bcochran

I found this chain at Michael's.  It looks to me to be good for the chain rigging on spars and such.  I soaked it in gun blue for a few minuets to turn it black.  It only costs $1.

6 hours ago, LeoM said:

Looks superb, Bob!

Thank you, Leo.  The encouragement really does help keep me going.

Here is another idea for the deadeyes.  These are from HisModel.  I would possibly add lanyards off the model, after painting the deadeye black and the strop white. Then superglue them on the pin rails.  I would hope that all I need for support and the tension is to glue them.

Bowsprit chains are done. Soon to finish up the bow rigging and the anchors, then on to the masts and their details.  Maybe I'll have a good start on the standing rigging by next week. All my lanyards will be black.

I changed the lanyards to black for the chain rigging on the bow.  I think it looks better than tan thread, since it is not as visually outstanding and is more accurate representing tarred rope.

Yes, they look bulky.  Chalk it up to being a model with inaccuracies.  Looking at other builds, mine are similar, this being my first shot at rigging.  I need to do the shorter one over, so the lanyards are the same length I think.

I am going to visit the San Diego Maritime Museum next Tuesday.  I especially ant to get a picture of the bell on the Rose which still says Rose for Snug Harbor Jonny.

3 hours ago, rwiederrich said:

Great job Bob...but remember...any lanyards used on bulleyes or deadeyes were considered part of the standing rigging...even though they, at times were used to tighten the system.  These lanyards were coated in dark to black preserving tar material.  They would not be left untreated.  So, light lines are not typical of these systems.  This is a common mistake most folks make because they think the lanyards are running rigging.  they are not..

 

Rob

I played with the idea of using black for lanyards.  I may go back and redo mine.  One reason is so that they don't stand out visually as much.

3 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

hello Bob.......fine looking ship your building    nice to see that there are a few 1:96 fans out there...I have long enjoyed this series of ship models.  when I built my second Cutty model,  I ran into the same problem with the decals.......they were old and micro cracked.  I ordered another set from Revell,  along with a request for another set of sails.....got only a couple of the sail sheets {they were done in beige, rather than the white vacu-plastic},  but I got another decal sheet.  sad to find that they were just as old as the ones I had!    I tried to source out for a set from places that did custom decals,  but all I got was excuses and the run around.  after a bit more searching,  I stumbled onto the Testor's "decal it" program.  you can make your own decals using your printer.  getting into it though,  I found that that there were limitations to what the program can do,  and that it wasn't possible.  even trying to do them in "paint shop" was a bust.......mainly showing the limits of an ink jet printer....the inability to print white,  and metallic.  it does work well for other applications though,  so I found that it wasn't a total waste of money.

  one thing I gleaned from your log though,  are the complaints concerning the inaccuracies with the kit.  folks should keep in mind that back in the day {the kit was produced back in the mid 50's},  that they were considered cutting edge for ship models.........highly detailed with the information available at the time.  Revell over the years has gone though a lot of changes.......last I checked, it acquired the name Hobico,  and the only inkling of the name Revell is Revell Germany.  I've yet to see any updated retooling of this kit,  with so many older kits popping out of the wood work on E Bay {and other site like 'em}.  I've heard that R.G. is reproducing and expanding the 1:96 line....the Connie kit being the only one that was still being produced through the years.  I have never used metal on these kits...nor have I ever put brass rods in the masts...haven't felt the need to.  the one thing that urked me,  was the segmented decks and trying to hide the joints.  one thing I tried,  which I need to get back to,  was I made wooden decks for my second U.S.S. United States.  it was a tedious task,  but the results came out really good.  I did have to do a second set though,  because I took too long getting back to the model and the decks warped.  I took precautions with this set and hopefully,  it won't happen when I get back to it  

   I have another Constitution kit....it will be my second as well.  there should be a log for my second Cutty in the archives.......along with the one for the United States.  some of the inaccuracies are actually design modifications for ease of assembly.......the dead eye racks are the most obvious.  if they were to be located on the pin rails {the way they should be},  it would be almost impossible to tie off the rigging to the belaying pins.  so they moved them onto the cap rails to make it easier.  as with any model........there are ways to enhance them to add realism...you've done well with the rabbit holes you've gone down   

 

 

Thank you, Popeye.  I have built planes, cars, trains and some boats in plastic, so assembly and painting are not new to me.  I've had in mind how I wanted my Cutty Sark to look for a long time.  So I put my plastic model skills to work on this ship.  I have never completed a ship model as far as rigging.  The other models I build take a much shorter time to complete.  With this build, I keep telling myself that I have no deadline other than the day I meet Davie Jones.

