JSGerson
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JSGerson got a reaction from robdurant in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
1/32” x 3/32” basswood was used as the planking material in lieu of the plan called 1/64” x 3/32” stock because that was not supplied in the kit as noted in the practicum. I believe that the 1/16” was a typo in the plans. Each plank had to be custom sized and shaped before installation. I painted the top and bottom planks black before installing them to make painting near the rails easier later on. Bothe sides of the planking were painted black.
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JSGerson got a reaction from robdurant in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Using a 3/8” spacer, seven 1/16” x 1/16” vertical posts were spaced and glued into place from the second rail up to the first. The plans appear to show an eighth post right next to the hull, but since that rail would be buried behind the forthcoming planking, it wasn’t worth the effort to install it.
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JSGerson got a reaction from robdurant in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
The final major part of the bow is the bow top rail and the planking below it. Finally, a simple rail to construct. It is a straight piece of 1/16” x 3/32” stock basswood, cut to length, painted black with 1/64” white pinstripes added.
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JSGerson got a reaction from Ryland Craze in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
There is a slight swoop up towards the stem tip that required some fine tweaking, but I eventually got the seat of eases installed on top of the rail support bracing beams. This image shows the seats installed with the unfinished bowsprit dowel dry fitted in place for show. The top rail will complete the bow.
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JSGerson got a reaction from Ryland Craze in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
The top pieces with the seat holes had to be 1/64” thick because the seat openings exposed the thickness of the material. I chose to use 1/64” plywood for the top “L” shape pieces, for the required width of stock and its strength. The seat holes were drilled out before the parts were cut from the stock sheet to prevent breakage. A line was drawn both on the top and on one side of each of the components to represent a separation line that the actual ship has. It appears that the real seats were made in two sections each. Finally, solid wood triangular pieces were fabricated to complete the flooring. The final image shows the dry fit.
Just as a note, Mr. Hunt brought up a point that the grid pattern showing the openings beneath the seats contradicts the pattern used to construct the seats. Specifically, the grid opening shape against the hull, is a parallelogram whose end forms an acute angle to the hull. The seat end, on the other hand, is at right angles to the hull. Mr. Hunt chose to make his seats follow the grid pattern. I chose the right angle based on a US plan (showing six seats per side) as well as some modern photos. BTW, finding any images of the bow showing the seats of ease area, are exceedingly rare because the public is not allowed in that area. No public, no pictures.
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JSGerson got a reaction from Ryland Craze in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Grating and Seats of Ease
The kit plans called for pairs of 1/32” x 1/16” rail support beams on either side of the rail supports. Accordioning to the plans both the kit and the US Navy, these cross beams are flush with the top of the rail supports. They support the gratings upon which the seat of ease rest. However, either I or Mr. Hunt misinterpreted the plans because at the end of Chapter 8.1 he states: “I chose not to model these as it's nearly impossible to see them.” See them or not, they are important as I interpret the plans. As result, his construct of the gratings and seats of ease, are lower than the cross beams had he installed them, while mine are resting top of cross beams. Be that as it may, here is what I did.
Following the practicum, I cut the seat of ease side pieces from 1/16” basswood stock and assembled them using the kit’s plan as my template. The kit actually called for 1/64” thick pieces to be used, but since their thickness would not be seen by the viewer, the thicker pieces were more stable and easier to handle. The kit provided three laser-cut pieces of the grating for each side, which I temporarily taped together for dry fit purposes.
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JSGerson got a reaction from Ryland Craze in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
I assume the boomkins on the actual ship had some sort of fasteners to hold the beams in place to the hull, but I could not find any information on that. Therefore, they were just glued into place. The boomkins did have two metal rod hull braces each. The kit called for 0.023” wire for these braces. I needed something stiff, so brass and copper wire were not suitable, but I did have “0.020” and 0.026” music wire. I chose to use 0.026” wire in lieu of 0.023”, which I did not have. Holes were drilled into the hull and boomkins in the appropriate places following the kit plan with a #72 drill bit. After a little trial and error, the wire s were sized for length and the wire ends bent for the appropriate holes.
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JSGerson got a reaction from usedtosail in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Looking at my efforts, I realized I needed to do this all over again but with a harder wood because the square edges of the boomkins were already beginning to wear down during the fabrication process. Using 1/8” x 1/8” stock pear wood that I had left over from when I constructed my Rattlesnake, the results were much better. They were then painted black. The brass bands held three eyebolts. Two eyebolts, one on the aft side and the other on the bottom of the boomkin, were aligned lengthwise following the line of the boomkin. The third eyebolt located on the top of the boomkin was installed perpendicular to the boomkin as was shown in the various photographs of the actual ship. To do this, a pin was used to make the initial dent in the brass for the #77 drill bit. The holes were drilled through the brass into the wood. After each hole was drilled, a full-size eyebolt was inserted so the brass band would not move while the next hole was being drilled. Then the eyebolts were removed, cut to size, and permanently installed with CA glue. This secured the brass bands as well.
