druxey

Hello,
further I will show you how to make the pivot joints for the carriages of Carronaden.

 

 

 

 

 
 

Hello,
more pictures of the construction progress of the carronades:

 

 
Here the rings for breech rope are made:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

I'm using brass rod for the topmast fids, but I drilled and inserted some brass tube into the topmast heel to strengthen the fid hole.  Metal plate will be put on the bearing surface of the trestle-trees.
 
 
 
 
The caps I made were just rough outs, so I made a new set from laminated aircraft plywood and one of oak for the bowsprit.
 
 
 
 
The caps got some eyes installed, and the tops got blocks for the heads of the trys'l masts, then everything got painted.
 
 
The bowsprit started with a bit of research.  The paintings of the ship in 1856 and 1862, the earliest known photo from 1871, and the rigging documentation of the period all agreed closely enough.  I basically used "Plate 51" from Luce's Textbook of Seamanship 1891 edition along with the 1871 photo as my guide's.
   
 
The heel block for the jib-boom and the bees got things started.  The heel block is notched into the bowsprit, glued, and pinned - I think it'll stay there.  The jib-boom was notched to fit

 
The cap was banded with some of the copper tape used on the hull's bottom, and some eyes.  It also got some copper strap glued and pinned to take the notched heel of the flying jib-boom.

 
A "wythe" was made from copper and it was glued and bolted to the shouldered end of the jib-boom.  The flying jib-boom slides out through this and steps into the strap on the cap.

 
Banding for the bob-stay chains, fore-stay, and the heel strap for the jib-boom were all made with copper sheet.  The heel strap is also bolted through the heel-block.  The forestay bands are anchored with a copper nail under the bees and wrap under the bowsprit and through the bee on the other side.  The holes in the bees for the t'gallant fore-stay are sheaved with 6mm brass sheaves.
 
 
The bees were permanently attached with 4p finish nails as pins, brass nails through the t'gallant fore-stay sheaves, and glue, of course.  A set of spreaders and a dolphin-striker were made from maple, fitted with hooks, and everything was painted and stained.
 
 
 

Hello Friends,
 
Thank you all for your "likes", really appreciated.
 
A few things happened in the progress of this build in this installment.  I started the deck planking here and made my own plywood again.  I decided to use plywood instead of planks.  for a small boat it seemed logical and easier.  In real life we would use marine grade plywood but here I used my own method of making plywood.  The deck was going to be painted anyhow with non-skid paint.
I also "planked' the vertical sides of the cabin above the deck and cut the portholes in it.  I used file folder paper for the portholes and clear plastic from small food packaging trays from the supermarket.
I also finished the galley cupboards and made the doors for them as well as doors for the hanging closets in the cabin. 
I also installed the seat supports in the cockpit and drilled the hole for the helm shaft.  A tricky one because the largest collet for the flex attachment did not go up to the drill size I needed. So I had to drill the final hole by twisting the drill bit with my fingers.
 
Attached are four pictures that'll tell the story better.
 

I had to remove the table and top bunks to give me some space for the Proxxon flex extension.  I also poly urethane the cabin and galley.  The deck is partially covered and is still a little too large but over all it fits nicely.  This is my own made plywood and is about 2 mm thick.  I forgot how I clamped the side deck pieces.  In this picture you can hardly see the top bunk tracks.  The galley cupboard doors are also made and hung. I made two doors on the port side and the cupboard is also a bit larger then the starboard one.
 

A top port side view. I made a hatch opening for the forecastle/sail locker/appliance compartment.  The mast stump is only a temporary thing.  Here you can see the cockpit seat supports and the helm shaft hole.  The cabin upper sides are also made from home made plywood.  It was a fun experiment but too time consuming.  It would be better to buy 1 and 2 mm plywood in the hobby store.  That's what I have done for the O 19 sub I'm building. I have glued 2, 3 and 4 layers of 1 mm ply together to get the thickness I needed.  It's very strong and can be shaped into an airfoil when needed and won't twist or warp!.
 

Starboard top side view.  Here you can see the top bunk tracks and the galley cupboard doors. Yes, they do also have handles on them and work.  Here you can also see the hanging closet doors, they too have handles on them and work.  btw the hinges are made from file folder paper.  The stick stuck in a hole in the build board is what I have used to apply small daubs of glue, mainly for the hinges and door handles. 
 

