CUTTY SARK by keelhauled - Mantua - kit bashed - First wooden ship build

[keelhauled]

Thanks for the advice Nenad.  I'll make sure that I'm at full concentration.  Some coffee, but not too much coffee!  Don't want nervous hands!

 

Good point Lou!  Although Maybe the model can live without so much drama.  Especially in the area of the bowsprit and figurehead area

 

I still have quite a ways to go before rigging!  Still plenty of blocks to tie to yards!   Still have to make the sails and bend them to the arms.  Soo much work.  Good thing that I find this enjoyable!

[johnroy]

I just bought a sergal cutty sark kit that has been sitting in a garage for 10 or 15 years. All the parts seem to be there. The bulkheads are laser cut and match the drawings as do the keel. The metal parts are on 5X12 & 4X12 sheets of copper I think and are painted in blue heavy paint but are not cut out. Is there a good way to cut these parts out of the sheet? This is my first time at a model of this size, and I am doing my home work before I start construction. I am so impressed by your work it looks great. Any help will be greatly appreciated

 

John

[NenadM]

I just bought a sergal cutty sark kit ...

 

 

O-ho-ho !!!

 

Wellcome John. One more member of CS fleet

 

You have a lot of time and work untill you reach to metal works, to get help.

 

Hardly waiting for your log

 

Nenad

Edited April 2, 2014 by Nenad M

[keelhauled]

Hi John,

 

Welcome.

 

to answer your questions:

I would recommend cutting your bulkheads out using a coping saw.  Use a block but with a "v" for the saw to move around under the plywood it to help support it as you cut.  Take your time.  If you break it you can always transfer the lines from the plans to a new sheet of plywood and try it again.

 

The copper sheets.  The blue you see is called the resist.  Here was how it was made.  A photo-sensitive coating was applied to the surface of the copper.  when light hits that resist it hardens into a polymer and turns blue.  So a photographic negative is placed over the unexposed resist coating.  A bright light is directed at the negative, passes through the clear parts and into the resist.  The resist develops after a few minutes and becomes fixed (the polymer harden).  The copper sheet is then washed with water, which removes the unexposed resist and the hardened exposed resist remains - now blue.  Acid is then placed onto the surface, the resist protects the copper, while the exposed areas are eaten away by the acid. Once the desired depth is etched the copper plate is washed with water. The result is what you have in your kit.

 

Here is what you get to do:  remove the parts using metal shears.  straighten out the parts (wooden roller pin works well).  file the edges.  Paint the entire part black.  Put very fine sand paper onto a wooden block and sand the top surface (which is blue underneath).  The paint will be removed from the surface relief and will be shiny copper on a black background.

 

Good luck.  If you need any help just ask me, Nenad, and Bob

 

Marc

[keelhauled]

I finished putting blocks on the Main mast.  I'll post photos this weekend!

[johnroy]

Thanks for the welcome aboard. I will try cutting out the parts as you say but I will get a new set of clippers first. Needed a reason to go Lowes. Looking forward to your posts

 

john

[johnroy]

The plans I have are in Italian dated 3-Feb.1976 kinda hard to decipher I'm using google. Are there any plans in English available?

 

John

[keelhauled]

Hi John. 

 

My plans only have English (along with French, Portuguese, German, Italian, etc). in the legends.  Everything else is just numbers.  I do have instructions (2-3 pages) that are in English.  They are about useless, but if you'd like to have them I'm happy to scan and send them to you.

 

What I would suggest is looking at the info on this sight.  There are great tutorials on here.  Chuck has amazing pointers.  Also Hubert Sicard is a great teacher and has a great sight at  www.shipmodeling.ca.  We'll worth the membership. 

 

I'll help you any way that I can.  Have patience with me.  I'm only able to check the site once a week, typically. 

 

Just  one word of caution.  Take your time with aligning the bulwarks and the keel.  If it isn't right, you can't go back and fix it later.  Everything else you can rip back off and do it again until it's correct. You can even correct the edge of a bulkhead, but not it's alignment.   Laying the bulwarks and keel is one shot.  Check it over and over again,  Then go away and come back check it again and then glue.  Don't rush the 1st step.  I only glued one bulkhead a day.  Made sure that it was dead on. Might be overboard, probably is.  But since you'll spend years building this, a few weeks isn't so long to the backbone straight.

 

Marc

[johnroy]

Marc

Thanks for the help. I keep dry fitting the parts and am reluctant to glue, but now I will use your method to put them in place. This kit has been around for some time 10-15 years or more. The bulkheads and keel are both slotted, not much adjustment there. The main thing to level I guess is the bulkheads fore & aft so the decks will be level. Hope this makes sense. I will go on the shipmodeling site and purchase the Amati vise and get the Campbell plans.

 

You have been very helpful and I really enjoy your site you do such beautiful work its a treat to look at and get an idea what its supposed to look like

 

John

[johnroy]

I'm having a problem getting started. I have got the bulkheads and keel assembled and the main deck attached but have not started the planking. Does not appear to be enough 2x3 walnut planking do you plank the whole deck under the cabins? I have been online trying to buy the Campbell plans any idea where I might buy them? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

johnroy  

[NenadM]

Johnroy

 

You can order plans here

 

 

Historic Photographs and Ship Plans

Section

National Maritime Museum

Greenwich

London SE10 9NF

E-mail: plansandphotos@rmg.co.uk

[keelhauled]

Johnroy,

 

The easiest way to plank the deck is to run the planking continuously under the deck houses.  I didn't do this because I wanted the 45 degree miters that were on the deck around the deck houses when I photographed the Cutty back in 1991.  You can buy extra planking from various suppliers including Model Expo.  There are several good suppliers listed on this site under that section.

