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Mondfeld " Historic Ship Models " |
The old type of rudder was made up with 3 or 4
lengths bolted together, each one stepped down in a "hance" to the
rudder post. They also tapered slightly in thickness with the narrowest
part at the heel. Originally the pintles (or hinge pins) were forged in
one piece with the side braces which bolted them to the rudder. On the
stern post were the gudgeons with side braces and holes for the
pintles. The earliest rudders were flat on the front edge and with a
wide gap at the sternpost to give room to swing. The gap was filled up
later by separate wooden chocks, between the rudder gudgeons, which had
to be beveled or rounded to allow the rudder to swing, or the solid
post itself might be cut to shape instead of separate chocks Fig. 34E.
A notch was cut out of the timber below each gudgeon to permit the
rudder to be lifted clear of the pintles when required. The score next
above the waterline had a separate chock nailed into it to prevent the
rudder lifting when at sea. The rudder being of wood would tend to
float off if fully immersed in a following sea and it frequently did
too, so chains ("preventers") were fitted from each side of the rudder
to the counter so as not to lose it altogether. The chains could also
be detached and fastened to ropes to steer by in case the tiller or
wheel was damaged in battle or gale.
With these types of rudder the sternpost was
finished off flat along its edge. When the rounded rudder post came
into being, 185'Q roughly, the end of the sternpost was also bevelled
which allowed less bevel on the rudder post to swing over and also made
the top part of the rudder post that much stronger. Also about that
time the pintles instead of being all one piece with the gudgeons were
made as separate pins held in place by a wedge projection on edge as
shown in Fig. 34C. This was the general style during the clipper ship
period.
About 1850 there came into vogue a variety of
mechanical gears in which the rudder post went up to the upper deck and
was directly connected to the gear which was operated by a hand wheel,
and the post head was strengthened by an iron cap, usually octagonal,
see 34C. As the rudder could not be lifted without shifting the gear
out of the way, the portable bolt type pintle was used.
Make your straps or braces out of brass strip or copper, or even hard
thin cardboard. With a little care you can also hammer flat a piece of
thin copper wire with a small loop in the middle for the gudgeon.
Cut the necessary hole in the counter (not over
size), set the rudder stock in it and glue in place. Run a pin through
the rudder diagonally upwards to strengthen in position. Attach the
pintle straps before mounting the rudder.
OF STEERING
The whole steering apparatus including the rudder is
known as the HELM. The earliest form of helm was a large oar slung over
the starboard (steer-board) after part of the ship or sometimes on each
side, and held by various arrangements such as ropes, leather straps or
wooden pads clamped on the hull. These oars were fitted on
Mediterranean craft in Biblical times and on Northern European they
lasted up to the 13th or 14th centuries. Fig. A. is a type common on
English ships.
Sometime about the 14th century the centreline
rudder with gudgeons and pintles on the sternpost, and a common tiller
came into fashion. Fig. B. This type so simple and efficient for small
craft is still used.
Ships grow bigger gradually and the Uth century
types with an additional poop deck still gave the helmsman a clear
enough view to work the common tiller. In the 16th century with
additional decks the tiller was down below, well out of sight. A device
called the WHIPSTAFF was used so that the helmsman could see ahead.
Fig. D and E. The whipstaff was a long pole hooked to the tiller and
swiveling in a well rounded hole in the deck overhead. The rudder could
not be put very far over with this device, but the steering of old
sailing ships was chiefly effected by trimming the sails
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Contents
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Model
scale
Ship lines
The hull, woodworking
Holes in the hull
Gun ports
Decks, laying of
Rails and channels
Wales
Stern and galleries
Head and its rails
Figurehead
Rudder
Steering gear
Deck furniture
Windlass
Capstan
Hatches
Skylights
Hammock nettings
Painting the model, colors
Waterline
Rigging:
 The spars
Tops,
crosstrees, cheeks
Mast,
boom, gaff, yards
Lower
and upper yards,
halliards
The
double topsail
Lifts,
footropes, sheets, braces, clew garnets
Yard
bands
Making the spars
Ironwork
Bowsprit, dolphin striker,
the doublings
Top, construction
Shrouds, deadeyes, lanyards
Books & Tools,
recommendations
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