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KurtH

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  1. KurtH
    Thank you so much!
  2. KurtH
    I have made up and installed the afore mentioned itsy-bitsy rope coils on the bulwark pinrails.
  3. KurtH
    I used Weldbond which was recommended in the instructions. I do not recommend it. I found that it oozed out around the edges. At first it looked fine. The excess glue was invisible until I applied poly, which was also recommended in the instructions. This turned the excess glue black, making a heck of a mess! I ultimately solved the situation by applying copper liquid leaf over the entire coppered area. This has made a very durable unchanging finish which I like. I know this is only a negative recommendation, but since it is in the instructions, I thought I had better alert you to the pitfalls therein just in case you were considering it. Incidentally, copper liquid leaf is no longer available. I'll say this for the Weldbond though - it has held up well to a lot of handling as I have worked on my model. No plates have come loose. Your planking looks right to me. It look like a little neatening up of the gun ports with a file and a bit of filler here and there will do the trick. Do you plan to install linings? I did not, but perhaps I should have. According to the booklet, there was a time when the gun port lids were fastened in place with sliding bolts when the guns were stowed, then taken in and stored when the guns were run out. I would say you have a choice as to whether to have them on hinges with lanyards, or just omit them. Nice work on a very challenging kit!!
  4. KurtH
    Current state of play as of now. Time to put it aside while I work on video post, and pursue Xmas activities. Running rigging is finalized except for the main braces, and the vangs, which will be finalized when the quarter boats are installed and their topping lifts rigged. Also more rope hanks to do yet. I expect to resume work early in January. Heading into the home stretch!
  5. KurtH
    More rope hanks: Now to do the itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny coils on the bulwark pin rails.
  6. KurtH
    My first attempts at rope hanks. It will not set MSW on fire, but since I have never done this before, I could not resist posting it. Many more to do, but now at least I have some idea how I can do it. Hanks on the bulwark pin rails will need to be about half this size for reasons shown in my last post.
  7. KurtH
    Thank you RossR for your kind words. They are much appreciated.
  8. KurtH
    A word to neophytes like me who are working on the BJ Constitution: When installing the cap rail you might consider making the inboard edge flush with the inner bulwark planking rather than overhanging it as I did. This will enable you to install the pin rails so that the tops of the pins are at or very near the level of the upper surface of the cap rail. As a result, there can be more space between the bottom ends of the pins and the slide tackles of the carronades. There can also be more space between the upper part of the pins and the bulwark, making the looping of line over the top a lot easier when belaying. I repost the photo of the pin rail installation to illustrate this: I have found that any restriction to access to the pins is a good way to end up in a padded cell. I am very glad to have snagged all the lines on the pins except the falls of the quarter boat topping lifts. I do not mind admitting that doing these nullified any chance of my getting the "Spock Award" for emotional control.
  9. KurtH
    Thank you so very much Guy!
  10. KurtH
    Work is proceeding on the braces. Progress is slow on account of my lack of experience. As the photo in my last post shows, the upper fore and aft stays were sagging. When I loosened the braces and reattached the backstays, that sag went away. I re-tensioned the braces aloft using glue because I could not control the tension precisely enough at the belaying point. In order not to loosen the upper stays, I had to bring the tension on the braces up just enough to get a straight line. If they sag later, no problem. On the real ship, they sag a lot anyway. Using Syren rope was a good idea, because they will sag very nicely. So far, I have belayed only the foremast braces. I photographed my progress against a dark background this time in order to make the running rigging stand out more. The appear white, but they are actually the same color as in the previous posts. Unfortunately, the posting process has introduced some pixelization. The lines look a lot better on my computer. A view of the main and mizzen braces. The main brace will be installed after the quarter boats are in place. I just sent these two photos to a friend. I wish the image quality was as good here at it is in my email. Oh well...
  11. KurtH
    Sprits'l yard braces and foremast yard braces in place. Obviously, a lot of tensioning and retensioning has yet to be done. I thought I had that done on the upper stays, but nope. Oh well, good thing I have debonder on hand. Braces can droop, but I will wait until they are all in place, and the backstays are finalized before I try to get it all right. Topmast and t'gallant mast backstays reconnected. My missing the mark on the upper fore and aft stays made me delay finalizing them. I can't believe how hard it is to belay lines. I do not remember its being anywhere near this hard when doing my plastic ship models as a kid.
  12. KurtH
    All the spars installed, and lifts and halyards rigged. The side view shows the halyard tackles a bit better. Now to work on finalizing the backstays and rigging the braces (not necessarily in that order). First, I will need to install any blocks that I have not already attached.
