Geoff Matson

Slow going here, but save for stain on the fore channel cap, port side channels and chain plates done.
 
Pro tip for other builders, do not glue in any belaying pins. You're going to break a number of them when you're gluing in the caps and messing around with the dead eyes and chain plates.

 

 

 
Also, be aware that mizzen channel sports the two smaller deadeyes (5/32" and 1/8" vs 3/16" and 5/32" on main and fore mast channels).  I was wondering why I was running low on the 3/16" deadeyes, and noticed only too late, that I screwed up on the mizzen channel.  My mistake was that I referenced the kit's plans instead of the Hunt practicum specifics in chapter 10.2 - pages 28 and 29.  I guess too many days had elapsed between construction of the dead eyes and that of the chain plates and channels.  Oh well.  (How many times have I said that over the course of this build? 🤔)
 
I'm going to live with the difference rather than try to pry off the mizzen cap.  It would appear that I will be making more dead eyes in the immediate future.
 
 

Not much of an update, but I had to share what others may deem as a simple task, but I am quite happy with the result.
 
Awhile back, in preparation of my USS Constitution build, I downloaded several of the USN plans from the USS Constitution Museum website.  These included the spar deck and gun deck general deck arrangements from the 1927-1931 restoration work.  I will use these gun deck plans to create a template to use for the 1/32” false deck I will make from basswood sheets.
 
However, I needed to enlarge the USN plans slightly in order to be the correct size for the template.  Using the idea that Jon @JSGerson described in his build, I measured the distance on the Model Shipways plans between the main mast center point to the foremast center point to be 12-3/16”.  The distance between those two points on my PDF copy of the gun deck plans is 9-3/8”.  So, the PDF copy needed to be enlarged by approximately 30%.
 
I took my PDF copy to a local copy service company and the increase by 30% looked good and measured accurately.  Brought it home, cut out the shape and… DANG!  It fits pretty well!
 
      
 
Putting this gun deck arrangement printout on my ship gives it some life!  Pretty cool to see it this way.
 
Using this gun deck template, I think I will create four (4) basswood sheet panels that will sit on the bulkhead frames.  As I am peeking under the template to where I had already cut out the keel and some of the frames in order to replicate the space where the ladders go down to the berth deck, it appears they are lining up well.  I will make those cuts in the false deck, as well.  I will also do some reinforcing at the mast locations before securing the false deck onto the frames.
 
Since I am bashing my Constitution and adding the detailed gun deck, both it and the spar deck will have a waterway and planksheer.  After completing the spar deck waterway and planksheer, I realized that I did not have any more wood strips of the correct size for the 2nd deck, so… I’ve placed an order with Model Expo for some additional wood and was notified today that it was shipped.  Yay!
 
Anyways, I was excited about the template success and thought it was appropriate for a build log update.  Thanks, as always, for peeking in! 

Gregg,
 
Where you need to be careful is when you construct the galleries. It turns out that mine are a little too long from stern to bow. As a consequence of my not catching that much earlier, I have to move one of the cutouts for the chain plate/deadeye combos forward.
 
Of course, in attempting to simply carve out an extra slot, I broke part of the channel. You can see the repair clearly in this photo. I need to get back home to deal with some maintenance people, so further repairs here are postponed, at least until tomorrow.
 
Again, my advice to you, be very careful where the forward end of your galleries meet the hull when you construct them.
 

 
 

Gregg 
That first picture is actually of my ship. What I did was cut a copy of the plans and taped it to the hull so I knew where to place the holes for the chain plates.
 
Sounds like a great plan, yes?
 
Not so much...  here's the picture of the port side stern chain plate pattern.
 
If a picture is worth a thousand words, I can think of just two that describe how I feel about this

 
Here's a third, more civilized, word 
Sigh

Well... I guess that "closer and closer" timeframe was closer than I realized!  I cut out the spar deck beams today.  Now the real work begins! Yikes! 
 

 

Another small update on my progress.  Working now on the waterways and planksheer.
 
The waterways and planksheer that I will be placing now will be on the spar deck, but it looks like I will also be doing some version of this on the gun deck once I get to that level.  The spar deck waterways will provide some “solidarity” to the bulwark extensions, though, when I get to the point coming up where I take out the existing spar deck framework in order to work on a detailed gun deck.
 
In beginning to work on the spar deck waterways, I followed the instructions as shown on Sheet 2 of the kit plans, but I also relied on suggestions made by Bob Hunt in his Practicum, as well as looking back at how a couple of my fellow shipbuilders handled this step, especially Tom @usedtosail and Jon @JSGerson.
 
