Vasa build of Corel kit [COMPLETED BUILD]

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Gun Tackles (2)
Having established that the Corel instructions for rigging gun tackles is impractical (see above) I cast round for a source of smaller blocks. I sent off for the items shown in the following picture.
View attachment 255123
They look ideal in the pictures on packet and the website. However: they are very tiny and come as three layers of card (five for the double blocks) which have to be stuck together. The internal slices are in two parts separated by a tiny space to receive the cord. Trying to assemble these without filling the gap with glue defeated me. I gave up!
Instead I created blocks from short lengths of 1.5 x 1.5 mm walnut with a single hole drilled through. (drill first then cut).
One of these I glued end on to the gunwale; another is glued side on to the gun carriage.
One end of the gun tackle rope is glued to the side of the gunwale block. It then passes through the carriage block and back through the gunwale block. Following the useful tip from "Darius Architectus" above I did not attempt to flake down the free end but simply stuck it to the deck. I then covered the end with flakes prepared 'off-line'
The first picture below shows the jigs used for winding the flakes between two layers of perspex. The thread can be either wiped with PVA glue or a blob may be placed between the plates near the pin. PVA does not stick to perspex so the sheets can be separated when the glue has dried. The winding process is visible through the perspex.
The second picture below shows the results. The camera is not very kind; to the naked eye it is not so obvious that the blocks are square, not round.
View attachment 255126 View attachment 255127

I have used these pressed fiber parts before, those being 3mm triangular deadeyes. They are delicate and you have to be very precise in amount of glue applied and carefully place the parts together for them to work. You glue them together with slightly diluted PVA while they are still attached to the surrounding card. Make sure the card layers are aligned perfectly and the holes line up. Use too much glue and you have to open up the holes again with a 0.3mm drill bit in an Archimedes drill. The 2mm single and double blocks from Falkonet cost quite a bit more per piece, but are easier to work with on this micro scale. Both end up looking about the same in the end, which is SPECTACULAR! Even at 2mm, the blocks are oversized at this scale, and there is no practical solution for making them smaller.





Comparison of one of these guns with a penny. They are quite small.

 

[Short John Bronze]

Gun port lids 2
I had a bit of trouble gluing the hinges to the gun port lids. PVA does not grip metal.
I tried CA but if a small amount is used it tends to soak into the wood and leave little to grip the hinge.
If a bit more is applied it tends to spread beyond the hinge and looks messy.
I then tried contact adhesive - I put a blob on scrap wood and wiped the underside of the hinge on it.
This worked OK but was still a bit messy. I then plundered my (so called) 'Garage' (as if!) and found a tube of "No More Nails"
This claims to bond most surfaces and is promoted for fairly substantial DIY applications. However, it worked well at small scale.
It is clean and remains workable for several minutes - though it does not to harden completely for several hours.
With hindsight it might have been a good option for sticking the many brass ornaments where the area of contact between curved casting and flat site was minimal. Being a sort of paste/cement it works well in those conditions. I tried it on some ornaments not yet fitted and it worked well.
For the lower, starboard side gun ports I created a batch of twelve lids according to instructions: I clad the supplied plywood pieces with 1 mm walnut strips. The results are a bit chunky and I reckon that the total thickness, Scaled up, would be about 25 cm. For a 70 x70 cm gun port this would pitch in at about 100Kg ( plus hinges and ornaments) which seems a bit excessive. They also looked rather chunky when fitted to the model and almost fouled the cannon barrels. For the upper gun ports I used 0.6 mm cladding which looks a bit better. For the port side I might even cut my own plywood squares from thinner ply than that supplied. The Corel ones needed trimming anyway (see earlier post)
The first photo below shows the steps taken to thread the gun port lid ropes. In the fourth gun port from the bow a loop of thread has been pushed through a hole in the hull and retrieved with a crochet hook. In the third gun port the end of the thread has been pulled through and a small toggle attached. In the second gun port the slack thread has been pulled out of the hole in the hull. In the first gun port it has been threaded through a provisionally fitted lid. A dab of CA glue will subsequently be applied to the pintles, the loop of the hinge and the thread before pushing the pintles fully home and making a final adjustment.
The second photo shows the completed starboard side gun ports. Note the thicker lids on the lower row. With learned techniques I expect the port side to be neater and more uniform.
In the foreground the tin lid lined with felt is a good surface on which to put the pins: they can be more readily be picked up by fingers or tweezers than from a hard surface. The needle has been modified by cutting off the top of the eye. This creates a very fine fork with which to
push a loop of thread through the hole above the gunport
.

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

I had to use CA glue to glue the hinges to the lids, but if you whack a lid later while rigging, the hinges will pop off at the glue joint. I just had to deal with this level of delicateness and mind where my hands go. Oh, and creating scratch built lids to replace the overly thick Corel lids is the way to go. If you are careful not to sand your fingertips off, you can salvage the Corel lids by sanding them thinner on the inside surface with a flat, benchtop belt sander.

