Keith Black

Sorry for the delay Pat.     The painting is called, *Conquerors of Cape Horn* depicting them in 1879 Race.  It's a water color by artist Carl G. Evers
 
Rob

Rob, you keep referring to the “Connie” or “Conny”.  Are you referring to the USS Constitution or Constellation?After 30 years in the Navy I’ve never heard of the Constitution referred to as the Connie. That was reserved for the USS Constellation. It’s a bit confusing. 
 
 

I would love to see a picture of that if at all possible.  I wonder what ships graced it burning greased timbers.....?
 
What a find for sure......that would complete any discriminating library....
 
Rob

You might be interested to know I found a copy some years ago of The Practical Shipbuilder of 1839. It was reprinted in limited facsimile edition in 1940 by Richard McKay. Inside the front cover is glued a sliver of wood about 1" square and about 1/16" thick, labelled in pen:
Piece of the Ways
Donald McKay's Shipyard
East Boston - 1845 - 1875
 
The book is dedicated  and signed by Richard McKay. There are seven fold-out plates of representatire hull forms of a sloop, brig, etc, up to a large ship.

Still have loads to do for sail control and lifts and downhauls and addition of the buntline blocks.....
 
I'm going to finish up the main mast before going to the mizzen and then the fore.   Not like I built the Great Republic.  I developed the technique of rigging the entire mast, with sails on the Great Republic.  this ship was started waaaaay long before...so its rigging will be hodge podged.
 
Thanks everyone for all the fine likes and wonderful comments.
 
Rob

Now some pics of the yard/sail being mounted to the mast.
 
Rob

I would love a copy of the label.
 
Glory was owned by Tacoma cold storage at the end and was a cold storage hulk.  Prior to this She produced salmon in Alaska under several names..such as *Glory of the Seas* brand and also *Aristocrat* brand...both sold by Alaska Fish co and Glacier Fish Co..
 
Rob

Bob...I have all the parts to actually create the Conny as a *Receiving*  ship...just as you posted.  It is one of my projects actually.  Imagine that?  I have the hull built and painted..just ready for all the wood structure work to begin.  I have pages of images of the Connie as a receiving ship...from many angles and stages of her condition. I've been researching the idea for some time...funny you should bring it up......  Like mind, I guess....
 
This image shows the time frame...with her next to a frieghter.
 
Rob

Yes John I need to dope them with dilute PVA.

Great work (as usual), Keith.  Is there any way you can encourage the grab lines on the lifebuoys to 'flop' a bit?  they look a little unnatural sticking out like ears.
 
John

Keith, great process and another excellent outcome!  That whole assembly looks great, and with the 'rope softening' will look very realistic; another idea to store away. 
 
cheers
 
Pat

Yes Bob she did *Originally*, however, when she was reduced to a coastal coal and lumber carrier..prior to her being sold as an Alaskan Salmon canary, she had all her stunsail booms removed and had some other cosmetic changes done.  I'm modeling her just about this time frame, that is why there is no gold gilding on her bow and there is ample greying on all of her blackened elements, simulating sun bleaching and an overall  good degree of weathering.  She also had her *boy* cabin removed that sat over her aft hatchway and the chicken house that sat over her midhatch.
I'm primarily focusing on that time period just before she was removed from the registry as a sea going carrier.   This vessel underwent many cosmetic changes and alterations during her life time.  I didn't want to replicate her during her pristine period (I have too many models like that).  I wanted her during her decline of working usefulness.  It makes her artifacts more relevant to the display.
 
There... I hope that explains it well enough......
As usual......thanks for your comments and observations.
 
Rob

Rob - great idea for ready use tool storage - I assume magnetic strips - must copy that.
 

Rigging looking great also.

Great explanations. Thanks much! (I was wondering about the chalking black paint on the masts, but didn't mention it. Excellent effect.) The Pacific Northwest salmon fishery preserved a lot of remarkable vessels at the end of the age of sail. We had the Alaska Packers Association sailing fleet here out of Alameda, California, up until the late 1920's. They had the "Star Fleet," old sailing ships like Glory of the Seas, all renamed "Star of ..." Star of India and Star of Alaska (Balclutha) survived as museums ships. Glory of the Seas wasn't so lucky.
 
I think it's a great idea to portray frequently-modeled vessels at various periods in their lives which haven't been portrayed by modelers. It contributes a lot to recording the history of them. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of models of Constitution in her heyday, but, as far as I know, nobody's ever modeled her in her receiving ship days.
 


 
Well, okay... Constitution is perhaps an extreme example of the concept. (I wonder what the gaff booms on all three masts were all about.) I have had one of the old Marine Models Company Morgan kits, still "mint in the box," sitting on the shelf for about 45 years, but have never started building it. God knows there are enough models of her in the world and no matter how well I built her, it'd just be one more. That said, I've also amassed a pretty extensive research file on her with an eye to modeling her "as launched." I've never seen a model of her at that point in her long life, ship rigged, 1840-period whaleboats, no "shed" built on her poop, windlass aft of the mainmast, no "painted gunports," etc. I imagine she was a better looking boat in her youth. 
 
 
 

So on to the life rings - the real ones come in two standard sizes 30" and 24" outside diameter. Scaling the photographs confirmed that the ones I needed were of the 24" type or 0.66" diameter at model scale. I picked one that looked about right from the web.

I made the ring from .040" thick plasticard. I cut 6 pieces but in the end only needed 4.

The rings were cut to shape and profiled while attached to the end of a piece of aluminium bar. The shaping was done with a needle file while the rings were on the lathe. Four rings were made and then joined.


A piece of dowel was then turned to be a push fit in the bore and this was mounted in a square collet block to allow the 4 scallops to be cut out with a .080" diameter end mill before being drilled with a .024" hole.


The rings were painted and thin plastic strips were glued to form the 4 reflective strips. Finally nylon string was attached to the 4 holes.

A wooden template was then used to drill the deck to take the crutch.

Wooden plinths were attached above the holes.

And then the two life rings were glued in place. The masking is to protect the deck from the poly applied to the plinths.

 
 
 
 
 

Good question, Keith.  My answer is pure speculation.  I think it's to make things easier with the ship's boats.  Not just lifting and launching but also getting over the bulwarks and down the ladder to them.    There is a walkway that runs from the forecastle to the sterncastle/poop.   But again this is a guess.  I'm also trying to figure why they ran the sterncastle/poop to in front of the main mast.   The 8-pdr frigates (most of them it seems) had that deck shop short on the aft side of the mast. 

And I begun the upper topsail yard.......
 
More to come......
 
Rob

And a few more pics of the mounted sail.
 
Rob

Pat I'll have to locate the artist.  What I do know is that the YA was an extreme clipper, where as the Glory was a *Medium* clipper.  More of a DownEaster in design with greater cargo capacity.
 
I worked on the lower topsail and got her mounted...here are some pics of the evening work.
 
Rob 

Fantastic work Gary, fantastic paint skills. Good at maths too-we will not tolerate over or undersized boards!😉

She really looks first class, Gary.
 
John

The more I review your photos the more impressed I am with your craftsmanship. A beauty to see...Moab

So YA was keeping up with fewer of her sails set?   Interesting painting, who painted it please Rob?
 
cheers
 
Pat

The cannon carriages lined up like that really shows the true function of these great ships. Imagine the noise on that deck when a broadside was fired!
 
It is looking great, Siggi.
 
Mark

Here is a famous painting of her racing the Young America, whose close on her tail.  Wonderful painting!
 
Rob