GGibson

2 hours ago, Chuck Seiler said:

Martindale acquired Malco a few months back.  As a Malco customer I got notification.  Malco is becoming 'part of the team' so Greg and company are still players.  Since it will take awhile to incorporate Malco stock into their catalogue, I was told to continue to order thru Malco.

I was not aware of this!  Thanks for the heads-up!  I placed my first order with Malco around the first of the year for my (at-the-time) newly acquired Byrnes saw.  Excellent saw blades, although I was pretty much past any serious cutting stages on my previous build (and, frankly, I, too, was disappointed in the shipping delays, totally UPS fault, though, not Malco's).  Looking forward to using the Byrnes and blades more as I begin my Constitution.  Again, thanks for the info! 👍

2 hours ago, JSGerson said:

Overall, your model looks great!

Agreed!  Do whatever you feel you need to as the builder, Peter, but don't think anyone is going to comment on any cannon size disparity.

Can't remember if I have seen pictures of your base and pedestals previously, but I am really liking the looks!  Great job!

I just purchased a piece of canarywood that I am going to use (eventually!) for my Constitution base.

Nice comparison exercise, Peter!  I hope you like Ropes of Scale.  They do have a light beige, as well.  

3 hours ago, Butterball jr said:

I just finished this kit and wanted to know the best way to secure the boat to the stand. the boat is very wobbly but I'm not sure I want to glue it.

Congrats on finishing!  I simply glued my boat to the stand, but you could use brass rod and tubing as an alternative.  K&S Metals is my go-to for anything brass.  Round Tubing | 1" OD and Smaller | USA Made | K&S Precision Metals – ksmetals

Good luck! 

9 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

As for trimming the gun deck levels with Dremels and a Dremel stand, I'd like to see some details on that when you get around to doing it...

 

Hey Peter!  Thanks for the comments and recommendations.  In all of my research of completed and ongoing Constitution build logs, I saw that it appears that Jon used a Dremel or similar tool on his bulkheads (Page 5, Post #140) and Tom (usedtosail) used a Dremel and stand on his bulkheads (Page 1, Post #19).  As I mentioned above, it is my intent to wait until the bulkheads are in place before cutting and removing them, which is what Tom did on his build.  Seems like it worked out well for him, but I'm still fearing snagging one of the long bulkhead frames.

9 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

Before you get too far along, I'd suggest you take a look at XKen's build to see if you might want to consider using a carrier deck to facilitate deck planking later.

 

Ken's Constitution build log was also one of those completed logs that I read extensively and have referred back to frequently in my preparation.  And I recall his discussion about the carrier deck, but I took it to mean basically the same process that others have used in having some type of base sheet under the gun deck planking, no matter whether it's plywood, basswood or some other type of flat base.  I'll look at how to best fill those spaces between the bulkheads, though.  I'll read some more on that.  Thanks for the heads-up.

8 hours ago, JSGerson said:

Just a tip: DO NOT throw anything away.... when I put in the new spar deck beams because they had the proper deck camber...

 

Thanks for the tip reminder, Jon!  I remember your comment in your Constitution build log about this very item.  You will note on those last couple of pictures in my post above that I have already written the bulkhead letter on the spar deck braces so that once they're cut off, I'll know where it came from!

Quick question looking for input on the placement of the bulkheads.  In Bob Hunt's practicum, he mentions placing Bulkheads A-K with the printed letters facing the stem and Bulkheads L-R facing the stern.  I recall someone else mentioning that they had to fidget a bit with their bulkhead placements so they fit well in the respective BHF slots.  Did anyone have issues?  My obviously initial intent is, once trimmed, for all of the newly-created gun deck bulkheads be level and even before placement and, once inserted, for them to all line up with their marked reference lines.

I hope to get back this weekend to working on tapering the BHF from the bearding line to the rabbet, getting the three BHF pieces connected, attaching the keel and stern post, and getting everything in a keel klamper vise so that I can have it ready for the bulkhead placement (whenever I finish getting those trimmed).  We still have grandkids but trying to find late-night time to get into the shipyard.

Well, I’ve had a little bit of shipyard time even while the grandkids are visiting, so thought I’d provide a short update.

Of course, like everyone else has done, I had multiple copies of the eight-page plans made and will use one of those copies for my “cut-up plans”.  So, I cut out all of the bulkhead and bulkhead former drawings in order to transfer the various markings and reference lines to the ship’s applicable pieces.

On the plans for the bulkhead former, I cut out the bearding line so that I could trace that line directly onto both sides of the bulkhead former pieces so that a rabbet could be made.

