Der Alte Rentner
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Everything posted by Der Alte Rentner
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I like what I got, but I'm not sure how I got the beige cotton confused with tan polyester when ordering the .45mm. Maybe I wanted to see the color difference between the two and didn't notice the difference in materials? Oh well.. Because I have more cents than sense, and I like the tan polyester, I just ordered the .45mm and am spending the premium to get it in one day. Thanks for the nudge.. -
End of June update: Work continues on making hooks and rigging them to single and double blocks for the gun tackles. I'm almost done with the double hooks, but just having received some rope from Ropes of Scale, I thought I'd divert to a little comparison exercise. Tan ropes came with the model shipways kit - WP1241 and WP1242. The larger of the two, the WP1242, looks pretty good, but won't fit through the holes in the blocks. At the other end of the scale we have the WP1241, which frankly just doesn't cut it. Too small. The plans call for .45 mm for the tackles. I did get some .45 mm rope from Ropes of Scale, but it's beige. I'm not exactly loving the color, but if memory serves, that's the only color other than black that I could get from them. I just ordered some from Syren Model Ships Company which looks to be more tan than beige in the photos. So, it's too early to make the final decision of which to use. However I need to make the decision soon because this is what gets rigged to the single blocks.
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My belt sander uses narrow strips of sandpaper - about 1". That camber you're referring to is fairly shallow and is easily shaped on the belt sander. I keep the sandpaper well worn, so it's not aggressive and it's very forgiving. With the tiny drum element on the Dremel, I'd be worried about putting dents into the camber. Throughout my build, I have used a drum sander to great effect, but for this instance, I don't think you can beat the belt sander. I guess it comes down to which tools you have the most experience with. I still don't know how Bob Hunt managed the results he did with the curved X-Acto blades - in places where a fish tail or straight chisel (IMHO) was my preferred tool. BTW, I'm talking about this: not this:
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Ah! So, the Dremel is basically being used like a drum sander. In the instance where Jon has removed the spar deck beams, I think I'd prefer to use my belt sander. Not having "kit bashed", I don't know if removing the spar deck beam is part of the process. The belt sander would be useless if it remained. In the end, use whatever gets you closest to the finish line (double entendre intended).. My point in bringing up Ken's carrier decks had more to do with his needing to compensate for the thickness of the carrier decks themselves. He had to trim the beams another 1/64" because he used 1/64" plywood for them. (Ken's logs: page 4, post 95 and page 13, post 369) One of the reasons I thought his approach was preferable was that he could plank the decks off of the hull, not merely to avoid the use of filler blocks..
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Been there, done that, brought home the t-shirt. 😉 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. My thoughts were gravitating to a router table solution, maybe using a guide registered on the parallel edge of spar deck. Not having a Dremel tool or stand, I can't really picture what you'll be attempting. 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. If so, you might want to trim off some more material to accommodate the thickness of the carrier deck. I retrospect, I wish I'd done that and spared myself the chore of filling all the gaps between the bulkheads with filler blocks. Ken's post is on Page 4 post #95.
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USS Constitution by mtbediz - 1:76
Der Alte Rentner replied to mtbediz's topic in - Build logs for subjects built 1751 - 1800
Thank you for posting, Mustafa. I took particular note of your mentioning that these channels were temporarily placed with pins. I was wondering how I would keep them solidly affixed to the hall. As usual you provide the answer before I even asked the question. -
USS Constitution by mtbediz - 1:76
Der Alte Rentner replied to mtbediz's topic in - Build logs for subjects built 1751 - 1800
You can always count on Jon to deliver the goods! Thanks from me to Jon too, I'll be tackling these myself soon, hopefully before Mustafa reopens his shipyard in September. -
USS Constitution by mtbediz - 1:76
Der Alte Rentner replied to mtbediz's topic in - Build logs for subjects built 1751 - 1800
I'm sure Jon will chime in on this momentarily, but for my part, I cannot believe that there are no drawings in the plans in the MS kit. Unfortunately I'm not at home to be able to check. So Jon? What say you? And Mustafa! You're supposed to be on vacation. How am I ever going to catch up to you if you keep working through your summer break? 😁 -
I could not have said it better myself, Mustafa. And I am 100% in your camp. Go for it Jon, I'll be watching from the sidelines..
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So, why are we not seeing a build log?
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My road trip begins on Thursday. So, I'm preparing a little travel kit to keep me occupied in the off hours on that excursion. By hook or by crook, I will be productive 😁. I spent a couple of hours at the shipyard today making more hooks than I'll need for the double blocks I plan to strap them to.
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Yes, indeed. Let's have a look at your plan for the spar deck planking. Tapered planks? Or straight?
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USS Constitution by mtbediz - 1:76
Der Alte Rentner replied to mtbediz's topic in - Build logs for subjects built 1751 - 1800
I was wondering why you installed the curtains a little bit above the actual gun port. Now I see why, to give you room to glue the lids in. Exceptional work as always, welcome back, even if only for a few days. -
My vote is for the DRI! But, since this site is dedicated to Model Ships, I feel obligated to encourage you to return to the Constitution first. Either way, I look forward to future posts.
