petervisser

Back to the CS after an all-consuming home renovation project.
 
Produced a capstan, windlass, and two mooring posts fitted on/under the forecastle.  From an historical point of view this was fun as none of these items are as they might have been when the CS was originally launched.  What I have modeled are Portuguese owner modifications.
 
Capstan – This was no mystery as I have clear pictures of the double-head iron pattern.  I neglected to add whelps to my model but don’t think anyone will notice.  I used greeting card stock to fabricate the iron head discs.  Simply cut out the circles and apply water thin CA to harden.  The pawl tray was built up by rolling up two widths of printer paper and then saturating with water thin CA to harden.  Worked pretty well.  The pictures below should help.
 
Mooring/Towing Posts – These are for sure a carry-over from the original CS design.  Would have also served to support the original windlass.
 
Windlass – This was really interesting to research but very hard to decide what it might look like.  I got clues from Longridge who described it as of an “ordinary” pattern with bevel drive gear and drum (band) brakes, installed by the Portuguese.  I was also able to pull some detail from a Falmouth photo (see below) that clearly shows the anchor chain and pocket drive sprocket (wildcat).  No brake drum outboard of the wildcat so that helped narrow it down.  I eventually decided that some version of an Emerson/Emerson-Walker was used.  Of course, I don’t know that for sure and it hardly matters as all my modeling efforts are essentially hidden.  You can only capture a glimpse of it when looking at a shallow angle with illumination.  Once the ship is all finished you will be hard pressed to see it w/o a bore scope or dental mirror.  It seems like a terrible waste of effort, but it was important to me to have it there.
 
 


 
The pigsty turned out good enough, but I used paint brush bristles for the bars, and they keep moving around as temp/humidity fluctuate.  Not good.  Will probably replace with something metallic for stability.


 
 
Capstan



 
 
Windlass
Wildcats cut from small brass washers and backed with thin high-density polystyrene packaging rescued from trash can.  Spacer between halves made from rolled up printer paper and frozen with CA

 
Brake drums made with small steel washers ground down on Dremel "lathe".  Cast iron supports made out of greeting card stock and frozen with CA.

 
Made shaft bearings out of rolled up printer paper to make a tube and then frozen with CA.  Worked well.

 
The pawl wheel is made out of a steel washer and hand cut with small file.  Warping drums are wood turned on my Dremel tool.  Didn't bother with including a vertical drive pinion gear.  As with most everything else on this part, there is a big reduction in detail as who is ever going to see it!

Hello everyone!
 
Well....after 40 years of work, I retired 2 years ago and have been trying to find things to do. As a teenager, I certainly worked on plastic models, with all their glue stings and poorly fitting parts and horrific paint jobs. I remember getting a small Cutty Sark wooden model, with poor instructions and parts that were only printed to wood sheets. Everything had to be cut out and even the hull was a solid block of wood that had to be shaped and sanded....never came close to finishing.
 
Last year I took on a plastic model, Trumpeter's Titanic. It was a massive undertaking and took just about a year to finish. I had to learn how to handle photo etch, a paint gun, the use of CA glue and manipulating teeny, tiny parts. I took most of last summer off in the build as I own a sailboat in upstate NY, USA and that took priority, but I finished her last November or so. Is she a show room piece? Lol, no, but I am very proud of how she looks.
 
I have fairly good wood working skills and can problem solve a lot of things with wood. I love sailing and have always wanted to buy one of those pre-made wooden ships for my office. The ones that cost about $500-$700 USD. Instead, I decided, why not try to build one!!!!
 
I know this kit is VERY hard and having never even tried to build a wooden model or the subsequent issues and tasks concerning rigging, I just wanted to take a stab at it.
 
So I found a kit in stock in the UK through Arrow Models. I ordered her and within about 2 or 3 weeks it arrived in the USA. Arrow did a great job and while I was a bit nervous working with an overseas company where I could find little feedback, they were tops! Great communication and great customer service.
 
There are a few Caldercraft 1:72 build logs on MSW (I see more now as I've learned the search process here) and a few YouTube video logs that I am using. Perhaps (upon my initial search) not as many as some of the other models and kits. I thought I would add a log that is from a person with absolutely NO experience with this type of kit and certainly a kit that requires a high degree of skill or expertise or as is my hope....just the patience and perseverance to gut it through!
 
