Just wanted to post up in case folks were curious to see what the bobstay chainplate looks like when removed, kind of interesting.
Short blog Post about it:
http://bccelizabeth.com/
Pics of it at Bottom, June 2:
http://picasaweb.google.com/BenEriksen/HauledOutInDanvers
Ben,
Warms my heart to see you working so hard to bring “Elizabeth” back to what she should be. I guess the moral of the story is that a small amount of neglect can do a lot of damage. Keep up the good work. Looks like you will know her inside and out when you are done.
Wayne
Hi Ben, many thanks for the photo of the Cape George “refit” lower bobstay bronze chainplate.
This photo will come in handy, to show a friend of mine in Singapore, as his boat’s lower ss bobstay chainplate needs to be replaced, too.
Also the PT Foundry photos of the cast bronze Westsail 32, chainplate, are important to me too.
I like the PT Foundry chainplate, shape, better than the Cape George retro straps, or the replaced Shannon 28 ss chainplate.
I don’t know enough about lightning grounding on sailboats, but I do remember Larry saying that he had his cast aluminum nickel bronze chainplates, fabricated purposely longer, so that they would touch the water, and thus in his mind, would act as passive lightning grounding extending to the top of his mast, through the cap shrouds.
Douglas
Ben:
Great photos of your bobstay spliced eye. The splices look great. Are the splices Liverpool splices? How many band aids per splice? Thanks for sharing the photos with us.
Is this a class your are taken or just private lessons?
Rod
Hey Rod, should this be moved to a thread on splicing wire rope ?
I am wondering how and why you would chose an open thimble or a solid eye thimble, do you know why, to chose one over the other ?
I also wonder if a bronze thimble would be better than a SS thimble ? , any ideas, on this ?
Douglas
Hi guys,
I went SS thimble because of price, availability, and looks. Bronze cast thimbles were 3 time the cost. The cast SS thimbles are pretty sweet, they’re not the cheap pressed ones. The rigger I’m working with ordered the open ones, I can find out why exactly, but I assume since he’s mentioned it a few times, it offers some flexibility, and I assume the thimble is a better place to offer allowances for flexibility than the splice or the wire itself. Also assume they are cheaper. I paid $1400 for new wire, thimbles and new Bronze T-bolt toggles for the top ends of all my turnbuckles. I’ll have a nice combination of bronze, chromed bronze and SS in my rig!
Rod, I wish that bobstay splice was mine… that was Myles. I did however improve greatly today, after Myles showed my I was leading my wires incorrectly. Now they lay flat and my splices look near perfect. It’s really not hard at all, just time consuming. This isn’t a class, Myles is just a real good guy, helping to spread the arts of tradition. Although he did question my motivation for self inflicted torture. These are liverpool splices basically, but in 1x19.
I posted some new pics of todays splice, a 5/16" boomkin stay, and the finished bobstay splice served. There is some concern in my mind about the serving, and oxygen starvation corrosion inside the splice, but there is also a core of 7 wires in teh 1x19 that doesn’t get much oxygen either…