For the waterways, I used the kit-supplied 5/16” x 5/32” strips.  Lengths were measured and cut from the stern to Bulkhead E.  The plans show various degrees of beveling that is required on the outer side of the waterways so that it fits snuggly against each of the bulkhead extensions, depending on which bulkhead the waterway is hitting.  The inner side of the waterway has a 45o cut measured 3/32” on each side.  I used a compass to measure and mark that distance, then used the Proxxon disc sander to get the 45o bevel correctly.  I simply used a palm sander to make the necessary bevels for the outer measurements.
 
   
 
   
 

 
Then secured and glued the long waterway strips on both port and starboard sides from the stern to Bulkhead E.  I used some temporary small square-dowel pieces on the outside of the bulkhead extensions in order to squeeze the waterway strips firmly against the bulkhead extensions without the risk of breaking those extensions.
 
       
 
To make the waterways that have the serious bend around the inside of the bow (from Bulkhead E to the bowsprit in front of Bulkhead A), I decided to cut them from basswood sheet stock, like several others had done.  I have a decent supply of 8” x 8” x 3/16” basswood sheets, so I’ll use that.  I measured the distance from the center keel out to the inside of the bulwark extensions at each of the Bulwarks A-E.  Then, using a French Curve, I tried to draw that curve onto a cardboard sheet.
 
        
 
It came out pretty well, although I still needed to make some adjustments at the bowsprit for it to fit a bit more “snuggly” against the bow knighthead.
 

 
I then transferred the cardboard shape to the basswood sheet and, using my Dewalt scroll saw, made the outer side cut for the waterway.
 
   
 
Since this basswood sheet was 3/16” thick but the waterway needed to only be 5/32” thick, I had to sand the sheet down another 1/32”.  This was going to be easier to do with a larger sheet piece then after cutting it to its desired width.
 

 
Using the compass, I then measured and marked the 5/16” width thickness and made the cut again using the scroll saw.
 
       
 
I then, of course, repeated this whole “measure-and-cut” process for the starboard side. 
 
And, once again, I used some temporary small square-dowel pieces on the outside of the bulkhead extensions in order to secure and glue the waterway strips from Bulkhead E forward firmly against the bulkhead extensions without the risk of breaking the extensions, timberheads and knightheads.
 

 
Once the waterways were in place, the planksheers set on top of the waterways against the bulkhead extensions.  These came from the kit-supplied 3/32” squared strips.  One strip was placed from the stern to Bulkhead G, and another strip was joined at Bulkhead G moving forward.  To make the curve around the inside of the bow, I simply held the two sides’ strips under really hot running water for several minutes, which got them soft and pliable enough to make the bend.  I clipped them against the bulkheads to allow them to dry and hold their curves before securing and gluing them in place.
 

 
Here is a final picture with all of the waterways and planksheers in place.  Hope I’ve done everything correctly!  This will all be done again on the gun deck!
 

 
I am now getting closer and closer to the serious kit bashing, when all of the spar deck level support beams will be cut out so that the detailed gun deck can be built.  We will then get into working on all the gun port placements, as well.  Scary times, indeed!  Definitely nervous about the whole process, but there is plenty of history from successful builders to look back on, as well as current knowledgeable followers who can help guide and counsel me, if necessary.
 
As always, your likes, comments, concerns and criticisms are all appreciated.  Y’all rock! Thanks!

Port side main channel chain plates, deadeyes, and eye bolts installed...
 
Mistakes were made but I managed to recover from them. The lessons learned should result in smoother sailing for the remaining five channels. 
 
I also marked the locations for the port holes.

 

 

 

Would you believe there are 100 hooks in this container? Once I got into the rhythm of bending the 1/32” eyebolts, I could do about 2, to 3 per minute, but it was tedious and working using the pliers, wire cutter, with a magnifier headset was tiresome. Now comes the really tiresome part, making 5 identical sets of tackle per each of the 20 carronades and 2 long guns. Oh joy.

Rigging the Spar Deck Carronades
There are three components to gun tackle: the rope, the hooks, and the blocks. I will initially be using .008” (.20 mm) Syren Ship Model Co, miniature tan rope and 3/32” (2.4 mm) blocks (single & double). The hooks I must make myself from 1/32” (0.8 mm) eyebolts. As far as I know, nobody makes 1/32” hooks with a quarter twist so that the eye is turned 90° from the hook. There are 20 carronades each requiring a minimum of 4 hooks. Then there are 5 hooks each for the two 24 pounders. That’s 90 hooks minimum assuming I don’t lose any during the fabrication process. I’ll make about 100 of these for the time being. So that alone is going to take a while to fabricate.

