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usedtosail reacted to NenadM in Cutty Sark by NenadM
Ok, I could not work last week. Today Hothead was finally packed in temporary accommodation in Novi Sad, and a new life for Him started. After we return home, Princess was not here (some of her Hip-Hop seminars and battle, whatever it is) ... House is empty ... and we have to adapt to this new situation ... even with two skype contacts this afternoon ... Lunch, napping, drink a coffee with Admiral, and finally went down to shipyard and Her ... She welcomed me pretty grim, but She was silent
I decide to start with windows on bow space,
Transferred position from C-plans, drill little holes, wide them to scale, and then question arise - them look like little flattened rings, and have to be a little "older" than a hull surface - and - how to hell to make them ?
Think Nenad, think ... after a while and some time spent sniffing between materials in garage, I found little rounded wooden strip 4mm in diameter
I drilled central longitudinal hole, and thinned it by hand to about 3 mm diameter
Then carefully cut rings 1-1,5 mm wide, and glued them to position
After glue hardened, with Einhell I shaped holes ... I must admit that putting some "glass" into openings on such a scale is a too big bite for me
After sanding and finish with 400 sandpaper, first layer of black acrylic
and ta-da-da ...
Nenad, you are rushing again !!!
To see what I have done and to compare with photos, I opened one of Matt`s photos I uploaded to G-drive
Position - OK
Dimension - relatively - Ok. Can be a little smaller, but, this is also over my possibilities ( or I am lazy to try)
Color - failure
And I give it first color repair
Ok, need a bit more of yellow ( gold?) to add
But, I become little nervous, and decided that this is all for today
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usedtosail reacted to M. Pajulahti in USS Constitution by M. Pajulahti - Model Shipways - Scale 1:76
It's been a while since my last post. I've been busy with my work, but finally i'll have more time to continue my build.
So i've done the stern framing:
And now i'm starting to make the spar deck gunport framing. I've been thinking how to get all the gunports to the right level, and after few attempts i've decided to use the deck level as the main start. Because everything there starts from the deck. I made a little "waterway+planksheer-simulation" which is very easy way to mark the spar deck's lower gunport frame places. Just draw a line there (red mark):
After this i've added 2 planks to just for a test that both sides are in the same width and it seems to be in balance.
Markku
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usedtosail reacted to HIPEXEC in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
Your planking plan makes me remember how my planking plan went. I figured out what would go were like your plan.....it all went according to plan until the 2/3 mark....then it seemed to work its way into Kentucky windage and make do at the end. The good news is....my planking job looks great...so will yours with your careful approach
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usedtosail got a reaction from GLakie in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
Oops, a slight correction:
After Friday's trip, the ship will undergo dry-dock preparations, including removal of its upper masts and offloading of the ship's long guns. The three-mast frigate still will be open for public tours Thursday through Sunday, starting Oct. 20. It officially enters dry dock in March 2015.
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usedtosail got a reaction from CaptainSteve in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
Oops, a slight correction:
After Friday's trip, the ship will undergo dry-dock preparations, including removal of its upper masts and offloading of the ship's long guns. The three-mast frigate still will be open for public tours Thursday through Sunday, starting Oct. 20. It officially enters dry dock in March 2015.
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usedtosail got a reaction from CaptainSteve in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
The real Constitution is going on her last cruise today before going into dry dock for 3 years. She and mine may come out at the same time.
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usedtosail reacted to GLakie in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
Yup! Projects like these are definitely not something you want to dive into expecting instant gratification. My first time-frame estimates come to around 4 to 5 years, God willing and the creek don't rise.
Fair winds
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usedtosail got a reaction from GLakie in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
The real Constitution is going on her last cruise today before going into dry dock for 3 years. She and mine may come out at the same time.
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usedtosail got a reaction from Aussie048 in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
So, I have started planking from the wales down and the garboard strakes up. I have defined three planking belts, so I am planking both Belt A (below wales) and Belt C (above garboard strake) at the same time, as well as doing both sides at the same time. So far, I have only one plank in each belt, so no pictures of that yet, but you can probably visualize that it looks like a bunch of clamps at this point. I was having some trouble visualizing the run of the drop planks at the bow and stern in Belt A, so I drew up a couple of simple diagrams (not to scale) of the planking in these areas and where I could put the drops planks. Here is what I came up with:
Port Bow Belt A:
Port Stern Belt A:
I needed the drops to be on bulkheads and I wanted to space them out a bit. It took me quite a while to figure this out, but I think I have it now. I will be using wider pieces of wood for the planks that continue after the drop, as they will be twice the width of the other planks at the bulkhead. There is a filler block between Bulkhead A and the stem, so I can put those last two drops at the bow there.
