First ship model....

[kpnuts]

We'll be waiting.

[JollySipper]

 

Slowly making progress on this..... Got the sails on the front mast..........!!

Comments always appreciated................

[kpnuts]

Looking good, keep at it, are they cloth or vac form sails.

[10thumbs]

Hi TJ,

I just saw this topic, sorry for not being around any earlier.  i have a couple of things for you.

I wouldn't glue the stand yet as you still have lots of manipulation to do with the model.  I like a flat piece of wood, for a plastic model about a half inch think.  The with 2 fine and soft wooden strips, nail one to the board, place the keel right up along the 1st strip, then attach the 2nd strip along the other side of the keel.  Cut some wooden triangles and glue them to the board, snug against the hull to keep all things square.  This will give you great support and there will be no risk of the stand breaking off countless times.

Lots of guys do the primary rigging for the yardarms before mount the masts. This gets tedious and it's much easier to handle this way.  You can even drill a hole in a piece of wood and "mount" it like this for the rigging.  Much easier than already mounted to the deck.

Just a few tips, hope you don't mind.

Michael

[JollySipper]

Thanks for the comments, Guys.......... much appreciated!

Kenneth, the sails are vaccu-formed......, and thanks for the tips, Michael, I haven't mounted the stand yet for the reason you gave, it's easier to handle the model. I've bumped it a few times and would have broken something if it was glued to the base.........

[dieseldawg142]

.....

Edited May 11, 2018 by dieseldawg142

[JollySipper]

Thanks for the interest, Dan! I still have a few sails to add..... I was wanting to wait until it was finished to show any progress. It's sitting on my kitchen table right now, All's good with it, I haven't abandoned it....... 

[JollySipper]

 

Just thought I would show you guys what bit of progress I've made on this........... Still have one more mast to add the sails to..!

Comments welcome.........

[Jim B]

Looking nice.  Looks like you have the running rigging to do?

[JollySipper]

Hey, friend and thanks! Yea, there is some rigging to do still......... I'm doing this per the instructions, I doubt it gets all the rigging, but I do want enough of it to make things look more interesting..........

[10thumbs]

TJ, it appears the bowsprit is bent upwards.  There's too much tension from the rigging.  I really think you should do more standing rigging for the masts before you continue further with the sails.  The model will look much better too.  I know the amount of rigging for this ship is overwhelming at first, but step by step will get you a beauty.

This is a difficult ship to build, but you don't have to do all of the rigging.  Even 50% of the standing rigging is enough to make it a model you'll enjoy seeing for decades.  Use black lines for the standing rigging.

 

 

[JollySipper]

Thanks for the advise, Michael! I'll try as you suggest, you seem to be trying to help me in earnest and I appreciate that........ The standing rigging is "part B" of the instructions, right? It's broken down into steps, and if I take it a step at a time, it shouldn't be to hard to do..........

Skill level 3 of a ship is a little more challenging than level 3 of an auto kit.......!!

[10thumbs]

Hi TJ, absolutely, I'm only liking to help you out, good that you see it as such.  Ships are extremely intricate and it takes, my opinion lots of time and something that cannot be rushed.  I've built lots of tall ships, a good one takes many, many months. 

I don't have the patience anymore, but I've decided to make kind of an Admirality Model for my current project, the Dos Amigos, a fine Brigg more than 3 ft. long.  I'll finish the hull and only the lower masts, no yards, but full rigging from the mast down.  Just not right now.

Ships are just magnificent models.

[gtx6970]

I like it.

I built a Cutty Sark  MANY MANY MANY years ago.( maybe early 70s )  And I keep thinking I would like to build anoher one someday. Problem is, where and how to store it  to keep it clean once finished.

[10thumbs]

Bill, cleaning these big models can be a problem.  I have one of those old Cutty Sark models.  Like you, early 70's.  Still good, still being cleaned every couple of years.  I fill the bathtub up with hot soapy water, then the old ship gets sunk.  I have others as well, same procedure.  Move it around under water and and there she blows!  Cotton swabs and a variety of fine brushes, some compressed air is not bad either to get it dry again.  They get clean, even the decals remain.