 

[Short John Bronze]

Mantua Lathe
I suppose this post ought to go in the tools forum but when I wrote it there it seems to have disappeared.
So I will try again here.
Notwithstanding the caveat from Nick-edw I have bought a Mantua Lathe.
It was relatively cheap, saves faffing about with electric drills and - hey - it's a while since I bought a new toy.
Note: I have never used a lathe before.
For a trial run I tried to make a main yard for the Corel Vasa with a (fortunately) scrap piece of 6 mm dowel.
The yard is about 300 mm long; I exposed about half the length between the head and tail stocks.
While trying to taper it I broke it. I tried again with the longer fragment but only exposed about 50 mm,
This was more successful and I managed to shape the end but the length behind the headstock flailed badly. If I had still got the original 300 mm length it would have been even worse. I have made the following remedial modification to the set up.

The large wooden block slides. The 'negative' tail stock holds an embedded ball race (OD 15 mm, ID 1 0mm )
I have filled several of these with short lengths of 10 mm dowel then drilled them out with a variety of sized holes.
The free end of the dowel being worked on can be pushed into, or through the appropriate sized bearing.
A 10 mm mast will fit into an unbushed bearing. A 12mm mast cannot be accommodated but is probably stiff enough not to cause problems. If necessary a plugged bearing with a spike in the middle could be made.
The arrangement appears to work effectively.
I agree with the comments that this lathe is a bit Micky Mouse and it is not easy to tighten the chuck effectively.
The brass caps for fitting the end of the dowel to the tail stock are neat and effective.
I think it will now do what I want it to. I was not planning to make lamp standards and fruit bowls with it anyway.

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Please see this thread on how to taper masts and yards by spinning a dowel in a drill press or lathe and sanding blocks to remove the material:

Tapering Masts and Yards

And this thread, message #49, on tapering masts for La Couronne:

La Couronne Post # 49

 

[Daniel20]

Hello Edmund. I've just discovered your VASA build and will be watching with much interest. I too am currently building the Billings version of the VASA. I'm trying to get my canon rigging going as well but am waiting on the right sheave blocks (that I can handle) to come in from Dry Dock. I believe I will copy your method of creating rope coils, well done. You have a beautiful ship, keep up the good work.

 

[Short John Bronze]

Hi Daniel
I have had a look at your build log for the Billing Vasa and added it to my watch list.
It is interesting to see the differences in interpretation between the different kit makers.
Your hull planking looks terrific. It looks as though Billing have supplied walnut whereas Corel supplied me with mahogany for the lower hull. I half wish I had sourced some walnut instead but the kit cost me enough as it was.
Corel commits to blue on the outer bulwarks by supplying pre-dyed strips. I see you have opted for red (which has historical support). Making your own ropes is way beyond what I am prepared to do but at least the Corel supplied thread is pleasant to work with - unlike that in the Caldercraft Mary Rose kit I completed.
I have just begun the standing rigging - the dreaded ratlines loom!
Edmund

 

[Daniel20]

Hi Edmund
Welcome aboard my ship and thank you for your kind words.. The Billings hull is a single layer Obeche wood plank on bulkhead which is great to work with but I did not care for the appearance. So I purchased aftermarket walnut planks and installed over the Obeche as a veneer. Doing that brought on several challenges but I believe it was worth the effort. The Billings kit followed the blue theme as well so I have strayed quite a bit to achieve some semblance of the real ship and keeping some room for artistic license too. Good luck with patients on the rat lines, I know what that entails.

 

[Short John Bronze]

Dead eye alignment
A common way of installing the upper row of dead eyes is to add them in pairs. A dead eye is fixed to each end of a length of cord which is looped round the top of the mast. The problem posed is getting the length right so that the dead eyes are in line. The mainmast shrouds may have as many as five such pairs - all with slightly different cord lengths.
One dead-eye can always be tied to the end of the cord on the bench. Fixing the other needs very careful measurement or is done in situ.
I tried a couple of jigs to resolve this problem . Both worked but were not worth the effort!
Science training suggests that even negative results should be reported as they might be of use to somebody. So here they are.
The first method uses a dummy upper chain plate with slots spaced to correspond to the positions of the upper dead eyes. The pre-prepared end is slotted into the plate, the cord passed round the top of the mast and back to another slot. A loop is formed below the dummy chain plate to act as a strop for the second dead-eye. This is pulled tight and fixed with appropriate glue and whipping. Lanyards can be threaded through the added pair to fix them to the corresponding lower dead eyes.
In the second method the dead eyes being added are threaded on a brass rod which passes through a pair of temporary posts. Lanyards are threaded through five of the six available holes at each end to the added shroud pair to hold the dead eyes at their correct positions. The 90 degree twist in the upper dead eye is not an issue; it disappears when the rod is removed. The free end of the added shroud pair is passed round its dead-eye and secured. the brass rod is pulled out and the lanyards completed.
The first method was easier to use but requires more effort to make customised false chain plates. Since shroud pairs are usually added alternately to port and starboard separate structures are needed for each side.
The brass rod method is easier to install and is not specific to a given side/mast. It just needs a couple of 3 mm holes discreetly drilled behind a couple of dead eyes to hold pegs turned on the bottom of the posts. It is a bit messy to apply.
I have abandoned both in favour ( in favor for some of you! ) of tying the second dead -eye on the hoof.
May I have marks for trying?