I've posted a few Titanic pics in this post, I promise going forward it will be all Victory all the time. I just want to see how the posting process works and I will start adding right away. As of Feb 21, 2024 I am on the first planking task, about 5 planks up. So.....I'll see you at the finish line and thank you!
Chris
 
 



 
 
I use 3 books and they are a tremendous help. I looked for used versions. Longridge's took some time. The book has many pull out plans that help with any model's build and I wanted to be sure the book I bought had them intact. I included Google links.
 
 
Used Books
 
Anatomy of Nelson’s Ships – Longridge, Nepean
HMS Victory – McGowan
The 100 Gun Ship Victory – McKay
 
I use many videos, and many listed below have dedicated playlists that help keep their HMS Victory builds separate from their other work.
 
YouTube Video Blogs
 
Wooden Ships – Greg Wislon
 
Just A Good Place
This is a Spanish blog for Artesania Latina model
 
Johns Wooden Ships - John Aliprantis 
Many blogs of wooden ship models including HMS Victory (NOT Caldercraft)
 
John Builds Iconic Military Models – John Mansell
Huge playlists for 2 different HMS Victory models
 
Olha Batchvarov – Olha
HUGE database of builds, how to’s and more including DeAgostini version
 
Paul Vickers – Paul Vickers
There are only 8-9 videos before he stopped posting. So good for a new starter only
 
 
I am a member of two model ship builder sites. Both are great and offer so many tips, hints, links, etc.
 
Ship of Scale
The site has an advanced search enabling you to input exact issues you want to research and the ability to 'watch' build logs and get notifications when the builder adds new content.
 
Paulv1958 – Paul Vickers
Hasn’t done much and incorporates the use of his YouTube blog
 
Traumadoc –
As of 11/8/24 he is finishing up stern and hammock rails. I believe he is a novice builder just like me, but has done remarkable work while juggling a full-time job and taking the time to log his work.
 
Peterg –
Major blog with high quality build, including lighting and custom features. As of 11/8/24 on quarterdeck w/ cannons
 
Serikoff – Sergey
Custom built HMS Victory using Mantua plans. Just started builders log in October, 2024 but has brought it up to date with what he has done.
He provides EXTENSIVE information concerning his build, how to’s and more.
 
Julian –
Occre model, but has similar build issues that will help
 
Y.T. –
Mamoli scale 1:90
 
 
Model Ship World
A great site, a lot of interaction between builders, a great search engine and the ability to monitor other builders as they add content.
 
Kiwiron – Ron
As of 7/24 completed quarterdeck, stern, bow and more
 
Robert29
Finished Caldercraft HMS Victory – one of the best builds I have seen and use extensively while doing mine.
 
Charter33
As of 5/24 he has finished quarterdeck and is working on outerhull trim and deadeye platforms. Very good build, meticulous
 
Heinz6672
Wood only (no paint) museum quality work, but stopped posting while doing rigging around 2020
 
Paulb – Paul
Last posts around 2023 with work on standing rigging. Very detailed work
 
 
There are many other blogs on both sites and searching will also pull many recommendations for help on various tasks needed during the build. 
I didn't include links to topics such as laying hull planking, deck planking, rigging tips, making rope, etc. These are things each builder will have to do to get to know the process.
 
I am a NOVICE builder with just one model under my belt. A plastic large scale model of the Titanic. It took me a year to build and that was pretty quick given that I have a lot of time as I'm retired. 
 
In addition to the above, I spend a lot of time searching specific issues when needed. When working on cannons, I would search keywords: cannons 1700 era ships, hms victory cannons, cannon rigging, cannon tackle. Once Google provided me with their search, I would save pictures for future reference. 
 
Hope this helps and good luck!
Chris

Just doing my best Bob... thanks!
 
Some photos of the grating kits and their assembly. The original wooden gratings that came with this vintage kit were extremely soft and crumbly and I just had to source them from elsewhere - Jotika, but unfortunately one package was short 10 out of the 30 laths and fortunately for me, I was able to use that last grating and the remnants of such to make the tiny grating in the last photo.

There are a fair number of tools and supplies necessary for rigging the model. Styrafoam trays are pretty handy in keeping sets of tools herded together and reduces the amount of time spent looking for the tool you need. My work bench is still a bit of a dog's breakfast at times but organizing it once in a while saves alot of foul language... I've also added a picture of the chain used on the model along with some reference material from Harold Underhill's book, Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier.
 