Side view, starboard side.  Not much else to add except that the deck still needs to be trimmed.  Looking at it now I could have made the cabin just a smidgin higher but when she is in the water she seems to exude speed this way.  I thought of making the forward end bowed but that would have taken away a lot of headroom in the head and washroom.  I had to use very little wood filler on the model but only where needed to hide the plank seems when painted. I was pretty successful in achieving a nice smooth finish.
 
Cheers 

Hello friends,
 
A lot of things have happened between the last post and this one.  Thinking back now, I am sorry for not making more pictures of the different steps involved in the building phase.
In this episode I'll try to describe what was done in some detail.  Dialog has to suffice with the lack of pics of each step but let your imagination go then you'll see the picture appear in your mind    
 

This picture was taken outside due to better light for a slow camera lens   It shows a side view forward. Starting at the front, I added and installed a roof beam over the opening to the head. I stained most of the cabin with cherry except the new top bunks and the table.  These bunks are like dresser drawers and "roll" on tracks fastened to the bulkheads. No, in the model they slide on small strips of wood that are glued to the bulkheads.  The bunks were also made with my home made plywood.  Reason for making the top bunks movable is that the deck knees makes the space a little cramped, not much headroom.  Just imagine having a ladder that hooks over the edge to climb on them    I made a table with foldable side blades.  The legs also fold in against the bottom of the table blades. The table has two sturdy legs that are pinned to the deck to make the table removable.  When it is time to crawl into the bunks the table will be folded in and the top bunks pulled out.  I added a shelf in the port side hanging closet for the galley cupboard, the starboard side followed. 
 

Top view looking aft.  Continue from the bunks, I added partitions on the top of the hanging closets to make the small cupboards for the galley above them. A lot of small strips of wood for the framing involved.  The galley was also semi completed here. On the port side is the counter with a stainless steel top and a stainless steel backsplash is yet to be installed.  I made these from an empty beer can.  There are of course a few doors below for access to storage. I neglected to make a propane burner unit of three burners.  Was going to but just forgot.
On the starboard side are the counters for the sink and food prep.  The sink is also made from an empty beer can.  It has spigots for hot and cold running water!  These are made from copper electrical wire and the faucet is from copper tubing. There is a small fridge as well and more storage. Yes, there is a small electric hot water heater! Later on in the build I made a few changes to the bulkhead with the half moon shapes. I also installed the cockpit deck (floor).  Okay, that raps it up for now.
As a note of interest, that spindly deck framing over the bunks are surprisingly strong.  Hmmm, how do I know
More to come in the next episode.
 
Cheers,

First of all my sincere thanks to all for your like votes, really appreciate it.
 
Hi Bob, thanks for keeping an eye on me and my build.  I like your new project!  Well, sticking to the actual ways of building a boat or ship should be the challenge for us.  I just ran out of patience and figured that with the boat painted it was just too time consuming because I wanted to start with the VOC model.  At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it 
 
Today I'm showing all y'all the next stage of the build, the start of the interior.  There are obviously many steps between my last post and this one I have not photographed, shame on me, just too busy building 
 
As mentioned some time ago I made my own thin plywood for the interior paneling.  I had some 1/4 inch plywood from Home Depot left over that I used to repair a friend's speaker cabinet and the finished side was cherry, nice looking veneer on a junk core.  The back side was a light colored wood veneer of an unknown type of wood.  I cut 6 inch wide planks and carefully separated the veneers and then glued the two finishing veneers back together.  I wound up having nice stiff but still bendable planks.  I left just a smidgen of the core but hardly worth mentioning.
 
The biggest aggravation with the poplar wood I used for all the framing was that it "fuzzes" a lot.  I couldn't get rid of the wood hairs.  Fortunately most is hidden but it sure makes the pics lousy to look at before everything was covered.
 
Okay, the pics can tell the story better.  I'll also make a few comments.
 

With the home made plywood I paneled the head and the main cabin area.  I also made the lower two bunks.  Unfortunately I didn't make a picture of the inside of the "potty," it has an actual bowl with a pipe going down to the imaginary dry-chem holding tank.  And yes, the lid actually hinges to allow one to do their "duty."  The wash basin is from a plastic safety stopper of a milk carton.  The spigot is made from a copper tube and the faucet is from copper wire.  Aft of the bunks are hanging closets where I eventually made small lockers on the top.  All of them will have workable doors.
I made a bunch of hanging knees for the deck support framing and fastened them to through the paneling into the frames.  Okay, I just glued them to the paneling    
 

A close-up of the head. On the forecastle bulkhead is a small closet for "potty" supplies. As mentioned above the lid actually hinges, perhaps you can see the hinges in back of it.  Everything is still in the rough.
 

