Cutty Sark by uscharin - Sergal - 1:78

[uscharin]

Thanks, Peter.

The wheel was a real challenge.  I will absolutely not try to improve on it, as I sometimes will do.  Tough to be a perfectionist.  I'm starting to get antsy to move on to masts and rigging.  Love how your CS is coming along and looks really close to being finished.  Are you going to case it?  I hope so.

Ron

[uscharin]

Fourth time the charm?

 

This will be short.  After placing my new helm on the CS, something simply did not look right.  Turns out the poop skylight I had just finished redoing was way too large.  It made everything around it look wrong.  Proportionally it was not too bad unto itself, but the overall size was way too big.  I did not check the dimensions against Campbell's plans, which was a huge mistake.

 

Of course, smaller is harder.  The big problem was reproducing the metal protective bars.  The fine electric motor wire I used in my last attempt was now far too big.  I ended up sacrificing an old USB cable to harvest the fine wire within.  Of course, the fine wire was a nightmare to work with. The bars add a great deal to the look so really wanted to have that modeled.

 

This is what I had to do:

 

These closeup pictures make the wire look not so bad.  Reality is, it was like working with baby's hair.  I tried all sort of ways to stretch this wire into a pattern so I could then glue it to the panels.  I tried double-sided tape, etc., to hold the wire into position but it always allowed too much creep.  I printed out two paper patterns with spacing that I felt would work and then glued to a piece of plywood.  I then drilled holes at either end to insert the wire and then soak with CA.  On one end the holes go all the way through the wood so I could gently pull the wire taut and then fix with CA.

 

This method worked fairly well but several of the wires broke during the process so had to redo them.  At the end, some wires ended up slacker than others.  I re-tensioned the wires by using a couple small brass rods.  I then slid a piece of wax paper under the wires and then pressed down the skylight panels while introducing CA under the wood stiles.  A very tedious process but got away with it.  Once the glue had set up, I cut the panels away with a razor blade.  The wire spacing could be improved a little after-the-fact by pushing the wire around with a needle.

 

The results are not bad but still need to clean up the bars a little and try to straighten/space them a bit.  The new skylight tuned out to be ~20 percent smaller, which magically made everything look and feel much more balanced.

Edited July 18 by uscharin

[Sailor1234567890]

Nice save. She's looking great.

[uscharin]

Seemed like a good point to share some work.  July was a super busy month for things other than CS.  August has so far been relatively quite so have spent time working on smallish details that are important but are hugely time consuming.  Makes progress feel very slow.

 

The original binnacle is quite tall in real life at approx. 2 feet.  The original stayed on the CS deck while at Falmouth and during this time was occasionally repositioned.  I profiled the binnacle body on my 1/2" electric drill, from a brass fastener I found in my junk pail.  The head turned out a little too big so proportions are a little off.  No big deal.  I soldered on the exterior parts and then blackened.  I scoured off most of the black to get something that looks tarnished.  My wife says it needs to be brighter so will probably comply.  I floated some clear epoxy in the view port cavity to look like glass.

 

Making the floor grate that the helmsman would stand on was quite difficult.  The only way I could make this was by printing out on paper a scaled grid and then tack parts to it with CA.  This helped a great deal with keeping the spacing close to correct.  When it came time to cross-cut the grating I glued two strips of scaled grid to the front and then used a jewelers saw to make the cuts free-hand.  Should have used a small razor saw as there was too much flex to the jewelers blade allowing for some drift.  Still, it worked out.  Once all the wood pieces were in place I peeled off the paper backing and sanded out.  I intentionally made the whole assembly thicker to allow for sanding.  Up to recently I never considered that these grates were very important in keeping the deck from getting worn down, in addition to improving footing.

 

I made a ladder for each of the two main deck houses.  They are super small so used the same technique as with the grating.  I'm showing the paper peels that came off almost intact.  I stained and then sealed all the wood with shellack before assembly which no doubt helped with paper release.  You can see in this image one of the four mooring pipes I put in days ago.

 

Made three sets of steps, one for the forecastle and two that lift you to the poop deck.  Tried pretty hard to get the stair profiles to look right. 

 

Before I could fit the forecastle steps I had to install my Walker windlass and make the forward hatch (formerly a companionway).  I also had to paint the brass studded chain which would have been a nightmare without my airbrush.  Hand painting that small chain would have looked terrible.  As the model progresses I will judicially add some weathering powders to the chain.  I added two chain pipes to my windlass, wrapped the chain onto the wildcats (pocket drives) and then glued in place.  The windlass serves only to hold the chain ends as you can not see it without a borescope.  I could have completely left it off the boat but as I have said before, it is important to me to have it there.

