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

[petervisser]

Thanks Caroline. I haven't seen you around for a while. Glad you're back!

 

Peter

[popeye the sailor]

checking in.........found there was some activity that I missed.  thanks for the site Pete.......I book marked it so I can browse it in my spare time.    any updates on the Cutty?

[petervisser]

Thanks for asking Popeye, as a matter of fact there is!

 

I have been preocupied with summer and some post retirement work, but managed to sneak in a few hours over the last couple of weeks. Just thought I would share some photos of the progress.

 

The area around the stern is what needed doing next after the majority of the hull planking was applied. I wanted to do this area before completing the gunwales.

 

The length of each plank on the hull allowed me to reach from the bow to the last bulkhead. So I decided to do this and leave the stern for a separate planking application. It seemed to me it would waste less wood and I could decide on a solution of applying a severe bend around the stern. I am aware of other builders installing vertical plank(ettes) around the transom and I thought I might end up doing the same. But in the end I decided to to things a bit differently as you will see by the pictures.

 

The first step was to apply some planking under the counter of the stren so that the transom would cover the ends. Here are a few photos of that process...

 

[petervisser]

After those short planks were applied I could then fit the transom around the stern.

 

The first thing I had to do was make a template which would would wrap around the stern. I found a piece of stiff paper and attached it to the area to be covered. Then I traced the area above the poop deck and under the counter with a permanent marker. When that was cut out I could then trace the shape on a piece of ply with the same thickness as the hull planking. I made sure the piece was oversize so that I could sand it to size once it was glued on the hull. The piece was then bent using the trusty plank bender tool I have. It took a bit of trial and error (two pieces were cut and shaped before I got it right) and then with generous amounts pf glue and a few clamps the piece was set in place. Once the glue cured I placed some dowels as insurance. The the piece was sanded to fit and Bob's your uncle...

 

Here are some happy snaps of the process...

[popeye the sailor]

you've been busy!   planking looks very good Pete    I did the same thing with the Progress stern.  if you recall the fun I had with the Nordkap,  I chose not to repeat it with this one.   I also doubled it,  since I didn't use thick basswood. you don't have that much of a counter though......a saving's grace.  I also made parts to cover the counter as well.

plank up the bulwarks and the galley......and it will look spiffy!   very nice.

[petervisser]

After having a little debate with myself about adding a windlass, I happened to be at my local hobby store and they had a Model Shipways version for sale. Well, that meant I had to add it to my model...

 

I wasn't sure if it would be worth the effort because it is under the foc'sle but with the cutaway, it is definately visible. Using Longridge's book I had a good idea what it's supposed to look like. I didn't use all the bits and pieces, just enough to make it look somewhat authentic. After the assembly, I used some Humbrol satin black paint and voila!, a windlass was born.

[petervisser]

Time to catch up on the ole build log before it gets ahead of me. I have been doing work in a few areas before finishing off the hull. One of those areas is the caps for the bulwarks. Ideally I wanted to apply them as soon as the hull painting is done. Initially I wanted to use the "mahogeny" that I had on hand from an old kit I had been given a while back. That that proved impracticle because I could not saw it without it splitting/breaking when I sawed across the grain. I also had sheets of basswood on hand which I ended up using as they did not break. It's not my favourite wood to use but it is available at my hobby store here in town and I can stain it to suit.

I start by tracing the outer shape of the hull at the bulwarks to have a baseline from which I can measure to get the width of the railing cap. Here are some photos of the process. The initial pics show the wood I initially started with.

[petervisser]

I also worked on the foc'sle. My initial attempt did not work out so well as I was using the deck the previous owner had cut out. It proved to be too small and there were large gaps between it and the hull planking. Unfortunately I had already planked it so that proved to be a waste of effort, and wood...

Again, I traced the outer contour of the hull in that area and got the shape of the foc'sle deck. I applied the planking while the false deck was in place because I wanted the camber. To do this and hold the planks in place while the glue was setting I could not use any type of clamping. So I devised a new method of holding them in place with magnets. I taped the magnets to the underside of the deck and placed the other magnets atop the glued on deck planks.