  13. KurtH
    Spanker gaff and boom installed and rigged. Flag line to be rigged later.
  14. KurtH
    I started my BJ Connie build in 2007, and I am still working on it. I may have it done by this time next year.
  15. KurtH
    T'gallant yards crossed. Lifts, jeers, and halyards rigged. Coiled rope on the mizzen t'gallant yard will be braces. Slack in the upper stays is, I hope, temporary.
  16. KurtH
    Thanks Thomas. I have looked in the stores you mentioned, and have a collection of different beads. I am sure, however, that there are beads somewhere that have escaped my notice. It is not just the trucks that are a problem. I do not have the tools or skills to make ribs that small. Anyway, I have already done the leather clad truss parrels described in the Marquardt. As a teenager,I did some Revell plastic kits of ships (Cutty Sark, Thermopylae, Santa Maria). This is my first wood ship kit build.
  17. KurtH
    Thanks Steve!
  18. KurtH
    Crossing and rigging the topsail yards: 1. Fore topsail yard tye arrangement according to the Marquardt AOS. Main tye is similar. 2. Main topsail yard tye and halyard arrangement. The fore topsail yard tye and halyard are similar. The halyard is rigged according to BJ rigging plan and instructions, which are similar to the Marquardt. 3. Mizzzen topsail yard tye according to the Marquardt. Here are views of my progress crossing and rigging the yards so far, including topsail yard lifts, which reflect the current rigging on the ship. I noticed in the photos that this rope is heavier than the rope used in the other lifts, so I used .018" rope instead of the .012" size specified in the instructions for the topsail yard lifts. The tangle of lines on the deck are very long tails left in order to later adjust the tension in the running rigging Onward and upward. I have rigged the t'gallant yard footropes, and will proceed with the trusses, tyes, halyards, and lifts shortly. I am still trying to decide whether to rig the braces before or after finalizing the backstays. I am not sure to what extent the backstays will obstruct the installation of the rope coils. Keith Julier in his book "Period Ship, a Kit Builder's Maual" suggests leaving the backstays until last. Ideas, anyone?
  19. KurtH
    Working on the topsail yard trusses. The instructions have an illustration of how to do the parrels, which is standard for most of the builds I have seen. However, when I saw a photo of the parrels on the actual ship, I realized how much smaller they are in comparison with what is shown in the drawing: I immediately saw that the tools and skills that I have are in no way equal to the task of making these parrels in scale Looking in the Marquardt AOS, I saw an alternative called the Leather Truss Parrel: I got the suggestion to use plumbing tape to use to simulate the leather jacket from another member of MSW. Who that was was lost along with my build log when I accidentally deleted it. My thanks to whoever it was. It worked well. This is my first attempt, so hopefully I'll get better at it in the future.
  20. KurtH
    Thanks so much Bill! I greatly appreciate your kind words! Kurt H.
  21. KurtH
    Thank you so much Steve! I so appreciate it!
  22. KurtH
    Work is proceeding on crossing the topsail yards. Heads Up - The spacing of the stirrups on the starboard and port halves of the fore topsail yard in the plans do not match, and the starboard half of the yard is 1/8" longer than the port half.
  23. KurtH
    Back at it again after time away to do video. All three course yards crossed and slings, jeers, trusses, and lifts rigged. The standing lifts option for the cro'jack yard shown in the Marquardt AOS is employed here. View from aft. A closeup of the cro'jack yard which is rigged a bit differently than the fore and main yards. Standing lifts used and no jeers called for in the instructions. Flemish horses also omitted as in the AOS and photos of the ship. As before the loose lines in the back are cast off backstays. I am debating whether to rig the braces before or after I finalize the backstays. Perhaps I should even wait until I have added the rope coils to the belaying pin racks(?) At any rate, the next step will be crossing and rigging the topsail yards.
  24. KurtH
    One way of insuring that stirrups are all the right length. There is foamcore under the plan sheet. The stirrups face fore and aft. I use a small spot of glue applied to the front of the yard to secure the stirrup, then take the yard off the plan sheet and wrap the line around it holding the loop in the correct athwart ships orientation while I glue the line to the yard. It seems to work well.
  25. KurtH
    Lifts rigged. This completes the rigging of the fore yard except for the braces which will be added later. Loose ropes in the background are cast off backstays. Now to tackle the main yard. This should go a bit faster now that I have some idea of what to do, and what not to do. My plan is to do all the course yards, then the topsail yards, etc.

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