Force9

Let me ask for your indulgence as I post a few gratuitous "here's my planking pics".  I do think these look pretty cool, from a "crewman's" point of view.
I also want to add again what a pleasure it is to use Jeff Hayes (Hobbymil) supplied boxwood deck planking.  Makes all the difference in the world over basswood...






 

Christian - Thank you for popping in to have a look at my Constitution.  I remember admiring your beautiful work on HMS Fly earlier last year... Is that project still active?  Perhaps on hold for now?
 
Evan

Hello Evans, 
I was looking for something in the AOTS-book about USS Essex and found something very interesting in a longitudional cut view: at the bow - inside! - on gun deck! Just behind the stem post!  Mrs. Takakjian showed a small pump - just like these ones! ..
 
There is also a pipe going down just  beneath the berth deck .. and then ending there. First I was wondering because if water would flow on that level !!!??? 
 
But reading the text made me understand: "Water intake pipe through hawse piece"
This pump is for getting sea water just from before the bow!
 
What do you think about this position. Could it be that they were getting the water for washing the decks (and more) here?
 
You mentioned Chapelles layout - is this in the book "American Sailing Navy"?

At first I thought that was a B & W photo! Man does it look cold... I'll bet Henry did not give any tours this week.

Now picture that at sea, and it's not snow on the rigging, it's ice. And it's building up every time a wave washes over the ship.  Now you have to chip it all off. Climbing up there with hammers, axes etc to bash the ice away from her rigging in order to be able to sail her. Not to mention keep her upright. Those men were tough back then.

Nope.  Too cold for me.

I found your log this morning. A really wonderful build.

Cheers Rick - thanks for your continued interest... Do I see the Philadelphia from the American History Museum in your avatar?
 
A bit more of the build:
 
I took to heart Blue Ensign's advice and replaced the galley stack with something a bit more in scale:

I added a bit of "animation" by rotating the top half - the idea being that the lower portion is fixed and the upper can be turned with the handles to accommodate any prevailing breeze:

 
I've also added the drainage plugs to the chain pumps:

 
One bugaboo that I remember from my MK1 version, done all those decades ago, was that the spar deck came up a bit short to the transom.  I elected to add a small strip to the end to make up the potential gap.  I started with a strip underneath to form a ledge, then added a .60x.80 strip on top.  After a bit of filler and sanding I extended the deck planks with my scribe tool to blend it all together.

 
It would be possible to hide this gap by covering it with a waterway extended in front of the transom, but my understanding is that waterways were never added across the stern section.
 
Those who are very familiar with this kit will note that I've added the boom traveller to the spar deck (I'll remove the one molded to the transom rail).  The Hull model clearly shows the traveller where the Revell kit has it, but that positioning has always bugged me... It may also be why the kit has the spanker boom so high up on the trysail mast.  Olof Eriksen has a similar beef with this and his research suggests that the builders of the Hull model took a shortcut with their approach and it should've been put down on the deck to match standard practice.  I'm going with that version...
 
Finally, I've begun to slap together the berth deck section that will be exposed below the open hatch on the gun deck.  I've elected to suspend the section from under the gun deck rather than glue ledges against the inner hull and span the entire width.  

More details on this later...
 
Thanks again for tuning in!
Evan

Here's the latest:
 
I've completed the iron bolt heads ("rivets") on the spar deck bulwarks, filled out the gun deck bulwarks, and started in on the gun deck knees.
 
The knees are a bit of a guess.  Here is how they currently look on the restored ship:
 

 
I suspect these are more reflective of the 1927 effort to stiffen her structure than how they would've appeared in 1812.
 
Howard Chappelle in his History of the American Sailing Navy includes a plan view of USS President (taken from the Admiralty draught done after her capture) which shows interconnected diagonal knees (plan 16 between pgs 265-266).  I've elected to follow this approach in my build.  I chopped up a few small chunks of styrene and glued them in the appropriate locations to represent the beams for affixing the knees.  None of this will be visible once the spar deck is in place - even with the holes I intend to cut into the deck to expose the underlying beams and open small views to the gun deck.
 
