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Academy 1/ 150 cutty Sark

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  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Illinois
Academy 1/ 150 cutty Sark
Posted by wjbwjb29 on Sunday, October 18, 2009 2:44 PM

Hello all;

I am getting to the point of working on the masts and yards. The area where the yards attatch are all in the raised position so I have to cut off the little saddles where they attatch. I know about where they should be when lowered but I am looking for a more acurate way of placing them. Also if anyone has built this kit, how did you handle the yards with the studding sail yards in the out board position. They are nicely molded but I was toying with the idea of cutting them off and adding my own from styrene or wood.

 

Bill

On the Bench:   Trumperter Tsesarevich on deck Glencoe USS Oregon

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Monday, October 19, 2009 2:22 AM

I haven't built the kit, but I can offer some generalized suggestions based on "prototype practice."

When the sails were furled the skysail, royal, topgallant, and upper topsail yards were lowered until the standing lifts (the wire lines running from the ends of the yards to the masts above) were taut; the lifts supported the weight of the yards. That put the topgallant yard a couple of feet above the topmast cap, and the skysail and royal yards a foot or a foot and a half above the bands where the heads of the topgallant and royal stays, respectively, were secured.

Photos of latter-day, double-topsail-rigged sailing ships often show their upper topsail yards lowered almost on top of the lower topsail yards (which were permanently mounted to the lower mast caps, and didn't move up and down as the sails were set and furled).  But there seems to have been a custom that the crack tea clippers maintained a bigger space between the topsail yards, for the sake of appearance.  Mr. Campbell's plans show about 10' 8" separating the fore and main topsail yards, and about 9' on the mizzen.

The studding sail booms would only be run out when the studding sails themselves were set; otherwise they'd be slid inboard until they projected only three or four feet beyond the ends of the yards.  I haven't seen how the boom irons of the Academy kit are made, but the real things are fairly simple.  An studding sail boom iron essentially consists of two iron bands, connected by a short iron rod (the rod is just a few inches long).  The larger band runs around the yard; the studding sail boom slides through the other one.  (The band through which the boom slides may be made in two pieces, connected by a hinge.)  The outer boom iron consists of an iron band for the boom to slide through, with a forged iron bracket welded to it.  The bracket is made in such a way that it slides over the end of the yard; there were variations on that theme, but in the Cutty Sark's case the bracket is an elongated U-shape, with holes in it for nails that fasten it to the yard on the fore and aft sides.  Mr. Campbell's book, China Tea Clippers, contains (p. 120) a nice set of drawings that shows all this in detail.

Mr. Campbell notes that the Cutty Sark was somewhat unusual in carrying her lower studding sail booms below, rather than above, the yards.  (The booms on the upper topsail yards are in the conventional positions, above the yards - as are the ones on the main topgallant yard.) 

I'd have to take a look at the kit to form a firm opinion of how best to represent the studding sail boom irons, but when I've done it I've made them from brass tubing and wire.  The inner iron can consist of two slivers of tubing connected by a short piece of wire.  The following is an easy sequence for making them:  1.  Drill holes in two pieces of tubing to fit the wire.  2.  Cut the tubing on either side of the hole, about 3/16" long.  3.  Cut a piece of wire to a handy length and pass it through both holes.  3.  Pin the pieces of tubing down to a fireproof surface, so they're in line with each other and the right distance apart.  4.  Solder the wire to the tubing.  5.  Trim the wire to length and file the pieces of tubing down to the right thickness. 

The outer boom iron, on such a small scale, can be a slice of tubing with a piece of wire soldered to it; the wire can just be plugged into a hole at the end of the yard.

If Academy has rendered the bands on the yard pretty well (as I suspect is the case), half the work has been done for you.  Just drill holes in the plastic bands at the right places, and plug the wires on the new bands into them.  The boom irons should be angled 45 degrees below the horizontal on the lower yards, and 45 degrees above the horizontal on the others.

I suppose it would be possible to use styrene tubing instead of brass, but the styrene tubing I've seen has awfully thick walls.  Brass is nice stuff to work with, and decent hobby shops stock it in a wide variety of sizes.  Look for "telescoping brass tubing" in the K&S Metals rack.

Hope that helps a little.  Good luck.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Illinois
Posted by wjbwjb29 on Monday, October 19, 2009 6:23 PM

I wasnt going to remake the boom irons. I think I can cut off the plastic yards flush with the irons on each side and then drill carfully through the iron to the size of the yard. Then the yards can be made of wood to the right dimensions. I wonder what are my chances of getting replacment yards if I mess up.

 

Bill

On the Bench:   Trumperter Tsesarevich on deck Glencoe USS Oregon

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Illinois
Posted by wjbwjb29 on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 7:01 PM

Jtilley, I should have told you that I am securing the lower deadeyes in drilled holes in the waterway as you sugested. I stropped the deadeyes using small guage wire which was twisted using a cordless screwdriver with the ends of the wire in a small jacobs chuck. Once painted its hard to tell its twisted and they look just like deadeye rods.

 

Thanks for your help

Bill

On the Bench:   Trumperter Tsesarevich on deck Glencoe USS Oregon

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Thursday, October 22, 2009 1:50 AM
I'm glad that idea for mounting the deadeyes worked out.  I hadn't thought of using an electric screwdriver for the purpose; that's a great idea - with lots of applications!

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Illinois
Posted by wjbwjb29 on Friday, October 23, 2009 7:36 AM

I also use it to make eybolts using a very small drill to form the eye. The twisted wire gives the glue something to grab onto.

 

Bill

On the Bench:   Trumperter Tsesarevich on deck Glencoe USS Oregon

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Illinois
Posted by wjbwjb29 on Friday, November 6, 2009 5:56 PM

Well I did a little surgery on the Main lower yard to correct the stunsail booms. I cut off the molded on stunsail boom that was in the out board position and drilled through the bands with a small drill, then used a very small round file to enlarge the holes so 1/16 styrene rod was able to slde through. Took some time but wasnt to bad. Only did the starboard side but am confident I cand do all the yards. They have the small yards that were attached to the top of the stunsail molded on  with bands also which I believe is incorrect, they were attached with a jewel block from the stunsail boom above. So I wont have to wory about them then. I will be taking this rather slow as there is no going back if I mess up. Will post some pics when I find out how.

 

Bill

On the Bench:   Trumperter Tsesarevich on deck Glencoe USS Oregon

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