 

I also installed the poop smoke stack.  At this point in her life the stack was not in use and is cut back and capped.

 

Edited yesterday at 03:05 PM by uscharin

[rwiederrich]

Some fantastic work.  Very good metal work on the binnacle.  Exceptional all around.

 

Rob 

[Kenchington]

17 hours ago, uscharin said:

I soldered on the exterior parts and then blackened.  I scoured off most of the black to get something that looks tarnished.  My wife says it needs to be brighter so will probably comply.

The first and most essential routine daily-maintenance task on a sailing ship was (and is) to polish the brass of the binnacle. If you want realism, it should shine like gold!

 

An example on a Cutty Sark -lookalike: 

 

Trevor

[uscharin]

9 hours ago, Kenchington said:

The first and most essential routine daily-maintenance task on a sailing ship was (and is) to polish the brass of the binnacle.

 

You are right, of course.  Don't know what I was thinking.  Thanks for sobering me up!  I'll be sure to feature the polishing results in my next update and am sure it will really improve the look.

Ron

[rwiederrich]

On 8/15/2025 at 6:59 PM, uscharin said:

 

You are right, of course.  Don't know what I was thinking.  Thanks for sobering me up!  I'll be sure to feature the polishing results in my next update and am sure it will really improve the look.

Ron

I’m sure the brass was tarnished when she was owned by the Portuguese.   They let her go pretty badly.  Maintenance wasn’t their gig. 
 

Rob

[Kenchington]

On 8/15/2025 at 10:59 PM, uscharin said:

You are right, of course.

Perhaps. But say rather that your good lady was right all along!

 

 

And ro Rob:

 

3 hours ago, rwiederrich said:

when she was owned by the Portuguese.   They let her go pretty badly.

So it was said at the time. But they also changed her rig. Unless the model shows her configured as the Portuguese had her, my choice wold be a bright, polished binnacle (and the bell too).

 

Still, it's always the builder's choice to present his subject as he wishes her to be seen.

 

 

Trevor

[rwiederrich]

2 hours ago, Kenchington said:

Perhaps. But say rather that your good lady was right all along!

 

 

And ro Rob:

 

So it was said at the time. But they also changed her rig. Unless the model shows her configured as the Portuguese had her, my choice wold be a bright, polished binnacle (and the bell too).

 

Still, it's always the builder's choice to present his subject as he wishes her to be seen.

 

 

Trevor

Break out the brasso. 
 

Rob

[uscharin]

18 hours ago, rwiederrich said:

Break out the brasso.

 

Haha.  Yes, I asked the young cadets where it was stowed, and they had trouble finding it.  I'll take pictures for a later post, but I did my best to brighten it up without breaking it.  I then coated with lacquer to slow or arrest tarnish.  It does look more "right."  For such a small part, a little dark contrast helps give it dimension and that is still the case as I could not get into all the crevices.  My feeling is that when the cadets were on board they would have been charged with such tasks as polishing the brass, if only occasionally.  I have one picture of the binnacle in early Falmouth that shows it with large blotches of corrosion.  B&W pictures can be hard to interpret, however.  I'm happy with how it now looks and so is my wife (which has good taste is such things).

 

Bob, your Staghound is moving along at warp speed.  Meanwhile, I must have spent the last two days just making bollards.  The accumulation of detail is really starting to bring her to life.  Alway feel inspired by your attention to detail.

[rwiederrich]

On 8/18/2025 at 11:23 AM, Kenchington said:

Perhaps. But say rather that your good lady was right all along!

 

 

And ro Rob:

 

So it was said at the time. But they also changed her rig.

Well...the change came by way of a hurricane, (and her being loaded incorrectly), that nearly capsized her and demasted her mizzen and main.  They could not afford to rerig her as a full rigged ship....so they turned her into a barkentine.

 

Rob

 

 

On 8/18/2025 at 11:23 AM, Kenchington said:

 

 

Trevor

 

Edited Wednesday at 01:07 PM by rwiederrich

[rwiederrich]

21 hours ago, uscharin said:

Rob, your Staghound is moving along at warp speed.  Meanwhile, I must have spent the last two days just making bollards.  The accumulation of detail is really starting to bring her to life.  Alway feel inspired by your attention to detail.

