Cutty Sark by petervisser - Billing Boats - Scale 1:75

[petervisser]

Hi Burma. Thanks for looking in and pointing out the top and cross-tree holes for the shrouds. I have partially drilled out the holes in the cross-trees but have yet to do the same for the tops. But worry not because they will be modified. Lots of work yet to be done before they are installed.

Cheers,

Peter

[Alan Newman]

Hi Peter,

 

Nice work - I'm inspired to go back to wood!

Try to post another pic of your vice arangement, seems like something I should invest in, but can't quite see what it is.

 

Regards,

Alan

[petervisser]

Hi Alan,

Thanks for looking in. As for the Workmate, here are some pic's of this handy-dandy unit. I am sorry to tell you that it is no longer made. I remember buying this in Duluth, Minnesota in the early 80's. I was sailing on the lakes at the time and the 3rd engineer and I went to a model shop in town. He was into scale railroading and I went to have a browse. The Workmate was on the shelf for sale and I snapped it up on the spot. It has served me well for many years and is very versitile. It clamps to the workbench (or not) and tilts and turns as necessary. It also came with rubber and metal inserts for the jaws to accommodate different materials. Seeing that it is no longer available, I will be taking much better care of it...

Cheers,

Peter

 

 

 

 

[Alan Newman]

Hi Peter,

 

Thanks for the pics, appreciate your effort. If you've found it useful I surely will. Now I have a better idea what to get I'm sure I can dig up something similarish!

 

Cheers,

 

Alan

[petervisser]

I have finally started work on the masting. Boy, there sure are alot of spars compared to my last model. The foremast went together with lots of trial and error. Mostly error. But once I established a system, the other two masts went together rather easily. All the masting is currently dry fitted so that they can be worked on. There is a ton of fittings that will be glued on piece by piece and careful planning is called for before the spars are stained and painted. I'm pretty excited about getting to this stage. Rigging is one of my favourite phases of the build. Once the spars are fitted, rapid progress can be made with the rigging. Here's a photo of the masts in place...

 

[Sailor1234567890]

The rake of your masts looks a little suspect to my eye. Her masts were raked 1 degree more for each mast moving aft. While the main and mizzen might be 1 degree apart, the mizzen looks raked dramatically different than the main and fore. I'm loving the build though. 

Cheers,
Daniel

[petervisser]

Thanks, but keep in mind that they are dry fitted for now. I simply wanted to get the various spars together to show some progress on the masts. I have Longridge's book which stipulates the rake of the masts. Thanks for looking in.

Peter

[Sailor1234567890]

Ah, that makes sense. 

[petervisser]

Hi All,

Just popping my head up after a long while with Cutty Sark. I have been in the shop from time to time, but that was for other projects. I have been working lately on CS's yards and they are now done except for the paint. I am now poring over the Campbell's rigging drawings, Longridges chapters on rigging as well as Underhill's book covering the same topic. All three are invaluable. Less so the drawing that accompanies the kit. That said, not everyone is a rigger and the drawings are adequate for a completed model.

Here are some pic's of the yards in place. They are dry fitted for the moment, so not all are level.

 

 

 

 

[petervisser]

Just a little update with the masts of my Cutty Sark. It was quite the process getting the masts, tops and crosstrees assembled. I tried to prep them as much as possible before the paint came out. I decided to paint/stain them as they now appear on the actual ship in Greenich. They were first stained and varathaned and then masked off for painting. In the past I have always painted by brush and Humbrol enamel paint, but decided to invest in an airbrush and acrylic paint instead. The primary reason behind this is because of the many, many blocks which I will be painting in the future when the yards are assembled. What a time killer! Airbrushing them will be way more efficient! So with a brand new airbrush in my shop I opted to airbrush the masts as well. A bit to learn but I am very happy with the results. And no more "holidays"! A super investment that only took several decades to find out....

Here are some pic's of the results.

 

In this picture the masts are stained and varathaned, and some are masked with tape and saran wrap.

 

Here they are spray painted which went super slick.

 

The finished product with the deadeyes and mast bands painted.

 

The underside of the tops.

 

The topsides of the tops.

 

The crosstrees.

 

This is my new airbrush. It came as a complete set with the compressor as well. Beside it are a bunch of belaying pins. I can't believe I used to paint these by brush. And two coats at that!

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Peter

 

[petervisser]

Another update. Of late I have been working on the yards of the model. They were all precut for length and tapered at the Billing factory. The lengths were for the most part accurate. I can't speak to the diameters but I'm gong with what they are. The trick is to study the material I have as to what blocks to afix to the yards, prior to their installation. I am using Campbells plans along with Longridge's Cutty Sark book and Underhill's Masting and Rigging book. Using three sources can get a bit confusing, so I come up with a hybrid solution to get the results I want. Although not 100% accurate it will at least be realistic. Here are a few pic's of the block preparation...

