Cutty Sark by bcochran - Revell - 1/96 - PLASTIC

[bcochran]

I need to put my ship building on hold for a while.  I have some jobs to get done around the house.  I will be back soon.

[wemattson]

Bummer, this build has been fun to follow.  Looking forward to your return.  Good luck with your projects.

[bcochran]

Today I learned that I will have back surgery on the 20th of this month.  I will be more, or less, chair bound for a long while.  I hope to use that time to rig my ship.  So I will return for sure.

[Ian_Grant]

Bruce, sorry to hear that. Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery!

[bcochran]

I finally completed the molding around the base of the deck houses.  I have been putting it off.  That completes the building of the main body of the ship except for the navigation lights.  I am waiting to rig the deadeyes near where they go to mount them.

 

I have been studying the rigging.  I want to detail the masts off the ship, which is what I am currently working on. In doing that, I want to replace the plastic "eyes" on the tops with metal eyelets, but I am not sure where to put them.  I need to understand the rigging that attaches to them before I can understand where they should be placed.   I don't think duplicating Revell's placement is accurate enough.

 

 

Edited July 3, 2022 by bcochran

[bcochran]

20 hours ago, Ian_Grant said:

Bruce, sorry to hear that. Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery!

Thanks. 

I have a messed up spine per the doctor. Pinched nerves are causing pain in my legs. He will remove bits of my spine to free up the nerves.

[shipman]

From someone with inoperable degenerative spinal disease for 40 years, I wish you a successful outcome and quick recovery.

[bcochran]

6 hours ago, shipman said:

From someone with inoperable degenerative spinal disease for 40 years, I wish you a successful outcome and quick recovery.

Thank you, Shipman. 

[gak1965]

Good luck. My father in law had back surgery 25 years ago and it really helped. Hopefully the same for you.

 

George K

[bcochran]

I have been working on the fore mast.  I am adding eyelets and deadeyes per Campbell.  I am not sure which ones to add and which to not because I am doing a harbor rig, not sailing rig.  Meaning, I won't be adding all the sail handling lines.  As I go, I have to research everything, having no experience in rigging a ship.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2022 by bcochran

[rwiederrich]

Add all the padeyes and rollers.....they were still present even though they may have not been in use during lengthy periods at pier side.  Sometimes the leach and buntlines were brought down and even their blocks...and at other times the lines were brought down but the blocks remained.  It all depends on the length of your stay and how fast you want to rig and bend sails to the yards for getting under way.  While the gear was down, ropes were mended and blocks were repaired/repainted/varnished or discarded if beyond repair.  Saving the gear and tackle from the weather was paramount if it was going to be a long stay.

They would even rig and unrig stunsail booms and rigging often during a voyage. Sometimes often even during a single days sailing.

 

Rob

Edited July 6, 2022 by rwiederrich

[bcochran]

2 hours ago, rwiederrich said:

Add all the padeyes and rollers.....they were still present even though they may have not been in use during lengthy periods at pier side.  Sometimes the leach and buntlines were brought down and even their blocks...and at other times the lines were brought down but the blocks remained.  It all depends on the length of your stay and how fast you want to rig and bend sails to the yards for getting under way.  While the gear was down, ropes were mended and blocks were repaired/repainted/varnished or discarded if beyond repair.  Saving the gear and tackle from the weather was paramount if it was going to be a long stay.

They would even rig and unrig stunsail booms and rigging often during a voyage. Sometimes often even during a single days sailing.

 

Rob

That would make sense. Whether the lines were there or not, the padeyes and rollers would be.  Cutty Sark sat at Sidney harbor for 3 months at times waiting for thr wool to arrive,  Which makes me wonder why the hurry to get there to wait.  It's like when I was in the army,  hurry up and wait.

[rwiederrich]

4 minutes ago, bcochran said:

That would make sense. Whether the lines were there or not, the padeyes and rollers would be.  Cutty Sark sat at Sidney harbor for 3 months at times waiting for thr wool to arrive,  Which makes me wonder why the hurry to get there to wait.  It's like when I was in the army,  hurry up and wait.

Records.......once the cargo is in your hold...and you set off your pilot you have the clock running.

 

Rob

[bcochran]

I think I see another conflict between Revell and Campbell.  Revell has cheeks under the topmast trestle trees like the lower tops. Both Campbell and Longridge do not have cheeks there.  Also, Revell's trestle trees have bits of plastic where there should be open space between the spreaders and cross trees.  I think that these should be removed.

 

Anyone agree?

Edited July 7, 2022 by bcochran

[Ian_Grant]

According to Underhill, the trestle-trees, cross-trees, and spreaders are all lengths of angle-iron.  The trestle-trees are riveted along the top edges of cheek pieces which are triangular and are centred on the lower mast i.e. they project both forward and aft of the mast. Hard to see them in your dark revell mast but the shape doesn't look right. They shouldn't have that re-curve along the forward edge like wood cheeks on a wood mast. I'd say that cheeks are required, I can't imagine just riveting angle iron at the single point where it meets the round mast.

 

I agree that those bits of plastic between the cross trees should not be there.

 

Other than the cheeks Underhill agrees with Campbell in all other respects.

On the other hand I don't see cheeks in this photo although it's hard to see at all. If they are there then they're painted like the mast.