After another lengthy hiatus, work has resumed on my Cutty Sark. I left off work last spring after discovering I had made a somewhat serious error on some of the rigging of the masts. It has taken several months to reconcile these errors, and  deciding whether to undo a substantial amount of standing rigging or leave well enough alone and charge on. I opted for Option B as the mistakes can only be noticed by me and an astute number of serious clipper ship aficonadoes on this website. 😉 I have fitted a number of the lower yards with ties and halliards and have now dry fitted the upeer yards on all three masts. I spent the last couple of days manufacturing collars for the trusses. Now I can continue rigging the yards with ties, lifts and halliards. Here are some pics showing all the yards in place , the upper ones being dry fitted.
 

Hi Guys,
I have commenced the running rigging at last, starting with the three sets of lifts for the 3 yards mounted on the lower masts. Baby steps... And what with runing the rigging to the spider bands at the bases of the masts, meant coiling down the ends of those lines. In the past, I used to leave enough thread after running the line through its various blocks and tackles and coiling the surplus several times around the belaying pin. However, with greater efficiency and less toil in mind I decided to put Tom Lauria's method into practice. He coils the lines off the model and places the coils on the pins. It is a more accurate depiction of how lines are coiled onto pins at the expense of having two lines make up each individual rope. Here's a link to his video:
 
 
I did make a couple of modifications to his technique so as the loop around the pin didn't come undone and used diluted white glue to set the coils up permanently. Here are a few pic's of my efforts:
 

Here I used a scrap piece of cedar strip as the pins were more easily pushed into it.
 

Here are the coils around the pins with an additional pin set back from the top edge of the cedar strip. This allowed for a bigger bight to pull under and into the coil of rope.
 

Here I used actual belaying pins to thread the bight as it made it easier to place the coils onto the model. As mentioned I used diluted white glue to set up the coils and allowed for longer tails so the bight did not become unstuck.
 



And here are the results of the lifts' rigging onto their respective belaying points. It took a bit of trial and error to come up with a successful method but I am hoping it will alleviate some of the hassle in this repetitive task. Cheers
 
 

An update following some weekend work.
 
I put three coats of wipe on poly on the main deck with just a very slight sanding with a grey 3M pad just after the second coat and prior to the third and last. I think it looks great! 
 
The beams were installed with some fiddling of the beam and the ledge it sits on in order to get that perfect level aspect of the deck from side to side. Just a few 1 mm shims here and there... and I have a nice sweep of the upper deck upwards as the deck approaches the stern.  

There are a fair number of tools and supplies necessary for rigging the model. Styrafoam trays are pretty handy in keeping sets of tools herded together and reduces the amount of time spent looking for the tool you need. My work bench is still a bit of a dog's breakfast at times but organizing it once in a while saves alot of foul language... I've also added a picture of the chain used on the model along with some reference material from Harold Underhill's book, Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier.
 

I've been a tad busier in my workshop of late which I'm pretty happy about. Since posting last time, all the yards above the upper topsail yards are hung and secured in place with tyes, halliards and lifts. I have used Longridge's and Underhill's books as references and the end result on my model is acceptable to my own satisfaction. The running rigging for the yards uses quite a bit of chain which is novel for me. I was able to source the chain needed at a local bead shop. It is some kind of brass alloy which I have painted black in situ after the yard is placed on the mast. I have found it easier to paint the chain on the model as the chain is taut and easy to access from each side. The next set of rigging to install will be the sheets, tacks and clew lines. I am trying to work from the centerline to the rails in order to have easier access to the belaying points. Therefore the ratlines will probably be the last bit of rigging to complete.
 

There are a fair number of tools and supplies necessary for rigging the model. Styrafoam trays are pretty handy in keeping sets of tools herded together and reduces the amount of time spent looking for the tool you need. My work bench is still a bit of a dog's breakfast at times but organizing it once in a while saves alot of foul language... I've also added a picture of the chain used on the model along with some reference material from Harold Underhill's book, Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier.
 

There are a fair number of tools and supplies necessary for rigging the model. Styrafoam trays are pretty handy in keeping sets of tools herded together and reduces the amount of time spent looking for the tool you need. My work bench is still a bit of a dog's breakfast at times but organizing it once in a while saves alot of foul language... I've also added a picture of the chain used on the model along with some reference material from Harold Underhill's book, Masting and Rigging the Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier.
 

