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Wooden thimbles

Don Case

Don Case

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I'm supposed to make some wooden thimbles for the spritsail sheet in 1:48 scale. The sheet is 1 inch in diameter in the real world, .021" in 1:48. I've looked through everything I can think of to find out how big the thimble might be and haven't found anything yet. If I had to guess I would think the hole would be two inches and with maybe one inch walls that would be 4", in scale 1/16th inch. I could probably handle that. Does anyone know what diameter the real thimble might be? Sounds like something that there would be a chart for somewhere. When I search for thimbles in Steel he just talks about steel thimbles.
 
Don Case said:
When I search for thimbles in Steel he just talks about steel thimbles.
Click to expand...
Hi Don
On page 102 in the Masting and Rigging by Lees he is specific about wooden thimbles for the spritsail sheets.

The wooden thimble was secured to a tricing line about 1/4" in diameter (using Lee ratios) and was set up to keep the sheet from hanging in the water. If the sheet is 1 inch in diameter the hole in the thimble should be 1.25" the diameter of the rope (James Lees' Masting and Rigging page 189). That being the case the thickness of the thimble would not be much more 3/8", perhaps 1/2"? It is not under any stress of consequence as it is just supporting the weight of the sheet passing through it.
Allan
 
Thanks Alan, how did you find that?? I thought I'd looked at everything in Lees book. Thimbles isn't in any of the four(?) indices. I don't think I can count the number of times I've questioned something to have someone say, "Oh, thats's in Lees page xxx". It's an incredible book but so many times I can't find stuff in it. Rant mode off :)
 
AllanKP69 said:
Hi Don
On page 102 in the Masting and Rigging by Lees he is specific about wooden thimbles for the spritsail sheets.

The wooden thimble was secured to a tricing line about 1/4" in diameter (using Lee ratios) and was set up to keep the sheet from hanging in the water. If the sheet is 1 inch in diameter the hole in the thimble should be 1.25" the diameter of the rope (James Lees' Masting and Rigging page 189). That being the case the thickness of the thimble would not be much more 3/8", perhaps 1/2"? It is not under any stress of consequence as it is just supporting the weight of the sheet passing through it.
Allan
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Thanks Alan. Hmmm, that would make the thimble about 2 1/4 or so, about .045" in 1:48. I made a couple yesterday that were .065" dia and I lost both of them. .045" would be even tougher to hang on to. And the tricing line will be .005" in 1:48, hardly visible. I think this is over my head. Time for Plan B, if I had a Plan B. :)
 
Hi, Don. I am sure you will be in much better shape making those thimbles of some brass strip. No one ever is going to discover they are not made of wood. I believe this is a good compromise. Is not it?
 
I think I'll just put a couple of wraps of the tricing ling around a pin to make a loop and put a drop of CA on it or since the tricing line is so small I may just tie the tricing line to the sheet. As long as the sheet has two dips in it so it looks like it's being held up in the middle I should be golden.
 
Don Case said:
Rant mode off
Click to expand...
I get it Don. :) Try using The American Fishing Schooner by Chapelle for some more frustration if you ever build a schooner.

I looked in the index in Lees for the spritsail yard sheets which is on page 102. I also went to the formula index and looked for thimbles under the last section, SIZES OF BLOCKS, DEADEYES, ETC. on page 189. Took a good bit some searching though.

What did you use to find the sheet diameter? That one has me lost.
Thanks
Allan
 
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