ScottRC

Finished the outer railings and am happy that is behind me.  The job required a little trial and error but worked out in the end.
 
Started out making all the stanchions using the same methodology as in post #48.  This wasn't so bad.  Trying to accurately place the second course rail turned out to be the trick.  Like with the top rail I wanted to evenly, and symmetrically, crimp the brass rod before drilling.  This would make it easier to drill the second hole and also give the solder a place to build up to yield something of a spherical look.
 
My attempts at flattening the junction with a punch sort of worked but was far from repeatable and definitely not symmetrical.  I ended up partially sacrificing a small pair of end nippers to do the crimping.  I gradually ground out a gap in the jaws until I could crimp the rod to what looked like a good depth.  Trial and error.  The tool worked exceptionally well.  Next came drilling the hole, which for the second rail is 0.45mm.  Top rail is 0.5mm.  As was suggested to me, I made up a prick punch out of a 1/16" HSS drill bit.  I ground the end to a sharp point.  Trouble was, the target is so small I could not accurately guide the punch to the correct spot due to shadows, my eyesight, fingers in the way, etc.  More importantly, even lightly striking the punch would tend to fold the rod at the flat and seriously weaken the intersection.  In the end I had little choice but to free hand the drilling.  Took a while and only ruined about 3 stanchions in the process.
 
I made a little jig to hold the stanchions for locating second railing hole.

 
Kind of crude but made a really nice crimp.

 
The crimp.  The process elongated the stanchion by 1mm.

 
I also added a reference mark that would be top of wood rail and one for total length.

 
Pretty small.

 
Looks like a string of firecrackers.  Before trimming to length.

 
I pressed each stanchion into a drilled hole (no glue) and then strung the wire rails.  On a tight radius I had to feed the stanchions on one at a time.  Once everything was in place I went around and soldered each intersection.

 
Once everything is soldered, I could carefully remove the whole assembly to file imperfections and paint.  It was surprisingly durable.

 
Once painted I simply reinstalled.



 
 
 

Copper plating continues. The first picture shows the plating before I was really reaching the gore line:
 

 
As the plating was "bending" up at the stem and stern, it was terminated at the tape marked gore line, where I will start a new row of plating that is more in line with the final waterline. Here it is at the stern:
 

 
and the stem:
 

 
The next two show the plates up to the gore line with the tape still in place:
 

 
And removed
 

 
Finally, here is the first of the plates above the gore line:
 

 
One thing that surprised me was that I started a new roll of Venture tape when I went to the gore line and it seems a bit redder to me. I doubt that it will matter once it tarnishes a bit, but it was still a surprise. Fortunately, I ran out of the old roll just as I finished both sides below the gore line, so it will at least be consistent. If it really starts bothering me, I can hit it with some copper paint, but, like I said, my guess is once it starts tarnishing it won't be very obvious.
 
Regards,
George

Okay, it's been a couple of months where I've been mostly focused on the Discovery. Here she is now, including the bow decoration which was a royal pain to make:
 

 

 
So, back to the Kearsarge for a bit. As I indicated above, next is going to be the copper plating, after which, I can mount on a build board. I like to use 3/16 venture tape, which is now discontinued, for making plates at 1:96 scale. I also like to make them about 1/2" long, which translates to a 18" by 48" plate in real life. The Flying Fish called for 14" high plates, looking at some of the ones on the Constitution makes me thank that this is close enough. So, step 1 is to put copper tape on the keel and at the stem and stern to sort of frame the bulk of the copper work. I have a batch of 1/4" Venture tape that I used for that. Obviously I wasn't going for precision, but it won't matter, because, except on the actual keel, it will be covered by the rows of plates. The blue tape marks the point where I will stop coppering.
 

 
Next, here is my plate making apparatus, which I kept from the Fish. I run two sets of tape through the jig, use the pizza cutter to score along the two gaps on the left. Then I move the tapes so that the new scores are even with the left side of the jig and repeat. I tend to cut the strips into 6 plate sections, as anything larger can be difficult to work with.
 