I've been a tad busier in my workshop of late which I'm pretty happy about. Since posting last time, all the yards above the upper topsail yards are hung and secured in place with tyes, halliards and lifts. I have used Longridge's and Underhill's books as references and the end result on my model is acceptable to my own satisfaction. The running rigging for the yards uses quite a bit of chain which is novel for me. I was able to source the chain needed at a local bead shop. It is some kind of brass alloy which I have painted black in situ after the yard is placed on the mast. I have found it easier to paint the chain on the model as the chain is taut and easy to access from each side. The next set of rigging to install will be the sheets, tacks and clew lines. I am trying to work from the centerline to the rails in order to have easier access to the belaying points. Therefore the ratlines will probably be the last bit of rigging to complete.
 

Long time since posting an update as was working on another kit... now finished.
 
One of the disappointments with this old vintage kit was the gratings, they are extremely brittle and fragile as you can see in the picture below.
 
I could not live with the result and as such ordered a number of grating packages from Jotika/Caldercraft (made from beechwood).
 
Happy with the result... I cut a recess in the outer margins in the underside perimeter of the grating with my Proxxon saw, also creating a nice margin on the deck,  and was lucky enough to have a nice tight friction fit to hide the LED light switch.

Its going to be a very big adjustment....My current view just six miles out of NYC.   From my upstairs bedroom.   Its a very different vibe.
 

I am gonna feel like Oliver and Eva gabor, LOL
 

 

Lastly, spent a few hours this past weekend in sanding the hull, and it is now pretty close to being ready for the second (finish) planking layer.
 
I added some fill at the bow and even less at the stern, but through the majority of the hull, added 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm  strips to fill slight hollows (especially on the margins of the gun ports) and then sanded back to flush, and though it make not look great, this hull is very nice and smooth (at this time).

I've been a bit slack in posting updates over the holidays, but the 'Duchess' has been quietly progressing in front of admiring holiday crowds at the museum. It always worries me that the unprotected model is very close to the public, unlike on the dedicated model makers' desk which was intentionally built wide, but I never have to worry about the kids touching the model - just (occasionally) their parents.
 
As you can see, the standing rigging is finally nearing completion (sans ratlines), with only a few more stays on the jigger and the mizzen spreaders to do. I'm now changing my focus to the sails and will hopefully play with the first sail - the flying jib - for a bit on Friday.
 
John
 

Thank you very much MikkiC, thanks for the like..
 
I keep going slowly, I'm turning the yards..🔥


I came across a new Proxxon, a 4-jaw chuck.. Great Christmas gift. The placement of the prisms is more accurate..😍


The first yards have been dialed in. Additional items will be placed..

I wish all modelers a lot of peace and, most importantly, diligence and a passion for building in the next construction year 2025.
 

I will begin by wishing you all a very happy New Year.  My celebration begins today as I rejoice the completion of the standing rigging on my Flying Fish.  A number of photos are attached.
 
Now the real fun begins!   I am not expecting any of the remaining modelling. work to be easy 😬.
 
Best wishes to you all for 2025.  Thanks for looking in.

After another lengthy hiatus, work has resumed on my Cutty Sark. I left off work last spring after discovering I had made a somewhat serious error on some of the rigging of the masts. It has taken several months to reconcile these errors, and  deciding whether to undo a substantial amount of standing rigging or leave well enough alone and charge on. I opted for Option B as the mistakes can only be noticed by me and an astute number of serious clipper ship aficonadoes on this website. 😉 I have fitted a number of the lower yards with ties and halliards and have now dry fitted the upeer yards on all three masts. I spent the last couple of days manufacturing collars for the trusses. Now I can continue rigging the yards with ties, lifts and halliards. Here are some pics showing all the yards in place , the upper ones being dry fitted.
 