As I had stated in my initial post and like several other builders had done, it is my plan to bash a detailed gun deck.  So to do that, I will need to trim 3/32” from the bulkhead former pieces and from the gun deck level on each of the bulkheads (1/32” for the basswood sheet base plus 1/16” gun deck planking strips).  I grabbed my compass that has a point on one end and lead on the other for markings.  However, it is only able to squeeze down to a 1/8” distance, so it would not work for this.  I was able, however, to find a really nice, heavy compass on Amazon that worked well in scribing the necessary 3/32” lines.

After I marked the 3/32” cut lines on each of the bulkhead former pieces, my initial thought was that it would be easier to trim the individual bulkhead pieces separately, before gluing each of the halves together.  So, I cut a few of the 3/32” pieces off of the starboard side of the front bulkhead former piece and… SNAP.  The back-and-forth motion of the saw on the thin layer was enough to break off a part of the area between the F & G bulkheads.  OK, ok… Time to glue the bulkhead former halves together in order to make it thicker and more solid.

Having thicker bulkhead former pieces made it much easier to trim them down to their required height.  And, as has been discussed before in other build logs, although not technically necessary, I also trimmed the mast hole areas by the 3/32” amount, as well, and will make those adjustments to the masts when I get to that point.

As I did with the bulkhead former pieces, I also used my new compass to scribe the 3/32” lines onto each of the eighteen (18) bulkheads (although I don’t think Bulkhead R will be shortened but I’ll verify again beforehand).  I also want to verify how Bulkhead B will be addressed with its bowsprit notch.

I think it is important to note that, as seen by the picture with the ruler, the scribe line is not a straight line across the entire bulkhead width.  Since the deck is curved slightly, the beams are not a straight line and we need to maintain that curve as best we can when we make the cuts.

I will use my Dremel and the Dremel stand to trim the gun deck levels from each of the bulkheads.  I am thinking, though, that I will not fully remove the spar deck beam supports until after the bulkheads are fixed in place on the bulkhead former.  That update will be provided in my next build log entry.

So, not much of an update on my Constitution, but I had enough notes written on what had been done so far that I thought I’d get it into the build log.  I appreciate those who are following this and providing support, likes, comments and criticisms.

29 minutes ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

...that these channels were temporarily placed with pins.

It was probably just an incorrect choice of words, Peter, but I would add to all this discussion that there is nothing temporary about the pins.  They are placed in the channels and then marked where they hit the hull, holes drilled, adhesive applied, and channel pressed against the hull until secure.  I have used this method not only on small pieces placed on decks or rails like bitts and cleats, but also on vertical placements such as these channels, mast cleats, etc... especially anything that will have any stress placed on it like rigging. 

For fittings with single pins, I will normally just use a 0.83mm or smaller brass rod, but for larger fittings like these channels that might require two pins for accurate placement, instead of brass rods, I will use nails that I have cut the heads off, fixing that end into the channels and then carefully using the pointy ends of the two nails to help mark on the hull where the holes for insertion need to be made.  This process has worked well for me.  👍

2 hours ago, gsdpic said:

...if you go to the "ignored users" section of your own profile, it lists the account names for which you've hidden the signature and you can unhide it there.

Ahhh, perfect!  Thanks, Gary!

Don't remember seeing this option previously.  When looking at build logs, there is a small button in the upper right corner of a person's signature page to either hide that individual's signature section or ALL signatures.  On some folks' signature pages, that might be a nice feature to click on. 

I can especially see a value if you want to do a copy/paste of someone's build log into something like a Word document, but don't need the signature details, and that saves you from deleting those areas in the actual Word doc.  The follow-up question, though, would be... is there a way to unhide someone's signature if you decide you want to see them again?  Not sure I saw that ability when I hid someone's signature section to test this.

Thanks for continuing to make MSW better! 🏆🏆🏆

2 minutes ago, JSGerson said:

Below are a few of the items my sister created. These are NOT photographs, but paintings.

Amazing paintings, Jon.  She is quite talented! 🏆🏆

11 minutes ago, mtbediz said:

Your attention to detail is truly admirable.