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JSGerson got a reaction from robdurant in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Using a 1” nail with a flat head, I ground off two opposing side flush to the shaft. Then with a Dremel rotary tool and needle files, the remaining portion of the nail head was fashioned to look like a cleat. Next, the shaft of the nail was placed into the Dremel rotatory tool so it acted like a mini lathe. A file was clamped with a vise and the nail shaft was ground such that the shaft was narrowed down to a very small diameter while leaving a small section at the top, thick. When satisfied, the part was cut off resulting in two tiny cleats with a pin at their base which was inserted into drilled holes (#44 bit) on the fourth posts port and starboard.
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JSGerson got a reaction from Altduck in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
I assume the boomkins on the actual ship had some sort of fasteners to hold the beams in place to the hull, but I could not find any information on that. Therefore, they were just glued into place. The boomkins did have two metal rod hull braces each. The kit called for 0.023” wire for these braces. I needed something stiff, so brass and copper wire were not suitable, but I did have “0.020” and 0.026” music wire. I chose to use 0.026” wire in lieu of 0.023”, which I did not have. Holes were drilled into the hull and boomkins in the appropriate places following the kit plan with a #72 drill bit. After a little trial and error, the wire s were sized for length and the wire ends bent for the appropriate holes.
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JSGerson got a reaction from Ryland Craze in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Looking at my efforts, I realized I needed to do this all over again but with a harder wood because the square edges of the boomkins were already beginning to wear down during the fabrication process. Using 1/8” x 1/8” stock pear wood that I had left over from when I constructed my Rattlesnake, the results were much better. They were then painted black. The brass bands held three eyebolts. Two eyebolts, one on the aft side and the other on the bottom of the boomkin, were aligned lengthwise following the line of the boomkin. The third eyebolt located on the top of the boomkin was installed perpendicular to the boomkin as was shown in the various photographs of the actual ship. To do this, a pin was used to make the initial dent in the brass for the #77 drill bit. The holes were drilled through the brass into the wood. After each hole was drilled, a full-size eyebolt was inserted so the brass band would not move while the next hole was being drilled. Then the eyebolts were removed, cut to size, and permanently installed with CA glue. This secured the brass bands as well.
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JSGerson got a reaction from KurtH in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Using a 1” nail with a flat head, I ground off two opposing side flush to the shaft. Then with a Dremel rotary tool and needle files, the remaining portion of the nail head was fashioned to look like a cleat. Next, the shaft of the nail was placed into the Dremel rotatory tool so it acted like a mini lathe. A file was clamped with a vise and the nail shaft was ground such that the shaft was narrowed down to a very small diameter while leaving a small section at the top, thick. When satisfied, the part was cut off resulting in two tiny cleats with a pin at their base which was inserted into drilled holes (#44 bit) on the fourth posts port and starboard.
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JSGerson got a reaction from Ryland Craze in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Using a 1” nail with a flat head, I ground off two opposing side flush to the shaft. Then with a Dremel rotary tool and needle files, the remaining portion of the nail head was fashioned to look like a cleat. Next, the shaft of the nail was placed into the Dremel rotatory tool so it acted like a mini lathe. A file was clamped with a vise and the nail shaft was ground such that the shaft was narrowed down to a very small diameter while leaving a small section at the top, thick. When satisfied, the part was cut off resulting in two tiny cleats with a pin at their base which was inserted into drilled holes (#44 bit) on the fourth posts port and starboard.
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JSGerson got a reaction from Altduck in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Using a 1” nail with a flat head, I ground off two opposing side flush to the shaft. Then with a Dremel rotary tool and needle files, the remaining portion of the nail head was fashioned to look like a cleat. Next, the shaft of the nail was placed into the Dremel rotatory tool so it acted like a mini lathe. A file was clamped with a vise and the nail shaft was ground such that the shaft was narrowed down to a very small diameter while leaving a small section at the top, thick. When satisfied, the part was cut off resulting in two tiny cleats with a pin at their base which was inserted into drilled holes (#44 bit) on the fourth posts port and starboard.
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JSGerson got a reaction from mort stoll in USS Constitution by Avi - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - 1:96
I've collected and cataloged about 1,000 images of the ship over the years, so if you need an image of a particular item, just let me know. The chances are good that I will have a number of photos from different angles of it.
Jon
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JSGerson got a reaction from ERS Rich in USS Constitution by Avi - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - 1:96
I've collected and cataloged about 1,000 images of the ship over the years, so if you need an image of a particular item, just let me know. The chances are good that I will have a number of photos from different angles of it.
Jon
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JSGerson got a reaction from Snug Harbor Johnny in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
BTY, I’m not knocking Mr. Hunt’s practicum. I could not have gotten this far if it weren’t for it. But I have learned that he’s human and he's the first to admit that his way may not be the best which is why in addition to using his practicum as a guide (not my bible), I also check how other builders solve these problems.