I thought Belt C was going to be easier to visualize as there are no drop planks at the bow, and I could use wider planks at the stem, but then I couldn't figure out the widths of the planks at their ends. So, another diagram to visualize the planks at the bow, which will help me get the widths right:
Port Bow Belt C:
You can see that the widths change as I get further toward the stem, but they are still pretty close so I can adjust as I go. I don't know how you all figure this stuff out, but I extended the edge of the garboard plank out to the farthest point on the stem, then measured the distance from the edge of the belt on the stem to this line, and used that distance to get the widths of the planks at that distance. Of course, they taper back to where they actually hit the stem, but now I can see how much that taper should be.
For the stern in Belt C, I just need a couple of stealers to fill the width at the stern:
I will be using these diagrams as I out the next nine planks in each of the belts and will provide some pictures as I go.
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usedtosail got a reaction from HIPEXEC in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
You are right, Rich, No plan survives first contact, as they say.
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usedtosail got a reaction from popeye the sailor in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
So, I have started planking from the wales down and the garboard strakes up. I have defined three planking belts, so I am planking both Belt A (below wales) and Belt C (above garboard strake) at the same time, as well as doing both sides at the same time. So far, I have only one plank in each belt, so no pictures of that yet, but you can probably visualize that it looks like a bunch of clamps at this point. I was having some trouble visualizing the run of the drop planks at the bow and stern in Belt A, so I drew up a couple of simple diagrams (not to scale) of the planking in these areas and where I could put the drops planks. Here is what I came up with:
Port Bow Belt A:
Port Stern Belt A:
I needed the drops to be on bulkheads and I wanted to space them out a bit. It took me quite a while to figure this out, but I think I have it now. I will be using wider pieces of wood for the planks that continue after the drop, as they will be twice the width of the other planks at the bulkhead. There is a filler block between Bulkhead A and the stem, so I can put those last two drops at the bow there.
I thought Belt C was going to be easier to visualize as there are no drop planks at the bow, and I could use wider planks at the stem, but then I couldn't figure out the widths of the planks at their ends. So, another diagram to visualize the planks at the bow, which will help me get the widths right:
Port Bow Belt C:
You can see that the widths change as I get further toward the stem, but they are still pretty close so I can adjust as I go. I don't know how you all figure this stuff out, but I extended the edge of the garboard plank out to the farthest point on the stem, then measured the distance from the edge of the belt on the stem to this line, and used that distance to get the widths of the planks at that distance. Of course, they taper back to where they actually hit the stem, but now I can see how much that taper should be.
For the stern in Belt C, I just need a couple of stealers to fill the width at the stern:
I will be using these diagrams as I out the next nine planks in each of the belts and will provide some pictures as I go.
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usedtosail reacted to SawdustDave in Mayflower by SawdustDave - Finished
Got in some real good shop time since last update.....
Finished up the tops, including ripping out the oversized knees and replacing them with smaller scale.
Created main and mizzen masts, fitting and staining them and stepping all three masts.....
She is now tall....I do like shots from high above....
Close in on one of the completed tops....note that I widened the rails on each side where the deadeyes will be fitted (builders choice).
Shot of the fitted main mast....
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usedtosail reacted to rafine in Frigate Essex by Rafine - FINISHED - Model Shipways - Kitbashed
A little further progress. I've completed the fore top (with one exception).I assembled the trestletrees and crosstrees and the mast block and glued them in place under the top. I then drilled all the holes for the deadeyes, the crowsfeet, the spritsail brace blocks, some eyebolts and to mount the railing. I also cut the hole for the lower yard slings and made and added the sling bolster. The assembly was painted black. The railing was made from a boxwood rail and brass stanchions, painted black and glued into the previously drilled holes. The eyebolts were glued in place. Lastly, I stropped the deadeyes and mounted them. The only item remaining was the spritsail brace blocks, which I had forgotten to order from Chuck, and am now awaiting.
I'm now working on the lower fore mast, and will complete that before moving back to the main top and lower main mast.
Bob
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usedtosail got a reaction from CaptainSteve in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
Sorry I didn't respond sooner - I was away for Columbus day weekend, taking in the foliage in New Hampshire.
Thank you Scott, Len, Mike?, Dave, George, Brain, and all the likes.
