists and short-sighted investors that may follow the end of the embargo.

 

hasta luego

peter

[Mirabell61]

Nice progress Peter,

 

wish you much fun with "Pickle`s" masting and rigging

 

Nils

[Martin W]

Ola Peter!  Yes, we can only hope about that ending of the embargo, that the rum will still fortify a sailor and the cigars will still come straight from the hand that rolled them!  -- I can only imagine that the seaman on the masthead had his fair tot of rum and is hiding behind the mast in order not to share his smoke.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[DBorgens]

Peter,

I enjoy checking up on your build from time to time. She looks great! I'm glad you enjoyed Cuba, sounds like you met some great people.

 

Dave B

[mobbsie]

Hi Peter,

 

I'm pleased for you that you had a good vacation, I'm amazed how these old cars are maintained and the materials used, just shows how resourceful the human race can be. 

 

Health and Safety would have a heart attack if they saw that crewman at that height without a harness, don't worry I wont tell them.

 

Good luck with you mast work mate but you'll not need it.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[flyer]

Hi Nils

I'm surprised myself that even putting up rigging can be fun. Thanks.

 

Hi Martin

Don't you think he had to hide because of all those violent non-smokers?

(I know smoking is dangerous and... blah, blah, blah. However - live itself is a deadly illness which, by the way, is sexually transmitted. It seems we have a limited warranty, whatever we do.)

 

Hi Dave

Thank you. Your blue nose looks fine. Wouldn't you post a few photos of the finished build in a gallery?

 

Hi Mobbsie

Sometimes they did a complete engine transplantation in these old cars (replacing Chevy by Mitsubishi) and looking closer at the undercarriage is not advised if you intend to travel happily in such a car. But it is ingenious.

My skipper is pure 19th century when it comes to safety rules: One hand for you and one for the ship and if you lose your hold you either learn to fly on the way down or hope for a soft landing. But I guess that was the usual attitude in those days.

Oh, and I always have use for some luck during the masting process. Accidentally braking off nearly completely rigged mast tops has happened and could happen again.

 

Thanks for all the likes

peter

[JRB9019]

Time for an update on Pickle.

 

I checked the necessary belaying points for the additional lines needed with sails set. As usual the kit provides just enough for the minimal rigging which is foreseen. In all the pin racks the spacing of the pins is too big which accounts for the lack of belaying points. However there seem to be some easier solutions than changing all the racks by:

- putting some additional cleats on the foots of the mast and on the bowsprit.

- using shroud cleats where possible

- changing the bowsprit step to a mast bit with some additional pins. As I understand the kit treats this as anchor bits. However - according to Marquardt -  on vessels with a windlass you used that instead of an anchor bit and no anchor bits were installed.

- double use some pins where unavoidable (as on all the kits so far).

 

Hi Peter,

 

Referring back to your posting from October above, you mentioned that you had sorted out the positioning for all the additional cleats, belay points for the sails.

 

Have you got any further with that - any photos ready???

 

Also, thinking ahead, you may remember that I am planning to add furled sails to my Pickle. A thought crossed my mind that it may be easier to thread the sails to the forestays and then attach the forestays - as opposed to rigging all the stays etc. etc. and then having to sew / open and close rings etc. etc. afterwords. Any comments??

 

Meanwhile, it's back to finishing my pumps - wow, they are fiddely !!

 

John

[flyer]

Hi John

Just paid your Pickle a visit and think it's coming along nicely. I especially liked the part where you explained how you liked some tasks so much that you did them twice. I find that most modellers have such preferred tasks. (On my last built I broke the same topmast twice in various stages of the rigging process but must admit that I lost enthusiasm a bit the third time I did the same work.)

 

After following again your heroic fight with the deadeye strops I just hope mine really will be able to hold the pull of the shrouds.

 

About all the belaying points: I don't have drawings fit to put online, only a few drafts of sketches. But I hope to keep ahead of you with the work on Pickle and invite you just to follow. I will try to especially mark the changes I make. The first one was the altered bowsprit step with those pins.

 

So far I always completed the standing rigging before fixing sails to any stays. And the sails were attached to the stays by spiral lines or with individual slings. When furled you hardly notice the way of attachment anyhow. You could see an example in my Pegasus build log.

 

But your question was a good one. I have to think about rings for Pickle's fully set staysails. In any case I will open and close them around the finished stay - I see this as the easier way.

 

What you also have to think of early enough are:

Putting the equivalent of wooden hoops for the spanker onto the lower mainmast (I'm actually in the process of making them the same way B.E. did).

