Capstans and anchors

[Frank Brick Wright]

1) Can someone enlighten me on the function of the capstan? I wanted to make a almost fully functional capstan, but I couldn't find great thing on the Internet... Should it move any specific ropes/cables/axles or does it change from capstan to capstan and from ship to ship? Can someone help me?

2) I couldn't find either great thing on anchor sizes... Do you think that for a 70 studs-long ship a 6 studs-long anchor (the one in the Imperial Flagship) will do, or should I go for a brick one?

[cb4]

1) Can someone enlighten me on the function of the capstan? I wanted to make a almost fully functional capstan, but I couldn't find great thing on the Internet... Should it move any specific ropes/cables/axles or does it change from capstan to capstan and from ship to ship? Can someone help me?

This site has a really good explanation of how capstans were used, along with some illustrations and a working model.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/model/report2/

[Bart]

As you suggested in your question, capstans vary in function.

Usually the main capstan is used to lift the anchor and that can be in a way cb4 showed you via the link. but it can also be a different set up, mainly depending on the size of the ship and anchor.

If the ship has more capstans they others are mostly set up to do a variety of chores from hoisting launches and barges to lifting yards and setting sails.

they never used axles, always ropes (cables are thicker ropes) that go around the capstan.

If the ship has only one capstan it would have been use d to hoist the anchor, and maybe the main yard if the set up made that possible, but a ship having only one capstan would probably not be very big so that it was possible to hoist the yards by hand.

The maximum number of capstans I have seen on a ship are three.

the main capstan central operating the anchors

one in the forward part of the ship, under the forecastle. to operate the foremast. this one usually did not reach up to the weather deck.

and another one in the aft mainly operating the main mast.

if someone wishes to correct me please do so.

About the anchors, I think you should compare with pictures to see how big your anchor should be and then choose if you use a prefab or go for brick build. that is the easiest way to do it.

I could go have a story about weights, shapes, ship size, wind surface, bottom type and so on. But that wouldn't help you. So I say go for the optics on this one.

Bart

[Frank Brick Wright]

As you suggested in your question, capstans vary in function.

Usually the main capstan is used to lift the anchor and that can be in a way cb4 showed you via the link. but it can also be a different set up, mainly depending on the size of the ship and anchor.

If the ship has more capstans they others are mostly set up to do a variety of chores from hoisting launches and barges to lifting yards and setting sails.

they never used axles, always ropes (cables are thicker ropes) that go around the capstan.

If the ship has only one capstan it would have been use d to hoist the anchor, and maybe the main yard if the set up made that possible, but a ship having only one capstan would probably not be very big so that it was possible to hoist the yards by hand.

The maximum number of capstans I have seen on a ship are three.

the main capstan central operating the anchors

one in the forward part of the ship, under the forecastle. to operate the foremast. this one usually did not reach up to the weather deck.

and another one in the aft mainly operating the main mast.

if someone wishes to correct me please do so.

About the anchors, I think you should compare with pictures to see how big your anchor should be and then choose if you use a prefab or go for brick build. that is the easiest way to do it.

I could go have a story about weights, shapes, ship size, wind surface, bottom type and so on. But that wouldn't help you. So I say go for the optics on this one.

Bart

Thanks for your quick and informative reply. About capstan that was mainly my idea, but thanks for the link here on E.B.. About anchors I will use something that looks fine... My problem is that there aren't a lot of images with ships and anchor for comparing sizes. Still, I will follow the general rule: if it looks good, it is good.

Thanks again for quick feedback.