wq3296

Greetings Cap...

It is my understanding that anchor rode was stored on the orlop deck which is the lowest deck, or the first deck, above the bilge. The rode was laid out in large coils on the orlop to dry out. Of course, the water that drained from the manila rode ended up in the bilge.

wq3296 

Greetings Live...

I have built two or three Model Shipways kits (not the Constitution) and have always been happy with the quality of the wood and other components. I believe many folks on this site have built the Connie so there will be no shortage of opinions should you need any help. I guess if you bought a kit like this you must have previous experience with ship modeling, so to wish you good luck is not really appropriate. 

wq3296

Greetings Cap...

Nothing at all is wrong with stealers. To me, it looks as though you have generally crafted them properly. Further, your overall planking job is pretty damned good. As you know, stealers insure that planks will not terminate in a point, which would prevent the plank ends from being properly fastened to the framing. I think, you use them as appropriate for the application, and I don't believe there are hard and fast rules for their usage. I can't imagine anyone using stealers unless they were necessary. Nice job.

wq3296 

Greetings Senior...

I see from your profile that you are 85. So glad to here that you still have vises - hopefully wine, women and song. If you want to work on anything between your legs be my guest.

wq3296

Greetings CPT...

I agree with you 100%. Why reinvent the wheel? I also agree that rigging line supplied with some kits may not be of the correct size, lay, or material, but replacement stuff is readily available from multiple sources. There really is no need to make your own rigging line, although some may feel the need to do so - different horses for different courses, right? Some folks mill their own lumber even though you can get everything (even exotic woods) from several suppliers. Like Chuck Berry said "anything you want we got it right here in the USA".

wq3296

Greetings Wal...

If it's the FA by Model Shipways, it should have come with a very instructive planking guide.

wq3296

Greetings Dan,

Rough - I would fix the masts, repair the rigging, and call it a day. In my opinion you'd have to consider this one "folk art" short of an extensive rebuild.

wq3296

I completely agree with Gun... Keep it simple.

wq3296

Greetings,

If I wanted a lifting point for the rudder, I would install an eye bolt(s) vertically in the aft edge of the rudder. This location would minimize drag, and it is much easier to thread a line(s) through an eye bolt than a hole that extends through the rudder. Maybe these holes were used to drain the water from the rudder when the ship was in drydock. I doubt the copper sheathing was watertight since it was fastened along the seams with nails. After a while the space between wood and copper would fill with water so maybe the holes would facilitate drainage. Plus. let's not forget Druxey's point about buoyancy. The holes would also facilitate sinking of the rudder for shipping at sea.

wq3296

Greetings Folks,

The holes in Connie's rudder look like they were made with a fireman's ax, pick ax, you name it. In my opinion, if those holes were there for a purpose they would have been uniform in diameter and probably sleeved. Sometimes, a hole is just a hole. I tend to agree with Jud - maybe they wanted to sample the rudder wood.

wq3296

Greetings brun...

Nice question, and I wish I had the definitive answer instead of just an opinion. I expect that shipyards of that era would have discovered the merits of lead based paint which is typically red and probably anti fouling. Not sure why it would show up as pink on models - unless the original darker red color was bleached by sunlight.

wq3296 

Greetings,

...something happened at Brest in the region of the buttocks? Let me guess: a paint job in 50 shades of gray? A penetration of the gudgeons by the pintles? A pinching in at the waist?

wq3296

Greetings jd...

Well, perhaps you haven't removed enough material yet (Gary, feel free to jump in) and you might want to swap out your dowel trunions for brass rod, as has been suggested. Also, see message #52 above for other mods that might help you out. All I can say is that you can make it work without adding to the bulwark height. I checked my guns again, and the muzzles all have an upward, albeit slight, angle after all is said and done. In my opinion, you may create more problems for yourself by adding an additional plank. Just snuggle those guns down as low into the carriages as possible.

wq3296  

Greetings jd...

I forgot to mention: I used brass rod for the gun trunions. The rod I used had a slightly smaller dia. than the dowel provided in the kit. This also helps to lower the gun in the carriage. You can also trim the front carriage bulkhead to further flatten the angle of the gun. If you use the brass rod, the guns can be left in natural brass so they can "patina" naturally, which is what I did. I always leave brass guns natural, unless there is a reason (gun size, period correctness, etc.) to paint them black.

wq3296

Greetings jd...

I am on the bell lap with my FA and have encountered the same challenges with the gun carriages. To begin with, I did not raise the bulwarks as, evidently, your practicum advised. I built mine per the drawings because I believe that was the right way to do it. I modified the carriages so that they would fit the gun ports - not the other way around. Yes, I had to glue the trucks to the carriages as Gary suggested to you. In addition, I deepened the trunion notches so that the barrels would sit slightly lower in the carriages and I set the quoins so that the barrel angle was closer to level instead of pointing skyward. Finally, I lightly sanded the front trucks so that the front of the carriages would sit a little lower. The net result was that the guns are properly framed in the gun ports, and the ports are sized per the drawings. In my opinion, there is no need to buy different gun carriages (which may present other challenges) or to raise the bulkhead elevation by adding another plank. Frankly, I am surprised a practicum would even recommend bastardizing the model in that way when other options exist.    

wq3296

Greetings jhe...

Yes, I have a suggestion - apply a light coat of flat black spay paint and be done with it. I have tried the various blackening products and have generally been disappointed. I expect many of the folks on this forum would frown on spray paint but, for me, it does the job. Keep the coats light to preserve detail.

wq3296 

Greetings Drux...

Seems reasonable. You are saying that the beams were simply let in to the clamps and not fully mortised in as the photo appears to indicate. This approach could reduce the need to notch the deck beams. I agree, too, about the lodging/hanging knees providing strength at the deck beam connections. 

wq3296

Greetings Dzia...

It is my understanding that the deck beams sat on top of the deck clamps. The beam ends were notched to fit over the clamps such that the beams could be adjusted to the the right height to accommodate the deck planking. This method would insure that the deck would be set at the proper elevation which was not necessarily related to the clamp height. Note that an important function of the deck clamp was to tie the frames together. If the clamps were to be notched as you show, it seems that they would be considerably weakened, defeating their purpose.

NOTE: this is my opinion and I am open to information that would show otherwise.

wq3296 

Greetings Gary,

Nice job. Paint looks great, and very neat. Did you make the base?

wq3296

Good enough for me boys - two blocks it is. Thanks

wq3296

Greetings,

Typically, topgallant yards do not use a pendant with a block to which the braces are attached. The braces attach directly to the yardarms, run aft to single blocks attached to the topmast stay, and then down to a fife rail, pin rail, etc., port and starboard. It seems to me that, instead of the one single block for each brace, one double block attached to the topmast stay could be used. Each brace would have a separate sheave so each brace could still be hauled independently. I look forward to hearing your opinions on this matter.

wq3296

Geoff, 

Thanks a lot fore the lead - will take a look.

wq3296

Will do so John, thank you

Folks,

Where can I get 1/8" or 5/32" vinyl stick-on letters? White, black or gold will be acceptable. Is there another alternative? I am looking for letters to apply to the transom of a model ship.

wq3296

Greetings Barry...

In my opinion, oak is not a good wood to use for model building, especially is it's red oak. The grain and pores in the wood are too large for scale modelling purposes. Plus, it is more difficult to finish and work with than other typically used woods. With that said, you may be able to get away with using it to build a Viking longboat, since these vessels were probably very roughly finished. Hey, pick a horse and ride it.

wq3296