Reale De France

Thank you for the kind comment Anthony and bringing to light the miery of a rower through

Pieter Pieterzoon Hein, I will need to read up on him.

Not much of an update, but did complete the monotonous phase of prepping, painting and installing the benches along with a few more cannons.

Michael D.

The cannons are completed along with the anchor davits. I tried to make the guns as close to bronze as I could using gold and black.

Michael D.

I just wasn't content leaving the guns as they were so I added breeching ropes and gun tackle to one and just a breeching rope to the smaller one. This did require modifing part# 251 to facilitate this, not sure how I'm going the center gun yet.

Michael D.

This area is really fiddly trying to get everything to line up, I made a few slight changes mainly relaocating the eye bolts for the shrouds to the rail.

Michael D.

The Paint Work and you build so far are First Rate. Lovely job so far.....Cheers mark

Thank you Mark, I really appreciate your feedback. I made a few modifications to the panels as you can see...looks okay and at this stage it's just dry fitted until I complete the guilding.

Michael D.

A few more progress pictures, I was expecting some fitment issues in this area, but surprisingly the fit is perfect even in dry fit stage.

Michael D.

Progress has been slow, but was able to finally finish up the super structure, added slight mods to the anchor davits and installed the figurehead. At the stern I finished the port side figurine and ladder, I used 24g wire for the supports.

Michael D.

I focused my attention to building the canopy using 1.57mm brass rod for the supports and modified the support post by adding more detail.

Michael  D

your paint work is just beautiful michael , are you going to donate your ship to a museum when you are finished ?

Thank you Steve, no this will be on full display at home.

Not much of an update, but these took considerable amount of time to prep, paint and install, I worked from the ends to the middle to glue into place.

Michael D.

Beautiful work so far Michael. The use of Brass Rod will add some nice Rigidity to that area.....Cheers mark

After a year and half break I'm back to work on my La Reale, been resto modding my 72 Nova. I fabricated the chain plates by flattening 0.73mm brass rod and using 21 link per inch chain, the toggles I made from 1.0mm styrene rod and making my own sheed blocks from misc styrene, double is 11mm and the single is 8mm,  I have mocked up one lanyard and shroud to get visual on the scale and looks pretty good to my eye.

This is a fiddely process and more then likely will be done before the railings are installed.

Michael D. 

I forgot you were doing this michael , it will be nice to go back over your build . glad to have you back too mate .

Thank you Steve.

I have the thwarts for to port side benches completed and working on the main mast, made some modifications to the mast head and added my version of a crows nest, it's shame heller didn't provide them.

Michael D.

Using .80mm line I mocked up the shrouds to check the fit in the space available, looks like more then enough once they are served. I also installed the band on the mast.

Michael D.

this should be good michael , 

I have a question though mate , how long has serving been around ? I'm not sure of the time period of this ship , just curious .

You got me on this one Steve, time period is 1690 so I would imagine before this?

My revised crows nest, just did not like the first attempt.

Michael D.

Small update..have all the benches done, completed the shrouds at the mast head and working on the galley fire pit.

Michael D.

I started to prep the yards and doing a mock up of the parrels, these will be belayed to one of the chains/ toggle on the deck by the railings.Those black beads are just temoparary.

Michael D.

Update on the new parrel arrangement, they have an eye splice for the dead eye to pass thru creating a loop for the lift ropes to be cinched before being taken around the mast, main yard is completed.

Michael D.

The rigging for the main lifts is just about completed, the blocks are tied together and I will have to fab up a new middle deck section as Heller leaves this area open, just looks unfinished to me.

The falls for the parrels and stays are also completed and will be belayed to a cleat. Thanks for looking.

Michael D.

steve5

how long has serving been around ?

That's a worthwhile question to ask.

As a guess, a long time.

Cordage was expensive stuff, especially in shipboard lengths.  You needed a lot of decent-quality (or better) fiber to make up the yarns & threads.  To then make up the ropes, lines, hawsers, and cables.

That was all hand labor on long, long sheds.  Each increase in size lost some mount in length, and with ever-increasing amounts of labor required to make up the product.

You needed some number of men to man the cranks, who must needs stay in unison.  You needed some number to man the bobbin, and still more along the length to tuck in the loose bits.  So, the manhours involved were great.  The final product also wanted stretching and time to take a "set" into its final shape.  And, you needed someplace to store the final product that did not expose it to damp, dry rot, risk of fire or rodents or the like.

So, the notion of protecting a valuable line with marline or similar yarn/thread product was probably recognized early.  Serving the gaps with line and wrapping in canvas probably followed quickly after using pine tar/sap to protect line, too.

Maybe.

Perhaps.

Sounds logical to me and really puts into perspective as to what a monumental task it was, thank you for that explanation.

Michael D.

The starboard shrouds for the most part are done and started rigging at the mast head for the bunt line. Thanks for looking.

Michael D.

Yo Fellas!

       Serving-or the motion of putting oiled or greased small line over larger lines for abrasive prevention and or fastening has been around since the Time of Christ! Fishermen used it to reduce wear on lines used for masts and also for Rods or Logs? That were used to slide nets over. Didn't want the nets coming in contact with Bulwarks whose wood might be full of splinters from age!

     The aforementioned Logs or Rods were located very close to the surface so they weren't in danger of being broken by the weight of a full net. They were basically rollers of a sort! The serving line was marline that was also Passed or Served through a glove made for the work, that was held for the line to pass through in later times with just a form of grease or Whitelead. Some was also used with "Tar" which was a form of heavy grease like oil. No, it was not a glove as seen on a hand. It was more like a leather bladder that the line passed over in a groove. The " Bladder" of course being filled with the selected material.

Excellent ropework!

Thank Scottrc.I made some modifications to the middle deck at the base of the mast, the small section of the deck in the kit with slots cut out for the lift tackle was far too short for the lines to pass through plus the deck looked unfinished with the large open area.

I made 2 removable deck hatches so to speak to give it a finished look.

Michael D.

A small update regarding the completed bowline, bowline tackle and braces for the main Lateen yard if that's the correct nautical terminology for a Galley?.

For the braces a single sheed block is tied to an eye bolt in the deck and led through a double block on a pendant clove hitched to the yard and tied off at the chain.

The bowline tackle has a single block hooked to an eye bolt in the deck and led through a double block on a pendant and tied to a peg under the structure.

Michael D.

Turning my attention to the davits and making some necessary modifications, still a work in progress and mocking up the sheet line.

Michael D.