USS Constitution by Modeler12 - FINISHED - Model Shipways

[Modeler12]

I showed the picture below on another thread where someone talked about using a threading tool. I have used that wire gismo but now use a drop of CA glue at the end of the line I want to thread. I smear it for about half in inch, keeping the line flat and let it dry. Then I cut the end at an angle to get a bit of a point. I have used this on tiny blocks and on the small holes for the topgallant shrouds that have to go through the 'spreaders' or crosstrees.

 

[Modeler12]

The topmast shrouds came next. Here is what it looked like for the mizzen shrouds. Again I made a simple fixture to hold the tiny deadeyes so the spacing between them was 3/4 inch. I also show how small these guys are. The pencil lead is 0.5 mm in diameter.

 

[Geoff Matson]

Jay

 

When I first looked at the mizzen  mast deadeyes I thought they were kidding me   But that is what the palns called for. Eveything is looking great.

[Modeler12]

Geoff, all it takes is lots of patience and a steady hand. I wished I had some of that.

 

Here is the first try to rig those mizzen-topmast deadeyes. I don't like this one because it is too loose. I am still a bit shaky about pulling too hard on those little guys.

But practice should help. I probably will do this one over again. I know some folks like to use tan lines, but I thought this is part of the standing rigging, so I am going with 'tar'.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Modeler12

[Geoff Matson]

There has been a lot of disscussion about the line colors. I have seen them done both ways. I think I will rig my deadeyes with the lighter colors.

[Modeler12]

One of the reasons I decided to go dark, Geoff, is that all the pictures I have seen of the Conny in harbor showed a lot of 'black'. I decided a long time ago that I wanted to have my model show 'wear and tear', which makes it a lot easier to add booh-boos, even if you don't meant to.

 

But I am finding out that there are a lot of details that cannot be hidden. For example, the picture below of my 'bad side' (port in this case) is my latest attempt to do the deadeye rigging of the mizzen top. The lines are a bit tighter (I repaired), but the way the ends are tied together stinks. (well, reeks). 

 

I guess the magnification has something to do with that and if you say that is ok, I will go with that. After all, when I stand back it looks pretty good. Perhaps I should not take closeups any more.

 

 

[Geoff Matson]

I know the problem. Us old guys with big hands and small deadeyes and even smaller threads really make things hard. When I rigged my AVS I used the tweezers like extensions of my fingers. Kind of like Edward scissorshand I try to make sure my deadeyes are lined up right the bottom one is like a smiley face and the top one is likea up side down one. Using a gauge as do also helps keep the spacing the same. Seizing and serving the lines is very hard to get looking right. It takes practice. Thats why I try to do as much rigging off the model as I ca. I seize and serve all my lines. No knots. The one thing I learned is that if something bothers you "do it over" otherwise everytime you look at it and wish you hard. If the rigging is starting to get to you go ahead and make the boats or work on the bowsprit or carvings for a diversion. The most important point is hang in there.

Edited April 6, 2013 by Geoff Matson

[Modeler12]

"I know the problem.

Us old guys with big hands and small deadeyes and even smaller threads really make things hard."

 

I like that Geoff and you are right on.
My deadeyes are much better now that I have a decent magnifier (it took your dog's picture to convince me). But now I see things that are much worse than before  But I still have those big hands.

 

As I go along I find more and more things that I can or could have done better. Some I can fix, some 'maybe'. Hopefully they are the little ones.

But I won't stop too long to fix. I want to progress, go further and see.

 

I did add some epoxy to the deadeyes on the mast-tops. I know that helps, even though I had to re-drill a couple plugged holes.

[Geoff Matson]

Jay

 

Good to hear things are working out. Happy modeling

[Modeler12]

The starboard side worked out a bit better. But still not perfect. I like to think that part of the problem is that the holes in the tiny deadeyes don't all line up the way they should be. 

 

I hope the larger ones on the main and foremast will come out OK. 

 

[aliluke]

Hi Jay

I'm going to put in plug for Morope here - too late for you but for others... The beauty is that it is springy so you can achieve a look of tension with differing levels of tensioning applied to each line. In other words, you don't need spacers for the deadeyes at all. You just align them by applying more or less force to each shroud through the lanyards and, although they aren't, they all look evenly tensioned. You have to get the shroud length more or less right - shorter than absolutely correct is better - but aligning deadeyes with springy rope - Morope - is really easy.

