Thanks, John…I got it figured out shortly after my last post…
(there’s an edited version of my last post)
Big lesson learned…I think it’s time for me to accept the fact that using the line from a kit is a gamble…'specially when trying to add extra lines to the simplified rigging plan. This is the second time I’ve come very close to not having enough line to finish a kit. I always like the quality of the line in Imai kits, so I don’t have a problem using it (I can’t say the same for any other manufacturer’s line)…but it’s not like I can get more of the same stuff…I’m actually already using some leftover stuff from the Chebec! Close call…
I suppose from here on out, I’ll be ordering line from somewhere to use for my kits…at least then I can get more, if need be.
By the way, I did use some of my Model Expo line for the shrouds on the Golden Hind…at first I thought it was terrible, but once I removed it from the spool, soaked it, and hung it with weights from the garage rafters for a day or so, it proved to be usable…though I may not use their stuff for running rigging…it still has a certain stiffness to it.
Anyway, got a lot of belaying to work on…I’ll upload some pics when I get closer to being done!
One of Murphy’s Laws of ship modeling: no matter how much line you buy, you’ll run out.
I think ModelExpo gets its line from several sources. The stuff I used most recently (which was several years ago) was on spools with “Mamoli” on it. Mamoli, of course, is one of the worst of the HECEPOB companies, but I liked the look and feel of the thread. I don’t know whether ME is still selling it or not.
For my current project I’ve laid in a supply of CIM line. I haven’t tried Syren ine yet, but I intend to order some before I commit to the CIM stuff.
Cottage Industry Models, at www.cottageindustrymodels.com . They offer quite a few different sizes, and will spin it up for you in either direction. They also offer a “sample card” with short pieces of all the sizes and colors.
I have bought some of the CIM cordage and was not all that happy w/ it. It is primarily a synthetic fiber and tends to be shiny and “stretchy”. Syrene’s cordage is a bit more expensive, but is so incredibly nice to work w/. Chuck makes it from a cotton/linen blend thread. It doesn’t unravel when you cut an end like the CIM will, and there is a wider range of sizes… Also, I have found that for making loops to hang from pin rails and the like, you really don’t need to use any glue, just soak in water, hang it, shape it, let it dry, then a dot ofCA to glue it to the rail.
The pic below shows how nice it comes out, and no discoloration or shine from using glue.
Arnie, that makes sense. CIM line does have a synthetic look to it.
I’m definitely going to order some Syren line. My only reservation, as I mentioned earlier, is that it all appears in the photos to be cable-laid. Fine for eighteenth-century standing rigging, but not for the twentieth-century schooner I’m working on. I’ll ask Mr. Passaro if he can spin it up in the other direction.
I don’t know how I missed this thread! I love it when someone shows how tremendous a plastic sailing ship can look with a master doing the building. Your Pelican/Golden HInd is absolutely beautiful!
You know, the Golden Hind is my 8th model ship build, and I’ve come to enjoy shipmodeling even more than race car modeling, which I’ve been doing for 20 years…
Things I’ve learned along the way have come from reading books, trial and error, and from the advice and support of all the experienced shipmodelers on this forum. I’ve pushed myself a little further with each build, to try something new, and to keep expanding my skills during this journey.
It’s a shame that we only know each other across the vast distance of these interwebs…there’s a lot of cool cats on Finescale that I’d sure like to have a beer with!
8 ship models, since Feb 2012…learned a lot in this short time, and I have a ways to go yet!
Progress update: Got most of the running rigging finished over this long 6-day holiday weekend…all that remains are the braces, and the anchors and swivel guns…might go ahead and put some rope coils on the pinrails, if I can finally figure out how to get them looking right!
Back to work tomorrow, though, so it may be a while yet before I can call her done…I’ll offer up some pics once I reach what I call completion…
Dave
P.S.- Love the Syren line, Arnie! Can’t wait to get my hands on some of that material!
I share the sentiment! I would love to meet everyone here. I did have the honor of meeting John Tilley and his lovely wife two years ago when he took a tour of New England, stopping near my home near Mystic, CT along the way. John, did you ever finish that model of the USS Essex I gave to you?
Anyway, I love building sailing ships (and all ships for that matter!). Your work is impressive!
Well, I find it difficult to believe that anybody would regard dinner with my wife and me as an honor - but it was a delicious meal with good company in delightful surroundings (Mystic Seaport).
Confession time: that lovely little Model Shipways Essex is still awaiting my attention. In fact, it’s the sort of thing I sort of hesitate to put a knife to. Seems almost sacrilegious. It really is something of a museum piece. But I love it - and if those lead fittings have survived this long, they’ll probably make it through the rest of our lifetimes.
Already planning a trip to the Northeast for this coming summer (happy thought!) I’m pretty sure we’ll actually make it this time - with both my wife and I being retired). Hope your wife can join us next time, Bill.
Speaking of meals in Mystic - anybody traveling there needs to know that Mystic Pizza really is a slice of heaven. Even without Julia Roberts.
And in the unlikely event that anybody on this Forum is going to be in the vicinity of Greenville, North Carolina, please do drop me a line.
How taut should the yard braces be run? I’m a little concerned that my stays aren’t very tight, and if I put any tension on the braces when I attach them, they’ll pull the stays out of line…
I wouldn’t put any more tension on them than you need for them to at least “look” taut. It’s not like they are really holding anything other than the yards in place.
I can’t imagine that they would effect the stays, but then I am not really familiar w/ the rigging.
I ended up taking a boatload (pun) of pictures, but here are a handful of shots.
I feel a pretty big sense of accomplishment after finishing this build. I took a lot of new directions, learned a lot of new stuff, and I really feel like this has been my most in-depth and challenging model ship so far.
Thanks a bunch to all you guys here! All of the support and advice I’ve gotten has been invaluable in the almost 3 years since I started my first model ship, and now I’m actually feeling like a semi-seasoned shipbuilder, ready to tackle (another pun!) even greater challenges, and expand my skills even more!
Hope you have enjoyed participating in this thread as much as I have enjoyed building the model!
Exceptional work David! I defy anyone to refer to you as anything less than a master builder at this point. I noticed no heads in the bow. Did they just squat and let it fall between slats?
