GGibson

Good looking knees, Peter! 👍

You will enjoy this build!

Thanks for sharing those pics, Jon! Lots of great detail in them.

Spar deck planking looks really sharp, kmart! Great work! Speaking of deck planking, though, back a few weeks ago, you prepped for your spar deck planking... I apologize if I missed this point previously but, as others have also recently commented in their Constitution build logs, since you added the gun deck as well as this spar deck, you obviously ran out of wood strips for your spar deck and milled the necessary planks as shown in your recent 11/25/24 update. A question I have been wanting to ask all of your current Constitution builders is... what type of wood did you use for the spar deck? Was it the boxwood or is it something else that might accent the deck's golden oak stain differently? And, as I've said with others, appreciate your detailed info in your build log. Definitely taking notes, sir! Thanks...

Hey Joe! Hope you and family are doing well! Have a wonderful holiday break! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well! Once I get closer to starting on my Constitution build, we'll be having a discussion! 👍🏆

Still very interested in hearing how the new drill bits perform in their intended purpose! 👍 I have quickly learned that, if there was any process to follow, xken's details would be at the top of the list! I have enjoyed reading his detailed build log! Great detail on this skylight! As has been discussed on practically every forum post ad nauseum, the casual observer with the naked eye, especially if your Constitution is cased, is not going to see it the way you as the builder has, and if your friends and family show up with a magnifying glass to inspect, kick 'em out!! 🤣🤣 Great job, Jon!

Hi Jim! Good to hear from you. Back on Post #16, I mentioned that I continue to be horrible at airbrushing, which is the recommended process in staining everything on this Santa Maria. On Pavel Nikitin's website, he sells the painting kit recommended for his ships - Pavel Nikitin store. On that web page, it may be difficult to read the kit's various colors. They are: Dark Walnut, Rosewood, Patina, Oak, Danish Oil & Mahogany. As a side note, interestingly, although the Pavel Nikitin Santa Maria kit was purchased from Model Expo, ME does not sell the paint kit. Anyways, even though I knew I was not good at airbrushing, I was convinced that I had to have the paint kit, so I ordered it from Pavel's website. However, due to it being shipped from Ukraine and, I'm assuming with whatever delay issues it was having getting from Ukraine to Kansas, I decided to go with the "more conventional" staining route and use the Minwax products that I detailed in that Post #16 where I did some testing. I will do some additional "test applications" of the chosen Minwax Honey wood finish for the hull's stain before committing fully, but I was impressed and actually a bit surprised at how dark the "honey" stain was compared to the others I tested. I did eventually receive the paint kit shipment from Ukraine, so if the Minwax stains don't work out on the remaining ship areas, I'll see if I can apply Pavel's paints with any success. 🤷‍♂️

Hey Peter! Thanks for finding me here with this Santa Maria Pavel Nikitin build. It has definitely been... frustrating, as I still wrestle with some of the issues mentioned earlier in this log, with similar issues that others have run into that have been documented in YouTube videos of their own Pavel Nikitin Santa Maria's I won't get any more critical again here (gives a whole 'nother meaning to "kit bashing"...) but, as it stands now, I would definitely encourage you to keep the Bluenose in your short-term sights, as it was an awesome ship to build. I just finished the hull planking on my Santa Maria and am now working on construction of the forecastle deck, poop deck and quarter deck, along with building the various rails, placement of the four cannons, etc., along with determining at what point I will paint/stain the hull. I'll provide a more detailed update soon. But, again, sir, thanks for finding me here. Continued success on your Constitution! I am continuing my own research on Old Ironsides for when I complete this build!

Looks really nice, Peter! Great job on the rails.

Of course, Jon does.... 🤷‍♂️🤣🏆 Cool picture, though! Thanks for sharing, K!

The stirrup-type iron fitting would be hard to replicate, but I think your abilities did just fine with these bullseye attachments to the breast knee, Mustafa! Will look sharp once the pin rail is placed. Great work, sir!

Enjoy N'awlins, Chuck! Cafe Du Monde!

Looks like a great way to create your main rail, Mustafa! The jig for holding the curved form worked out well! To create the half-lap joint (or whatever the technical term is for the continuous rail extension down the sides), did you use the mill to cut the wood on the ends for them to join? It will all look really nice!