Len, thanks for the photos of the air ports. They are pretty high in the berth deck. I didn't realize they had plugs, even though I have probably seen them a number of times.. That makes sense.
Mike, I agree with you on the ME kits. This is the fifth one I've built and they have all been painted. I would like to make one with natural wood someday, but I don't think I am ready yet. I am also curious to use better wood, like scratch guys use.
Dave, Brian answered your question on the clamps. Just twist a handle from another clip into it, or you can use wood strips instead. I like the clip handles, and I sometimes use the end with the two prongs to hold on both sides of a bulkhead. I made some up with the smaller size binder clips too for tighter spaces.
George, thanks for the heads up for the show. I didn't get a chance to see it but I'l bet it was pretty good. Summer before last I got to take a tour of the Constitution with Popey2sea and it was fantastic. The ship is about to go into repairs for 3 years, I think this month, so I won't be able to just pop down and take a look any more.
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usedtosail reacted to AndyMech in USS Constitution by AndyMech - FINISHED - Mamoli - Scale 1:93 - Cross-Section
Hi, thanks for looking in. I don't do fast work, but so far I've been happy with the results.
This weekend, I figured it might be time to finally install the ballast - rocks and barrels. The instructions said to use 2-3mm rocks, and all I could find around my house were much larger, so I went to hobby shop and purchased a bag of rocks:
Next, I mixed a slurry of 50% water and 50% white glue and made a nice paste of the rocks. This stuff will take hours to dry, so I had time to place it around the mast supports and glue the barrels in what I hoped is nice, mostly-realistic manner.
It was a fun diversion from rigging, but I fear I can put off the yards no longer. Hopefully, my next update!
Andy.
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usedtosail reacted to EdT in Young America 1853 by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper
Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 88 – Cabin Deck Framing/Planking
The cabin deck provided accommodation for senior officers and passengers. In elevation, it was midway between the middle and poop decks – to provide increased headroom. The deck occupies the area aft of frame 36. It is just under 45’ in length on the centerline. The first picture shows beams being fitted.
No details are known about the structure of the deck. I have assumed scantlings equal to the main deck – beams 12” x 12”. Also, since the structure is lighter and close to the deck below, I have omitted hanging knees. The next picture shows all six beams installed and awaiting the lodging knees.
In the next picture, lodging knees, plain square pillars, carlings and ledges have been installed.
In the next picture 12” wide by 6” thick margin planks are being installed around the sides – again no details known, but a reasonable guess.
Because the main deck beam at frame 36 will be directly aligned with the beam for the cabin deck and because it is only a few feet above, the deck planking was installed next, while there was still access for drilling. This work has begun in the next picture.
I use .021” diameter pins forced into tight holes to secure the planking for gluing. The holes are then enlarged slightly for treenails.
I have yet to decide on the full extent of planking on this deck beyond the area of the cabins along the sides. I expect to construct the partitions and built-in furniture for these. More on this later. The aft end of the main cabin between these rows of sleeping quarters will also likely be decked. The next picture shows the completed planking in the cabin areas.
The planks are 3½” thick and 7” wide. I did not take the trouble to cut these into the margin plank because bedsteads will cover the margin plank and the first few strakes of decking. In the next picture, treenailing of decking on the port side has begun.
The first two rows have been nailed. The third row has been drilled. The treenails are 1½” (.021”) diameter Castello. This has become the de facto standard size on the model.
Treenailing of the inboard side planking continues.
Ed
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usedtosail reacted to robnbill in USS Constitution by robnbill (Bill) - FINISHED - Mamoli - 1:93 kit - First Build - Bashed
I was able to get more of the Bowsprit standing lines installed today. None of the lines are cinched and glued yet. I will wait until it has a chance to stretch out and have more of the rigging completed. Once I have installed as much standing rigging as I can without having the masts installed, I will move on to the Mizzen Mast and install it on the ship. Currently all the masts have their shrouds served and attached to the masts. Photos of the current build are below.
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usedtosail got a reaction from GLakie in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
Sorry I didn't respond sooner - I was away for Columbus day weekend, taking in the foliage in New Hampshire.
Thank you Scott, Len, Mike?, Dave, George, Brain, and all the likes.
Len, thanks for the photos of the air ports. They are pretty high in the berth deck. I didn't realize they had plugs, even though I have probably seen them a number of times.. That makes sense.
Mike, I agree with you on the ME kits. This is the fifth one I've built and they have all been painted. I would like to make one with natural wood someday, but I don't think I am ready yet. I am also curious to use better wood, like scratch guys use.
