Is this the right place for daft questions?

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Feb 24, 2020
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Greetings one and all.
I'm building a 74 from scratch. It falls into the impressionist school of modelling.
086.JPG

I haven't got much in the way of money, tools or resources so I've been using anything I can lay my hands on. The most I've spent has been on CA glue and cannon.
094.JPG

Question:
Given no clever tools, anyone got any ideas how to make anchor flukes? I've got one as a template and I need four. I've tried wood and plastic and they just don't look right ....

044.JPG
.... so now I'm considering trashing the kitchen with an attempt at moulding them with resin using a seaweed based moulding material.
I could bite the bullet and splash out and just buy some but there is now a principle at stake. Any ideas? Please??
Thank you
Steve
 
Hi Steve and welcome to the forum.

Any flat material is suitable to make the flukes,card,plasticard etc.Looking at your anchor,it may be the fact that the ends need more of a taper to them to make it look more convincing.At the moment,they are rounded but should be "sharper".They should taper in both directions.
Have a look at Jeromino's (Karl) build log of his 74 in the scratch section.His anchors look excellent even though they are painted.

Kind Regards

Nigel
 
Hmmm. Thank you for that! After seeing his work my effort is close to being binned! (Joke!)
 
Hi Steve,

I had the same problem with flukes as one pair of Caldercraft anchors I ordered came without flukes.
(The anchor blanks weren't drilled nor did they include any wire/rod for making the ring as the other pair of larger Caldercraft anchors had. An anchor isn't an anchor without flukes and a ring for attaching to the cable!)
I cut some Beech very thin and made a ply with that then cut out the shape of the flukes. They were glued on using a little epoxy resin.
Here's what they looked like >
IMG_20191007_173747.jpg

And fitted >
IMG_20191008_191505.jpg

And finished, along with the two "proper" anchors that came with all the parts >
IMG_20191010_191804.jpg

Before fitting the anchor stocks, the white metal and the wooden flukes were just painted with matt black acrylic paint.
 
Thank you Jim. Nice anchors.
I'm determined to make them myself rather than buy them and I'd better clarify my question. It's not the actual flukes that are problematic, its the curved shaft they are attached to. Try as I may I cannot get the curve consistently correct, they just don't look right, or like metal.
 
Hi Steve,

Looking at the photo of your anchor it looks pretty much like the curve of European anchors of the 18th century (as opposed to the straighter, more angular anchors of English ships of the same period).
I think you might be able to adapt that curve to accept the flukes by carefully filing a flat on the insides near both ends of the curves as I've tried to indicate in the photo and drawing below >>>
Anchor.jpgAnchor 2.jpg
 
Thanks Jim. I've just realised - photographs do lie!!!!. The pic looks so much better than the real mk VI lol.
I've put it to one side for now. Fiddling with gun inhauls, ships boats and hammock netting instead.
And who knew making rope coils with sticky back tape could be so strangely satisfying!
004.JPG 007 (3).JPG
 
PS FOR JIM
I must say a better thank you for your advice. You've obviously taken a lot of time and trouble to reproduce those diagrams and picture edits. Your kindness is very much appreciated
Steve
 
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