Hello friends! I am certainly enjoying following so many of your builds!
A while ago, before I had completed any research, I had done some preliminary work on the kit-provided main topsail sheer bitts. But when I returned to this mini-project I realized they were unusable. I suppose the biggest issue was that the kit did not anticipate the modeler adding the lower deck. As a result they were simply too short and had a rather clumsy solution to the decorative bitt tops:
So, I decided this was the perfect time to practice using my little mill. Here is a photo essay showing my scratch-built main topsail bitts...
I started with square stock from my limited supply of boxwood:
I then shaped the top of the bitts according to the pattern shown in TFFM (Antscherl):
I then added tiny raised panels using some small chisels:
These didn't turn out as clean as I had pictured in my mind ahead of time, but it was not a total failure.
I returned to the mill (along with some needle files) and made the 'arch' that passes across the tops of the bitts:
As you can see, I added a decorative molding/bead along the bottom edge. This turned out somewhat better than the panels.
I fabricated a few more necessary elements (the crosspiece, and a pair of cheek blocks) and put everything together:
And now sitting loosely on the ship:
This ended up being a fun little project with the added bonus that I gained a bit more confidence with a mill. Next up: the jeer bitts (yes, I am actively avoiding building the upper deck
).
A while ago, before I had completed any research, I had done some preliminary work on the kit-provided main topsail sheer bitts. But when I returned to this mini-project I realized they were unusable. I suppose the biggest issue was that the kit did not anticipate the modeler adding the lower deck. As a result they were simply too short and had a rather clumsy solution to the decorative bitt tops:
So, I decided this was the perfect time to practice using my little mill. Here is a photo essay showing my scratch-built main topsail bitts...
I started with square stock from my limited supply of boxwood:
I then shaped the top of the bitts according to the pattern shown in TFFM (Antscherl):
I then added tiny raised panels using some small chisels:
These didn't turn out as clean as I had pictured in my mind ahead of time, but it was not a total failure.
I returned to the mill (along with some needle files) and made the 'arch' that passes across the tops of the bitts:
As you can see, I added a decorative molding/bead along the bottom edge. This turned out somewhat better than the panels.
I fabricated a few more necessary elements (the crosspiece, and a pair of cheek blocks) and put everything together:
And now sitting loosely on the ship:
This ended up being a fun little project with the added bonus that I gained a bit more confidence with a mill. Next up: the jeer bitts (yes, I am actively avoiding building the upper deck
).
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