petervisser

Hi All,
 
Just thought I would include some of my planking techniques in my build log. This has to be the biggest show stopper for lots of first time builders. I know it was a huge hurdle for me when I started out. But now I have a system that although pretty multi-stepped, produces consitent positive results.
 
The first thing to do is mark the plank along its length where it will meet the bulkheads. This is done at every bulkhead of course...
I like to then take the little T-square and place the bulkhead position across the full width of the plank.
Next, step is to take the proportional dividers and measure at each bulkhead the width to be filled by each plank.
That measurement is subsequently transferred to the plank at every bulkhead interval.
Then simply join the dots and there you have the shape of the plank along its length.

Now for the "glue-age". I have been using good ole carpenters glue of late. In the past I was using super glue, but with the lumber I'm using, it wasn't bonding consistently. I make sure that all the surfaces get a dab of glue, especially along the seams where they meet along their lengths. You don't want any flex between them because it will cause unsightly cracks when sanding the planks smooth and subsequent painting.
Lay the plank up against the bulkheads once all the surfaces are glued and tap the pin nail into the bulkhead to hold it in place.
I leave the glue to cure overnight and then remove the pin nails. I replace these with wood dowels which sand down nicer.
There, that's the first band of planking done. Lots of steps but this is one area I want to get right. A smooth hull is a happy hull as mom used to say...

Further to my last post on planking, the next step is shaping the plank. For this I use and X-acto knife and sanding block. This produces lots of dust so I make sure to wear a dust mask. Gotta keep those lungs pink!
Once the planks are to the correct shape, I bend them using an electric kettle to steam the bends and twists.
The next thing I do is to lay the plank against the bulkheads again to determine where exactly they will sit. Things shift a tiny bit once the plank is bent. Then I mark with a pencil point where I want to drill a tiny pilot hole for the pin nail that will hold the plank in place while the glue dries. When all the holes are drilled, the pin nails are partially inserted into the plank. This save lots of fumbling when the planks is ready to go onto the bulkheads...
 

Hi All,
 
Just thought I would include some of my planking techniques in my build log. This has to be the biggest show stopper for lots of first time builders. I know it was a huge hurdle for me when I started out. But now I have a system that although pretty multi-stepped, produces consitent positive results.
 
The first thing to do is mark the plank along its length where it will meet the bulkheads. This is done at every bulkhead of course...
I like to then take the little T-square and place the bulkhead position across the full width of the plank.
Next, step is to take the proportional dividers and measure at each bulkhead the width to be filled by each plank.
That measurement is subsequently transferred to the plank at every bulkhead interval.
Then simply join the dots and there you have the shape of the plank along its length.

Hi Popeye,
 
Thanks for looking in. As far as I can tell, it's important that the battens follow their natural curve for the length of the hull, and not the deck. Believe me, I tried to run the first batten along the deck but it did not look natural. I then fiddled with it for a long time and settled on the final position which did not follow the deck. We'll see how it all plays out when I start the planking which will hopefully start tomorrow!
 
On another note, my model shop is shutting down here in Victoria after a bunch of decades. The owner is finally retiring and selling his shop. It's sad to see it go because I love going in there to buy my glue and any bits and pieces I need. I bought a fittings set for a Billing Spanish Galleon which also had some Bluenose fittings (?) for 50 bucks. It has stuff in there that I know I can use down the road. You just can't do that on the interwebby...
 
Cheers,
 
Peter

Hi everyone, 
I've been working on attaching the upper and lower topsails/yards to the mast and rigging their running lines.
For each sail, It took me about 20 hours to attach the lines lift the yard and rig the lines. (combination of slowness and rerunning lines to ensure free running).  After rigging the upper topsail it occurred to me that the sheets need to be shortened.  Stupid oversight that the sheets are fixed and thus the tightness/looseness of the sheets is a result of the height of the yard.  I fixed the issue but don't have photos yet. 
 
