Firstly Happy New Year to everyone and I hope 2023 is a good year for all including many successful builds.
It has been a while since I last posted. In August 2022 (where did that time go?) I had completed the hull and deck fittings of the Occre Endeavour and was starting to progress on the masts, yards and rigging. Since my last post I have been making progress particularly over the festive period when I managed to contract Covid and hence ended up isolating which was an ideal time to further my build. I had a production line of masts and yards as below ...
Building the Tops
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A threader is ideal for getting threads through holes
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... and an extra pair of "hands" is always useful to hold the tops, plus a pair of locking forceps
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The completed top attached to the mast via cheeks.
Note: I added a rail to the top after seeing an example on another build. This was not part of the Occre plan
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I then continued to build the different parts of the masts using the plans ...
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The rigging feels like a game of chess, trying to determine the optimum construction order giving easiest access to the build.
What has worked for me is:
1) Build/fit out the masts (but all mast sections are currently separate i.e. I have not yet attached the topmast to the lower mast, as in the photo above)
2) Fit out the yards with pulleys and fixings
3) Glue the Mizzen lower mast into the hull
4) Attach Mizzen lower mast stays
5) Attach the shrouds (and ratlines) on the Mizzen lower mast. Note: By not attaching the top mast at this point it is easier to attach the shrouds
6) Attach the Mizzen top mast to the lower mast
7) Attach the upper shrouds and ratlines
8) Attach the futtock shrouds
9) Attach the yards and thread the running rigging
Mizzen mast attached to hull (3)
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Shrouds on lower Mizzen mast (5)
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Notes:
1) Initially I tied a knot in the end of the deadeye rigging. However this meant that I had to get a threader into the back of the deadeye i.e. between the hull and dead eye which was painful. As such I changed approach and threaded the deadeyes in reverse so that I was pulling the thread from the back of the lower deadeye which meant the threader was pushed through the dead eye from the front which was much easier. Once all dead eyes were threaded I pulled the thread through to tie a knot before tensioning.
2) When threading the deadeyes and ratlines, don't skimp on thread. On occassions I did so and ended up cursing as it was difficult tying knots with little spare thread to work with.
Mizzen mast shrouds, ratlines, (7) and yards installed with running rigging (9)
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Note for the Occre Endeavour, the rigging plans are poor compared to the rest of the paperwork provided i.e. the build of the hull is well documented. There appear to be additional pulleys and the plan view of the deck does not show all of the points where running rigging is attached. It has involved a lot of head scratching at times.
As an aside, tools that I have found most useful are ...
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1) Tweezers with 45 degree tips are excellent for tying knots and accessing tight areas of the model
2) Bonzai snips are great for cutting threads, particularly the ends of ratlines
3) Threader is ideal for getting threads through deadeyes
4) Scalpel for applying spots of glue to knots
5) Crocodile clip for holding threads whilst tying knots
6) Spring loaded forceps ideal for holding the shrouds whilst attaching to the deadeyes
I'll post a few more images of the main and fore mast steps as I progress those.