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Now here is my knee production method.  First off, I took a billet of basswood of the desired thickness and cut triangular pieces with the grain running parallel to the long edge.  The remaining edges of these pieces were squared up with my sanding fixture as shown here.

    Then I drew a rough outline of the shape of the knee on all eight triangles to help keep track of their orientation, as one leg was longer than the other. 

    These were grouped in sets of four that were glued up with a thin coating of rubber cement on all the facing surfaces and clamped in place overnight to dry.  The next day I drew the pattern on a stiff piece of manila folder and cut it to shape.  Holding the pattern in place on the face of the glued up blocks, the pattern was traced onto the top blocks.

    I clamped the blocks in my vise and using a small back saw trimmed off the majority of the waste.


    The blocks were then sanded close to the outline of the knees on my 2” belt sander being careful keep the block flat on the table.

    Now, using several grades of sand paper on sanding sticks the blocks were sanded to their final shape.


    Now the blocks were separated from each other with a chisel driven into the glue joint.  Even though I only used rubber cement to join them together, they were still held together surprisingly well.

 
    Now I had the eight knees duplicated to the same shape.

    Using a fine sanding stick, I eased the exposed edges of all the individual knees.


   Here are all the knees cut to final shape and given a coat of stain and two coats of polyurethane.  I still need to add two bolts to each knee, which will be included in my next posting.

Well Jesse, that's still no small task that you've finished there.  After all, as they say, our hobby is not a race to finish, but rather something to enjoy while it lasts.  Adding the spar accessories off ship will make the rigging simpler and actually faster anyway.
    Keep it up, you're doing a fine job.

This month I started shaping the stuns'l booms and began making the boom irons. I started with the brass tubing supplied in the kit. Found it harder to cut out and drill than I expected. Looked around in my stuff and found some aluminum tubing I got at Hobby Lobby a few years ago. This was much easier to cut out and drill and made the process much faster than with the brass. I don't have proper soldering equipment so I am having to settle with using CA glue instead. Not really how I wanted it but you gotta work with what you have. Have now got all the irons and booms formed, ready to start adding them to the yards. 
 
Jesse
 

Completed yards.....
 
Jesse
 

I have been slowly working on things a little at a time during the short spells i feel like it enough. I started shaping and constructing the yards back in December. Got them all made and started adding all the blocks, stirrups and footropes. The blocks seemed like they took me forever to rig. I did order a bunch of them from Syren Model Co. so they would look better.
 
Jesse
 

Thanks to all, again.
 
You are right, Steve.  Organization of the information and the text has been a bit daunting. Before beginning work, I gave this a lot of thought knowing that the book had to present information that actually worked for me in building the model.  This was the case in the first two volumes, but the third involves much more information and complexity, so a number of new ideas have been used that are different than typical model rigging data - at least what I have seen.   All this has worked very well for me in building model, but of course, some tweaking of the detail has occurred in the process, as well as some changes and correction of some errors that were revealed along the way.  At this stage the process is well in hand.   
 
In answer to your specific question about standing and running rigging, this information is separated where it makes sense, for example in the rigging list and in specific rigging diagrams, but combined in other places like the belaying plan and on spar and furniture drawings.  You may have noticed that drawings shown in the posts contain line numbers and some detail at connection points.  You may have also noticed the absence of any large all-inclusive rigging plans.  
 
Ed

Looks Super !!!
One thing to be aware of with the satin finish...you may need to scuff up the area under the cannon carriages when you glue them to the deck. Otherwise the glue may not hold. Especially important on the lower gun deck because once the upper spar deck is installed it's a real challenge to put the cannon back where it belongs. Trust me I know. I just used liquid plastic cement (several coats) but still several cannons broke loose from the glue joints. I used plastic carriages on the gun deck as they would not be seen. On the spar deck I used the wooden carriages from HisModel. I glued spare wheels under the carriage so I would have a glue spot. I ruff up the area under the spare wheel on the deck and used Titebond wood glue professional strength that I got at the local hardware store.
 
