Topic: Humber smack circa 1880- build log (Read 89724 times)

Brian60 · « **Reply #175 on:** July 22, 2014, 02:34:46 pm »

Next up is p202, the end of the boom with flats sanded to take the prepared jaws and p203 with them in place. Time for a fiddly bit, p 204 is the tumbler made from a 4 by 4mm piece of square stock cut to shape. The tumbler is the part that takes the force of the end of the boom against the mast.
Also p204 shows the completed jaw end. This has all the ‘lifting’ eyes in place, two under, one for the throat shackle and the second for the topsail sheet. The iron tumbler shown in brass pivots in a slot in the gaff and the upper eye takes the double block for the main halyards. The bolt heads in the side are not out of alignment, the third one in is offset from the centre due to its proximity to the pivot for the iron tumbler, apparently so that any forces exerted by the tumbler are not in the same plane as the through bolt.

Brian60 · « **Reply #176 on:** July 22, 2014, 02:36:58 pm »

P206 is the fish batten now seized with rope to the peak of the gaff, I have run out of black thread so blue has to suffice, this will be stained black on completion. Then p207 and p208 is the completed end with the topsail cheek block in place with its brass shieve and the thumb cleats shown clearly.

Brian60 · « **Reply #177 on:** July 22, 2014, 02:39:53 pm »

Back to the jaw end and they are wrapped with a steel belt in two places, I tried to cut a thin enough strip of brass for this, but it was too stiff to wrap around, so I went with black card glued into place with pva, p209.

Brian60 · « **Reply #178 on:** July 22, 2014, 02:41:20 pm »

All that was left were the wire stays for the halyards to attach to. I began with loudspeaker cable, stripping off the insulation to leave the copper strands, I pulled them into singles and then taking three of them, I twisted one end around a hook and while holding the other end I twiddled the hook around ( like a handheld ropewalk!) until the three twisted into one wire, in the haemostat in p211, perfect! I then formed loops and wrapped them with thread. But they looked clumsy and totally wrong as shown in p211.

Brian60 · « **Reply #179 on:** July 22, 2014, 02:42:40 pm »

So I had a think and then decided on what is pictured p212. I formed the loops and then soft soldered the wires together, much more to scale than the thread and more like my big scale plan on the wall. Onto the wire strop went a brass bullseye ready to take the halyard blocks, then the whole wire was painted black. A better outcome than the thread wrapped ones.

Brian60 · « **Reply #180 on:** July 22, 2014, 02:44:51 pm »

Next up I had to make up the parrels. Gentlemen take yourselves down to your local Dunelm Mill or haberdashers (your wife will know if you don’t) They have in boxes various sizes of balls as shown in p213, and in different colours. These particular ones are 2mm and exactly to scale, slotted on to some rigging string and then through the two horns of the gaff, p214.

Brian60 · « **Reply #181 on:** July 22, 2014, 02:47:41 pm »

The mizzen gaff is essentially the same build as the main except for the thumb cleats the first and fourth are along the centreline of the gaff but two and three are offset to either side of it, p215 and p216. My big problem here was the dimensions of the gaff. To scale this had to be 4mm, but 4mm pine dowel was too flexible, so was 4mm ramin dowel. I made one up from some 4mm aluminium rod, but then would have all sorts of problems attaching other items to it. I finally took a length of 6mm oak square shoved it in the hand lathe and sanded it down to 4mm round, just on the off chance- it worked! Enough stiffness I think to take the strain of light sailing, if it snaps I’ll cry and resort to making it with all its problems with the ali rod.

Brian60 · « **Reply #182 on:** July 22, 2014, 02:49:28 pm »

Now a quick attention to detail, the various halyard blocks on the main and mizzen are shown as having hooks, on closer inspection of the drawings in my book(magnifying glass) the hook is wrapped with what appears to be wire. On reading the text of the book it seems that the halyard blocks were both shackled and hooked, the hooks being ‘moused’ (wired closed) so that they do not become ‘unhooked’ so I have been around the open hooks and put two turns of copper wire across the mouth of the hooks. That's all for now, next up finish of some of the deck detail and begin the standing rigging.

dreadnought72 · « **Reply #183 on:** July 22, 2014, 05:23:18 pm »

I am loving all of this. Very good indeed!