I'm humbled.  I feel, I'm more of a hack...then one as skilled as yourself.  But I do appreciate, your fine compliments and comments.  At 1/96 scale...details are more challenging....and I like details.  It has always been my habit to add as much detail as the scale can handle....without looking over done.  A little can go a long way, and suggestive detailing can be more advantageous at this scale.  Implying that something is there is, IMV better than actually having to make the item at scale, accurately.   Generally, I have always held, that I am a lazy modeler.....so if I can pull off a task with the least amount of effort.....I'm going that way.

In like manner....I'm inspired by your attention to clean sharp details as well.

When I get to the rigging, I like to let the horses out.  I love rigging detail.

 

Rob

Edited Wednesday at 01:20 PM by rwiederrich

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

20 minutes ago, rwiederrich said:

I  Generally, I have always held, that I am a lazy modeler.....so if I can pull off a task with the least amount of effort.....I'm going that way.

 

  This is sooooo like me (the lazy part).   My side project - a Thermie hull at 1:110 scale scratch 'layer caked' from bass sheets, carved and sanded with trimmed-down HiS laser deck over inlet Revel deck pieces (a base to eventually mount plastic details on) was done in 60 hours the 1st 3 weeks of January ... and has been sitting there ever since while I decide how to finish it (a picture was put in the current projects  log).  Once the gardening season is over I have a few ideas on how to do that.

[rwiederrich]

On 8/20/2025 at 6:48 AM, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

  This is sooooo like me (the lazy part).   My side project - a Thermie hull at 1:110 scale scratch 'layer caked' from bass sheets, carved and sanded with trimmed-down HiS laser deck over inlet Revel deck pieces (a base to eventually mount plastic details on) was done in 60 hours the 1st 3 weeks of January ... and has been sitting there ever since while I decide how to finish it (a picture was put in the current projects  log).  Once the gardening season is over I have a few ideas on how to do that.

Got a link to that build log?

 

Rob

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

On 8/21/2025 at 11:31 AM, rwiederrich said:

Got a link to that build log?

 

Rob

   Its just a single entry in the "At a Glance" log, page 2, entry #59 ... unsure if there is any 'link' to a single entry, so I can paste below.  I look at her often, and have taken some pictures as work is done to put into a log when finished (since I have a couple unfinished logs already - and there are enough of those).  I was focused on authentic lines, and the vertical stack of varying thickness of basswood worked like a charm.  All the grain was well oriented and I was amazed how quickly it went as far as I got.  1:110 means that I can use the Revell deck houses and deck equipment as they won't be too far off, as well as some of the stuff in the 1:124 scientific kit where convenient.

 

 Ahoy, mates!  Old snug hasn't posted anything in a while since present builds are on hold while sideline work is being done on a pet project 'thought about' for years ... my own shot at a more accurate Thermopylae than can be had with any of the few kits ever offered 'out of the box'.  The inspirations are the fine MSW clipper builds of late.  Collected were the Revell 1:96 ca. 1959 - (H.I.S. laser deck ordered) and the aprox. 1:124 Scientific Thermie kits.  The former requires far too much busting (and still would have compromises) and the latter has quirks of its own as well as being just too darn small for my skill level (less now with age and bumble fingers).

   The most important to me are the ship's lines (available on the internet) and hull outfitting (inspired by the detailed Cyril Hulme model in the Powerhouse Collection, Sydney Australia), but I want to represent her converted to Barque rig as pictured docked at San Fransisco before she was painted white.  Below is only a single snapshot of the hull as-is now after 60 hours of work (over many weeks as time permitted), and only AFTER completion will a build be created ... no more unfinished builds.

   I bought various thicknesses of basswood sheet from Blick art supply to conform with the thicknesses of the accurate lines in elevation scaled to 1:110, transferred the 'top view' (plan view) of each layer with bilateral symmetry to the respective sheets, then glued-up the stack.  Plastic cut-outs from the Revell deck were inlet where needed for masting and other deck items, covered by the laser deck (modified to fit the altered scale) - and the forecastle made from scratch.  I found that the hull almost 'carved itself', as the corners of the layers were simply hogged off with a bent spoon gouge then sanded to the lines where the layers meet.  It was as if there an infinite number of hull templates were already in situ - ∫ d(p),  the sum of all possible profiles ( a 3D calculus exercise).

   A number of plastic and metal components from both kits will be used as convenient (great idea, Rob, to build the way of least resistance), as the 'in between' scale of 1:110 isn't too far out for many kit items.  Others I'll just have to make.  Sans sails (as in the San Fransisco photo), it will have standing rigging only.

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Edited yesterday at 05:37 PM by Snug Harbor Johnny

[rwiederrich]

Great job S.H. Johnny.  That hull looks smooth and well contoured.  Where have you been hiding this?   It's fantastic!

 

Rob