Spars And Rigging. Part 2
Take No. 20 brass wire, bend it so that it fits snugly in the groove of a deadeye, then carry it down in the groove of the channel and into the hole below, the deadeye being close above the channel. Take a piece of your thick cord, tie a similar deadeye to it, pass the other end up through the lubber hole, around the lower mast and down, fastening another deadeye to the end so that they both lie even, slightly above the rail. Next, set up the lanyards. Thread a needle with strong cotton or silk, fasten the thread to one hole in the upper deadeye, and carry it through one in the lower, and so on, setting the threads up tight together and fastening off round the shroud above the deadeye. You will find this a simple matter if you study J, Fig. 9 (also see Fig. 5, Chapter V). Turn the model around and do this on the other side; and proceed alternately, first on one side and then the other. At the mizzenmast there are no channels, or chain plates, so use thin wire around the lower deadeyes, pass it through the edge of the deck, and fasten underneath. Do the same with the deadeyes that come into the tops. When all the shrouds are set up, they will need ratlines (steps). These can be thick thread, such as button thread. Hitch a length to the left-hand shroud, pass it in and out of the others and hitch to the right- hand shroud; pull the knots tight, but do not draw the shrouds together. When all are on, give the whole rigging a coat of black shellac or enamel and when dry, cut off the ends of the ratlines close to the outer shrouds.
A needle should be threaded through each shroud above the deadeyes to keep them from
twisting; this is called the sheer pole. Next will come the stays (Fig. 7). The mainstay
starts with a loop through the larger top of the main-mast and runs down almost to the
foremast, where it is finished with a large deadeye. Then, from the after hole in the
cutwater (behind the lion's tail), comes another loop with a deadeye to meet the mainstay.
Set it up tight, like the shrouds. The mizzen stay comes similarly to a loop around the
heel of the mainmast. The main topmast stay, of the lighter cord, comes down through a
block (small wooden pulley) under the foretop, and is set up with deadeyes to a screw eye
in the deck by the foremast. The mizzen topmast stay is similar. The main topgallant stay
comes through a block under the fore-upper top to a block halfway down the main topmast
stay, and then finishes in the foretop. It will be noted that we have not yet shipped the
bowsprit, so cannot set up the forestays. This has been left until later, because it is so
much in the way. The sails may be of silk, fine linen, or good mercerized cotton. Straight
lines of machine stitching about 3/8 in. apart, made before cutting, add to the
effect.
The shapes are given in Fig. 6, and the length of the yards will serve as a guide to the sizes. They can be plainly hemmed to hang slack, or have fine copper wire stitched in the hems to belly them out. If this is done, leave a short end of wire projecting at the top of the hems, bore holes vertically through the ends of the yardarms, and through these pass the wire. Then button-hole stitch the sails to the yards. Bore other vertical holes in the center of the yards and about 1/4 in- beyond the sails. It is best to paint the devices on the sails before fastening them to the yards, and likewise to do the antiquing, if any. The antiquing may be done by dipping the sails in tea, coffee, or other stain (see Fig. 1, Chapter VI). To get each yard in position, pass a cord through the center hole and hitch it, leaving plenty of end; then pass it through a hole in the mast under the top and down to the deck, setting up with blocks. The bead twist and both single and double blocks can be used. The lower block is fastened to screw eyes in the deck and the end of the thread to one of the bitts; then take the other end around the mast at the yard, hitching it to the halyard on the foreside to act as a parrel (the rope or chain by which the middle of a yard is fastened to the mast). The lateen sail sets up with a similar halyard 7 in. from the after end, and is fastened with a crow's-foot to the masthead. For the crow's-foot use a celluloid block with four holes through it as shown in Fig. 7.
The other blocks are of various sizes, the smallest about 7/16 in. long and 3/32 wide.
Each has a hole through it the thin way and a groove around it the flat way. They are made
of any nonsplitting wood (see Chapter III). The yards are maintained horizontally by
lifts, which hitch to the masthead and to the holes in the yardarms, leaving a few inches
of end to which blocks are to be fastened for the braces. To the lower corners of the
sails, fasten light cord for sheets; these are fastened to the same holes as the lifts.
The sheets of the lower sails are carried to the channels or rigging. The fore end of the
lateen yard also needs a double cord to keep it in position. The braces, of the bead cord,
are rove off variously, the direction always being aft and slightly downward. The
mizzenmast has two preventer backstays, which run to holes in the rail near the stern; and
the main-mast has one set up with a crow's-foot to the mizzen stay. Now put the bowsprit
into its hole in the stem, so that it passes less than an inch above the figurehead; keep
it thus by jamming the cathead (Q, Figs. 6 and 7) under it; then tie it down with the
gammoning (lashing) to the forward hole in the cutwater. Set up the forestay from under
the top to about halfway out on the bowsprit, and the foretopmast stay to near the end,
and the fore topgallant stay to the top of the sprit topmast. Hang the spritsail yard
under the bowsprit just before the forestay. It has a forward brace and lift in one, from
one third of the way up the forestay to a block at the yardarm, to another at the bowsprit
end, and back to the fore bitts; and another brace from the bitts to the yardarm and back.
The sprit topsail has a halyard to the masthead and down to the top, as well as topping
lifts to the mast-head and braces from the topmast stay to the yard-arm, back to the stay,
and fast to the fore bitts.
These old sails used to set so badly that they all had bow lines to pull the leeches (edges of the sails) forward. For these the bead silk is used, with beads for leads, arranged in crow's-foot form, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6. These are fitted to all sails on main-, fore- and mizzenmasts. The yards may be trimmed to lie straight across the ship, as if with the wind aft, but they will look better if braced in a bit for a wind on the quarter. Now lash the anchors to the fore rigging, pass pieces of your heaviest cord through the rings, twist them up, glue the ends, and pass them around the catheads and through the hawse pipes. Place all the fittings and the handrails in position. Paint the flags (Fig. 8) on thin, starched silk, run a line of clear shellac or glue around the edges to pre-vent fraying, and cut them out. Glue each to a long gilded belt pin, and set them in holes in the tops of the masts (see Chapter V). The base supports (Y, Fig. 9) for the model can be anything you desire, with 1/2-in. slots to take the keel. They can be fastened to a board so that the model sits in them loosely, or they can be separate pieces screwed fast to the keel. Another novel suggestion for a decorative stand is shown in Fig. 12.