Tovarisch (ex Gorch Fock)

[Bluenoser]

Alternatively you could also just do the trimming while the card is still in position and all the waste will remain attached to the template instead of you having to pick it up off the deck.

[Bluenoser]

And here she is with all of her standing rigging and ratlines.
This is where I am at now. So, onto the sails next.

[birder]

Very cool. I have always thought that she had great lines even though made late in the age of sail....

[Miles Linnabery]

Dear Bluenoser:
On the first steps of hull plating did you use card for the jointing strips or paper?
Thanks
Miles

[Bluenoser]

Yes. I used cut off scraps from the model.

[Positive_Rate]

Originally Posted by Bluenoser

The completed hull plating. The ship has nice curves.

Nice job, looks lovely. I'm frightened of the rigging though, especially as a paper model - Will you make paper masts or use wood?

Regards,
Alan

[Don Boose]

A beautiful tall ship!

Don

[Positive_Rate]

Originally Posted by Bluenoser

I want to put the ratlines on the shrouds and my means for doing that is to glue them on with cyano (crazy glue). I made this template on card so that I can get spacing consistency on all the masts.
I then cut these to a manageable size such that it will fit against the shrouds. Each of these smaller pieces will have the card notch cut on the edges so that the thread can lie into it.
The thread can just weave from side to side as I go down the shrouds. I leave a loop on the back side which allows me to make tension adjustments before applying glue. I also insert some toothpicks between the shrouds and the card so as not to glue the ratlines to the card. I also covered the template face with scotch tape for the same reason.

Brilliant idea - I'm paying full attention! Am surprised Wilhelmshavener didn't put a template for each shroud in the kit.

[Positive_Rate]

Originally Posted by Bluenoser

Just unclip the loops of the back off the card template when the glue is dry to remove the template and trim excess. I trimmed with a nail clipper.
Leaving the small loop on the edge of the card makes it easy to remove from the card whereas pulling it tight would dogear each of the cut tabs upon removal.

That's a really brilliant technique - thank you for taking the time to explain it and illustrate it as well as you have - I'm inspired!

Even without the spars and sails she looks great!

Questions:
Did you taper the wooden masts?
How did you get the right angle on the masts? (IE, how did you adjust the angle?)
Is the Bowsprit also timber?
About the 'brackets' fixed to the ships side - I think they're going to be for the running rigging called 'braces' - did you beef them up in any way at all to be strong enough to hold the tension from the braces?

[Bluenoser]

Thank you for all the kind comments.

*The masts are tapered. I tapered them by chucking one end into my drill and then running sandpaper up and down the length while spinning to get the desired taper.
*The bow sprit is also wood.
*The angle of the masts are predetermined when you cut the keel and formers structure that makes up the skeleton in the hull. If you take a close look at the first picture in this thread, you can see that angle.
*The ‘brackets’ for the Braces are made of wire. Kit supplied paper ones but there is no way that can support tension. These wire ones are pretty solid.