exhibits | The RELIANCE Project

We’ve missed a couple of blog posts because we’ve been deep into detail work, which doesn’t seem to lend itself to blog creativity!

We’ve made a miniature exhibit of our winter lecture series presentation: “Wonderfully Modern Herreshoff Manufacturing Company”, which you can see in our shop if you come by for a visit.

Steve has been finishing the metal angle iron cheeks on the mast; these hold four upper main shrouds, forestay, two preventer stays (main running back stays), and the throat halyard strap.

Meanwhile. Keith has been working on the spreader, and you can see the start of Bill’s jig to make the deck-edge toe rails in the background; Sandy has also been filing, grinding, and polishing more than 150 shackles. You see these in rough form (dark bronze), polished state (bright brass), and finished nickel-plated product in the bins. Hooks are next, and then the dreaded 140 ash blocks from scratch.

Steve is also starting to work on the final tap and die work for all the turnbuckles.

Laura has been making grommets which turn into balloon jib straps, jib tack straps, jib pennants, spinnaker straps, and a throat halyard strap.

Lastly, Herb has become Bosun Splicer. Here’s his stock hanging on the rack awaiting finishing.

As we progress on building our 1/6^th scale model we’ve become aware that:

The effort must be thought of as part of a larger exhibit to represent the grandeur of the large America’s Cup boats and racing schooners.
Visitors have difficulty translating 1/6^th scale into original size.

We are also building RELIANCE in the old Herreshoff Manufacturing shops, to original plans, and using HM Co practices where we can. It is as if the ghosts of old workers are looking over our shoulders! So, we think we have some insights into the question “Why did Henry Ford visit HM Co before building his own factory?”

So, as you enter Building 28, we are creating a small exhibit area over the course of the summer to explore with you these topical areas:

Pictures and discussions of HM Co. built America’s Cup boats and large racing schooners
Display of 4’ sections of real-size wooden RELIANCE spars; reliefs of boom, bowsprit and mast; and comparisons to the real RELIANCE
Picture exhibit of the shops and workers
Our thoughts on advanced HM Co business practices
Nat Herreshoff’s experiments with fin-keel boats (There are two examples in Bldg 28 awaiting restoration)

We hope you’ll visit us as we create these exhibits and that you’ll add your insights and thoughts as well.

The RELIANCE Project

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Building 28 – An Ever Changing Exhibit