Dave, Brian answered your question on the clamps. Just twist a handle from another clip into it, or you can use wood strips instead. I like the clip handles, and I sometimes use the end with the two prongs to hold on both sides of a bulkhead. I made some up with the smaller size binder clips too for tighter spaces.
George, thanks for the heads up for the show. I didn't get a chance to see it but I'l bet it was pretty good. Summer before last I got to take a tour of the Constitution with Popey2sea and it was fantastic. The ship is about to go into repairs for 3 years, I think this month, so I won't be able to just pop down and take a look any more.
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usedtosail got a reaction from popeye the sailor in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
I finished the transom planking but failed to take a picture of it before removing the hull from the building board and turning it upside down for the rest of the planking. Here it is upside down, though:
I could not fit the upside down hull into the keel clamper because the clamps are in line with the keel and the gun deck is in the way. Oh well, the last time I planked a hull I used this method, which is to place the hull on a couple of socks filled with rice. I also placed some foam under the stem and stern to protect those areas. It is easy to turn the hull around this way so I can plank both sides simultaneously.
I used two battens per side to define the planking belts. I first started to use the measurements of the planking belts on the plans, but I did not like the way those battens were running. I am going to use just three bands between the keel and the wales instead of the four shown on the plans.
I cut the garboard planks in two pieces for each side. Since most of the remaining planking will be covered by copper plates, I am not going to use short pieces, but will use longer pieces that are easier to work with. I will still keep track of the butt ends of the planks just so I don't get them too close to each other. For instance, the garboard strake joints on each side of the keel are staggered. I found these planks very easy to make for this model, where in the past I have had problems with these. From the plans, it looks like these end at bulkhead B, so I used a piece of Scotch tape on the rabbet from bulkhead C to B and traced the outside edge of the rabbet. I then transferred the tape to a 1/4" by 1/8" plank and cut the curve out through the tape. The rest of the plank was straight, which is what made this easy. For the stern pieces, I just traced the curve of the rabbet to another piece of 1/4" by 1/8" plank and cut and sanded it to shape. After soaking these four pieces, I clamped them in place to dry, making sure the edge of the planks fit into the rabbet along the keel. Here is what that looks like:
The curve at bulkhead B:
The curve at the stern:
Tonight I will trim and glue these in place. In the mean time, I measured the gap from the bottom of the wales to the first batten to determine the number of planks to run in Band A and the widths of these at each bulkhead. I am definitely going to need to drop a bunch of planks at the stem and a few at the stern in this band. That should be fun.
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usedtosail got a reaction from SkerryAmp in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
I finished the transom planking but failed to take a picture of it before removing the hull from the building board and turning it upside down for the rest of the planking. Here it is upside down, though:
I could not fit the upside down hull into the keel clamper because the clamps are in line with the keel and the gun deck is in the way. Oh well, the last time I planked a hull I used this method, which is to place the hull on a couple of socks filled with rice. I also placed some foam under the stem and stern to protect those areas. It is easy to turn the hull around this way so I can plank both sides simultaneously.
I used two battens per side to define the planking belts. I first started to use the measurements of the planking belts on the plans, but I did not like the way those battens were running. I am going to use just three bands between the keel and the wales instead of the four shown on the plans.
I cut the garboard planks in two pieces for each side. Since most of the remaining planking will be covered by copper plates, I am not going to use short pieces, but will use longer pieces that are easier to work with. I will still keep track of the butt ends of the planks just so I don't get them too close to each other. For instance, the garboard strake joints on each side of the keel are staggered. I found these planks very easy to make for this model, where in the past I have had problems with these. From the plans, it looks like these end at bulkhead B, so I used a piece of Scotch tape on the rabbet from bulkhead C to B and traced the outside edge of the rabbet. I then transferred the tape to a 1/4" by 1/8" plank and cut the curve out through the tape. The rest of the plank was straight, which is what made this easy. For the stern pieces, I just traced the curve of the rabbet to another piece of 1/4" by 1/8" plank and cut and sanded it to shape. After soaking these four pieces, I clamped them in place to dry, making sure the edge of the planks fit into the rabbet along the keel. Here is what that looks like:
The curve at bulkhead B:
The curve at the stern:
Tonight I will trim and glue these in place. In the mean time, I measured the gap from the bottom of the wales to the first batten to determine the number of planks to run in Band A and the widths of these at each bulkhead. I am definitely going to need to drop a bunch of planks at the stem and a few at the stern in this band. That should be fun.