Here are a couple of pictures to show what I mean.

[petervisser]

The windlass also needed some work so the purchase rods and crosshead handles were added.

[petervisser]

The inner bulwarks did not finish off pretty so I decided to add some linings to them. This also helped me with the freeing port problem I was having. By cutting ot the openings in the liners, I won't have to cut though the hull. I will simply affix some dummy freeing port doors to the outer side of the hull when that time comes. The liners also helped witht he tricky painting that needed doing at the waterways. There is the problem of attaching the stanchions and the deadeye straps that they will alleviate, but I have yet to figure that out altogether...

[sawdust]

Hello Peter,  I continue to follow your build. Excellent work. I cant recall for sure but werent the Bulwarks on the Cutty Sark Steel? What does Longridges book say?

Kip

[RickyGene]

Your craftmanship is top shelf and I thought you might enjoy a photo I have of this beautiful lady.  Much to glean if one looks.

 

[RickyGene]

Sorry for miss calling the photo of the Cutty, the site I came across the photo said it was her while still sailing.  

[petervisser]

Yes Kip, the bulwarks were iron plate on the actual ship. Mine are fashioned from wood as it is easier to work with and my metal work needs "work".

 

Yeah Ricky, I'm not sure if that is Nannie or not. She has her left arm outstretched and ideally holds something in her left hand representing Maggie's tail.

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

[popeye the sailor]

it's always the scary part Pete........scuppers and ports.   having to cut into the bulwarks .......it is for me anyway     the deck looks great.......very nice color.......windlass looks really good too.   I like the way you did that  

 

I have a break down of the poem Tam 'o Shanter,  by R. Burns.  looking at the history of the Cutty Sark,  I'm not sure if  Capt. Willis named her because he liken the poem,  of if it was because the fellow who originally made the figurehead followed the premise.   there were other carvings of scantily clad witches along the bow,  but Willis had them removed for 'good taste' reasons.

[petervisser]

My third attempt at building the foc'sle is a keeper I think. The first attempt used the false deck cut out by the original builder. The second atempt although good, was messed up a little when I varathaned the deck too early. Now the third one is built and dry fitted and I will add the detailing once the fittings have been added. Here are some pics...

 

I used a garbage can and magnets when applying the planks to the false deck so that a camber could be introduced to the foc'sle.

[ccoyle]

Very classy, Peter! You have the magic touch with these old Billing kits.

[NenadM]

Keep on with good work Peter !

[RickyGene]

Really enjoying your skills.  I purchased a Billing Boats Cutty yesterday from eBay for a really great price, NIB for a 1/4 of the price.  I have always loved the sleek refined looks of a Clipper and no doubt the Cutty is the sexiest of'em all.

Your trick for the forward deck was genius and I will remember that little detail.

Rick 

[petervisser]

Thanks for the kind word guys.

 

Yes Chris, I like the old Billing kits. I have two other ancient editions people have given to me that I would like to "bring to life". It seems a bit tragic that they waste away in their beat up boxes.

And yes Nenad, I will keep going! Now that the winter season has arrived, I can spend more time in the shop guilt free. Thanks for the prodding!

Ricky, the idea of the garbage can was a fluke. The second prototype was cambered in place on the model by simply having the false deck jammed in place. It was awkward fitting the planks on the false deck so I decided another method must be better. The can was sitting in the storage room where I work, and the magnets were something I used in the past. They just went hand in hand and a cambered deck was born!

Lots more prep work to do before the decks and hull are painted and varathaned, but I'll get there...

Peter

[RickyGene]

Purchased this book to go with the other reference material I am collecting for the build. Looks to be a good read too.

 

[Sailor1234567890]

It is. Lubbock has a lot of good sailing ship stuff. Quite prolific. And interesting. To me at least. 