 

Good luck!

Marc

[johnroy]

Thanks Nenad and Marc

I ordered the walnut and contacted plansandphotos waiting for there reply. I sure appreciate your help

 

johnroy

[NenadM]

Marc, what's up with you and your byilding?

[keelhauled]

Hi Nenad!!!

 

I feel off the face of the earth, or so it seems to everyone that I know.

 

Back in March I changed jobs.  The new job has involved a great deal of travel.  Since May I've been on traveling almost continuously (all over the US and overseas) with only being home one day a weekend (if I'm home during the weekend).  Since I'm out of the office so much I've been working late the one week a month that I'm home. So all my Saturdays have been doing all of the work around the house that should have been done during the week and packing for the next trip.  I also seem to be too tired to build if I do find a moment.  I think that my body is trying to stabilize from the different in time zones.

 

However, great news is that my travel should decrease after next week.  The job was supposed to have some travel, but not like it has been.  So, I'm hoping to get into the shop next weekend for the first time since May or June!!

 

I can't wait to read through your posts since last May!  You're probably done at the rate you build!

 

Look forward to getting to see your build on a regular basis.

 

Take care,

Marc

[NenadM]

Hurry Marc, She is cryin` without you

And we are impatiente for your new posts !!!

[keelhauled]

Finally back in the shop tonight!!

Working on making stirrups and foot ropes for the yards.  Two yards done.  I'll post them this weekend.

Marc

[NenadM]

Pictures, please !!!

[keelhauled]

Nenad,

 

Here are some photos .

 

I mounted the pump onto the WC

 

 

 I also tried creating a crew member.  He didn't come out as nice as I would hope, but it's a start.

 

 

Before I started traveling I was working on getting the blocks onto the masts.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

What a pain!  The tiny mizzen blocks at  1mm tried my patience. 

 

 

I'll get the camera out and shoot the foot ropes on the yards.

 

Also  before all the traveling I made casks before putting my hobby lathe away to make more room to work

 

Thanks

Marc

 

Edited October 27, 2014 by keelhauled

[keelhauled]

One more photo..

 

I decided to add the removable bulwark on each side for the ladder access.  Pulled out the very fine saw and went to work on the bulwark and then reinstalled.

 

 

You can also see where I had to plug the rail from incorrectly locating the davit.  I'll have to re-drill the holes.  Such is life.  One step forward.. two back

 

[rfolsom]

Marc;

 

Nenad may be more "vocal" than myself, but I can tell you I'm just as thrilled to see your new photos!

 

Wonderful work!

 

~Bob

[popeye the sailor]

I'm glad as well to see the third member of the 'Cutty Crew' back at it   she looks great.  hope to see more progress soon!

[keelhauled]

Thanks Popeye and Bob!

 

I've been working on the main fife rails.  I turned the legs, carved the tops, and drilled and carved the seave pullies.  I need to finish staining the lower part of the curved legs

 

 

I also worked on the mizzen fife rails.  These just had to be turned.  I'm doing all of the shapes by hand and eye.  I need to learn how to make a form to ensure that they are all exactly alike.

 

 

 

This was the hobby lathe attachment for a micro mark rotary tool.  It's not too bad.  I had to make a longer bed for it to do the masts.

 

Bob and Nenad,

I'm sorry that I missed your rudder builds.  So I felt that I needed to include photos of mine.  Nenad, I feel embarrassed that i forgot the gasket.  The sea is going to poor into my stern 

 

 

Edited October 28, 2014 by keelhauled

[keelhauled]

As promised photos of the foot ropes and stirrups.

 

Here are photos of the main course and lower top sail yards

 

Main course

 

main lower top yard

 

 

I glued the stirrups with Elmer's white glue and attached weights to the stirrup loops so that they hung correctly.

I waxed and glued the foot ropes.  The wax did a good job helping the ropes to hang correctly. I then applied Elmer's white glue to where the ropes met the stirrups to lock the ropes into place with the stirrups.  I used Elmer's white glue on all of my blocks as well.  It holds them all well while allowing the lines to be still soft and pliable, unlike the CA / superglue that makes the lines stiff and changes the color.

Edited October 28, 2014 by keelhauled

[coffeebeans]

Your masts and yards are amazing! Are you planning on displaying sails unfurled or tied up? Im still undecided on my cutter build

 

Luca

[keelhauled]

Thanks Luca!

 

I'm planning on setting about half of her sails and no stunsuls.  I previously rigged my Constitution with all of the sails set (including stunsuls) and it ended up being too many lines and sails covered up most of the yard and mast work.  I think that having her only set with the lower top sails, fore course, lower stay sails, and most of the rest furled will give her a nice shape while not hiding all of the beauty of the rigging and masts.

 

Thanks

Marc

[Jean-Pierre]

This is an excellent build.  Congratulations on your job.

 

A little suggestion: the ship wheel that is shown on a picture above: did it come with the kit?  Looks quite rough, and would certainly deserve replacement, considering the overall quality of your model.

 

Keep on the good job, and thanks for sharing it.

 

JP

[keelhauled]

Hi JP,

 

Thanks for the comments.  the wheel did come with the kit.  Not too happy with it.  Not sure what I'll end up doing with replacing it.  I'm open to suggestions.  If anyone has tutorials on building a wheel let me know.  I couldn't find one on the site.  I'm sure it is here in a build somewhere.

 

Thanks

Marc

Edited October 31, 2014 by keelhauled

[NenadM]

http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/furniture/ShipsWheel.pdf

 

Here is turorial you asked for

[keelhauled]

Thanks Nenad!!