Andy

Brian60 · « **Reply #184 on:** July 22, 2014, 07:48:19 pm »

Thanks for the vote of confidence Andy. This model so far has taken the longest of any I have ever built in my life! But it has been rewarding, working out how to make things look to scale while still being strong enough to take strain being the main one.

I was going to rebuild my offshore support vessel after this, but I think I have gotten the bug for all things fore and aft rigged

pugwash · « **Reply #185 on:** July 23, 2014, 12:32:44 am »

Brian a smashing build. Just one comment that may be of use to you, as well as modelmaking
I also do some fly-tying and some of the beads and bits and fine threads that fly-tyers use can be
very handy in modelmaking
Geoff

Brian60 · « **Reply #186 on:** July 23, 2014, 05:17:59 pm »

Thanks for the tip Geoff. Being in Spain the only fishing stuff to be found is for sea fishing! I'll try ebay and have it delivered to my son and he can post it out- post in rural spain if the address is not exactly correct seems to 'go missing'. In other words the postie can't be bothered to find the address so it gets lost at the back of the office!

Brian60 · « **Reply #187 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:40:38 pm »

It is my sad duty to inform every one of the demise of the skipper who appeared in photo p192. He expired from a blow to the head caused by a wildly swinging mizzen boom- more thinking is going to be needed here. As mentioned earlier I wanted to attach him permanently to the tiller, because of the boom this is not going to be possible, a static figure can’t duck out of the way!

Brian60 · « **Reply #188 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:41:49 pm »

OK light heartedness over with and on to finish the deck fitting’s that I previously mentioned. Let’s start on the port side aft, in p219 is the Dandy Score, that is, a roller and shieved fairlead to haul in the aft end of the trawl beam. This was essentially achieved much the same as the forward rollers. A bottom plate, a sculpted top plate with the notch cut out for the shieve. The only difference here was I extended the foot plate as can be seen, cut a slot in it and inserted a length of brass wire, the end was capped off with a small piece of brass sheet. The part is shown unpainted and not fastened down in the photo. When finished it needs moving forward about 20mm so that the roller is above the dirt stains on the hull side.

Brian60 · « **Reply #189 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:42:51 pm »

On to p220 and p221, this is the aft winch to aid hauling in the aft end of the trawl beam and net, this winch is better known as the Dandy Wink. It was easily assembled, making up a small box/plate to fit under the cap rail, the roller made with a dowel on to which my last remaining gear wheel was epoxied, on to that went the support post. Then the whole unit was glued under the cap rail and to the deck. All that is required now is to make up the handle and attach that under the cap rail where it was kept, never left on the Wink!

Brian60 · « **Reply #190 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:44:29 pm »

Next up the starboard side, across the capping and taff rail a large fairlead for mooring purposes, p222, again cut from an offcut, this took three attempts before I managed to make one without snapping off the horns. Trial and error settled on drilling out the centre portion, shaping the outsides and only then cutting the gap into the centre between the horns. Last up is p223 forward this time to the main mast, just a simple guide roller for the bowsprit when it is inboard, the bowsprit slides under the forward winch and stores on this roller. For some reason this photo makes the whole thing look out of alignment, but the winch and this small roller are in line.

Brian60 · « **Reply #191 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:45:58 pm »

That is as far as I know the deck fittings finished with, although I’m sure when I go back and re read the texts and look at the diagrams I will have left something off. There is of course the ships boat, I’m leaving that until last. Also some fish boxes to make up and other detritus to add, but that is definitely for the end of the build.
A little more about these craft:--
Fishing being carried out almost year round meant various methods of fishing were done. At times they used long-lines and hooks for herring when they fished alone. Other times they fished as part of a fleet for demersal fish (bottom dwelling) these fleets were known as Boxer fleets. The fish being packed into boxes and then transferred either to a smack heading back to port or later on, to cutters to get the fish back to the markets quickly. The catch was transferred between smacks and cutters by the ships boat in boxes, hence Boxer fleet. This was done in all weathers and seas and saw many first and second hands lose their lives.

