Der Alte Rentner

Thanks for the follow up, but I've got everything of relevance to me already downloaded. No need for the earlier stuff. Best. Peter

Mustafa, if I had your level of expertise and experience, instead of being a newbie, I too would be building only from scratch. By the way he hasn't finished it, but cookster started a different build from scratch that you might want to have a look at.

Wow, that is fantastic. Since I finished the hull planking and am starting the spar deck, anything you have subsequent to his last Conny post would be of interest. I already uploaded everything that's there as of yesterday. Thanks Jon.

Just venting today.. While I ponder finishing options, I began working on the spar deck and hatch coamings. Thankfully, I double checked everything in the practicum before committing too much material and time to this phase of the build. 1. Hunt's instructions are to cut the foremast from 7/16" dowel and to make the opening in its mast partner to fit that diameter stock. The plans call for 3/8" inch, and the laser cut mast boot is likewise sized for a 3/8" foremast. 2. Hunt's instructions provide distances from the center line for the hatch coaming framework. There were several discrepancies there, as compared to the plans - most notably the dimension for the framework between bulkheads D and E. (my take? Trust, but verify.) 3. Adding another Practicum observation (May 20) for the benefit of anyone following Hunt's directions for constructing hatch comings. On pages 19 and 20 in Chapter 4, Mr. Hunt provides detailed instructions for fabricating the material needed for the coamings. Likewise on page 40 for the main hatch. He glues up three pieces of stock for each coaming. To boot, for the shorter coamings, because the kit didn't come with 3/32"x7/32" stock, he trims a piece of 3/32"x1/2" stock for the center piece. All well and good. But on page 26, where he shows the parts of the coaming in photo (P4.3.1-1), he says he I think I'll go the milling route myself. (I sure hope the zero clearance ring for my router table arrives soon. That will allow me to easily mill the material myself.) 4. Once again, the materials provided with the Model Shipways kit disappoint. All the dowels for the masts (5/6", 3/8" and 7/16") are misshapen - the 3/8" piece is completely warped. Were I to go ahead with the 7/16" dowel for the foremast, there wasn't enough material provided to then be able to construct the main mast. The dowels are all different colors ranging from near white to mahogany. Also, there wasn't enough 3/32" x 1/4" stock to complete the hatch coaming framework. Last but not least, the material for the deck planking is off by as much as a 64" inch in width and thickness. Having spent much time reviewing Cookster's 2013 build log for the spar deck and coamings (wow!), I've decided not to mess around with cruddy materials going forward. Even if I paint every thing later, I'm going to give myself better options by ordering replacement material from Modeler's Sawmill. (and before you ask, no, I'm not going to waste my time contacting Model Expo, where I bought the kit. I'm still waiting on the replacement material for the hull planking they said they were sending on December 1 of 2023. (Ticket #22286: replacement stock for USS Constitution kit)) Not sure where I'll invest my energy while I await material delivery. Maybe start the side galleries? Or take advantage of the nice weather?

I'll add my voice to those concerned about your health and well being. Loved your build log on the Model Shipways Constitution, and was sorry to see you stopped posting - hmmm, that was about the time you started this build.. Your workmanship and attention to detail are outstanding. Hope to hear from you soon'. Best Peter

Wes, I found your build log yesterday while researching planking of the spar deck. You haven't posted since November of 2014, so may have given up on your build. I hope not. If you're still occasionally checking in, I hope you're okay, and that you get back to the shipyard and this log sometime soon. All the best Peter

I've been following your Isabella build, and wondered why there haven't been recent updates there. No I know why. Boy do you like to keep a lot of balls in the air in your juggling. The planking here looks great. As you know, I debate (almost endlessly) with myself on the matter of painting vs showing off the workmanship. I'm still wrestling with that, but see you've made your decision. Looking forward to seeing the end result. Keep up the good work, and looking forward to your return to Conny (after you finish this and Isabella?)

Hi there Mustafa, Did you stain the hornwood you used for the decking? Or is that just the way it looks with a coat of poly? Thanks, Peter

For those of you who want a black hull, of all the things I've tried, Old Masters Carbon Black Gel Stain netted the absolute best result. Two light applications with a foam brush, solid black, no warping of the wood, and I know from experience, once it's cured, it will take a coat of clear polyacrylic. I will experiment further, to see if this can be applied over polyacrylic as well. Hello! In my digging through older build logs here, I found one by Cookster, who seems to be as finicky about workmanship and finish as I am. In his build log, on page 3 post 76, he discussed the merits of aniline dye. (This link takes you to page three of his build log). He seems not to have finished the project, but I will be consulting the build intently as I work through the planking of the spar deck.