Here is a view from the front. Also you can see that the masts are perfectly aligned vertically. 


upper topsail sheets.  These are fixed at the top.  they don't look as good as this magnification, but it was the best I could do especially with the sails rigged as they are.
 
A shot of the saddle truss and iron saddle strap.  Of course my version of the iron saddle strap is made from copper, but once it is painted it will look fine.  The truss isn't perfect, but considering they will be hard to view with all of the lines running along and  behind the mast.  I made the saddle strap so that the yard can be placed into position on the mast and the saddle strap will "lock" into the saddle truss and then can be glued to permanently secure the two parts together.
Fairleads are starting to fill up.  Rigging the lines to the pins is a real pain with the course set and braced over as far as it it.  Close hauled is a pain.
thanks for looking !
Marc
 

You have a nice model there, much nicer than what we usually see. I'm going to venture out on a limb here, though, and say that your model is probably not worth a lot of money, mainly because it does not appear to be built to the standards that collectors and deep-pocketed buyers are willing to pay big bucks for. There are others in this group who are better qualified than I to confirm that this is actually the case or not.
 
Selling your model is complicated by the fact that clipper models are extremely common in the mass-produced nautical decor market, and they can be had in varying shades of quality starting at around $100 and on up to nearly a grand. Unfortunately, this dilutes the value of your model for anyone just looking for a nice decoration. You might have to list it for a ridiculously low price to move it quickly.
 
I have two suggestions. The first, seriously, is to convince your wife to find room in her heart for it. If I had a model built by my great-grandfather, it would be priceless. Second suggestion, if your wife insists that it must go, is to find an antique store near you that will take it on consignment. You get your space, you don't have to track down a buyer, and you might get a little money. Actually, if you still have the custom case, that might be worth as much or more than the model.
 
But honestly, that's a pretty nice model, and it has personal history for you. I'd look for a way to hang on to it.
 
Kind regards,
Chris

Hi Popeye,
 
Thanks for looking in. As far as I can tell, it's important that the battens follow their natural curve for the length of the hull, and not the deck. Believe me, I tried to run the first batten along the deck but it did not look natural. I then fiddled with it for a long time and settled on the final position which did not follow the deck. We'll see how it all plays out when I start the planking which will hopefully start tomorrow!
 
On another note, my model shop is shutting down here in Victoria after a bunch of decades. The owner is finally retiring and selling his shop. It's sad to see it go because I love going in there to buy my glue and any bits and pieces I need. I bought a fittings set for a Billing Spanish Galleon which also had some Bluenose fittings (?) for 50 bucks. It has stuff in there that I know I can use down the road. You just can't do that on the interwebby...
 
Cheers,
 
Peter

Hi Popeye,
 
Thanks for looking in. As far as I can tell, it's important that the battens follow their natural curve for the length of the hull, and not the deck. Believe me, I tried to run the first batten along the deck but it did not look natural. I then fiddled with it for a long time and settled on the final position which did not follow the deck. We'll see how it all plays out when I start the planking which will hopefully start tomorrow!
 
On another note, my model shop is shutting down here in Victoria after a bunch of decades. The owner is finally retiring and selling his shop. It's sad to see it go because I love going in there to buy my glue and any bits and pieces I need. I bought a fittings set for a Billing Spanish Galleon which also had some Bluenose fittings (?) for 50 bucks. It has stuff in there that I know I can use down the road. You just can't do that on the interwebby...
 
Cheers,
 
Peter

The last task before planking the hull is placing the battens for the final planking. I spent lots of time doing this and I hope it turns out.

Hiya gents and thanks for the warm welcome back. In answer to your question Popeye, there was nothing serious happening to keep me from the workshop. Just an overabundance of work during my last year with the coast guard. We have been short of personnel and I was filling in here and there to help make up the numbers. It was worth it in the end however, and now I can scale it back in a big way and finish my time on leave. Once work ceased in September, my wife and I took some well deserved holidays (road trip to Oregon and a Panama Canal cruise) and I am now settling into semi retirement. I say semi, because I have taken on another job here in Victoria, as launch master aboard our pilot boats here. It is part time relief work so I should manage a decent amount of time in the workshop. I am looking forward to completing the Cutty Sark and there are a number of models on this site that are giving me inspiration. However today is "putting up the X-mas lights" so I better get to it...
 