If you use a traveller for the staysail stay put it on the bowsprit before fixing the stays.

 

Cheers

peter

[JRB9019]

Hi Peter

 

Many thanks for the update.

 

As mentioned, I have had to order new strops to replace all my broken ones, so at the moment, I don't have to worry about them too much.

 

I've just about finished the pumps - also added brass strips around the top and bottom - so they are looking quite smart. Once again not an easy task but have learnt ways around the problem - half of the 'fun' of this modelling. As usual, I have taken phot's and will be writing up and adding to the log over the next couple of days.

 

Re the belaying points, I made a copy of the deckplan from Sheet 2 and am working through my reference books and slowly adding them. As the same time. I am adding the actual names of all the belay points (e.g Mainsail hoist instead of C2) as it wil help to make sense of it all later. Serveral rings will be needed to be added to the decks around the bow for the various sheets and I ordered some additional rings and thread in readyness. Apart from that, I haven't thought too far ahead in mpre detail yet.......... plenty of time.

 

Meanwhile, it's back to my pumps!

 

Thanks again.

John

 

 

[flyer]

The foremast is quite similar to the main mast; only the length of the topmast differs. Both mast tops were completed with cheeks (size according Pegasus and Marquardt), battens and the bolsters.

 

Before I attach the saddle to the mainmast I will have to finish the hoops for the driver... the last part looks awfully like shop language - and that from a landlubber. I mean before I glue that table thing for the inner end of the boom  onto the lower mast I will have to put on those rings which fix the sail to the mast.

 

Both mast had only two parts and were relatively simple. Therefore I became a bit high-spirited and tried a bowsprit closer to what my clever books say.

 

The bowsprit itself got a square end for a square hole in the cap and instead of those stop cleats I added bees. Marquardt doesn't mention them but Lees on the other hand doesn't make exceptions in the use of bees for smaller vessels. As they work quite well on Granado and Pegasus I fabricated them according to Lees and Pegasus.

 

I read about the problems others had with the splintering wood provided for the bowsprit cap. Therefore I coated it first with CA glue before drilling two 3mm holes in several steps. It's important to use sharp drills. The lower hole was then filed square. It worked fine.

 

For the jib boom I turned again to Lees and made an octagonal inner end and a conical outer end.  For stability reasons I didn't want to use the method from the topmasts but used  4mm dowel to make it in one piece. There is a 3mm octagonal section inboard of the bowsprit cap and the outer part is similar to the kits plans except the modified end.

 

A word about all the ringbolts for the rigging: Usually I attach them only reluctantly in this stage of the build. Fixing the required blocks, thimbles or ends of lines to them is much easier when you can do it on the table with lot of space to work. Drilling a hole and attaching then the ringbolt including what is fixed to it with a bit of CA glue works well during the rigging process. Only when I'm absolutely sure about the location or if it would be difficult later I drill the hole for the ringbolt in advance.

 

With the masts and bowsprit assembled I put them provisionally in place to check the new proportions. If I don't botch too much with the sails this should become an elegant little Pickle.

 

 

fabrication of hoops made of rolled paper soaked with glue

 

 

parts of the fore mast with crosstrees, cheeks, battens and bolsters

 

 

mast top before painting (yes I know about the missing safety harness but after a few tots of rum this seaman did that stunt by his own free will)

 

 

mast top finished and painted

 

 

bowsprit, bees, jib boom, saddle and cap

 

 

assembled bowsprit

 

 

jib boom

 

 

 a pretty Pickle

[Martin W]

Pretty indeed, Peter.

 

And I find that with rum a harness just gets in the way.

[Mirabell61]

Peter,

 

so now the Standing rigging  shall surely start

nice looking "Pickle" so far...

 

Nils

[Moonbug]

Hey Nils,

 

      Been a while since I stopped in on the Pickle.  That's my mistake - I'm going to have to stop by more often. Nicely done!  Great idea with the hoops.

 

- Bug

[Mirabell61]

Hey Nils,

 

      Been a while since I stopped in on the Pickle.  That's my mistake - I'm going to have to stop by more often. Nicely done!  Great idea with the hoops.

 

- Bug

 

Hi Bug,

 

the credit goes to Peter (Flyer),

and to his wonderful "Pickle"

 

Nils

[Moonbug]

Ha Nils!   I'm confusing a Pickle with a Pegasus!  

 

Nice work Peter!  *laff*

 

- Bug 

[flyer]

Hi Martin

Thanks. Well, considering the fact that manning the ship with enough able seamen is difficult enough I shall keep an eye on him.