Chapter 3 ends with Mr. Hunt building a base with materials he had on hand. This is my own design, based on some photos of model ship bases I saw on the internet. The brass pedestals required counter sinking to allow the brass flat head screw to lie flush. I got the shape for the cradle from the plans for Buckhead J, which seemed to be the right place in the hull for the support. Some tweaking with drum sander required for good fit.

While I'm experimenting with paints, stains, dies, and finishes, I finished the last task in Chapter 3 of the practicum.

Yes, yes I have. However, as long as it took to get the first round of planking done, I'm not really thrilled about the prospect of repeating the process. My thoughts this morning are to try the stain first. If I like the way it looks, great. If not, covering the hull with the planking material provided in the Constructo kit may be preferable to painting.. P.S. your signature phrase, “Indecision may or may not be my problem.” ― Jimmy Buffett Made me LOL!

Gotta love that Proxxon mill.

Frankly, I have no idea, hence the experimentation. My guess is poly negates the need for primer. BTW, I did some prior experimentation with primer and think this is a complete waste of time. You'll still need multiple coats of paint to adequately cover the primer. Last night I tried making a paint by mixing a few drops of dye with a tsp of clear polyacrylic. The resultant paint netted about the same awful result as the paint supplied by Model Shipways when I purchased my kit. It will take multiple coats (at least 4) of either to get a uniform coat - and the brush marks are decidedly unsightly. Were I committing to a black hull, I would definitely opt for the black dye. It goes pitch black in one application. Covering with poly may require many coats though, as the polyacrylic seems to dissolve the dye on the first two coats I've applied so far in this test. As lousy as the results with paint have been in my experimentation, be it the Model Shipway product or my home made dye/poly paint, I would need to consider spray paint/air brush options, if paint ends up being the direction I choose. The cleanest results are with gel stain followed by poly. I could stain the entire hull and decide later to cover with paint, if I don't like the way it looks. Boy, do I wish I'd chosen better materials in planking than this cruddy basswood. If I'd known at the start of this project that wood matters, I may have used the Constructo kit materials on the Conny build instead. Live and learn. P.S. Sorry, I forgot to answer your question about using dye on the cannons. I don't think this would work. If you want to experiment, let me know how that works for you. Cannons are a ways off for me right now. Wouldn't spray primer followed by spray black (or the combo primer/paint product) be the simplest approach? I've used Rustoleum spray on metal before with great results.

Experimenting with stains and finishes begins. This will take some time because I'm trying oil based gel stain, which I've grown to love using on larger refinishing projects. According to information gleaned from the internet, the curing time needs to be between 24 hours and 3 days before covering with polyacrylic varnish. Why polyacrylic? Because that's what the Hunt practicum advises. He applies no less than four coats of this to the hull after planking but before painting. (why? oh why? Mr. Hunt does your practicum not address painting the hull below the gunports? and why would you need four coats of polyacrylic before you apply three coats of black paint? - but I digress..) Since I'm still hoping to stick with a natural finish, I want a better/darker color than the kit's basswood hull planking provides. My first experiment is the plank section on the left. Tried a combination stain/finish in walnut, with the plank in the middle unstained surrounded by one and two coats of the walnut. Next up are three samples using Old Master's gel stain and one Old Master's wipe on stain. The gel is easier to work with, but since I did have one open can of the American walnut, I threw it into the mix. The other three colors are maple, cherry and pecan. The last piece in the mix has only one coat of polyacrylic - so far. After the stains cure, I plan to apply four coats of polyacrylic to those samples as well. Lastly, I'm going to experiment with gluing various parts to these samples to see how well Super Glue holds. While I wait, time to finish the last step in chapter 3 of the practicum - build a base for Conny. I had a nice slab of oak left over from another project and reacquainted myself with my router table. Oh Gee! is that an ogee? Pedestal fabrication is next. I may unbox my Proxon lathe and try turning the pedestals myself. Another option: Black dye. I used this with fantastic results on another project years ago where I wanted to simulate ebony. Now, to use this, I'd either have to apply it to the wood before doing anything else (besides sanding), or I'd have to mix it with clear polyacrylic. Here, I applied the dye directly to unfinished basswood sample. I wasn't happy to see the warping, but think this won't be a problem on the hull, given everything seems to be solidly affixed. If I decide to paint, then this option would give me a solid black color in one pass. When I return to the ship yard, I'm going to try mixing the dye with polyacrylic. Most likely I will still try one of the stains above first. If I'm unhappy with the result, back to plan B, which is to cover with polyacrylic, then to paint. I have experimented with the paint before and learned that multiple coats would be required to cover properly. Hopefully with a dye/poly I can get by with one?