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usedtosail got a reaction from HIPEXEC in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
I finished the transom planking but failed to take a picture of it before removing the hull from the building board and turning it upside down for the rest of the planking. Here it is upside down, though:
I could not fit the upside down hull into the keel clamper because the clamps are in line with the keel and the gun deck is in the way. Oh well, the last time I planked a hull I used this method, which is to place the hull on a couple of socks filled with rice. I also placed some foam under the stem and stern to protect those areas. It is easy to turn the hull around this way so I can plank both sides simultaneously.
I used two battens per side to define the planking belts. I first started to use the measurements of the planking belts on the plans, but I did not like the way those battens were running. I am going to use just three bands between the keel and the wales instead of the four shown on the plans.
I cut the garboard planks in two pieces for each side. Since most of the remaining planking will be covered by copper plates, I am not going to use short pieces, but will use longer pieces that are easier to work with. I will still keep track of the butt ends of the planks just so I don't get them too close to each other. For instance, the garboard strake joints on each side of the keel are staggered. I found these planks very easy to make for this model, where in the past I have had problems with these. From the plans, it looks like these end at bulkhead B, so I used a piece of Scotch tape on the rabbet from bulkhead C to B and traced the outside edge of the rabbet. I then transferred the tape to a 1/4" by 1/8" plank and cut the curve out through the tape. The rest of the plank was straight, which is what made this easy. For the stern pieces, I just traced the curve of the rabbet to another piece of 1/4" by 1/8" plank and cut and sanded it to shape. After soaking these four pieces, I clamped them in place to dry, making sure the edge of the planks fit into the rabbet along the keel. Here is what that looks like:
The curve at bulkhead B:
The curve at the stern:
Tonight I will trim and glue these in place. In the mean time, I measured the gap from the bottom of the wales to the first batten to determine the number of planks to run in Band A and the widths of these at each bulkhead. I am definitely going to need to drop a bunch of planks at the stem and a few at the stern in this band. That should be fun.
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usedtosail got a reaction from popeye the sailor in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
Over the weekend, I was finally able to experiment a bit with blackening the britannia metal, using two of the extra dummy cannon barrels that came with the kit. I first soaked the two barrels in white vinegar to clean them, rinsed them, them put one in a cup of Blacken-It solution (left) and one in a cup of Casey Brass Black (right), both at full strength. As you can see, the Blacken-It went to town and after a few seconds was all brown and cloudy. The Casey solution just sat there, doing nothing.
After 10 minutes in the solutions, I pulled them out and rinsed them off again. Here are the results:
The Casey's did almost nothing and as an aside I then threw a few copper eyebolts into it and they turned black almost instantly, so it works well on copper, just not on white metal. The Blacken It did make the barrel darker, but it was uneven and not very black, and it seemed to deplete a lot of solution for this one barrel. To do all the barrels would take quite a bit of the solution, I think.
So, I am going to stick with my usual approach for white metal - clean in white vinegar, prime with Bulls Eye primer, and paint with Floquil engine black paint. Here are the dummy barrels after that procedure:
I may spray these with some Matte Finish to protect them when they are dry.
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usedtosail got a reaction from Aussie048 in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
I finished the transom planking but failed to take a picture of it before removing the hull from the building board and turning it upside down for the rest of the planking. Here it is upside down, though:
I could not fit the upside down hull into the keel clamper because the clamps are in line with the keel and the gun deck is in the way. Oh well, the last time I planked a hull I used this method, which is to place the hull on a couple of socks filled with rice. I also placed some foam under the stem and stern to protect those areas. It is easy to turn the hull around this way so I can plank both sides simultaneously.
I used two battens per side to define the planking belts. I first started to use the measurements of the planking belts on the plans, but I did not like the way those battens were running. I am going to use just three bands between the keel and the wales instead of the four shown on the plans.
I cut the garboard planks in two pieces for each side. Since most of the remaining planking will be covered by copper plates, I am not going to use short pieces, but will use longer pieces that are easier to work with. I will still keep track of the butt ends of the planks just so I don't get them too close to each other. For instance, the garboard strake joints on each side of the keel are staggered. I found these planks very easy to make for this model, where in the past I have had problems with these. From the plans, it looks like these end at bulkhead B, so I used a piece of Scotch tape on the rabbet from bulkhead C to B and traced the outside edge of the rabbet. I then transferred the tape to a 1/4" by 1/8" plank and cut the curve out through the tape. The rest of the plank was straight, which is what made this easy. For the stern pieces, I just traced the curve of the rabbet to another piece of 1/4" by 1/8" plank and cut and sanded it to shape. After soaking these four pieces, I clamped them in place to dry, making sure the edge of the planks fit into the rabbet along the keel. Here is what that looks like:
The curve at bulkhead B:
The curve at the stern:
Tonight I will trim and glue these in place. In the mean time, I measured the gap from the bottom of the wales to the first batten to determine the number of planks to run in Band A and the widths of these at each bulkhead. I am definitely going to need to drop a bunch of planks at the stem and a few at the stern in this band. That should be fun.