Brian60 · « **Reply #192 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:47:04 pm »

Rigging! I have been looking forward to this with both eagerness and trepidation. I have never rigged a ship before so if I achieve anything but have done it wrongly, tough, if it looks ok it’s staying! I began with the standing rigging and the six main mast shrouds, laying them out I attached the deadeyes to the lower end and seized them into place shown in p224. Once I had the six done I trimmed all the untidy ends off as per p225, look neat don’t they!

Brian60 · « **Reply #193 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:48:22 pm »

Moving on to p226 I made up a spacer using two thumb tacks and a length of coffee stirrer. As can be seen in the photo I used this to space all the deadeyes the same. I started on the port side, located the spacer and then wrapped the other end of the shroud around the hounds as in p227, it was then seized into place just like the deadeyes. When this first one was completed, the spacer was moved around to the starboard side and the opposite one was done. So you alternate port to starboard, fore to aft with the shrouds until all were completed.

Brian60 · « **Reply #194 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:49:17 pm »

Now this is where I became inspired (probably done by hundreds before me!) The lacing of the lanyards through the deadeyes began again on the portside p228, yes this is wrong, I took the photo before I realised! It should begin in the top deadeye and run to the bottom one. Carrying on I realised that if I began tightening the lanyards as I progressed I may pull the mast out of alignment. So while lacing this deadeye, I put the spacer into the opposite shroud on the starboard side allowing me to tighten the lanyard. Once the first was completed, I removed the spacer and laced the starboard one, repeating this process until all were complete.

Brian60 · « **Reply #195 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:50:32 pm »

In p229 you can see them all done and p230 is a close up showing how the end of the lanyard was finished off, according to the book, Sailing Trawlers mentioned previously, they took two half hitches around the shroud but didn’t describe how the hanging end of the lanyard was ‘tidied’ away. So I have a left a couple of inches on each one until I get the magnifying glass out and study the black and white photo’s in the book.

Brian60 · « **Reply #196 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:51:46 pm »

Up the main mast we go for the next photo, p231. This shows the shrouds and how they are laid one over the other around the mast, I have made an error here in that the seizing on the shrouds does not extend far enough down the shroud lines. As it wouldn’t be noticeable to any but the most avid aficionado I am leaving them be, but may, just may add extra windings before the craft is finished!

Brian60 · « **Reply #197 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:54:03 pm »

On to the aft shroud lines next, these differ from the forward lines in that they do not wrap the mast but are attached by ‘pear’ shackles, my first problem, make the shackles. I took a length of 4mm brass tube and cut it down the centre p232, then filed it down so that it reduced even further. Turning the end around a pair of needle nose pliers I ended up with p233, I then cut this off, in p234 and p235.

Brian60 · « **Reply #198 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:55:02 pm »

Nipping the ends together I had a shackle with a slight groove to take the upper end of the shroud as can be seen in p236- this is one shroud complete and the shackle through the ring bolt of the second one. The lower ends of the shrouds and deadeyes were completed just like the forward ones. The aft shrouds are stand alone, only the forward shrouds have ratlines which I shall complete later. I would rather have the space to attach running rigging first.

Brian60 · « **Reply #199 on:** August 01, 2014, 05:56:59 pm »

Now for the wire main mast stay. I took a length of loudspeaker wire, stripped away the plastic covering to expose the strands and then separated them all. Laying them out in three’s p237, I took the first three and twisted one end around a nail the other end went into my battery powered drill chuck. Using the power of the drill as a ‘ropewalk’ I twisted the three together into one wire, p238. So far so good, I now had to repeat this twice more so that I had three wires each made of three strands. Then finally these three were again twisted into one wire p239 to give me the correct overall thickness.

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Author Topic: Humber smack circa 1880- build log (Read 89724 times)