I first marked the beam locations as defined by the spar deck pieces:
 

 
(Incidentally, the spar deck butt pattern aligns well with the general positioning of the beams - unlike the Heller Victory kit)
 
I'll only represent the "legs" of the knees and not the "arms" at this point.  I'll likely need to include both at the waist where they may be visible.
 
The result seems to align well with Chappelle's representation and I'm very satisfied:
 

 

 

 
I've left the knees along the starboard waist undone for now.  Those will need to be closely aligned with the beams under the spar deck when I have those in place.
 
Still a few things to be done, but I'll set aside the half hulls for now and move on to the decking - if only to introduce some variety.  Wish me luck in eliminating the seams.

Folks
 
I've got the port side bulwarks mostly complete - I'll add a ledge/shelf strip across the top and a few touch ups with a file are needed, but otherwise I'm pleased with the progress:
 

 

 

 

 
The candle in the background is not to set the mood... The dog managed to find a dead fish on the shoreline tonight and reeked to high heaven...  x20x    After a thorough bath in the garage washtub (the DOG, not me!), I needed to light the scented candle (orange flavored, I think) to overlay on the stench before proceeding to my project.
 
Thanks for looking

Continuing along the theme of Old Ironsides
 
As usual, I've gone crazy with the hobby knife and peeled back a bit of the lower hull - this time to reveal the stout framing of an American Heavy Frigate.
 
I've gone ahead and used the 1875 photo as guidance and spaced my frames accordingly:
 

 

 

 

 
Russ here at MSW confirms that the 1875 photo should be accurate.  Research confirms that the keel on Old Ironsides is original as well as most of the futtocks and flooring.  This would dictate the spacing of the frames for the life of the ship - even if the contours of the upper framing changed over the years.
 
The placement of my gash is not arbitrary - it is actually symbolic.  Captain Dacres testified in his court martial after the battle that "on the larboard side of the Guerrière there were about thirty shot which had taken effect about five sheets of copper down.."  This was most likely the result of Constitution's initial broadside which Captain Hull had held back until his ship was directly alongside his opponent at half-pistol shot range.  The blast fairly rocked Guerriere and sent "washtubs" of blood pouring down her hatches according to an eyewitness.  The damage below the waterline ultimately sealed her fate.  The prize crew couldn't stem the flow and Hull ordered her blown up the next morning.
 
My representation here should give folks an idea of just how much damage the Guerriere absorbed from the outset of the fight.

For those who may not have seen this on the Constitution Museum website:

Old Ironsides endured the "Polar Vortex" along with much of the USA...

For those who may not have seen this on the Constitution Museum website:

Old Ironsides endured the "Polar Vortex" along with much of the USA...

Cheers Rick - thanks for your continued interest... Do I see the Philadelphia from the American History Museum in your avatar?
 
A bit more of the build:
 
I took to heart Blue Ensign's advice and replaced the galley stack with something a bit more in scale:

I added a bit of "animation" by rotating the top half - the idea being that the lower portion is fixed and the upper can be turned with the handles to accommodate any prevailing breeze:

 
I've also added the drainage plugs to the chain pumps:

 
One bugaboo that I remember from my MK1 version, done all those decades ago, was that the spar deck came up a bit short to the transom.  I elected to add a small strip to the end to make up the potential gap.  I started with a strip underneath to form a ledge, then added a .60x.80 strip on top.  After a bit of filler and sanding I extended the deck planks with my scribe tool to blend it all together.

 
It would be possible to hide this gap by covering it with a waterway extended in front of the transom, but my understanding is that waterways were never added across the stern section.
 