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usedtosail got a reaction from popeye the sailor in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
I haven't had a chance to test blackening the britannia metal yet, but I have been working on the hull. As I mentioned last time, I wanted to drill all the holes in the wales for the air ports and scupper covers now, just in case I messed them up. So, to start, I scanned the side view from the plans into the computer and used an image processing program to align the three page size pieces. I had to scan the plans in pieces as I only have a letter size scanner. To check the alignment, I exported the full image to a vector graphics program and drew a straight line on top of the reference line along the bottom of the plans. I would them go back and rotate the pieces again, then check the reference line. It took about three iterations to get the three pieces aligned nicely.
One thing that bothered me from the plans was that the scuppers, which are on the bottom of the gun deck, and the air ports, which are in the top of the berth deck, looked too much in line. When looking at images of the Constitution, like this one:
it looks like the air ports are a little lower than shown on the plans. So, since I had the plans now in the graphics program, I made up little symbols to help drill the holes and positioned them just a little lower at each air port location. I then printed the plans out with the symbols as three sheets, like this one:
I was going to cut and tape these piece together to make one long template, but found that I could use them separately and tape them to the hull as separate templates. I cut them out so that I had the locations of the gun ports for horizontal alignment, as well as the top of the wales for vertical alignment. I taped all three templates to the hull and lined them up where they overlapped:
I then drilled pilot holes through the templates, which you might be able to see on this image:
Then enlarged the holes using very sharp bits in a pin vice and this drill bit holder that I found somewhere online:
To clean up the holes after drilling, I first sanded them flat, then used the back of the drill bit to clean out the hole:
I used the air port and scupper cover fittings to check the holes and here are the results:
There sure are a lot of holes in the wales now, but they came out nicely without any tearing around them, which is what I was mostly afraid was going to happen. While testing the scupper covers to figure out what drill bit size to use for them, I found that the posts on the back of them were oblong, not round, so I filed them a little smaller and round so I could use a smaller drill size. Even so, the top of the hole can still be seen when a few of these are in place, but I can use a bit of filler later to hide them.
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usedtosail got a reaction from CaptainSteve in USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76
I finished the transom planking but failed to take a picture of it before removing the hull from the building board and turning it upside down for the rest of the planking. Here it is upside down, though:
I could not fit the upside down hull into the keel clamper because the clamps are in line with the keel and the gun deck is in the way. Oh well, the last time I planked a hull I used this method, which is to place the hull on a couple of socks filled with rice. I also placed some foam under the stem and stern to protect those areas. It is easy to turn the hull around this way so I can plank both sides simultaneously.
I used two battens per side to define the planking belts. I first started to use the measurements of the planking belts on the plans, but I did not like the way those battens were running. I am going to use just three bands between the keel and the wales instead of the four shown on the plans.
I cut the garboard planks in two pieces for each side. Since most of the remaining planking will be covered by copper plates, I am not going to use short pieces, but will use longer pieces that are easier to work with. I will still keep track of the butt ends of the planks just so I don't get them too close to each other. For instance, the garboard strake joints on each side of the keel are staggered. I found these planks very easy to make for this model, where in the past I have had problems with these. From the plans, it looks like these end at bulkhead B, so I used a piece of Scotch tape on the rabbet from bulkhead C to B and traced the outside edge of the rabbet. I then transferred the tape to a 1/4" by 1/8" plank and cut the curve out through the tape. The rest of the plank was straight, which is what made this easy. For the stern pieces, I just traced the curve of the rabbet to another piece of 1/4" by 1/8" plank and cut and sanded it to shape. After soaking these four pieces, I clamped them in place to dry, making sure the edge of the planks fit into the rabbet along the keel. Here is what that looks like:
The curve at bulkhead B:
The curve at the stern:
Tonight I will trim and glue these in place. In the mean time, I measured the gap from the bottom of the wales to the first batten to determine the number of planks to run in Band A and the widths of these at each bulkhead. I am definitely going to need to drop a bunch of planks at the stem and a few at the stern in this band. That should be fun.