 

 

 

 

 

 

And yes, I am using the plastic blocks that are provided with the kit. I realize that there are some who would consider this a faux pas, but my reasoning is this. They're readily available, having come with the kit and will be painted once installed. I have used these blocks with all my Billing kits and have not had any issues. They do require some shaving and trimming to remove the excess plastic and the holes need some reaming. This is usually a huge pain but after much trial and error I modified a clothes pin to hold the block while I work on it, saving huge amounts of time and curse words...

[petervisser]

With all the blocks attached and jackstays installed along with other odd and sods I could now apply some paint to the yards. My new airbrush came into its own and made short work of getting a uniform coat of black to cover the different materials that make up the yards and their jewellry. The studding sail booms were stained and varathaned. I also took the opportunity to install the footropes. Next step is to paint the blocks that make up the braces and install them on the yards. So lots to do before any real rigging takes place. Here are some pic's of the yards getting prepped.

 

Yards prior to painting with blocks, jackstays etc. attached.

 

Yards primed.

 

Main mast yards.

 

Mizzen mast yards.

 

Fore mast yards.

Edited January 23, 2022 by petervisser

[popeye the sailor]

catching up on your Cutty Peter....gotta say she looks fantastic!     great job on the masting,  and I as well use the plastic blocks if I have them......they look fine and work just as good     very nice progress indeed!

[Vladimir_Wairoa]

nice clean work Peter. enjoy. 

[keelhauled]

Looking good!  Keep up the great work!

[petervisser]

Hi Guys. It's been a while but I'm still plugging away. Albeit slowly. I finally got around to fitting the decoration to the hull. It's a part of the build that I had been struggling with. The parts that came with the kit included two plastic molds of the name and scroll work for the bow and a decal with the name, port of registry and scroll work for the stern. Nothing too inspiring to attach to the model. I then searched around for suitable replacements, first acquiring the brass fitting sheets that come with the Sergal kit which is 1/78 scale. Although the scale is very similar to my model I found the name boards and scroll work to be a bit oversize. Then I discovered that Artesina Latina also does a Cutty Sark model at 1/84 scale and they sell fittings seperately on request. Bingo! A perfect solution. I decided to use the scroll work pieces that came with my kit to provide some relief and added detail to the bow. I simply sanded off the scroll work to make the pieces smooth. A bit of paint, and presto, they were installed on the model. The decoration arrived from AL and were then also added to the model. The scroll work on the stern meant that the wood strake around the hull had to be modified to accept the decoration, but the sacrafice is worth it I think. I also added some white styrene strips to the bow decoration to jazz up. Here are some pic's of the result...

 

 

[popeye the sailor]

is that photo etch?.........looks really good as to how thin they are.   wish I had decorations like that for my Sergal Thermopylae.  they are so thick,  it's a b...... to bend them!  really compliments the model Peter!  

[petervisser]

Hi All,

It's been a while since my last post, so I just wanted to add a few pic's to the build log and let you followers know that the project is still on the front burner... I am in the process of gleaning over several sources of rigging instructions as produced by the Campbell drawings and the books by Longridge and Underhill. Needless to say, it can be a little daunting as the original ship is said to have had 11 miles of rigging. Not sure if those are statute or nautical miles. It's alot... What I'm trying to do at the moment is work ahead on the running rigging, to determine what gear I need to place on the decks and masts before the standing rigging is set up. Here are just a couple of photos of the progress. I've given up trying to add captions to the photos.

 

 

 

 

After buying eye pins in the past, I am now "manufacturing" my own. These are made with 28 gauge wire. I simply bend a 1" piece in half, insert a pin in the crease and use a small vice grip to twist the wire. The beauty of making your own is that you can make the eyes much smaller in diameter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The beauty of using Campbell's plans is that they offer a ton of detail concerning the deck fittings. Here I've added a small rail winch and bollards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My "third hand" in action. I am adding a number of eye bolts and blocks to the masts, so drilling holes is so much easier when the mast is held in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The model as it stands today. Lots of fittings to add before the shrouds and stays. Thanks for looking in!

Edited February 16, 2023 by petervisser

[petervisser]

This morning the bumpkins were taken on. These are made with some stantions and split rings, some chain and manufactured eyebolts as well. Bumpkins are used for the braces on the fore and mainmast sails, including the courses and upper and lower topsails. They're well illustrated in Longridges book of the CS, which I'm relying on more and more.

 

[LeoM]

Thanks for sharing your efforts. Your Cutty Sark looks superb. You are inspiring me to  make the best of my own ship.

Keep up the good work.