Here's the spare wheel glued under the carriage for the spar deck.
 

These pics are after only one coat, and it’s still wet, but I really like the way it’s bringing out the color.

I had enough time tonight to get one coat of clear coat on the decks. I pined the whole sheet to a fiberboard so I could handle it while spraying it. 

I got my Deck Laminate today. It looks pretty good. I figured there was NO WAY I could ever paint the decks to look realistic, so this was the next best thing. 
 
They are very thin and fragile, but I think when I get them glued to the decks they will be fine. The only thing that surprised me is that they are real wood, but the “plank” pattern is thermal printed on and the manufacturer’s instructions say you should not stain them. 
 
I painted the entire plastic deck dark brown, so that should darken them a little. They do say you should spray them with clear satin sealant so that fits right in with my “showroom” look. 

Hey Mike!
Thanks for checking her out!  I’m glad you like it so far, thank you. I’m really happy with the way it’s coming out this time around. It’s really hard to take my time and not rush it. I’m really looking forward to getting to the rigging. 
 
I actually havent recieved anything yet 😂 So far I have ordered everything in HISModel’s Constitution set except any of the cannon kits or the decks. I am really excited about the full sails with studding sails, but of course, that’s the last thing I get to do! 🤦🏻‍♂️  I also ordered some extra eyebolts and some other extra metal fittings. 
 
I ordered some deck laminates from someone in California on eBay. I’d rather not say the sellers name until I have seen them. 
 
I also orded a bunch of misc blocks, deadeyes, and some cool looking Chain Plate sets for the Deadeyes on the Channels connecting the Ratlines from Model-expo.com. 
 
I will probably upgrade all the guns, but that is gonna have to wait till I get my allowance 😝
 
Bob
 

Next came all the detail painting as well as the White walls of the Gun Deck and the green walls on the Spar Deck level.  ALOT of touching up and re touching up, and a month later, and I am pretty happy with the way it is turning out.  I think she is ready for the final coats of Satin Clear Coat.  Boy does that stuff hide alot of issues!

Hey Daddytotwo,
Thought I'd drop by and pull up a chair. Nice paint job and I like the three pedestals and the red strip (I only used two pedestals i mean...not stripes) Just one thought at this point. Consider replacing the wood base now as it will be much easier to handle compared to trying to do it once your Connie is finished. You can always cover the wood to protect it  during construction. Just a thought and I'm full of them ....among other things...lol
 
What after market upgrades have you bought?
 
Looking forward to following your progress.
Mike

I really dropped the ball as far as pictures go while painting the hull. I will be better about that from here on. 
 
The first thing I did was give the hull a few coats of primer. I worked the seams and edges with putty, files and sanding between coats. Then I sprayed the whole thing Gloss Black. Why Gloss?? I decided I was going to re-create (loosely) the latest restoration in Boston. Kind of an “off the showroom floor” look. 
 
After the I taped off and sprayed the copper plates using a metalic paint. Next was the Red Waterline Mark, followed by the white stripe along the gun ports on the gun deck. 
 
About this time I drilled three holes thru the bottom of the hull and installed the model onto a block of wood.  I used Small bolts, inserted from the inside and epoxied in place. The pedestals came from BlueJacket Ship Crafters. The wood block will be replaced when the ship is complete. 
 
 

I decided I was going to join the hull halves before painting so I would be able to work the edges first.  As many have said before, Thank You Harbor Freight for the clamps!  I used CA Glue and all the clamps I could find.  After a few days drying I ran a good bead of CA Glue on the inside.  The hull feels very solid.

So, I waited a month to start this log, so there will be a few posts in a row.  After that, who knows...
 
First, the Obligatory Un-Boxing! 
As always the box is huge and seems really flimsy, but everything look like it’s in perfect shape. 

