Sailcat

Continuing on with the footropes.








 
After having done all that I realized that I'd mad the stirrups a bit too long, so I went back and started shortening them just a bit.

 
A view of the 3 gauges of black nylon I was working with.

Kevin - Thank you for your kind words 
 
Attaching the 'lashings' for the boats.


 
Beginning the process of the footropes for the Yards.  There's a short video tutorial on how to do this which I referenced - someone on MSW probably knows what I speak of.  The blue stuff is insulation foam sheet.

At this point I realized I could not put off the preparations for rigging any longer.  Here's a view of the before and after dyeing process.

 
The drying rack set up - I also cats cradled the living room for really long lengths.

 
For the dyeing I used acrylic gouache and watercolour pigments - they took well on nylon.  You can see how dark I made the dyeing fluid for this.



 
The nylon cord for the standing rigging came wound on cards so I re-wound them to get out the kinks.

 
From a lavender cord to something more like hemp rope.

 
Storage area and workshop table view ... trying to keep it as organized as possible under the circumstances.

A view of the 'workshop table' and the disarray.

 
The dolphin striker/martingale in place.

 
Cathead whiskers affixed.

 
The two different gauges of chain that came with the kit.

 
And now begins the first steps of rigging - attaching the fore 'bulls eyes' for the stays.


 
Removal of a fife rail in order to access the ringbolts for the stays.

 
Attaching the 'bulls eyes' for the bowpsrit stays.


 
Cleaned up and detailed spider bands.

Yet despite the progress there is much left to do ...

 
The bowsprit in process.

 
Using thread for the railings - easier than brass wire as the 'posts' are plastic.  




 
The deadeyes modifed with the cheat I utilized.


 
The various lines that came with the kit.

 
The fore rails with thread lines attached (and these are still waiting to be affixed to the hull).

*edit* Figuerres - thank you for your kind words 
 
A view of the ballasting.  Though I've been told it isn't necessary, I felt more comfortable with the additional weight.  I used scrap hunks of thick steel rod, made 'grab rings' using 2 part epoxy putty and then secured them using 2 part slow cure epoxy.  It might be a bit much I admit ...

 
After the first 'overall' washes to 'stain' the copper I went back and started detail washes on portions of the plates themselves to give it that 'multiple repair/different alloy' look.


 
Finally I get around to affixing the deck to the hull.

Onto the lower mast caps - detailing and modifying to be more 'realistic.'




 
The little deadeyes for the crosstrees - instead of trying to be truly authentic I cheated on these.

 
Here's a look at the cheat method - similar to how I cheated on the larger deadeyes.

 
The little posts in place.


 
After some discussion and study I chose to 'weather' the copper as if it has been in water and not in air, thus the oxidation is black and not green patina.

Last one for the evening.  I'm still just getting these posted when I have a few minutes here and there.  Soon I will be able to spend some more time and 'groom' the previous posts as well - as I'm doing this my recall of the process has been increasing.
 
A little ball to cap the mast.  It was 'hand lathed' on the end of a rod, again very monotonous but patience is it's own reward ... unless you get something that you'd hoped for as well.


 
Mizzen Yards. A work in progress.

 
Fore Yards. 

 
Main Yards.

*edit* I apologize for any missed posts as I often forget to check back to see if anyone's posted while I've been doing the same.  And thanks, Popeye 
 
The Main mast suffered the most damage and required fabrication of the Topmast as well as the Topgallant and Royal (and at this point the keen observer will not that I have committed and error which I will not realize for a while).

 
So to begin with the Topmast I wanted to replicate the kit part and this required squaring off the top portion - to do this evenly I utilized brass calipers and 'planed' shavings off.  I alternated with 90 degree turns to insure squareness and, yes, it drove me nuts but I stuck with it.


 
Here's the start of the Topgallant and Royal mast.

 
For sizing I was fortunate in that the Cutty's Fore and Main masts shared very much the same dimensions.

 
Fabricating cheeks.



 
Test fitting.

 
At this point I felt a renewed moral imperative ... yeah, that's it ...

An assortment of plastic rods.

 
Another Royal/Topgallant mast in process.