 
I use the adhesive from the tape to attach it to the hull, but don't bother with nail marks, which would be pretty much invisible at this scale. Instead I let the imperfections in the tape suggest the surface (including the nails). Here is the first few rows on the starboard side. First, overall, with the Disco in the background:
 

 
And two closer looks:
 

 

 
I wasn't sure how it was going to lay on the hull, but if you look at the bow you will see that the natural flow has a definite "upsweep". I expected as much, so will be laying down a bit of tape to mark a gore line. Basically, I'll run the tape up to the gore line and then restart the plates in a flatter arc. I'll point it out when I get there.
 
Thanks for looking in!
 
Regards,
George

A little update.  The Mizzen is done for now and now working on the Main running gear.

A little bump to the thread. I'm sorry I have been very inactive on this build as of late.....My daughters house purchase fell through....so she and her's are back home. I've been tackling the new roof install on my garage....so that too has held me up. And now its getting to spring...which means loads of yard work and outdoor activities. I hope to get back into the shop and organize my modeling thoughts...once again....soon.

I hope everyone is having a smooth new year and coming spring.
 
Rob

You're welcome.  It's not a sure fix for the skilled and motivated modeler, who has a routined propensity for damaging their own models.    We do what we can do.....

On-line is the only way to make a go at it because the market is so specific and margins small.  Ask any of the number of folk here on MSW who are running hobby specific businesses.  The overhead and supply chain costs to maintain a storefront is no longer affordable, hence why the decline of the traditional hobby shop.  Starting small, like with ETSY as was suggested, or with Facebook Market is a start.  

A little update.  The Mizzen is done for now and now working on the Main running gear.

On-line is the only way to make a go at it because the market is so specific and margins small.  Ask any of the number of folk here on MSW who are running hobby specific businesses.  The overhead and supply chain costs to maintain a storefront is no longer affordable, hence why the decline of the traditional hobby shop.  Starting small, like with ETSY as was suggested, or with Facebook Market is a start.  

I found this letter years ago in the National Archives Microfilm Rolls. Dated December 31st, 1811, Washington Navy Yard Commandant, Captain Thomas Tingey, wrote his report to Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton. He had been ordered to survey the hulls of the Frigates Boston and New York, then in ordinary in the yard, to see if they could be repaired for service. The nation was spiraling towards war with Great Britain, and the US Navy needed every ship of war it could get.
 
"Sir,
 
The master and the foreman of the ships carpenters , having been asked to re-examine the state of the Frigates New York and Boston - have reported the following as to the state of the Frigate New York:
 
The whole of the floor timbers and first futtocks are of white oak - twenty six of the floors (being those in the extreme ends) and the whole of the first futtocks must be replaced with new. The 2nd and 3rd futtocks and top timbers are of live oak, cedar and locust, and appear tolerably sound, particular(ly) those of live oak. The fore and the after end of the keelson, all the ceiling, decks, beams knees, together with the Wales, upper works and part of her bottom plank, will require to be new. Probably a few of the knees may answer again, or be better fitted in a smaller ship.
 
Of the Boston, they state that, the whole of her frame being white oak, "consequently a great part is rotten, but being a better quality than that of the New York", her floors and first futtocks appear to be in a better state. The 2nd and 3rd futtocks, and the top-timbers, stern frame, hawse pieces and breast hooks must be new, together with most of her ceiling, all of her beams, knees, decks, upper works and part of her bottom plank.
 
Maturely considering the foregoing report, and from my own knowledge of the state of those ships, I am clearly of the opinion that, to repair them completely,  (having no dock for that purpose), it would cost full as much, as to build new ships of equal rate. I therefore respectfully recommend that the New York be broken up, and a new ship built to repair her. But inasmuch as the form of the bottom of the Boston, is worth preserving (being probably the swiftest sailing ship in the world), I cannot hesitate to recommend that she be repaired, not withstanding the extent of the expense." 
 