The rigging takes time, a small stiffer type brush does well here.  The crud gets off, not to worry.

@TJ, please excuse the hijack.

[Roadrunner]

Perhaps a tad late, but are you running all the lines through beeswax?

 

 

Edited December 13, 2015 by Roadrunner

[JollySipper]

Nah, friend....... I'm not. Should I be? 

[Roadrunner]

Not necessarily, though it does help a lot with slack and tension issues later on as humidity and temperature levels change, plus it gets rid of some of the fuzziness and also helps prohibit dust accumulation as a result.

[10thumbs]

TJ, if you don't mind, most of the kits offered have lines that are not really very good.  They're for the most part very fuzzy.  I've had kits that were many $100's, still I needed to exchange the lines for better material.  Aftermarket shops have lines that are very clean, all gauges, black and tan.  They can look like real rope!  For the scale of your model you could even use sewing thread, the yarn is a lot better quality than what's offered in kits.

When the black lines are the way you want them, for example fixed already on both sides, fore and aft, you can dilute a quick setting wood lime with water (50/50), mixed in a jar lid for instance, and just paint the thin solution on with a paintbrush.  In 5 minutes the lines are smoother and they'll get really taught.  I do knots this way as well, like for the ratlines.  Afterwards though, you won't be able to change much.

Just a thought.

Edited December 13, 2015 by 10thumbs

[JollySipper]

Thanks for the tips, Michael......... What is wood lime, and where can I get some? The more lines I run, it's causing the others to sag. Your tip sounds like just what I need to do.

Do I apply the wood lime after I've ran all the lines? or can I do that as I go?

Thank You................ 

[kpnuts]

Your lines are sagging due to uneven tightness, and can if not very carefull get increasingly worse, bees wax will help to stiffen the tread (making the sagging less noticeable) (also eliminating, later on the thread getting all fluffy) the only real way to avoid it is to be very careful with your tieing, I find superglue invaluable for this (no need to tie ) I just put a dab of superglue where the final tieoff is and just lay the line on it where till there is no sag in the line, leave it there for a few seconds then after its sett tie it off. I don't want to sound like I know anything, it's just what's easiest for me, it's what I used on the La Reale and the Royal Sovriegn.

[philo426]

Yes I like to put a dab of Ca on each knot really fixes them in place and prevents sagging.

[JollySipper]

Phil, that's a nice ship.........!! I've been gluing the knots all along, I think that where my sagging is coming from is the masts flexing.........

[10thumbs]

TJ, I have to chuckle now, every guy is telling something different.  You'll find the best way to get it done.

Just one more thing then I'm out of here.  When you do a knot with CA, you probably won't be able to loosen it.  As I wrote above, when all the lines are as you want them to be, left, right, fore and aft, then you can affix them.  You may also if needed, loosen one or the other if needed.  If you glue each knot as you go, then you'll probably be in trouble sooner or later.

So, lots of guys giving info here, I'm out now.  Good luck.

[Roadrunner]

TJ, if you don't mind, most of the kits offered have lines that are not really very good.  They're for the most part very fuzzy.  I've had kits that were many $100's, still I needed to exchange the lines for better material.  Aftermarket shops have lines that are very clean, all gauges, black and tan.  They can look like real rope!  For the scale of your model you could even use sewing thread, the yarn is a lot better quality than what's offered in kits.

When the black lines are the way you want them, for example fixed already on both sides, fore and aft, you can dilute a quick setting wood lime with water (50/50), mixed in a jar lid for instance, and just paint the thin solution on with a paintbrush.  In 5 minutes the lines are smoother and they'll get really taught.  I do knots this way as well, like for the ratlines.  Afterwards though, you won't be able to change much.

Just a thought.

That's a great suggestion. I wonder if some diluted PVA would do the same thing?

Edited December 14, 2015 by Roadrunner