 

Hi Nils

Thank you. I'm now quite eager to start rigging but after a visit to bug's Santa Maria and Johns input I think I will have to go slow and work a bit on a more detailed belaying plan before I glue the masts in position. Also yards, boom and gaff are not yet fabricated.

 

Hi Bug

Thank you for the compliments. The paper-glue hoops are indeed a great idea - actually B.E.'s. Credits are due to him.

I like your Santa Maria. She has the same handcrafted yet realistic air about her I like so much in md1400cs' Wasa or Nils' artful work.

 

Thanks for all the likes

peter

[riverboat]

Hi Peter...... have to reiterate Bugs comment on the "hoops"  .....  nicely done ... I wish you showed how you did them...pretty clever way of doing them.... they turned out so flat and even...again nicely done PETER.

 

Frank

[flyer]

Hi Frank

 

Thank you, but seen close they are as flat and even as the English Channel in november.

 

You find more about the hoops in B.E.'s Pickle log.

 

I just wound some insulation tape around a 6mm dowel until I had a 7mm diameter. Then I soaked a yellow paper strip, cut from one of those old fashioned envelopes, continuously with thin CA glue while winding it tight around (do NOT put glue onto the inside of the tube you are creating!) until I had a tube with a wall thickness of slightly over 1mm.

Fixed for drying. Pushed the tube off the tape and dowel. Soaked again inside and out. Cut rings with a thickness of about 1mm from the tube - I used a little circular saw blade in my Dremel.

The faces of each cut were soaked again with CA. and the hoops worked over with files and sanding paper until I had them almost round and flat enough. Finally I painted them a light brown as they were made originally from ash. Dirtying would be optional.

 

I'm not sure about the spacing of the hoops but 2 feet (which equals the width of a cloth or bolt of sail material seems adequate). This would mean the hoops would be about 1 cm apart on my Pickle.

 

Cheers

peter

[riverboat]

Thanks Peter........

 

frank

[flyer]

Hi Spy

 

Unfortunately that player doesn't work and I'm unable to watch the video. But then I visited the replica Pickles homepage and found a lot of information including a nice video there.

 

But I will treat this information with caution as I have my reservations about that replica:

First of all there are - as already discussed - no definite plans of the original.

The jib boom seems strange. In some pictures it looks like flying jib boom and is turned 45° to port - in others it looks like conventional one.

Obviously there were some alterations made for safety reasons and to fulfil regulations - e.g. a wheel instead of a tiller.

Some alterations may be there for commercial reasons (understandably - she must earn some money to keep her) as for example that cabin with the two stern windows.

Some Disneyland-ing is also visible. That figurehead - please!

 

But nevertheless there is a historical background with some research behind that vessel. It provides a lot of information which at least can be treated as a second opinion.

 

By the way I counted 12 hoops on the lower main mast and they are much more delicate than mine.

 

Cheers

peter

[JRB9019]

Hi Peter

 

Further to your discussion surrounding the hoops, I have some detailed photos that I am using as a reference basis.

I've posted them here in the hope that they may be of use.....

 

Oh, I've more of this type from other areas of the ship, especially the bow area if they are of use to you......

 

 

So, fIrst the good ship Ruth....

 

 

and then a couple of shots around the main boom / hoops.

 

 

 

Regards

John

[flyer]

Boom and gaff were next.

The length of both was changed to the values in the table reproduced earlier. The length of the jaws was also added to the dowel length. The jaws were filed down to 2/3 of their thickness on the inner end, cut in two parts and the middle taken out to make room for the conical filed inner end of the dowel. It sounds much more complicated than it was.

The three parts were glued with epoxy and all painted black. 3 'iron' bands made from cartridge paper are holding the jaws together and some ringbolts were added.

 

 

the carpenter checks the three finished parts of the gaff

 

 

glued with epoxy

 

 

the skipper checks the finished gaff with the boom behind him

[JRB9019]

That's smart - I like it!!

 

Wow, the bands are cartridge paper? If you hadn't said, I would have guessed they were brass strips. Hmmm, Interesting.

[flyer]

John, I always take cartridge paper to simulate iron bands. It's much easier to work with than brass and resembles blackened iron very well even untreated. The spectacle plate is also made that way and you could even form nails heads by pushing with a stump needle from the back.

 

peter

[JRB9019]

Black Cartridge Paper is on my Christmas list then. I guess 150gr should work?

 

Oh then I have also seen Styrene that people are using for various things.....

 

Well, that's my Christmas list sorted........ unless - tools???? No, another time - much too expensive anyway!