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petervisser

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  1. petervisser
    Hi Steve, Great work on your Bounty! Lots of progress made and the results are very nice indeed. The hull planking is especialy good, considering the bluff bow is a challenge. I once read that the white applied to the bottom of the hull was some kind of coating to discourage marine growth. Quite toxic in fact. I don't know how effective it was. I like the white too and used it on my Unicorn. Anyhoo, thanks for all the great photos, and I'll continue to follow your log. Peter
  2. petervisser
    Hi Steve, I've just stumbled onto you log and have really enjoyed watching the progress so far. I have built the older version of this Billing kit years ago, and seeing your log takes me back. I have also noted some of the building techniques you practice, and I'm hoping to get some ideas. You have some obvious talent as a carpenter. I have just subscribed to your log and look forward to following your progress. I would be interested to learn your plank tapering technique. I have used an xacto knife and sanding block in the past, but your method looks professional. If it's easy to explain I would really like to hear about it. Ahhhhh, I just looked back at your tapering technique and I think I figured it out! That is slick! Now I just have to look back at your plank cutting jig... Happy building! Peter
  3. petervisser
    Hi Primey, I'm a user of copper tape for my copper bottomed hulls. I have used it on my Bounty and E'toile with satisfying results. Being an adhesive tape, there's no glue involved so it's quick and easy. I'm a fan of "quick and easy". The tape is also thin enough that a rebate is not necessary. Hope this is a help. Cheers, Peter
  4. petervisser
    Hi Primey, I just ran across your CS log and just wanted to chime in on your great planking work so far. I am also a Cutty Sark builder so I'd like to follow along. It will be interesting to see the materials and fittings supplied with the kit as your build log progresses. The wood looks to be in great shape for such an old kit. I have never heard of this kit manufacturer, and I suspect you're the only member on the site with this kit. A unique build log, to be sure! Have fun! Peter
  5. petervisser
    Too true Patrick. I also have an old Billing kit and have been replacing the old warped wood with newer material. However, having built several Billing models, I can say that talented builders like yourself can bring out the best in them. It just takes a little extra care and attention. Cheers, Peter
  6. petervisser
    Stunning model Patrick. I think we can put the debate of poor model quality by Billing to rest. You have built a lovely model so far. Thanks for all the photos. Peter
  7. petervisser
    Your model looks fantastic Jens. A real inspiration to get the lead out in my own shipyard. Thanks for all the updates and photos. Peter
  8. petervisser
    Fantastico Mark! What a bruiser of a ship, once you see the size of the hull. Thanks for the update. Very inspiring. Peter
  9. petervisser
    I'm really enjoying your build log Mark. You have taken great photos and it is a pleasure to look at your work. I can't wait to start my own Royal William. With three amazing build logs to go by on the site, it should be a piece of cake....just kidding! Looking forward to more posts! Peter
  10. petervisser
    Time to add the railing to the cabintop... I made the railings to measure in the model and then removed them for painting. That just about does it for this part of the build. Now onto other deck structures....
  11. petervisser
    Time to dress up the cabin roof with some planking and trim... The advantage of a 50 year old kit and its wood become apparent when you're looking for some planks with a curve along their horizontal length! I needed them to follow the fore and aft contour along the sides of the cabin top. Here the deck planking is being installed along with the "caulking".
  12. petervisser
    The skylight needs glass and for this I use a floppy disk. And you thought they were obsolete! I simply glue the disk onto the skylight roof. Easy-peasy! Here it is finished.
  13. petervisser
    Here's the assembly of the skylight and companionway...
  14. petervisser
    The coamings of the cabin roof did not fit flush onto the aft deck so some modification was required. Here's how I did that.. Here you can see the gap between the deck and the coaming. Then I laid a sheet of sandpaper on the deck and skidded the coaming fore and aft along the sandpaper to introduce the camber into the coaming assembly. Now the coaming makes full contact with the deck.
  15. petervisser
    Hi guys, Thanks for looking in and the encouragement and ideas. It's much appreciated! After lots of consideration on where to start, I decided to tackle the after cabin roof of all things. I thought I would make the deck planking the first job on the build. And then I was thinking about the camber the deck has and how the deck houses would be installed. With the absence of the deck planking I could assemble the various deck structures and sand the cambers into them. I will demonstrate later with a picture. So, here goes.... I have decided to use as much of the material supplied with this 50 year old kit and build it much as Mr. Billing intended. The "pieces" are not laser cut but inked onto sheets of mahogany, which must be cut out manually. I have a modern day version of Billing's instructions for the current Cutty Sark kit which you can see in the photo. The instructions that came with the kit I have are minimal. I prepped the various pieces for assembly. This entailed adding blocks of wood to the edges of the sides so that there would be more surface area to glue the pieces together. Also the cabin roof was a bit warped so I glued some "beams" on to straighten it out. Here, the sides, front and rear coamings are added to the cabin roof, using high tech clothes pins. I have also purchased the clamps recently and they are awesome! My new favourite tool!