 

That being said I've never worked with anything as small as those deadeyes and the sheer complexity of a Constitution rig would scare the .... out of me.

 

Good work all the same and great to see your progress.

 

Cheers

Alistair

[Modeler12]

Hi Alstair, thanks for your suggestion about Morope. I never thought about it (despite the fact that you were using it already back in 'the good old days'). I brought up the web site but could not find any prices. Do have to send them an email to find out?

 

I have a rope walk and made some of my own rope but all of it is cotton. Someday I will have to try some other materials like your Morope.

 

Rigging the Conny is challenging but I find it interesting and am learning a lot about the terminology and what each line is for. No redundancies here. Of course it helps to have some reference books and the drawings that came with the kit are excellent. They not only give you the basic plans but add a lot of schematics to explain details. See below for an example. Of course an architect would cringe at the printing.

 

At this point I have rigged the mizzen as far as I want to go. At the very top are three haliards that come down after the bottom shrouds are in place. But that will have to wait. The same applies to the ratlines.

I also still want to replace those ugly square blocks with better ones from Floyd. I am waiting to see how many I need and any further surprises with the bowsprit and davids for the boats.

   

[JeffT]

Jay,

 

Contact the US rep for morope:

Martin Meyer
Model Shipswright
5821 N.Navarre
Chicago, IL 60631
E-Mail: Curlee11@aol.com

Edited March 28, 2013 by helmsman

[Modeler12]

Thanks Jeff. I take it you have used Morope also. Do you find that the plastic lines tend to slip and are a bit harder to knot? I know that nylon does.

 

Here is one more picture that I should have included above.

 

[Modeler12]

Jeff, I just about answered my own question. Here all along I have been using a spool of dark brown polyester for the very fine lines and making the whippings. It works fine, of course.

 

This may actually be very timely for me. I just realized that I need more rope for the main and foremast shrouds. So out come the ropewalk from storage. After I make what I need out my cotton supply, I will try a few polyester ropes and see what they look like.

[JeffT]

i haven't ordered any yet. i'm still debating but i got the contact info a while back.

[Modeler12]

After I got the ropewalk up and walking again, I had to practice using the thing. Making rope is not as simple as it seems. But I have a good whip, which helps with things that don't cooperate. Here are some results using polyester thread (Morope uses polyester):

 

I have two spools of polyester thread seen below. One is 'heavy', the other 'all purpose'. That is all the information they could provide me. The first measured about .0085 inch diameter, the thin one was about .005 inches. I only made rope out of the thicker one and that measured .023 inches (but that was an average since it varied depending on the tightness of the wind).

 

I found that the rope has a bit of sheen, some fuzz and too much 'chocolate' color. If I were to use it, I might give it a very light coating of my stain. I don't want it to be black. I'll try the thinner thread tomorrow, but I also have to make my cotton rope then.
 

Sorry the picture is a bit out of focus and does not show the actual rope color nor weave.
Thanks both Alistair and Jeff for your comments and help.

 

 

[Modeler12]

My ropewalk is about eight feet long and requires the ends to be rotated independently. I use two hand drills and had to go back and forth. Sometimes the Admiral helped, but she was not always available. So this morning I said heck with this walking back and forth (yes that's why it is called a rope walk) and I got out my grandson's KNEX box again. You can see below how I added a couple gears and jury rigged the hand drill. A twister tie keeps the trigger in a position that gives me the right speed and I operate this one with a switch while holding the other hand drill during the winding operation. It works and now I can do it all from one place.

 

 

Some day II will have to build a better arrangement, but then again I don't make rope every day.

[JSGerson]

Hey, if it works for you, go with it. Then of course there is the ropewalk manufactured by Brynes Model Machines (http://www.byrnesmodelmachines.com/ropewalk1.html?id_mm=0329MM396435). I own their table saw and thickness sander and they are beautifully machined, but $450 for a tool you only occasionally use, I'd stick with your homemade one.

[Modeler12]

Hey, if it works for you, go with it. Then of course there is the ropewalk manufactured by Brynes Model Machines (http://www.byrnesmodelmachines.com/ropewalk1.html?id_mm=0329MM396435). I own their table saw and thickness sander and they are beautifully machined, but $450 for a tool you only occasionally use, I'd stick with your homemade one.

Not only was mine cheaper but lots of fun to put together and much easier to use than the fancy Brynes model. Like you said, if it is for occasional use  . . . .

