Der Alte Rentner
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Everything posted by Der Alte Rentner
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We'll see. Here's the first window. There is a piece of plexiglass behind the frame, and I'll probably paint the back side white. Also, frames will be trimmed flush with sills. Time consuming work this.. Aug 22 update: I'm just not happy with this. My brain keeps nagging at me about creating a vacant space behind the windows, which my brain insists would look even better if it were somehow illuminated. And Mustafa's point, in post 307 below, about keeping all the parts separate until painted (or stained) is a good one. The pilasters are glued to the filler block and the window frame is glued to the glass, making finishing work a bit of an issue. With the nice weather calling me outdoors, and family issues likewise intervening, I may ponder next steps a while longer. (Procrastination IS my middle name. 😉)
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I would give my eye teeth for either of the Byrnes tools. I wish someone would reorganize and relaunch the machine tool part of the business. I've been hunting for either of these online on and off for almost a year. Were I to scratch build, these two would be a must have. I'm surprised you don't have a belt sander. That has come in so handy, so often, that I can't imagine anyone managing to get by without one. Having said that, I reiterate my respect and admiration for those who manage this hobby with hand tools. (I wish I would have taken notes of the build log I just perused, but there are some really talented hand crafters posting on this site.)
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And the reason the laser cut window frames are virtually useless. Since I love difficult things (I am married after all), I can't wait for the next challenge!
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That's my working plan. Thanks for casting your vote!
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I was more or less on autopilot on Wednesday. The photo I forgot to include, is the one where I drew the window frame and pilaster patterns on the piece of paper, which I subsequently taped back on to the filler block to guide my work on the pilasters. They are a little proud of the sills right now, but I'll sand everything flush after I build the window frames. I'm thinking that perhaps I should not have glued the pilasters to the filler block. I guess I'm now committed to using paint or something else behind the window panes that will follow. Black paint, white paint, or mylar? for underneath whatever clear film I decide on for the panes themselves..
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As for item 1 none of those are necessary for anything on this model. Item 2 relates to keeping the Admiralty happy, but has nothing to do with funding your hobby. As Mustafa pointed out, spread out over time, the cost of specialized tools is not so bad. Keep this in mind. Time is money. The less time you spend on your model, because you have more efficient tools, the more time you have available to satisfy the Admiralty. Since you are already past the filler block phase of the project, you don't need a band saw. But since you are about to Embark upon planking the hull, let me just say I found the proxxon milling machine to be invaluable in that endeavor. The other tool I use more than just about anything else is the small belt sander. If you don't already have these, they would be items number one and two on my shopping list right now. But I'm also a fan of hand craftsmanship. So, I will ne looking forward to see what you can accomplish with hand tools. 😁 Good luck either way.
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Guilty as charged, but acquired over a lifetime, the costs are not as bad as all that. Think of them as investments instead of expenses. One thing that I learned is that, I'll tackle projects that I would not otherwise have tackled, because I have the tools. But as I've said before at this website, I may have more cents than sense. Welcome back.
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Geoff, It's been too long since I last checked into your build log. But every time I do revisit it, I am astounded by the quality of your workmanship. Your work on the galleries is outstanding. (No) thanks to you and Unegawahya's sterling example, I'm asking myself how to modify my technique to include clear windows. I wonder how it would look if I just took a photograph of the interior of the gallery (to scale of course) and placed it flush with the inside of the glass panes. (For those wondering why I would do that, I'm presently considering a filler block instead of an open compartment behind the windows..) Again. Kudos to you Geoff. P.S. One of these days - before the snow flies, I hope to get out to Harvard to meet you and to see your Conny in person. (Sorry, it's been a much busier than expected summer.)
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I know this reply comes well after your posting, but I happened to be reviewing Geoff's build log this morning, to see how his galleries looked, when I revisited this entry. To my eye, there is definite tapering aft of the main hatch. I agree however that it's hard to tell what's going on on the foredeck, but it seems less so. Anyway, now that I'm past that problem, I'm happy with my half and half approach - tapering the aft end, leaving the foredeck untapered. As usual, oh master of the photo archives, thanks for providing this much appreciated reference material.
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I love all the work on the airplanes, but I'm perusing your build log for ideas on how to proceed on the gallery window construction. I wish there was more detail provided, but your photos from page 1 of your log tell most of the story. Man, oh man, did you do a spectacular job. Kudos! You've got me rethinking how might go about doing mine.
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Thank you Gregg. I consider that a great compliment coming from you. After seeing all the examples of gallery construction I could find at MSW, I think I might be the only one ever to attempt this particular approach. Hmm, will I henceforth be known as "the Filler Block guy". 😁 I took a second lap through other's build logs this morning and took particular note of Unegawahya's workmanship. I wish he'd included some detail about his construction methods, but man, oh man! did he nail this.