As this is respectfully submitted, I have the honor to be, very respectfully, sir, Your Obt. Servt., Thos. Tingey"
 
Note that although both ships were only twelve years old, both were completely used up. Such was the poor quality and temporary utility of northern white oak for ship-building. But the hull form of the Boston was so impressive that Tingey desperately wanted to preserve it. This implies that the navy did not possess a copy of her draught at that time, even though a copy of her builders draught was found in the National Archives. 
 
 

Scott,
Even now I vividly recall struggling with installing those kit-supplied ratlines; I wasn't happy with them at all,
but, in those days, there weren't many sources of information on model building available so, as a kid,I went 
with what was provided. It's great to see you're not using them! Alas, I used the darned things again years later
on the Constitution build but managed to do a bit better with them. It's certainly a blessing to have a site such
as this, these days, to have access to so many excellent knowledgeable modelers ideas on how to authentically
recreate these sailing vessels. Your ship is looking great, looking forward to seeing the finished vessel!
Best Regards,
Gary
 
 

I think I am liking the process of attaching the running rigging for each mast and spar before attaching the backstays and ratlines.  Its so much easier to get to belaying pins.   I have the mizzen almost complete.
 
 
 
 

 

Work continues on the masts and I'm quite happy so far with the results, as they line up true in the dry fit stage. Next, I had to calculate what size lines to use for the Fore shrouds and dead eyes, lower shrouds will be .35mm, topmast .25mm, top gallant 50wt thread and the royal shrouds are 60wt thread. Top mast dead eyes are 1.40mm, top gallant are 1.20 and the royal measure out to 1.10mm, these are just a tad overscale but look okay to my eye, I still may try to reduce them still, we'll see....at this scale the dead eye strops/plates are the futtock shrouds, I will use CA glue in the plate area of the thread so I can flatten it once it's dried to simulate the plates followed by some creative painting.
The main royal mast is just about completed with the hounds still left to do, trestle tree, cap and flagpole. I also added the battens to the fore lower masthead.
Michael D.
 
 

Very cool, great job so far!

Its been a while and I have been neglecting my log.  I have finished the standing rigging minus the shrouds.  I thought I'd do those for each mast as I complete the majority of the running rigging.  I find its much easier to get to the belaying pins.  I almost lost my mind on the Constitution trying to thread through the ratlines to get to the pins on the fife rails.  
 
I am starting at the mizzen and attaching and rigging each yard and then running the lifts and other mechanicals for the entire mast before finishing the ratlines.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/534x712q90/923/dgGTam.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/534x712q90/924/WLMom6.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/534x712q90/924/yqvQfg.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/949x712q90/922/wHqByp.jpg
My Constitution in its final stages.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/553x738q90/923/Mo7jOY.jpg
 
 

Another update with some real progress, I think.
 
First, I completed the hammock netting around the ship and fixed the frames for the gunports. I also mounted the laser cut pieces that provide the support for the forecastle deck. The top of those pieces need to be level with the top of the gunport frame, and as built, that was not the case, so I put the bow down on a piece of paper, traced the exterior from the forward gunports to the prow, and cut out four thin pieces of wood that I could use to build up the area under the deck. They were mounted and then sanded until they were (a) consistent with the outside curvature of the hull (b) properly level against the gunport, and (c) even at the prow. Took some time but it worked. Here are a couple of photos after an initial sanding and some primer.
 

 

 

 
After this, I painted the interior bulwarks white (took 3 coats), and then installed the portholes (there are 20 of them):
 

 
I've started painting the hull. This is the port side, painted black on the outside. and a view of port side from the bow. The starboard side isn't done yet, I wanted it to dry a bit before I turned it on its side. I am going to apply copper tape sheathing as I did with the Flying Fish, but I like to apply the copper to a black rather than primer, gray or unfinished bottom - I think that any gaps look better. As you can see between this ship and the Discovery in the background I've been going through a lot of flat black and flat white paint lately!
 

 

 
As @MrBlueJacket says, "putty and paint makes it look what it ain't".
 
I do have one question to those looking in. This is first time I've used a scribed deck, and I'm concerned that the line where the two halves join is going to be obvious. Here is a photo from while I was fitting the deck halves:
 

 
As you can see, it looks good forward (where it will mostly be hidden alas, and is more obvious aft. I sanded off the char (holding the halves together so they would be uniform) and that helped, but... I haven't put any kind of stain on it yet, does that help? Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Thanks for looking in!
 