5 hours ago, rwiederrich said:

Bob.....Make your own...its simple, repeatable and easy and you have to spend hardly any money.

 

You can make them any size you need.

 

I'll put together a pictorial tutorial, how and the materials you need.  If you like?

 

Rob

I made eyebolts.  I didn't realize that he was talking about actual dimensions that you can scale down to what ever size your model is.

I was able to get the photo etch decoration on the trail board.  It is not as fragile as the stern decoration.   I used gell superglue.  It gets a bit cloudy if you goof up and move the etching around. You need to put it in the right place the first time.  I still need to paint the connecting points black on the etching.

1 hour ago, Kevin-the-lubber said:

Send me a pm with your address, I have a spare set of decals. Don't get too downhearted, modelling at this standard is bound to have some really bad days but the quality of your work so far tells me you're perfectly capable of dealing with the rigging. By the way, do you have a first name, it always feels a little impersonal to refer to you as bcochran!

My name is Bob

I have tried and failed five times to put the photo etch decorations on the stern. I am completely frustrated with it.  I hope to get a set of the decals that came with the kit somehow.

I am not going to try a sixth time.  I am tied of removing glue and repainting the area. The photo etch is just too fragile for me to handle.  I'll move on to the rigging, but I must admit I doubt my ability to complete that. I am at my lowest point since starting this model.  I hope to get my confidence back soon.

If anyone has a set of the decals to this kit and can part with them, I would rally like to have them.

Looks to me like you will have the most highly detailed Revell Cutty Sark there is online anywhere.  I am envious of your skills.  I know for myself, if I tried to put that much detail into my model, I would never finish it. 

This is my first piece of chain on the bowsprit with two bullseyes.

To those who have done rigging, it isn't much but to me who has never done it before it is a big deal.

I added 2 more chains. I am not sure if it looks right or not.  Then I did the other chain with thicker thread.  I still don't know what looks right.

Back to my ship.  I put some gammoning on the bowsprit. I added some plastic pieces below the bowsprit as the part of the ship the bowsprit is gammoned to.

I used some 45 links per inch chain.  It is not as good as I would have liked, but this I will keep. 

Some days you can't make a mistake.  You just fly through the modeling that you are doing and everything comes out right, easy as pie.

Then there are days like today when all I get done doing is fixing goof ups and causing more.

I have to put the Cutty Sark on hold for about a week.  I need to get some G scale trains together for a memorial weekend train run at the Best in the West Machinery show.

The masts are built.  I'm beginning to rig the bowsprit and jib-boom.

I ordered HisModel's blocks.  I don't know how to strop them yet, but I will learn.  At his website's photographs, there is a very good build of the Cutty Sark.  My goal is to do as good or better. I am starting to feel better about rigging.

I think my model is looking less and less like plastic.  I am doing over things that were complete, but I was not 100% pleased with. In my mind, I have a level of quality I am willing to accept.  If an area or part is not up to that standard, I'll do it over until it is.

On 4/8/2022 at 7:19 PM, Ian_Grant said:

All standing rigging (except stays and backstays on the royal) complete on mizzen and jigger masts. There sure are a lot of backstays on these steel ships - at hounds, fixed yard bands, and mast caps as well as all the usual backstays. No wonder they could drive them so hard.

 

I added the forward-most boat on each side as they are now behind a wall of backstays. I decided to tie on the upper braces terminating at the mizzen bulwark pins after all; these can be seen coiled in the first pic, emerging between the mizzenmast shrouds/backstays. I will now do this at each mast in turn before adding its backstays, for access reasons.

