Thank you, Stephan, for this additional information. But why they used this specialty block rather than a conventional block remains unclear to me. There is a clear reason for the lower lift block configuration - but how about the upper lift block?
Vasa - 1:65 DeAgostini [COMPLETED BUILD]
- Thread starter dockattner
- Start date
- Watchers 148
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2019
- Messages
- 4,784
- Points
- 688
The lower lift block is a Dutch block, similar to the violin block. And typical Dutch/continental, even the French got this one. The upper block is a good thing to look at. Dutch and continental except French use this type of block. Later on it is fit to the cap but in the early 17th century it is fit to the collar!!!. The English use a single block and attached the standing part to the collar and the block next to it, simple. The French use a violin block instead, with the standing part on the yard end. Your way is correct how it is attached to the collar. This seems the way how it was done to ships like the Vasa or in this case continental except French.
Nooo, The Rigging of ships between 1550 to 1680 is a pain in the @$$, because all the differences in country, decade and type of ship. There are so many differences, nobody will exactly know how it was done.
few pictures of just the lifts from Anderson
Last edited:
An actual camera with a variety of lenses (in these current pics a true macro lens). I'm not taking the time to set up a tripod, so depth of field is often compromised... Just using auto settings most of the time. I'm not much of a photographer.
Oh, good lighting makes a world of difference.
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2017
- Messages
- 1,038
- Points
- 443
Thanks. I was afraid you were going to say as much. Quality looked too good to be from a phone.
I was fortunate to receive a Cannon EOS 70D a couple of Christmases ago. Although I have not used it to any great extent and the Admiral knows as much. I guess I could get it out of the closet, along with "Cannon EOS 70D for Dummies".
The hiccup, there is no macro lens. 
My loving Admiral is no dummy and seeing me with the camera out and reading that painfully yellow book will lead to my interrogation. I will be completely transparent with her, of course. Well, without mentioning the need for a macro lens......yet. It will be a fine line for me to walk.
Thanks for the info.
I was fortunate to receive a Cannon EOS 70D a couple of Christmases ago. Although I have not used it to any great extent and the Admiral knows as much. I guess I could get it out of the closet, along with "Cannon EOS 70D for Dummies".
The hiccup, there is no macro lens. My loving Admiral is no dummy and seeing me with the camera out and reading that painfully yellow book will lead to my interrogation.
I will be completely transparent with her, of course. Well, without mentioning the need for a macro lens......yet. It will be a fine line for me to walk.Thanks for the info.
OK - if you want to do close ups/macro photography, consider the easy way out. Buy extension tubes for your existing lens. They usually come in sets of three, each offering a different 'magnification'. And you can add them together for even closer photography. As Doc pointed out, good lighting is necessary.Thanks. I was afraid you were going to say as much. Quality looked too good to be from a phone.
I was fortunate to receive a Cannon EOS 70D a couple of Christmases ago. Although I have not used it to any great extent and the Admiral knows as much. I guess I could get it out of the closet, along with "Cannon EOS 70D for Dummies".
My loving Admiral is no dummy and seeing me with the camera out and reading that painfully yellow book will lead to my interrogation.
Thanks for the info.
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2020
- Messages
- 1,833
- Points
- 488
Awesome job. They look perfect. What is the thickness of the blocks? Is it 2-3 mm?
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2020
- Messages
- 1,833
- Points
- 488
Rest in pepperoni Loctite 403
Hello Captain Jack. Congratulations on the favorable outcome of your recent court case. My largest blocks are 6 mm - the smallest are 2.5 mm. Most of what you saw in that post were 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 though there were probably several of the larger blocks as well. Maybe I'll mention here that I am using rope sizes to determine block sizes. There is lots of information out there on properly sizing the ropes but much less on sizing the blocks.
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2020
- Messages
- 1,833
- Points
- 488
Why thank you. I felt so confident that I would win that I decided not to go to court one day and instead play music with my band in London ( Maybe I should change my alias)...lol
That's fine. I just wanted to get an idea of the thickness of the raw material you were using. I have a model coming up where I need Violin blocks but they aren't included in the kit so I was going to attempt what you are doing. I am probably going to screw it up, but I still want to try. It just looks like so much fun making your own blocks.
In the older version of The Art of Rigging by Steel and Biddlecomb, I believe there are some charts suggesting quantity and size of blocks for various ropes and blocks for ships of various tonnage.
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2020
- Messages
- 658
- Points
- 353
Great work it looks fantastic, I can only sit back and admire.
Apologies if this had already been answered but popular build logs are hard to keep up with, were all those strange looking blocks in the kit or did you make them using various reference sources to get the actual block shapes.
Thank you for your kind words Richie. The blocks in the kit were the ordinary ones that come with most every kit. As they were provided in insufficient numbers I just swapped them out for aftermarket blocks from DryDock. I have been making the 'speciality' blocks myself, which I would have loved to do via some sort of sophisticated computer aided machining, but lacking that skill (or equipment) mine are made with an xacto knife, files and sandpaper...