My second fabrication attempt at the 2nd rails went relatively smoothly; and they were glued into placed. In the first image below, I attempted to show the slight curve in the rails.
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JSGerson got a reaction from mort stoll in USS Constitution by Avi - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - 1:96
From your images, the green looks good to me. Like all painted surfaces, how it looks depends among other things, on the light source. Go online and find an image of the bulwarks in the full sun and compare that with your model under the same type of lighting. Then decide if you need to adjust.
Jon
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JSGerson got a reaction from histprof1066 in USS Constitution by histprof1066 - FINISHED - Billing Boats - 1:100
I noticed the fine detail work on the trailboard and was wondering how you got such nice results. I had a devil of a time making mine at 1:76.8 scale and your model is even smaller at 1:100 scale. The paint work is fabulous. That must of taken a very fine brush and a very steady hand. Well done!
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JSGerson got a reaction from Prowler901 in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
As I mentioned in an earlier posting, the MS plan drawings of the rail supports do not fit properly on my model. Whether I’m at fault or the plans are, is immaterial. These have to be custom made now., By trial and error measuring using card stock, a first try template was drawn and cut out of the cardstock. Once I got the card stock to fit, it was traced onto 1/8” thick stock wood. Once I got the wooden piece to fit, I realized that it had to be refined a bit more. A second wood rail support was fabricated. This was able to fit properly onto the rails. The support was removed, painted and pin striped. Finally, it was installed. This was repeated the same manner (with or without an extra preliminary wood support as needed) for the remaining nine supports.
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JSGerson got a reaction from Prowler901 in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
This is when I discover a new problem. According to the MS plans, the precut gammoning holes in the stem are supposed to be between supports Nos. 2 and 3. Per the marks I just made with the gratings, the gammoning holes straddle rail support No. 3. The gammoning holes are where the gammoning chains pass through. Looking at the US Navy 1927 -31 Restoration plan No. 24779, the gammoning holes have been replaced with eye bolts embedded into the stem. The gammoning chains are then connected to the eye bolts. The chains are fastened to the bowsprit in the same manner as shown in the MS plans. These stem bolts are positioned half the distances apart as the pre-cut holes are and appear to be straddling rail support No. 3 from the numerous photos that I’ve looked at. Based on the all the ambiguities, just about nobody will even know about or bother to look inside the rails supports to see if there is even any gammoning there, let alone whether it is correct or not. Therefore, I am going to use the existing gammoning holes as they exist on my model in lieu of the embedded bolts shown on the US Navy plans, just because as builder of the model, I like the way they look.
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JSGerson got a reaction from Prowler901 in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Now it’s time to install the rail supports. These are positioned such that the joints of the floor grating in the seats of ease area, rest on the horizontal structural beams attached to the rail supports. In other words. Where the gratings meet, that is where the rail support is supposed to be. Using the grating parts supplied in the MS kit, I taped the three pieces together that make up most of the flooring, to mark off where the joints are with the architect tape on the stem.
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JSGerson got a reaction from Der Alte Rentner in Rattlesnake by JSGerson - FINISHED - Mamoli - 1:64 - Using Robert Hunt’s practicum
FINISHED
Well here they are, the last planned official images of my Rattlesnake, safe and snug in her case. For those who followed my loooonnnnnng and s l o w build over the past seven years, once again, thank you for being so patient and thank you for all the “likes.”
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JSGerson got a reaction from KurtH in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Now it’s time to install the rail supports. These are positioned such that the joints of the floor grating in the seats of ease area, rest on the horizontal structural beams attached to the rail supports. In other words. Where the gratings meet, that is where the rail support is supposed to be. Using the grating parts supplied in the MS kit, I taped the three pieces together that make up most of the flooring, to mark off where the joints are with the architect tape on the stem.
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JSGerson got a reaction from KurtH in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
This is when I discover a new problem. According to the MS plans, the precut gammoning holes in the stem are supposed to be between supports Nos. 2 and 3. Per the marks I just made with the gratings, the gammoning holes straddle rail support No. 3. The gammoning holes are where the gammoning chains pass through. Looking at the US Navy 1927 -31 Restoration plan No. 24779, the gammoning holes have been replaced with eye bolts embedded into the stem. The gammoning chains are then connected to the eye bolts. The chains are fastened to the bowsprit in the same manner as shown in the MS plans. These stem bolts are positioned half the distances apart as the pre-cut holes are and appear to be straddling rail support No. 3 from the numerous photos that I’ve looked at. Based on the all the ambiguities, just about nobody will even know about or bother to look inside the rails supports to see if there is even any gammoning there, let alone whether it is correct or not. Therefore, I am going to use the existing gammoning holes as they exist on my model in lieu of the embedded bolts shown on the US Navy plans, just because as builder of the model, I like the way they look.
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