 

[Daniel20]

Dead eye alignment
A common way of installing the upper row of dead eyes is to add them in pairs. A dead eye is fixed to each end of a length of cord which is looped round the top of the mast. The problem posed is getting the length right so that the dead eyes are in line. The mainmast shrouds may have as many as five such pairs - all with slightly different cord lengths.
One dead-eye can always be tied to the end of the cord on the bench. Fixing the other needs very careful measurement or is done in situ.
I tried a couple of jigs to resolve this problem . Both worked but were not worth the effort!
Science training suggests that even negative results should be reported as they might be of use to somebody. So here they are.
The first method uses a dummy upper chain plate with slots spaced to correspond to the positions of the upper dead eyes. The pre-prepared end is slotted into the plate, the cord passed round the top of the mast and back to another slot. A loop is formed below the dummy chain plate to act as a strop for the second dead-eye. This is pulled tight and fixed with appropriate glue and whipping. Lanyards can be threaded through the added pair to fix them to the corresponding lower dead eyes.
In the second method the dead eyes being added are threaded on a brass rod which passes through a pair of temporary posts. Lanyards are threaded through five of the six available holes at each end to the added shroud pair to hold the dead eyes at their correct positions. The 90 degree twist in the upper dead eye is not an issue; it disappears when the rod is removed. The free end of the added shroud pair is passed round its dead-eye and secured. the brass rod is pulled out and the lanyards completed.
The first method was easier to use but requires more effort to make customised false chain plates. Since shroud pairs are usually added alternately to port and starboard separate structures are needed for each side.
The brass rod method is easier to install and is not specific to a given side/mast. It just needs a couple of 3 mm holes discreetly drilled behind a couple of dead eyes to hold pegs turned on the bottom of the posts. It is a bit messy to apply.
I have abandoned both in favour ( in favor for some of you! ) of tying the second dead -eye on the hoof.
May I have marks for trying?
View attachment 257919 View attachment 257920

Hi Edmund, I will need some time to digest your two methods though on the surface they both sound interesting. On my HMS Fly I fabricated a spacer that would insert to the dead eye holes then pull the (pre lashed but not glued) shroud lines around the dead eye to a minimal tension. This was very clumsy to me and not that accurate throughout because as the angle of the shroud changes so should the length of the pre fab spacer. You have started me thinking on this again even though I am a ways off from this stage.

 

[Short John Bronze]

Dead eye spacer Mk III
This adjustable device seems to work quite well. The pin passing near the head of the bolt is pushed into the lower dead eye. The Upper dead eye is pushed on to a pair of pins that stop it from rotating and keeps the third hole uppermost. The spacing is adjusted before final fixing by screwing the bolt in or out of the captive nut. I used the only brass nut and bolt I could find in the jar of bits - ideally the bolt would be a bit longer. A box of assorted brass nuts, bolts and washers has been ordered. Someone with greater facility for metal working could probably make a more elegant implementation of the device.
A marketable product?

I notice that a broadside from my model would wipe out several lanyards. Shrouds first; cannon second?

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Always plan your shrouds to pass between your cannon, never in front of the guns. Kits often have mistakes, so if something looks incorrect, it probably is. Use photos or diagrams from real ships as a source over kit instructions. In the example below, the cannon positions were modified to custom positions to increase the number of guns to the historical quantity. This made re-planning the location of the shrouds necessary. A temporary line is used to find the places where the shrouds will run, and marks were made on the channels and on the wales on the hull below where the chainplates will be nailed. Note the final picture on the bottom where the shrouds and chainplates not only pass between the guns, and are also lined up in straight lines when viewed from the side of the hull. That's what you're aiming for. On early 17th century men of war, when the channels are below the upper gun deck, getting the shrouds and chainplates placed between both rows of guns can be tricky.