Here is a picture of my new rides.

The last task before planking the hull is placing the battens for the final planking. I spent lots of time doing this and I hope it turns out.

I also decided to prep the pin rails before planking the hull. The kit is pretty old so I don't want to use the original wood. I cut out the pin rails from the sheet provided and used them as templates. Then the pinrails were shaped and sanded.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been back at it on my build. I decided to do lots of prep work before tackling the hull planking. First I laid down all the deck planks. No small task on a model this size. Once they were all in place I removed the string between them so that I could sand down the planks some more to get a smoother finish. I will replace the string once I am ready to laquer the decks which will be done when the hull planking is complete.
Here's a picture of the deck planking completed.

Hiya gents and thanks for the warm welcome back. In answer to your question Popeye, there was nothing serious happening to keep me from the workshop. Just an overabundance of work during my last year with the coast guard. We have been short of personnel and I was filling in here and there to help make up the numbers. It was worth it in the end however, and now I can scale it back in a big way and finish my time on leave. Once work ceased in September, my wife and I took some well deserved holidays (road trip to Oregon and a Panama Canal cruise) and I am now settling into semi retirement. I say semi, because I have taken on another job here in Victoria, as launch master aboard our pilot boats here. It is part time relief work so I should manage a decent amount of time in the workshop. I am looking forward to completing the Cutty Sark and there are a number of models on this site that are giving me inspiration. However today is "putting up the X-mas lights" so I better get to it...
 
Here is a picture of my new rides.

The last task before planking the hull is placing the battens for the final planking. I spent lots of time doing this and I hope it turns out.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been back at it on my build. I decided to do lots of prep work before tackling the hull planking. First I laid down all the deck planks. No small task on a model this size. Once they were all in place I removed the string between them so that I could sand down the planks some more to get a smoother finish. I will replace the string once I am ready to laquer the decks which will be done when the hull planking is complete.
Here's a picture of the deck planking completed.

Boy, it's been a while since I last added to this build log. Not much has been happening in the mean time, but I have finally resumed work on the Cutty Sark, all be it slowly. Suffice it to say, it's been a bit hectic and the hobbying was way down on the to-do list. However, I always meant to get back to it and that time has finally arrived.
 
I resumed work, laying down the deck planking. I am using cherry strips that Lee Valley used to sell and black thread to simulate the chalking and wood glue. It's a slow process which pretty much describes every phase of every process involved in building a model ship.... Initially I was using magnets from Lee Valley to hold down the strips while the glue dried. But they are agressive little suckers and in the end the wood battens and clothes pins proved easier.
 
Here are a couple of photos of the initial stages...
 
 

The last task before planking the hull is placing the battens for the final planking. I spent lots of time doing this and I hope it turns out.

I also decided to prep the pin rails before planking the hull. The kit is pretty old so I don't want to use the original wood. I cut out the pin rails from the sheet provided and used them as templates. Then the pinrails were shaped and sanded.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been back at it on my build. I decided to do lots of prep work before tackling the hull planking. First I laid down all the deck planks. No small task on a model this size. Once they were all in place I removed the string between them so that I could sand down the planks some more to get a smoother finish. I will replace the string once I am ready to laquer the decks which will be done when the hull planking is complete.
Here's a picture of the deck planking completed.

I have always admired this model and you have done a FIRST RATE job in building it. Fantastic Zappato!
 
Peter

I have always admired this model and you have done a FIRST RATE job in building it. Fantastic Zappato!
 
Peter

The last task before planking the hull is placing the battens for the final planking. I spent lots of time doing this and I hope it turns out.

The last task before planking the hull is placing the battens for the final planking. I spent lots of time doing this and I hope it turns out.