 

It came to bother me that the wheelhouse windows were empty cavities whereas all the skylight ports are painted a sky blue, so I managed to pry off the wheelhouse roof. Plan is to paint some styrene sheet sky blue and glue on inside the walls then reapply roof. Sadly my sky blue paint has dried up so off to the hobby shop, sometime........you can see some sheets lying to port of the wheelhouse with blobs of what I thought was the correct paint but it was too green.

 

 

 

 

 

And to think I am worried about rigging the Cutty Sarl in 1/96.  I love to look at your pictures of your work.

On 5/16/2022 at 5:02 AM, Kevin-the-lubber said:

Looking good. Music wire is a good idea - it occurs to me that the thinner wound guitar strings might pass for served cables if blackened.

I've changed my mind about the music wire. It does not look as good as chain.  I drilled a hole in the bumkins after they broke off when removing the wire. I drilled a hole in the piece left in the hull also and superglued a piece of the music wire in the bumkin and hull.  Now they are mounted well and I added chain.  The rear bumkin chain needs to be added after the stern decorations.

5 mm jack stay pins.

1 hour ago, Ian_Grant said:

Hey, I was born in Paisley!  Parents emigrated when I was four. My brothers and I went to see our old address when we went backpacking years ago.

We are planning a visit maybe next year.   Hopefully covid is gone for good then.

I got my bullseyes in the mail today from model expo.  Now I will have to begin to rig the bow sprit and jib boom.

On 5/20/2022 at 1:11 PM, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

  The Surprise (guess that name will be permanent, with the popularity of the film ... too bad they did not make the sequel) was originally the HMS Rose - famous in Colonial Rhode Island history.  It was independently build (by contract) by a good friend of mine, John Fitzhugh Millar (now of Williamsburg, Virginia) back in the early 70's.  This was around the time the repro. of the sloop Providence was built in preparation for the Bicentennial.  John explained how expensive maintaining and sailing a ship the size of the Rose (now Surprise) can be, and although leased for a couple films (one of which was Man Without a Country), sold and repossessed twice - he was lucky to about break even when a sale finally went through.

 

  John did come away with a real treasure - for he met his future wife Cathy while conducting sea shanty sessions aboard the Rose, and the couple run a B&B in Williamsburg to this day, where the inestimable JF Millar has written a number of books on colonial history, architecture and art (13 Colonies Press).  

I know it was the HMS Rose.  I visit it often in San Diego.  The bell still says ROSE on it.  The San Diego Maritime Museum calls it the Surprise. It was closed for a while until the new deck was finished.  I wouldn't need the model to be called  Surprise.   I like that era and size of man-o-war over the ships of the line and large frigates.  There isn't a plastic model of one.  Lord Thomas Cochrane was the real Master and Commander. He might be my relative.  My ancestors came from just west of Paisley, Scotland.  Our motto is "Success Trough Endeavor".  That is what I need to complete my Cutty Sark.

I'm making eyelets for the chain slings on the lower masts and yards.   I will have one eyelet for the mast and one for the yard. I will then connect them with a piece of chain, then fix them to the yard and mast.

5 hours ago, Ian_Grant said:

All the guys I see at my local model shops are older. By and large the new generation just isn't interested, or has no exposure to dad at home making things. Nor do they get shop classes at school any more, at least here in Canada. Around 1970 or so, we were brazing with oxy-acetylene torches in grade 7 or 8 shop class. Today, nada; liability you know.........

 

The world has moved on. My dad's trade of tool and die maker now features CAD'ed CNC-everything, not the experienced tradesman cutting from a drawing in such a way that the gear backlash effect is minimized. And you're now considered a cabinetmaker if you can lift melamine panels off the router table and run the edger machine to tape the exposed edges.

 

There are maybe six people in Ottawa who make sailing ship models; I don't know any firsthand. I doubt manufacturers could recoup their tooling investment if they made a new ship model. It's sad, but 3D printing is on its way to help those interested. Soon we will make our own kits with software. Just the same route blazed in so many other areas.

 

 

I think the tooling for the Cutty Sark was made by hand.