Those who are very familiar with this kit will note that I've added the boom traveller to the spar deck (I'll remove the one molded to the transom rail).  The Hull model clearly shows the traveller where the Revell kit has it, but that positioning has always bugged me... It may also be why the kit has the spanker boom so high up on the trysail mast.  Olof Eriksen has a similar beef with this and his research suggests that the builders of the Hull model took a shortcut with their approach and it should've been put down on the deck to match standard practice.  I'm going with that version...
 
Finally, I've begun to slap together the berth deck section that will be exposed below the open hatch on the gun deck.  I've elected to suspend the section from under the gun deck rather than glue ledges against the inner hull and span the entire width.  

More details on this later...
 
Thanks again for tuning in!
Evan

Cheers Rick - thanks for your continued interest... Do I see the Philadelphia from the American History Museum in your avatar?
 
A bit more of the build:
 
I took to heart Blue Ensign's advice and replaced the galley stack with something a bit more in scale:

I added a bit of "animation" by rotating the top half - the idea being that the lower portion is fixed and the upper can be turned with the handles to accommodate any prevailing breeze:

 
I've also added the drainage plugs to the chain pumps:

 
One bugaboo that I remember from my MK1 version, done all those decades ago, was that the spar deck came up a bit short to the transom.  I elected to add a small strip to the end to make up the potential gap.  I started with a strip underneath to form a ledge, then added a .60x.80 strip on top.  After a bit of filler and sanding I extended the deck planks with my scribe tool to blend it all together.

 
It would be possible to hide this gap by covering it with a waterway extended in front of the transom, but my understanding is that waterways were never added across the stern section.
 
Those who are very familiar with this kit will note that I've added the boom traveller to the spar deck (I'll remove the one molded to the transom rail).  The Hull model clearly shows the traveller where the Revell kit has it, but that positioning has always bugged me... It may also be why the kit has the spanker boom so high up on the trysail mast.  Olof Eriksen has a similar beef with this and his research suggests that the builders of the Hull model took a shortcut with their approach and it should've been put down on the deck to match standard practice.  I'm going with that version...
 
Finally, I've begun to slap together the berth deck section that will be exposed below the open hatch on the gun deck.  I've elected to suspend the section from under the gun deck rather than glue ledges against the inner hull and span the entire width.  

More details on this later...
 
Thanks again for tuning in!
Evan

Cheers Rick - thanks for your continued interest... Do I see the Philadelphia from the American History Museum in your avatar?
 
A bit more of the build:
 
I took to heart Blue Ensign's advice and replaced the galley stack with something a bit more in scale:

I added a bit of "animation" by rotating the top half - the idea being that the lower portion is fixed and the upper can be turned with the handles to accommodate any prevailing breeze:

 
I've also added the drainage plugs to the chain pumps:

 
One bugaboo that I remember from my MK1 version, done all those decades ago, was that the spar deck came up a bit short to the transom.  I elected to add a small strip to the end to make up the potential gap.  I started with a strip underneath to form a ledge, then added a .60x.80 strip on top.  After a bit of filler and sanding I extended the deck planks with my scribe tool to blend it all together.

 
It would be possible to hide this gap by covering it with a waterway extended in front of the transom, but my understanding is that waterways were never added across the stern section.
 
Those who are very familiar with this kit will note that I've added the boom traveller to the spar deck (I'll remove the one molded to the transom rail).  The Hull model clearly shows the traveller where the Revell kit has it, but that positioning has always bugged me... It may also be why the kit has the spanker boom so high up on the trysail mast.  Olof Eriksen has a similar beef with this and his research suggests that the builders of the Hull model took a shortcut with their approach and it should've been put down on the deck to match standard practice.  I'm going with that version...
 
Finally, I've begun to slap together the berth deck section that will be exposed below the open hatch on the gun deck.  I've elected to suspend the section from under the gun deck rather than glue ledges against the inner hull and span the entire width.  

More details on this later...
 
Thanks again for tuning in!
Evan

Cheers Rick - thanks for your continued interest... Do I see the Philadelphia from the American History Museum in your avatar?
 
