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JSGerson
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Everything posted by JSGerson
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May I suggest that (if you haven't done so already) that you do NOT glue the bottom layer to the rest of the stack. This will allow you carve the interior of the hull a whole lot easier. Once that is done, then attach the bottom layer. Jon- 742 replies
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At this point, the templates were removed, and new ones for the notches were put on the top surface. These were for the gunports and head access frames. These were delicately cut out with an X-axto knife with a fresh blade. Even then, I managed to crack one of the blocks near the big edge notch. PVC glue was used for the repair and I waited 24-hours for it to set to ensure a strong bond. These were then glued into place.
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Bow Filler Blocks I had anticipated that the bow filler blocks would go as easy as the stern blocks. Well they did…and didn’t. The initial cuts on the scroll saw went as planned, following the pattern on the templates. Removing the remaining excess wood took a bit longer than I expected. After removing the remaining bulk of wood with the disk sander, I was constantly checking the block on the bulkheads to see if a plank would fit around the curves. The one thing I feared was taking too much off or taking any material off in the wrong place. So, a little bit at a time, with constant checking, using just files, I believe I managed to get the proper shape. This took quite a bit of time. Patience, tenacity, and perseverance are the key.
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Geoff, you are so right. That is why I haven't posted anything yet for the bow filler blocks. I keep testing and finding I need to remove juuuuusst a bit more here and then there. So I'm taking my time. Jon
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Mike - Surprisingly, I did not find it that difficult. However, That can not be said of the bow filler blocks, for me at least. Pictures and commentary to follow soon.
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Just found your build log today. There is some real good stuff here so I'll be following you with great anticipation of more good stuff. Jon
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Just discovered your build log. I look forward to following your progress as I am a few months behind you. Jon
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Those boats are fun little projects. I did mine first as an appetizer for the main course, the ship itself. Even though the MS kit's plans were very close to the US Navy plans (CD from the museum), I used the US Navy plans directly when ever I could. Jon
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At this point, the stern counter and the filler blocks were glued into place. Any final sanding adjustments still must be made.
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For the last bit of carving, I used the sanding disk, the rotary tool with a sanding drum, files, and sandpaper.
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I don't know about anyone else, but I was getting an error message and could not log on for three days. Finally, somehow, everything is back. Stern Filler Blocks The stern filler blocks have a lot of curves and compound curves at that. Again, using the kit plans as templates, the appropriate template was rubber cemented to the appropriate sides of the raw basswood blocks. Using my vintage Dremel scroll saw of almost 40 yrs. old, the S-curve cuts were made. To make those cuts, my saw took about ten minutes each block. I don’t know if it was the thickness of the blocks, the fact basswood was being cut, the saw itself, or all of the above, but it got done. For those of you who are interested, the saw is a Cat. 572, Deluxe Moto-Shop 15”. The picture I got off the internet shown below, is a good representation of mine. I was just too lazy to set up a shot to get a portrait of mine.
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I like the look of the exposed gun deck. It's something like I did on my Rattlesnake. I'll be following your lead for this part on my Conny build, but at 76.8 scale. That should be interesting.
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zappto - thanks for joining the group
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The top surface is slightly rounded, dropping down at the sides. I used a sandpaper block to create the curve. The aft edge has a slight rounded profile in the plan view which was create by carefully following the lines on the template. The aft edge is also angled in at about 50 degrees which as it turns out is the maximum my disk sander will handle. By keeping the wood flush to the plate and slowly feeding it into the spinning sanding disk using lines I drew on the sides as guides, a nice edge was obtained. Finally, the aft edge has a rounded bottom corner but an angled top corner. This was created with the sandpaper block. At this point, I got a very pleasant surprise, when I placed the completed transom filler block and dry fitted it on the stern post, it fit like a glove on the very first try. That doesn’t happen very often.
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There is a rudder post hole which must be drilled at a slight angle parallel to the stern post. This is easier done now, before the aft edge is created. I found that if I taped a bamboo skewer to the forward edge I got the right pitch for the hole. Using my Dremel drill stand, I drilled a pilot hole with consecutively larger drill bits until I used the largest bit that would fit in the rotary tool. The resulting hole was still smaller than the required 5/16” diameter I needed. This was done using a full-size hand held electric drill with the 5/16” bit. I would have used a drill stand if I had one of the proper size, but the pilot hole did its job.
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Transom Filler Block Using the kit plans as a template, the plan view was pasted with rubber cement onto a piece of basswood supplied by the kit for this piece. The transom filler block was cut out using the Byrnes saw.
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The bulkheads were installed one by one using a set of heavy angle irons I got from Micro-Mark when I started my Rattlesnake. After I took this picture, I rotated the angle iron onto its side, so I could clamp to both the bulkhead and the keel. I just forgot to take another photo.
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Continuing with the keel modification, the three masthead notches were extended 3/32” to compensate for the gun deck modification. Technically this did not have to be done because once the plywood and decking are installed and mast hole are drilled, the length of mast notches should match the original length of the notch cavity. I just wanted additional strength. I just have to remember to extend the base mast lengths by 3/32”.
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You have no idea how big the Screw-Up Club is!! I'm a lifetime member too.
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Oh, I'm really sorry. The good news is that 99.999% of the people who will see your model won't even take notice and won't know what a quoin is let alone whether it is correctly depicted. Ours is a lonely art, only you and God know what is right or wrong in our models. Jon
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Dave, what you say about that cannon pictured is true...except the cannonades (which are not accurate to the style of 1812) are a bit different. They have the groove in the quoin. Just to make things a bit more confusing Jon
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Tom, talk about flying blind, when I started my Rattlesnake, I didn't even know online build logs existed. I stumbled upon the the Hunt practicums, and without that, I would never have even contemplated building a square rigged ship model. Now I have a wealth of info for the Constitution. The fact that I can see what others have done right and especially what they did wrong and the resulting consequences, really teaches you. So OK, you were flying blind, but as you learned, so did the rest of us who followed your work. Thank you for documenting it. Thanks also for the Lego offer, but as I said, my nephews and their kids have more Legos then they know what to do with. If I need any, that's where I'll have them sent from.
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Meddo, you're probable right, but I was a deprived child, I never had any. All I had was the Gilbert Erector set. My three nephews had generous parents (my sister and husband) and they built not just buildings, but complete cities with all the required (and unrequired) roads, vehicles, figures, and other accessories and still had buckets (literally) full leftover unused. They gave them to their kids who are now enjoying them, supplemented with the latest stuff of course. Unfortunately they live in Seattle and Connecticut; I live in South Carolina. Sigh.
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Tom - I used your build log to guide me through this stage of the kit bash process. If I had paid more attention, I would have cut the spar deck supports off after I removed the excess wood from the gun deck support like you did. You were able to use the spar deck supports to align the bulkheads when stacked together to smooth them all out. I had to use the spar deck support stubs; a bit more difficult. I still have to deepen the mast notches. I won't be able to use Lego blocks like you did to align the bulkheads on the keel since I don't have any. I'm a life long bachelor, so no kids, but I have other tools. Between you and xKen and a number of other builders, I should have a nice guided tour of how to supplement Robert Hunt's practicum.
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Job well done!
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