 
Trying to 'reinforce' a break line.


 
Replacement of a broken portion.


 
Further progress on the Royal/Topgallant mast.

 
Test fit of the parts.


 
Just out of curiosity ...

The look of the updated canvas hatch cover, previous post showed the midships, this is the fore.

 
Time for colour.  Following the multi-coat technique to achieve 'that look.'



 
Starting in on making the 'canvas' look more like that.

 
Since I has a 'spare' canvas hatch cover I used that for initial paint tests - you can see it to the upper left of the boats.



 
Subtle changes that are hardly noticable but they're worth the effort.

The ladders painted to look more like well worn wood.

 
Further detailing and paint effects added.


 
Though I didn't use it too much this home made keel clamp jig came in handy.  The vise is a Dremel product, a touch expensive but very versatile.


 
To prevent damaging the surface of the hull I used adhesive backed rubber - strips I cut off the remnants of this 'rubber pad' sheet.

 
The clamp in action.

 
These photos made me chuckle as I recalled the discussion around this colour - I think it was a Titanium base.  Anyway, once all was said and done I was convinced that I should stick with white 

Now onto the cabins.  The first thing which caught my eye was the ladders affixed to the sides to access the boats which are stowed atop them.  As is the issue with many plastic kit parts these were out of scale so I decided to do something about it.

 
The thinning process was simple scraping with an X-Acto #11 - endless, repetitive scraping ...

 
Adding little 'tabs' to insure the ladders 'sat' properly against the cabin walls.


 
The little stairs that lead from deck to quarterdeck.  On the left is the original and the right has been 'scraped' to reduce it's silhouette.

 
Painting the ladders and stairs.


 
Detailing the cabin features.


 
The aft stairs and the ones that led from deck to foc'sle.

The kit blocks ... yeah I ordered a bunch of wood ones from Model Shipways, lol.

 
Detailing the Hull begins.  Historical note: the original Cutty Sark would not have had gold trim - something I learned from a link provided by, who else, an MSW member.  But as the Dame Tisane had different 'owners' she could wear gold.





 
And the tough part - dealing with the decals.  I'd chosen the path of re-imagining her as a different ship and so the kit decals had to go.  But I liked them a lot and kept them on for as long as I could.  I had thought of 'making' decals at this point but I hadn't started playing around.  Needless to say, what I came up with was simple and clean ... but having that wonderful scrollwork would have been cool.  Maybe on the next build ...

Here begins the repair/fabrication of the Catheads and their Whiskers.  The original kit parts had the whiskers moulded with the catheads.  These had been carried away, actually I was missing the front half of one of the catheads, so out came the newly acquired silver soldering skills and I took the opportunity to try and adjust the detailing.  This led to adding even more details once other members commented, lol.
 
The catheads.  The eyebolt (and corresponding kit original) disappear at some point.

 
Then they were prepped for the whiskers - holes drilled, path cleared, that sort of thing.




 
 
Now it's time to affix the 'tines.'


 
Test fit looks promising.

 
Ringbolts disappear.

 
And after some posts on the topic I added sheaves ... or at least I faked them  

Continuing the saga of little tiny handles for little tiny Buckets ...





 
A comparison of the wire I chose first then the thinner one I wound up using.

 
Painting the Buckets.

More painting and detailing - now we're at the 'staining from use' portion.



 
The Coop final.

 
The Wheel 'almost' final.

 
Cabin Skylight 'almost' final.

 
Wheelbox final and with Wheel.


 
The Dame 'almost' final. Painting her pupils was something I didn't think I'd be able to do.

Thanks for the kind words and I'm still having a 'geek-gasm' over how quickly the old reflexes and data set have dropped back into their places.  
 
I believe I mentioned before that this new arrangement makes 'on deck' rigging a lot easier in terms of angles, approach and access ... enough so that I can now proclaim, "The Fore And Aft Running Rigging Is Complete!!" (cue marching band, cheerleaders and confetti, lol)
 
But as with many things in life the completion of one stage leads to yet another, with the accompanying questions and pleas for advice - but that comes after the pictures
 
First of is the best shot I could get of the halliards and downhauls for the Fore Topmast Staysail and the Flying, Inner and Outer Jib sails.  The set isn't as 'perfect' as I would like but the geometry here has been determined by the size of the blocks I used, which were too large for scale.  I did manage to set them with almost no tension so the standing rigging still looks taut - that took some finicky finessing let me tell you, lol.
 