A bit more of the build:
 
I took to heart Blue Ensign's advice and replaced the galley stack with something a bit more in scale:

I added a bit of "animation" by rotating the top half - the idea being that the lower portion is fixed and the upper can be turned with the handles to accommodate any prevailing breeze:

 
I've also added the drainage plugs to the chain pumps:

 
One bugaboo that I remember from my MK1 version, done all those decades ago, was that the spar deck came up a bit short to the transom.  I elected to add a small strip to the end to make up the potential gap.  I started with a strip underneath to form a ledge, then added a .60x.80 strip on top.  After a bit of filler and sanding I extended the deck planks with my scribe tool to blend it all together.

 
It would be possible to hide this gap by covering it with a waterway extended in front of the transom, but my understanding is that waterways were never added across the stern section.
 
Those who are very familiar with this kit will note that I've added the boom traveller to the spar deck (I'll remove the one molded to the transom rail).  The Hull model clearly shows the traveller where the Revell kit has it, but that positioning has always bugged me... It may also be why the kit has the spanker boom so high up on the trysail mast.  Olof Eriksen has a similar beef with this and his research suggests that the builders of the Hull model took a shortcut with their approach and it should've been put down on the deck to match standard practice.  I'm going with that version...
 
Finally, I've begun to slap together the berth deck section that will be exposed below the open hatch on the gun deck.  I've elected to suspend the section from under the gun deck rather than glue ledges against the inner hull and span the entire width.  

More details on this later...
 
Thanks again for tuning in!
Evan

I was going to wait until I had the brake pumps completed, but here are some quick snaps of the current state of things:
 
I've got the bitts completed (except for some rings for the stoppers that'll wait until after the initial painting):


 
Also have completed the cisterns and covers for the chain pumps - still need to fashion some handles:

 
Just for a bit of extra fun... I've left off the cover on one of the cisterns to "expose" the underlying chain wheel:


 

 
It started with me strolling through the model train store for something to use for my capstan drumheads.  I didn't find anything suitable, but this little packet did catch my eye:
 

 
And I thought, hmmmm...
 
So after forking over too much hard earned cash (I think each wheel ended up being over a buck!) I trimmed them up slightly and glued on some small lengths of styrene rod then snipped off the ends.  I suppose some spare PE railings or scale ladder bent around the circumference would've worked as well:
 

 

 
They are really cable sheaves and aren't quite perfect for the job, but at this scale, and barely visible thru the openings, it should suffice well enough.  I'm just gonna paint it black then leave well enough alone - I don't fancy trying to replicate the chain.  That'd be too fiddly and would likely diminish the effect.
 
And just to make sure people know these things don't all work out on the first try... Here is my debris field:

 
Thanks for following along

Now it is on to the deck details - starting with the capstans.  The one provided in the kit sucks and begs for replacement. I also need to provide one for the gun deck.
 
But how to do the drumheads - especially when using styrene?  I pondered and pondered and finally came up with an approach that worked reasonably well.  The key was to visit the local hardware store to acquire some metal washers of appropriate size - 1/8" (#6) did the trick.  The washers will serve as the outline of the circles as we spin everything around on the drill press and use a file to shape the drumhead.
 
Here are the raw materials:

 
After outlining the circles on some sheet styrene (using the washers as a template), I punched the centers and rough cut the shapes.  Those were then mounted on a bolt sized to the washer opening with two washers sandwiching each side of the styrene.  Everything was then clamped tight with the nut:


 
I mounted the set up in the drill press, gave it a whirl, and filed the blanks even with the edges of the washer templates:

 
After removing the styrene from the bolt - viola!  


 
Next I snipped some small styrene stock (.040 x .080 Evergreen 144) and glued them around the perimeter leaving spaces in between to represent the bar openings:

 
After sandwiching those between two of the styrene "washers" I nipped off any protruding material, mounted the rough drumhead back in my bolt assembly and gave it another spin with some light filing to clean the final shape.