Hi Galkar and welcome to MSW. Like you I am also an avid fan of Patrick O’Brian and his incredible body of work. I too have read the series several times and will likely read them again. As for the Sophie in Master and Commander, she is a fictional brig based on Cochrane’s Speedy and therefore has little resemblance to the actual brig. But like you, I also have a keen desire to build her. Therefore I have purchased Model Shipways Fair American which I believe to be a reasonable facsimile of the Sophie in M&C. They both have raised poop decks, and with a few tweaks, the Fair American can be made to resemble the brig depicted on the cover as painted by Geoff Hunt. All the best with your enjoyment of this amazing hobby. Cheers, Peter

After another lengthy hiatus, work has resumed on my Cutty Sark. I left off work last spring after discovering I had made a somewhat serious error on some of the rigging of the masts. It has taken several months to reconcile these errors, and  deciding whether to undo a substantial amount of standing rigging or leave well enough alone and charge on. I opted for Option B as the mistakes can only be noticed by me and an astute number of serious clipper ship aficonadoes on this website. 😉 I have fitted a number of the lower yards with ties and halliards and have now dry fitted the upeer yards on all three masts. I spent the last couple of days manufacturing collars for the trusses. Now I can continue rigging the yards with ties, lifts and halliards. Here are some pics showing all the yards in place , the upper ones being dry fitted.
 

Hi Guys,
I have commenced the running rigging at last, starting with the three sets of lifts for the 3 yards mounted on the lower masts. Baby steps... And what with runing the rigging to the spider bands at the bases of the masts, meant coiling down the ends of those lines. In the past, I used to leave enough thread after running the line through its various blocks and tackles and coiling the surplus several times around the belaying pin. However, with greater efficiency and less toil in mind I decided to put Tom Lauria's method into practice. He coils the lines off the model and places the coils on the pins. It is a more accurate depiction of how lines are coiled onto pins at the expense of having two lines make up each individual rope. Here's a link to his video:
 
 
I did make a couple of modifications to his technique so as the loop around the pin didn't come undone and used diluted white glue to set the coils up permanently. Here are a few pic's of my efforts:
 

Here I used a scrap piece of cedar strip as the pins were more easily pushed into it.
 

Here are the coils around the pins with an additional pin set back from the top edge of the cedar strip. This allowed for a bigger bight to pull under and into the coil of rope.
 

Here I used actual belaying pins to thread the bight as it made it easier to place the coils onto the model. As mentioned I used diluted white glue to set up the coils and allowed for longer tails so the bight did not become unstuck.
 



And here are the results of the lifts' rigging onto their respective belaying points. It took a bit of trial and error to come up with a successful method but I am hoping it will alleviate some of the hassle in this repetitive task. Cheers
 
 

After another lengthy hiatus, work has resumed on my Cutty Sark. I left off work last spring after discovering I had made a somewhat serious error on some of the rigging of the masts. It has taken several months to reconcile these errors, and  deciding whether to undo a substantial amount of standing rigging or leave well enough alone and charge on. I opted for Option B as the mistakes can only be noticed by me and an astute number of serious clipper ship aficonadoes on this website. 😉 I have fitted a number of the lower yards with ties and halliards and have now dry fitted the upeer yards on all three masts. I spent the last couple of days manufacturing collars for the trusses. Now I can continue rigging the yards with ties, lifts and halliards. Here are some pics showing all the yards in place , the upper ones being dry fitted.
 

After another lengthy hiatus, work has resumed on my Cutty Sark. I left off work last spring after discovering I had made a somewhat serious error on some of the rigging of the masts. It has taken several months to reconcile these errors, and  deciding whether to undo a substantial amount of standing rigging or leave well enough alone and charge on. I opted for Option B as the mistakes can only be noticed by me and an astute number of serious clipper ship aficonadoes on this website. 😉 I have fitted a number of the lower yards with ties and halliards and have now dry fitted the upeer yards on all three masts. I spent the last couple of days manufacturing collars for the trusses. Now I can continue rigging the yards with ties, lifts and halliards. Here are some pics showing all the yards in place , the upper ones being dry fitted.
 

After another lengthy hiatus, work has resumed on my Cutty Sark. I left off work last spring after discovering I had made a somewhat serious error on some of the rigging of the masts. It has taken several months to reconcile these errors, and  deciding whether to undo a substantial amount of standing rigging or leave well enough alone and charge on. I opted for Option B as the mistakes can only be noticed by me and an astute number of serious clipper ship aficonadoes on this website. 😉 I have fitted a number of the lower yards with ties and halliards and have now dry fitted the upeer yards on all three masts. I spent the last couple of days manufacturing collars for the trusses. Now I can continue rigging the yards with ties, lifts and halliards. Here are some pics showing all the yards in place , the upper ones being dry fitted.