 
Here's where I admit that in my enthusiasm for progress I neglected to take as many photos as I usually do, but I did remember to take a few.  This one's of halliard tie off's with rope coils emplaced.  The rope coils I made for these were a bit smaller then the average as with the no-sails set up most of the halliard is run through almost to the bowsprit.
 

 
And finally the downhauls tied off and with thicker rope coils to reflect that there would be more line stowed here under these circumstances.  Somehow I don't think I put enough coiled line here to properly reflect the 'real' situation, but that can be corrected easily enough - these coils are easy to get at unlike many of the others behind the deadeyes and such.
 

 
With a great sigh of relief I can now let go of the anxiety of leaving the fore and aft rigging for so long.  This leaves one major final stage rigging adventure and that is the Braces and this is the final stage for me because I am not rigging for the stuns'ls.  But before that can happen there must first be an accounting of all the little details which I have left incomplete for various reasons.  One of these details is the placement of the bumkins which can now be fixed in place - I left them off until now on the advice of many who told me not to put them in place until I had to, sound advice which I'm glad I took.
 
As well are certain finishing touches which bring with them a foreshadowing of the completion.  Finally setting and tying off the boat davits will be accomplished soon and I'm planning to simply make more on my rope coils and attach them as seems appropriate - Question Number One; Is this correct or is there a different way that these lines are coiled?
 
The anchors which I scratchbuilt so long ago can now be linked to their chains and stowed, which leads to - Question Number Two; can anyone give me a link or photo which shows how this is done?  I know the basics but it's been so long since I thought about it that I do no want to depend on my flawed recall.
 
Life rings will be attached as well, I had considered omitting them but they add a nice touch to the look.  I never did attempt to print out the ships name small enough to label the life rings ... and I doubt I will at this point, lol.
 
Holy wow ... it feels weird to be talking about the completion after all this time ...

Thanks again for the kind words and support, everyone. It certainly helps ease the struggle of trying to remember, recall and reinvigorate while trying to get the old brain to play along, lol.
 
Something that occurred to me during this return process is that though I've been away from the build for months at a time, in the olden days of wind sail that span would be considered a medium duration at best.  Sometimes ships and crews wouldn't return for years and along with the uncertainty of if they would return at all family and friends would simply hope for the best, and this was the normal shape of things.  These kinds of thoughts kept my chin up during the hiatus, not knowing if I'd ever be able to return to the shipyard  is a downer to say the least.  And with that preamble out of the way ...
 
SHE'S BACK!
 

 

 
What is mercifully not easy to see in these photos is the accumulated fine dust and thin cobwebs - you can see the little brush I was using for cleaning up process.  That plus a modified 'foot' pump were enough to deal with the evidence of time sitting.  And the next pic is after the meticulous go-over was completed.
 

 
When last I left off the Vangs, Boom Sheets and Signal ensign had been attached, awaiting finishing touches.  Months later the loose ends have been clipped and rope coils have been placed for the boom sheets.
 

 

 
The Main Topmast Staysail halliard had been tied off but the downhaul was hanging loose.  Finally got around to tying that off.
 

 
Here the ends of the signal ensign and the starboard vang have been clipped and rope coils placed ... hard to see but this is the best my camera can do.
 

 
One of the things I discovered immediately upon the return to the threadwork was that it was easier for me to accomplish the tying off to the on-deck portions.  With that, and bolstered by enthusiasm and frantic energy, I set up, ran through and tied off the halliards and downhauls for the main topgallant and royal staysails.  Here are the halliards tied off at the spider band and rope coils in place.  It might look inaccurate because it is, yet another instance of doing the best I can with a kit rebuild.
 