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Remember my comment that there wouldn't be much to post for a while (20 or so posts ago 😁)? Yesterday, I spent the entire day publishing volume 2 of my build log (meaning, I printed two copies and shared the pdf with a few close friends). That marked two years under my belt at this! With some travel plans upcoming, and a lot of repetitive block construction in the works, I will likely be less "visible" here until July. Though, like most builders on summer sabbaticals, I will be checking in to see what's up elsewhere. So, with this: I bid you all auf wiedersehen P.S. In case you're wondering, the cover shots are the state of the project at the beginning of the year in question.
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Nice. Looking forward to seeing the finished project!! As an aside.. In a conversation with a friend who I shared my build log with, he mentioned that he grew nostalgic for the days when he build model airplanes out of balsa So, I asked him if he had any he would share with me. This was his response: "This is all that remains." 🙄 It just dawned on me that my next project, after Conny, should be a Fokker Triplane! That's something I've been wanting to do almost as long as I've wanted to build the Constitution. I saw this one at an airfield somewhere in Wisconsin in my early 20's, and I've wanted to build one ever since. Thanks for the nudge. I'm putting a recurring reminder in my calendar so I don't forget. Congrats on the hammock netting. Excellent workmanship, (which I will NOT be attempting to emulate 😁) and enjoy your sabbatical.
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Until you start messing with the small stuff, like 1/8"double blocks.. I wish it were twice the size! The vertical reference lines are there to assist you in keeping the bulkheads perpendicular to (hmm, what exactly are they perpendicular to?) the future deck or provide parallel spacing between bulkheads. I must have missed that detail in my build, or thought it pointless. The horizontal reference line is to help correctly place the bulkheads on the false keel. In the photo on the left, note the intersection of reference lines at bulkhead F. In the one on the right, note that I did not use the vertical reference lines. My build log has no reference to how I kept the bulkheads perfectly vertical. but, I do have this note: "It seems that all this prep work with the reference lines may have been academic. So far, every part I’ve slid onto the false keel has bottomed out slot to slot and the reference marks have all lined up." Have fun!
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For what it's worth, weaker hemostats don't seem to exist. I was on the hunt for these when I saw how much better they were for holding on to hooks and blocks. Your solution to use clips is brilliant, and I've employed that method myself to prevent crushing the blocks.
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Added your build log to my Followed Content today and noticed you changed your ID photo. In keeping with the start of work on Conny?
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Absolutely! I understand that the orientation is as you say - the hook being perpendicular to the eye. I take your suggestions to heart, and am grateful you think my build worthy of your time and input. I was only making excuses(?) for my not "strapping" a hook to a block as suggested in the photo from All Sails Up and Flying posted by Gregg above. Almost no builder here is doing that. Most are tying the hook to the block in the manner you and I are doing. Were I a stickler for that level of detail, (and you all know I'm not. Is my hull black? I don't think so! 😁), I would be reeving a strap over the eye of the hook and the groove of the thimble, then clapping seizing between the thimble and block. Maybe on my second build? In 2030? For now, I'll take selected shortcuts so that I'll be able to START a second build by 2030..🤣
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Really? I don't see that at all. To me the hook looks flat. But that just could be my aging eyes. One more argument in favor of my point of view is Bob Hunt's practicum, which, despite its flaws, is still the resource I check first. In the photo below, notice that for the double block, he uses the drill-baby-drill technique that I started with. As mentioned before, had I used the model shipways blocks, this would have been the easiest way to go. As good looking as the Syren blocks are, they are somewhat problematic. Shall I keep score of respondent's votes OMG! Taking that break to check the site, I returned to the task at hand with a sudden flash of insight - new way to hold hook and block to easily tie the two together. Now I'm down to 5 minutes per unit. Hooray!
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My goal is not to hit 100 pages. I'm just embarrassed to be using up so much space and I'm wondering how I can tighten up my work. Regardless, whether I hit 100 Pages or not, I'm always up for a party. 🥳
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That is an excellent observation, Mustafa, and it's something that I thought about myself. Arguments for sticking with my method? 1. The Marquardt book. 1. And Syren Ship Model Company catalog itself. 3. At least one other builder is doing it the way that I am. 4. I don't know if I can bend the hooks at this point without breaking them. And I certainly don't want to remake the 20 that I've already done, which, by the way, are already a mixed bag of the two methods I've been employing. I made another four this morning and ran a stopwatch. I'm averaging one in about 10 minutes now. Wo hoo! On a roll. How do you do this in 2 minutes, Mustafa? Since I still have work to do on the hull, I can't install the coronades or cannons until I've, at the very least, installed the rudder and most likely the gun deck cannons and ports covers. Therefore, I needed a place to store the tackle, which I intend to complete first. I'm happy that the drills that came with the Craft911 pin vise have shafts that will fit in one of the Proxxon mill collets. I'm not entirely pleased with this first pair, but as has been observed many times at this website, at a distance no one's going to notice the flaws. That would also include whether or not the hooks are perpendicular to the eyes.
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I've asked this before, but not having received a reply, I'll ask again. Does anyone know what triggers a new page here at the MSW site? Is it the number of posts? Some specific period of time? Some number of bytes per page? Just curious, I seem to be cranking out quite a few pages, which begs the question, who holds the record for most pages in a build log? 0 At the rate I'm going, I might hit 100 well before I finish this build. 😁
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Thank you, kind sir..
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