George
 

Hello Everyone -
I got the hull painted, stripe and all

 
Got the deck installed. With this kit the guns can turn


Looks like she's shooting the ECB.

At this point and because I did a lot of painting ahead of time, progress is moving pretty quickly.
All the boats

Superstructure and stack:


After review of the photos and before hitting submit, I noticed a paint spot on a boat I'll have to correct.
Things are moving along so I should finish in a day or so.
We'll see how long the honey-do list is first.
 
Comments welcome - Kenneth
 

I glued the AA guns, this model has 8 additional type 96 AA guns but these are double. I strip off almost anything to work better, some pieces left on hull need to cut them.

Here is the stock that i have aging for the next 12 months. About half of it has been aged over a year, its only the new lumber that cant be used until November so i have more than enough to start the project later in the year

Here's what I came up with: a net, a spear, a hook, and a weight with a cross carved into it. 

I am thinking of just stowing the net below decks. This is because, while I did the best I could with what I had (an old garlic bag) it looks the same type and level of tacky as using plastic ratlines. Other than that, the spears and weight look good, and the spears should scream "fishing boat". Given how massively important fishing, and especially commercial fishing was in the Late Middle Ages, it's surprising that we don't see more about how fishing was done and with what tackle. 

More progress on the mainsail: 
I recently rigged the braces, single vang, and sheet. 
I've recently adopted a more realistic modus operandi for displaying coiled line. 

I don't really want to risk ruining the work I put into making the sail material wrinkle-free by brushing it with diluted super glue and blowing it with a fan, as the amount of billow in the sail currently is realistic for a light wind. The issue is that this type of silkspan, while scale-accurate, is very light and not stiff in any way. This lends it to poor billowing in the absence of real wind. 

The bent sail and yard, and how they will be displayed on-ship:

I did something a little differently than usual. Usually, what I do is take a small piece of line, thread it through the hole in the sail, and tie it together at the top of the yard. This time, I put a knot between the sail and yard, and another one on top of the yard. The idea of this was to prevent the top of the sail from bunching up at the yard, and it worked about as well as I expected. 
I dunked all of the ropes needed for this sail in a brown paint/water mixture, and you can see some of them behind the stern castle. 

The rigging elements for the main yard and sail:

I have chosen to display my ship with only one vang on the main yard, and this is why:
Now, I have some ideas regarding how the rigging is supposed to work. Remember, Santa Sofia is more a Medieval lateener than anything else, and caravel running rigging sources are nearly non-existent. When they exist, they are almost always over a hundred years after my caravel would have sailed. 
So, let's go back a hundred years. 

This is a detail from the "Siege of Acre" painting in the Cocharelli Codex, from the 1330's. Historians actually have no real idea whether this is Acre or Genoa, but based on context, it is probably Acre. 
Anyway, the artist is kind enough to teach us how to sail a Medieval lateener at the bottom of the page, showing one ship in the process of changing tack. Either way, only one vang is shown on each yard. This vang swings around the yard behind the sail on each tack. This, logically, performs the same function as two vangs would, with half the hassle. The braces at the front of the yard would actually control it, while the vangs (or vang) would simply brace the end of the yard against the wind. As I have said before, we need to discard more modern notions of how sailing works when dealing with Medieval ships, as parts change purpose. 
 

Having nothing else to do for New Year's, I did the shrouds. 

Despite my best efforts, the lines remain hairy. It gets less visible the further away you get from the rope. I attempted to design the blocks and tackles to be as close to the Mataro model as reasonably achievable, and I think I did a pretty good job. In fact, I'd say that disregarding the quality of the line itself, this is one of my better shroud setups. 

I made and fitted the mainmast halyard knight, the parrel knight, and the ship's pump. I also made the bottom of the hull look a little more disgusting and painted gloss on the hull and deck where water would be. 

I think I might leave the pump handle off until the rigging is done as I might accidentally break it off.