 
Finally the downhauls tied off and rope coils in place, again hard to make out clearly and I probably could have left some details, like the rope coils, out and it wouldn't have been noticeable ... but I felt compelled.  That let's me know that I'm finding the groove once more
 

Thanks again for the kind words and support, everyone. It certainly helps ease the struggle of trying to remember, recall and reinvigorate while trying to get the old brain to play along, lol.
 
Something that occurred to me during this return process is that though I've been away from the build for months at a time, in the olden days of wind sail that span would be considered a medium duration at best.  Sometimes ships and crews wouldn't return for years and along with the uncertainty of if they would return at all family and friends would simply hope for the best, and this was the normal shape of things.  These kinds of thoughts kept my chin up during the hiatus, not knowing if I'd ever be able to return to the shipyard  is a downer to say the least.  And with that preamble out of the way ...
 
SHE'S BACK!
 

 

 
What is mercifully not easy to see in these photos is the accumulated fine dust and thin cobwebs - you can see the little brush I was using for cleaning up process.  That plus a modified 'foot' pump were enough to deal with the evidence of time sitting.  And the next pic is after the meticulous go-over was completed.
 

 
When last I left off the Vangs, Boom Sheets and Signal ensign had been attached, awaiting finishing touches.  Months later the loose ends have been clipped and rope coils have been placed for the boom sheets.
 

 

 
The Main Topmast Staysail halliard had been tied off but the downhaul was hanging loose.  Finally got around to tying that off.
 

 
Here the ends of the signal ensign and the starboard vang have been clipped and rope coils placed ... hard to see but this is the best my camera can do.
 

 
One of the things I discovered immediately upon the return to the threadwork was that it was easier for me to accomplish the tying off to the on-deck portions.  With that, and bolstered by enthusiasm and frantic energy, I set up, ran through and tied off the halliards and downhauls for the main topgallant and royal staysails.  Here are the halliards tied off at the spider band and rope coils in place.  It might look inaccurate because it is, yet another instance of doing the best I can with a kit rebuild.
 

 
Finally the downhauls tied off and rope coils in place, again hard to make out clearly and I probably could have left some details, like the rope coils, out and it wouldn't have been noticeable ... but I felt compelled.  That let's me know that I'm finding the groove once more
 

Thanks again for the kind words and support, everyone. It certainly helps ease the struggle of trying to remember, recall and reinvigorate while trying to get the old brain to play along, lol.
 
Something that occurred to me during this return process is that though I've been away from the build for months at a time, in the olden days of wind sail that span would be considered a medium duration at best.  Sometimes ships and crews wouldn't return for years and along with the uncertainty of if they would return at all family and friends would simply hope for the best, and this was the normal shape of things.  These kinds of thoughts kept my chin up during the hiatus, not knowing if I'd ever be able to return to the shipyard  is a downer to say the least.  And with that preamble out of the way ...
 
SHE'S BACK!
 

 

 
What is mercifully not easy to see in these photos is the accumulated fine dust and thin cobwebs - you can see the little brush I was using for cleaning up process.  That plus a modified 'foot' pump were enough to deal with the evidence of time sitting.  And the next pic is after the meticulous go-over was completed.
 

 
When last I left off the Vangs, Boom Sheets and Signal ensign had been attached, awaiting finishing touches.  Months later the loose ends have been clipped and rope coils have been placed for the boom sheets.
 

 

 
The Main Topmast Staysail halliard had been tied off but the downhaul was hanging loose.  Finally got around to tying that off.
 

 
Here the ends of the signal ensign and the starboard vang have been clipped and rope coils placed ... hard to see but this is the best my camera can do.
 

 
One of the things I discovered immediately upon the return to the threadwork was that it was easier for me to accomplish the tying off to the on-deck portions.  With that, and bolstered by enthusiasm and frantic energy, I set up, ran through and tied off the halliards and downhauls for the main topgallant and royal staysails.  Here are the halliards tied off at the spider band and rope coils in place.  It might look inaccurate because it is, yet another instance of doing the best I can with a kit rebuild.
 