I totally agree!  You have demonstrated on countless occasions, Jon, your ability to find solutions to small intricate details.  Kudos, sir! 👍🏆

Well dang... my Bluenose is one of them that has the red maple leaves.  Nice catch! 🤷‍♂️👍

Sure!  As I just stated in a thread a day or so ago, I'm a sucker for little tools/gadgets like this! 🤷‍♂️👍

Have fun with this Amati Bluenose, Rod!  I built the Model Shipways 1:64 scale Bluenose a few years ago, and it was truly the most favorite ship I have worked on.  I really had a fun time building it.  Enjoy your build!  I'll try to peek in periodically. 👍

Saw the same ad in the past few days on a Hobbyist Haven ad.  As CPDDET said, looks pretty cool, may be useful and, unfortunately, I'm a sucker for little things like this. 🤷‍♂️😅

6 hours ago, JSGerson said:

Officially, the gun deck is now complete...   This will involve planking part of the spar aft section... 

Ooooohhh... now we get to see to what extent you are planking your spar deck and exposing the gun deck! Yay! 👍

These look awesome, Chuck!  3/16" single, double & triple is as big as I'll need for my Constitution... whenever I get to that point!

But... may order them soon just so I have them. 👍🏆

52 minutes ago, JSGerson said:

It took numerous attempts, gnashing teeth, time, and vocabulary...

Well, the ladders look pretty #@*#!&^%# good to me, Jon!  Nice finish to them! 

Cockpit seats look great!  And, yes, Joe at Modeler's Sawmill is awesome. 👍🏆

It looks great!  Enjoy your time off.

11 minutes ago, popeye2sea said:

Another important ratio:

I'm confident that other builders have very similar working ratios, Henry, for "Planks Completed" or "Ratlines Completed"... 🤣

Thanks for that research info, Bob and Allan!  Coincidentally, I just received Olaf A. Ericksen's book "Constitution - All Sails Up and Flying", and he has a whole 13-page section on proportions.  Whew! 

11 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

Added your build log to my Followed Content today...

Thanks, Peter!

11 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

...noticed you changed your ID photo.  In keeping with the start of work on Conny?

Of course!  I've got to represent, right?!?  🤷‍♂️🤣

OK, I keep telling myself I am not going to start any cutting or gluing until after the upcoming annual summer stay from grandkids, but I am doing some prep work by cutting up plan copies of keel parts and bulkheads, drawing reference lines, rabbet lines, gun deck cut lines, etc.  So, here's one of my first silly questions... What is the purpose of the vertical reference lines coming down from the Bulkhead O slot?  Is it just demonstrating how all of the bulkheads should slide down in their respective slots and be positioned against the bulkhead former?  Well, duh...!  If anybody understands an alternative purpose, I'd be interested in learning!

Dang, in just dry fitting the three bulkhead former pieces, I can see that this is going to be a big ship!  Yay!

15 minutes ago, JSGerson said:

...shocking, just shocking that I do not have any US Navy plans showing their dimensions...

So I am curious... what is the piece that I was pointing to?  Doing my best to learn all the intricate details.  Sorry and thanks, gents.

30 minutes ago, g8rfan said:

Jon do you (or anyone else out there) know what the true dimensions of the head rails are?

g8rfan, obviously wait for Jon's confirmation and forgive me for taking a shot at this, but over the year or so that I've been following Jon's Constitution build, he has taught me a lot, including where to find some of the plans on the USS Constitution Museum website.

25175-DeckFraming.pdf

As I am just beginning my build, I am not sure if this is exactly what you are looking for, but on both pages 1 & 2 of the deck framing plans (Plan #25175), it shows a rail at the stem with a 5 1/2" width.  Is this our head rails?  Getting it down to your 1:98 scale, that's 0.056" or 1.43mm?  Sounds more realistic than the 9" you mention.

Your build looks great, sir!  Pleased to be able to follow your progress.

38 minutes ago, JSGerson said:

To be honest, I don't care how long the blog or a book is, if the the reading/information is enjoyable, it's not too long.

Bingo...

38 minutes ago, JSGerson said:

...or lost a few in my hungry rug.

After I finished my Santa Maria and before I start the Constitution, I gave my shipyard a deep clean... took everything off of shelves and tables and wiped everything down, vacuumed, dusted, etc.  Can't tell you how many times I said to myself "So that's where that ended up...!"  🤷‍♂️😅

OK, Peter, on this issue I am going to side with Mustafa and Jon on the twist.  I just received another addition to my Constitution library, Olaf A. Eriksen's "Constitution - All Sails Up and Flying", which appears to be an awesome study of how the Constitution was rigged in 1815.  Here's a page from his "Strapping of Blocks" section.  Sorry for the poor attempt at taking a picture.

In these diagrams, the hook appears to be turned 90 degrees from the eyebolt.