Close-up of the wash basin.  There is storage space below the sink and the waste water is piped overboard.  As mentioned it's all still in the rough and unfinished and full of debris.  
 

A close-up of the entire cabin and head area. The door to the forecastle opens towards the port side, you should be able to see the top hinge.  I still needed to make the handle when this pic was taken.
 
Cheers, 

thanks for your comments ... here are some other photos...
 

 
 

 

 
 

 
 

Paint!
 
Painting the hull was more of a primer job than a finished surface.  I had sprayed some Krylon black and some copper on the hull a while back to see how it held up to handling; that's what appears like a scorch mark on the hull during the float test.
 
I sanded the hull and washed it with dish-washing detergent, then wiped it down with degreaser.  I masked off the white stripe and sprayed it with flat white then, when it had set, masked over the stripe leaving the gunports uncovered, and masked the waterline about 1/2 and inch above the LWL - this is the top of the copper.  The hull was then sprayed flat black.
 
 
The bottom was sprayed with the copper

 
and the quarter galleries were painted to match

 
As I said, this wasn't meant to be a great paint job, but more of a primer coat, and she was looking a bit like a log to me.  I painted the bottom copper with the idea that if any of the tape came off, it would expose the copper color, as opposed to black or white.
 
From a log to a copper bottomed pot
 
I got three rolls of the 1/2" wide copper tape.  I calculated it would take two rolls to do the hull and got the third roll to be safe.  I did wind up going a few inches into the third roll.
The tape came from The Tape Depot and has an acrylic adhesive; just peel the paper off and stick it on.  I don't recall now, but I think I got the "conductive" version.

 
I made a pair of stamps from some sheet aluminum (one for port side plates, the other for starboard side plates), using a nail to create the protrusions.  This was attached to a block of pine and pressed into the face of the tape against an eraser.
Coppering is attached to the hull with nails that have countersunk heads, like a wood screw, into pre-punched holes.  The effect is NOT the riveted appearance most modeler's apply, but more the opposite.  The dents made in the copper are push back out when it's pressed onto the hull and gives more of a countersunk nail appearance.  I pre-made 20 or 30 plates at a time, then began applying them.
 
 
 
 
I began applying them from the keel at the rudder post, upward, and forward so each plate overlapped the ones below it and behind it about 1mm, like scales.  Each plate was burnish with an eraser.  I also used my finger, but wound up with a lot of little cuts from the edge of the tape.
 
 

 
Examining photos of the ship in drydock at various points in her life, where I could see, it seemed she wasn't coppered in any specific pattern, but simply from the keel up and finished with a girdling belt at the waterline.  That's the pattern I went with.
 
 
The rudder was coppered as well, and when both sides were done, the keel got plated and the hull was complete.
 
 
I'm pretty pleased with the effect of the coppering.  At this scale I couldn't just ignore the nail marks, but I didn't want that ridiculous round headed rivet effect I see on models so often.  I never actually counted them, but I imagine there's some 2400 plates on the hull, counting the rudder.
 
After one side was done, I, and my fingers, needed a break from all the peel, stick, and rubbing - so I took a break by working on
 
The Mast Tops

By Constellation's time, the split gunport was in common use, with a hole in the center to grasp the muzzle of the gun which poked through a short way and had a tampion in it.
I decided not to model the gundeck to keep things simple and a bit more water resistant.
 
I cut out each gunport, but only the outer glass and the resin/wood batten layer, leaving the mat layer inside. 

 
 
 
After a few tries, I managed to make a form that I was ok with and pressed it into some clay.  This became a mold to make 20 lids with muzzles and 10 plain lids without muzzle holes.  There would be three plain lids on each side and 4 on the stern.  The stern lids would be cut and mounted in the open position later.
 
 
Each lid was set in it's port with epoxy thickened with fine sawdust to act as a filler as well as a glue.

 
 
 
I decided I was actually going to copper the bottom, and order a couple of rolls of peel-n-stick copper tape from The Tape Depot.  That tape came in and I realized it was time to...
 
Paint!

Now, we move aft...
 