 
Finally the downhauls tied off and rope coils in place, again hard to make out clearly and I probably could have left some details, like the rope coils, out and it wouldn't have been noticeable ... but I felt compelled.  That let's me know that I'm finding the groove once more
 

Thanks again for the kind words and support, everyone. It certainly helps ease the struggle of trying to remember, recall and reinvigorate while trying to get the old brain to play along, lol.
 
Something that occurred to me during this return process is that though I've been away from the build for months at a time, in the olden days of wind sail that span would be considered a medium duration at best.  Sometimes ships and crews wouldn't return for years and along with the uncertainty of if they would return at all family and friends would simply hope for the best, and this was the normal shape of things.  These kinds of thoughts kept my chin up during the hiatus, not knowing if I'd ever be able to return to the shipyard  is a downer to say the least.  And with that preamble out of the way ...
 
SHE'S BACK!
 

 

 
What is mercifully not easy to see in these photos is the accumulated fine dust and thin cobwebs - you can see the little brush I was using for cleaning up process.  That plus a modified 'foot' pump were enough to deal with the evidence of time sitting.  And the next pic is after the meticulous go-over was completed.
 

 
When last I left off the Vangs, Boom Sheets and Signal ensign had been attached, awaiting finishing touches.  Months later the loose ends have been clipped and rope coils have been placed for the boom sheets.
 

 

 
The Main Topmast Staysail halliard had been tied off but the downhaul was hanging loose.  Finally got around to tying that off.
 

 
Here the ends of the signal ensign and the starboard vang have been clipped and rope coils placed ... hard to see but this is the best my camera can do.
 

 
One of the things I discovered immediately upon the return to the threadwork was that it was easier for me to accomplish the tying off to the on-deck portions.  With that, and bolstered by enthusiasm and frantic energy, I set up, ran through and tied off the halliards and downhauls for the main topgallant and royal staysails.  Here are the halliards tied off at the spider band and rope coils in place.  It might look inaccurate because it is, yet another instance of doing the best I can with a kit rebuild.
 

 
Finally the downhauls tied off and rope coils in place, again hard to make out clearly and I probably could have left some details, like the rope coils, out and it wouldn't have been noticeable ... but I felt compelled.  That let's me know that I'm finding the groove once more
 

I just realized that I neglected to thank everyone for their kind messages and good wishes - so an extra big Thank You to everyone for your support.
 
When last we left I had completed the raised work area - this opens the door to the next bit of fun which is the rest of the big re-think of the workspace.  The first bit of business was to move a shelf and re-purpose it.  This was done at the Admiral's insistence, she didn't want the shelf where it was anymore so this worked for both of us.
 

 
The shelves were open slat design so I laid some shelf liner to protect the wood and to close the gaps.
 

 
Next up came the installation of wall shelves but in a new position from their previous layout.
 

 
Then the installation of a small stuff shelf to the right of the work area, similar to the one I had before but a little prettier.  This is for stuff like glues, thinners and other regular use small items.
 

 
Then began the process of unpacking and arranging and re-arranging.  Plus assessing what I have, where it is and trying to recall th einventory and so forth.
 

 
And of course the lighting.  I'm using a couple of the old lamps plus an even older lamp which I had stored away for some future purpose.  The where of placement will likely evolve as well but the set up as it is seems to work pretty well.
 

 
 
And here we come to another stop.  Along with the re-think of the set up is also a re-think of how I store and array my working tools and supplies.  I realized that I was utilizing old patterns from my previous set up working off the couch in my living room.  Given that I am now in a truly different situation it's time for me to change things up, from where and how I store my brushes and paints all the way to the placement of the waste bin.  
 
One of the ways in which I took the new set up for a test drive was to disassemble, repair and reassemble a little 3 tier wooden jewelry box I had once used for paint storage and is now returned to that task.  As well I am in the process of fabricating a new brush holder and figuring out where I stored all the little bits and pieces of repurposed stuff, not just rigs and jigs but basics like my toothpick container and the 2 part epoxy, lol.
 
So things are going well.  Once I have a bit more of the basics nailed down I hope to move the Dame back to her berth and then begins the process of figuring out not only where I was in the rigging but What It All Means once more ... after this much time away from it all my brain can process looking at the Dame is, "Holy cow, lookit all them threads ...."

