I hate ship kit supplied blocks. I'm buildung the Constellation ATM as Artisian Latina POB kit in preparation for a larger POF scratch build of the same ship with many details. I need blocks so I thought I'd try making one. Here is the process I used.
First I needed a sheave I dug through some sheaves I cut on the lathe some time ago and selected one. I also chose to make the cheeks crown and tail of the block from a piece of left over hull planking the pin is just a straight piece if brass wire I stretched to straighten it. The sheave started as a brass rod that I cut a groove in and then parted off the thickness I wanted. You can easily do this on a drill press with a round file to make the groove and then part it off with a hacksaw blade. The sheaves can also be made from wood or plastic.
I cut the cheeks to equal lengths a bit longer then I actually needed so I'd have a place to clamp the assembly up without damaging the actual block section.
Next I layed the crown and tail pieces together and clamped them together. I used a file close to the diameter of the sheave to cut in notches for the sheave to set in so when I drill the hole for the pin it will be centered. Checked the fit and it was acceptable.
Next I glued the tail to one of the cheeks and set it aside to dry while clamped in place. I then placed the sheave where I wanted it and glued on the crown with just a tiny space to allow the sheave to rotate.
when it was dry I used a small round file to open up the swallow a bit while replacing the sheave every now and then to check how much wood was being removed. Once done I sanded down the crown and tail to nearly level with the sheave. as you can see in the first picture below they sat a bit higher then the sheave and i didn't want all that excess space.
Once I was satisfied I had it roughed in I put the sheave in place centered the best I could by eye and used the pin hole in the sheave as a guide to drill out the cheek.
Satisfied, I installed the other cheek clqmoed it down and let it dry.
Using the hole and sheave inside as a guide I drilled the other cheek. Sharpened the end of the pin and pushed it into place its a slight press fit so no glue required.
Now that I have an assembly I nipped the pin off and filed it flush. I also sanded smooth and even all sides of the assembly.
Now I had to free the sheave I pushed the pin out with a needle and used the round file and #11 exacto to open the swallow and throat until the sheave just pushed out. Now with full access to the throat I refined its shape I sawed off the excess and shapped the block by first thinning and shaping the cheeks and then the face working back and forth to maintain symmetry as best I could, lastly I reinstalled the sheave and pin and cut in the score so it could be strapped or stropped, pictures are of it with strap.
So does it roll? Absolutly, even with slight tension it rolls smooth as butter. Should be easy to up or down size this method very easily. Hope the helps some folks to take the plunge into better blocks.
First I needed a sheave I dug through some sheaves I cut on the lathe some time ago and selected one. I also chose to make the cheeks crown and tail of the block from a piece of left over hull planking the pin is just a straight piece if brass wire I stretched to straighten it. The sheave started as a brass rod that I cut a groove in and then parted off the thickness I wanted. You can easily do this on a drill press with a round file to make the groove and then part it off with a hacksaw blade. The sheaves can also be made from wood or plastic.
I cut the cheeks to equal lengths a bit longer then I actually needed so I'd have a place to clamp the assembly up without damaging the actual block section.
Next I layed the crown and tail pieces together and clamped them together. I used a file close to the diameter of the sheave to cut in notches for the sheave to set in so when I drill the hole for the pin it will be centered. Checked the fit and it was acceptable.
Next I glued the tail to one of the cheeks and set it aside to dry while clamped in place. I then placed the sheave where I wanted it and glued on the crown with just a tiny space to allow the sheave to rotate.
when it was dry I used a small round file to open up the swallow a bit while replacing the sheave every now and then to check how much wood was being removed. Once done I sanded down the crown and tail to nearly level with the sheave. as you can see in the first picture below they sat a bit higher then the sheave and i didn't want all that excess space.
Once I was satisfied I had it roughed in I put the sheave in place centered the best I could by eye and used the pin hole in the sheave as a guide to drill out the cheek.
Satisfied, I installed the other cheek clqmoed it down and let it dry.
Using the hole and sheave inside as a guide I drilled the other cheek. Sharpened the end of the pin and pushed it into place its a slight press fit so no glue required.
Now that I have an assembly I nipped the pin off and filed it flush. I also sanded smooth and even all sides of the assembly.
Now I had to free the sheave I pushed the pin out with a needle and used the round file and #11 exacto to open the swallow and throat until the sheave just pushed out. Now with full access to the throat I refined its shape I sawed off the excess and shapped the block by first thinning and shaping the cheeks and then the face working back and forth to maintain symmetry as best I could, lastly I reinstalled the sheave and pin and cut in the score so it could be strapped or stropped, pictures are of it with strap.
So does it roll? Absolutly, even with slight tension it rolls smooth as butter. Should be easy to up or down size this method very easily. Hope the helps some folks to take the plunge into better blocks.