  16. petervisser
    Hi Mark, Beautiful hull! It's a special phase of the build to complete. Now onto the finishing phase! I am also one of the "Cutty Club", building an older Billing kit. I'll follow along with yours to get ideas and inspiration. Cheers, Peter
  17. petervisser
    Hallo Jens, I am also building this old kit, that I received from a friend. Mine has the even older mahogany wood for the hull planking which I will be replacing. I enjoyed looking at your build. You have used some original techniques which add alot of interesting details. Thanks for posting your log. Peter
  18. petervisser
    Hi Ian, The binnacle is a great addition to your model! Lovely work. As for the bulwark, I would lean towards a wood dowel of sufficient diameter instead of the brass rod. They are easier to hide I think and easier to sand to the correct length. Just an idea... Looking forward to your final solution. Good luck! Peter
  19. petervisser
    The next big step to tackle is the decks. This is an old Billing kit and the decks consist of sheets of mahogany with the planking inked onto them. Less than ideal to say the least. So I purchased a tube of cherry strips from Lee Valley which are 1/8" wide by 24" in length. I decided to experiment with them to see how they would look on a scrap piece of mahogany and how best to apply them. Here are the results... I first attached a plank that simulated the centre plank I will use as a guide on the actual false deck of the model. There are just pin nails holding it in place. I buttted the first cherry strips against the reference plank, and then laid a black thread against them to simulate the caulking. Then repeat as necessary. The experiment worked and I will use this method on the model. I then applied three coats of satin varathane on half the planks to see if it improved the appearance of the wood. I liked the richer colour and it also brought out the grain a little. Now, onto the real thing! Peter
  20. petervisser
    I ran into an issue with one of the bulkheads. The previous owner who had started the model, sanded off a bit too much of frame #4 when he was fairing the hull. I could see this when I was checking the beveling, as seen in the following photo. I decided to add a fillet in order to fill the gap. Here's a couple of photos showing that process... ] I ran the plank along the the offending bulkhead and the adjacent ones and all is well! I will commence the hull planking when the deck is finished. Peter
  21. petervisser
    Next up, fairing the bulkheads. This is something that needs special attention in order to have a smooth looking hull. I have always used a couple of sanding blocks (a wide one and a narrow one) made by Exacto which work really well. By running the sanding block lightly the length of two bulkhead (keel to deck) it bevels the edges. I bevel two bulkheads at a time, then move on to the next one and bevel that pair. In this way every bulkhead is fair to the one immediately fore and aft of it. Using a shot piece of plank I check the beveling of three bulkheads in order to see the results. Here's a couple of photos showing what I mean.
  22. petervisser
    Once the blocks had a chance to set overnight, I could trim off the excess. I used a coping saw to get the bulk of the excess wood off and then sanded off the rest. Here are a few photos of the process. This is a mistake in the making. I started sawing from the wrong direction. I should have started at the side, instead of the stern. I couldn't really see where my blade was going, and where it would end up. In essence, I removed too much of the filler block. I simply glued the wedge I sawed off back onto the model, let it set overnight and re-sawed the wedge off again. The other side went off without a hitch. You can see the initial cut on the right with the wedge glued back on. Here both filller blocks are sanded to shape. However, the stern timber is somewhat recessed. I didn't want to sand off any more of the balsa, so decided to fill in the gap. [
  23. petervisser
    Thanks for all the encouragement gents. Yes, there are a few CS projects on the go and I have been watching a few myself. It's always nice to get ideas on different ways to skin the proverbial bird in the bush... The next order of business is to shape the filler blocks on the stern to coax the hull planking in that area. The kit provided a pair of balsam blocks that were somewhat pre-shaped. All that was needed was a bit of glue and a few clamps to hold it in place initially. Here's how I went about it...
  24. petervisser
    Now for the sawing.. And here is the finished product, in action no less! More progress coming soon! Happy New Year everybody!!! Peter
  25. petervisser
    Well, after a particularly long hiatus from model boat building, I am very glad to get back into the wood shop and make vast quantities of sawdust. The first order of business is to build a sturdy cradle in which to hold the ship while I plank the deck. The kit had already been started by the previous owner, but it did not hold the model well. So, the cradle was built to "warm up" with some tools and skills! The contour gauge was placed on two of the bulkheads which are meant to "cradle" the carcass, as seen in the photo. The contour gauge was then placed on a sheet of ply and the outline traced. The sides of the chocks were then drawn on the ply as seen in the photos.

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