Edited November 21, 2019 by Sailor1234567890

[petervisser]

Hi Rick,

 

Yes, I have that book as well. And it was a great read. Modern day editors would have a field day though, cleaning up his very dated references to people of colour.... That said he is a great writer who captures the times of sailormen and their ships. I have a number of his books including the Nitrate Clippers, the China Clippers and both volumes of The Last of the Windjammers. They were recently for sale at an antique/book shop in my area. I have been enjoying them ever since.

 

Peter

[RickyGene]

On 10/22/2019 at 6:35 PM, petervisser said:

Yes Kip, the bulwarks were iron plate on the actual ship. Mine are fashioned from wood as it is easier to work with and my metal work needs "work".

 

Yeah Ricky, I'm not sure if that is Nannie or not. She has her left arm outstretched and ideally holds something in her left hand representing Maggie's tail.

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

Hello Peter, just a up-date to this post from back in October. I recently purchased/received a book, Log Of The Cutty Sark, by Basil Lubbock.  Do not know if you have a copy, but is a wonderful read, outstanding History of the Cutty and the men who sailed her.  Many photos, some of which I have never seen.  Anyway, on page 289, you find a photo of the Cutty in Surrey Commercial Dock, 1922 and it is the same photo but of the whole ship as the below photo.  So yes, it is Nanny aka the Cutty Sark figure head.  And that outstretched arm/hand held a horse's tail if I read it right.  Just thought you might like to know.  The photo gives some great details for the forward/bow sprint area of the vessel if one was so inclined to use.  Of course, this is as she appeared in 1922.  She has a white band w/black covers along her sides.  I read in the book her hull was metal frame with wood covering, the bulwarks were covered in metal plate and of course copper bottomed.  The original color of hull was all black upper works, gold yellow rub rails, all white carve works bow/stern and copper plate bottom.  The deck houses were white w/mahogany trim work.  The door knobs were yellow crystal glass.   The ships boats were painted bright white w/black banding, but later would be solid white, There is a wealth of info in the book. The book has photos of the deck fixtures, ships wheel and other points of interest.  I see a lot of builds that trim work on the deck was done in green, but, there is no mention of nor can one tell from the photos, B&W tends to throw colors off unless one is adept at distinguishing gray hues and what color the gray shade represents.  Nor have I found it mentioned in the colors as the author has brought out.  Just some fun facts to play with.  I did receive my Billing Boats Cutty last week and have ordered the plans from the UK f/General layout and rigging.  I did not order the sail plan, the book has this and I doubt I add the sails anyway, maybe do something different such as displaying w/sails hanging out to dry!  Hope you find something useful from the photo.

Rick

 

 

[RickyGene]

Sorry Peter, I did not see your last post before posting above, ole geezers minds wonder!  I am looking for those other books as well.  I am enjoying this one very much, does take some getting use to, the seaman's way of talking.

Rick

[petervisser]

Well, things have been progressing in the ole shipyard. I worked on a bunch of the fittings for the foc'sle deck including the bowsprit so that I can eventually finish the decks and put the foc'sle in place.

Once those little jobs were done I could start work on finishing the hull.

 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2020 by petervisser

[petervisser]

I used the Zinsser sanding sealer to prep the hull and get it nice and smooth. That took several coats, but with this scale of hull I wanted it perfectly smooth. Then several coats of Humbrol enamel paint were applied by brush. Finally the copper plates were applied to the hull. I picked up the copper tape from a shop that specializes in stained glass supplies. The roll of 3/8" tape is 36 yards and cost me about 20 bucks Cdn. That process was a bit of trial and error, plus more errors and some more trialling. But finally I had them all on to my satisfaction, Good from far, but far from perfect. Anyway, here are some pics of the process...

Edited January 12, 2020 by petervisser

[popeye the sailor]

hull is coming along really nice Peter    the dry fit looks awesome!

[hof00]

If I may say so Sir, Awesome Work!!

 

Cheers....HOF.

[petervisser]

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys. Now that there is some colour on the model, it really starts coming together. I just realized that there needs to be some white trim added to the hull and some decoration. I will start prepping that while I finish the decks. So much to think about and plan. Kinda fun really.

 

Peter