GGibson

Got a few more things completed... NAMEPLATES/SCROLLWORK The work on the nameplates and scrollwork took a bit longer than I had originally planned. First, I was going to enlist the help of my 14-year-old granddaughter to assist me with some Photoshop work to take some of the scrollwork I had obtained on the internet, change it to a yellow color, give it a black background, add some text where needed, and print for me. Well, a 14-year-old's life seems to be more hectic than papa's with schoolwork and other activities, so I decided to tackle the work myself. Actually, didn't do too badly, after downloading the 30-day trial of Photoshop and fussing with it a bit. I then stumbled a bit, as I was printing the decals using the clear version of Sunnyscopa Laser Waterslide Decal Paper. That was not working out well, as the yellow print was just not showing well when placed on the black hull. Duh! How about using their white-backed decal paper?!? Worked very well! As recommended by others, I used the Microscale Micro Set & Micro Sol setting solution before and after placing the decals, and that seemed to help the adherence. Added the hawse pipe lips with CA glue around the scroll work. BATTEN Back up to some of the deck fixtures, I worked on completing the batten that sits next to the wheel box. Pretty straightforward assembly. According to the plans, the batten appears to be about 14mm x 9 mm, and not very tall (as it had to be an easy step up for the helmsman). I first made the batten using some 1/64" x 1/16" wood stock, but after assembling, gluing and staining, it looked horrible, so... let's try again. This time I used a thicker stock, 1/32" x 3/32", and it came out better. Used a routine of stacking one long piece, and then two side pieces, then another long piece, then two side pieces, etc, etc, until I got to that 9mm width. Trimmed the pieces sticking out, sanded sides and top to get down to an appropriate length and height, and this attempt looked much better than the first. The picture is prior to staining. Moving on... COMPANIONWAY Had a little more time before finishing another project, so worked on the companionway next. Decided to construct this, similar to how I did the wheelbox, using full 1/16" sheet for all sides, the base and, this time, for the fixed and sliding roof, as well. Used a very thin piece of scrap for the slide rails. And, like the wheelbox, placed some scrap stock pieces in each inner corner for bracing/support. Although the close-up pictures distort the construction a bit, the final product came out pretty well. Not as fine as I've seen others, but this was good. SEALING THE HULL With the nameplates and scrollwork completed, I am now able to seal the hull and bulwarks with Minwax Wipe-On Polyurethane. Gave it one coat, sanded fairly lightly with 800 grit sandpaper, and just gave it a 2nd coat. We'll see how it looks in a few hours after drying, but two coats may be good. I'm holding off on sealing the deck until I finish these "major structures" that sit on the deck and get them fixed on the deck. I will then put a seal on the deck and the structures. Still haven't completely decided on how this Bluenose will be displayed, but have been seriously thinking of using a launching way display with full rigging but no sails. Whatever I am going to do, I probably need to decide soon, as I continue working on all of the deck structures, but before we get to the masts and rigging. As always, appreciate the peek-ins, likes and comments.

Sharp looking, Jon. Anxious to see them on the ship. 👍

Nice rigging, hamilton! Ehhh, so what if it's been since 2016... as the saying goes, "just like riding a bike", you never forget!

Wood strip cutter. Not sure where John got his, but MicroMark (for example) sells them, as well. Wood Strip Cutter, Windsor Propeller Master Airscrew MA4000, produces precision cuts wood strips for model building (micromark.com)

There is a slight noticeable difference in the lids/covers this time, John. Great job! May try to steal this idea.

Awesome deck work, John! Very impressed! Love how you did the barrel storage/sheathing work. Have been debating how to do the barrels, as well, and, as Ferrus pointed out above, you've used that old picture of their "working deck" to display it all very well! I do love those historical (and current day Bluenose II) pictures. Appreciate you sharing! Carry on!

Looks really sharp, Commodore! Nice hull work!

Waiting on an Amazon delivery in order to hopefully finish the Bluenose scrollwork and nameplate project. In the meantime, let's knock out the unidentified object and the hatches, shall we? Two (well, technically three) pretty straight-forward simple builds... For the unidentified object, I used a 7/16" OD dowel. Before cutting it down to size, I first created the lid seam, as it was easier to do this in the mini-miter box with a longer dowel to hang onto. Created the circle with the miter saw, and widened it slightly all around with an xacto knife. Then cut the dowel at about a 4mm height. Placed a small brass rod in the bottom, which made it easier to hold while staining/painting, and I can use it when I mount and glue this on the deck for additional adhesion/support. Stained the lower part with red mahogany stain I am using for all of the deck buildings and painted the lid white. For the hatches, since they are virtually the same, just slightly longer for the one being placed on the fore deck, I did a lot of the cutting, gluing and staining at the same time. My measurements were 24x24mm and 24x36mm. For the outside frame, I used 1/4" x 1/8" wood stock and used a 3/16" x 3/16" wood stock for inner support and something for the 1/16" panel sheet to sit on. On both of the sheets, I made a groove down the center of the panel to simulate the door halves. I stained the frames in the red mahogany again, and stained the hatch covers in a lighter cherry, which is what I will also stain the deck in a bit, as well as the masts. I will glue the covers inside the frame inserts and drill the appropriate holes on the covers and on the frame sides for the ringbolts. I will also sand on the bottoms to match the deck curvature before permanently placing. The attached picture is obviously before these guys were fully completed. Alright, I hope to get the nameplate issues I've been having resolved soon! Thanks again for peeking in, along with the likes, comments, criticisms and recommendations.

