JerseyCity Frankie

Thank you all. Yes these vintage kits are interesting. I'm rather young, this one was molded before my mother was born! 
In any case, here is the painting progressing. Shows a rough idea of the color choice. Weathering and pencil planking is still not applied here. Notice the smooth hull since I sanded all the molded planking out. I also tried to fix the lion with a bit of filler, not sure if it improved much, the mold is as you would expect from a 50 year old kit. 

Painting: The weathering of the deck, the planks and the details there were of particular importance to such a small kit. I had to do my best and take my time there: Also note a tiny diorama of a gun carriage I also made in parallel. 

The hull wood grain was terrible. Too big, everything was a relief including the lines between the hulls etc. The deck was not much better, but I left that alone. The hull though seemed really wrong. I decided to paint the lower hull as if coated with "White Stuff" Everything had to go. Initially I wanted the planks lines on the upper hull retained, but in the end these were removed as well. Notice that even the shroud plank chains were solid triangles... These had to go too..

I'm with you on this..    We see many examples where the modeler and the kit plans want to show all the  tackle and lines that would not be present in the absence of sails..
But then again, the list is long, of those conventions that modelers follow that have little basis in reality, but might be pleasing aesthetically, depending on one's taste..
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around trying to rig the Constitution without a rigging plan..

Last night, I was able to finish the jibs and achieve a good look with the furling. I am pretty pleased with it.
A few more lines and it is a wrap. I could have added more details but with the lack of historical information and poor planning on my part it is too late.
Again this a 'training' ship for me to test and learn about ship modelling.

Here’s a photo of some pine tar out of a can. It’s very thick as can be seen and opaque. But the opacity is lessened when it’s painted onto a porous surface. It’s very sticky and very thick and viscous but it thins easily with turpentine. Painted onto some rope, it behaves enough like paint as to be brushablewith a brush or you can wipe it on with a rag. Asingle aplication to fiber rope will not render the rope black but successive coats eventually will. The successive coats eventually stop soaking into the rope and a crust is then formed and at that point it becomes opaque and nearly (but not 100%) black in color. The gloss only lasts until it dries after which point it loses it’s shine and can appear almost chalky after prolonged UV exposure. 

Here’s a shot taken on Niagara. Under the crew’s arm is a stay that’s been served with twine then given many coats of pine tar. The stay’s location low down on the Bowsprit means it’s often getting chafed by the sails and it’s a constant handhold for the crew. As a result it’s surface is scuffed and worn and it can not be said to be 100% Black in color, it’s a very dark brown or grayish-brown. It would only have appeared “very black” for a few weeks after its last aplication of tar. Aplying tar would happen fairly regularly as a daily chore on a sailing ship, but the tarring would be piecemeal not comprehensive. So most of the standing rig wouldn’t be black it would be this dark color.

My brother n law came to stay with his superior camera equipment - so lots of photos which blow up quite well for anyone looking for imperfections. I need sort out a finished model post so I may use some of these. Meanwhile my better half seems to have perked up a little and I may bet back to the workshop soon.

Here’s a photo of some pine tar out of a can. It’s very thick as can be seen and opaque. But the opacity is lessened when it’s painted onto a porous surface. It’s very sticky and very thick and viscous but it thins easily with turpentine. Painted onto some rope, it behaves enough like paint as to be brushablewith a brush or you can wipe it on with a rag. Asingle aplication to fiber rope will not render the rope black but successive coats eventually will. The successive coats eventually stop soaking into the rope and a crust is then formed and at that point it becomes opaque and nearly (but not 100%) black in color. The gloss only lasts until it dries after which point it loses it’s shine and can appear almost chalky after prolonged UV exposure. 

Here’s a shot taken on Niagara. Under the crew’s arm is a stay that’s been served with twine then given many coats of pine tar. The stay’s location low down on the Bowsprit means it’s often getting chafed by the sails and it’s a constant handhold for the crew. As a result it’s surface is scuffed and worn and it can not be said to be 100% Black in color, it’s a very dark brown or grayish-brown. It would only have appeared “very black” for a few weeks after its last aplication of tar. Aplying tar would happen fairly regularly as a daily chore on a sailing ship, but the tarring would be piecemeal not comprehensive. So most of the standing rig wouldn’t be black it would be this dark color.

Here’s a photo of some pine tar out of a can. It’s very thick as can be seen and opaque. But the opacity is lessened when it’s painted onto a porous surface. It’s very sticky and very thick and viscous but it thins easily with turpentine. Painted onto some rope, it behaves enough like paint as to be brushablewith a brush or you can wipe it on with a rag. Asingle aplication to fiber rope will not render the rope black but successive coats eventually will. The successive coats eventually stop soaking into the rope and a crust is then formed and at that point it becomes opaque and nearly (but not 100%) black in color. The gloss only lasts until it dries after which point it loses it’s shine and can appear almost chalky after prolonged UV exposure. 