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After perusing your build log here, and seeing the wonderful job you're doing on the Pegasus, I wonder what you could possibly hope to glean from anything I've done on the USS Constitution, especially since I'm a newbie figuring things out on the fly. In fact, I might come to you for some tips and techniques. Splendid work!
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I found a few hours this morning to get to the shipyard and did some retro-fitting, and hopefully finished up the components of the starboard gallery. My plan is to pull the filler block out of the center, mark where the windows and plasters should be, then (sigh) fabricate both. I have been toying with the notion of painting the windows on. We'll see how that goes.. Resuming my hiatus. Back in a few.
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Oh, well, yeah....! Now it makes perfect sense! <shrug> 🤣🤣 Having taken drafting in high school and drawing classes at a Community College in the lead up to my retirement, I have some perspective on perspective and actually understand the point Jon is trying to make. I didn't upload the photo, but I am pretty far along with the filler block, which has me reconsidering the use of those pre-fab parts. I just don't like the way they fit. So, I may be constructing windows of my own after all. I'm taking a few days off to ponder my existence. Rest assured, I will not be "vanishing" at this point. 😁 Back in a few...
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I'm taking a different approach to sills and headers. (Nothing is glued in yet. Double sided tape is holding the roof cap, roof carving, flat, top part of header, and bottom part of header in place.) And I'm going to try a different approach for the windows too. I'm leaning towards making a curved filler block shaped to fit this opening, and afixing the windows to the filler block. We'll see how that goes..
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Cheer up Gregg. I achieved a much better result on my 2nd attempt.
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Nuts! Close, but no cigar. Exaggerated transom angle is now interfering with the roof structure of the gallery. I'm going to have to lengthen it at least a quarter inch at the bottom edge, so to mitigate what looks to portend a rather extreme angle by the forward Gallery window. Back to the drawing board..
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Just curious. They look great, but will you be furling or somehow shaping the sails at some point?
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I intend to do exactly that. Problem illustrated: 7-degree difference between aft edge of window and leading edge of transom. My first thought on correcting the error. Fail! The most likely solution. I can live with slightly less than parallel pilaster. Turns out that even the Constitution actual has less than perfectly parallel pilasters. It's interesting to see how different build logs address this. But I have my direction. Thanks for your feedback Jon.
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I'll start looking! At my age, any time saved at the shop translates to more time allotted for actually finishing the model. 😁 Thanks for your feedback.
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Please don't tell me those turnbuckles work. If so, did they come that way in the kit? Or do you have a motorized micro metal lathe with which to cut the threads. (mostly kidding! 😁) Looking fabulous there John Ruy!
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I don't think that's the issue Gregg. Furthermore, as I dive deeper into the details in the Practicum on this, I'm discovering more issues associated with the galleries. Hunt crafted his windows out of styrene because the slant on the window frame of the laser cut pieces was different than that of the stern transom. That prompted me to check the angle of my stern transom. Sure enough, the transom is 9-degrees steeper than the window. Funny. Hunt's advice is to not make the galleries to fit the windows, rather make the windows fit the gallery. Comparing Hunt's photos to the plans, I think the reason his measurement is greater is because he may have left out two components to the gallery roof - the "roof cap" and the "flat". These are the two 1/16" thick panels above and below the "roof block". Were that not in the plan, then sliding my wooden gauge up would account for the difference (more or less). I've learned that haste is waste. I'm going to follow the plan, and not Hunt's practicum on the gallery build. And I think I will try to make a 9-degree shim to place on top of the side piece so that the laser cut windows can indeed be used. Really? Build 6 ea. styrene windows? I think not! Thanks for chiming in Gregg.
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The Practicum makes a big deal out of "the height from the top of the side piece we already installed to the bottom of the roof piece." According to Hunt, if I measure this space on the kit plans, it's supposed to measure 25/32". That's not what I see in my copy of the plans, either on page 4 or the quarter Gallery details on page 5. The distance that I measure is 3/64" less than the 25/32" that Hunt says it should be. Does it matter?
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Um, where would one acquire a clothes wringer these days? Any suggestions for an alternative device to press the copper against the form you constructed?
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I know this comment comes 8 years after rwiederrich's post, but had to throw in my two cent's worth. My bandsaw is equipped with a 1 1/4" resaw blade, and I can easily make veneer as thin as I please out of just about any wood. Had I known about this concept before planking my Model Shipway's version of the USS Constitution, I would have considered a rapid first planking followed by a second planking using the material provided in the Constructo kit I opted out of building. I might also have made a carrier for the deck planking, which would have been fist loads easier than putting filler blocks between all the bulkheads. Live and learn! BTW, I came here to see about rwiederrich's cloths wringer technique for the copper plating, which begins at post #51.
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