Der Alte Rentner

Just now, Professor said:

No further progress on this marvelous build? I'm certain we would all love to see more of your excellent craftsmanship. I hope all is well with you, Kmart.

Likewise here.

13 hours ago, GGibson said:

Awesome pictures, Jon!  Maybe 1:48 based on this website, Peter? Mark Antczak (1949 – ) – American Marine Models (shipmodel.com)

Very Interesting.  When I googled the name, I got a hit for someone associated with Anxiety Canada - a much younger fellow than this Mark who would be in his mid 70s today. 

Thank you for providing the link Gregg. The blurb on Mark there did say he built a 1/4" (1:48) scale version of the Constitution in 1990.  The piece goes on to say where it was displayed for a time in its history, ending with - it "was subsequently put on loan to the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine where it was displayed for a several years."

I will pursue that lead to see if I can find where it is today.  I would love to see it up close.

Thanks again.

best

Peter

2 hours ago, JSGerson said:

the 1797 version model by Mark Antczak.

Simply stunning Jon,  I don't suppose you know the scale?  I'm guessing this is a fairly large model, judging by the details I'm seeing.   

Thank you kindly good sir.

1 hour ago, GGibson said:

if the pictures are formatted/cropped small enough, they will then appear next to one another.

Aha!  That is the just nugget I was prospecting for.

I'm fairly technologically apt, using photoshop and word to produce my own pdf version of the build log.  You'll see what that looked like in my earliest posts.  Because I wasn't seeing the resolution I desired posting pdf log pages, I switched to using the site's photo upload features.  I generally prefer high resolution photographs - so I can zoom in for more detail.  Hence I haven't really needed to post pairs of photos side by side, but thought about doing so today.   

Thanks for sharing Gregg!

and, the Blue Nose may be my next build, if I ever finish Conny!  😉

1 hour ago, mtbediz said:

This camera is doing a really good job.

It is indeed!  Thank you.  And keep up the impressive work.  

Okay,

I just took a snapshot of the plans.  The access to the head seems is between timbers 2 and 3, while the bridle port resided between timbers 3 and 5, which is where the "guide" says to put the filler.  However, it's now obvious to me that the planksheer is well above the bridle port.  Therefore, I too have no idea what Hunt was talking about in this case. 

In general, I've learned that wherever you have planking (or in this case, planksheer) going over a curved span, it's not a bad idea to have filler material underneath to aid in maintaining the curve.  Is it necessary here?  Not sure, but as you can see, I did the exact same thing that you did.  

Also, you too got to my first response before I changed my original reply to your question.  

On 12/21/2023 at 8:48 AM, JSGerson said:

The transom like other parts of the ship changed over the years, so I hope these images help.  The close-up image is present day, The image with windows sashes was 1914. I believe the sashes were removed after the 1927 renovation as seen in the 1934 image with two guys in a row boat. I also gave you a historic montage as to some of the changes that took place.

 

Jon

Jon,

Where did you get the photo with the 1797 version below?  I'd love to see more photos of the hull.  I like the contrast between the painted uppers, and the natural finish on the bottom.

Thanks

Peter

I apologize in advance to Mustafa for bogarting in on his build log.  These photos came from an earlier post in his build.  Feel free to delete.   

Hey Mustafa, 

What are you using to take those closeups - especially the likes of the mast bitts?  A camera with a macro lens?  or your phone's camera?  

Thanks

Peter

On 4/19/2024 at 3:19 PM, SUBaron said:

Practicum question - Hunt’s guide states to add an outer Planksheer (filler) between  bow framework timbers 3&5. Shouldn’t that be 2&3? 

(P.S. to Scottish Guy, I just edited my reply because, in the first go-aroung, I answered the wrong question.  I though Andre was asking about the support for timber 4)..

No, Bob's right.  The bridle port is between timbers 3 and 5, if I read the plans correctly just now.

Greg,

How are you formatting your photos in these posts?  Or asked another way, how are you getting photos to appear side by side?  

Thanks

Peter

7 down, 1 zone to go.  I am sooooo ready for this to be done.  Barring the unforeseeable, one more week should do it.