It's been a while since I've posted. I feel like I've been busy, but I don't have much to show by way of results. 
 
The fore and main channels have been fabricated, and installed.  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The hardest part of this was not breaking belaying pins, rails or disturbing the carronades while holding the channels in place long enough for the 5-minute epoxy to dry. Try as I might, I could not find a way to clamp these in place with the tools I have at hand. So my hands were the clamps.
 
A close second in terms of difficulty was marking the holes for the pins correctly, so that the channels rode evenly below the outer planksheer.  

I did make a prototype recoil tackle to determine how much line I would need for that, approx. 3”. Looking at the miniature rope provided by the kit, the smallest diameter line provided were parts Nos. WP2589 (black) & WP2587 (tan) 3/0, 0.005” (0.13 mm) dia. two strand nylon. They did not look rope. They did look good for seizing line, so that is what I tried. My first attempt was a tad crude, but it won’t be noticed unless you have fantastic eyesight. I should improve as I make more.

I'm taking a break from working on the masts and tops for a while to complete some of the other missing parts. Right now, I'm fabricating the main brace bumpkins and the stern boat davits.

Wow, it has been a full two months since my last update!  It’s been a busy (and honestly frustrating “ship building-wise”) couple of months that I will get into briefly in a bit.  But I also had some really fun times these past few months, enjoying some fun Parents’ Weekend festivities with our college granddaughter and her parents (our son) and rest of family.  My son and I also went to an NFL game while they were in town.  But the really important model ship-related news is that my wife and I took a fairly brief (5 days) trip to Boston and, yes, I got on the USS Constitution!  I will maybe post a few more details of that trip in a separate post with a few of my favorite pictures.  The Constitution visit, though, was a bit disappointing in that it had rained overnight and was a bit misty in the morning, so they had a lot of the spar deck details covered with tarps.  But I was able to take pictures on the spar deck and gun deck of what I could see and we definitely enjoyed our time on the iconic ship and toured the museum, as well.
 
With all that said, it’s now time for an update on my build log.  And thanks to Mustafa for noticing my extended absence and asking me on his own build log how I was doing.  Appreciate the concern and follow-up, my friend!
 
So, it’s time to make decisions about the stern configuration.  I have said several times that my goal has been to build this ship as an “1812-ish” version of the Constitution.  In reading up on the history and seeing several adaptations in Michele Felice Cornè’s paintings, I decided to give his 1812 six-window configuration a shot.  Some of the various stern configurations are shown in the Anatomy of the Ship book.
 

 
Let’s first see how all of the kit-provided stern frames look as they are positioned on the counter block.  As others have noted, there were some subtle shape differences between the six provided frame pieces.
 

 
   
 
The fantastic builders who have done detailed gun decks have also taken different approaches to how the Commodore’s aft cabin (and the port and starboard staterooms) would be displayed, if at all.  If there is going to be any visual presentation of the aft cabin, whether from the exposed spar deck or from the stern windows, some alterations to the kit-provided center stern frames were going to be necessary.  And, of course, with the alteration in the number of stern windows I had decided to include vs. the kit’s 3-window configuration, I was going to need to add some stern frames to help support the additional windows.
 
So, using the kit-provided stern frames as a template, I cut some new stern frames that would allow for the appearance of an open Commodore’s aft cabin, if visible.  When duplicating these new stern frames, I left some additional frame piece at the base of the frame in order to fit it into the counter block (more on that in a bit), as well as an extension (just in case, for fitting) of the horizontal piece that goes back to Bulkhead R, which will be the wall separating the Commodore’s forward and aft cabin areas.
 

 
      
 
On the two outside stern frame #3 pieces, I milled openings to display the access from the respective staterooms out to the bath and lavatory areas in the quarter galleries.  (As I look at these openings now, I may not have cut them quite large enough, but I’ll assess that again soon.)
 

 
As a part of my research, I learned that Issac Hull’s crew that had won the battle against HMS Guerriere presented him with a model of the USS Constitution as a gift.  That model has been on display at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA.  This battle took place in August 1812, so that’s a good date for me to use as a guide for the stern configuration.
 

 
Also, as a part of the stern configuration and the exposed gun deck, I needed to cut out the “bump-out” section of the Commodore’s aft cabin where the lounge chair sits.  After cutting it out, I replaced the support beam with a nice solid piece of wood.
 