. If you look close they are all different and somewhat irregular but I did the best I could (they are so small that they are hard to hold). At normal viewing distance they look fine. Since I had to make fewer than 20 or 25 'speciality' blocks they are still filed under the category: that was fun. Not sure that would be true if I would have had to make many more though...pretty much the same way I have come to feel about making rope.
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2022
- Messages
- 79
- Points
- 78
Paul, I have been through every page of this thread. No, I didn't read it all but I look at every picture for sure. You have skill and an attention to detail that I will never achieve. My problem is that I have OCD and ADD, so everything has to be perfect, but not for long, lol.
This simply an amazing build you have here.
This simply an amazing build you have here.
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2020
- Messages
- 658
- Points
- 353
Thank you.Thank you for your kind words Richie. The blocks in the kit were the ordinary ones that come with most every kit. As they were provided in insufficient numbers I just swapped them out for aftermarket blocks from DryDock. I have been making the 'speciality' blocks myself, which I would have loved to do via some sort of sophisticated computer aided machining, but lacking that skill (or equipment) mine are made with an xacto knife, files and sandpaper...
Yes I am experiencing working on very small blocks, lost count how many times I have crawled around on the floor looking for a camouflaged block in carpet.
I think the differences on individual parts make for a bit of character, would they have all been made identical 400 years ago, maybe you can run with that idea.
Wow! That's some serious commitment to my build log! I'm grateful for your kind review of my work. I tend to run in the direction of perfectionism myself - but working on this ship and posting my progress on the forum has just about cured me
. Welcome to the SOS forum Jamie. You'll find a nice group of people here to share the hobby with.
File this update under: Some Days are Better Than Others
I finally worked my way toward the rear of the ship pre-rigging blocks in preparation for installing yards to the masts. Mizzen mast! Finally! I carefully studied the museum rigging plans, reviewed several key build logs, made sure I understood Anderson. Got it.
I held my prepared yard for the lateen sail in place (that's the lower sail on the mizzen mast - it is installed at an angle running parallel with the long axis of the ship). Hmm. Hangs kinda far off the back of the ship. (For the record this yard has a sail installed on it complete with sewn panels, bolt rope attached, clews formed, cringles formed, robands, staples, rings, gaskets all lovingly installed.)
I pushed it forward. Nope, that won't work. I raised it higher. Nope, that won't work. I dropped it lower. Nope, that won't work.
I briefly considered using a profanity but held my ground. I quickly pulled up the build instructions from DeAgostini (full disclosure: I haven't used the actual instructions for over a year). Did I make this yard wrong? Checked their measurements against mine. Nope - pretty much perfect. I pulled out the sail provided with the kit (recall I made my own sails). Nope, their sail fits my yard perfectly.
Went to my laptop and pulled up the 1:10 museum photos (my ultimate go-to source for how to build this ship). No getting around it: MY YARD IS WAY TOO LONG. MY SAIL IS WAY TOO BIG. How much? About 25%. Not going to be able to hide that...
I gave in to a mild profanity...
I cleaned up my workspace. Covered my ship. Opened a really good Pinot (note: I'm not much of a drinker) and sat down to share my news with people who know my pain.
@rtibbs - please issue a redo coin...
I finally worked my way toward the rear of the ship pre-rigging blocks in preparation for installing yards to the masts. Mizzen mast! Finally! I carefully studied the museum rigging plans, reviewed several key build logs, made sure I understood Anderson. Got it.
I held my prepared yard for the lateen sail in place (that's the lower sail on the mizzen mast - it is installed at an angle running parallel with the long axis of the ship). Hmm. Hangs kinda far off the back of the ship. (For the record this yard has a sail installed on it complete with sewn panels, bolt rope attached, clews formed, cringles formed, robands, staples, rings, gaskets all lovingly installed.)
I pushed it forward. Nope, that won't work. I raised it higher. Nope, that won't work. I dropped it lower. Nope, that won't work.
I briefly considered using a profanity but held my ground. I quickly pulled up the build instructions from DeAgostini (full disclosure: I haven't used the actual instructions for over a year). Did I make this yard wrong? Checked their measurements against mine. Nope - pretty much perfect. I pulled out the sail provided with the kit (recall I made my own sails). Nope, their sail fits my yard perfectly.
Went to my laptop and pulled up the 1:10 museum photos (my ultimate go-to source for how to build this ship). No getting around it: MY YARD IS WAY TOO LONG. MY SAIL IS WAY TOO BIG. How much? About 25%. Not going to be able to hide that...
I gave in to a mild profanity...
I cleaned up my workspace. Covered my ship. Opened a really good Pinot (note: I'm not much of a drinker) and sat down to share my news with people who know my pain.
@rtibbs - please issue a redo coin...
Consider it issued Paul
You’re in luck, or unlucky, depending on your point of view. I happen to have several coins to pass along as I did not issue them to myself recently because I choose not to redo a couple of recent mistakes. Call me chicken or lazy.
So, how did the Pinot make you feel. (Using my best psychologist voice)
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2020
- Messages
- 10,476
- Points
- 938
I am not going to press the "Like" button. If there was a "Sympathize" button, I would most certainly have clicked it. I do know how you feel, boy, do I know. All I can say is that I trust the Pinot is a good one. Relax and tomorrow is another day.