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Posted by - HOF00
Post date - 04-23-2007, 09:21 PM
Cutty Sark
(Artesania Latina)

It is something that I have wanted to build now for quite some time, I remember pictures in books in my younger years, and, now, I have the opportunity….

I have had the kit sitting in a closet for over two years whilst I practiced building wooden model ships, (Bluenose, Bluenose II, Mare Nostrum), and studied like crazy….
I brought plans from the Cutty Sark Preservation Society in Greenwich, England for this purpose, Basil Lubbock’s book and the two “Longridge” volumes.

I have the Sergal/Mantua version of this ship also, but that will wait.

O.k. the kit is 1/84 scale or 1/7” to the Ft. (1.038Meters long when complete.)
Nicely boxed and everything seems to be there, plans up on the wall, a deep breath, and were in to it!!

Numbered the bulwarks and various Ply pieces, Mounted the False keel in the Vice and test fitted the bulkheads which fitted absolutely beautifully!!

False Deck time, dry fitted and oops, the False Keel had a very small, but noticeable, longitudinal warp. Never mind, the False Deck took care of this and once everything was lined up and temporarily “Pinned.” Glue time with Aliphatic over the structure and leave well alone for a couple of days.

A couple of days turned into about 2.5 months while I did some full size joinery, building a “Crib” for a friend and his very pregnant wife.

Another start over Easter, or more correct to say “Re-Start.”

Decking material, Ramin, 3mm X 1mm The 1mm thick Decking turned out to be anything but, using the digital callipers, this was anything between 0.55 and 0.70mm in thickness. Nevertheless, I thought that I’d get away with it as I intended to “Joggle” the decking into the Margin plank. The Margin Plank was its’ correct 1.0mm thick.

I had decided to use a “Four Step Butt” deck as used by Mr. Longridge and re-calculated the plank lengths to 15, 30, 45, 60 and 75mm The sequence for this is 5, 2, 4, 1, 3 (5 being the longest and 1 being the shortest.)

I started with the Poop and progressed to the main deck after ensuring that I was reasonably happy with the pattern on the Poop. (A/L have a single step butt deck in their model.)
Again referring to the A/L prototype in the instruction photos, the main deck is joggled but nothing else is. (Poop/Forecastle)
I decided to do this one mine…. Quite a few hours later, I realise that I’m not really all that happy with it and even less so as the deck really needs to be 1.0mm proud of the false deck…. This is to assist in supporting the Bulwarks at a later stage of construction. (By the time I had sanded the Deck, in part, it stands proud 0.5mm)

This is where I am at now…. I have some 0.5mm African Walnut which is the same width as the Margin Plank, 4.0mm I’ll finish the last few planking strakes on the Main Deck, sand it smooth and install the “New” Margin Plank on top of the old. The effect will be twofold, firstly covering the “Joggles” and secondly, will raise the Margin Plank to its’ correct height, 1.0mm
I had a little play last night and it looks much better this way.

Why don’t the “Joggles” look o.k., you may ask? I think that it may have something to do with the scale…. The planking is 3.0mm wide and if it were true to scale, the planking would be more like 1.0 -1.5mm wide.

I'll post some photos soon.

Cheers....HOF.

Posted by - HOF00
Post date - 04-25-2007, 09:57 PM
Maybe I should have tiled this thread "Cutty Nut."

We had a holiday here yesterday, Wednesday.
Tuesday night, I got stuck in and before I knew it, it was 05:30 Wednesday morning with one of my cats asking for breakfast!!

The "New" Margin Plank came out well and am about 1/2 way through dowelling the Decks.... Maybe 1500 0.25mm holes?
Tedious but challenging....
Wasn't sure if I liked the Dowelling initially but as more gets done, the better it looks.... I intend to do all the "Butts" and then think about the intermediate planks.
I should have used a lighter colour of Dowell, other than the Black that I have used but am firmly "Stuck" with it now.

I get to critical about my own work sometimes.... I need to remind myself that the work, and the Ship, are my work and my little piece of Marine art.

More progress later....

Cheers....HOF.

Posted by - HOF00
Post date - 04-29-2007, 08:38 AM
Finished "Dowelling the Deck, for the moment anyway....
Sanded as much as I am going to, don't want to "Cut" through the planks and looks o.k.

Had a break from the Hull and decided to start some of the Deck "Furniture."
(Just something different, a little variety....)
Fore-Companionway complete and Main "Houses" under construction.

I will say, even at this early stage, that the kit seems to be very well engineered, even the Deck camber is pre-formed into the "Houses."
(Nice touch....)

That's all for this weekend.

Cheers....HOF.

Posted by - HOF00
Post date - 05-08-2007, 05:35 PM
A little more progress....
Waterways.... Well there was nothing included in the kit for Waterways.... Nothing that I could see anyway....
I found some 0.5mm Walnut and Ramin, 4.0mm wide, so, a lamination it was to make up the 1.0mm thick Waterways, Nice!!

Sprayed insides of Bulwarks/Waterways after sealing them and affixed the Waterways to the false deck. (I fluffed around on the damn Waterthingies for hours!!) Am now reasonably happy with the fit and look of these.

A little more work on the Deckhouses for some light relief and used Danish Oil as a finish, also nice!!

Almost time to "Fair" the hull before embarking on the planking....
The model is a single plank on bulkhead, I am sure this will be heaps of fun....

That's me for now....

Cheers....HOF.

Posted by - HOF00
Post date - 05-13-2007, 09:31 PM
Well, another Weekend has come and gone.... More work on the "Houses."
Don't know why I'm building these now.... I seem to be following a pattern of construction that I am happy with and am putting off the inevitable, Fairing and Planking the Hull. I'll get into this real soon.

The actual "Build Sequence" dosen't worry me too much, if I fluff around, I find that I ask myself more questions regarding the rest of the build and lets me formulate answers long before I get to it.

I am also tossing around the idea of filling up the space in between the bulkheads with Block Balsa... The spaces between the Bulkheads are, on average, about 75mm

That's all for the moment.

Cheers....HOF.

Posted by - ChuckPassaro
Post date - 05-13-2007, 10:12 PM
Those bulkheads are pretty far apart. I agree with you when you mentioned filling the spaces between them. This will give you a nice hull to plank without the planks flattening between bulkheads. Thats a good plan. Your doing a great job so far. I am looking forward to seeing more of it.



Chuck

Posted by - HOF00
Post date - 05-14-2007, 01:49 AM
Thanks Chuck!!
I'll post some more photos when I get some progress.
I am under no illusions that it's going to take me quite some time....

Cheers....HOF.

Posted by - HOF00
Post date - 05-16-2007, 10:25 PM
More progress, more work on Deckhouses....
I gave myself a headache but went back for more!! :banna:

I am pleased with the progress thus far and will be working on the Hull very shortly....

Am also pleased that I kept unused Strip-Wood from other kits, now complete.... Some of the timber in this kit is woefully undersize, if it is there at all, Decking for example, 0.7 - 0.5mm does not make 1.0mm

Another example, The Aft Deckhouse has a 5.0 X 1.5mm African Walnut, mitred strip running around the Roof perimeter.... I couldn't find it and the digital callipers can't be wrong.

Anyway, if I cannot find it in the kit, I can usually find it in spare wood.
I guess you can find fault with anything but it is allways good to find a solution. I still think the quality is very good and I refer to the Sergal/Mantua version as a direct comparison. (I have one of these waiting to be built.)

I have ordered a "Proxxon" circular saw, about time!! I can now cut timber sheet to size, much cheaper in the long run.... (I could have done with this a few months ago....)

More photos soon.

That's it for now....

Cheers....HOF.