(P.S. to Rita and Clement.  Touch base if you're following along, thanks)  

I actually have my own shop in a light industrial mall that is my home away from home.  This is the work area in the back where I've been doing my woodworking projects these last 14 years.  Before I had the shop, my gear was in the basement of our home.  When we moved, and I saw the dust everywhere in the house, I decided to move the shop to another building.    While I have no views, I can open the man door in the front and the garage door in the back and enjoy the weather inside when it's pleasant.  

Not visible in these views are bulk of my power tools.  Table saw, band saw, sliding miter saw, router table, spindle drum sander, belt drum sander, drill press and two dust collectors - one on each side of the shop.  I will be getting rid of most of that stuff as I transform the shop into a garage-o-minium in the next couple of years.  

5 hours ago, SUBaron said:

Peter - Thanks for your suggestion regarding the filler blocks. What's the reason behind your suggestion? And from your experience, would it make a difference if I made them out of hardwood or balsa? Do you feel that a full block is needed to fill the bulwark space? Would just an inch or two thick work? Making these things mostly with hand tools is a bit of a PIA, so I'm hesitant to do it, especially with no plans to work off of. But I know if you suggested it, it's likely worth the time! My guess is that without them, the planks began to buckle a bit at the bend and/or the markings for the planks was more difficult?

 

Regards,

Andre

It's hard to put into words, but those gaps are hard to get planks to lay right.  Material hardly matters.  Use balsa or basswood - something easy to shape.  You only need enough to span the space between the bulkheads where ever the planks would lay. 

Funny, I could not find this build at Model Ship World, neither did a search of Niagara or filler blocks.  The idea is simply to have something to hold the shape of the planks at the bow and stern.  Extra surface area is a plus for gluing too!

It doesn't need to be pretty, just to be flush at the bulkheads.  If you use really soft wood, balsa e.g. shaping with hand tools and  coarse sandpaper should not be much of a chore.  Because balsa is even softer than the basswood that came with the kit, this should be easier to do than the filler blocks you already installed at the bow.  

Everything looks great!  You're setting an incredibly high standard for those of us following along behind you.  Keep up the fabulous work.

Six down, three zones (or 10 strakes) to go.  Man-oh-man, am I ever ready for this stage of the build to be over!

I found some clamps at Amazon that, with a small modification (grinding flat the curved portion that is not visible in the photograph below), works well in the tight spaces I have left.   (See last photo in today's batch)

1. That clamp in action:

On to the build.

First, work-side up:

Then for a change of pace, right side up.

The clamp ad at Amazon:  Note, I tried gluing a wooden shim on the inside face at the bottom of the clamp as pictured below, but it didn't stick very well. In the end I simply ground off that lip using my belt sander, which made short work of it.  

34 minutes ago, SUBaron said:

After some thought, I decided to make a tenon separate from the bowsprit. It’s fitted tightly to the laser cut bulkhead mortise and feeds through it into a mortise I cut into the bowsprit. For some reason - my brain preferred this method - it was quick, easy and sturdy. 

whatever floats your boat.. Great fit!

by the way, I noticed you only have the one pair of filler blocks at the bow.  You may want to consider add at least one more pair between bulkhead A and B.  As I wrap up my hull planking, I really wish I'd done this - as well as putting blocks between B and C, and R and Q.    In perfect 20/20 hindsight, I believe doing so would have greatly simplified hull fairing and planking.  

20 hours ago, JSGerson said:

I made the following calculations and was staggered by what it revealed. From start to finish, adding eyebolts to the interior of the gun deck, to fabricating and assembling the gun trucks, and then rigging them, I got the following numbers:

 

There are 235 separate parts per gun port or 5,170 parts for 22 fully rigged guns not counting brass blackening, painting, and do-overs. Most of these had to be fabricated from scratch. That breaks downs as follows: ..

Egad!  As I struggle to finish the last 11 strakes of hull planking and wishing it were OVER, I am glad I opted out of the gundeck kit bash.  

Love your attention to detail and the math.  

Keep up the great work!