 

[Short John Bronze]

Ratlines!
Here we go again. For my VASA build I have decided to tie the ratlines in situ rather than using a frame on the bench. This is a bit slower and it makes my arm arms ache but the results seem better when the shrouds are in place, tensioned, and the dead eyes aligned.
I have constructed some simple clips from spare first layer planks. Pairs of planks are glued together at one end with a short piece of 0.6 mm plank separating them. These can be slid over the shrouds and kept in place with crocodile clips. They serve both to secure the spacing of the shrouds and to keep the ratlines straight and evenly spaced.
In the past I have added the ratlines exclusively from the bottom up.When the crow's nest is approached and the shrouds come together this requires a good eye and a steady hand to avoid inadvertently gathering two (or more!) shrouds in a single clove hitch. Wiser now I have taken to adding the upper half dozen ratlines from the top down. The half hitches of the clove hitch can be formed lower down where the spacing is greater then worked up and tightened in the correct position. Again, I used the improvised spacing clips but working under them. For some topological reason I cannot be bothered to analyse this involves working from right to left to create clove hitches that match the ones coming up. OK: any variation, however trivial, is welcome when doing ratlines.
The left hand picture below includes a second clip arbitrarily placed in shot to show its profile.
A partially tied ratline is include in both pictures.

 

[Jack Sparrow]

All to often that has been the case where I tie two shrouds together by accident. I like your approach. I will try that for the remaining ratlines that I have left on my Mirage.

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Clips always fall off and sometimes get in the way. Make one of these tools. Note the fine emery cloth glued to the inside surfaces so that the tool won't slip on the shrouds. The metal clips are formed from 16 gauge wire. Use a couple of large coat thread needles on the ratline ends and some small pliers to make them easier to maneuver through the shrouds. Your arms will thank you. Splendid work on your Wasa!







Why are the shrouds arranged in two groups, one in front of the masthead and one behind? Were the shrouds on Wasa rigged differently than other ships?

 

[Short John Bronze]

Ratlines again
I am annoyed with myself! It has taken me three and a half ships to come up with a trivial solution to a recurring irritation when tying ratlines.
The bight of thread between the last knot tied and the needle always seems determined to loop round anything it possibly can: cannons, gun port lids, chain plates, ornaments. All I needed to do was lean a sheet of board against the model to cover up theses projections.

By the way. Do ratlines serve any purpose other than providing rungs for ascending the mast?
If not, why do they need to extend the full width of the shrouds? It appears that on the Vasa eight men could simultaneously begin to climb each side of the mainmast. But it must have got very congested in the lubber's hole.

 

[Short John Bronze]

Self Edification
I have discovered that ratline tedium can be alleviated by listening to audio book presentations on Spotify.
In this way I can mop up a few "classics" without having to to go to the bother of reading them.
The combination of tying a plethora of clove hitches while listening to Dickens adds up to a (very small) rivet.
If I ever attempt Victory I shall line up War and Peace.

 

[Jan4708]

Looks very good, I keep following.
I have also a Vasa Kit from Corel and need to restart completing after more then 6 years now

 

[Short John Bronze]

1,868 clove hitches later...
The standing rigging is now complete and I am about to switch from tying clove hitches to threading umpteen blocks.
The Vasa model seems to include some strange arrangements of rigging. There is a convoluted structure between the fore and main masts that I do not quite understand. (2nd photo below) It seems to be some form of back stay for the foremast but why a single stout rope to the foot of the main mast or a bitt would not suffice is beyond me.
In both the standing and running rigging (yet to come) there seem to be several points where a fan like arrangement occurs. Two or three ropes pass through a single block; their four/six ends fan out before being tied to a spar or stay. I can see that this might be to spread a load but see no scope for adjusting the individual ribs of the fan to even out their tension.
At one point while doing the ratlines I watched a little black spider run nimbly up the foremast shrouds and into the crow's nest. I removed it - but perhaps I should have left him to finish the rigging for me.

 

[Daniel20]

1,868 clove hitches later...
The standing rigging is now complete and I am about to switch from tying clove hitches to threading umpteen blocks.
The Vasa model seems to include some strange arrangements of rigging. There is a convoluted structure between the fore and main masts that I do not quite understand. (2nd photo below) It seems to be some form of back stay for the foremast but why a single stout rope to the foot of the main mast or a bitt would not suffice is beyond me.
In both the standing and running rigging (yet to come) there seem to be several points where a fan like arrangement occurs. Two or three ropes pass through a single block; their four/six ends fan out before being tied to a spar or stay. I can see that this might be to spread a load but see no scope for adjusting the individual ribs of the fan to even out their tension.
At one point while doing the ratlines I watched a little black spider run nimbly up the foremast shrouds and into the crow's nest. I removed it - but perhaps I should have left him to finish the rigging for me.
View attachment 279291 View attachment 279292

Now there's an idea. Have a spider do your rigging!! Your Vasa looks awesome sir!!