HI, I'm pretty new to the community.  I have seen some really beautiful work here and hope I can add to it.
I have recently started my 4th attempt of the Revell 1/96 USS Constitution!  Like everyone else here, I tried to assemble this model for the first time when I was a teen in the 70s but I did not have the skill or the patience required.  I tried it again while I was in the Air Force, but that was too hard to do while living in the dorms.  The third time I had either a New Bride, a New Baby, another New Baby, or basically just, life.
About a month and a half ago I saw the model in an ad on ebay, and the bug was planted again.  Now I’m about a month into the build and I have already spent A LOT more on “after market” upgrades than I’ve ever spent on a model!  Wow there is a lot of great stuff out there, and so many great craftsmen on this site!
This will be my first attempt to log a build, so bear with me, OK? I look forward to all of your advice and suggestions.
Bob

Truly impressive, Doris. How long does one of those take to construct?

Paper cannons!
This is perhaps more abruptly than all the other amazing things on this model !!!
 
Doris, I bow to your skill.   

Hello G.L., 
oh yes, it is. Son I will bring tutorial, how I achieve such result.
 
 
Here is the cannon freely placed in one of the gun ports in RK:

 
 
Kind regards
 
 

Is that a paper gun? Amazing, it looks like bronze one!

Hi Ed-Just wondering if you were going to separate standing and running rigging on some of the rigging plan sheets in the upcoming volume. I’m sure the planning and assembly of this next volume is daunting. 
Steve

This vividly shows the complexity of the rigging - must have been a challenge even for the crew, particularly in dark nights and when repairs were needed under harsh weather conditions ...

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 317 – Upper Yards - Main
 
On the fore upper yards, I attached most of the rigging, including the long lines of running rigging, to the yards before erecting the assembly of the pole mast with the royal and skysail yards mounted.  This was a bit of a mess, due to of the number of lines and also because many needed to be coiled to avoid tangle.  This left some kinked and fuzzy.  For the main upper yards pictured below, only the standing rigging, and not all of that, was attached at the bench.
 

 
In the picture, the royal stay and royal backstays go down at the bottom of the picture.  Standing lifts were installed over a grid to help level them.  I noticed later the missing footropes on the skysail.  These will have to be fitted later on the model.  Can't wait.  The next picture shows the above assembly erected on the mast.
 
 
Despite best efforts at the bench, the port, royal standing lift had to be removed and installed in place to level the yard.  Some loose ends need to be clipped off and the wire sheet chains are still on the loose.  The next picture is closer.
 
 
The next step was to run the falls from the two skysail sheet chains dangling below the center of the royal yard.  That has been completed in the next picture.
 
 
The upper arrow points to one of the skysail sheets.  These run all the way down to the main deck, passing through fairleads in the main top.  After belaying, these lines get a lot of tension adjustment to pull down evenly on the yard and make the standing lifts – lower arrow – taut.  To do this, I pull down on the fall with tweezers above the pin, then haul on the loose end.  No glue on the belaying point until all the lines are run and adjusted.  The next picture shows the fore and main upper masts.
 
 
The height of these masts is impressive – the main extends 180 feet above the deck.  The fore royal stay has been run in this picture.  The tension between that and the two backstays sets the straightness of the mast.  The last picture shows the lower end of the main royal stay.
 
 
The 4 1/2" stay descends from the upper left corner of the photo through a bullseye strapped to the main topmast head.  The loose ends of the splice between the masts have not yet been clipped off.  The free end of the stay is clamped taut above the picture so the seizings may be tied at the lower end where it is fastened to an eyebolt under the leathered stays.  The gang of stays and shrouds made this a difficult connection.  I had to resort to a hook to the barely reachable eyebolt.  A shackle on this would have made life easier, but too late for that.  Drawing/Rigging List revision is pending for those that follow.  An alternative sometimes used was to strap an eye to the top forward stay collar, but this would have had to be done before setting the collar.
 
Ed

More of your excellent work Ed; that rigging looks really good - love the colour of your running rigging.  
 
cheers
 
Pat