Deadeyes. Blocks.
Deadeyes
All sailing vessels, except the more modern type, require a great many
deadeyes. Being used in large numbers, these small fittings will have a great deal to do
with the final appearance of your model. To be ship-shape, they must be neatly formed and
uniform. The easiest to make, but not the best, can be cut from celluloid rods such as
knitting needles (Fig. 27). With a file or a fret saw, or in a lathe, cut grooves the
right distance apart to give the proper thickness; then with a sharp knife slice off
sections at every other groove so that each will have a groove around its middle. Although
it is better to drill the holes, they can be made with a hot needle. As a finishing touch,
the flat sides then should be rounded. Although celluloid deadeyes are perhaps the
simplest, those made from boxwood or hard rubber are undoubtedly the best. If you have a
lathe, it is no great task to make them. They can be shaped with a parting tool, but it is
better to buy or make a special forming tool filed to the shape shown in Fig. 28 and
hardened. This rounds, grooves, and cuts off the deadeyes in one operation. If the
drilling is done in a jig similar to those shown in Figs. 29 and 30, you can save a great
deal of time.
If you have no lathe, your boxwood deadeyes can be made in the following manner: First,
turn or cut the boxwood stock into round sticks or dowels of the required diameters. Then
take a piece of hardwood not less than 3/4 in. square and 1 in. long and drill a hole
straight through the center to form an easy fit for the boxwood dowel (Fig. 28). A second
piece of hardwood, either round or square, also is drilled through its center to receive
the dowel. Drill another hole from one edge of this second piece to take a locking screw,
which is an ordinary screw filed flat at its point. The block first mentioned is clamped
in a vise or otherwise held firmly. Insert the boxwood dowel through both pieces until the
end projects a shade beyond what is to be the middle of the deadeye. Fix it there by
turning in the screw while both pieces are held tightly together. Now, slightly crown or
round the end of the dowel by holding a file or knife to it while turning the outer handle
piece with the left hand.
Then, with a knife held to the face of the stationary square block, cut the groove, not too deeply and slightly V-shaped. Instead of a knife, a very fine hack saw may be used if the set of the teeth is filed off and then the edge is honed to a V-shape. Move the dowel along the desired amount to give the proper thickness and mark another score. This is for the cutting off, which may be done more easily after the entire dowel is marked. A block may be fastened to the face of the square block to act as a gage. The cutting off must be done very gently and carefully or the wood will chip. Move along to the next score, and so on. When all the deadeyes have been cut off, the other faces can be crowned, although many model makers are content to leave flat faces on the inside of the deadeyes. The drilling comes next. As already suggested, this should be done in a jig, the drill being held in a pin vise. The finished deadeyes should have three clean holes arranged in a triangle.
Blocks
A tackle block can be made in many different ways. Most model makers use
boxwood as the stock, but holly, gum, or other semi-hard woods will serve. To shape the
blocks by hand, first cut an oblong strip of wood a trifle wider than the width of the
blocks and to a thickness equal to the desired thickness of the block. Remember, of
course, that double blocks are about one and one-third times as wide as single blocks, and
proportionately thicker. With a V-gouge, knife, file, or woodworker's marking gage, cut a
groove right down the center of two opposite edges. These form the strap grooves (Fig.
31). Then lay the strip down and mark off intervals equal to the desired length of the
blocks, allowing for a thin section of scrap equal to the width of your finest saw. At
one-third of the length from each mark, bore a hole or holes (one for single blocks, two
for double), of suitable size. This hole should be large enough to take the rigging cord
that is to be used with the blocks. For a 3/8-in. block, a No. 60 twist drill will be
suitable. From the grooves along the edges, round the faces slightly with a file or
sandpaper. At each of the marks on both sides, make a V-cut with a knife and then saw the
blocks apart, using a fine fret saw or a jeweler's hack saw. Finally take each block
between the thumb and finger of the left hand and with a very small file (a diesinker's
three-cornered file is best) file the V-cuts at the ends into smooth curves, so as to make
the faces oval in section. Using the same file, continue the score for the strap around
the ends of the block. With a V-gouge or the point of a knife, make a nick in the sides of
the block from the holes to the heel. This is to represent the opening or openings filled
with the sheave (wheel) or sheaves. Many model makers find that they can hasten and
simplify the work of making deadeyes and blocks for ship models by molding them from
plastic putty of the wood type sold in cans at hardware and paint stores for mending
cracks. As shown in Fig. 32, the mold is made by boring holes in a piece of 1/4- or 3/8
in. lumber.
When the point of the drill just shows through, reverse the drill and bore from the other side so that the edges of the hole will be clean. The holes for the deadeyes are left round; those for the blocks are made oblong with a rattail file. When the required number of holes have been drilled, melt and pour some hot lard through them, making sure that each hole is well coated. Wipe the surplus lard from the surfaces, clamp the board tightly to another smooth board, making sure that there is perfect contact at all points, and fill in the holes with the wood putty. Scrape off the surplus flush with the top surface. The holes in the deadeyes and blocks should be punched with a small brad while the putty is soft. When the composition has hardened, the pieces can be pushed out with a small stick. The deadeyes will be at least twice as thick as required, but they can be cut in two or to the thickness desired with a sharp razor blade. When cut to thickness, the grooves can be filed around them.