I only have one image of the stern of the ship that was done when she was in Boston for a refit in 1859, that shows how the stern appeared.  It is really nothing like any image of her afterward in that the upper curved moldings disappear.  Another painting of the ship at Naples in 1856 shows the stern somewhat, but I've never found a clearer image, nor one in color, where I could actually make out any detail other than the white stripe doesn't wrap around the stern.
 
 
With that little ammunition in hand, I wrapped some paper around the stern and marked where things were; the backs of the quarter galleries, the bottom of the stern, the stern ports, etc, etc.  Removing the paper, I connected the marks and basically drew the stern's details on the flat sheet.  This I scanned so I could work on it in the computer; adding moldings, the medallions, and other details.
 
 
Printing this and cutting it out, I used it to mark where everything went on the model itself.
I used an old utility knife blade to make a molding scraper

 
and proceeded to apply moldings with epoxy.
 

 
The quarter galleries also got a dose of detailing, in the form of posts and window mullions.

Catheads Fitted
 
Both Catheads have now been fitted - only "dry" for the moment. I will cut the sheave holes and fit the sheaves off the ship before gluing them in. I also need to make the Cathead Caps, more about them shortly.
 
I surprised myself with how accurately they finished up - not even a fraction of a millimetre difference from the centre line or the baseboard :
 

 

 
The notch for beam #2, and the beam dry-fitted :
 

 

 
  Danny

more

If you absolutely want a shiny copper bottom, you will need to be very careful not to pull up plate edges while cleaning them. This is virtually impossible! However, if you are successful, you will also need to swab the copper with acetone to remove any trace of  grease before spraying with lacquer as suggested. Otherwise your fingerprints will come back to haunt you!

So far, so good. She's looking very nice indeed.

Nice detail, Dan. However, the coat is nailed to the rudder upside down/inside out, then inverted to form a kind of loose bag up around the rudder head into the helm port opening. This gives room for movement of the rudder. You might want to consider that for absolute authenticity.

finish the kitchen

How does this color combination of lines on a present-day model strike you?

Forecastle Knees
 
I haven't managed to do a great deal lately - too much "bill-paying work" getting in the way .
 
I've fitted all the Forecastle deck knees, both Hanging and Lodging. Note that there is no hanging knee on beam #5 as it is directly above the first gunport.
 
I only need to make the Foremast Partner and the forecastle will be ready for planking :
 

 

 
  Danny

Forecastle and Quarterdeck Carlings
 
There are only a few Carlings on both the Forecastle and Quarterdeck, unlike the lower decks. These mainly support such things as Steam Gratings on the Forecastle and the upper Capstan Step, a Companion and a few Scuttles on the Quarterdeck.
 

 

 

 
  Danny

more

Playing around with rope making I already have plenty ropes... but still not enough...
Rope making are eating so mant time. Then it's necessary to permeate ropes .
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
These ropes are the most thiner diameter which I'm able to make using cotton threads and three thread (0,35mm and 0,25mm) of course you can lay thiner using two threads but quality and presentation are not gratifying. I have very nice syntetic threads which I'll use...most probably Syntetic threads are more elastic... and give opportunity to lay thin rope... problem is always with permeate and insulation (syntetic ropes like to "grab" dust... so it's necessary to hobble electrostatic force ...but about this and how to do it, I'll write in nearby future
 

 
Here I'd like to show example of cable-laid and left-laid ropes
 

 

 

 
Part of my rope-stock
 


 

Dear E&T,
 
The draughts you mention are exactly the ones I was thinking of. Unfortunately, I know no more than you on that subject. Perhaps another reader might be knowledgeable about the point you raise.
 
Your research and drafting is very impressive. Looking forward to further installments!

Hello,
assembly of iron knees and
 
A  Hold
    5 Shot- locker
    6 Pump well
 
B Orlop-Deck
   9 scuttle providing acces to the shot-locker
 
 
Karl
 
 
 
 
T e i l  32

Thank you,
Alexandru

A proper update at last.  I got some good progress today, which was very satisfying.  The main halliards are now rigged together with quite a few other bits and pieces, and I have been able to make a start on the lower square yard.  It won't be too long now before she's finished.
 
Here a few photos showing as she is at the moment - she's starting to look like the lady she is.
 



 
And in this one you can just see the square yard horse - the lower square yard isn't attached to the mast, but rather travels on a vertical horse up the fore side of the mast via a thimble on the after side of the yard.  Then horse is the black line you can see running vertically between the yard and the mast.
 

 
John