 
The whelps were easily managed - just stuck some short pieces of .080 x .080 (Evergreen 164) styrene to some tape and used a round file to carve out the centers:

 
Everything was glued to a small length of styrene rod (6.4mm - Plastruct 90864) and a few small details were added to complete the effect. Coincidentally, the rod fit exactly into the center openings defined by the washers.
 
Here is the gun deck capstan:

 
I wanted the spar deck capstan to look more like the one on the Hull model in the PEM - more mushroom shaped and svelte in comparison to the stockier gun deck capstan:


 
Thanks for enduring the process explanation!

Very nicely done! The crank handles look terrific and everything is nicely proportioned.

Wes -
 
Apparently the first skylight of any type didn't appear until 1847 (according to written evidence):
 
http://www.history.navy.mil/USSCTour/manuals/ConstitutionSkylight.pdf
 
I'm certain you'll find other goodies to utilize your terrific skills to create/enhance!
 
I know that a small hatch was added just forward of the helm prior to the war to facilitate better communication down to the gun deck.  Otherwise the Hull model might be the best guide for the hatch layout circa 1812.  The drawings of the President done after her capture could help, but would not be definitive.  There are also deck drawings of United States by Charles Ware that might be representative.
 
Good stuff!
 
EG

The workshop is back to shipshape and things have settled down enough for some build time...
 
The gun deck has come along:
 
The first need was to finally get the beam stanchions in place.  These were some of the first items I attempted for this deck, but I couldn't get anything satisfying...  I first thought to just use some stanchions from the extra Heller Victory kit in my stash, but those were too wimpy.  I bulked up my own version and test fitted those... Still too wimpy.  And worse, I couldn't seem to keep them consistently straight and true.  
 

 
Finally I decided to use my thickest rod and position them into holes drilled through the decking.  I did the base and caps using the square tubing in my styrene pile.  I reamed it out with the appropriate drill bit matched to the rod and slid them into position along the rod with enough sticking down to pass through the deck.  That did the trick.
 
To keep all the deck features secure I added some rod underneath to fit through similar holes drilled into the deck:
 

 
The appropriate holes were drilled through all along the deck to accept the various components
 

 
You'll notice that at some point I decided that the pumps should all sit on a raised platform amidships.  Just seemed like the right thing to do.
 

 
Here are some views of all the gun deck features test fitted:
 

 
I've put one of the Admiral day cabin bulkheads from my Heller Victory in place to see what it might look like if I added the Captain's suite to the deck.  It has potential, but I think I'll stick with my stated intention of not including this and keep the gun deck cleared for action.
 
Spare anchor stored amidships:

 
Manger

 
Pumps


 
I think I'm just about ready to paint the darn thing!
 
Thanks for following along
Evan

I have names for them John: 'Movedwhenglued', 'Breechingslipped', 'Ropecoilshifted', 'PITB', 'Tacklecameloose', 'Thisdidwell', and even more... Overall they belong to the group 'Tediousbutdone'! :)

Hello Folks -
 
Dave - I do hope that there is enough clearance for the guns. 
 
Tony - I'm glad I can generate a "Wow"!  Much appreciated.
 
James - Thank you for the compliment.  I'm sorry to see that you're having health adventures.  I would think the camboose will do well enough - I can't imagine that there is much discernible difference to an earlier version.  And woe to the rivet counter who would actually know the difference!
 
Thank you all for continuing to follow along.
 
Evan

Popeye/Sailor,Tex, Daniel, Marcus, Kim and Verne - Thank you all for the kind accolades.  I'm trying to get everything ready to paint the decks before the holidays.  Hopefully I can smear enough color in the right places to make this all believable.
 
Professor - Thank you as well.  I dunno that I deserve the Sierra Hotel level of praise, but I'll keep putting my efforts out there and hope that it continues to inspire others to revisit this classic kit and explore her history and design in more depth.
 
Thanks again to all!
Evan