Here’s a shot taken on Niagara. Under the crew’s arm is a stay that’s been served with twine then given many coats of pine tar. The stay’s location low down on the Bowsprit means it’s often getting chafed by the sails and it’s a constant handhold for the crew. As a result it’s surface is scuffed and worn and it can not be said to be 100% Black in color, it’s a very dark brown or grayish-brown. It would only have appeared “very black” for a few weeks after its last aplication of tar. Aplying tar would happen fairly regularly as a daily chore on a sailing ship, but the tarring would be piecemeal not comprehensive. So most of the standing rig wouldn’t be black it would be this dark color.

Here’s a photo of some pine tar out of a can. It’s very thick as can be seen and opaque. But the opacity is lessened when it’s painted onto a porous surface. It’s very sticky and very thick and viscous but it thins easily with turpentine. Painted onto some rope, it behaves enough like paint as to be brushablewith a brush or you can wipe it on with a rag. Asingle aplication to fiber rope will not render the rope black but successive coats eventually will. The successive coats eventually stop soaking into the rope and a crust is then formed and at that point it becomes opaque and nearly (but not 100%) black in color. The gloss only lasts until it dries after which point it loses it’s shine and can appear almost chalky after prolonged UV exposure. 

Here’s a shot taken on Niagara. Under the crew’s arm is a stay that’s been served with twine then given many coats of pine tar. The stay’s location low down on the Bowsprit means it’s often getting chafed by the sails and it’s a constant handhold for the crew. As a result it’s surface is scuffed and worn and it can not be said to be 100% Black in color, it’s a very dark brown or grayish-brown. It would only have appeared “very black” for a few weeks after its last aplication of tar. Aplying tar would happen fairly regularly as a daily chore on a sailing ship, but the tarring would be piecemeal not comprehensive. So most of the standing rig wouldn’t be black it would be this dark color.

Originally my plan was to use some walnut sheets as a veneer over the MDF, but veneer always looks like veneer and I wanted something a little different. So I decided to take the veneer idea one step further and plank the case as if it were a deck and hull.

I chose Maple for the horizontal/deck surfaces and Walnut for the vertical/hull surfaces.

I started with the base,

 

 
I thought that the top of the case would need a bit more than just decking so I purchased a couple of AL grating kits. These were made up and edged with some spare stock.



I painted the top black where the gratings would sit and marked the centreline and the perpendicular lines for the butt shift guides.

Here are the gratings and the centre plank glued on. Throughout this build I used Aliphatic carpenters glue which meant that very little clamping was needed.




One half planked in a 4 shift pattern.



The top completely planked and scraped and sanding underway.



I used a standard double edged razor blade for the scraping, which proved that I need to invest in a good cabinet scraper. I also debated whether to indicate treenails. In the end I was worried that it would look too busy and that along with my fear that I couldn’t get them neat enough convinced me that for now I wont show them.

The top was finished with Danish oil and a good buffing with a protective wood balsam/wax.




I made a little box to display a name/detail piece and placed that and the kit flag on the base



The completed display;







 Her home for the moment;

Well, I've finished at last.

Thanks for reading this log, I hope it has been of interest and helpful to anyone thinking of building this kit, even if only to show which mistakes to avoid!

Now to start my next build……

Cheers, and Happy Sanding!

Here’s a photo of some pine tar out of a can. It’s very thick as can be seen and opaque. But the opacity is lessened when it’s painted onto a porous surface. It’s very sticky and very thick and viscous but it thins easily with turpentine. Painted onto some rope, it behaves enough like paint as to be brushablewith a brush or you can wipe it on with a rag. Asingle aplication to fiber rope will not render the rope black but successive coats eventually will. The successive coats eventually stop soaking into the rope and a crust is then formed and at that point it becomes opaque and nearly (but not 100%) black in color. The gloss only lasts until it dries after which point it loses it’s shine and can appear almost chalky after prolonged UV exposure. 

Here’s a shot taken on Niagara. Under the crew’s arm is a stay that’s been served with twine then given many coats of pine tar. The stay’s location low down on the Bowsprit means it’s often getting chafed by the sails and it’s a constant handhold for the crew. As a result it’s surface is scuffed and worn and it can not be said to be 100% Black in color, it’s a very dark brown or grayish-brown. It would only have appeared “very black” for a few weeks after its last aplication of tar. Aplying tar would happen fairly regularly as a daily chore on a sailing ship, but the tarring would be piecemeal not comprehensive. So most of the standing rig wouldn’t be black it would be this dark color.