On 4/13/2024 at 6:49 AM, SUBaron said:

pics from  ..Mystic Seaport

Your photos (and Jon's) prompted my own stroll down memory lane.  One of my celestial navigation practicums took me from Nassau to Mystic aboard the Regina Chatarina in October of '98.  Sadly, I only had a small handful of photographs and they were printed on matte paper, so digitization didn't net the best result.   

I really miss blue water voyaging.  

On 4/11/2024 at 7:15 PM, SUBaron said:

Question - for your bowsprit tenon - did you cut it out of the bowsprit? I was thinking of fitting a plug, shaping the angle and then gluing the plug to the Bowsprit. Seems easier but not sure how sturdy it would be. That tenon doesn’t look very sturdy either though. 

Yes, I did cut it in the bowsprit.  I don't recall this being a problem at all.  Checking my notes, I saw early on that bulkhead B needed the slot for this tenon, so I cut the mortise before installing the bulkhead.  I found the correct angle and fabricated a test piece to verify that then and there.  Later when I whittled the tenon, I had that angle handy as a reference.  I went back to those two portions of my build log but sadly neglected to note details of the 'whittling' process.  My guess is I did exactly that.   Thinking about your idea, I don't see the advantage to doing the plug thing.  I've thought about this from time to time since them, and I'm not entirely sure the tenon is even a necessity.  Seems to me, if you're careful about things, you can simply glue the end of the bowsprit to the bulkhead - when it gets to that point.  

25 minutes ago, GGibson said:

They look similar to these?  Solid Brass Miniature Bar Clamps, 3-3/4 Inches Long (Set Of 2), For gluing or fitting, Anti-rust and corrosion resistant, Set of 2 mini solid brass clamps with knurled screws (micromark.com)

 

EDIT:  My follow-up question would be - Are these clamps, being made of solid brass and 3 inches long, be sometimes too heavy for some of the clamping we want to do with some of our small parts?  I was curious about these, as well, when I saw the picture before I saw Peter's quer

aha!  those are indeed they.  

and great minds think alike.  I had the same thought about the weight about a nano second after I hit "Submit Reply".   I took a closer look at the clamps in the catalog and decided they are still too bulky (and perhaps heavy) for the intended use in the next two zones of planking.  I may yet fabricate something small out of wood and screws.  If that works, I'll post on my build log.

All the best..

Another week, another zone.  5 down, three to go.

As I was struggling with the plank work at the bow today, I really wish I'd taken the time - up front, to add some filler blocks between bulkhead A and B. Likewise between bulkhead Q and R.  Getting the planks to curve properly in those areas now is problematic.  Not noticeable at a distance, or right side up, but up close, where I've been spending all my time of late? Sigh..   This is not the ideal hobby for a perfectionist.  

April 16 Post Script  -  (after having read part 1 of the piece on building the Brig Niagara in the Spring 2024 Issue of the Nautical Research Journal (Vol 69, NO. 1)) :  Evidently there's a forum somewhere here at Model Ship World with a tip to add additional filler blocks.  The photo in the Niagara build article shows no less than three filler blocks at the bow.  I amend my previous wish to include at least two additional filler blocks.   

Resumption of April 11 post:

The good news is that the extra time getting the tick marks on the bulkheads right is paying dividends now.

Where did you get that bar clamp?  I had a use for something like that very recently in the planking process and actually thought of constructing my own version of exactly that.   Cool!

On 4/8/2024 at 11:48 AM, SUBaron said:

On 3/7/2024 at 4:52 PM, Der Alte Rentner said:

glad you got that tenon into the bowsprit end.  My guess is, you didn't make the mis-step in the Practicum.

 

Peter - No tenon yet! I’m just getting to that section in 2.5.1 (after bulwarks planking). I’m sure the tenon will be a better/stronger solution than a separate block which I’ve considered.

I must be losing what little is left of my mind.  I can't for the life of me remember why I mentioned the tenon.  

On the subject of the large scale version of the Constitution you posted photos of,  do you know the scale?  

On 3/29/2024 at 9:15 AM, mtbediz said:

Thanks for the info John. As far as I understand what I made is a Grog Tub

Right you are Mustafa.

On 3/29/2024 at 8:22 AM, JSGerson said:

The first picture is a "Harness Cask," (I don't know how "harness" is defined on a ship)

According to the OxfordReference.com: