JSGerson
-
Posts
2,541 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Reputation Activity
-
JSGerson got a reaction from woodartist in USS Constitution by Der Alte Rentner - Model Shipways - 1/76
Drill a round hole in to vertical bitt no wider than the width of the horizontal post. Cut two pieces of square stock to the length that will exposed horizontally plus an addition length that will fit into the drilled hole. Round off one end of the horizontal post so it fits into the hole. Do the same for the other side. Thus you have a square peg in a round hole and it looks like it passes completely through.
Jon
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Stevenleehills in USS Constitution by Der Alte Rentner - Model Shipways - 1/76
I too plan on replacing the fife rails. The ones that come with the kit are fragile...very fragile. Look at them crossed eyes and they will break. Imagine inserting or tying off lines to the belay pins and the rails break after they been installed. Not a pretty sight. Using boxwood, NOT basswood, was the proper wood replacement choice. Don't forget to anchor the rail and bitt assemblies to the deck with pins. There will be some stress placed on them when the rigging is installed.
Jon
Jon
-
JSGerson got a reaction from PaddyO in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Painting was also a tedious endeavor because I was painting a complete model…22 times. Painting individual parts before assembling is a lot easier. These were complete guns with attached trucks. First, I painted the trucks Model Expo acrylic orange/red. Then I painted the gun barrels, mounts, and small accoutrements on the trucks, Model Expo acrylic black. Getting all the nooks and crannies covered with paint was not simple as I kept missing spots and had to keep going back to cover those surfaces while trying not to touch previous painted areas…but I did. When I fixed those, I reintroduced additional painting errors…etc. Finally, all I had left was the screw mechanism for adjusting the barrel elevation which I painted Testors enamel steel, which I already had.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from GGibson in USS Constitution by Der Alte Rentner - Model Shipways - 1/76
I too plan on replacing the fife rails. The ones that come with the kit are fragile...very fragile. Look at them crossed eyes and they will break. Imagine inserting or tying off lines to the belay pins and the rails break after they been installed. Not a pretty sight. Using boxwood, NOT basswood, was the proper wood replacement choice. Don't forget to anchor the rail and bitt assemblies to the deck with pins. There will be some stress placed on them when the rigging is installed.
Jon
Jon
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Geoff Matson in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Painting was also a tedious endeavor because I was painting a complete model…22 times. Painting individual parts before assembling is a lot easier. These were complete guns with attached trucks. First, I painted the trucks Model Expo acrylic orange/red. Then I painted the gun barrels, mounts, and small accoutrements on the trucks, Model Expo acrylic black. Getting all the nooks and crannies covered with paint was not simple as I kept missing spots and had to keep going back to cover those surfaces while trying not to touch previous painted areas…but I did. When I fixed those, I reintroduced additional painting errors…etc. Finally, all I had left was the screw mechanism for adjusting the barrel elevation which I painted Testors enamel steel, which I already had.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Geoff Matson in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Spar Deck Carronades
Now for the carronades. I wanted to fabricate the carronades like I did the gun deck, guns. However, as I have mentioned preciously, I purchased 3-D printed carronades because they matched quite closely the carronades depicted in Marquardt’s book. The amount of work it would have taken to separate the gun barrels and mounts from the trucks without damaging anything, just so I could make my own trucks resulting in no appreciable difference, did not seem worth the effort. So, I swallowed my pride and decided to the printed guns.
Removing the spruce trees from 22 guns was slow, delicate, and tedious, and unfortunately revealed one persistent defect. Several guns had one or more deformed eye bolts, required for rigging the guns. I have some ideas for a repair in the near future. In the meanwhile, painting the guns is next.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Geoff Matson in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
You may (or not) have noticed that the stove stack is missing in some of the most recent images. This is because due to working on the spar deck, my hand has been constantly bumping into it. So, I took it off for safe keeping. On that same note, I decided to delay installing anything to the spar until all the carronades have been completely installed. However, one partial exception was the black “plate” that the captain’s skylight will sit on. This was “installed” simply by painting a black square in the proper location. I’ll embed the stanchion bases into the deck when the skylight is installed.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Stevenleehills in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Painting was also a tedious endeavor because I was painting a complete model…22 times. Painting individual parts before assembling is a lot easier. These were complete guns with attached trucks. First, I painted the trucks Model Expo acrylic orange/red. Then I painted the gun barrels, mounts, and small accoutrements on the trucks, Model Expo acrylic black. Getting all the nooks and crannies covered with paint was not simple as I kept missing spots and had to keep going back to cover those surfaces while trying not to touch previous painted areas…but I did. When I fixed those, I reintroduced additional painting errors…etc. Finally, all I had left was the screw mechanism for adjusting the barrel elevation which I painted Testors enamel steel, which I already had.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Stevenleehills in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Spar Deck Carronades
Now for the carronades. I wanted to fabricate the carronades like I did the gun deck, guns. However, as I have mentioned preciously, I purchased 3-D printed carronades because they matched quite closely the carronades depicted in Marquardt’s book. The amount of work it would have taken to separate the gun barrels and mounts from the trucks without damaging anything, just so I could make my own trucks resulting in no appreciable difference, did not seem worth the effort. So, I swallowed my pride and decided to the printed guns.
Removing the spruce trees from 22 guns was slow, delicate, and tedious, and unfortunately revealed one persistent defect. Several guns had one or more deformed eye bolts, required for rigging the guns. I have some ideas for a repair in the near future. In the meanwhile, painting the guns is next.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Stevenleehills in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
You may (or not) have noticed that the stove stack is missing in some of the most recent images. This is because due to working on the spar deck, my hand has been constantly bumping into it. So, I took it off for safe keeping. On that same note, I decided to delay installing anything to the spar until all the carronades have been completely installed. However, one partial exception was the black “plate” that the captain’s skylight will sit on. This was “installed” simply by painting a black square in the proper location. I’ll embed the stanchion bases into the deck when the skylight is installed.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Nirvana in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Painting was also a tedious endeavor because I was painting a complete model…22 times. Painting individual parts before assembling is a lot easier. These were complete guns with attached trucks. First, I painted the trucks Model Expo acrylic orange/red. Then I painted the gun barrels, mounts, and small accoutrements on the trucks, Model Expo acrylic black. Getting all the nooks and crannies covered with paint was not simple as I kept missing spots and had to keep going back to cover those surfaces while trying not to touch previous painted areas…but I did. When I fixed those, I reintroduced additional painting errors…etc. Finally, all I had left was the screw mechanism for adjusting the barrel elevation which I painted Testors enamel steel, which I already had.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Nirvana in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Spar Deck Carronades
Now for the carronades. I wanted to fabricate the carronades like I did the gun deck, guns. However, as I have mentioned preciously, I purchased 3-D printed carronades because they matched quite closely the carronades depicted in Marquardt’s book. The amount of work it would have taken to separate the gun barrels and mounts from the trucks without damaging anything, just so I could make my own trucks resulting in no appreciable difference, did not seem worth the effort. So, I swallowed my pride and decided to the printed guns.
Removing the spruce trees from 22 guns was slow, delicate, and tedious, and unfortunately revealed one persistent defect. Several guns had one or more deformed eye bolts, required for rigging the guns. I have some ideas for a repair in the near future. In the meanwhile, painting the guns is next.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Nirvana in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
You may (or not) have noticed that the stove stack is missing in some of the most recent images. This is because due to working on the spar deck, my hand has been constantly bumping into it. So, I took it off for safe keeping. On that same note, I decided to delay installing anything to the spar until all the carronades have been completely installed. However, one partial exception was the black “plate” that the captain’s skylight will sit on. This was “installed” simply by painting a black square in the proper location. I’ll embed the stanchion bases into the deck when the skylight is installed.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Der Alte Rentner in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Painting was also a tedious endeavor because I was painting a complete model…22 times. Painting individual parts before assembling is a lot easier. These were complete guns with attached trucks. First, I painted the trucks Model Expo acrylic orange/red. Then I painted the gun barrels, mounts, and small accoutrements on the trucks, Model Expo acrylic black. Getting all the nooks and crannies covered with paint was not simple as I kept missing spots and had to keep going back to cover those surfaces while trying not to touch previous painted areas…but I did. When I fixed those, I reintroduced additional painting errors…etc. Finally, all I had left was the screw mechanism for adjusting the barrel elevation which I painted Testors enamel steel, which I already had.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from usedtosail in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Painting was also a tedious endeavor because I was painting a complete model…22 times. Painting individual parts before assembling is a lot easier. These were complete guns with attached trucks. First, I painted the trucks Model Expo acrylic orange/red. Then I painted the gun barrels, mounts, and small accoutrements on the trucks, Model Expo acrylic black. Getting all the nooks and crannies covered with paint was not simple as I kept missing spots and had to keep going back to cover those surfaces while trying not to touch previous painted areas…but I did. When I fixed those, I reintroduced additional painting errors…etc. Finally, all I had left was the screw mechanism for adjusting the barrel elevation which I painted Testors enamel steel, which I already had.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from PaddyO in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
You may (or not) have noticed that the stove stack is missing in some of the most recent images. This is because due to working on the spar deck, my hand has been constantly bumping into it. So, I took it off for safe keeping. On that same note, I decided to delay installing anything to the spar until all the carronades have been completely installed. However, one partial exception was the black “plate” that the captain’s skylight will sit on. This was “installed” simply by painting a black square in the proper location. I’ll embed the stanchion bases into the deck when the skylight is installed.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from GGibson in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Painting was also a tedious endeavor because I was painting a complete model…22 times. Painting individual parts before assembling is a lot easier. These were complete guns with attached trucks. First, I painted the trucks Model Expo acrylic orange/red. Then I painted the gun barrels, mounts, and small accoutrements on the trucks, Model Expo acrylic black. Getting all the nooks and crannies covered with paint was not simple as I kept missing spots and had to keep going back to cover those surfaces while trying not to touch previous painted areas…but I did. When I fixed those, I reintroduced additional painting errors…etc. Finally, all I had left was the screw mechanism for adjusting the barrel elevation which I painted Testors enamel steel, which I already had.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from GGibson in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Spar Deck Carronades
Now for the carronades. I wanted to fabricate the carronades like I did the gun deck, guns. However, as I have mentioned preciously, I purchased 3-D printed carronades because they matched quite closely the carronades depicted in Marquardt’s book. The amount of work it would have taken to separate the gun barrels and mounts from the trucks without damaging anything, just so I could make my own trucks resulting in no appreciable difference, did not seem worth the effort. So, I swallowed my pride and decided to the printed guns.
Removing the spruce trees from 22 guns was slow, delicate, and tedious, and unfortunately revealed one persistent defect. Several guns had one or more deformed eye bolts, required for rigging the guns. I have some ideas for a repair in the near future. In the meanwhile, painting the guns is next.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from mtbediz in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
Painting was also a tedious endeavor because I was painting a complete model…22 times. Painting individual parts before assembling is a lot easier. These were complete guns with attached trucks. First, I painted the trucks Model Expo acrylic orange/red. Then I painted the gun barrels, mounts, and small accoutrements on the trucks, Model Expo acrylic black. Getting all the nooks and crannies covered with paint was not simple as I kept missing spots and had to keep going back to cover those surfaces while trying not to touch previous painted areas…but I did. When I fixed those, I reintroduced additional painting errors…etc. Finally, all I had left was the screw mechanism for adjusting the barrel elevation which I painted Testors enamel steel, which I already had.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from mtbediz in USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040
You may (or not) have noticed that the stove stack is missing in some of the most recent images. This is because due to working on the spar deck, my hand has been constantly bumping into it. So, I took it off for safe keeping. On that same note, I decided to delay installing anything to the spar until all the carronades have been completely installed. However, one partial exception was the black “plate” that the captain’s skylight will sit on. This was “installed” simply by painting a black square in the proper location. I’ll embed the stanchion bases into the deck when the skylight is installed.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Mike Y in USS Constitution by The Bitter End - Model Shipways - 1:76
I just found your build log today. It looks like you are on an exciting, if not challenging endeavor. I have some additional US Navy plans of the stem that may (or not) help.
-
JSGerson got a reaction from rturcic72 in USS Constitution by mtbediz - 1:76
Here are two sources of miniature rope I've used and recommend, I am sure there are others.
Ropes of Scale: https://ropesofscale.com/
Syren Ship Model Company: https://syrenshipmodelcompany.com/
Jon
-
JSGerson got a reaction from Stevenleehills in USS Constitution by mtbediz - 1:76
Here are two sources of miniature rope I've used and recommend, I am sure there are others.
Ropes of Scale: https://ropesofscale.com/
Syren Ship Model Company: https://syrenshipmodelcompany.com/
Jon
-
JSGerson got a reaction from mtbediz in USS Constitution by rturcic72 - Model Shipways - 1/76
The Model Shipway USS Constitution is only my second wooden square rigged ship build. My first was the Mamoli Rattlesnake. I would not have even considered building the first, if it weren’t for Mr. Hunt’s practicum, flawed as it might be. By the time I was completing the Rattlesnake I realized that Mr. Hunt only provided enough detail to make a nice, but not a great model. He never completed either of his models, but he taught me a lot. As a result, I had no hesitation to not only attempt the USS Constitution, but to scratch build its gun deck as well.
The best tool decision I made was to buy the Byrnes table saw. It is precise enough that I can cut wood strips as fine as 1/128” thick or wood pieces up to 1” thick. I have a small lathe which I have hardly used so far, a couple of Dremel rotary tools, a drill stand that holds a Dremel drill, a 50yr old Dremel scroll saw (a must have tool), a small disk sander, and a Brynes thickness sander (used occasionally). I’ve accumulated a bunch of hand tools and jigs, some imperative and others useless.
Your best source of information is this site (or site like it) and YouTube for the “How-To” info. I believe Model Ship World is one of the largest, if not THE largest wooden ship model site on the internet.
Jon
-
JSGerson got a reaction from mtbediz in USS Constitution by rturcic72 - Model Shipways - 1/76
Yes, a very impressive service record. I never got any further than 3rd year Army ROTC while in college, when I was released from the program for medical reasons in 1969. But that's another story.
Up to now, I have not looked too deeply into the deadeyes yet as I have not gotten that far in my build. (In case you haven't noticed, I'm very slow). So, I took a look at the real ship's hardware and discovered that for the lower deadeyes, the wire is not twisted, but doubled. It's a loop that goes around the deadeye and is bolted to the chainplate from both sides of the loop. At your 1:96 scale, a single larger gauge wire, twisted just at the meeting point at the bottom of the deadeye might be easier to do and would look more real than the twisted wire going around the deadeye.
Jon
Our Emblem ®