Frankly, those boats have always looked like they're painful to construct. Now that I've gotten some experience working with gouges (including the sharpening thereof), I might revisit the topic - sooner rather than later. .. having reviewed the Hunt videos on this just now, I'm leaning towards later rather than sooner. In the (very) short term, I'll enjoy a respite from the shipyard, poring over build logs, gathering information, ideas and inspiration.

If I knew I could achieve the results you did with the Essex, I'd be loathe NOT to paint and copper! Thanks.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mustafa. One thought I have it to stain the bulk of the hull to be darker than the section along the gun ports. But in general, is there anything I should know about applying stains, poly, polyacrylic, and subsequent gluing? There will be many parts to affix to the hull in the coming months, and I'm concerned about how will these will adhere. I would not want to sand away then, any finish I painstakingly apply now.

You make it sound like that's not much progress. Trust me, the pace you're setting is exhausting to some 😁 who are following your build. Impressive work as usual Mustafa. Kudos!

At last! Planking is done. The last row was a royal PITA! but all's well that ends well. Next steps? Decide whether or not to paint. If not, figure out a staining scheme, but experiment mightily first! To buy time, and not derail construction, I may divert to other aspects of the build - maybe start constructing masts and spars? Or, as seems very popular amongst others here at MSW, start on the cannons. But, First things first. Tonight I celebrate this milestone with a double Manhattan and a fine meal out! Tomorrow can wait.

I plan to retroactively update one of my posts from where I began the planking process with notes from my 'future self'. One thought I'll share now is this: If you plan to paint and add copper plating, you can probably spare yourself a lot of grief up front. As you pointed out, wood filler, sand paper and then paint, should correct any mistakes made in planking - up to a point. Looking back at the 'guide', Mr. Hunt said, "I have sanded the hull with 100, 150 and 220 grit sandpaper and given it 4 coats of Polycyclic. I sanded with 400 grit sandpaper between coats and gave the hull a good rub down with #0000 steel wool after the last coat was applied. The hull is smooth as glass and will take the paint and copper plating well." I'm surprised that, after all that prep work, one can still discern the gaps between the planks. Had he gone over the dips in the hull he mentioned with wood filler, those sections would probably look odd without the gaps on the neighboring planking.

I have the same issue with the material that came with the kit. I tried three approaches to deal with the problem. 1. I asked Model Shipways to provide replacement strips. (No response since their acknowledgement email on December 1, 2023.) 2. I ordered replacement strips from Modeler's Sawmill. Unfortunately the strips were significantly darker than the basswood that came with the kit. Because I was/am still hoping to keep a natural finish, these were not usable. (They were also significantly shorter - I'd say 2/3 the length of the stock in the kit, so ask about that when you order). 3. I went to Ace Hardware and purchased material that was a tad thicker than the kit's stock, and used my thickness drum sander to get make my own replacement strips. The color was an exact match, and the strips were spot on in their dimensions.

I couldn't resist posting this pic. Five more strakes on the port side and the hull will be fully planked. (I did fit the garboard strake there yesterday, so I'm close to being done.) One lesson I learned was that the fairing process at the onset - as well as that of carving of the rabbets at the bearding line, needed more attention to detail. I'm paying the price now. It took two days to lay in the garboard and remaining 4 strakes in zone 8, mostly because I had to fiddle with the rabbets and bulkheads at the bearding line. Really sharp gouges of varying sizes made this doable. And had I waited to do the garboard strake last, I would have been in deep doodoo💩! The good news was that I could use just one plank there. For all the attention to planking in the "guide" (Andre's term) there's no mention of handling the garboard strake. Several resources I've consulted handle that particular strake differently than the rest and install it earlier in the process.

don't forget, you'll need to grind off that lip to use these as I did. (I wish I'd found these sooner in the planking process, but better late than never)

Likewise here.