 
OK, now a brief discussion on my latest trial-and-error failure.  I indicated earlier that I had made the “legs” of the new stern frames a bit longer so they would fit into notches I would make into the counter block.  This would help in securing the stern frames more securely, right?  Here’s the mill work I did in creating those notches.
 
   
 

 
Yeah, this did not go well.  The stern frames fit poorly and it was going to be even more difficult to make all of the joined pieces… the stern frames, the altered counter block, and the filler blocks… look right.  So, I decided to discard the now-mutilated counter block and make a new counter block.  I will now simply securely glue the stern frames (without the extra length at the base) to the counter block.  With some calculations and measuring, I determined where the stern frames would be placed so that the six-window configuration would fit properly.  As a few other prior builders had done, though, I did affix some support tracks to the counter block to provide additional strength and support to the stern frames.
 
   
 
   
 

 
As the new stern frames were placed and secured, I also began working on shaping and securing the two deck beams at the rear of the spar deck level.
 
   
 
   
 

 
With the stern frames now securely in position, it was time to begin the window framing.  Using a “sized-to-actual” picture of the stern area and some cut-up mockups, I determined the size of the six windows to be 11.24mm square, or 7/16” square.  I cut a spacer block to assist with the remainder of the frames' positioning.
 
       
 
The bottom of the windows will sit 1/4” above the gun deck counter block, just a touch above the knuckle line.  I then measured and cut the bottom frame pieces and, using a spacer, I secured the bottom window frames.
 
         
 
Then, using the spacer cut to the size of the windows, I cut and placed the top frame pieces and then added vertical frame pieces where needed and in the width needed for each of the six 2x2 pane patterns.
 
      
 
      
 
You can see in the pictures that the window frame pieces sit out from the stern frames slightly, so they can be sanded flush when the transom planking is added and the windows are put in place.
 
I hope this all works out well in the end and it gives a good representation of what the Issac Hull version of the USS Constitution’s stern transom looked like.  We are moving forward!
 
As always, I appreciate the likes, comments, criticisms and concerns (there may be plenty with this transom work!).  As I have said before, a thousand thanks to those who have worked on this ship before me and have provided, and continue to provide, great information, insight and inspiration!  You are appreciated!

Spar Deck Long Guns
Finally, the last armament to be fabricated for the spar deck were the two 24 pounder long guns. These were made almost identical to the guns for the gun deck. I say “almost” because this time I used the laser cut carriage sides provided by the kit, If you may remember, I had to scratch make my own sides for the gun deck guns because for some reason, the gun ports were a bit too high relative to the gun deck planking and I had to compensate with a slightly taller gun carriage. Which by the way, was closer to the US Navy plans version.
 
I made all the other pieces as before and assembled them using the jig I used before. However, the jig had to be adjusted a bit because my scratch made sides were a bit different thickness than the laser cut ones. Also, this time, the blackening didn’t seem to stick as well as last time, so I will have to use some touch black paint where the shiny brass shows through. Still to be done. I will glue down the quoin when the guns are aligned properly and glued into their final positions. Till then, rigging the guns is next.

As it turned out, the 3-D misprinted/broken recoil rope eye bolts for are a moot point as I had to remove all of them anyways. They were very fragile, delicate, and broke when I tried to attach the required ring to them. The plastic is very stiff, inflexible, and will snap if any stress is applied to them.
 
Each of the 20 carronades required seven 1/32” eyebolts, one each for the two tackles per side, one for the recoil rope per side, and one on the rear of the gun slide. The recoil eyebolts have a ring passing through their eye through which the recoil ropes are threaded. These were replaced with trimmed eyebolts bent 90° with the attached ring.
 
All 20 carronades were dry positioned on the spar deck ready to be rigged. First, I need to fabricate the two long guns to complete the spar deck’s armament.

I’m fitting brass bands around the square tops of the masts. I milled 0.2 mm deep grooves, bent 0.3 mm brass strip to shape, and fixed it in place with CA glue.

The wooden superstructure of all three fighting tops has been completed. It wasn’t a very difficult task, but it’s time-consuming because of the amount of detail.

I've started building the fighting tops, which are quite detailed. I began with the main mast top and, if I'm not mistaken, I've already prepared and assembled 57 pieces for it so far. I'm not sure how many more will be needed.

I'm still working on the masts. I've finished the chafing fish on all three masts and started mounting the iron bands. I cut the iron bands from 0.3 mm brass sheet and glued in place with CA.

On my first go-around I wrapped .45 mm wire around a .8 mm rod. 
 