Here’s a photo of some pine tar out of a can. It’s very thick as can be seen and opaque. But the opacity is lessened when it’s painted onto a porous surface. It’s very sticky and very thick and viscous but it thins easily with turpentine. Painted onto some rope, it behaves enough like paint as to be brushablewith a brush or you can wipe it on with a rag. Asingle aplication to fiber rope will not render the rope black but successive coats eventually will. The successive coats eventually stop soaking into the rope and a crust is then formed and at that point it becomes opaque and nearly (but not 100%) black in color. The gloss only lasts until it dries after which point it loses it’s shine and can appear almost chalky after prolonged UV exposure. 

Here’s a shot taken on Niagara. Under the crew’s arm is a stay that’s been served with twine then given many coats of pine tar. The stay’s location low down on the Bowsprit means it’s often getting chafed by the sails and it’s a constant handhold for the crew. As a result it’s surface is scuffed and worn and it can not be said to be 100% Black in color, it’s a very dark brown or grayish-brown. It would only have appeared “very black” for a few weeks after its last aplication of tar. Aplying tar would happen fairly regularly as a daily chore on a sailing ship, but the tarring would be piecemeal not comprehensive. So most of the standing rig wouldn’t be black it would be this dark color.

Bright white should be avoided. Not only does it look “too clean” it doesn’t resemble actual natural fiber rope at all. It’s possible to find modern sailing ships with rigging that is very white, but these are all manmade fiber ropes made of Dacron or nylon, materials unavailable before WWII.

Bright white should be avoided. Not only does it look “too clean” it doesn’t resemble actual natural fiber rope at all. It’s possible to find modern sailing ships with rigging that is very white, but these are all manmade fiber ropes made of Dacron or nylon, materials unavailable before WWII.

Bright white should be avoided. Not only does it look “too clean” it doesn’t resemble actual natural fiber rope at all. It’s possible to find modern sailing ships with rigging that is very white, but these are all manmade fiber ropes made of Dacron or nylon, materials unavailable before WWII.

I have now completed installing the Thwart Risers, adjacent ceiling pieces and beams for the stem and stern sheets.  The Thwart Risers and Ceilings will be painted so I have chosen not to use nail fasteners. The outer strakes will also be painted. 
 
 Next will be the Centerboard Trunk and Mast Step. 

Hi,
I took a break from the boring tying ratlines and I made a trial for a buoy... Imitation of the rigging came from the last picture.

I’m a “paint everything” person there’s very little wood with the grain showing on my models. But I can appreciate the “only wood “ guys since they can’t use fillers and the craftsmanship thing is often amazing. But I DO have a problem when plywood is left unpainted this just takes me right out of the illusion and I feel a little sad that all that work went into the making of it but there’s the plywood’s edge ruining the effect. 

I’m a “paint everything” person there’s very little wood with the grain showing on my models. But I can appreciate the “only wood “ guys since they can’t use fillers and the craftsmanship thing is often amazing. But I DO have a problem when plywood is left unpainted this just takes me right out of the illusion and I feel a little sad that all that work went into the making of it but there’s the plywood’s edge ruining the effect. 

I’m a “paint everything” person there’s very little wood with the grain showing on my models. But I can appreciate the “only wood “ guys since they can’t use fillers and the craftsmanship thing is often amazing. But I DO have a problem when plywood is left unpainted this just takes me right out of the illusion and I feel a little sad that all that work went into the making of it but there’s the plywood’s edge ruining the effect. 

I’m a “paint everything” person there’s very little wood with the grain showing on my models. But I can appreciate the “only wood “ guys since they can’t use fillers and the craftsmanship thing is often amazing. But I DO have a problem when plywood is left unpainted this just takes me right out of the illusion and I feel a little sad that all that work went into the making of it but there’s the plywood’s edge ruining the effect. 

I’m a “paint everything” person there’s very little wood with the grain showing on my models. But I can appreciate the “only wood “ guys since they can’t use fillers and the craftsmanship thing is often amazing. But I DO have a problem when plywood is left unpainted this just takes me right out of the illusion and I feel a little sad that all that work went into the making of it but there’s the plywood’s edge ruining the effect. 

I’m a “paint everything” person there’s very little wood with the grain showing on my models. But I can appreciate the “only wood “ guys since they can’t use fillers and the craftsmanship thing is often amazing. But I DO have a problem when plywood is left unpainted this just takes me right out of the illusion and I feel a little sad that all that work went into the making of it but there’s the plywood’s edge ruining the effect. 

Lou,
Thanks for your opinion. As a newbee I wanted to here what you guys had to say. Thanks again.. Oh here is a pic