Nice work, Tim! It's all looking sharp!

Well, I finally got to the rudder assembly on my Bluenose. I had actually worked on shaping and painting the rudder several weeks ago in some down time, in between one of the projects for which I was probably waiting on more parts delivery! So now, it was time to complete the pintles and gudgeons construction and get the rudder attached to the hull. In reading and studying many of the completed build logs for the Bluenose, such as those done by David Lester, Ed Kutay, Bob Hermann and others, also including current builds, I continue to look back especially to genericDave's Bluenose log and detailed descriptions, both here on MSW, as well as his Suburban Ship Modeler website. I decided to attempt Dave's approach to completing the pintles and gudgeons for the rudder assembly. My first task, then, was to make a building board like he did so that I could determine where to drill holes in the supplied 1/16" brass strips. Using a scrap piece of board, I marked on it where I would drill the holes on the three (3) sets of strips. I decided the pintles would have 3, 4 & 2 pinholes top to bottom, spaced 2.2mm apart, and the gudgeons would all have just 2 pinholes on all three, spaced 2.5mm apart. Determining the thickness of the rudder and the sternpost at each contact point, I then made lines on the building board (and marks on the strips using an Xacto blade for where each of the strips would be bent in order to wrap around the rudder and sternpost/hull. This work gave me the opportunity to purchase a new tool for the shipyard! In order to assist in making these super-small holes just millimeters apart from each other, I purchased a Proxxon Micro Bench Drill Press (Model #TBM115) and a Proxxon Micro Compound X/Y Table (Model #KT70). I glued the outside edges of the strips (parts that would ultimately get cut off) to the board to keep them secure while drilling, using a #66 sized micro bit. Although they weren't "perfect", the holes looked pretty darn good after drilling. It was now time to solder tubes to all of the strips so that a pin could be placed in each of the pintles to create the hinge. My past experiences with soldering did not go well. What to do this time? After some research, I decided to go the resistance soldering route and, once again, time for a shipyard purchase. I got the MicroMark RSU unit. After several practice rounds using scrap brass tubing and strips, I got comfortable enough to solder the 1/16" OD tubing to the pintle and gudgeon strips. Using the Dremel, I then cut the excess tubing and, after a bit of reaming where necessary, confirmed that the pins would still go through the tubes. I decided against using the Brass Black in order to darken the pieces, and instead cleaned them up with some white distilled vinegar and then primed and painted them with the same Liquitex Basics Acrylic Mars Black paint that I used on the hull. I then secured each of the pins in the tubes with a spot of CA glue and cut the pins to their appropriate length to insert properly into their respective gudgeon. Time to get these on the wood! I first attached each of the pintles to the rudder using some J-B Weld ClearWeld Epoxy. I set them in their locations on the rudder, wrapped them in wax paper (so the clamps wouldn't stick on any epoxy seepage) and clamped them for 24 hours. I then drilled small shallow holes in the wood to match the holes in the strips, cut some brass nails with heads to a very short length, dipped them in CA glue, and inserted them to resemble the bolts. With the ship upside down and resting on the foam cradle I have, I then fit the gudgeons onto the sternpost and hull in their appropriate spots, again using the J-B Weld epoxy to secure. Once that dried, I then repeated the brass nail process on the gudgeon holes. All-in-all, things came out pretty well. One of those, from a natural viewing point, it looks good, but as the modeler and inspecting closely, I made a few oopsies. Things to remember on my next ship's rudder installation. Hopefully, I will be able to complete the nameplate and scrollwork in the coming days. I've had several "re-do's" on that process, but may have an acceptable solution done soon. Once that is done, I will do some touch-up work wherever need on the hull and then get it sealed and finished. I've already started on some of the deck buildings in between some of these delays I've experienced on the bottom side, so progress has been slow but fairly steady. Appreciate the peek-ins, comments and criticisms, and advice on anything that may be heading my way on the top side. Thanks...

Duhhh, never thought about looking that date up in naval history! <doh> Thanks, Keith!

Noticed on OcCre's website that their home page has a "Save the Date - 10/21/2023 - Limited and Numbered Edition" announcement. Hmmm... Anyone have any inside info... or wild guesses... on what it might be?!? Curiosity killed the cat...

Very interesting read! Another example of how language has evolved over time! Fascinating! But, have to admit, for those of us who are BOTH ship modelers and backyard BBQr's, seeing the "...Ground Toes" topic title caught my BBQ radar attention immediately! We'll put almost anything on our smokers! 🤣

Hi Jon! I've spent the last 27 pages catching up on your Constitution build-to-date. Great job! I have been seriously considering putting the Constitution in the shipyard for a future build and, if I do, no doubt your log will be referred to often! I'm hitting the follow button. Awesome work, sir. Carry on.