I just realized that I neglected to thank everyone for their kind messages and good wishes - so an extra big Thank You to everyone for your support.
 
When last we left I had completed the raised work area - this opens the door to the next bit of fun which is the rest of the big re-think of the workspace.  The first bit of business was to move a shelf and re-purpose it.  This was done at the Admiral's insistence, she didn't want the shelf where it was anymore so this worked for both of us.
 

 
The shelves were open slat design so I laid some shelf liner to protect the wood and to close the gaps.
 

 
Next up came the installation of wall shelves but in a new position from their previous layout.
 

 
Then the installation of a small stuff shelf to the right of the work area, similar to the one I had before but a little prettier.  This is for stuff like glues, thinners and other regular use small items.
 

 
Then began the process of unpacking and arranging and re-arranging.  Plus assessing what I have, where it is and trying to recall th einventory and so forth.
 

 
And of course the lighting.  I'm using a couple of the old lamps plus an even older lamp which I had stored away for some future purpose.  The where of placement will likely evolve as well but the set up as it is seems to work pretty well.
 

 
 
And here we come to another stop.  Along with the re-think of the set up is also a re-think of how I store and array my working tools and supplies.  I realized that I was utilizing old patterns from my previous set up working off the couch in my living room.  Given that I am now in a truly different situation it's time for me to change things up, from where and how I store my brushes and paints all the way to the placement of the waste bin.  
 
One of the ways in which I took the new set up for a test drive was to disassemble, repair and reassemble a little 3 tier wooden jewelry box I had once used for paint storage and is now returned to that task.  As well I am in the process of fabricating a new brush holder and figuring out where I stored all the little bits and pieces of repurposed stuff, not just rigs and jigs but basics like my toothpick container and the 2 part epoxy, lol.
 
So things are going well.  Once I have a bit more of the basics nailed down I hope to move the Dame back to her berth and then begins the process of figuring out not only where I was in the rigging but What It All Means once more ... after this much time away from it all my brain can process looking at the Dame is, "Holy cow, lookit all them threads ...."

I just realized that I neglected to thank everyone for their kind messages and good wishes - so an extra big Thank You to everyone for your support.
 
When last we left I had completed the raised work area - this opens the door to the next bit of fun which is the rest of the big re-think of the workspace.  The first bit of business was to move a shelf and re-purpose it.  This was done at the Admiral's insistence, she didn't want the shelf where it was anymore so this worked for both of us.
 

 
The shelves were open slat design so I laid some shelf liner to protect the wood and to close the gaps.
 

 
Next up came the installation of wall shelves but in a new position from their previous layout.
 

 
Then the installation of a small stuff shelf to the right of the work area, similar to the one I had before but a little prettier.  This is for stuff like glues, thinners and other regular use small items.
 

 
Then began the process of unpacking and arranging and re-arranging.  Plus assessing what I have, where it is and trying to recall th einventory and so forth.
 

 
And of course the lighting.  I'm using a couple of the old lamps plus an even older lamp which I had stored away for some future purpose.  The where of placement will likely evolve as well but the set up as it is seems to work pretty well.
 

 
 
And here we come to another stop.  Along with the re-think of the set up is also a re-think of how I store and array my working tools and supplies.  I realized that I was utilizing old patterns from my previous set up working off the couch in my living room.  Given that I am now in a truly different situation it's time for me to change things up, from where and how I store my brushes and paints all the way to the placement of the waste bin.  
 
One of the ways in which I took the new set up for a test drive was to disassemble, repair and reassemble a little 3 tier wooden jewelry box I had once used for paint storage and is now returned to that task.  As well I am in the process of fabricating a new brush holder and figuring out where I stored all the little bits and pieces of repurposed stuff, not just rigs and jigs but basics like my toothpick container and the 2 part epoxy, lol.
 
So things are going well.  Once I have a bit more of the basics nailed down I hope to move the Dame back to her berth and then begins the process of figuring out not only where I was in the rigging but What It All Means once more ... after this much time away from it all my brain can process looking at the Dame is, "Holy cow, lookit all them threads ...."