Author Topic: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage  (Read 1963 times)

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Offline Zulu

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Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« on: April 10, 2013, 08:01:39 AM »


I have been asked to help with a ship display representing the Texas Navy in 1836 for a museum. It will consist of a deck, section of bulkhead with a gun port, a mast and spar, and a lot of accessories to add spice to the display.

The cannon that will be used is one that I built a carriage for last year.
This is it.




I needed to make some rope blocks for cannon and mast rigging and found these directions on the web. They are pretty good and can be seen here.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/02/articles/woodenblocks/woodenblocks.htm

Here are the blocks I made.


















I also made some chain shot and a linstock for igniting the cannon.







Ramrod, sponge, and powder ladle in the right corner.




Still a lot to do.
Zulu
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Offline Zulu

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2013, 08:12:07 AM »
Sorry,
This is how big they are.
They will also work well for my concrete gun carriages. ;D
Zulu

 
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Offline KABAR2

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2013, 08:41:57 AM »
Look good for what they will be used for ... lot less labor intensive than boreing through a solid block and going in with a chisel to make the throughway for the pully wheel.... some would have also been iron bound rather than rope are you going to have to make dead eyes also?
Mr president I do not cling to either my gun or my Bible.... my gun is holstered on my side so I may carry my Bible and quote from it!

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Offline Zulu

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2013, 08:47:50 AM »
Look good for what they will be used for ... lot less labor intensive than boreing through a solid block and going in with a chisel to make the throughway for the pully wheel.... some would have also been iron bound rather than rope are you going to have to make dead eyes also?

Two of the blocks up there have rings for dead eyes.  I only will need two like that.
They were pretty easy to make but just took some time.  I had never done any rope splicing but after watching a couple of YouTube videos on the subject, I decided to try it.  I got better at it as I went along.
Zulu
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Offline KABAR2

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2013, 09:27:47 AM »
Be careful or you'll end up like my dad..... back in the 70's he worked as a carpenter/welder on the Shoreham nuclear project he had at time act as a rigger and splice both rope and cable..... then one day he had someone ask him to make a monkey's paw and then a turks head.... that christmas my brother and I got him a reprint of a 1930's book on rope work......... he got quite good..... I should have his book somewhere packed up in my library.....
Mr president I do not cling to either my gun or my Bible.... my gun is holstered on my side so I may carry my Bible and quote from it!

Sed tamen sal petrae LURO VOPO CAN UTRIET sulphuris; et sic facies tonituum et coruscationem si scias artficium

Offline Double D

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #5 on: April 10, 2013, 01:21:51 PM »
Suggestion for cordage and rope go to the cannon link list and find some hemp rope and twine.  I have used all three distributors on the list and just like Turkey Foot better because they seem more like one of use. No other reasons.

Hemp displays and looks so much better than sisal or manila.  You  do have to keep the individual strands tied off or thy will unravel as you work but that is about the only down side.
.

Offline Zulu

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #6 on: April 10, 2013, 02:04:54 PM »
Suggestion for cordage and rope go to the cannon link list and find some hemp rope and twine.  I have used all three distributors on the list and just like Turkey Foot better because they seem more like one of use. No other reasons.

Hemp displays and looks so much better than sisal or manila.  You  do have to keep the individual strands tied off or thy will unravel as you work but that is about the only down side.
.

Too late!  I just bought 600' of 5/8" manila. :-\
Zulu
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Offline brass cannon

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2013, 10:32:19 AM »
Rigging the blocks correctly is usually overlooked.  When setting up 2 and 3  pulley blocks, the blocks are laid with the first block perpendicular to the second.  With a 3 block, 3 pulleys in the block, the running end that you pull on goes through the center pulley on the top, down to the rear of the bottom  block and across on the back side.  Up to the rear of the top and through to the front.  Next to the bottom on the same side and across the front bottom pulley.  From the bottom front pulley up to the front of the other side pulley at the top and through to the back.  With 3 bottom, go down to the rear, through and tie off at the top block.  If it's a 2 block set up, you tie the dead end to the bottom block. That way the pull is straight and balanced evenly on each side of the block.  If the blocks are placed with the pulleys all in the same direction and the line (rope) running across, top and bottom the same, the lines will twist since one side of the pulley is stressed more than the other side.

Offline seacoastartillery

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2013, 01:18:57 PM »
     Zulu,    Your blocks sure are pretty and seem to be perfectly proportional, but having used a set over the past 5 years to do real work, we wonder if they are sturdy enough to pass the use and abuse test we devised while attending Double D.'s Montana Model Cannon shoot in 2009.

Tracy & Mike


Michael, can your blocks survive this test??  It was 12 feet to the rocks and hard packed, sun-baked, dirt.




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Offline Zulu

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #9 on: May 14, 2013, 03:07:09 PM »
     Zulu,    Your blocks sure are pretty and seem to be perfectly proportional, but having used a set over the past 5 years to do real work, we wonder if they are sturdy enough to pass the use and abuse test we devised while attending Double D.'s Montana Model Cannon shoot in 2009.

Tracy & Mike

Michael, can your blocks survive this test??  It was 12 feet to the rocks and hard packed, sun-baked, dirt.



T&M,
I'm sure they would not pass that test! :P
They were made for a shipboard display for a museum and will never see any use.  They are functional but are never meant for heavy use.
Michael Zulu
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Offline Oldshooter

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #10 on: May 14, 2013, 03:18:25 PM »
I was going to ask how you got those spliced. They look good. I cut teeth splicing manila back when the ships were wood and the men were made out of steel!  ;)   ;D 
 
It all looks good Zulu, where is the museum?
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Offline Zulu

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #11 on: May 14, 2013, 03:46:57 PM »
I was going to ask how you got those spliced. They look good. I cut teeth splicing manila back when the ships were wood and the men were made out of steel!  ;)   ;D 
 
It all looks good Zulu, where is the museum?

The museum is in Austin but the display is not up yet.  I'll post pictures when i do it.
Zulu
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Offline flagman1776

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #12 on: May 14, 2013, 04:03:46 PM »
I think the deadeyes referred to are the round pieces used to tighten standing rigging before the invention of turnbuckles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadeye

Offline Tropico

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #13 on: June 29, 2013, 05:15:41 AM »
Your work is outstanding. Beautiful pieces ! ! !

Offline flagman1776

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Re: Rope Blocks for Rigging a Naval Carriage
« Reply #14 on: June 29, 2013, 06:45:06 AM »
I have some pretty iron bound wood cheek blocks in use...  lifting such things as tack trunks & hay conveyors...  bought through the boat yard I worked at long ago in a previous life.  Last time I was in the Marine Consignment shop, there were a fair number of wood cheeked blocks available.