Nice cabin work, John! I need to remember to put the ringbolts on the forward-side of my cabin, as well, before permanently placing!

Thanks for the pictures, Chuck! Our son is a 2004 USNA graduate, and we loved our trips to Annapolis.

Ahhh, my apologies. I believe I understand Commodore's concern now. Yes, my transom was cut a bit higher than where the line was drawn, as well. I pulled up some of my pictures I had taken and zoomed in a bit on my transom area. Sorry if some are a bit blurred due to the zooming. But you can see on mine, once the inwales and the quarter knees were in place, the stern transom piece (as well as the bow transom) was cut slightly higher than where their line was drawn, and it had no effect on ultimately how the rudder was placed. From my recollection on my NSP, you will be fine. Hope that helps.

Hi Mustafa... Great build, so far! Hope you don't mind another "follower", as I have been considering adding the Constitution to my shipyard. Thanks!

Hey Commodore! It all looks really nice! If I am understanding your concern, I think you will be good. Whatever little sanding you need to do, plus your hull painting, will cover whatever small inconsistencies you see as the builder. Your local admirers won't notice after it's completed. Looking sharp. Getting ahead of where you are at now, but you'll be there in no time... thoughts on how you are going to finish the topside/interior?

Knew Chris would have the answer! Thank you, sir!

Following up on the recent question regarding adding links to signatures, I thought I would add another question, but start a new topic so as to not clutter the great info in the "adding links" thread. And perhaps this question has been asked and answered previously. If so, I apologize for not searching properly and asking what may be a stupid question again... Does the signature content of users get updated on all of the posts that someone has previously commented on, or just on posts subsequent to their signature updates? Many of us use our signature section to list current builds, completed builds, etc. For example, if I am looking back on an interesting topic thread from, say, 2016, and I see that John Doe's signature shows that he is "currently building" the USS Constitution, is that 2016-dated post just showing what his signature page depicted at the time of his post in 2016, or is that an updated reflection of what Mr. Doe is now working on (from whenever he last updated his signature)? Thanks!

Working on the original 1921 Bluenose! Just posted an update on my progress. And, yes, I certainly understand there are some subtle differences between the two ships, but enjoy seeing the pictures of all of them! Appreciate you sharing!

Well, I keep delaying the work on finishing the rudder assembly, waiting on another tool addition to the shipyard, so... thought I would begin work on the cabin. This is certainly one of the biggest deck structures for the Bluenose, and was challenging, yet fun, to build. Started with 1/2" x 1/16" strips cut to size. Used 1/4" support in corners and beams. Probably used excessive support beams, but wanted to make the planking easier, with plenty of underneath support and gluing contact. Also, rather than using small strips for the moulding, I thought I would use a full 1/16" stock piece as the base. Also, cut pieces for the companionway and the skylight walls from 1/16" stock. For the cabin rooftop, I used the same 1/8" x 1/16" planks that I used for the decking. The planking was tapered bow to stern as needed in order to fit well. The two outside planks on the port and starboard sides were a bit wider and were cut and sanded to shape for the edge overhang. I should have used wider planks on all four sides, as a border, if I had it to do all over again. The cabin rooftop was stained with the Minwax Red Mahogany stain that I decided to use for all of the deck structures. I wanted the deck structures to be a bit darker than the cherry stain that the deck will be shaded. It may be a bit darker than I had anticipated on this larger structure, but should be good once placed on the deck with everything else. We shall see... With the base stained and glued to the rest of the cabin structure, I then placed a piece of sandpaper on the Bluenose deck and sanded the cabin structure to match the deck camber. For the compass cover, I used a spare block of wood, cut it and shaped it. A 1/16" x 3/16" strip was then wetted, steamed, shaped and wrapped around the top for the cover. For the skylight, I hemmed and hawed on how I was going to complete it, and was impressed with how others had completed their skylights in their build logs. I used 3/64" x 3/8" strips cut for each of the skylight frames. A small sheet, painted black, was then placed behind each of the frames. Using both some PVA and CA glue, I was then able to cut some 22 Ga. copper wire to form bars, and glued the wire bars to the black backing. It worked out pretty well, but I probably used a bit too much CA glue. Some cleanup, though, helped the appearance. I may still do some touchup changes on this cabin before its final placement on the deck, after seeing John Ruy's pictures of the Bluenose II on his build log. I still need to add the smoke pipe/vent, but will need to do some solder work for that. I also need to do the soldering in order to complete the pintles & gudgeons on the rudder assembly, as well, so... guess that's next on the list!

Continued nice work, John! And appreciate the Bluenose II pictures! I have been working on the cabin, and now I want to make a bit of an alteration on my Bluenose after seeing your pictures!

Oh wow. Actually, didn't think about that! 😄 Save me some work when I get to that point! 👍🤣🤣