[Geoff Matson]

Jay

 

Way to go on the rope walk. That is the one thing that really amazes me about this list.  All the different ways to get the same job done. We have some inventive people here.

 

I plan on making all my own own rope for the rigging. I will be using the Byrnes ropewalk. Right now I am trying to figure out the line sizes etc. I am alomost done with the bowsprit and will post my progress soon.

[Modeler12]

Jay

 

Way to go on the rope walk. That is the one thing that really amazes me about this list.  All the different ways to get the same job done. We have some inventive people here.

 

I plan on making all my own own rope for the rigging. I will be using the Byrnes ropewalk. Right now I am trying to figure out the line sizes etc. I am alomost done with the bowsprit and will post my progress soon.

Geoff, I would like to know if the Byrnes ropewalk instructions suggest what kind of yarn or threads to use for the different rope sizes. The plans for the Conny call out dozens of sizes and there is no way that I wanted to follow that to the letter. I am using cotton that I bought in about five different thicknesses (it actually comes by weight). Then I used some of the thinnest #100, 80 and 50 to make rope.  I also used the same threads as is. That gave me six thicknesses. But that still is not enough.

As shown above, I also have made some rope with the very thin polyester thread, but I hesitate to mix that all into the bag.

 

KNEX is an interesting toy for young kids and old men like me alike. My grandson has several pieces and I have some more he can use when he visits us. The idea is that the various shafts, connectors, etc can be used to make structures. It can also include electric motors and that is what I have installed now.

 

The wooden platform of my ropewalk needs to move to the left inside the track, because as rope is made the length shortens because of the twisting. I keep tension on the whole thing by means of the white cord you see going around a pulley to the right and a tin can with weights down below. Before I would use an electric drill clamped to the red shaft in order to rotate the end of the three strings that are attached on the other side. Now I can simply turn on the little electric motor to do the same thing. To change direction of rotation I need to put in a switch to change the polarity of the dc motor. But that comes later. I can change speed by switching the two yellow gears.

So far the whole contraption is working fine.

 

Edited March 30, 2013 by Modeler12

[cog]

Interesting rope walk Jay. Colourfull too. I like th concept. Michael Mott made a nice one to. Should be somewhere in the jigs department.

 

I'm very impressed with your rigging. It looks complicated enough, still you make it seem doable, even easy

[Geoff Matson]

Jay

 

The choice of material seems to unlimited. The Byrnes ropewalk does not say which material is best. There has been a lot of discussion on the list about what material to use. Some guys like cotton, some silk, some guys like to die their own color etc. I guess it comes down to personal taste. I am still not sure which was fo go. 

[Modeler12]

Interesting rope walk Jay. Colourfull too. I like th concept. Michael Mott made a nice one to. Should be somewhere in the jigs department.

 

I'm very impressed with your rigging. It looks complicated enough, still you make it seem doable, even easy

Thanks Carl. Actually I found that by having the little motor on top of the 'sled' helps to get a more uniform rope. When I used an electric hand drill on that shaft it was jerky and gave uneven tension. Now the whole thing runs while I watch for any defects or problems. 

Yesterday I made rope out of some thread that was .0055 inches in diameter and it worked smoothly.

[Modeler12]

Geoff, if I were to start over again I would consider using the polyester threads. They are available in a lot of sizes. Have a look at http://www.thethreadexchange.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=TTE&Category_Code=polyester-thread

 

I have now used two different spools and both worked fine and gave some rope that feels good. I don't know yet what happens if I were to use my stain on it, but I will give that a try soon. 

[Modeler12]

BUSY, BUSY and this is only the start.

 

I still need to add the royal backstay, the various halliards, shrouds, ratlines, mizzen top sails and all its lines . . . .

 

Slow but surely, i see some progress. Not shown are all the mast tops and most of the fore and aft stays. Now I am standing most of the time to work on this old lady.

 

[Modeler12]

Among the ratsnest of lines there is some hope, I hope.

It is actually starting to look ok. Thus far I have strung, tied and served 28 deadeyes, and only 64 more to go      
I think it is about time those deadeyes served me. Time out for dinner and a good night sleep.

 

[capnharv2]

Looks Excellent Jay! It's nice when it all starts to come together,

 

Harvey

[Modeler12]

Thanks Harvey. Indeed  this is fun. Slow but fun.

My wife keeps asking me, with a big smile on her face, if I don't get tired of bending over this thing. And I reply with a smirk, that yes maybe I need a break, any suggestions?