Hi Julian - Not sure if this helps any, but... I have the 3-jaw chuck that I bought when I either bought the Proxxon drill or the Proxxon mill, and the chuck does open very "stiffly". Did your purchase come with one of the turn handles shown in my first picture? Using that really helps opening and closing, especially after tightening against whatever you are securing (and the subsequent release of said object). Also, if by chance you removed the jaws from the base, make sure you put the jaws back in the right spot. In the second picture, you see that the jaws and the base have 1-2-3 numbers. Apologize if you are already aware of this numbering, but wanted to point it out. But, did want to confirm that, yes, the chuck does open hard. Let us know how you like the lathe!

Hi Jon, hope you have had an enjoyable extended Thanksgiving weekend. To save you some time looking on your library shelf, I did see in re-reading your build log in more detail that, in your discussion regarding rudder iron chains, you reference Captain E. Armitage McCann's book, so... not surprisingly... you have the book! I'm looking forward to using it as one of many references!

Interesting... Had not heard of Agora Models previously. Definitely an interesting way to send the product, packs or stages as they call it at a time each month. And, for those without a calculator handy, $1,724.88 if over 12 months, $1,914.76 if over 24 months. Whew!

Great looking cleats, Mustafa! I assume you made them using your Proxxon mill? Excellent work, sir!

Well, yes, Mustafa... I have been preparing. I've gone through Jon's build-to-date and am now reading through yours from the start to where you are currently. Not sure about a "heavily modified kit", but if I can successfully build a "Jon/Mustafa" clone of the Constitution, I will declare it a win! You guys, along with Peter, usedtosail, xken, among others, have me inspired and excited to get started. All of you have created your own Constitution practicums. My appreciation for all of you is overwhelming! 🏆

Sounds great, Jon. Also ordered this Laurence Arnot book but haven't received it yet. Just trying to prepare myself for the build. I have been re-reading all of your posts here to understand what you've done, and how well you've done it! May have a few questions in a month or so. Let's get past the holidays first... Speaking of which, have a Happy Thanksgiving weekend with family!

Hi Jon! Hope you have a wonderful long holiday weekend with family! Happy Thanksgiving! Saw this book on a website named AbeBooks and was curious if you are familiar with the book or the author. Ordered it and it arrived today. Safe travels back home!

What you may be referring to is a technique I saw Olha Batchvarov use in one of her YouTube videos re: the USS Confederacy. It's the #9 video in that series, if the link does not work here. Her process for making the clamps begins at the 3:50 mark of that video. The biggest and most difficult ship model kit - #09 - USS CONFEDERACY - [WALES]

Apologize for taking up space on your build log, Peter, but just wanted to give a shoutout to the Woodland Scenics folks that we discussed on Sunday. Ordered my set of dry transfers on Sunday... and received them via UPS today (Tuesday). Great customer service!

I had sent the Proxxon folks a query about a possible accessory add-on for my MF70 milling machine and drill, and received a response back that indicated the accessory I was asking about might be a bit big for what I was wanting it for, but indicated they had a brand-new clamp that may interest me. Who isn't interested in brand-new stuff?!? Eccentric clamping fixture ES 70 – PROXXON Inc Wasn't completely familiar with the "eccentric clamping" term, but it appears to be a way to "quick clamp" things with the small turn of the lever/handle. A maximum of 1.5mm squeeze, if I am understanding the information correctly. This would be SO much easier than the step clamps that come with the Proxxon X-Y compound table, so I am all in on this accessory! 👍

We've all had days like this... some of us more than a dozen days like this... I'm sure someone will suggest an A+ solution, Peter. And the rest of us will take notes for when it happens to us again. 👍

Difficult to answer specifically, Jim. Really don't think it's either. Pavel Nikitin is a quality builder and designer and has created some remarkable model ships. Not that I fully understand the "mass production" process of creating an inventory of model kits, but the issues seem to more be in how the parts are laser cut on the sheets, perhaps not setting the lengths perfectly in the CNC controls, etc. The builders over on the YouTube channel have commented about obvious omissions in parts that are shown in the instructions on particular laser-cut sheets but missing on the actual sheet in their kits. I have run across a couple of those instances, as well. So, I guess that comes down to quality control in the production process, rather than a quality/design issue? But... we'll continue to work through it. The others have. With that said, though, I have already begun prepping for my Constitution build... 🤷‍♂️🤣