I purchased some .6 mm rod, that I intended to swap the .8 mm rod out with. 
 
Forgetting my intention, I wrapped the .6 mm rod around the .8 mm rod and liked the result so well that I made 18 of the 5/32" dead eyes for use on the channels and chain plates for the main mast.
 
Since I already had 10 of the 5/32" dead eyes from the first attempt, I wanted to finish that batch using the same .45mm wire.  To reduce the amount of tweaking after the initial wrap, I swapped the .6 mm rod for the .8 mm rod and wrapped the .45mm wire around that.  I now have 16 of those, which I will use for the foremast.
 
My concern in using the .45 mm wire was that the loop, which would attach to the chain plate, wouldn't hold up under tension during rigging. After some experimenting, I realized this was not really an issue.
 
Bottom line: it's easiest to work the .45 mm wire then the .6 mm rod.  
 
For the remaining smaller diameter deadeyes, that's the option I will go with.
 
I don't think the casual observer will notice a difference.
 

 

Exactly. And because I didn't see anything actually connecting the deadeye to the chain plate, I became oncerned that, if I'm tugging on the deadeye during rigging, that it might come undone.
 
So, I've been experimenting with methods of stropping the deadeye with brass wire, and ending up with a loop for the chainplate to pass through later.  I won't show you the failed or less than desirable results, but I think I'm on to something:
 
The diameter of the brass rod clamped between the vices is .8 mm.  The diameter of the wire that I'm wrapping around the rod is .44 mm.
 
I think if I had some .6mm rod on hand, I'd have even better results.  I should be receiving some point .7 mm rod tomorrow. So, I won't be doing much more than this trial run today.
 
Wrap brass wire tightly around a secured rod of diameter slightly larger than the wire.

 
Bend the wire into a loop and pass the end through the coil.

 
Snug everything up with pliers

 
Form a tighter Loop at the other end.

 
Clean things up with snippers and needle nose pliers

 
One down.

 
Before anyone asks, I tried simply twisting the wire like most others have done, but doing so weakened the thin brass which resulted in the occasional snap while forming that final loop for the chain plate.
 
Frankly, I think this looks better too.
 
Also, my deadeyes will ride proud of the channel a bit, as they do in the photos you provided of the Constitution last week.  Ken's were flush against the channel.

From what I surmised from the images Ken provided, he did not attached the deadeyes to the chain plates. He twisted the wires stropping the deadeyes creating a tail which was then inserted into the channel. The chain plates were laid on top of the tails and extended to the hull. The "joint" was eventually covered over by the channel cap hiding the false connection. A little bit of modeler's sleight of hand.

Hey Peter!  I returned from my Boston trip last Saturday and visited the Constitution on Thursday.  It was a cloudy and misty damp morning that day, and had rained harder earlier, so a lot of the spar deck was covered when I visited (groannnnnnn).  But here are some of the exterior, including the deadeyes and channels.  Probably not too much different than Jon's pictures but hope they help some.  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I sent these images to Mustafa as well. It shows what the actual connections look like to help guide you. In my opinion, your idea should work better if you use the stronger boxwood for the channels instead of basswood.
 
Jon
 

Today is being spent doing research on chainplates and channels. 
 
In my reading (mostly HipExec's Constructo build), I've learned that I may already be in hot water in that I didn't pin the pin rails to the bulwarks.  Probably too late to do anything about that now, sigh..  I hope the C/A glue holds up during rigging.  And this leads me to conclude that I am going to have to figure out how to get pins into the already constructed fife rail stanchions.  But I digress..
 
Chainplates and Channels:  Because I don't want to do any soldering (Hunt method), can't figure out what XKen did to connect his deadeyes to the chainplates, would like to be able to use the kit provided chain plates, and am lazy by nature, I'm looking to find an easier but effective method of tackling this problem.  I may have hit upon a simple technique of securing both deadeye and chainplate to the channel.   Here's what I'm thinking,
 
Bend brass rod around the deadeye similarly to how HipExec did this:
 
 

 

 
but bend the straight portion of it 90 degrees to make a hook.  The hook would then pass through a hole in the chain plate and be sunk into a hole drilled into the channel.  If the channel is pinned into the hull, this looks to be a very solid way to anchor the deadeyes. 
 
(pardon the sketchy sketch - pun intended😁.)   Ignore the split in the ring on the left.  If I did that, I'd probably have to make my own chain plates, which would be wider than the kit provided hardware, to accommodate a slot instead of a small hole.

 
Thoughts?