Edited July 7, 2022 by Ian_Grant

[bcochran]

34 minutes ago, Ian_Grant said:

According to Underhill, the trestle-trees, cross-trees, and spreaders are all lengths of angle-iron.  The trestle-trees are riveted along the top edges of cheek pieces which are triangular and are centred on the lower mast i.e. they project both forward and aft of the mast. Hard to see them in your dark revell mast but the shape doesn't look right. They shouldn't have that re-curve along the forward edge like wood cheeks on a wood mast. I'd say that cheeks are required, I can't imagine just riveting angle iron at the single point where it meets the round mast.

 

I agree that those bits of plastic between the cross trees should not be there.

 

Other than the cheeks Underhill agrees with Campbell in all other respects.

On the other hand I don't see cheeks in this photo although it's hard to see at all. If they are there then they're painted like the mast.

My guess is that the masts and parts were changed over time. The masts were shortened as were the yards and the stunsail booms were removed.  Quite possibly the trestle trees were changed also. I'll never know.  Underhill and Campbell and Longridge are all different.  There is no room for Campbell's eyelets under the trestle tree with cheeks there.

[Ian_Grant]

Underhill mentions that the upper topsail lifts are seized to shackles at each end of the topgallant mast fid (!?), and the upper topsail buntlines pass through a double block seized beneath the cross trees.

 

Bottom line is there are more ways to rig stuff than there are ways to skin a cat. For my Preussen I just look through Underhill, rig it in a reasonable way, and about 0.01% of people would even know what they're looking at. 😄

 

[bcochran]

13 hours ago, Ian_Grant said:

Underhill mentions that the upper topsail lifts are seized to shackles at each end of the topgallant mast fid (!?), and the upper topsail buntlines pass through a double block seized beneath the cross trees.

 

Bottom line is there are more ways to rig stuff than there are ways to skin a cat. For my Preussen I just look through Underhill, rig it in a reasonable way, and about 0.01% of people would even know what they're looking at. 😄

 

Campbell agrees with that.

[bcochran]

I removed the cheeks from the fore topmast.  I am going with Campbell and will be adding the eyelets he shows.

Edited July 9, 2022 by bcochran

[bcochran]

I usually don't work on models over the weekend in the summer. My wife and dog and I spend summers here at the beach whenever the weather and tides are right.  It is just a short drive from our house.  I could never live inland.  I love the sea and not being land locked.  We will be there tomorrow. Low tide is at 12:05 PM and air temp is 80F.

Edited July 9, 2022 by bcochran

[bcochran]

Hi folks,  I am waiting until after my upcoming operation to resume my build log. A week from now I will be in recovery, so some days after that I will be back.

[rwiederrich]

9 hours ago, bcochran said:

Hi folks,  I am waiting until after my upcoming operation to resume my build log. A week from now I will be in recovery, so some days after that I will be back.

Get better quick.......

 

Rob

[bcochran]

A little confession.  While putting my Cutty Sark on hold, I put a little time in on this Robert E Lee steamboat.  I think about my comimg operation and didn't want to screw up the ship's rigging.

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by bcochran

[bcochran]

I hope to come home from the hospital today. I have been here 4 days. It is painful to walk or move. I will be back working on my ship but I don’t when yet.

[LeoM]

Get well soon!

[shipman]

Each step forward takes you further than the one before.

 

Steady as you go, mate.

[bcochran]

I am most likely going to disappoint some people, but I have to put my Cutty Sark on hold. 

 

The  reason is that I had major spinal surgery.  I was in the hospital for four days and am home now recovering. 

 

To continue to rig my ship while I recover isn't possible because it would involve movements that I am not permitted to do, such as bending and twisting.

.

In the meantime, I will be building Pyro's Robt. E. Lee steamboat.  It is just like the one I pictured here.   That one was in process over 10 years ago.  I stopped because I could not paint the lettering on the paddle wheelhouses. Practicing on the model I pictured her, I developed a method to do it.

 

So for the time I am healing, I will build the steamboat.  If anyone would like to follow along with me, I could start a build log

 

I have a complete set of the old plans for this boat, but I can't follow exactly.  Those plans are for a different boat.  There were three Robt. E. Lees built. The first was broken up to build the second one using parts from the first. I have a hunch those plans are of the second Lee. Ir is much fancier than this model.  But some parts are similar.   There is a build log online using those plans.  That boat is scratch built and is in 1/48 scale.

 

I have those detailed plans along with "The Western Rivers Steamboat Cyclopedium" by Alan L. Baits. 

 

So if I start a build log on the steamboat, people can glean some ideas and learn from my reference material which I can photograph. 

 

I have seen other build logs of this plastic steamboat model, and I think the builder did not have much research material.

 

So if anyone wants a build log of my steam boat, let me know.

 

I promise, I am not giving up on the Cutty Sark.  I have only the rigging to complete, and I want to complete it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gak1965]

Speedy recovery! I find the logging helps keep me moving along - so if you do build, might as well put some info down for the next person to come along.

 

Regards,

George K

[bcochran]

Hello everyone.  I am back.  On July 20 I had major spinal surgery.  I am ready to do physical therapy. I am almost able to walk without pain.  While I couldn't move much, I built this model of the steamboat Robert E Lee.  I have a build log on it.

 

So I was thinking it is about time I get back to my Cutty Sark.

 

When I left off, I was working on the masts.  So that's where I will pick it up.  This is where things stand.  I'll post more when I get more done.

Edited September 14, 2022 by bcochran

[shipman]

Good to see you 'back'.

Steady as you go.