[petervisser]

Work has finally commenced with the standing rigging after what seemed, many weeks of rigging gear to modify and prep. Today the standing rigging on the bowsprit and jibbom was added. This included the guys (rigging thread) and stays which are chain. I am using chain from the local bead shops and seine twine which I get from a ship chandler in town. The twine is already heavily waxed and the rigging thread I wax myself. This makes wraps SO easy because it doesn't tend to unwind when you're making the wraps. The seizing is started with a clove hitch and ends in a half hitch. Then a little matte lacquer is applied to permanently set it in place.

 

 

Some of the blocks ready for a couple coats of paint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of rigging supplies needed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bowsprit firmly in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This ship has alot of chain running and standing rigging.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is just some of the sail twine I have on hand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finished seizings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A clove hitch starts the seizing here.

[petervisser]

For those of you who still have cable TV and are fans of the Cutty Sark (who isn't?) there is a program on Knowledge Network in my neck of the woods titled World's Greatest Ships - Cutty Sark : 150 Years of War and Speed. Not sure how the "war" aspect is going to get tied in, but the description promises drunken captains and murderous crew. Yikes! Might have to add some blood spatters to my model. We'll see.... Anyhoo, I'm looking forward to some footage of the ship at her current home in Greenich. Full review later. Cheers, Peter

[LeoM]

This can only be viewed from Canada 🤨

[petervisser]

Hi Leo,

I just found this on YouTube. Quality isn't the best but hey, it's free!

 

Cheers,

Peter

[LeoM]

Great, thank you very much Peter!

[petervisser]

Hi Guys,

I just got some new eyes! After a recent dental appointment, I was intrigued by the eye glasses my dentist was using. I asked about them and was told that professional dental loupes are in the range of $3K-5K. But she told me that they are also available on line for much less than that. So after a brief amount of searching I found these on Amazon. Where else...

These are the BoNew 3.5X binoculsar loupes with a 5W headlamp. I was doing some intricate rigging using my usual magnifiers when I thought maybe the loupes would be more suitable. Were they ever! The work was made much easier with them as the headlamp really comes into its own. So if you have $100 CAD kicking around I would definately consider them. They do have a finite range of vision, but I find it an optimal distance. Here's some pic's...

 

 

[petervisser]

Hi All,

Well, with the fall weather and rain arriving (yay...) it's high time to get back to model building! It's been March since I last posted any progress and to be honest, not much has happened. But with more free time and crappy weather I am really looking forward to getting all the standing rigging set up. I am using a combination of Nepean's book and Underhill's excellent text regarding the rigging of ocean clippers as well as Campbell's plans. Together they have helped immensely. I had started with the lower mast stays and lower shrouds on each mast as they held the masts to the desired rakes. A short blurb in Nepean's book which I thought makes sense is to set up the shrouds and backstays first before tying off the stays. This is due to the fact that the former are set at smaller angles relative to the mast and therefore have less tendency to pull the mast out of the desired plumb. So I shifted gears and have therefore continued with the mizzen standing rigging (shrouds, backstays and stays) for the lower mast first, then the topmast (shrouds, backstay, stay), and will continue that process for the main mast and foremast. Of course creating a "cage" of standing rigging will make the running rigging more interesting and challenging.

Here are a few pic's of the progress...

 

 

 

 

[Thukydides]

On 3/10/2023 at 3:22 PM, petervisser said:

So if you have $100 CAD kicking around I would definately consider them. They do have a finite range of vision, but I find it an optimal distance. Here's some pic's...

How are you finding them 7 months later? How close do you need to be to stay in focus?

 

The build is looking really good :).

[petervisser]

Thanks for looking in and the kind words. As for the dental loupe, I am still impressed by its capabilities. I don't use it all the time as I use an Opti-Visor for 99% of the time. The peepers aren't what they used to be... But the dental loupe really comes into its own when I'm trying to access tying a knot in a hard to reach place where my hands get in the way of the lighting in my shop. The loupe has its own head lamp which I find to be brilliant. The focal length is between 14" and 16", so a handy distance I find. With this vision aid I do find I have more tunnel vision than the Opti-Visor, so it requires more care in what movements I make with my hands.

Hope this was a help.

Cheers,

Peter

[petervisser]

Merry Christmas everyone!

I have reached a major milestone with this model just today. All the standing rigging is now in place. Phew... I counted 125 individual lines that make up the standing rigging. Happy with the results and I'm now looking forward to the next phase of the project, the running rigging. I have opted to leave the ratlines until the last. Not because I dislike tying off what seems like hundreds of pieces of rigging, but because I hope it makes the running rigging easier to access. It is for this reason that the lifeboats are yet to be secured. All the yards are prepped and ready to install. I now have to decide on the order in which to place them all.

Here are some pics of the completed standing rigging.